The Overwhelming Importance of Christians standing up RIGHT NOW and fighting for Their Beliefs!

08 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

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

Philippians 2:8.       And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Tuesday, Oh Tuesday! How we LOVE thee! For thou hast pushed that ugly, ole, disruptive, overbearing Monday out of our way! And for that, we give thee much thanks, Oh Tuesday! Yes friends, many of us are happy to see Monday flushed into the dustbin of history, because it brings out too many negative things in us. But that’s just because we don’t do the right things in the first place. 

But nonetheless, we’re alive and kicking this Tuesday morning, so let’s give our wonderful God some thanks and praise for that, as well as for all of His new mercies and compassions that He’s poured out on us on this brand-new day, that’s sunny, but a tad cool in my neighbourhood. 

Please pray with me: ‘Oh heavenly Father, we thank You for the breath of life to see this new day, and ask that You let Your Holy Spirit lead and guide us in the way You desire us to go, so that we can be good and diligent servants as we engage in our daily walk. Please help us to be the salt of the earth and light of the world that You desire us to be. We pray it all in the holy name of Jesus! Amen.’ 

Now, that means listening to whatever the Holy Spirit has to say to each of us, then getting up and doing His bidding. And there’s oodles of work to be done, if we ever hope to make something godly and righteous of this sinful world. The point being, that we can only make any worthwhile changes with the help of Jesus and His Holy Spirit. 

But there’s so much work to be done, that we cannot only touch the surface with Jesus, but we have to dig deep down in and with Him; study and meditate on the Word like there was no tomorrow, then right away put it into practice. For who knows if there will be any tomorrow? Our biggest problem, I believe, is not so much knowing the word, but putting it into practice, which ofttimes takes more than what many of us are willing to give. 

Many of us know the word well enough to make some beneficial changes in our world, but the problem is getting us to make the effort, to put out the energy needed to make the sacrifices required to put those changes into effect. It’s all a matter of us being too lazy, too comfortable or too fearful. Remember, Jesus didn’t have to undergo the sufferation He underwent, but because of the Father’s great LOVE for his sinful creation, that’s us, and Jesus LOVE for the Father, He did it, without complaining too.  

As the Bible tells us: ‘(Jesus) Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men (emptied himself of all his privileges): And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:6-8) 

Yes my brethren, that’s what Christ did for us, so why can’t we become a li’l uncomfortable and do His work eh? Because we’re just a bunch of talkative, no good, lazy, compromising, comfortable and fearful hypocrites, masquerading as Christians! Yuh think, with the number of supposed believers in the world, if each one of us would get out into the world and act like we should, not join or compromise with the world, that the sinfulness and ungodliness that’s currently permeating the land would be as bad? 

No way! But it’s just that we supposed believers are not prepared to stand up and sincerely fight for what we claim to believe in. And the longer we wait to pull up the reins on the soaring ungodliness, the worst it will become, until we won’t ever have a chance of stopping it. Oh my people, do we really want to see our grandchildren and their children living in a world that’s worse than this one? 

Of course not! But to make that happen, we have to stand up strong and fight the enemy RIGHT NOW! It’s high time to stop all the talking, which we’re so good at, like the hypocrite Pharisees of Jesus’ day, and begin walking that talk. That’s the only way we will ever make any serious changes in our current sinful and ungodly world. And what a wonderful world we can bring about if we would just walk our talk a bit more than we’re currently doing. 

But it actively requires Christ’s church, that’s His people, not the buildings, to get together and stop fighting against each other, to drop the animosity and petty differences that keep us apart. Christ is depending on us to do His work, and we cannot do it if we’re as divided and uncompromising as we are. 

Oh my fellow saints, we desperately need to search our hearts and see what’s there and how we can make the necessary changes. It’s like Bruh David says in that great Psalm 139: ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my (anxious) thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ (Ps. 139:23-24) 

Yes my fellow saints, that’s what we all need to do TODAY, so that we can be on our way to becoming the true salt of the earth and light of the world as Jesus desires. End of Sermon! (smile) Now let’s go home declaring (oh heifer dust!!!) yes, my exclamation was much stronger today. (smile) Let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry 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 said all of that, we are now duty bound 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!

…what’s it going to take… for Christians…to get up and truly act like Christians eh…another world war…

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

Living the Christian Life is Impossible without the Aid of the Holy Spirit!

