24 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciplined mind, a light unto my path, all I'm asking from you, all that I am, ammunition, as many as are led by the Spirit of God, be not afraid neither be thou dismayed, be strong and of a good courage, but of power love and a sound mind, cheating, crime, crowding my mind, do you remember, every tongue, fighting the good fight for Christ, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, for God so loved the world, give me the strength, glorified together, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, heirs of God, help me believe, help me today, holy spirit, I have to climb, I'm only human, if we suffer with Christ, if you're looking below, in what I could be, it's worse now than then, Jesus Christ, join the joyful throngs, joint heirs with Christ, LOVE, Marvia Providence, mercy, need to listen carefully, no weapon formed against thee shall prosper, one day at a time, one day at a time sweet Jesus, praise, pushing and shoving, responsibly handle the challenges of today, rise against thee in judgement, salvation, show me the stairways, show me the way, stealing, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, take therefore no thought for tomorrow, thanksgiving, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the bells are ringing, the children of God, the heritage of the servants of the Lord, the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit, the Lord thy God is with thee wherever you go, the Lord's faithful promise, the Lord's sanctuary, the morrow, the Sermon on the Mount, the Spirit of adoption, the spirit of bondage, their righteousness is from me, they are the sons of God, thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, thou shalt condemn, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, to do everything I have to do, tomorrow may never be mine, tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself, truth, turn to the left, violence, walk in the footsteps of Christ, we cry Abba Father, we're born to faith not fear, when ye turn to the right hand, when you walked among men, where our bread is buttered, wisdom, with God as our guide, worship
Romans 8:14. ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons (daughters) of God.
The bells are ringing on this beautiful but a tad cloudy Sunday morning my people! That means it’s time to join the joyful throngs heading to the Lord’s sanctuary to offer up praise, worship and thanksgiving and receive grace, mercy, forgiveness and strength to fight the good fight for another week. And opening today’s worship is a Christian contemporary song authored by Marijohn Wilkins and Kris Kristofferson, most appropriately titled, ‘One Day At A Time Sweet Jesus.’ And that’s all we can handle, even if we foolishly and selfishly wish for more.
And today we’re going to offer up a rich, scintillating, Reggae version of the song, per Jamaican Gospel Artiste, Marvia Providence. So, let’s open our mouths and hearts and allow sweet sacrifices of praise to reach up to high heaven, beginning with the rocking chorus. Singing! ‘(Chorus: One day at a time sweet Jesus That’s all I’m asking from you Give me the strength To do everything that I have to do Yesterday’s gone sweet Jesus And tomorrow may never be mine Help me today, show me the way One day at a time)
I’m only human I’m just a woman (man) Help me believe in what I could be and all that I am. Oh show me the stairways I have to climb Lord for my sake teach me to take One day at a time. (Chorus) Oh do you remember? When you walked among men? Well Jesus you know If you’re looking below That its worse now than then Oh there’s Cheating and stealing, violence and crime. There’s pushing and shoving And its crowding my mind So Lord for my sake teach me to take One day at a time.
(Chorus: One day at a time sweet Jesus That’s all I’m asking from you Just give me the strength To do everything that I have to do Yesterday’s gone sweet Jesus And tomorrow may never be mine Help me today, show me the way One day at a time Oh help me today Show me the way One day at a time… One day at a time…Sweet Jesus…Teach me to take One day at a time…One day at a time…Lord help me today…Show me the way…One day at a time.’
And if you are sincere, He will help you to do just that. For remember we recently read in the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus offered that exact wise advice, when He said: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34) That means, everyday has its own problems, that need to be handled right then, and although we should make some rough plans for the morrow, we ought to concentrate on what’s happening today, and not too much about tomorrow.
For if we don’t responsibly handle the challenges and responsibilities of today, we might not even get to tomorrow. Yes, as the song says; ‘tomorrow may never be mine.’ But if we do see tomorrow, with God as our guide, we will be able to responsibly handle those troubles and problems it creates. That’s our Lord’s faithful promise. But believe me, with all the confusion and otherwise that’s constantly happening around us, learning to take one day at a time is not always easy, that’s why the song asks for help to do it.
We’re only human, frail and fragile beings, so we need help to believe in what we could be and what we truly are. And there are a few scriptures that can help us do just that beginning with this most encouraging scripture from Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) That’s the first thing we must acknowledge; we’re not born to fear, but to faith.
