01 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bribe, a bright and sunshiny day, a double heart, all lie in wait for blood, an inconsistent mind, as silver tried in a furnace, be careful whom you listen to, catching our second wind, deceitfulness, do evil with both hands successfully, don't give up hope, endure to the end, enter into peace, everyone with their neighbour, evil has a stranglehold on our world, evil tendencies, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, find comfort in the Lord, flattering lips, flowing through me, fraudulence, from among the children of men, from him that puffeth at him, God shall preserve the Godly, greater than he that's in the world, halfway home, hands on the plough, He who is in us, Help Lord, holy spirit, hunt every man, hunt every man his brother with a net, insincere flattery, Jesus Christ, just a matter of time, looking forward to a glorious future with Jesus, LOVE, materialism, merciful men are taken away, mercy, no one takes it to heart, not looking back, now will I arise saith the Lord, on a large scale, our lips are our own, preserve them from this generation, prideful speech, purified seven times, pursue the Lord's work, rampant in our world, reinvigorated, rest in their beds, resting in peace, salvation, Schemers don't take a break, set him in safety, so they scheme together, spiteful speech against the righteous, stay strong and persevering, taken away from the evil to come, thank God, the breath of life, the faithful disappear from amomg the children of men, the faithful fail, the first day of October, the godly man ceaseth, the good man is perished out of the earth, the great man utter his evil desire, the judge asks for a reward, the Lord shall destroy all flattering lips, the oppression of the poor, the prince asks for gifts, the righteous, the righteous perish, the sighing of the needy, the tongue that speaketh proud things, the vilest men are exalted, the wicked walk on every side, the words of the Lord are pure words, there is none upright among men, they speak vanity, to escape the ongoing fraudulent schemes, truth, walk a fine line, walking in his uprightness, Wednesday Wail, who is lord over us, wisdom, with a productive excellence, with our tongue we will prevail
Psalm 12:1. Help (save), Lord, for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail (disappear) from among the children of men.
Wow mih bredrin, October has opened this Wednesday morning just like September closed yesterday; bright and sunshiny and fairly warm! Glory be! Let’s hope that October gives us a bit more of that summer-like weather before the cold season comes in, because it will, for as Brook Benton so wisely said in his song: ‘It’s just a matter of time!’ (smile) And I also hope that we are catching our second wind this middle day of the work week, and thus be reinvigorated to pursue the Lord’s work with an aggressive, productive excellence, as He desires of us.
Now, today I want us to look at another interesting psalm, Psalm 12, titled ‘God Shall Preserve the Godly.’ In it Bruh David speaks of the effects of vain, proud and spiteful speech against the righteous. So please read with me as Bruh David pleads: ‘Help (save), Lord, for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail (disappear) from among the children of men.’ (Ps. 12:1)
And friends, those words written so long ago are still ever so true today…if not truer than they’ve ever been, since evil and ungodliness have taken such a stranglehold on our current world. Godly people are surely disappearing from our societies at a rather rapid rate, as materialism and evil tendencies daily increase amongst the populace.
Then Bruh David continues: ‘They speak vanity (idly, falsely) every one with their neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart (an inconsistent mind) do they speak).’ (Ps. 12:2) That’s also ever so true on a very large scale in our society today. Deceitfulness, fraudulence, insincere flattery, prideful speech, all these things are rather rampant in our world, and you have to be oh so careful of whom you listen to and how you respond to them.
And to make matters worse, today’s schemers don’t ease up, they don’t take a break. Like Beelzebub, they just keep attacking you with a merciless regularity. I can personally testify to that, as every day, at all hours, my phone keeps ringing with long distance numbers I don’t know, and my junk e-mail is also filled with invitations from veritable strangers. It’s a fine line we need to walk to escape the many ongoing fraudulent schemes.
