09 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a burden to you, a Christlike countenance, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a roof over your head, a similar conversation, a true disciple of Christ, accomplished your purpose, acknowledge the misdemeanour, all these things shall be added unto you, as unto the Lord, at the thought of going to work, authority, busybodies, but wrought with labour and toil, Christian witness, clothes on your back, come around again to bother me, conforms to God's Word, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, dedicated and diligent, disciples of Christ, disturb my peace, do it heartily, eat any man's bread for nought, engaging in productive work, ensure our needs are met, even when we were with you, faith, faithfully keep your promise, faithfully promised, fall into our lap, free of charge, from the Lord, glorify your father in heaven, gossips, grumpy and dismayed, hands shamefacedly raised, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, knock knock, Let your light so shine before men, living a lifestyle, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, mercy, Monday, neither should he eat, night and day, not be chargeable, not because we have not power, not entitled to anything, our nemesis, partying all weekend, please ease the pain, put bread on your table, receive the reward of the inheritance, righteous anger, salvation, seek ye first, seriously disobeyed your word, set a Christian example, showcase ourselves, sincere repentance, sincerely seeking God, solve all our problems, strong faith in Christ, tent making trade, thank you for life, that if any would not work, that's what life is all about, the disastrous state of our world, the first day of our work week, the God who heals, the kingdom of God and his righteousness, the many suffering from negative situations, the necessities of life, the only one, the throne of grace, they may see your good works, thinking we're entitled, this we commanded you, to alleviate our problems, to be an example to you, to hear and answer our prayers, to live good, to make ourselves an ensample, to prosper us, toil and sacrifice, true believers in Christ, truth, turn from our evil ways, we behaved not ourselves disorderly, we have all sinned, whatsoever ye do, who's there, wisdom, wise guidance, without working for the rewards, working to earn a living, ye serve the Lord Christ
2 Thessalonians 3:10. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
And then there was this situation: Knock, knock! Who’s there? It’s me Monday… Oh it’s you Monday, come around again to bother me and disturb my peace by reminding me that I need to get up and go to work, although I feel so lousy after partying all weekend. And I can’t even call in sick, because I’ve used up all my sick time already…and it’s just the middle of the year. Brother, what am I going to do if I do get sick later on in the year eh?
And Monday simply replies: Crapaud smoke yuh pipe! You should not have used them all up by lying and saying you were sick, when you were just tired and hung over from your constant partying every weekend. And self replies in righteous anger: Oh go away nuh Monday and leave me alone! You’ve accomplished your purpose…I’m up and getting ready to go to the stupid ole work. Hope that makes you happy? And with a big grin on his annoying and cheeky face, Monday calmly declares: It certainly does!
Oh my people, did any of us have a similar conversation this morning, or one close to it with our nemesis Monday? Now please speak the truth. And a few hands are shamefacedly raised to shoulder level to acknowledge the misdemeanour. Yes friends, as disciples, ambassadors and agents of Christ here on planet earth, too many of us are still not ready to greet Monday, the first day of our work week with a cheery, Christlike countenance, but instead are grumpy and dismayed at the very thought of having to get up and go to work.
But that’s what life is all about; working to earn a living, so you can put bread on your table, a roof over your head, and clothes on your back. Now, if you don’t want those necessities of life, you don’t need to work. And sadly, too many of us desire to live good without working for the rewards, thinking that we’re entitled to it. In reality though, we’re not entitled to anything in this world, and we need to toil and sacrifice for most of what we want.
And I believe that some of us might be daft, or crazy enough to think that we’re entitled and don’t have to do anything because Jesus says we should not worry about clothing and food and the other necessities of life for our heavenly knows we need them. (Matt. 6:31) And rather, instructs us thus: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
Now that doesn’t mean that if we seek God and His righteousness, all those things will just fall into our laps. No, we seek God, by and while engaging in productive work, and He will then ensure that all our needs are met. Remember what Jesus said about discipleship? ‘If any man will (desires to) come after (follow) me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Now, that sure seems like it has some work in it, along with some sacrifice too.
That brings us to this interesting theory that Bruh Paul floated to the Thessalonians in his second letter. He had heard that some people there were behaving disorderly, being simply busybodies, gossips etc., basically not living a lifestyle that conforms to the Word of God. ‘For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;
Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought (free of charge); but wrought with labour (worked) and travail (toil) night and day, that we might not be chargeable (a burden) to any of you: Not because we have not power (authority), but to make ourselves and ensample (example) unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.’ (2 Thess. 3:7-10)
What a marvellous idea! If we could only put it into action! (smile) And please note, that Bruh Paul didn’t work because he had to, he could have lived off of the people. But no, he plied his tent making trade diligently and made his own money to set a Christian example for them. And setting good Christian examples to those around us is one of the best ways we can ever showcase ourselves as true believers in and followers of Christ. As Jesus so wisely says: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:16)
The long and the short of the story though, is that to be true disciples of Christ, we must work, and work diligently, efficiently and sincerely, so that others can see the true reflection of Jesus in us. In other words: ‘Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.’ (Col. 3:23-24) I could not put it any better than that my brethren. So let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, sincerely seeking God and His help, with all of our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.
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, as we can see from our prayer, and the disastrous state of our world, our work and Christian witness are not satisfactory, which means we need to pull up our socks and become better witnesses for Christ. And we all know what that means! Much LOVE!
