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
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
01 May 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: are you not much better than they, celebrate the achievements of the Trade Union Movement, clean up our act, fall into our laps, humble ourselves and pray, humble servants, International Worker's Day, Jehovah Rapha, LOVE, May Day, Maypole dancing, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, neither should he eat, sincere repentance, some which walk among you disorderly, standards keep falling, stop pussy footing around, that if any would not work, the fowls of the air, the God who heals, they neither sow nor reap, work ethic, work is for the birds, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them
2 Thessalonians 3:10b. …that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
Can you believe it friends, it’s Monday May 1st. 2023! Wow! April is done like dinner! It didn’t even last long enough to have desert. (smile) And May Day is suddenly upon us. And what’s the significance of May Day? On May 1, each year, millions of workers around the world celebrate International Workers’ Day (May Day) as their Labour Day. For more than a century International Workers’ Day has acknowledged and celebrated the achievements of the trade union movement.
The workers honour and draw inspiration from the activism and collective power that won the struggle for an eight‑hour workday. International Workers’ Day, or May Day, is a message of solidarity by workers worldwide who are resisting exploitation. However, not all countries celebrate their Labour Day on May 1st. Some like Canada and the U. S celebrate it on the first Monday in September. Meanwhile there are also traditional festivals of a joyful nature that grace the fist day of May, like dancing the maypole; a tall pole with several long ribbons attached to the top, with each person holding one of the ribbons and dancing around each other.
Unfortunately though, in Canada, May Day is not a holiday, that means we’ve got to get up and make our way through another plethora (profusion, abundance) of early morning traffic (smile) to our jobs. Chuh! What a bother eh! Work is for the birds yes! And I know many of us believe that. But please note these comparative words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in His teachings on worry. ‘Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather in barns: yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are you not much better than they?’ (Matt; 6:26)
And yes, indeed we are! But I want to point out that although the birds of the air don’t reap or harvest or store, they still have to go about and look for their food. The Lord provides it, but they have to go and get it. He doesn’t breast feed them like so many of us desire. That means we too have to get up and get a move on, and lay hold on whatever the Lord has provided for us. Yes friends, the Lord’s grace, mercy and goodness are out there waiting for us in abundance, but we need to make tracks, expend some energy to get them, for they won’t just fall in our laps like rain from the skies.
And sadly, that’s something many of us modern-day people, even believers, aren’t very interested in doing. We want to live high on the hog, without doing anything to earn that privilege, believing instead that we are entitled to it. But the truth of the matter my brethren is that we are not entitled to a blooming thing! Even salvation, which is free, must be accepted once offered. We have to do something on this earth to pay our way. And Bruh Paul gave some excellent advice on the subject in his second letter to the Thessalonians.
He says: ‘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 busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. But ye brethren, be not weary in well doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish (warn) him as a brother.’ (2 Thess. 3:10-15)
Now that might be a good plan to implement in our time because we have so many lazeros and busybodies, who strongly resist doing an honest day’s work, but are stirring up oodles of strife, especially on social media, where they can do it incognito and not face any repercussions for their wrongdoing. It’s sad too, but the work ethic of our current generation is very poor, if present at all. It’s become a sickness now in the society, where many of us expect to go to work and do very little, but receive full remuneration. And if we’re not lazing on the job, then we call in sick and still expect to get paid.
Now, I’m not saying that the employers themselves are sweethearts, but in the long run, they have the power and can make life difficult for us. And trying to shame those backsliders might not work either, because many of them have no shame whatsoever. (smile) In fact, I believe that the word ‘shame’ and the emotion its expected to convey, have been discarded from our vocabulary and society. So what’s the answer then? Take them out in the square every Monday morning and put a good licking on them for everybody to see!
I know that might never happen, because of all the do-gooders, who don’t realize that our problems stem from our society getting soft because wrongdoers are not being held sufficiently responsible for their anti-social behaviour. And until we wake up and get tough with them, stop mollycoddling them and stop making a setta foolish excuses for them, our society and it’s standards will keep falling until we reach a point where there are no standards, just chaos. End of sermon!
