13 Jul 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a day in thy courts is better than a thousand, a reversal of fortune, acknowledgement of God's faithfulness, another new work week, be a doorkeeper, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee, bombarded by the enemy's evil schemes, came upon me to devour my flesh, Christ is our be all and end all, doing our best, exalt him, faith, fill us with steadfast faith, God our shield, God shall wipe away all tears, goes round and round, he hath triumphed gloriously, he is become my salvation, he is my God, hide me in his pavilion, holy spirit, humble servants, I will sing unto the Lord, in the house of my God, in the secret of his tabernacle, in the time of trouble, in this will I be confident, incredible aura of LOVE, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus is our sin bearer, jobs that serve a useful purpose, keeping lives and families together, laugh at those going to work, locked out of the new Jerusalem, look upon the face of thine anointed one, LOVE, make every day count, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, mercy, Messiah, mine enemies and my foes, my father's God, my heart shall not fear, names written in the Lamb's Book of Life, neither for brightness shall the moon give light, neither sorrow nor crying, no good thing will he withhold, no more death, no more pain, no need of the sun or moon, no night there, of whom shall I be afraid, praise God, prepare him an habitation, put our brave words into action, Redeemer, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality and enthusiasm, retirement, sally forth with confidence, salvation, set me upon a rock, sure conquerors, surrender our all to you, the BIBLE, the days of thy mourning shall be ended, the fires of hell, the gates shall not be shut at all by day, the glory of God illuminated it, the grim reaper, the horse and his rider, the Lamb is the light thereof, the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it, The Lord God is a sun and shield, the Lord is my light and my salvation, the Lord is my strength and song, the Lord is the strength of my life, the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, the Lord will give grace and glory, the merry-go-round, the new heaven and the new earth, the song of Moses, the sons of Korah, the stage of our working life, the sun shall be no more thy light by day, the throne of grace, the wicked, them that walk uprightly, they stumbled and fell, though an host should encamp against me, though war should rise against me, thrown into the sea, to dwell in the tents of wickedness, to lead and guide all your servants, truth, walk in the light of it, wearing your powerful protective spiritual armour, whom shall I fear, wisdom, wisdom says be wise
Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 July 2026 Psalm 27:1.
Psalm 27:1. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Another day, another Monday, another new work week! And the merry-go-round keeps going around and around, but just where does it stop? Who knows? Because that’s the way our society is set up. True relief might only be found when the Grim Reaper comes a calling. Or if you are lucky or blessed you might have a short time in what we call retirement, where you can lay in your bed on a Monday morning and just laugh at all those going out to labour.
Unfortunately though, many of us don’t get to enjoy such a reversal of fortune, and therefore we have to make every day count by doing our best while we’re out there on the stage of our working life. But enough of my amateur philosophizing, (smile) let’s see what the Lord wants us to talk about this Monday morning in mid-July. And the Good Library opened today at that marvellous, encouraging Psalm 27 – My Heart Shall Not Fear – so I assume that’s what the Lord wants us to consider today.
So, please read with me these beautiful and reassuring sentiments of Bruh David. ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up (devour) my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident… For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me upon a rock.’ (Ps. 27:1-3; 5)
Yes friends, that’s the kind of God we serve and the way our faith ought to reassure us of God’s faithfulness, and strength. It’s like the song Moses sang unto the Lord about His defeat of Pharaoh’s army. ‘I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation (praise him); my father’s God, and I will exalt him.’ (Ex. 15:1-2) And Moses had cause to praise and exalt God, just like we do, for His sending Jesus to be our sin bearer, redeemer, Messiah; in fact, our Be All and End All!
Then the Sons of Korah also exalt God and praise His holy name in Psalm 84 – Rejoicing in God’s Tabernacle. ‘Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed (commissioned) one. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper (stand in the threshold) in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (Ps. 84:9-12)
Meanwhile, Isaiah reassured his people thus: ‘The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.’ (Is. 60:19-20)
Oh my faithful brethren, the Lord is indeed our light and our salvation, and He keeps that promise in the Book of Revelation, where John says of the new heaven and new earth: ‘And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten (illuminate it), and the Lamb is the light thereof.