And sadly Bruh David was not the only one who wrote on the subject, the prophets Isaiah and Micah also had something to say about it. Isaiah puts it this way. ‘The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth (takes) it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come (presence of evil).’ (Is. 57:1)
Meanwhile Micah says it thus: ‘The good (faithful, loyal) man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. That they may do evil with both hands earnestly (successfully), the prince asketh (asks for gifts), and the judge asketh for a reward (bribe); and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous (evil) desire: so they wrap it up (scheme together.) (Mic.7:2-3)
Oh my people, it seems like Micah is still living today, for he paints the picture exactly how it’s happening. And that means we need to walk a very fine line to escape the many ongoing fraudulent schemes. But thankfully Bruh David gives us some encouragement for the detestable situation, when he writes: ‘The Lord shall cut off (destroy) all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud (great) things: Who have said, With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?’ (Ps. 12:3-4)
Now that’s a good question, and the vain and proud and deceitful ought to take notice, because their tongues do not belong to them; they belong to their Creator, Almighty God. Thus: ‘For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety (the safety for which he yearns) from him that puffeth at him.’ (Ps. 12:5)
Yes friends, the Lord God is indeed our deliverer, and we need to believe that with all of our heart and soul, if we expect His help. For as Bruh David continues; ‘The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.’ (Ps. 12:6-8)
And isn’t that the gospel truth! We see it in spades in our current world, where some of the vilest men ever have been exalted, and beside them are walking evil doers of every race, creed and class. What a sad situation. But let’s remember what Bruh David says above there; ‘the Lord shall keep them, and preserve them from this generation for ever.’ And that’s the indisputable truth, for as Bruh Daivd also says, the Lord’s words are as true as silver that’s been purified seven times. Can you imagine how pure that silver is after being purified so often. Well, that’s how true the Lord’s word is also.
And we’ll end with this reassuring verse from Isaiah, re the righteous perishing: ‘He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.’ (Is. 57:2) Yes my people, that’s the reward the Lord has for the righteous…walking in uprightness and resting in peace. So please don’t give up hope because evil and evil doers are running rampant in our world. Let’s remember that He who is in us, is greater than he that’s in the world, (1 John 4:4), so we shall conquer them eventually, if we only stay strong and persevering.
Now, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world 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!’
And fortunately, it’s been promised that all who endure with Jesus right to the very end, will see a future even more glorious than they can ever ask or imagine. So please, let’s endure to the end nuh, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…the righteous may suffer…but they’ll find comfort…in the Lord and His infallible, comforting Word…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
01 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beggarly society, a famine of the heart, a lack of God's word, denying the power thereof, economic deprivation, faith, from such turn away, gospel revivals, having a form of godliness, humble servants, hunger, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, joy, keep God first place, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, lovers of their own selves, materialism, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, New Year's Eve, no godly wisdom in leadership, no open vision, peace, perilous times, poverty, sincerely seek God's face, strife, strong faith in Christ, the God who heals, the prince of darkness, the word of the Lord was precious (rare), truth, violence, where there is no vision the people perish, wisdom
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
21 Jul 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: anguish, bow to the evil of this world, braggadocio, brought forth fruit, catch our second wind, choke the word, completely forgiven, cringe, death, deceitfulness of riches, disappointments, disease, distress, divine truth, endure to the end, eyes fixed straight ahead, fall flat on my face, famine, fell into good ground, forever free, four-day workweek, glad to be alive, God's desire cannot be frustrated, had no deepness of earth, halfway home, hands on the plough, hunger, in all these things, less ominous, make a difference, materialism, nakedness, neurosis, not looking back, One Year Book of Bible promises, pain, peril, Romans 8---to Me, separate us from the love of God, some fell upon stony places, swrod, the cares of this world, the other side of the coin, the reality of the situation, to a glorious future with Jesus, totally different to its theoretical side, tribulation, true conversion, we are more than conquerors, Wednesday Wail, who shall separate us from the Love of Christ, worldliness, writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, your love for me is changeless
Romans 8:35a. Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ?
It’s the mid-week rest period – Wednesday- when we catch our second wind to ready us for the homestretch. And someday, hopefully soon, the four-day workweek that people are now clamouring for will be a reality. Now, that would certainly make the workweek less ominous and frightening. (smile) It would also give us more free time. But please consider the other side of the coin; if you work less, you will also earn less, and that might not fit well with your financial situation. So please, let’s be careful of what we wish for, because ofttimes the reality of the situation is totally different to its theoretical side.
But here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that offers blessed assurance from the vicissitudes, the vagaries of life. It’s titled ‘Romans 8…to Me.’ Please pray with me. ‘God I may fall flat on my face I may fall until I feel Old and beaten and done in Yet Your LOVE for me is changeless. All the music may go out of my life My private world may shatter to dust Even so You will hold me In the palm of Your steady hand.