Now let’s go to our Creator, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine help for our earthly problems. As one sincere voice: ‘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. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that 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. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land 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!’
Now, my fellow believers, if we truly want divine help, then we have to clean up our act; start doing the right things, and stop doing the wrong ones. And we all know what they are. So please, let’s stop pussy-footing around nuh, and get serious and do something to improve our world, or soon we will have no world at all! Much LOVE!
…enough is enough…for our grandchildren’s sake…it’s time to start taking back our world from the enemy…
Visit the Scrip-Bit Blog at https://randyobrien50.com
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
01 Nov 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as the world turns, but of power love and a sound mind, even when we were with you, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, Halloween celebrations, how to spend our weekends, humble servants, if ye love me keep my commandments, Jehovah Rapha, living for Christ, make better decisions on, making a mockery of ourselves, mass confusion, minimize their numbers, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, neither should he eat, no-good members of society, renew our spiritual strength, that if any would not work, the God who heals, the prince of darkness, this we commanded you, we are not prepared for Mondays, Ye cannot serve God and mammon
2 Timothy 1:7. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind (that’s common sense and self-control).
And as the world turns…it turns into Monday, the day that constantly riles our spirits because we have to leave the safe cocoon of our homes and go out into the evil and dangerous world to make a living. Some of us are lucky to be still working from home because of the pandemic, but we must still work, if we want to eat, as Bruh Paul suggested to the Thessalonians.
‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.’ (2 Thess. 3:10) And there are a lot of us in the society who don’t want to work but desire to eat, and to eat heartily too. But it’s a given in any society that lazy, no-good members will exist, what we need to do is to minimize their numbers.
Anyway, what we really want to talk about today, is not allowing Monday to rile our spirits as much as it does, since we cannot get away from it. Every seven days, it will come around, whether we like it or not. And after the first blossom of dissatisfaction passes, we usually handle it successfully. So why do we let it get to us at all eh, since we know it’s coming regardless of what we think or desire? As they say, when you expect something, or know that it will surely come, then you’ve already won half the battle, because you can then prepare for it.
And I believe that’s our major problem with Mondays; we are not prepared for it. We party and carry on so much during the weekend that instead of being rested on Monday morning, we’re still tired and exhausted from our weekend activities, therefore we become disgruntled and unsavoury when the alarms go off on a Monday. That means we must make better decisions on how we spend our weekends, possibly spending Sundays in rest after going to church, so that we can be bright and cheerful on Mondays to get out into the world and live for Jesus.
Remember, one of the reasons we go to church on Sunday is to renew our spiritual strength and stamina so we can handle the new week with kid gloves, not let it rattle us right at the start. And I believe that the following scripture is one that we should learn and inwardly digest, because it is a very powerful tool in the arsenal of Christ’s followers. And it’s one that we all know and often quote, but don’t sufficiently put into action, because we either don’t really believe it, or haven’t digested it enough for it to make a serious difference in our Christian lives.
We are talking about these magnificent words that Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy in his second letter. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind (that’s common sense and self-control).’ (2 Tim. 1:7) Yes friends, we ought to use that spirit of a sound mind, common sense and self-control to adjust our lives so that fear, disgruntlement or irritableness don’t come into the equation whenever a Monday morning rolls around.
We have to be prepared for it, else it will always cause us problems, and that means possibly not too much partying on a Sunday evening, (smile) although that’s when a lot of the parties happen, like it did yesterday with the Halloween celebrations. I’m sure today, the work scene will be muddled, dreary and sick-filled because of yesterday’s ghoulish celebrations, and much money will be lost since a lot of work will not get done, or get done properly. But that’s how the society rolls along.