And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And there shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh (causes) abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.’ (Rev. 21:22-27)
Ah mih bredrin, yuh see how important it is to have our names written in the Lamb’s book of life! For if your name’s not written therein, then you won’t be entering the new heaven and the new earth, you will be locked out of the new Jerusalem and will be spending time with Beelzebub and all his evil cronies in the fires of hell. And we all know that’s not a nice place to spend any time at all.
What we truly need to be enjoying then, is this wonderful situation that John describes in that New Jerusalem: ‘And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away’ (Rev. 21: 4) And I can only jump for joy and shout, ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ longing to see that day when there will be no more pain. (smile)
Now, with all that reassurance and encouragement under our belts, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help us stand strong for Jesus, with our names indelibly recorded in the Lamb’s book of life. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; 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 weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes. 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 allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to 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, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, let’s get out there and put those brave words into action! Much LOVE!
…Wisdom says…be wise…and live to see the New Jerusalem…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a day in thy courts is better than a thousand, a razor blade in a chocolate, as good as it gets, at thy right hand, be a doorkeeper, Bible, blessed is the man that trusts in God, christianity, cleanse your hands ye sinners, darkness and light are both alike to God, Dr. Robert H Schuller, dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, enjoy being in god's presence, even night shall be light about me, even there shall thy hand lead me, flee from thy presnece, from them that walk uprightly, go from thy spirit, God's awesome presence, Halloween, he shall lift you up, holy spirit, Hour of Power Sermon, humble yourselves in the sight of God, I will never leave nor forsake you, if I take the wings of the morning, in the house of my God, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, joy, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let your conduct be without covetousness, lo I am with you always, Lord I praise you, LOVE, negative incidents, negative repercussions, no good thing will he withhold, pagan celebration, pleasures for evermore, purify your hearts ye doubleminded, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, slow my thoughts, submit yourselves to God, that I may know you all the more, the darkness hideth not from thee, the darkness shall cover me, The Lord God is a sun and shield, the Lord will give grace and glory, the night shineth as the day, the wings of the morning, thy right hand shall hold me, to dwell in the tents of wickedness, whither shall I flee from thy presence, whither shall I go from thy spirit, wisdom, you can't be contained, your peace and love are present, your unceasing nearness
Psalm 16:11b. in thy presence is fullness of joy;
So we’ve finally come to our lazy-day Saturday, where we can loll around as much as we want with no activities to accomplish within a certain time period. And isn’t that a good feeling? It certainly is. But before we get started, I want to point out a couple of incidents that happened in the recent Halloween celebrations. First of all, two people were killed and six injured in a celebration in Orlando, Florida, while a razor blade was found in a chocolate bar in Cochrane, Ontario.
And I’m sure those are not all the negative incidents that occurred because of the foolish celebration, but just those that reached the news media. What’s it going to take for us to cut out the pagan nonsense eh? What kind of evil society are we living in, if we can consciously put a razor blade in a chocolate bar that a child is going to eat. And I guess it won’t be banished until someone from the family of a high government official or one of the money men that profit from it suffers some negative repercussions from the unwise celebration.
And now that I’ve had my say, (smile) let’s move on to the more pleasant aspects of the day, like offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. As one sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And that’s a perfect prayer for a lazy-day Saturday, where we have the time to foment greater intimacy with our wonderful God. To simply bask in His awesome presence and listen to whatever He has to share with us. It’s a time to just run amok, as it were, in the awesome glory and presence of Almighty God! (smile) Yes friends, being in God’s presence is as good as it gets! And we ought to enjoy it while we have the opportunity.
And I don’t mean we should use it as a time to complain and ask for stuff, but simply to enjoy being in God’s presence, like when you’re with a friend, whose company you enjoy, and you can just sit quietly and be happy, or do simple, joyful things together. The important aspect of it being the togetherness. That’s how we ought to spend this lazy time with our God…just being together with Him, and enjoying the joy that His presence brings.