No turn in the affairs Of my fractured life Can baffle You. Satan with all his braggadocio Cannot distract You. NOTHING can separate me from Your measureless LOVE. Pain can’t Disappointments can’t Anguish can’t. Yesterday, today, tomorrow can’t. The loss of my dearest LOVE can’t. Death can’t. Life can’t. Riots war insanity unidentity Hunger neurosis disease – None of these things Nor all of them heaped together Can budge the fact That I am dearly LOVED. Completely forgiven And forever free Through Jesus Christ Your BELOVED Son.’
Oh friends, what a powerful and totally true statement! If we believe in Christ Jesus, NOTHING in this world can ever cause us to lose the LOVE of our heavenly Father! Wow! That ought to be ever so reassuring and encouraging to those of us who know Christ as Lord and Saviour. And where does all this reassurance and encouragement come from? From the Good Book obviously… from Romans Chapter 8, as our poem declares. Let’s read exactly what the passage about separation from God says nuh.
‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:35-39)
Yes, precious people of God, those are all undeniable facts and divine truth that Bruh Paul is writing there to the church at Rome and subsequently to us. As believers in Christ, we are inseparable from the LOVE of God! Nothing this world can throw at us will ever do it. Now here the scholars tell it. ‘8:38-39. We cannot be separated from God’s LOVE, because it is set forth in a person who is God Himself. Jesus Christ, our Saviour. God’s desire to redeem believers cannot be frustrated, because He is infinitely greater than any potential enemy. His plan will be realized because it is His purpose (cf. vs. 28).’
And that’s the living truth! But unfortunately, too many of us believers don’t seem to believe that God is greater than any enemy the world can cause to rise up against us. That’s why we cringe and eventually bow down to the evil of this world. That’s why Jesus would sadly accuse us: ‘O thou of little faith!’ We talk a good talk, but when the chickens come home to roost, it’s an entirely different story; we falter, and then crumble under the reality of the situation. And no one’s saying that living a meaningful life for Christ is easy, but what’s the point, if as soon as the tough times come, we scatter and run like sheep eh?
And very often, it doesn’t even take the real tough times to scatter us, but merely some simple recurring difficulty. Unfortunately, too many supposed believers today fall into the second and third categories of Jesus’ parable about the sower sowing seed. ‘Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith (immediately) they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth. And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprung up, and choked them.’ (Matt. 13:5-7)
Obviously those two categories are not good my people, because the seed never grows to maturity, blossoms and bears fruit. Now listen to Jesus’ explanation of those two categories. ‘But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon (immediately) with joy receiveth it. Yeh hath he no root in himself, but dureth (endures) for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended (immediately he stumbles). He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word, and the care (cares) of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.’ (Matt. 13:20-22)
And the scholars define those two categories thus: ‘13:20-23. The stony places are shallow-hearted individuals who anon (at once) receive (outwardly) the message with joy. This emotional convert is not truly born again, for hath he not root and withers away. The one who is among the thorns (cares of this world) is the carnal, worldly convert, who never really breaks with his past. Worldliness and materialism choke the word in his life, and he is finally unfruitful (unsaved).’
Ah mih people, what Christianity desperately needs today to conquer the power and territorial superiority of the enemy is a bushel of what Jesus described as: ‘But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.’ (Matt. 13:8) And He explained that part of the parable thus: ‘But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it, which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth (produces), some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.’ (Matt. 13:23)
And the scholars follow up with this: ‘The one who received seed in the good ground is the one who both heard the word and understood it, which also beareth fruit (evidence of true conversion). While such evidence may vary in its amount, all true believers will produce some fruit.’
Oh friends, do we ever need more believers bearing fruit in these troubled times. It’s not so much a matter of how much fruit we bear, but that we do bear some good fruit! The world and its cares are robbing us of the good and abundant life Christ died for us to have, so please, let’s try and turn this thing around nuh. We can, if we sincerely try. And remember, with Christ in our lives, we can do all things, because He strengthens us.