However, we believers need to remember that we are supposed to be in the world, but not of the world. Thus, we don’t have to do everything that the world or the unbelievers do. We’re living for Christ, not for the prince of darkness who controls this evil, God-forsaken world. And as Jesus said to the disciples, and consequently to us: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) That says it all friends. If you want to live for Jesus, then you need to do what He says, else you’re not His follower.
And I know that some of us like to sit on the fence and try to live both in the world and of the world, but as Jesus warned: ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other, or else he will hold to (be loyal) to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (earthly riches).’ (Matt. 6:24) And that’s the gospel truth my fellow saints in Christ! We cannot claim to LOVE and be living for Jesus, but simultaneously running down the riches of the world, clandestinely selling our soul to Beelzebub for things that rot, can be moth eaten and stolen. But unfortunately it’s happening, right in Christ’s church, more than we suspect or know.
Anyhow, Jesus knows who is truly for Him, and who is just playing games, trying to play both ends against the middle, and will set things straight when He comes into His kingdom and begins to separate the sheep from the goats (Matt. 25:31-33) And believe me, many of us will be mightily surprised when we find ourselves herded to the left with the goats, to whom he says: ‘Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.’ (Matt. 25:41)
The only way to stave off that terrible happening is by going to the Lord in prayer, right now, in sincere repentance, truly seeking forgiveness and asking for help to change our ungodly ways. So as one voice, let’s raise our Monday Morning Battle Hymn in heartfelt prayer. ‘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. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that 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. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land 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 again, let’s remember that the Lord will only answer our prayers if we keep the promises we’ve just made, and He’ll search our hearts to see if our motives are right. So it’s all up to us now. Much LOVE!
…God has given us all we need to live righteously…why don’t we use the gifts wisely eh…instead of making a mockery of ourselves…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
12 Oct 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a couple pounds heavier, a little folding of the hands to sleep, a truth based society, and share His love with the world, as one that travelleth (a prowler), busybodies, consider her ways and be wise, deliver thyself as a roe, depend on the Good Book, dire poverty, distractions on social media, fill the world with Jesus, from the hand of the fowler, from the hand of the hunter, gathereth her food in the harvest, gave much thanks for our many blessings, give not sleep to thine eyes, go to the ant thou sluggard, having no guide leader overseer, how long wilt thou sleep O sluggard, I am the beloved of god, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, idle hands are the Devil's workshop, idleness, if any would not work, in god's eyes, keep up the attitude of thanksgiving, LOVE, lowering the temptation to celebrate, neither should he eat, no one can take that from me, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, provideth her meat in the summer, rear their ugly heads, sleep is one of the enemy's traps, slothfulness, slumber to thine eyelids, so shall thy poverty come, some which walk among you disorderly, Thanksgiving Day, the food was over the top, the habitually lazy person, the skies were blue, the sun shone brightly, thy want (need) as an armed man, to fill the world with love, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, yet a little sleep
Proverbs 6:6. Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
Well, it was indeed a beautiful Thanksgiving Day! The sun shone brightly for a change, and the skies were blue (smile) with temps in the mid to low twenties! Wow! We haven’t seen that type of day in my area for a while now. And I do hope that all of us gave much thanks for the many blessings we have in this blessed land. I know the celebrations were plentiful, what with the recent opening up of the lockdown conditions, and though my own celebration was fairly quiet, the food was over the top and unfortunately, I partook of it with a zest that I’ve not seen or experienced in recent times. (smile)
And since West Indian food, though nourishing and strengthening is also fattening, consequently I am a couple pounds heavier this morning. But what to do eh? When you celebrate and give thanks these things will happen. (smile) The problem now is to keep up the attitude of thanksgiving while lowering the temptation to the celebration aspect. Remember, we can never give too much thanks, but we can always overdo the celebration part, which can get us in serious trouble when laziness, idleness, slothfulness and their fellow companions rear their ugly heads.