…to be a true disciple of Christ…one must be dedicated and diligent…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a grumpy and tired tempo, a lawless society, a sense of responsibility, adhering to God's principles, alleviate our problems, an integral part of our lives, as to the Lord, cast off restraint, Christians, didn't rest enough, disobeyed your word, divine aid, divine revelation, do a job, do it heartily, do it with thy might, excessive supervision, faith, get away with murder, godly wisdom, he that doeth wrong, he that keepeth the law; happy is he, hear and answer our prayers, hellfire and damnation, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, indisputable truth, invoked the will of God, irresponsible leaders, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, knowing that of the Lord, lack of a work ethic, lenient supervision, LOVE, mercy, Monday, morning rush hour, no consideration for others, no godly pride in ourselves, no respect, no respect of persons, not unto men, omnipotent help, pray, prosperous, receive for the wrong he has done, receive the reward of the inheritance, regrettable actions, repentance, road rage, salvation, set the tempo, shirking of responsibilities, show this evil world, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek your face, strong faith in Christ, the BIBLE, the day we love to hate, the first day of our work week, the God who heals, the importance of obedience, the people perish, the power to solve our problems, the throne of grace, the work cycle, there is no work device knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, to the best of our ability, truth, turn back to God, understanding of God's will, ungodly parents, we have all sinned, whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, whatsoever you do, where there is no vision, wisdom, wise guidance, work ethic, ye serve the Lord Christ, your awesome grace and mercy
Colossians 3:23. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Good ole Monday is here again friends! The day we all LOVE to hate, but cannot get away from, no matter how hard we try. (smile) That’s because Monday is an integral part of our lives; the first day of our work week, when we’re supposed to set the tempo for the remainder of the week. But unfortunately, on most Mondays, we set a grumpy, lazy, and tired tempo because we didn’t rest enough on the weekend, neither were we properly prepared to tackle Monday, as we ought to.
We need to understand that once we break the work cycle for a couple of days, it’s hard to get restarted unless we plan and actually get ready for it. A couple of generations ago, that was much easier to do since there weren’t as many activities to engage our free time as we now have. And if we don’t actively plan for a return to work, we’ll most likely end up frustrated, and annoyed, especially when we get out to face the early morning rush hour traffic. That’s a good harbinger of road rage, of anger spilling over into violence and foolish, regrettable actions.
What makes our society even less desirable and competent is the lack of a work ethic among the younger generation, who sadly feel that they are entitled to much more than they are. Back in the day, although we might not like our job, we tried to do it to the best of our ability, because we were getting paid for it and were not allowed to slack off and fool around like we do nowadays. Granted, back then it was somewhat draconian, yes, the supervision and expectation might have been a tad excessive, unlike today where it’s excessively lenient and workers can get away with murder.
The problem is that we no longer have a sense of responsibility like we once had. Irresponsibility is today’s motto. Just look at how the young generation behaves; no respect, so consideration for others, just selfishly concerned about their own welfare. They have no godly pride in themselves and the work they do. Although that truly stems from the declining responsibility and work ethic of our overall society, meaning the fault of lawless, irresponsible and ungodly leaders and parents.
Remember the wise words of Cousin Sol? ‘Where there is no vision (prophetic vision or revelation), the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov, 29:18) And that’s the indisputable truth! Where there is no divine revelation of God’s will, the people will just do as they selfishly and ungodly please. Without the moral will of God running through the very veins of a society, it will soon become lawless and disintegrate, just like our society is currently doing.
And this commentary explains the verse thus: ‘It highlights the importance of having a clear purpose, direction, and understanding of God’s will for a society or individual. When there is no such vision, people lose their sense of purpose, become unrestrained, and ultimately suffer. The verse also mentions that those who keep God’s law are blessed, highlighting the importance of obedience and adhering to God’s principles.’
And we’ve seen the truth in that right down through the ages. Every society that invoked the will of God became prosperous. However, when they got prosperous, they got proud and arrogant and unwisely figured that it was on their own strength. Obviously they then lost that godly vision, so the society began to decay and finally crumbled into oblivion.
But there’s a basic motto to which we could all adhere that will solve most of our current work and relational problems. It’s this wisdom from Bruh Paul to the Colossians. ‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.’ (Col. 3:23-25)
Yes my brethren, it’s as simple as that! If we do everything as unto God and not as unto man, we will do a much better job. There’ll be less laziness and shirking or dodging of our responsibilities, more togetherness and God will prosper our society. For remember if you do God’s will, He rewards you, but if you don’t, you’ll feel the sting of His disfavour.
Meanwhile, Cousin Sol says it this way as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes. ‘Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.’ (Eccl. 9:10) That’s more indisputable truth friends! In the grave there’s nothing but death, so we need to reserve our place with God while we’re alive, and that means doing our best with His will in mind. So, in these rather rough and uncertain times, lets’ go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid.
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, from our prayer we can all see what’s necessary to receive that divine aid; humbling ourselves, praying, sincerely seeking God’s face with true repentance in our hearts. So, if we truly want God’s omnipotent help, then let’s seriously begin turning back to Him nuh. That’s godly wisdom at its best! Much LOVE!
…for our world to avoid hellfire and damnation…we must turn back to God…RIGHT NOW…it’s that simple…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Mar 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a guiding principle, a lack of spiritual guidance, a lack of spiritual leadership, a purpose for life, breathe some godly revelation, busy bodies, cast off restraint, chaos, christianity, coast along on our laurels, command and exhort, desires to bless us, destruction, dies from apathy, dog eat dog world, eat their own bread, entitled to a good living, even when we were with you, every man did that which was right in his own eyes, faith, fell on hard times, for doing as little as they can, forgot God, get as much as they can, get with the programme, gossip, help in times of need, holy spirit, humble servants, idle hands are the Devil's workshop, if any would not work, in a spiritual context, in those days, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, lack of a strong work ethic, lack of divine guidance, LOVE, meddlesome ways, mercy, ministered unto the Lord, Monday, negative consequences, neither should he eat, no open vision, no prophetic revelation, no sense of godly direction, nothing for free, please ease the pain, praise Your Holy Name, praying, refuse to work, salvation, show this evil world, sincerely seeking God's face, social media, some which walk among you disorderly, staring them full in the face, strong faith in Christ, suffering from negative situations, taking stock of ourselves, thank you for life, that frustrating day, that kills a societyeasy to coast along on our laurels, the BIBLE, the fabric of society, the God of our forefathers, the God who heals, the importance of having a vision, the mass confusion in our world, the master of death and destruction, the power to solve our many problems, the same old work cycle, the throne of grace, the word of the Lord was precious (rare), there was no king in Israel, this we commanded you, times of entitlement, to alleviate our problems, truth, turn from our evil ways, we are our worst enemies, went their merry way rejoicing, where there is no vision the people perish, wise guidance, with quietness they work, without a sense of direction, without lifting a finger, working not at all
2 Thessalonians 3:10. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
And then it was Monday, that disturbing and frustrating day, when we begin the same old, same old work cycle again. (smile) But if we want to eat, and have a roof over our heads, some kind of rewarding work is necessary in this dog eat dog world. For no one’s giving you anything for free these days, but that doesn’t stop many of us from being lazy and not wanting to work, believing that we’re entitled to a good living without lifting a finger.