Now let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. 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 as we do that, let’s remember that if we endure to the end, that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…Christians make a great difference…when they bear good fruit…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
12 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Antoine de St. Expury, avocations, beloved of God, born to be free, breastplate of righteousness, cast off the works of darkness, christianity, darkness, demanding, dictating, dominating, dr robert h schuller, examples, faith, figuratively, fleeting sense of pleasure, flesh and blood, friend of Jesus, gadgets, girdle of truth, gospel of peace, helmet, helmet of salvation, Hour of Power Devotional, human beings, human passage, human realtionships, in high places, Jesus, leading the way, literally, LOVE Revolution, main focus, married to a mortgage, material stuff, materialism, money, overboard, powers, prayer, precepts, principalities, push back, put into action, put on, reason for the season, rulers, salvation, secular, selfish times, share His love, shield of faith, shovelling, slaves, snowfall, spiritual armour, spiritual wickedness, stand, stranglehold, supplication, sword of the Spirit, the armour of light, the day is at hand, the evil day, the light of Jesus, the night is far spent, trudging, true believers, truth, Tuesday Mantra, tyrannical, tyranny of things, unsullied, working for things, wrestle, write with one's life
Romans 13:12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Oh friends of mine, it’s a beautiful white Tuesday morning in my area. Hn! Yes, we’ve finally registered our first significant snowfall of the season! It’s not too big a snowfall, and as always, it looks beautiful when unsullied by human passage through it. But trudging through it is something else…and so is shovelling it. Good thing I won’t be doing either of those activities today! (smile)
Anyway, there’s lot’s of stuff I want to share this morning, so let’s get right to it nuh. And the first one is something called ‘The Tyranny of Things,’ from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional. I don’t remember if I’ve ever shared this before, but it’s ever so appropriate for these secular and selfish times, especially this time of year.
Please read with me: ‘Materialism does not satisfy because it is tyrannical, and the human being was born to be free! We all know about the tyranny of things. We find that we don’t own a house – the house owns us. We are married to a mortgage. We become slaves to gadgets and garments.
After we have all our “things” purchased, delivered, and installed, and have enjoyed a fleeting sense of pleasure, we find that they are still dominating, dictating, and demanding. “Press me, polish me, patch me, paint me, prune me, plaster me, repair me,” they shout.
So we spend the best years of our lives and the bulk of our money working for the “things,” until, discouraged and depressed, we discover that we have no time left to pursue life’s really enjoyable avocations: visiting friends, having fun, and, yes, even going to church regularly. Thus mastered by materialism, tyrannized by things, we have no time left to do the deeds, or see the places, or visit the people, that would really give us great inner joy.’
And isn’t all of that the living truth friends? It certainly is! In this materialistic, highly commercialized society, it’s all about things and stuff, especially at this season of Christmas. And in a couple weeks time, we’ve forgotten about all the stuff we bought – on credit; even get annoyed when we see some of the stuff, as we struggle to pay for them. Hn! Hn!
So please, let’s take this advice to heart this Christmas season nuh, and not go overboard with the material stuff. Instead, let’s focus on the human relationships and spiritual processes that truly are the reason for the season, with Jesus being the main focus.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’ More words of truth and wisdom, my brethren, whether you take them literally or figuratively!
Time is flying by, and none of us knows how much we have left, so we need to use each second economically, purposefully and usefully, both in the human and spiritual realms. Darkness and evil have taken a stranglehold on our world, and as true believers in Christ, we can’t afford to let that happen. We need to push back…and push back hard too, if we want to make a difference in this crucial fight.
And we have a quote ascribed to Antoine de St. Expury (1900-1944) the French author, poet and aviator. It says: ‘In these times one must write with one’s life. This is the challenge to all of us.’
And is that ever so true friends, especially for us Christians! We need to show the dark, evil and cruel world what true Christianity is like through the way we live our lives, rather than the way we talk. For one doesn’t always reflect the other. As the saying goes; ‘examples work more forcibly than precepts.’
So please let’s concentrate on living our lives as good examples of Christ’s LOVE Revolution nuh, so that the unbeliever will see our sincerity and want to follow Jesus too. That’s the whole point for our being here yes friends.
Now let us take a quick look at the second part of our Bit; putting on ‘the armour of light.’ And all we have time for is Bruh Paul’s notable warning and brief description of God’s spiritual armour to the Ephesians. ‘Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities (rulers), against powers (authorities), against the rulers of darkness of this world (world rulers), against spiritual wickedness (wicked spiritual beings) in high places. Wherefore take unto you (take up, put on) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph.6:10-13)
Yeh friends, only when we’re dressed in God’s armour, can we stand strong and resist the evil one, for He will attack again and again. That means we have to be continually ensconced in our ‘girdle of truth, and breastplate of righteousness, shod with the gospel of peace, bearing the shield of faith, having on our heads the helmet of salvation, and waving the sword of the Spirit in our right hand, with prayer and supplication’ driving us ever onward and forward! That’s our spiritual armour, and how we defeat the enemy.