Sadly though, a lot of that is now floating around in our current turbulent and unhinged society. That’s why right now is a good time to consider the marvellous advice of Cousin Sol from his writings in Proverbs, where he warns against laziness and falsehood. Please listen up closely to this wise and godly advice. ‘Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. Deliver thyself as a roe (gazelle) from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler (the bird trapper).’ (Prov. 6:4-5)
Yes friends, we must not let the seeming beauty of sleep to capture us unawares, like a hunter captures a deer, or a fowler traps a bird in his snare. Sleep is necessary to reset our tired bodies and souls, but overdone, it can lead to very disastrous situations. And yuh better believe that sleep is one of the best traps the enemy uses to ensnare us and get us away from doing the Lord’s work. That’s why Cousin Sol in his advice directs us thus: ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:’ (Prov. 6:6)
And you ask, what’s he talking about eh? How can you learn wisdom from the ways of the ant? Well then, he explains it by saying that the ant: ‘Which having no guide (leader), overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat (food) in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.’ (Prov. 6:7-8) Now isn’t that a wonderful example of self-reliance and wisdom? It surely is! Then Cousin Sol goes on to ask these most pertinent questions. ‘How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?’ (Prov. 6:9)
Oh my people, those are questions that each of must seriously consider, especially in these dangerous and crazy times of sickness and dissatisfaction. And why is that you ask again? Cousin Sol also provides the answer to that question. ‘Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth (a prowler), and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov. 6:10-11) Yes mih bredrin, that’s how laziness, idleness and slothfulness bring us to our knees without our realizing it. Working too hard is not good, but not working hard enough is even worse.
Now here are some explanations on the subject from the scholars. ‘6:6-11. The sluggard is the habitually lazy person. He is admonished to learn two important lessons from the ant: (1) the ant has no guide, overseer, or ruler (vs.7), meaning that the ant does not have to have a taskmaster standing over it to make it work; it is a self-starter. (2) The ant is wise enough to prepare for predictable circumstances (vs.8). Two questions about sleep are posed to the sluggard (vs.9). His answer is given in verse 10: “Just a little more sleep!” The result of such laziness is dire poverty, which will come as suddenly and as decisively as a robber (vs.11).’
And yuh better believe that our society currently seems overwhelmed with laziness, or always seeking the easy way out, or just looking at today and not tomorrow. But we must also prepare for the future, for the hereafter. And yes, not many of us want to work, but it’s wise if we do… and don’t consume everything all at once either, put aside something for the rainy day too. At least in earlier generations some of us had no choice whatsoever but to work, if we wanted to eat and a place to sleep.
That brings to mind Bruh Paul’s directive to the Thessalonians: ‘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 busybodies.’ (2 Thess. 3:10-11) And there are many like that in our current society! Meanwhile, the scholars explain: ‘3:10-12. Paul expounds his simple and straightforward ethic. If a person will not work, he should not eat! The Thessalonians’ diversion encouraged their meddlesome ways, demonstrating that ‘idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.’
And is that ever the truth! We get into trouble most often when we are not doing anything, or anything productive. And that is exactly what’s happening right now in our society. Too many people have nothing constructive to do, so they are engaging in a whole lot of negative and evil devices and schemes. And with so much government and charitable help around, it would be hard to implement a scheme of no work, no bread. On top of that, there just are not enough jobs so that everyone can be gainfully employed.
So what do we do eh? The best we can. That’s working ourselves, showing forth the benefits of living for Jesus, and encouraging others to do something constructive, whatever it might be. Something that would benefit them and the society. Time to stop paying so much attention to the foolishness, lies and distractions on social media, and return to a fact and truth based society. That means depending on the Good Book, the Lord’s Word! It’s not an easy task, but if we work in concert with Jesus, we can certainly do it, because He gives us strength to do any and everything He needs us to do! Glory be!
Now for those of us who are willing and able to work for our Saviour, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, loudly and proudly proclaiming to the whole world, who and whose we are; in other words, to whom we belong! As one strong 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 the world. Amen!’
And having said that, let’s go out now and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him! Much LOVE!