Then know who we are in Christ. As Bruh Paul writes the Roman church. ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons (daughters) of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.’ (Rom. 8:14-17)
Ah my brethren, if we believe in Christ, we need to realize that He’s freed us from fear and eternal death, and thus caused God to adopt us. And if we are children of God, then nothing can harm us. ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17) More ammunition for us to be strong and not fear, once we link up with Jesus.
That brings us to this magnificent scripture, where the Lord Himself warned Joshua when He made him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. ‘Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:9) Now that is scripture we should have at the forefront of our lives, every day! For it’s the backbone of our faith; the continual and everlasting presence of our wonderful and faithful God walking beside us all the time.
As the prophet Isaiah further reminds us. ‘And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ (Is. 30:21) That’s the guiding and leading of the Holy Spirit that indwells us, softly whispering to us as we daily try to walk in the footsteps of Christ. The problem though is that if we truly want to hear that guiding voice, we need to listen carefully, for it’s not a loud, invasive or intrusive one, but a gentle, comforting voice.
And we cannot end without possibly the most important verse of scripture in the entire Bible; these marvellous, reassuring words of Jesus to Nicodemus: ‘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.’ (John 3:16) Now that shows just how much the Lord cares for His human creation. Therefore, let us stand strong in the Lord, and keep fighting the good fight for Christ, for that’s where our bread is buttered! Much LOVE!
…thy word is a lamp unto my feet…and a light unto my path… (Ps. 119:105)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a gift for those who serve God faithfully, a promise of God's protection, a source of comfort and assurance, a transition from an earthly to a spiritual state, absent from the body, accounted as sheep for the slaughter, angels, as it is written, believers in Christ Jesus, Bible, bring us victory over our adversaries, Christian, dark ad deadly throes of winter, distress, endure to the very end with Christ, every tongue that rises against you shall be condemned, faith, famine, for thy sake we are killed all the day long, God shall wipe away all tears, God's blessings, God's vindication for believers, halfway home, hands on the plough, height nor depth, holy spirit, I a persuaded that neither death or life, in all these things we are more than conquerors, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, nakedness, negative words, neither sorrow nor crying, no more death, no more pain, no weapon formed against thee shall prosper, nor any other creature, not looking back at the past, not turning back, our second wind day, our wonderful position in Jesus, outweigh the problems of earthly living, peril, persecution, powers, present with the Lord, principalities, right standing with God, salvation, separate us from the love of God, sword, thank God, the ability to refute any false accusations, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the former things are passed away, the greatest friend to man, the heritage of the servants of the Lord, the limitations of the earthly body, the rewards of eternal life, their righteousness is from me, things to come, thingspresent, through him that loved us, to a glorious future with Jesus, to be absent from the body, to be present with the Lord, tribulation, truth, who shall separate us from the Love of Christ, wisdom
Isaiah 54:17a. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn.
And then it was Wednesday, our second wind day! Imagine that nuh; it’s already the middle of our work week as well as the middle of the month of July. That means our summer is fading fast away, just the month of August is left, and that no doubt will fly away like the other summer months, quickly plunging us back into the dark and deadly throes of winter. (smile) But all’s not lost, for we have the greatest friend to man, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, on our side, and He’s promised that nothing that comes against us will harm us.
The prophet Isaiah boldly confirms it when he writes: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17) Yes friends, that’s our heritage as believers in Christ Jesus! And NO ONE can take it from us! As this commentary tells us: ‘It’s a promise of God’s protection and vindication for believers. It signifies that while challenges and opposition may arise, they will ultimately fail to overcome those who trust in the Lord.’
Now that doesn’t mean there won’t be advances upon, or attacks against us, but that in the long run they won’t succeed. Meanwhile God promises to give us the ability to refute any false accusations or negative words spoken over us and ultimately be vindicated. It’s all a part of God’s blessings, a gift for those who serve Him faithfully, giving us right standing with Him. And as the commentary so rightly assures us: ‘The verse offers comfort and assurance to believers, reminding them that they are under God’s protection and that He will ultimately bring them victory over their adversaries.’