Now let’s go home declaring as we do on Tuesdays, our Tuesday Mantra, singing out loud and clear to the evil world who and whose we are. In full voice and sincere heart now: 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 the world. Amen!’
Mama Mia! How blessed we are eh! Now let’s go out and put it all into action; share the LOVE of Jesus! Much LOVE!
…dark and evil times…call for Christians…showing their light…the light of Jesus…and leading the way…out of the darkness…
14 May 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a tree planted by the waters, achievement of excellence, advice, avoid the tempter's snare, blessed are the righteous, brings forth fruit in season, cancer survivor, chaff, complaining about the heat, congregation of the righteous, consent thou not, counsel of the ungdly, Cousin Sol, damned, danger of associating with evil people, Dave Dravecky, delights in the law of God, destruction, don't confuse life with God, don't follow evil men, don't walk the path of the wicked, doomed, eternal life, eternal separation from God, evil men, follow the straight and narrow path, from every evil way, God is good, good and bad times, How I love thy law, Jesus' desires, judgement, leaf doesn't wither, leave the evil way behind, life is not fair, LOVE, lusts, make haste to shed blood, materialism, meditates, pay a hefty price, ponders, prosper, Proverbs, Psalm 1, psalm 119, reject the invitation of criminals, restrained my feet, rise to the occasion, salvation, scornful, separated from Christ, shines brighter and brighter, sincerity, sinners, sinners entice thee, sits in the seat of the scornful, stands in the way of sinners, stumble, summer-like weather, Thank You Lord, that I might keep thy words, the bread of wickedness, the evil path of sinful man, the Good Book, the individual's responsibility, the law of God, the Lord's Word, the middle of the week, the path of the just, the things of God, the way of the righteous, the way of the ungodly shall perish, the way of the wicked is as darkness, the wine of violence, the world worships evil, their feet run to evil, truth, tuned in to our heavenly Father, undisciplined, ungodly, we praise and bless your holy name, wealth without work, Wednesday, wisdom, words to live by
Proverbs 4:14. Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Oh Friends, can you believe it’s already Wednesday, the middle of the week! Wow! The days surely are passing rather quickly, and we are having some wonderful summer-like weather!
We’ll soon forget about the lengthy, cold winter and start complaining about the heat. Hn! I guess that’s just man’s nature – not happy unless he’s complaining about something.
Anyway, I have an interesting quote to share today… Oh chuh! They are always interesting! (smile) This one comes from the ex-baseball star, Dave Dravecky, a cancer survivor. In his book, ‘Comeback,’ he writes these memorable words. ‘Life is not fair, but let’s not confuse life with God.’
And isn’t that the awesome truth my people! Our God is good! He doesn’t create our problems, though He might allow them. He fixes them! And if we sincerely adhere to His directives, during both the good and bad times, we will turn out to be wonderful witnesses that life is not fair, but God is Good, in fact, extremely wonderful!
And that’s why Cousin Sol, in today’s Bit, solemnly warns us: ‘Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.’
Oh Friends and fellow believers, we can be given no better advice than that! For if we follow the paths of evil men, we’ll surely be damned, doomed, and eventually separated from Christ, from His wonderful gifts of salvation and eternal life! And that’s not a very nice path to envision at all, at all.
And Cousin Sol was so assured of his reasoning, that he continues: ‘Avoid it, pass not by it (do not travel on it), turn from it, and pass away. For they sleep not, except (unless) they have done mischief (evil); and their sleep is taken away (robbed), unless they cause some to fall.
For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is as the shining (bright) light, that shineth more and more (grows ever brighter) unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.’ (Prov.4:15-19)
Words to live by my brethren! Words that hearken back to our quote: all those evil happenings are life, or a part of it, but our great and wonderful God is on a completely different level. He shows up in verse 18, as the shining light that ever brightens our day!
And all of God’s people declared in a loud and grateful voice: ‘Thank You Lord! We praise and bless Your Holy Name!’
Yes Friends, we have so much to thank God for, that even if we live till eternity, we won’t have enough time to do it. (smile) Now let’s check out some other scriptures that also warn us about following the evil path of sinful man.
And we’ll begin with an interesting verse from the longest chapter in the Good Book, Psalm 119. The psalmist in the section MEM, How I LOVE thy law, proudly declares: ‘I have refrained (restrained) my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.’ (Ps.119:101)
What a beautiful sentiment my people! Are we doing that too – refraining, restraining from evil so that we might keep the Lord’s Word? I surely hope so, because that is one of the things which keeps us strongly tuned in to our heavenly Father.