Remember though, what Bruh Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in his second letter. ‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busy bodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.’ (2 Thess. 3:10-12)
Oh my people, how wonderful it would be to implement such a system in these times of entitlement when a large body of our population hates and refuses to work, but delights in indulging in much gossip and meddlesome ways, especially on social media! Many of us would certainly be going hungry. Sadly, the work ethic that existed for generations has now disappeared and everyone wants to simply get as much as they can, for doing as little as they can. But that’s what kills a society, not what builds it.
The problem is that our society has reached such a high level of knowledge and technology, as well as prosperity, that it’s fairly easy to coast along on our laurels and get by. However, when too many people are merely coasting along in life, the fabric of the society soon begins to fall apart and the society eventually dies from apathy and lack of a strong work ethic. As the scholars tell us, ‘idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.’ And that’s no lie! Satan doesn’t want us doing anything that would enhance our society or standard of living, for he is the master of death and destruction.
That brings us to these wise words of Cousin Sol from Proverbs. ‘Where there is no vision (prophetic vision or revelation), the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov. 29:18) And that’s oh so true my people! But what does it mean?
This commentary explains it thus: ‘The phrase emphasizes the importance of having a vision, a guiding principle, or a purpose for life. Without such a vision, people are prone to unrestrained behavior and ultimately fail to thrive. Some translations use the word “perish” or “cast off restraint” to convey the idea that without a vision, people are left without a sense of direction or purpose, leading to negative consequences. Meanwhile, in a spiritual context, it refers to a lack of divine guidance or revelation, a lack of spiritual leadership.’
And we see that happening very clearly back in the days when the Israelites were ruled by judges. The Bible 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’s exactly the evil and ungodly way that our society, or rather our world is moving; everyone doing their own thing, with no sense of godly direction. The Book of Samuel also gives us insight into the problem when it says: ‘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 (no prophetic revelation).’ (1 Sam. 3:1)
The scholars explain that’ the severity of Israel’s apostasy (cf. Judg. 21:25) caused a dearth of God’s revelatory work. The condition was perpetuating and self-defeating (cf. Prov. 29:18). By God’s grace, the prophetic institution would receive renewed impetus and standardization in the person and work of Samuel.’
Oh by God’s grace, I wish we could have someone or some people powerful enough to breathe some godly revelation into today’s crazy, hateful and resentful society. But as has happened to every society which rose to great heights by working diligently and with a God-given purpose, but then forgot God and went their merry way rejoicing, they eventually fell on hard times, with chaos and destruction staring them full in the face.
Now, is that what we want for our society…what we want our children’s children to experience? I very much doubt it. But if we don’t start taking serious stock of ourselves RIGHT NOW, and turn from our evil ways back to the God of our forefathers, then that is the fate that will possibly befall us, but for sure, our progeny. So, with the Lord’s promise of coming to the throne of grace for help in times of need, let’s do that right now nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
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 it’s good to remember some of those things required to receive divine aid; like humbling ourselves, praying, sincerely seeking God’s face, turning from our evil ways, etc. etc. So, if we truly want it, let’s get with the programme nuh! Much LOVE!
…we are our worst enemies…foolishly turning away from God…when all He desires to do is bless us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: action it, continual conversation, David's prayer, discernment, excuse disobedience, forty years, give into temptation, God is forever faithful, God will never let us down, God's goodness, God's matchless love, have our own way, into the land of uprightness, Jesus desires, lead me, Lead me in thy truth, manna, Monday, Nehemiah, never leave nor forsake us, nothing can separate us, on thee do I wait, one of a kind, One Year Book of Bible promises, Ruth Harms Calkin, share His love, Show me thy ways, sustained them in the wilderness, teach me, teach me thy paths, The God of my salvation, the Israelites of old, the love of his Father's heart, thou art my God, Three Discoveries, thy spirit is good, to do thy will, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, unmatched fierceness, water for their thirst, Whom God loves he chastens, with God's help
Psalm 143: 10. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
Awright friends, we got through Monday with God’s help and we’re now focused on Tuesday, which we will also get through successfully with our heavenly Father’s help. Praise his holy name my people for His undeserving goodness and mercy to the sinful and rebellious children of men!
And all God’s children declared (right ho!) a loud, proud and sincere: ‘Thank You Lord for being so good and kind to us, even though we don’t deserve it! We praise Your holy name and bless You and will try to live obedient to Your Will! Please remember though Lord, we still need Your awesome help and generosity to do it successfully. We give you thanks and glory! Amen!’
Yeh friends, despite our talents and education and what not, whatever we need to do, to do it successfully, we NEED God’s amazing help and generous nature, otherwise our efforts won’t be as successful as they can be. And to reinforce that statement, here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled ‘Three Discoveries.’
Please read with me: ‘I have made three overwhelming discoveries regarding God’s reliable faithfulness: The first: God will never let us go – NEVER! We may fall flat on our faces. We may resist until we feel exhausted, but NOTHING can separate us from His matchless LOVE.
The second: God will never let us down – NEVER! He is forever faithful, even when we are faithless. He cannot deny Himself. He will NEVER leave us nor forsake us.