And there are numerous scriptures that talk about being in the Lord‘s presence and how good and joyful it can be. Like this verse from Psalm 16 – God Preserves His People. Bruh David ends it thus: ‘Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’ (Ps. 16:11)
Meanwhile the Sons of Korah put it like this in Psalm 84 – Rejoicing in God’s Tabernacle: ‘For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (Ps. 84:10-12)
Then there’s Psalm 139, one of the grandest psalms in the psalter, where Bruh David recounts the omnipresence of our magnificent God. Now listen to these verses that speak of that presence. ‘Whither shall (can) I go from thy spirit? or whither shall (can) I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell. Behold thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. yea, the darkness hideth not from thee (is not dark to thee); but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.’ (Ps. 139:7-12)
Wow! Our God is everywhere; be it day or night, be it in heaven or in hell; in the sea or on the earth! We simply cannot hide from His presence, although many of us still foolishly try to do it. And every time I read those verses or hear them read, I always remember the first time I heard them being acted out many years ago by Dr. Robert H Schuller in an ‘Hour of Power Sermon’ in the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. His actions and the words have stuck with me down through the years.
And we have this faithful promise from God found in Hebrews: ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake tee.’ (Heb. 13:5) Then James exhorts us: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded… Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-8, 10)
Yes my fellow believers, God’s greatest desire is for His human creation to draw near to Him, not be far away, but the truth is that in these trying times we need to avidly seek His presence, not wait for Him to come to us. Anyway, He’s already done that through the earthly work of Jesus; now it’s our turn to sincerely seek Him. And we’ll close with this marvellous promise from Jesus: ‘…and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20b)
Now we couldn’t want for a more faithful promise than that, especially since it’s been kept by the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, to remind us of all that Jesus is, and to guide us to where He desires us to go. So let’s spend some time today and just consider the awesome presence of God in our lives nuh. We can never go wrong doing that! Much LOVE!
…in God’s presence…there’s always joy…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 Feb 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a flame of sincere gratitude, ask and it shall be given to you, delivered him up for us all, enjoy the abundant life, everyone that asketh receiveth, faith, freely give us all things, God [promises to answer all genuine prayer, He spred not his own son, he that seeketh findeth, I may know you all the more, increase my awareness of you, Jesus Christ, knock and it shall be opened, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, Love thy neighbour as thyself, no excuse for failure, no good thing will he withhold, quiet my soul, seek and ye shall find, slow my thoughts, the heart of the matter is always the matter of the heart, the Lord is a sun and shield, the Lord will give grace and glory, the sacrificial love of God, them that walk uprightly, thou shalt love the Lord thy God, to him that knocketh, truth, with all thy heart soul and mind, your love both surrounds and fills me
Romans 8:32. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Another blessed day of glorious sunshine in my area, friends! Glory be! I got up earlier than usual on this lazy-day Saturday, because sleep was eluding me, and when I opened the window blinds, I was greeted by a burst of sunshine that prevented me from seeing outside. What a glorious moment! And though it’s not going to be as warm as yesterday, it’s still going to be better than a normal February day. And are we ever grateful for that…although we might have to pay for it later on with a big snowfall. But we’ll take small mercies now and worry about the consequences later. (smile)
So, to be grateful and give thanks, let’s turn to our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer and offer it up with sincerity and truth. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And as usual, when we ask our good God for something with sincerity of heart, if it’s His will, we get it. And how could wanting to be in His presence and knowing Him more, that’s being more intimate with Him, not be in His will eh? That’s why I know, all of us who sincerely prayed that prayer were warmed by the deepening presence of God moving in our souls and spirits. That reminds us of this most valuable scripture from the mouth of Jesus. ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8)
And the scholars offer this explanation on those verses. ‘The three imperatives ask, seek, and knock are in the present tense of the original language, suggesting both perseverance and frequent prayer. Fervent and continued prayer is to be made on behalf of those for whom we are concerned. God promises to answer all genuine prayer (vs.8). Everything we need for spiritual success has been promised to us. God leaves us no excuse for failure.’
Yuh hear that mih people! We have no excuse for failing to do God’s will, because He’s given us everything we need to succeed, and has promised to do whatever we need. That means it now depends strictly on us. We must now pray fervently, listen for His answers, seek His will, and ask, seek and knock for whatever we need to fulfill His divine desires. Remember, our God doesn’t make idle promises. And, as the Sons of Korah so kindly inform us in Psalm 84: ‘For the Lord is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.’ (Ps. 84:11)
Oh friends, if we want to walk successfully on this earth and end up in heaven with Christ, then we need to believe that in spades, and write it indelibly in our hearts. For as Bruh Paul concurs when he wrote to the Roman church: ‘He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?’ (Rom. 8:32) And this commentary succinctly explains why God would give up His only Son for a bunch of ungrateful sinners and keep looking after them so wonderfully. It says: ‘The main point of the verse is to emphasize the sacrificial LOVE of God for the World. This LOVE is so powerful that He offered up His one and only Son, the most precious and beloved Person to Him, for the sake of the World.’