Meanwhile, Cousin Sol, right in the opening chapter of Proverbs, warns his offspring: ‘My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not… My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain (keep) thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.’ (Prov.1:10,15-16)
Ah mih breddren, those are words which we should be constantly teaching our children. But unfortunately, too many of us are not doing so, and that’s why our children are so undisciplined, ungodly and tending more to the lusts and materialism of the world, than to the things of God, for which we’ll all eventually pay a hefty price if it continues.
Now here’s some info from the scholars: ‘1:10. Occasionally the expression my son occurs within a discourse. The wise son rejects the invitation of criminals who promise wealth without work (v.13). The verse stresses the individual’s responsibility to avoid the tempter’s snare. (cf. James 1:14-15).’
But you can’t know of the evil unless you’re first taught it, so it’s still our responsibility to teach our children the dreadful dangers of associating with evil and wicked people.
And we’ll close with words from that beautiful piece of writing, Psalm 1, titled, Blessed are the righteous. ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder) day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.’ (Ps.1:1-6)
Oh mih people, mih people, it couldn’t be put any simpler or clearer than that! So today, let’s rise to the occasion nuh; let’s come up higher, let’s attend to the achievement of excellence, of wisdom, as Jesus desires of His followers!
Let’s leave the evil way behind, and wisely follow the straight and narrow path that leads to salvation and eternal life. It’s the only path that it makes sense to follow in this evil and ungodly world. So let’s follow it nuh, with all sincerity and truth! Much LOVE!
…the world worships evil…which only earns destruction and eternal separation from God…not very good results by any standard whatsoever…
01 May 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Afghanistan, all things are possible with God, America, Beelzebub, blessings, bounden duty, bring the heathen to their knees, can't make the grade, compassion, creative advertising, decline in standards, desensitized, destruction, disobedient, done worse than our fathers, egotistical, empathy, equal rights, evil, evil and ungodly world, evil cohorts, eye candy, fathers have forsaken God, forsaken, giant of the land, God's chosen people, God's Word, gospel truth, grace, greed, guardianship of God's people, heathen, immortal and everlasting truth, iniquity, Iraq, Israel, Jeremiah, justice, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, Lucifer, lusts of the flesh, materialism, mercy, mere shadow of themselves, mighty war machine, money loving, natural disasters, no one to blame but ourselves, omnipotent, omnipresent God, omniscient, one truth fron the Bible is worth more than all the wisdom of man, priority in our lives, proud, read your Bible, read your guidebook, real realities of life, reconciled to God, right this evil world, righteousness., sin, sinful, societies fall apart when they abandon God's Word, standards, stimulating our fleshly senses, success, the BIBLE, the Bible is God's word to us, the Bible is our everyday guide to life, the created can't become wiser than the creator, the Good Book, the Lord our god, the most sinful land, the world owes them a living, top of the heap, tornadoes, trials and tribulations, truth, U.S. of A., undeniable truth, ungodly, Vietnam, virtual reality, walked after other gods, we walk after the stubbornness of our evil hearts, we'll find God's wisdom on the Bible's pages, wisdom of a fool
Jeremiah 16:12. And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination (stubbornness) of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me.
Oh Friends, on this rainy Thursday morning, the first day of May 2014, I’ve been guided to remind us of two very important matters of immortal and everlasting truth! I’ve shared them before, but they belong to that group of sayings which need to be repeated every so often for us to get them fully centred in our consciousness.
The first statement of undeniable truth is this: ‘The Bible is God’s Word to us – still fresh through all the ages. And if we read it, we will find God’s wisdom on its pages!’ And the second statement follows from the first: ‘One truth from the Bible is worth more than all the wisdom of man!’
And there we have it my people! The Good Book is our everyday guide to life on this planet earth, but unfortunately, too many of us are too lazy to read it, or simply refuse to read it, for whatever reason, then we wonder why our individual lives and those of the majority of the world are in such a sad, disgraceful and disgusting mess.
Friends, the answer is simple; read your guidebook!
When we’re going on vacations and stuff, we’re always quick to read the brochures though, for they are done up in lots of colour and attractive styles giving us eye candy, stimulating our fleshly senses. However, the Bible, because it ‘s old and not as dazzling to the eyes and our fleshly senses, we find it difficult, even reprehensible to read!