20 Jul 2024 Leave a comment

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

Galatians 5:16.        This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

So we’ve finally come to our lazy-day Saturday, but many of us cannot afford to laze around on this beautiful summer’s day, because there’s still lots of cleaning up to do and considerations to undertake to prevent this week’s tragedies from happening again. It’s a big task, both for the various levels of government as well the individual homeowners. And who knows if we’ll ever be able to stop God’s hand, but we must do something to reduce the risks. And as always, the first thing to do is pray. 

So let’s do just that nuh, as we offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, in all sincerity and truth. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And we know that our prayer has been heard and actioned, because it’s crying out for God’s presence, for a greater awareness of Him in our lives, and those kinds of prayers He answers right away, because it’s what He truly desires of us. So, although your life might be filled with serious concerns, please take some time to enjoy the peaceful and calming presence of God that’s flowing through you at this very moment. And it will not only calm your spirit, but also give you the energy or the resolve to handle your current concerns. 

That’s the awesome power of God working in us through His Holy Spirit, who dwells within us to lead, guide, comfort and teach us what the Father desires. As this commentary tells us about the significance of the Holy Spirit in the Bible? ‘The Holy Spirit unites the believer with Christ and places him in the body of Christ, the church. He also unites the believer with Christ in His death, enabling him to live victoriously over sin. The Holy Spirit controls the believer who yields to God and submits himself to God’s Word.’ 

Oh friends, there’s no better system than that in all the world! The only problem is that we have to learn to listen to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit and respond positively to its guidance. And that’s not always easy to do, especially in these turbulent times, with all the noise and the many voices that are competing to get our attention. And the Bible tells us a lot about walking with the Holy Spirit, so let’s see if we can find a few scriptures that will help us in that matter. 

But first, listen to this other commentary that gives us an interesting insight into walking with the Holy Spirit. It says: ‘If you want to walk in the Holy Spirit, start with talking to the Holy Spirit. Throughout the day address Him, welcome Him, thank Him and worship Him. You should not feel guilty for not spending time with the Holy Spirit but you should feel thirsty. He wants relationships, not rules.’ 

And that’s the very basis of our Christian lives…we ought to feel hungry and thirsty for the Lord and His Word! Otherwise there won’t be any impetus for us to truly get involved. It’s just like when our bodies hunger for food, we run to fill them, because we cannot go on living without the nourishment and energy that food provides to our bodies. And it’s the same with our spiritual needs. We cannot function on any decent spiritual level without the impetus of hunger and thirst driving us forward to grow in spiritual maturity. 

And the first scripture we’ll look at is this one from Ezekiel, where the Lord long ago promised to cleanse His people. ‘A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statues, and ye shall keep my judgements, and do them.’ (Ezek. 36:26-27)  Yes friends, that God’s promise, which was fulfilled after Jesus came to earth and did His thing. After that, all believers were filled with the Holy Spirit. 

Then there’s this from John’s Gospel, where after Jesus tells the disciples it would be advantageous for them if He goes away, otherwise the Holy Spirit won’t come, He says: ‘I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them  now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself  (on his own authority); but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine (what is mine), and shall shew it (declare) it unto you.’ (John 16:12-14) 

So the Holy Spirit liaisons between Christ and His followers. And we all know that Jesus, before His ascension told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were baptized with the power of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8) And that momentous occasion occurred on the Day of Pentecost when ‘a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, filled all the house where they (the fledgling church) were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like a of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and all began to speak with other  tongues (languages), as the Spirt gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:2-4) 

And that day Peter preached his big sermon and some three thousand souls were saved. Thus began the growth of Christ’s new church. Then there are these solemn words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians: ‘What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.’ (1 Cor. 6:19-20) Yes my brethren, as believers in Christ Jesus, we do not belong to ourselves, but to God, for Christ paid a price to redeem us back to God. 

And since the Holy Spirit of God dwells within each believer, then each believers body is a temple or church of God, and therefore we need to keep it holy. And to help us do that, Bruh Paul wrote these words to the Galatians. ‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.’ (Gal. 5:16-17) 

Oh my fellow believers, that’s much easier said than done, because the lusts or desires of our flesh are so numerous and so strong, that it takes a concerted effort to walk in the Spirit. But if we are serious about doing that, then we just have to buckle down, meditate on the Word, pray and ask the Holy Spirt for help! That’s the starting point for all of us! Much LOVE!

…one cannot live a truly Christian life…without the Holy Spirit’s guidance…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 October 2015 Colossians 2:4.

03 Oct 2015 Leave a comment

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

 Colossians 2:4.   And this I say, lest any man should beguile (deceive) you with enticing (persuasive) words.