Now doesn’t that make you feel honoured and LOVED? It ought to, since it means that Almighty God, our Creator, who gave up His beloved Son to save our sinful souls, highly values us. And that should raise up a flame of sincere gratitude within our beings, that makes us want to LOVE Him back with all our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, and sincerely and efficiently do His holy will. For yuh know friends, the most important thing the Lord desires of us is our LOVE…to LOVE Him like He LOVES us.
Jesus acknowledged it when He said: ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:37-40) Now, there are no grounds whatsoever for disputing those awesome words of Jesus, for they are the very foundation of our faith.
And I like how this commentary puts it. ‘To LOVE the Lord is the most important thing that God asks of us. The sum and the substance of everything that God has said is simply to LOVE Him. This has been and will continue to be the central issue of life. The heart of the matter is always the matter of the heart.’
Now that’s the gospel truth! I especially like that last sentence: ‘The heart of the matter is always the matter of the heart.’ Yes my fellow believers, with Christ, it’s always about the heart; the state of our hearts. Let’s remember that, and with His awesome help, endeavour to keep our hearts in good shape, pure and true, because it’s then, and only then, that we will truly be able to live and enjoy the abundant life that He sacrificed His sinless life on the cross of Calvary for us to have. Much LOVE!
…it’s simply LOVE…that made God do it…and it’s simply LOVE…with which we should reciprocate…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
18 Jan 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a proof of spiritual rebirth, a search for righteousness, bad money management, blessed are the meek, blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, complete satisfaction, exalted them of low degree, for he satisfieth the longing soul, from them that walk uprightly, he filleth the hungry soul with goodness, hurry, I am the beloved of god, I'm not what people say about me, infringe on our free will, led astray by our sinful nature, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, made allegiance to Christ, no good thing will he withhold, no one can take that from me, reading and meditating on God's word, satisfy our famished souls, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, share His love with the world, spiritual awakening, spiritual famine, that's life, the Beatitudes, the big cleanup, the lies and deceits of the enemy.reading God's word, the rich he hath sent empty away, the Sermon on the Mount, there is no want to them that fear God, they shall be filled, they shall inherit the earth, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, worry
Psalm 107:8. He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
And the big cleanup is in progress this bright, sunshiny Tuesday morning after the big storm yesterday. And it was a real big one, one like we haven’t seen possibly in a decade. My driveway is clean now, but not the lane, especially the entrance to it, where the snow plow just moves up and down the main road cleaning that, while blocking up the laneways with piles of unpassable snow.
The lanes are always left for last, though I don’t know how they expect us to get to a clean main road, if we can’t get out of our lanes. And when they do the lanes they block up the driveways, so that ofttimes you can’t get out because the snow pile at the bottom is so big and icy. But that’s the government for you!
Now let’s hope that we don’t get any more snowfalls even close to the magnitude of this one, because then we’ll hear that they’ve run out of money to do the clean up properly. Steups! Every year they raise the taxes that’s supposed to pay for that amenity, but every year they clam to run out of money. Is it just bad money management…or something entirely different eh? (smile)
But that’s a story for another day. Today, let’s consider something much more important – a search for righteousness, one that will automatically improve that money situation we were just talking about. (smile) Now, Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount spoke of some traits that believers ought to possess, and what happens when they possess or ardently seek them. We call them the Beatitudes, and one of them goes like this: ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ (Matt. 5:6)
But before we get into what that means, let’s look at another even important statement Jesus made later on, where He warns His listeners. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33). Now, if we are supposed to seek God’s righteousness, then that gives us some idea of how important righteousness is, and it’s a continual thing.
Once you have found God, made allegiance to Christ, you don’t ever stop searching for righteousness. And righteousness is basically wanting to do the right thing. Most of us know what’s right from wrong, but don’t always do it, being led astray by our sinful nature and the lies and deceit of the enemy and this evil world. And seeking righteousness is just trying not to be led astray, through reading God’s word, meditating on it, praying, mingling with other believers, and accepting His promises for your future.