Wow! What a wonderful God we serve my people! And on top of all that, we have these marvellous, reassuring and uplifting words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome, where He confidently proclaims: ‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, or life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:35-39)
Wow mih bredrin! What a wonderful scripture, assuring us that once we accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, nothing, or no one will ever separate us from Him, and the LOVE of the Father which lives in and emanates from Him! Not even death can separate us, for after physical death, we move into new life with Him. As Bruh Paul, when talking to the Corinthians about an Eternal Building in the Heavens, expressing his desire to be with Lord, but being stopped from getting closer by this physical life says: ‘We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.’ (2 Cor. 5:8)
That’s our Christian belief that once we die, we’re immediately transported into the Lord’s presence, suggesting a transition from the earthly, physical body to a spiritual state of being with God. Or as this commentary puts it: ‘The core idea is that death for a Christian is not an end but a transition. Upon death, the believer’s spirit or soul is believed to be immediately united with the Lord, leaving behind the limitations of the earthly body.’
And although the pleasures of the earth can be wonderful, the next life with God for all eternity promises to be so much better, especially when there’s this magnanimous promise that John reveals in the Book of Revelation. ‘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 oh how I’m dying to see that day, when there’s no more pain! Well not really dying to see it just yet (smile) because I still have work for the Lord to accomplish down here and will have to bear some more pain to accomplish it. But won’t that be a marvellous existence? No pain, sorrow, death, crying, none of that negative stuff! Just the loss of those things will be sufficient to make eternity worthwhile. And when we add the rewards for doing God’s work…
Brother! Life will then be truly worth living! But until such time, we can still enjoy what we have down here, for the Lord has set up lots of protection for us here too. So to acknowledge that, let’s go home now declaring (chuh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And for those who stick with Jesus right to the very end, an even more glorious future is promised. One that we can neither contemplate or imagine! One that’s far above our mental capabilities. So, please, let’s be wise, and make a pact to meet there at the very end nuh, and enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…the rewards of eternal life with Christ…more than outweigh the problems of earthly living…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Feb 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a forgiving and gracious God, according to his riches in glory, all these things shall be added unto you, all things work together for good, Bible, called according to His purpose, christianity, every tongue that rises against you shall be condemned, faith, faithful promises of God, give to the poor freely, god, have I not seen the righteous forsaken, his seed begging bread, his seed is blessed, holy spirit, humble ourselves and pray, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I have been young and now am old, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus master of the positive circumstance, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my God shall supply all your needs, negative situations, no weapon formed against thee shall prosper, on the outside looking in, put them into action, righteous men, seek first the kingdom of God, sincere trust in God, the bells toll, the God who heals, to them that love God, truth, trying economic times, wisdom, wise guidance
Philippians 4:19. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ.
Monday it is my people…and the bells toll once more, but this time not for worship, but for work! Yes friends, it’s time to get a move on, to get up and earn a living so we can feed, house and clothe our families. And, unfortunately, in these trying economic and ungodly times, that’s not always an easy task to accomplish, as negative circumstances keep coming against us. But if Jesus is your Lord and Saviour, then you have a fighting chance, in fact a winning chance to repel all the negativity that’s wanting to disrupt your life. That’s because Jesus is the Master of the positive circumstance, and has faithfully promised to look after all who sincerely trust in Him.
Listen to this promise from Bruh Paul to the church at Philippi. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil. 4:13) Now that’s the first thing we need to remember when the bad times hit; we have the power through Christ to handle any situation that comes against us! Then there’s this promise from the prophet Isaiah: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is, 54:17) What reassurance that the devil cannot harm us!
And to go along with those faithful promises is this awesome one from Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) Now that’s a scripture we all know and constantly quote in the good times, but the problem is that we don’t take it very seriously when the tough times happen. For one reason or another, those trying circumstances flush that promise right out of our minds, and we begin claiming woe is me, instead of claiming the faithfulness of God’s promise, and declaring (chuh!!!) it over our negative circumstances.
And Bruh David puts it ever so nicely in his famous Psalm 37, titled ‘Trust in the Lord,’ when he says: ‘I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread. He is ever (always) merciful, and lendeth; and his seed (descendants) is blessed.’ (Psalm 37:25-26) Now there’s a very important scripture for the righteous to hold on dearly to! And what does all of that mean eh? I believe these two commentaries explain them best.
The first says: ‘But as he (Bruh David) looked back on it all, he concluded that in his experience, the righteous had not been forsaken and their children had not needed to beg for bread. David knew that God has the power to take care of those who are striving to do right and their families. He trusted in God and His promises.’ And that’s what we, in these uncertain and unconventional times need to do in a big way, for if we don’t trust sincerely and staunchly in the Lord, then we’ll find ourselves on the outside looking in. And that’s never a good place to be.