Ah mih brethren, that is the most foolish thought we could ever have! It’s the wisdom of a fool! But sadly, it is the wisdom that predominates our evil and ungodly today!
How sad eh. And it’s not like there isn’t a long history of societies falling apart when they abandon God’s Word. There is! But man has become so proud and egotistical because of our supposed inventions and technologies, that we now consider ourselves wiser and more know it all than the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God who created us.
Steups! How foolish and ignorant that is my brethren! The created cannot become wiser and more powerful than the Creator! That’s more of Beelzebub’s creative advertising to which we’re falling, or rather, to which we have fallen victims.
Note the serious and numerous amounts of natural disasters that are taking place all around the world today. Check out the recent killer tornadoes that have just passed through the most sinful land in the world; the U.S. of A!
And I know some of you will take umbrage at that remark, but it is the gospel truth! If you truly check out the evil stuff that’s going on in America today, it will blow your mind away!
Remember, once upon America was the giant of the land! They were the Lord’s chosen people in the New World. Everything they touched turned to gold! Now they are a mere shadow of their former selves.
Oh yes, they still have their mighty war machine, but when last have they won a war eh? Not since the Second World War. Think of Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. Despite all their firepower they can’t bring the supposed heathen to their knees. Why? Because they have become too sinful and ungodly.
Now listen to the Word of our God, just before our Bit, in the time of Jeremiah when His Chosen People, Israel were being disobedient to His Law.
‘And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt show this people all these words, (the disaster He planned to bring upon them and their land; vs.5-9) and they shalt say unto thee, Wherefore hath the Lord pronounced all this great evil (disaster) against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?
Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the Lord, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law.
And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination (stubbornness) of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me.’ (Jer.16:10-12)
And Friends, I’m ashamed to say that that’s the gospel, gospel, gospel truth! Our Fathers had their faults, but at least they paid plenty more attention to God’s Word than our generations has done… And may the Lord have mercy, but this generation we’re currently raising, they are even worse than us.
And we have no one to blame but ourselves, because we have raised them without the proper attention to God’s Word. We have not instilled the importance of the Good Book and its place of priority in their lives. Instead we have allowed Lucifer and His evil cohorts to indoctrinate them into the lusts of the flesh and the materialism of the world.
No wonder they don’t have a clue about the real realities of life, but constantly dwell in the unreal realm of virtual reality. The purveyors of greed, materialism and money LOVING have desensitized them to godly things like grace, mercy, truth, equal rights, justice, compassion, empathy, righteousness, wisdom, and all the other things we once held as priorities.
But they do know about blessings though, and expect to be blessed abundantly! They believe that the world owes them a living, and they don’t have to work or suffer any trials and tribulations to get to the top of the heap.
And sadly too Friends, along the way all our standards have fallen, fallen so low that now it’s much easier to make the grade. But even sadder my people, is that many aren’t able, can’t even make this low grade. It doesn’t say very much for our guardianship of God’s people and His other creations.
But the good news my brethren is that it’s not too late for us to turn this ship around! It’s not going to be easy, but as we all know, with God’s help, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE! That means we’ve got to get the Lord deeply involved in our situations if we want to have any success.
And what’s the most important word in the whole process? LOVE!
Yes my fellow believers, it’s LOVE that caused us to be created, it’s LOVE that caused us to be reconciled to God, and it’s LOVE that will help us right this evil world!
We all know what we have to do. So please, let’s get serious about our bounden duty nuh, let’s get the LOVE REVOLUTION truly ramped up and rolling, for we don’t have much time before Jesus returns, and once He comes again, it will be too late. Let’s get going in Jesus’ Name! Much LOVE!
…unless Western Society turns back to the God of their forefathers…they will suffer the same fate…as all the other heathen and disobedient societies…DESTRUCTION…
06 Dec 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: age, anxiety, appreciation of gifts, appreciative, appropriate time, arrayed, be content, benefits, birth of Jesus Christ, body, Christmas Season, clothes, clothing, consciously cultivate, Creator, cubit, daily fight, dependent, discourse, don't worry, drink, economic situation, egging on, evil, evil powers, faith, feeds, fellowship, food, fowls of the air, Friday chant, fun, further your glorious kingdom, gather in barns, generous help, gifts, grass, greed, heaven, heavenly Father, height, in a tizzy, inferior things of the world, jealously guard, jesus name, Jesus' warning, key point, learn to be contented, life, lilies of the field, little faith, look askance at, lustful world, materialism, meat, money, more important, more more more, nature, need, partying, peace, plain and simple language, power, Praise the Lord, provision of god, raiment, reap, relaxation, rest, right direction, shopping, slave labour, Solomon, sow, span of life, spin, stature, strife, superior things of God, sustainer, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the reason for Christmas, the straight and narrow, toil, total confidence, true confidence, true contentment, truth, want, wanting more, wars, wealth, week of work, wisdom, worldly celebrations
Matthew 6:25. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body than raiment (clothing)?