And going back to our Beatitude, we find this explanation from the scholars. ‘5.6. These future possessors of the earth (referring to the previous Beatitude – blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth: Matt. 5:5) are its presently installed rightful heirs, and even now they hunger and thirst after righteousness. They experience a deep desire for personal righteousness, which in itself is a proof of their spiritual rebirth.
Those who are poor and empty in their own spiritual poverty recognizes the depth of their need, and they hunger and thirst for that which only God can give them. They shall be filled refers to a complete satisfaction. The psalmist proclaimed : ‘He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.’ (Ps. 107:9).’
Yes friends, that’s one of the many promises of our faithful God! If you come to Him spiritually hungry and thirsty, He will indeed fill your soul with His righteousness. But sadly, in these times of great spiritual hunger and thirst, of spiritual famine, not enough of us are recognizing our drastic need for spiritual awakening, and thus are not turning to Almighty God to refresh and satisfy our famished souls.
How sad is that eh? And it’s one of the reasons why our world, why Christ’s church, and our own lives are in such disarray, that we are miserable and unhappy, and not living the abundant life that Christ died for us to have, first down here on earth, and then with Him in heaven for all eternity. Now let’s check out a few scriptures that reinforce our contention of blessedness for those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.
And the first one comes from Bruh David’s immortal, or more correctly, one of his immortal psalms. (smile) That’s Psalm 34, where he writes with exceptional confidence: ‘O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear (revere) him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing.’ (Ps. 34:9-10) How reassuring and encouraging are those words when we take them seriously!
Then we turn to one of my favourite passages of scripture, the Magnificat, the soul and spirit baring or emptying words that Mary, Jesus’ mother spoke of her rather unusual situation when she went to visit her pregnant cousin Elizabeth, John the Baptist’s mother. Amongst her outpouring of heart-felt words, were these, on our current topic. ‘He hath put down the mighty from their seats (thrones), and exalted them of low degree (the humble). He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away.’ (Luke 1:52-53)
Oh my people, our God does take pleasure in exalting and filling the humble with good things, but those who don’t have time for Him, He leaves up to their own devices. The Lord LOVES and cares for us all, but He desires us to come to Him. In most cases, He won’t infringe on the free will that He’s given us. So the responsibility lies with us to answer His call.
And the last scripture again comes from the psalms, this time from the pen of the sons of Korah, who in Psalm 84, positively declare: ‘For the Lord is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (ps. 84:11-12) And that’s the gospel truth, as all of us who trust in Christ Jesus know from long experience!
Now for those of us who sincerely seek the Lord’s kingdom and His righteousness, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and confident 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!’
Now let’s go out and action those statements like Jesus desires of us, sharing His amazing LOVE and awesome friendship with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…in Jesus…we find ALL that we need…no ifs, ands and buts about it…
P.S. They have finally cleaned my lane, but if you see the two big piles of snow they set up in front of my two neighbours’ houses, completely blocking sight of the main road. Then, as the duchess complained, there will be noise all during the night as the big trucks come to remove the snow. But that’s life! You have to put up with some discomfort to get the final comfort! (smile) Much LOVE!
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
15 Nov 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, a strategy to help us cope, a strong fighting spirit, artificial intelligence, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee, blessing and cursing, cast into the lake of fire, eternally separated from God, for God so loved the world, forgive us and heal our land, free will is good if used wisely, he gave his only begotten son, hear our prayer, humble servants, I have set before you life and death, I know the thoughts that I think toward you, if you don't use it you'll lose it, Jehovah Rapha, living for Jesus, lose the use of our faculties, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no good thing will he withhold, O Lord of hosts, robots, seeking nothing but victory for christ, self-driven vehicles, seriously disobeyed your word, short attention span, show them your awesome grace and mercy, sincere repentance in our hearts, thank you for life and strong faith in Christ, that both thou and thy seed shall live, the Covid 19 pandemic, the God who heals, The Lord God is a sun and shield, the Lord will give grace and glory, them that walk uprightly, therefore choose life, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end, we have all sinned, who ever believes in Jesus will not perish
Psalm 84:12. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
Now, since each day unerringly follows the other, like the moon automatically follows the sun, today had to be Monday because yesterday was Sunday, when we gathered in worship and the Lord refreshed and strengthened us to begin the new workweek with a strong fighting spirit, seeking nothing but victory for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and His righteous kingdom!