The third: He will never let us off – NEVER! Whenever we give in to temptation, when we determine to have our own way – He says with all the LOVE of His Father’s heart, “I LOVE you too much to excuse disobedience.” Whom He LOVES, He chastens.
God is determined to bless us. He is eager to show us His kindness. He is glad to teach us the proper paths; but He MUST have access to our hearts. He will allow our guilt to become a burden until conviction comes, then confession, and finally renewed commitment! May David’s prayer be our prayer.’
Yes my faithful brethren, ALL the above is true! The Lord expects a lot from His children, and He knows exactly how much we’re capable of without His generous help, that’s why we need to pray as Bruh David did in Psalm 143: ‘Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.’
O friends, O friends, we can’t do God’s will unless and until we know it, and we can’t know it until we ask Him what it is! He is our Creator and our God and has made us to do His bidding, so to fulfill that mandate, discernment must be at the top of our to do, or to seek out list.
In my personal life, discernment is something I’m continually asking the Lord for, because once I know His will, doing His bidding isn’t so difficult, but knowing what He wants me to do, causes some problems. Oftimes I think I know His will, but when I do it, it turns out all wrong.
So it’s necessary to come back like Bruh David did in Psalm 25 and beseech Him: ‘Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.’ (Ps.25:4-5)
Ah friends, it has to be a constant and continual conversation between us and our heavenly Father if we truly want to stay on the right path, know His will and do it obediently. And we definitely can’t doubt the goodness of His Spirit, since Nehemiah spells it out for us in spades, re the Israelites of old in the wilderness.
‘Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and witheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old (did not wear out), and their feet swelled not.’ (Neh.9:20-21)
Oh my people, we definitely can’t doubt the Lord’s goodness after reading that! What other supposed deity would have kept such a disobedient, sinful and rebellious people well supplied with all the necessities of life for forty years eh? NONE but the Lord God Jehovah! That’s why we ought to be so grateful for all His tender mercies and worship and praise and exalt His holy name before all the earth!
He is a ONE OF A KIND! And on top of all that, He LOVES and cares for us with an unmatched fierceness, and won’t allow anyone to hurt us. And if all of the above doesn’t convince you of God’s goodness and LOVE for human kind, then I truly don’t know what will!
But for those of us who are thoroughly convinced and believe with all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, let’s go home declaring (chuh! wrong again!) our Tuesday Mantra, in loud voice and strong and sincere sense of purpose, letting the world know who and whose we are.
In unison now: ‘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 the world. Amen!’ And if you truly believe it, then let’s go out and action it as Jesus desires of us! Much LOVE!
…sharing the LOVE and friendship of Jesus…is what we were created to do…
24 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a happy camper, above the heavens, aura of love, blessings, communicating, confidence, crowded sidewalks, dislikes change, dominion, enthusiasm, essence of our universe, eternal life, evil, faith, fire, friends, fun, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, God's help, grace, grin and bear it, hail, holy spirit, hope that with time, how excellent is thy name, human animal, in all the earth, Jesus Christ, joy, let me count the ways, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, mercy, Monday, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, most powerful force, mother's li'l helper, new beginnings, new possibilities, no job security, O Lord our Lord, oh how I love thee, peace, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, same old, set thy glory, simple prayer, slaving, snow, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the Creator of the universe, the weekend, to make ends meet, traffic jams, trust, turned topsy-turvy, ungodly world, uprooted, upset the status quo, weary souls, wisdom, work drudgery
Psalm 8:1. O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
‘Monday, Monday! Oh how I LOVE thee! Let me count the ways!’ Ah friends, the ole fella’s not crazy, just somewhat eccentric. (smile) There’s just something I like about Mondays – it hints at new beginnings, new possibilities. Like you’ve wrapped up one section over the weekend, and another is about to start on Monday’s.
Hn! The problem with some of us is that we don’t like new beginnings or possibilities, because they upset the status quo, and the human animal dislikes change, doesn’t want his or her life to be uprooted or turned topsy-turvy too often.
On the other hand, Monday reminds some of us of the same old, same old; the same old work drudgery, endless traffic jams, crowded sidewalks and elevators, and slaving for never enough money to make ends meet, with little or no job security, and sometimes at more than one job too.
That obviously will not make you a happy camper, but you don’t have much choice, so you’ll just have to grin and bear it and hope that with time, and God’s help, it will improve…and substantially too.
And that brings us to our mother, or father’s li’l helper (smile) our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Ah friends, it’s only simple prayer; but remember that prayer is the most powerful force in the universe, and it’s also our main method of communicating with the Creator of that universe. So if we pray the right way, for the right things, under the right circumstances, we’re guaranteed that our prayers will be answered.
And our Monday Morning Battle Hymn meets all of those conditions, that’s why it works…every time! So let’s get down to brass tacks here now nuh, and declare it in unison, with heartfelt sincerity. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
And I can see by the brightening of your countenance and the new spring in your step that our antidote for all Monday ills worked! Glory to our great God! That’s why Bruh David could shout out our Bit from Psalm 8: ‘O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who has set thy glory above the heavens.’
Ah friends, the Creator of our universe is indeed a mighty Deity, but also one overflowing with tender LOVE! Listen to Bruh David later on in Psalm 8: ‘When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest (pay attention to, or care for) him?
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.’ (Ps.8:3-6)
And right in those few words my brethren, we have the basic essence of our universe: the great spiritual Being we call God created it for His pleasure, spoke it into being through the power of His words. Then He created us from the dust of the ground and His breath of life so that we could have sincere communion with Him.
Note how important we are to Him, that He made us just a little lower than His heavenly host, but way above and in charge of all His other creations. And all He has done, is doing, and will do on our behalf stems from His great and wonderful, unconditional and never-ending LOVE for us!