…to fill the world with peace and LOVE…we must fill the world with Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
26 Jul 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: able bodied people, attitude of shame, awesome grace and mercy, be ye not weary in well doing, but are busybodies, count his not as an enemy, depraved, heal our land, hear our prayer, humble ourselves and pray, humble servants, if any would not work, immoral, Jehovah Rapha, lax and godless times, living off their host, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, more checks and balances, neither should he eat, no shame in a society, parasites, praise Your Holy Name, shame the brother into obedience, some which walk among you disorderly, taking advantage of the welfare system, the God who heals, they work and eat their own bread, turn from our evil ways, weekly nemesis -Monday, when we were with you, with quietness, work ethic, 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.
Yes people, once again it’s our weekly nemesis – Monday! Time for the partying to end and serious money-making work to restart. Oh, I know that Monday is a pain in the royal butt, but that’s the way our society is structured. If you don’t work, how are you going to live eh?
And Bruh Paul’s instructions to the Thessalonians is an appropriate scripture for us to contemplate this Monday morning in the height of this pandemic summer 2021. He says: ‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.’ (2 Thess. 3:10)
Now that sounds like a rather profound and harsh judgement. But there was good reason for Bruh Paul’s statement. And he lists his reasons in the next verse. ‘For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.’ (2 Thess. 3:11)
And do we ever have a lot of those in our current society. And were we ever to do as Bruh Paul commanded, what a hue and cry there’d be in the land. But a lot of able-bodied people are taking advantage of the welfare system, often living better than those who are working.
And yes, the pandemic has brought about a scarcity of jobs, but I’m talking about those families who for generations have lived off welfare. They are like parasites, simply living off their host and not contributing anything to its betterment. But as they say, that’s life! The truth is that whatever helping programme we institute; somebody will always find a way to use it to their advantage.
So does that mean we should not provide for the genuinely sick and disabled? Absolutely not! Perhaps we need to police the system…sorry, police is the wrong word, considering all the anti-police sentiment that’s currently in vogue. Perhaps we need to have more checks and balances in the system, so that not as many unqualified people can take advantage of it.
And Bruh Paul’s solution to the overall problem was: ‘Now them that are such (lazy busybodies) (smile) we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work and eat their own bread.’ (2 Thess. 3:12) Now that’s much easier said than done.
And the scholars explain: ‘3:10-12. Paul expounds his simple and straightforward work ethic. If a person will not work, he should not eat! The Thessalonians diversion encouraged their meddlesome ways, demonstrating that “idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.” Now isn’t that the awesome truth!
Nonetheless, Bruh Paul presses on. ‘But ye brethren be not weary in well doing.’ (2 Thess. 3:13) Yes friends, under all circumstances though, the church and its constituents should continue to do good. ‘And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish (warn) him as a brother.’ (2 Thess. 3:14-15)
And the scholars tell us. ‘3:14-15. This instruction falls short of excommunication (kicking out of the church). Paul intends his readers to shame the brother, who is not an enemy, into obedience.’ Now that might have worked well back then, but I doubt it would have much efficacy today, where shame is not such a big part of life. In fact, the word, or attitude of shame, is almost non-existent today. The number of shameful things we do in these lax and godless times without feeling ashamed is extraordinary.
But friends, be sure of this one thing, eventually all our chickens will come home to roost, and when they do, the consequences will be enormous. So please, let’s err on the side of caution nuh. Let’s work as sincerely, diligently and efficiently as we can, and keep on doing good, because that’s what Jesus desires of us.
Now, there’s no doubting that our society, our world, is in utter turmoil, and it is beyond our capabilities to fix it. So, in sincere prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, let’s go to the One who can remedy the situation, and ask for help. Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that 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. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land 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 don’t forget that God’s answer hinges on our sincerity to turn from our evil ways. Much LOVE!