Oh Friends, it’s Friday… a normal Friday, one without some foolish nickname that invites us to become a part of the evil, lustful world. Praise the Lord! Instead it’s a normal Friday, where I can’t hear my ears, (smile) for your joyous shouting of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and this week of slave labour soon over!’
But mih people, though it’s a regular Friday, it still falls within the Christmas Season, which means more shopping and partying and things that Jesus might look askance at. So to try and keep us on the straight and narrow, let’s chant our Friday Chant with total concentration and sincere feeling.
As one voice now: ‘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 should guide us in the right direction. And on top of that, I guess the Lord chose this Bit for this most appropriate time, when we’re all in a tizzy about food, money and gifts to celebrate Christmas. But please remember my fellow believers that the worldly celebrations are not the reason for Christmas, but the incredible, God-LOVING, incarnate birth of Jesus Christ!
So even if we don’t have all the stuff we want, we have to learn to be contented with whatever we have. As Bruh Paul so rightly says to the Philippians, in appreciation of their gifts: ‘Not that I speak in respect of want (in regard of need): for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.’ (Phil.4:11)
And that is something we have to consciously cultivate my brethren, for it doesn’t come automatically. And we need it even more nowadays in the face of the world continuously egging us on to want more, more, more…
That’s why Jesus warned us in our Bit: ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body than raiment (clothing)?’
But I know it’s a daily fight my Friends to live up to Jesus’ warning, especially with all the wars and strife in our world and the economic situation getting worse for the majority of the population. The greedy, evil powers that be, are trying to get us caught up in the world system of materialism and want.
But my people we have to staunchly and jealously guard our hearts, minds and souls against that. For once we get caught up in that evil mess, we’ll never know peace again, because we’ll never be contented, even with great wealth and power, but we’ll keep on wanting more and more, just as the rich, evil and greedy are now doing.
Now let’s listen to Jesus, as He continues His discourse on the topic. ‘Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought (worrying) can add one cubit unto his stature (height)?
And why take ye thought (do you worry) for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed (clothed) like one of these. Wherefore if God so clothe (clothes) the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?’ (Matt.6:26-30)
Oh mih breddren, more plain and simple language from our Lord and Saviour! What does it take to convince us eh? The birds don’t sow and reap and store away, neither do the flowers in the fields, but even Cousin Sol in his Sunday best couldn’t outshine them.
And since we’re a thousand, thousand times more important than them, we ought to show that importance by being appreciative and thoroughly dependent on our God and His gracious, abundant will for our lives. For remember that our Lord only has good thoughts towards us, and a brilliant future in store for those who submit to His will. (Jer.29:11)
Now here are some interesting comments from the scholars’: ‘6:26-32. Jesus illustrates His point by referring to objects in nature that were immediately at hand, the birds of the air and the flowers of the field. The key point of this passage is found in the phrases Are ye not much better than they? (v.26) and shall he not much more clothe you? (v.30).
The Bible clearly teaches that God is the Creator and sustainer of nature. Worry and anxiety are related to the length of one’s life in the phrase add one cubit unto his stature. A cubit is a measurement of 18 inches. However, this reference is probably not to one’s actual height but to length of his life.
The term stature (Gr. helikia) may mean “age.” Thus the idea seems to be that a man cannot add the smallest measure to the span of his life by worrying. This state of anxiety is related to having little faith (v.30) Faith is total confidence in the provision of God.’
And that my fellow believers is the ultimate in truth and wisdom!
So let’s try and attain to it nuh. Let’s stop running after the inferior, soon to be destroyed things of the world nuh, and instead focus on the superior, everlasting things of heaven and of our omnipotent God. For it’s there our greatest benefits lie. Much LOVE!
…true contentment…can only ever come…from true confidence in Jesus Christ…
SCRIP-BITS 