Now, the other commentary to which we referred re ‘his seed begging bread,’ says: ‘Again, it may be observed, that the psalmist is speaking in the context of righteous men that are liberal, and give to the poor freely and largely; and it is seldom if ever known that they or their children come to want and poverty.’ So, in other words, the general principle involved here, is what you sow is what you reap. Therefore the righteous need to live by a plentiful sowing of good seed, and thus the eventual reaping of a plentiful harvest; of giving generously and later receiving in abundance. That relates to either the righteous or their descendants, for the Lord’s goodness extends from generation to generation.
And last, but not least, is this marvellous promise of Bruh Paul to the Philippians. ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 4:19) Yes my fellow saints, when we are faithful to Almighty God and live righteously for His Son Jesus Christ, He will supply all our needs. But as Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, our first priority is to ‘Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
And yuh know what friends, there’s not one scripture we’ve quoted that we can say is alien or unknown to us. We know them all, and quote them to others in trouble, but when our troubles come, we’re helpless to put them into useful action. So let’s remember that the faithful promises of our God are what we need to live the good and righteous life and don’t hesitate to call them up, when the enemy comes against us, as he very well will. Now, let’s go humbly but confidently to God, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking mercy and grace in our sure time of need.
‘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 if our prayer was truly heartfelt, then we’d realize that the answer problems is found right there in it: ‘humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek your face.’ That’s the place we need to start, if we expect to receive divine help! Much LOVE!
…the Lord’s many promises were not made for fun…but for us to seriously live by…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
26 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, all things work together for good, carnal state, cleanse your hands ye sinners, every tongue that rises against you shall be condemned, face the trials of life with certainty, faith, Friday chant, FRiday Chant., friendship with the world is enmity with God, giveth grace to the humble, God resisteth the proud, holy spirit, humble yourselves in the sight of God, if god be for us who can be against us, in all these things we are more than conquerors, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, no condemnation to them which are in Christ, no weapon formed against thee shall prosper, omnipotent help, purify your hearts ye doubleminded, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, simmering unrest in our land, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that ye may consume it upon your lusts, that's life, the error of their ways, the heritage of the servants of the Lord, the one who can kill both body and soul, to be carnally minded is death, to be spiritually minded is life and peace, to them who are called according to his purpose, to them who love God, trusting faith, unwavering assurance from God's Word, walk not after the flesh but after the spirit, what shall we then say to these things, wisdom, wise guidance, ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss
Romans 8:31. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
And it’s a wet and gloomy Friday in my neighborhood. It’s been raining since yesterday, so there’s not the usual enthusiasm when we proclaim: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ because we have to go out and face the inclement weather for another day. But as the man says: ‘That’s life!’ And anyway with God’s ever-faithful help, His children can stand up to any circumstance that comes against them. And His Word gives us that unwavering assurance. Listen to some wonderful extracts from it.
This first one assures us that ‘No weapon formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17) Brother! What an encouraging and inspiring scripture! And what does it really mean eh? It’s simply saying that anyone who desires to do evil against God’s children will utterly fail, despite it sometimes looking like we might be defeated. In other words, God assures us of the victory. And all God’s people said a loud and grateful, ‘Praise the Lord!’
Now hear these other marvellous assurances from our great God, as Bruh Paul elucidates or explains them in his letter to the church at Rome. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose… What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?… Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:28, 31, 37)
Yes friends, if we believe and work to God’s will, then everything will work out good for us eventually. And furthermore, if God is on our side, then NOBODY, not a single soul can stand against us, for through His everlasting and powerful LOVE we’re made powerful ourselves, more than conquerors, therefore ‘we can face the trials of life with the certainty that we are not alone. We have a mighty Father who fights for us.’
And that Chapter 8 of Romans is possibly one of the most potent and reassuring chapters of the Bible, because there Bruh Paul lays out our basic state as children of God. He opens it thus: ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’ (Rom. 8:1) Wow! There’s no more condemnation my brethren, if we listen to and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. That’s certainly good and reassuring news.