Consequently, the psalmist could declare that all creation ought to praise the Lord. ‘Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons (sea creatures), and all deeps: Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word. Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:
Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent (exalted); his glory is above the earth and heaven. He also exalteth the horn (strength or dominion) of his people, the praise of all his saints; even the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah!)’ (Ps.148:7-14)
Yes friends, the entire universe ought to praise and exalt our gracious, merciful, mighty and LOVING God! Unfortunately my brethren, that’s not the way it is in our depraved world, so let’s go out and do our best to make it so nuh, because if we don’t, who else will eh? Much LOVE!
…O Lord our Lord…how excellent is thy name…in all the earth… (Ps.8:9)
12 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a name above every name, a servant, adrenaline, aura of love, bombarded, buffeted, burdened, Calvary, confidence, conquerors, craxy, dangerous, darkness, death of the cross, defeated foe, despicable sinners, despise the name, difficult, don't want to go to work, enthusiasm, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, exalted, facetious, fall prey, families together, fight tooth and nail, flippant, furthering God's kingdom, giant, go with the flow, good vibes, harm, heavenly Father, humble servants, humbled himself, I don't work, I won't eat, in god's eyes, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus christ is Lord, jobs, lies, lives, Lord of all, lost, LOVE, made righteous, made sinners, make peace, momentum, Monday, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, obedience, on behalf of Jesus, one man's disobedience, plunged into sin, poor, rat-race, reconciled, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, reputation, reverence, righteous, robbery, sacrificed, sally forth, saviour, shame, sinless life, smithereens, spiritual armour, surrender, taunts, the cross, the enemy, the form of God, the Garden of Eden, the likeness of men, the name of Jesus, the obedience of one, the wondrous things, tired, trying to fight it, unfair, unto death, useful purpose, wake up call, weary souls, wiles
Romans 5:19. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Monday, Monday! What a beautiful sounding name for a beautiful day! And I know that some of you think I’m being facetious and flippant, or I’m just crazy, or even both, because I’m calling Monday a beautiful day, when hordes of you despise the very name Monday and what it entails.
But friends, regardless of how much we might dislike Mondays and what it means, or stands for, we can’t get away from it. So why keep on trying to fight it eh? Why not just make peace with it, knowing that every week it’s going to come around and we will be miserable, because we’re tired and don’t want to get up to go to work.
So let’s just try and go with the flow nuh. (smile) Monday rolls around, you simply say to yourself, if I don’t work, then I won’t eat, and let words to that effect propel you out of the warm, cozy bed. Although, if we’d use the weekend as sensibly as we should, we’d never have the Monday morning problem. But that’s another sermon for another day.
Right now let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to give us our wake up call, so that we can get ourselves together and get back in the rat-race we call society and fight tooth and nail on behalf of Jesus. All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour.
We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh friends, how wonderful that prayer is at causing the adrenaline to speedily course through our bodies! Let’s not waste it nuh, but use it to improve our momentum and all around good vibes, as we begin this new work week, working steadfastly with and for Jesus. And believe people, there’s no better person in the entire world to work with or for than our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! And if you have to ask why, then you’re not a believer. But I’ll tell you anyway: because of all the wondrous things He’s done for poor, lost and despicable sinners like you and me.
Listen as Bruh Paul explains Jesus’ major accomplishment to the Roman church in our Bit. ‘For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.’
Yes my faithful brethren, just like the whole world was plunged into sin and darkness by Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden, likewise the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ enables all who sincerely desire to be reconciled with God, to bask in the brilliant light of Jesus, be considered righteous in God’s holy eyes.
That’s because Jesus took upon Himself ALL our sins, the Lord burdened Him with them on the cross at Calvary, and instead, like the true Saviour He is, He gave us His righteousness. Wow! What a Champion is our Jesus! There is NO ONE like Him in the universe: not even close!
Hear how Bruh Paul describes him to the Philippians nuh. ‘Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; But made of himself no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 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)
Yeh friends, Jesus was God incarnate, man in human form, but didn’t make a big fuss over it. Instead He chose to be a servant, to be obedient to His heavenly Father’s will. Even though it was a catastrophic situation, He withstood the shame and the ‘sufferation’ and sacrificed His sinless and holy life on the cross for us, so that the Father could forgive and wash away our horrible sins!
Now that makes Him an awesome giant in my eyes. And yuh know what, the Father felt the same way: ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:9-11)
Mama Mia! I can’t find words to express my feelings! Jesus is just too great for words! And as we go up against the enemy today my faithful brethren, let’s remember that nuh; meaning the enemy can’t do us any real harm unless we allow him to do so. He is a defeated foe, crushed to smithereens by our Jesus and he is just trying to hold on through lies and other deceptive means. Please don’t fall prey to him today. Much LOVE!
…bend your knee…and speak His name with reverence…for Jesus Christ is indeed Lord of ALL…
09 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new day, a quick wave, a sigh of relief, a stranger, abuse, action, afflict my soul, Another new year, arrive so quickly, beloved of God, between errands, blame, books, broken resolves, cause me to hear, cause me to know, Christ's kingdom, clothed me, clothes, cluttered, coffee with my neighbours, cupboards, do thy will, drawers, drink, exhausted, failures, faith, first working day, followers of Christ, food, for thy name's sake, forgiveness, friends, God's power, good intentions, heartwarming, helping the poor, humbly, hungry, hurry, I am thy servant, I lift up my soul to thee, in prison, in the morning, in thee do I trust, January of last year, land of uprightness, letters unwritten, loving-kindness, Monday, motives, my friend Jesus, naked, needy, never invited, never read, notes, one more request, one of the least, One Year Book of Bible promises, procrastination, revive me, right hearts, Ruth Harms Calkin, save, servant-hood, servants of god, serve, share His love, sick, steal in so sliently, the goats, the most, the sheep, the way I should walk, thirsty, thou art my God, thy spirit is good, trust, Tuesday Mantra, we don't rest, worry, year of love
Psalm 143:8. Cause me to hear thy LOVING-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
Awright friends, it’s Tuesday…and we happy! Why? Because we’ve gotten past Monday. (smile) Poor Monday takes so much blame and abuse in our society because it is the first working day of the week, and everybody breathes a sigh of relief after it’s over.