And yes, I know that’s a long, convoluted sentence, but sometimes those sentences are good, because they get us to stop and think about what they really mean, especially in this age of the short attention span, where we don’t have to use our brains to figure out anything, since it’s laid out right on a silver platter, short and sweet for us. But please remember that old saying, ‘if you don’t use it, you will lose it.’ And that’s the gospel truth my people. If we don’t use our God-given gifts, they will atrophy and eventually become useless.
And sadly, that’s where our world is headed right now, what with things like robots, artificial intelligence and self-driven vehicles becoming more a part of our everyday life. Soon we won’t have to do anything for ourselves and consequently we’ll lose the use of most of our faculties. In fact, a lot of us have already begun losing the use of many of our faculties with the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic where we were isolated for a long period of time. That only lead to a higher than normal amount of fear, anxiety, depression, mental illness and domestic abuse.
But since the pandemic doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon, we desperately need to have a strategy in place to help us cope with all the negative stuff that’s currently circulating in our world. Now my brethren, the only avenue I see open and able to deal with our situation is living for Jesus! That’s the long and short of the story! Jesus is the ONLY One who can help us to successfully handle all the negativity that’s coming against us at this present time.
And what grounds do I have for saying so. Listen to these encouraging and uplifting words of the psalmist. He positively proclaims: ‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (Ps. 84:11-12)
Wow friends! What a marvellous declaration! That’s why we believe, or rather we know that those who worship the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will be able to withstand anything that comes against them. The Lord God Himself has promised it. As Jeremiah declared: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity) to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) And we all know that Jehovah God keeps ALL of His promises! He’s not reneged on a single one down through the ages.
However, to command His marvellous benefits, we need to walk uprightly and obediently before Him. And with the free will He’s given us, it’s our choice, our decision to make. Please note though, these most important words of Moses to the Israelites. ‘I call heaven and earth to record (witness) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut. 30:19) And that charge still stands today my people!
We still have the free will, the opportunity to choose life or death, blessing or cursing. Unfortunately though, many of us seem to be choosing death and cursing over life and blessing by refusing to follow the Lord, to walk uprightly and obediently before Him. That’s a totally unwise decision friends, one that we will pay for in the long run when we are eternally separated from God, and cast into the lake of fire with Satan, the prince of darkness and disobedience.
Remember, what Bruh Paul said about disobedience: ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is sternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom. 6:23) And just like the Lord keeps the good promises, He also keeps the tough ones. So, there will be no getting away in the end if you don’t walk uprightly and follow His Son Jesus.
And that’s the very reason He sent Jesus to die on the cross. Hear Jesus tell it nuh. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17) And that’s it in a nutshell. If you don’t believe in Christ, you will perish, as simple as that.
And friends, from personal experience, I can tell you that though living for Jesus might seem difficult in this evil and ungodly world, the reality is that He gives you the wherewithal to handle whatever comes against you. He won’t always make life easy, but He will enable you to handle life. No other supposed deity can sincerely and successfully promise that. So I plead with you, please rethink your options, and if you haven’t already chosen Jesus, please do so asap, in fact right now, because tomorrow, or even later, could be too late.
So, let’s go to the Lord in prayer, through what we call our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and sincerely open up our hearts and souls to Him, pleading for His help. Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. 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, if we want the Lord to keep His promises, it behooves us to keep ours. Much LOVE!
…free will is good…but only if used wisely…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
09 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a comapssionate heart, a pillar of fire, a sun, abundance, bad, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, everlasting light, foolish drivers, give grace, give light, glory, glory of Zion, glory to God, glows in the darkness, godly light, good, goodwill to men, halls of heaven, heavenly Father, holy presence, ice, indisputable words, Isaiah, Job, John, led by your dreams, light by day, LOVE, magnanimous god, manifestations, monologue, Moses, negative word, no good thing will he withhold, no temple, no way Jose, out of the mouth of babes, peace on earth, perfected praise, prosper, pushed by your problems, reassurance, revelations, rush hour, saints in Christ, self-control, self-discipline, shekinah glory, shield, sleet, slush, snow, Spirit of the Lord, spiritual sun, spoken word, succeed, supernatural wisdom, talent, Ten Commandments, the Lamb, the light thereof, the Lord God, the moon, the Sun, thy god thy glory, troubled souls, unscathed, veil his face, walk uprightly, weather forecasters
Psalm 84:11. For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Ah friends, can you believe that this early in the game, the weather forecasters are calling for that beautiful, innocent-looking but oh so dangerous thing called snow? Steups!