Then Bruh Paul steadfastly warns us: ‘For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.’ (Rom. 8:6) Yes, if we have our lives dominated by our sinful nature, then death is our due, but if we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, then eternal life and peace will be ours. But unfortunately, too many of us in the body of Christ, too many supposed Christians are still living carnally minded lives; avidly seeking the things of the world, the things that their sinful flesh desires, rather than seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness, which the Holy Spirit guides us to.
No wonder our world and the church is in such a shoddy and evil state! As James so wisely and rightly states: ‘Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (fleshly pleasures). Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be (wants to be) a friend of the world is (makes himself) the enemy of God.’ (James 4:3-4) And that’s definitely not wisdom my brethren! Why would you knowingly want to be the enemy of the most potent and powerful force in the universe eh? The one who can kill both your body and soul and condemn them to hellfire and damnation!
So how do we change our thinking and our actions then? James gives us the basic details, when he writes: ‘God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefor 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. Be afflicted (lament) and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness (gloom). Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:6-10)
Yes my fellow saints, that’s how we come out of the carnal state so many of us are still in. In fact, in whatever state we’re in, it is absolutely necessary to humble ourselves before Almighty God, because He hates the proud, who behave as though they don’t need Him, but the humble, He showers with unwavering grace and mercy. And since, with the sorry state of our world, we definitely need lots of that grace and mercy, let’s go to God right now, through our Friday Chant and seek divine help.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And a part of the answer lies right there in our prayer…by the example, we, your faithful believers set.’ Yes friends, if we sincerely desire divine help, then we need to begin the process by setting a good Christian example to those around us. Much LOVE!
…if you’re a true believer in Christ…then you will be concerned…but not overly worried or anxious about anything…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
23 Dec 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and on earth, celebrating the birth of christ, chaos, Christmas Season, faith, fear him which can destroy both body and soul, glorify your father in heaven, Glory to god in the highest, I may know you all the more, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let my muscles relax, Let your light so shine before men, LOVE, no weapon formed against thee shall prosper, on earth peace goodwill toward men, quiet my soul, slow my thoughts, strife, the light of the world, the salt has lost its savour, the salt of the earth, they may see your good works, trodden underfoot of men, truth, turning away from God, war, where your treasure is there will be your heart also, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present, your unceasing nearness
Luke 2:14. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And then it was Christmas Saturday! Wow! Already! And though it’s a dark and rainy lazy-day Saturday, and all the preparations have not been completed, the celebrations are underway! That’s just the way it is. We can’t wait to celebrate Jesus until all the preparations are done! No way Jose! Ah friends, it’s good to be alive and celebrating the incarnate birth of Christ, although I do so with a heavy heart, thinking about all those who are unable to do the same because of strife, disaster or some other negative action. But as we said yesterday, prayer is the first avenue we must always consider when adversity strikes.
So, in keeping with that philosophy, that eternal truth, let’s turn to our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer and declare (yesss!!!) it with all sincerity. 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 this Season of Christmas, when the Prince of Peace was born, is the ideal time for a prayer like that; one that opens us up to our great and faithful God, and draws us nearer to Him, to enjoy His peace, joy and LOVE, all the elements of this birthday bash! (smile) The biggest birthday bash ever! We even had angels coming from heaven with the good news of the birth of Christ and choirs of heavenly host praising God and singing: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ (Luke 2:14)
Oh my people, if only we could have much more of that peace and goodwill on the earth that those angels sang about some two thousand years ago, what a wonderful place our world would be! But, unfortunately, those things are sadly lacking, while strife, war, chaos and all kinds of negative activity are prevalent on the earth today. How did we ever get so warlike, hateful and negative eh? Only a generation ago, we were fairly peaceful and LOVING…remember the hippy days of a couple of generations ago, when peace and LOVE were revolutionizing the world? When the young people talked about, focused on peace and LOVE and not rebellion and hate and anger as they are doing nowadays.
Oh, we’ve always had strife in some place or other, and we’ll always have it until Jesus returns and sets up His Millennial reign, but we’ve never had it as widespread as this. Back then, it was easy to count the places where serious strife was occurring, now it’s easier to count the places where serious strife is not occurring. What a mess we’ve made of our world, and ONLY the Good Lord Jehovah can help us fix it. But the sad part of that situation is that many of us are turning away from the Lord God of heaven and earth to follow the evil and ungodly deeds of Beelzebub, and those of us who still profess the faith are not doing enough to stop the exodus and bring unbelievers to Christ.