But we have the whole thing wrong yes. Monday is supposed to be the best and easiest day of the week because we’re coming off of two days rest. Every day after that is supposed to get harder rather than easier. The problem is that we don’t rest over the weekend, therefore it’s difficult to get the body and spirit moving for work on Monday, and we end up blaming it for all our many woes. (smile)
But be that as it may, listen to this take from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that admirably describes so many of us. It’s titled ‘Another Year.’
Please read with me. ‘Another new year! How did it steal in so silently? How did it arrive so quickly? So many things I determined to do in January of last year are still completely undone. So many notes and letters still unwritten. Friends I planned to entertain were never invited.
The books I planned to read haven’t been opened. The cupboards and drawers I hoped to clean are still cluttered with things I don’t need or use. Clothes I no longer wear still crowd my closet. I planned to have coffee with our neighbours, but often I managed no more than a quick wave between errands.
If only I could have held on to the old year a little longer! But the old year is gone. I must put it away with all its failures and broken resolves. There is no way I can reclaim even one week of last year. I see that the road to good intentions is wide and circular. I’ve walked around it until I am utterly exhausted.
I confess my failures, my procrastination. I know God, in his graciousness will forgive me. I have one more request. I pray for God’s power to keep my forgiveness up-to-date.’
Yes friends, good intentions are great, if we put them into action, otherwise we just keep aimlessly going round the same mountain, like the Israelites in the wilderness. And way too many of us are guilty of all those things we read above, basically a combination of laziness, procrastination and busyness. And it’s not hard to do in the extra busy society in which we now live, where everything is go, go, go.
But the only way we’re going to overcome those failures and disappointments is by sincerely turning to God and putting the leading of our lives in His most capable hands. For once He is in control of our lives, we won’t be as busy-oriented as the world wants us to be, and He definitely won’t put more on our plate than we can handle. And whatever He puts there, we are assured we can handle it, because He gives us the wherewithal to do so! Glory Be!
That’s the beauty of sincerely partnering with Almighty God; He controls it all! And the Bible Promise for that writing is also our Bit for today. ‘Cause me to hear thy LOVING-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.’
Oh my people, what beautiful words of prayer from Bruh David! Just right for every time we open our eyes to a new day. What better decision is there to start a day than to ask God for His LOVING-kindness and direction so we can do His will, because we have placed our entire trust in Him? None my brethren! None!
And Bruh David continues: ‘Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me (I take cover in thee) Teach me to do thy will: for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Quicken (revive) me, O Lord, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness sake bring my soul out of trouble. And of thy mercy cut off (put an end to) mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul; for I am thy servant.’ (Ps.143:9-12)
Yeh friends, excellent words, but of no use unless we show the action that comes with that last, all important line: ‘for I am thy servant.’ Until we are involved in real servant hood to Christ, all our words are useless, for that’s where the truth of our faith shows up.
That’s how and why Jesus came the first time: to save and to serve. He came humbly, helping the poor and downtrodden, the sick and needy, and until we begin doing the same, with right hearts and motives, we won’t be classified as servants of God.
Remember what Jesus said about separating the sheep and the goats: ‘For I was an hungered (hungry), and ye gave me meat (food): I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in. Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me:
I was in prison, and ye came unto me…And the king shall say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’ (Matt.25:35-36,40)
Yes my faithful followers of Christ, until we begin helping the least, we will never be the most in Christ’s kingdom. And there are a whole lot of needy out there to be helped, so please let’s make this Year of LOVE, also one of servant hood nuh, for you can’t truly have one without the other.
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know who and whose we are. In sincerity and strong voice: ‘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!’
Now let’s go out and action those statements. Much LOVE!
…oh how beautiful…how heartwarming it is…to share Christ’s LOVE with others…
03 Apr 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heartbeat, adversity, antidote, aura of love, battlefield, Beelzebub, believers, Boaz, choirmaster, Christ's Church, complaining, confidence, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faithfulness, fight the good fight, friends, Gentile, glorious kingdom, hate day, holy spirit, humble servants, invincible, Israelites, Jesse, Jesus Christ, Jew, jobs, joy, licentious weekend, lies, LOVE, Moab, Monday, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Naomi, Obed, Orpah, prince of darkness, prince of peace, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, Ruth, salvation, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, trust, truth, ungodly world, union of Jew and Gentile, wisdom
Joshua 24:15(a). …choose you this day whom ye will serve…
Oh friends, it’s Monday, our favourite hate day! (smile) And we only hate it because it means we have to get up and go out and labour, after spending a soft, cushy, licentious weekend. But them’s the breaks my people. You either go and work or be homeless and starve.
And yuh better believe you’re darm lucky and blessed if you have a job, because there are millions of people out there who don’t have one and will gladly take yours in a heartbeat. So let’s start living right over the weekend nuh, so that on Monday we don’t have the set of steupsing and complaining we currently have.
In any case, let’s take the antidote for that there illness right now; the glorious singing of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. In full voice and perfect harmony, let’s belt it out: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Not bad friends, not bad, but not good enough to get a big rise out of our choirmaster Jesus. Anyway, with that adrenaline antidote taking effect, as it courses through our bodies, raising both our physical and spiritual capacity, let’s get a move on, for Jesus is waiting for us out on the battlefield, so we can fight the good fight with Him. Time to move out mih people!
That brings us to our Bit: ‘…choose you this day whom ye will serve…’
Yes friends, we can either serve the prince of this evil world, Beelzebub, or the Prince of Peace, of Light and Eternal Life, Jesus Christ. The decision is totally yours. But let me give you a li’l bit of wise advice. It will be better for you, if you serve Jesus Christ, for He is the mighty conqueror of hell, death and the grave, Beelzebub’s territory! That’s why Beelzebub now has no power over true believers, unless we fall for his lies and deceits.