…when there’s little or no shame in a society…it becomes immoral and depraved…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
21 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a biblical look, aura of love, busybodies, energy, enthusaiam, Ephesians, faithful brethren, further your glorious kingdom, get busy, give to the needy, idle hands, if any would not work, invincible, jobs, keeping families together, labouring, lies, LOVE, meddlesome ways, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, neither should he eat, renewed vitality, serve a useful purpose, shoddy jobs, steadfast faith, support the wek, taunts, tent making, the devil's workshop, the Thessalonians, the work ethic, this we commanded you, to be an example, up to scratch, when we were with you, wiles, with God's help, with Jesus' work, with quietness, work for the kingdom, work never kill anybody, working with his hands
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.
Okay friends, up and out! It’s time to get busy with Jesus’ work this Monday morning. You know there is no time for lollygagging, dawdling and wasting time, when there’s important and urgent work to be done for the kingdom. Yeh, I know some of us wish there was no work at all, (smile) but how would we live if nobody, or only a few people worked eh? And as Christians, believers in Christ Jesus, we are expected to work, work with our hands, heads, bodies and hearts. So even if we’re not up to scratch this morning, let’s put forth the effort nuh.
Remember, it’s all for Jesus. And we’re here to help you by declaring with you, our antidote for whatever ails you, this Monday morning. We call it our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. So altogether now, with true sincerity and whatever enthusiasm you can all up.
‘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 people, I know It’s working already! God is answering our prayer through the power of His Holy Spirit and a new sense of enthusiasm and energy are filling our bodies and souls, making us want to go out and do Jesus’ work. Glory Hallelujah my faithful brethren!
And today we’re going to take a biblical look at what we term the work ethic. Now that term is fading fast away from our society, if it hasn’t already faded away completely. Unfortunately, work is not something we take pride in any longer, for even the supposed professionals nowadays do shoddy jobs and try to get away with it. And many of our young people don’t even want to work, but they do want to live high on the hog. If we’re not careful, we might just have to do like Bruh Paul advised the Thessalonians. When he lived amongst them, he laboured, worked hard at his own tent making job because he didn’t want to be a burden to anyone. Hn! These days, very few of us think like that.
‘Not because we have not power (authority), but to make ourselves an 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. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. 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.3:9-12)
That’s not difficult to understand is it? As the scholars explain: 3:10-12. Paul expounds his simple and straightforward work ethic; If a person will not work, he should not eat! The Thessalonians’ diversion encouraged their meddlesome ways, demonstrating that “idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.”
And that’s a sure fact! And a lot of people wouldn’t be eating if we ever brought in that system of ‘no work, no eat.’ It certainly seems that the work ethic was an important aspect of Bruh Paul’s ministering, because he also mentioned it to the Ephesian elders when he was about to leave them, as well as in his epistle to them later on.
Listen to him on the first occasion. ‘I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered unto (provided for) my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have showed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.’ (Acts 20:33-36)
Now the scholars offer an interesting statement on that verse. ‘20:35. Here alone is a quotation from Christ that is not recorded in the Gospels.’ I can’t make any definitive comment on that, but I always thought, He had said it somewhere in the Gospels. Anyway, as they say, the more you live, the more you learn. (smile)
Now let’s end with Bruh Paul’s warning, re the work ethic, in the epistle to the Ephesians. In expounding on the new life in Christ, he warns: ‘Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.’ (Eph.4:28)
And please note that Bruh Paul’s main reason for that, seems to be more that the ole thief (smile) could have sufficient to give to the needy, more than have for his own purposes. Does that resonate with any of us? Hope it does. Now let’s spend some of our day contemplating the state of the work ethic in our society, and with God’s help, how we can improve it. Much LOVE!