Ah Lord eh! But that’s what you get for all the good weather we’ve enjoyed so far this late in the year. As Job, says, you can’t expect to always receive good and no bad.
Can you imagine the mess the place will be in this evening, especially if it begins during the rush hour? And the sad part is that you not only have to look out for yourself, but even more for the many foolish drivers on the road!
But yuh know what, I’ve promised myself that from hereon in, I’m not going out in no setta snow to go anywhere. If somebody wants to drive me, then I’ll consider it. But once I’ve got to drive myself, ‘NO WAY JOSE!’
I can handle the cold, but driving through the slush and sleet and snow and ice and otherwise… too much unnecessary pressure. I think I’ve had enough of that. I’ve come through the last forty something years of it fairly unscathed, no need to go and get my ole bod damaged at this stage of life. End of monologue! (smile)
That’s why I’m going to do as Pastor Bobby (Bobby Schuller – Hour of Power) says: ‘Do not be pushed by your problems, but be led by your dreams.’ Words of wisdom, even from one so young.
For as Jesus rebuked the Israelite leaders when the children praised Him in the temple, using some of Bruh David’s words from Ps.8:2. ‘Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings (nursing infants) thou hast perfected praise?’ (Matt.21:16) Yeh friends, age doesn’t matter all that much if the Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
And our Bit explains why: ‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.’
Ah precious people of God, what indisputable words of reassurance from our great God! He has not only set the sun in its physical place, but He also wants to be our spiritual SUN; the bright light that glows in the darkness of our troubled souls.
Hear how Isaiah puts it when he talks about the future glory of Zion. ‘The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.’ (Is.60:9)
Just imagine it nuh friends, at some stage of life, we won’t need the sun nor that moon to provide light for us, because we’ll be dwelling in the holy presence of our awesome God, who Himself will be our light, provide all the light we need.
‘And all God’s people declared a mighty shout: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and goodwill to men!’ Oh my fellow saints in Christ, what a glorious day that will be, when we reside in the halls of heaven in the presence of our heavenly Father, who will be just exuding godly light!
Listen to how John describes it in his Revelations. ‘And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten (illuminate) it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.’ (Rev. 21:22-23)
Wow! I can’t get my head around not needing a sun or moon to see around me. But the Lord has promised it, therefore it will be so.
And the scholars offer these explanations on those verses. ’21:22-23. There is no temple in the city, since both the Father and the Son will be present in their fullest manifestations. Its light will be provided by the Shekinah glory of God and of Christ (cf. Ex.3:3-4; 24:15-17; 33:14-16; Luke 2:9; 9:29; Heb.1:3).’
The Shekinah glory of God is basically where He reveals the full majesty of His light and power. Like when He went before the Israelites in the wilderness in a cloud and a pillar of fire, when He passed before Moses, but only allowed him to see His backside, otherwise Moses would have been annihilated, even the radiant look on Moses face when He came down from the Mount after receiving the Ten Commandments and had to veil his face.
So just imagine the treat we’re in for my fellow believers, when we see God face to face, shining in all His might and glory! Now we haven’t come to that point as yet, but in the meanwhile our most magnanimous God has given us enough blessings here on earth to make our mark in His name. So let’s declare them nuh, since the power of our God lies in His spoken word.
Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And having declared that with sincerity of heart and strength of purpose, let’s now go out and share those blessings with others, as Jesus requires of us. Much LOVE!