Now we all know the numerous times the Israelites turned away from God and suffered adversity, then caught themselves, repented and were welcomed back into the fold of God. Anybody with a bit of common sense can do that, but let’s check out an individual circumstance, where the reward of a Gentile for choosing the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was immeasurable.
We’re talking about the story of Ruth, the Moabitess, who immigrated to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law Naomi from her own land of Moab, after her husband, brother and father in-law had died, leaving three widows behind. Now Naomi, having heard that the ‘Lord had visited (attended to) his people in giving them bread,’ (Ruth 1:6) she decided to return to her people in Bethlehem, where it might be possible for a Jewish widow to scrape together a half-decent living.
So she kissed and blessed her two daughters’ –in- law and told them to go back to their own people. But they wept and refused. However, eventually the one named Orpah did leave Naomi, ‘but Ruth clave (clung) unto her. (Ruth 1:7-15)
‘And Ruth said, Entreat me not (urge me not) to leave thee, or return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.’ (Ruth 1:16-17)
And the scholars tell us thus: ‘1:16-17. Ruth’s faith and faithfulness are in evidence throughout the book, as expressed here in her commitment to Naomi’s God as her own. Ruth’s own concern for Naomi is bound by a strong oath made before the Lord Himself.’
And how did the Lord repay Ruth’s faithfulness? By causing her to marry the richest man in the city and having a baby boy whom Naomi the grandmother nursed. ‘And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.’ (Ruth 4:17)
Ah friends, you never know what our great and wonderful God will do nuh! For from that union of Jew, Boaz, and Gentile, Ruth, came Bruh David and later his descendant Jesus! So one more mysterious but wise working of our great God!
And as the scholars declare: ‘from the union of Jew and Gentile would ultimately come the Saviour of all men. (Acts 4:12). The marriage of Boaz and Ruth may thus serve as a picture of Christ and His church through whom all believers become one (Eph.2:11-22).’
No better way to end today my brethren! Much LOVE!
…as for me and mine…we WILL serve the Lord…
22 Dec 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new vision, a standing O, adrenalin, almighty god, aura of love, awe, bestowed on, blot out our sins, Bruh Joseph, But as for you, but god intended it got good, care, christmas day, concern, confidence, death, doing good, eternal life, eternity in heaven, fallacy, fear not, forgiveness from sins, friends, gifts, glorification of God, glory hallelujah, God's justice, gospel truth, Hades, holy spirit, incarnate birth of Jesus christ, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, joy, languish forever, leading and guiding, loved, loving kindness, Lucifer, magnificent and magnanimous God, mind games, miracle birth of Christ, Monday, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, offered up Jesus as a sacrifice, persecution, plan, praise, reconciliation, rejoice, rejoice in the birth of christ, rejuvenation of spirit, relief, sacrifice, sacrificial lamb, save much people alive, slavery, spiritual armour, spirituality, steadfast faith, thanskgiving, the cross at Calvary, the Godhead, the Holy Trinity, the shedding of blood, the Spirit of God, to know Jesus is to love Him, trust, uncoditional love, undeserving mankind, ungodly world, what a wonderful God we serve and worship, wisdom, wonderment, worship, you intended evil against me
Genesis 50:20. But as for you, ye thought (intended) evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
Oh mih people, mih people, is Monday! Yes Friends, it’s the Monday before Christmas Day! Only two more days and the world will erupt with joy and thanksgiving, praise and worship, with awe and wonderment at the miracle birth of Christ! Glory Hallelujah!
That means my brethren that today must also be a joyful day. All the days ought to be joyful, but this is one of those yearly occasions where the level of joy and glorification of Almighty God is raised to higher heights!
That’s because the incarnate birth of His Son is one of the greatest gifts that our magnificent and magnanimous God has ever bestowed on undeserving mankind!
We don’t deserve anything of the kind, but such is God’s care, concern and unconditional LOVE for us, that He inaugurated a mind-bending plan, to give us relief, forgiveness from our sins.
Unfortunately it was the only solution possible, taking into account God’s justice system, where sin must be paid for by death, by the shedding of blood. And the only unblemished, sinless soul beside Him was His Son Jesus Christ. But He readily gave Him up as a sacrificial Lamb, whose shed blood would blot out our sins for all time.
Ah mih people, that is what you call real and true LOVE! So please feel LOVED, LOVED by Jehovah God! Because if He didn’t bear that glorious emotion towards us in spades, He would never have offered up Jesus as a sacrifice for us.
So please stop thinking and saying that God doesn’t LOVE you, stop allowing the enemy to play mind games with you on that subject, for it is an enormous fallacy. God LOVES you more than anything else in all of His creation! I don’t know what else He could have done to prove that.
So this Christmas Monday morning let’s raise the roof of heaven with our powerful, harmonious and melodic rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. With everything we’ve got now Friends!
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Yes Friends, that was a most fitting rendition for a Christmas week. Wow! The heavenly hosts were duly impressed and responded with a standing ‘O’ and a loud shout for an encore! (smile) By the way, that included Jesus and the Father too.
So we’ve begun this workweek on a good foot my people, please let’s keep it like that all day and all week. Let the adrenalin build up and the rising level of faith in the Holy Spirit make us amenable to His leading and guiding as we go about doing good today, just like Jesus did in His time.
That brings us to our Bit, another instance where God’s plans seemed very unjust, but through His higher level of knowledge and wisdom were actually meant for exceeding good. Listen to Bruh Joseph as he speaks to his evil brothers, who had sold him into slavery in Egypt.
‘And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought (intended) evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish (provide for) you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.’ (Gen 50:19-21)
Yes Friends, it was the very same intention God had, when, heart-broken, He put His plan for salvation and eternal life into place that first Christmas morning. His eventual goal was to also save much people alive
Only thing though, this was not a physical alive, like Bruh Joseph and his family, but a spiritual alive, to give all people a chance to come to Him in repentance for forgiveness, reconciliation and salvation.