…sincere work…never kill anybody yet… (smile)
03 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a light in our eyes, a spiritual body, a spring in our step, admonishment, an enjoyable weekend, another one bites the dust, aura of love, be a burden, be your best, cancer, carefree, communicate to, condolences, confidence, conforms to God's Word, departed this world, do your best, eat any man's bread, enthusiasm, eternal life, faith, for nought, free of charge, friends, from every brother, getting motivated, glory hallelujah, going hungry, grace, holy spirit, humble servants, if any would not work, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, keep ploughing through, lies, look your best, LOVE, make good memories, make ourselves an example, Monday blues, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, mourn, neither should he eat, night and day, our heavenly Father, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, scourge of mankind, spiritual armour, that walks disorderly, the rough minefield that's life, this we commanded you, toiled, true believers, trust, truth, ungodly world, university chums, warm the cockles of Jesus' heart, when we were with you, wisdom, withdraw yourselves, wrought with labour, young
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.
‘Another one’s down! Another one’s gone! Yes, another one bites the dust!’ Ah friends, one more of my university chums has departed this world for the next. And are they ever departing at a fairly speedy rate. Chuh! I don’t even want to count how many have departed in the last three or four years because it will get too depressing.
But suffice it to say that Dr. Michael Dash Ph.D. language professor extraordinaire; (smile) has now given up his earthly body for just a spiritual one. I am not cognizant of all the facts, but I believe he was laid low by the current deadly scourge of mankind, cancer. Apparently the cancer had ravaged his body so much, that he ended up in a coma and never regained consciousness.
Ah Michael mih brother, I haven’t seen you in many a year, but we certainly had some good times way back then on the University of the West Indies Campus in Mona, Jamaica, when we were young and carefree. So regardless of what has happened in between, those memories can never be erased. And that’s why we make memories; to remind us of what life was like in earlier times. The only problem is that we must endeavour to make good memories, because who wants to remember bad memories eh?
Anyway, rest in peace Michael, and my sincere condolences go out to your family as they mourn and grieve your passing. The big problem with death though friends, is that the ones left behind have to go on, have to keep ploughing through the rough minefield that’s life as though nothing has happened. That means most of us still have to go out and labour on this Monday morning, which we’d still rather not do. (smile)
That brings us to some very interesting and important words of advice, as well as of admonishment from Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians re general behaviour. ‘Now we command you brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly and not after the tradition which he received of us. 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 (be a burden) to any of you. Not because we have not power (authority), but to make ourselves an 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: 6-10)
Now that’s a very strong and serious admonition! Something that still holds true today. We ought to disassociate ourselves from those who refuse to walk a style of life that conforms to God’s Word. And we all ought to work as best we can to make a living. And it’s not like Bruh Paul had to work – he was a tent maker – but he wanted to set a good example for the Thessalonians. Likewise, we ought to think seriously about setting good examples for those around us.
And what a bam- bam it would be eh, if we ever introduced that rule about if you don’t work you don’t eat! (smile) Even more people would go hungry than are already going hungry for one reason or another. But since we’re true believers in Christ, that’s not in our souls and spirits at all! (smile) Some of us just have a few problems getting motivated to go out each and every Monday morning after an enjoyable weekend.
But not to worry, we have the right antidote for all those Monday blues, something called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn; sincere words of prayer, that we communicate to our heavenly Father, asking for His awesome help to get us moving. So let’s do that together now nuh, since when we agree in prayer, it makes our prayer more powerful.
As one 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!’
And our God is so wonderful my brethren, that before the words could even quite reach up to heaven, the Father had already instructed the angels to grant our wishes! Wow! That’s why now we all feel so refreshed and energized, with a spring in our step, a new light in our eyes and a desire to get out into the evil world and just work diligently and excellently for Jesus!
So let’s go now and do just that nuh, so we can bring a smile to Jesus’ face and warm the cockles of His warm and oh so LOVING heart! Much LOVE!