Well Friends, it’s Saturday… and in these northern climes the cold winds of autumn are now blowing steadily, with daytime highs of around 12 or 13 and nighttime lows down to 3 and 4 Celsius. That’s not a wonderful situation at all, because it means that the nighttime now calls for heat, and in the day time sweaters and coats and scarfs etc., for though the sun might be shining brightly its heat is negligible. 

But all praise to God that the Son is ALWAYS shining brightly and His LOVE and spiritual warmth never dissipates, regardless of our earthly seasons! Oh Glory to God my people, for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross of Calvary so that our sins could be forgiven and our souls reconciled to our heavenly Father! 

Please, let’s NEVER FORGET the awesome price He paid for our deliverance! He paid it so that we could have life abundantly, that we could be conquerors, that we could run this race of earthly life and be sure winners. And though we may fail often in this life, that’s absolutely no reason to give up. 

As our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us, says in a recent quote: ‘Failure defeats losers, failure inspires winners.’ And that’s gospel truth my people! When losers fail, they give up, but when winners fail, they get right back up and keep on trying, until they eventually succeed. 

And here are a couple of other quotes from two men who met with a lot of failure early on in their careers but never gave up. And we all know the results of their persistence and perseverance, for down through the years we have enjoyed the phonograph, the motion picture camera and the practical light bulbs of Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), and the affordable motor car coming off the assembly line of Henry Ford (1863-1947), though now all in more modern forms. 

Edison is reputed to have said: ‘Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.’ 

Meanwhile Henry Ford apparently declared: ‘You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.’ And so saying he went out and developed the assembly line that built cars quicker and cheaper. And the same things apply to us Christians; we can’t give up, since giving up doesn’t exist in our vocabulary, neither can we build a solid Christian reputation on just talk. But we still try to do it anyway. (smile) 

Our lives ought to reflect that of Jesus Christ as much as possible, according to whatever stage we’re at in our race. But in this day and age of so much ungodliness, fraud and discontentment, where almost instant communication is available, and lots of out and out crooks, charlatans and false teachers abound, the believer has to be very selective in whom or what he or she reads, watches or listens to. 

Bruh Paul would have cried in dismay if he could see the amount of falsehood and deceit that’s been perpetrated in our current world. That’s why his words to the Colossians found in our Bit, are still so vital and necessary today. ‘And this I say, lest any man should beguile (deceive) you with enticing (persuasive) words.’ 

Yes my brethren, it so easy to be led astray today, especially if we don’t have personal knowledge of God’s Word. That’s why it’s ever so important for EACH and EVERY BELIEVER to read their Bibles; to study, to meditate on its contents, so you can have a good foundation and not be easily led astray by any and every nefarious doctrine that’s preached. 

Listen to how Bruh Paul puts it to the Roman church in his personal greetings. ‘Salute one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you. Now I beseech you, brethren, mark (note) them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good (smooth) words and fair (flattering) speeches deceive the hearts of the simple (innocent). 

For your obedience is come abroad (reported) unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace shall bruise (crush) Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.’ (Rom.16:16-20)  

And the scholars offer these explanations on those verses. ’16:17. Words of warning concerning danger threatening the church. Paul does not want the unity implied in verses 3-16 to be broken, marred, or impaired. Paul delivers the command to mark them who are the source of divisions and stumbling blocks in the assembly, because they cause divisions and offenses (cf. 14:13b). They are to avoid them or “turn away” from them. They are not to try to argue with or convert them (cf. 14:1).’ 

‘16:18. Serve not our Lord: Anyone who mars the unity or harmony of the local church does not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, regardless of his claim. He puts his interest above the welfare and interest of the local church.’ 

Oh Friends, oh Friends,  you don’t need me to tell you that ‘divisions and offenses’ as spoken by Bruh Paul are rampant and unceasing in today’s church, both local, national and international. It seems that politics, bureaucracy, greed, selfish pride and ego, along with an insatiable hunger for power are at the forefront of today’s church. That’s why nobody is taking us seriously anymore. 

But if the church cannot be trusted to do the right thing, who can be eh? I admire Pope Francis’ down to earth attitude and his desire to turn the church around to where it is truly a conduit to Christ, but he is only one man, and an old one at that, and some of the unrighteousness is so deeply built into the church and its bureaucracy, that it will take more than him to root it out. 

Anyway my people, enough for today. There’s a lot for you to consider, to ponder on, so please do, and then let’s try and improve Christ’s church, one day, one brick at a time. With His help, we can certainly do it. Much LOVE!

…oh how good and pleasant it is…when brethren dwell together… in peace and unity…