This was to put a new vision in their hearts, whereby the Spirit of God would dwell in a believer’s body and guide and direct him or her into a fulfilling relationship with all members of our Godhead, the Holy Trinity – God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit.
So this Christmas my people, let us truly rejoice in the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Please consider the very hurtful and hurting emotions that the Father went through to come to such a momentous, life and universe changing decision, to send His only Son amongst us, to undergo terrible and uncalled for persecution, then die that horrendous death on the cross at Calvary…but all for our good.
Let’s remember that and then sincerely believe that our God, our Creator, truly LOVES us, otherwise He would have allowed us to languish forever in Hades with Lucifer, as we deserved, instead of providing a way out for us to spend eternity in heaven with Him.
Oh what a wonderful God we serve and worship my brethren! Please believe it, because it is gospel truth, and then act accordingly, with wisdom! Much LOVE!
…all I can say is…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…
03 Nov 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aura of love, basked in god's love and peace, battle the infidel, be gracious to me, be sober, blessed be God, blessings, Bruh David, confidence, deleted expletives, earthly arsenal, enthusiasm, eternal life, exalts, extols, fear God, fellowshipped, friends, further God's glorious kingdom, gave thanks and praise, give us His peace which passes all understanding, God is so wonderful, God will forgive us, godly wisdom, going from bad to worse, gospel truth, have mercy upon me, hear me when I call, hear my prayer, I cried unto him with my mouth, invincible, jehovah god, Jesus Christ, lies, lord god almighty, LOVE, may the Lord bless and keep us, Monday, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, most mighty weapon, most valuable commodity, O God of my righteousness, our flesh is weak, our spirits are willing, peace, peaceful communication, pilgrim's journey, pour out any invective, power of prayer, prayer, prayer power, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, righteousness., so-so, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, the efficacy of prayer, the end of all things is at hand, the Good Book, the great works of God, the most powerful force in the universe, the need for prayer, the result of prayer is life, the voice of my prayer, thou relieved me when I was in distress, till we meet again, ungodly world, watch unto prayer, wiles, wisdom, worshipped, worthwhile inroads, write it indelibly in our hearts
Psalm 4:1. Hear me when I call , O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged (relieved) me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me (be gracious to me), and hear my prayer.
Awright Friends, here’s today’s good news: that day which we all tend to dislike, despise and shout out all sorts of deleted expletives at….well it has rolled around again.
Yes, my people, it’s Monday once again; a big, bright, bold, beautiful, juicy, edible Monday! (smile) So please don’t pour out any invective at it, just nibble quietly on its tantalizing parts, as we do whatever is necessary to get ourselves to go out and labour.
And if we worshipped and fellowshipped and gave thanks and praise to Almighty God yesterday, and wisely basked in His LOVE and peace, then getting ourselves together shouldn’t be too hard to do, because our spirits would already have been prepared to go out and battle the infidel this morning.
But regardless of what action we took yesterday, useful or harmful, let’s ratchet up our desire for Jesus this morning by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with all the oomph and Christ-like enthusiasm we can muster.
So in strong, harmonious and melodic voice, let’s sing. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Steupssss! What was that eh mh people? That was only a so-so rendition. Too many hoarse, out of tune, off key voices! What with all the rehearsals and the reminders to practice on your own, we should be doing much better by now.
But as the old people would say, like we going from bad to worse! And that’s no lie! But it is certainly unacceptable. Even Jesus had to shake His head in concern for our poor performance.
But yuh know what Friends, our God is so wonderful, that He will forgive us, because He knows that we are sincerely trying, that our spirits are willing but our flesh is weak. So please, let’s not get down on ourselves. Instead, let’s cry out to Him in the words of our Bit, like Bruh David did in his time of need and anguish.
‘Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged (relieved) me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me (be gracious to me), and hear my prayer.’
Ah my people, the power of prayer is the most valuable commodity, as well as the mightiest weapon in our earthly arsenal! That’s because it connects us to the most powerful force in the universe; Jehovah God, its Creator and Controller!
Now here’s another instance from the Good Book, where our Poster Boy, Jesus Christ, our supreme example of the need for, and the efficacy and effectiveness of prayer, shrugs off everything else and gets quiet with the Father.
After He heals a leper and His fame is so noised abroad that multitudes begin coming to Him for healing, what does He do? ‘And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.’ (Luke 5:16)
Yes my brethren, even Jesus had to renew His spirit through peaceful communication with His heavenly Father. And that only highlights our desperate need for the same, especially since we’re of such sinful nature.
Now listen to these verses on prayer from Psalm 66, which extols the great works of God. The psalmist wisely cries out in testimony: ‘Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled (praised, exalted) with my tongue.
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.’ (Ps.66:16-20)
Ah Friends, what godly wisdom is ensconced therein! Please let’s show our own wisdom and accept it; write it indelibly in our hearts, souls and minds, so that we can, and will have prayer power always at hand!
And here’s a most appropriate ending from Peter. ‘But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.’ (1 Pet.4:7) That’s gospel truth Friends!
So till we meet again, may the Lord bless and keep us safe on our pilgrim’s journey; may He shine His radiant countenance upon us and give us His peace which passes all mortal understanding, and the wisdom to come to Him in prayer at ALL times, be they good or bad. Much LOVE!
…the result of prayer is life… (St. Francis of Assisi)
P.S. Chuh! I was less than perfect yesterday when I gave the reading for the poem ‘Enormous Rewards’ as being Ephesians 5:20. It should have been 3:20: ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.’
Now that’s a much more appropriate scripture. I never felt right about it yesterday, but figured if that’s what the author said, who was I to question it? Then today I was drawn to the poem and discovered my error. Please accept my humble apology. The ole fella is only human…and getting on in age too, so he’s not as mentally nimble as he once was, or his eyesight as good. (smile) Much LOVE!
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