…if you truly LOVE Jesus…and want to sincerely follow Him…then you need to…look your best…do your best…and be your best… (Uncle Charles –Charles Stanley)
26 Oct 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenalin pumping, almighty god, anxious, aura of love, Bruh Paul, choir director, confidence, conquerors, controversies, Creator of the universe, cry out to God, economic downturn, enthusiasm, eternal life, even the youths shall faint and be weary, faith, fearful, fellowship, forgiveness, friends, glory hallelujah, good hands like All State, gospel truth, grace, hast thou not heard, He gives power to the faint, holy spirit, humble servants, I will exalt him, if any would not work, inconsistencies, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, lies, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my father's God, neither should he eat, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, put our trust in Jesus, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, salvation, serve a useful purpose, shall mount up with wings like eagles, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, the day of sorrows, the good news of the gospel, the long and short of the story, the Lord fainteth not, the Lord is my strength and song, the Thessalonians, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint, they that wait upon he Lord, to the foot of Christ's cross, to them that no might he increaseth strength, trust, truth, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom, wonder of wonders
Isaiah 40:29. He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
Well, well, well… if it isn’t Monday, the day of sorrows for so many people! Yes Friends, a lot of the workforce rather dislike Monday mornings because they have to get up and go to work and they are not properly prepared for it. On the other hand, some are glad to see Monday, either because they are prepared for it, or they just want to get away from home for whatever reason. (smile)
The long and the short of the story though is that we need to work so that we can live as best we can amidst the worldwide economic downturn that is now in progress. And as Bruh Paul told the Thessalonians, ‘if any would not work, neither should he eat.’ (2 Thess.3:4)
And that’s by no means an unreasonable command. But man being what he is, there will always be inconsistencies and controversies in our daily lives. So to help us over the hump, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with plenty of hungry hope and expectant faith, paying close attention to our choir director, Jesus as He leads us in song. (smile)
As one harmonious whole 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!’
Now that wasn’t a bad rendition at all my brethren, but nowhere as good as the one last week, when we had the Father up and dancing and singing with us. I guess we can’t be that good every week. But at least hopefully our adrenalin is now running and we are getting in the groove to go out and do good, serve Jesus faithfully in a wicked and ungodly world.
And even though we might not be up to scratch, there is no need to be fearful or anxious because as our Bit so faithfully promises: ‘He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.’
And that’s the gospel truth Friends! I can personally testify to that, because there are many days when my aches and pains get the better of me, both physically and emotionally and I have to cry out to the Lord for the strength and wherewithal to continue.
And wonder of wonders, His awesome and never ending supply of grace soon lifts me up and enables me to carry on. Oh glory to God my brethren! So please don’t despair if you’re under the weather and things are difficult. Just cry out to God in sincere faith and He will strengthen you.
Now listen to the wonderful scripture that precedes our Bit. ‘Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.’( Is.40:28)
More indisputable truth my people! Our God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, which means He is always on the go, never tired or weak, seeing everything and being everywhere! That’s the magnificent God we serve and worship! So I don’t see why so many of us refuse to put our entire trust in Him, to surrender our lives to His amazing action plans.
And if you weren’t impressed or overwhelmed by what went before our Bit, (smile) then listen to what comes after it. ‘Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is.40:30-31)
Mama Mia! What an awesome promise! And it’s not an empty one either, because many of us believers can testify to it. So Friends, what shall it be this autumn Monday morn eh? Shall we put our trust in Jesus and cry out to Him for help to get ourselves together and to get going, so that we can spread the good news of His gospel by our words and actions, and thus bring the unbeliever to the foot of His cross for forgiveness, salvation and eternal life?
Now that would be an unbelievably wise decision; possibly the best one we’ve ever made! Yeh mih people, both wisdom and common sense dictate that we look to Almighty God for succour.
Hear how Moses puts it in his song. ‘The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation (praise Him); my father’s God, and I will exalt him.’ (Ex.15:2)
Oh glory Hallelujah! Now if Moses says that the Lord was his strength etc. etc. who are we to doubt him eh, especially in light of all the marvellous things he did? So today, please let’s stand strong, faithful and true in Jesus, for that’s wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…if you think man-made All State has such great hands…hn…can you then imagine the hands of our Creator…the most magnificent of course…
SCRIP-BITS 