…a blessing isn’t really a true blessing…until it’s been shared…
23 Aug 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fruitful vine, almighty god, as for me and mine, Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, built up in body and spirit, but seek ye first the kingdom of God, Christians, commandments, confidence, delights in His commandments, eat the labour of thine hands, edified, enthused, excited, faith, fellowship, friends, give thanks, glorify God, God is faithful, happenstance, his delight is in the law of the Lord, like a tree planted by the rivers of water, like olive plants, make thy way prosperous, meditates on god's law day and night, no good thing will he withhold, offspring, praise, Praise ye the Lord, rest, reverencing God, reverential awe, rewards of faithfulness, riches, righteousness., shout Hallelujah, sits in the seat of the scornful, stands in the way of sinners, Sunday, the BIBLE, the Good Book, the Sabbath Day, truth, walks not in the council of the ungodly, we will follow the Lord, wealth, whatsoever he does shall prosper, worship
Psalm 112:1. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, and delighteth greatly in his commandments.
Ah Friends, once again it’s Sunday, the day on which most Christians celebrate the Sabbath; a day of rest, fellowship and worship. Now I recently heard an interesting point from a pastor, re the Sabbath day. According to the Good Book, God made man, Adam on the sixth day (Gen.1:26-28), then He rested on the seventh day. (Gen.2:2-3) The pastor’s point was that Adam’s first full day on earth was the Sabbath, a day of rest.
Hn! I never really thought of it like that before, and I guess many others haven’t either. But it does seem somewhat prophetic, as it ties in so nicely with our day of rest on Sundays.
Now did the Lord do that on purpose, or was it simply happenstance. I doubt it was the latter, since our God doesn’t do anything without a very good reason. I guess He meant to tell us that before we work, we should rest and have fellowship with Him so that we can be edified, built up both in body and spirit, which will enable us to do a better job.
Therefore Friends, let’s ‘hie thee hither’ to the chapel, the sanctuary today, and there praise and worship, give thanks, fellowship and glorify our magnificent God as He desires of us. So that our spirits and bodies will be filled with confidence and faith to overflowing, thus enabling us to have a strong and confident beginning to our work week. For remember, generally speaking, as our Sundays go, so do our Mondays. End of sermon. (smile)
Now let’s turn to our Bit, a most wise and sensible piece of scripture. ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, and delighteth greatly in his commandments.’
That’s indisputable truth my fellow believers! Those who hold Almighty God in reverential awe, and delight in walking in obedience to His commandments will be truly blessed. For as the psalmist continues: ‘His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endures (stands) for ever.’ (Ps.112:2-3)
Yes Friends, no good thing will the Lord withhold from those who sincerely worship and adore Him. And to make things even better, our offspring will do great things in the land and continue to be blessed!
Wow! Doesn’t that make you feel all excited and enthused? Well knowing that my children will be strong and blessed if I walk in reverence and obedience to God, surely does make me excited and enthused!
And Psalm 128 ups the ante by telling us more about the rewards of faithfulness to our heavenly Father. ‘Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house (fruitful in progeny and labour): thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.’ (Ps.128:1-4)
Ah mih people, it couldn’t get any better than that nuh! And we all know that God is faithful in keeping His promises, so you know that if you are reverential and obedient, you and your family will be blessed.
And to reinforce that, listen to the start of the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119. ‘Blessed are the undefiled (blameless) in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.’ (Ps.119:1-3) More words of heavenly wisdom, my brethren!
And if all of that doesn’t have you all enthused and excited this Sunday morning, then listen to these immortal words of wisdom and truth from Psalm 1 – Blessed are the righteous. ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law does he meditate (ponder) day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth fruit in his season; his leaf shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps.1:1-3)
Oh Friends, if those words still leave you unmoved, then I don’t know what else to say… (smile) except to now tell you about what God said to Joshua when He made him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses.
‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh.1:8)
Yes my brethren, those are the words of Almighty God; the Creator and Controller of this universe, so I don’t see how we can doubt or ignore them if we desire to be prosperous and successful. But just for good measure, I am also going to throw in some meaningful words from Jesus on the subject. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33)
There you have it Friends, the words of the Father and of the Son, and I’m sure the Holy Spirit which dwells in all believers is telling us the same thing. So there are really no excuses for not reverencing God and being obedient to His commandments. However, in stubborn and foolish pride, that is exactly what we are now doing, no wonder our world is going to the dogs, to hell in a hand basket.
So please my brethren, let’s get wise nuh and return to following the Lord, so that we can be blessed, prosperous and successful. For that truly is the wisdom of all wisdom! Much LOVE!
…as for me and mine…we will definitely follow the Lord…no if’s, and’s, and but’s about it…
SCRIP-BITS 