We obviously are not doing as Jesus requested, when He said: ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:13-16)
There we have it friends, the majority of us supposed Christians have been neither salt nor light to the world, otherwise our world would never be in such bad shape. Don’t tell me that if the body, the church of Christ went into the world and behaved like we ought to behave, as salt and light, that there wouldn’t be a great improvement in all aspects of our world. We are a large enough body to make a substantial difference! We just have to stop wanting to be as comfortable as possible and enjoy all the amenities available, for the worst kind of Christian is a comfortable one.
Also stop being afraid of what the world can do to us, instead let’s remember the awesome and faithful promise of God, made through the prophet Isaiah. ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17) And unfortunately it doesn’t seem like enough of us believe that to ramp up our faith and get out there and make a positive impact.
Neither do we seem to believe these words of Jesus. ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28) And that person who can destroy both body and soul is Almighty God, but it certainly seems like we’re more afraid of Satan and his evil cohorts, who can only destroy our body, instead of God, who can destroy both body and soul. But, for whatever reason(s) our witness, our activity as agents and disciples of Christ has not been of sufficient impact to turn others to Christ in the great numbers that’s necessary.
So, if we believers are not making a positive impact on the world, what else can we expect but for more people to turn to evil and ungodly ways; to lay up earthly treasure for themselves here on earth instead of in heaven. And there’s no better way to end than with these wise and encouraging words of Jesus. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:19-21)
And yes, too many of us supposed believers are still too enamoured of the wealth and power of the earth and still insist on running it down and storing it up. But when will we learn that in the long run, the wealth of the world is of no real significance eh, for once we die, we cannot carry any of it with us, we just leave it here for our friends and families to fight over, and consequently the lawyers get most of it in the end. My fellow saints, the long and short of the story is that if want to see a better world, to leave a better world for our descendants, then we must get up RIGHT NOW, and start being what Jesus desires and expects of us; being the salt of the earth, the light of the world and stop laying up treasures for ourselves on earth, but in heaven above! Much LOVE!
…only when Christians behave like true Christians… will there be any godly improvements in our world…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
28 Aug 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bitter pill in his mouth, a toothless lion, bring glad tidings of good things, disciples are on duty 24/7, how beautiful are the feet, impenetrable suit of spiritual armour, Jehovah Rapha, longsuffering, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no weapon formed against thee shall prosper, of them that preach the gospel of peace, perseverance, put on the whole armour of God, sincere repentance, Spirit led freedom, takes root in a person's life, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the God who heals, the Great Commission, the helmet of salvation, the heritage of the servants of the Lord, the keys of hell death and the grave, the shield of faith, the truth of the gospel, the two edged sword of the Spirit, turn from our evil ways, wise guidance, with a loud bark but no bite
Romans 10:15. How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.
Hold on children…Yes, children of God…Please hold on securely to Jesus this Monday morning, as the evil one and his ungodly minions get their ammunition together in the workplace, to try and belittle you, to discount your witness and testimony for our Lord and Saviour! But remember our God faithfully promised that ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s the promise of our faithful God, who’s stating that ‘anyone who is seeking to do evil against believers will fail. Though for a time it may seem that we are defeated in a situation, God assures us the victory.’ So please don’t let the loud mouths pushing Satan’s agenda, to discombobulate or confuse you with their foolishness. You have your own agenda to foster and promote, the Great Commission of Christ. And as the Bible says: ‘How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.’ ( Rom. 10:15)
Now, that’s what you’re about: beautiful feet spreading the good news and glad tidings of Christ’s gospel, and nothing in this world is more important than that! And I like this commentary on that scripture. ‘Paul knows that the feet of the gospel preachers are beautiful because of the nature of the gospel. The good news of Jesus Christ sets people free from sin, destruction and eternal judgment. When the truth of the gospel takes root in a person’s life they are given Spirit led freedom to overcome all vices of life.’
Wow! That’s why it’s so wonderful to spread the good news of Christ’s gospel! And that’s exactly why the devil doesn’t want us spreading it. He knows that once it gets into your system, your inner man, he’s lost the battle, and he can’t stand losing, it’s like a bitter pill in his mouth, especially after Christ Jesus won the victory over death, hell and the grave, took away the keys to those places and left him a toothless lion just running around with a loud bark, but no bite.
So today, let’s wind up our faith, raise our confidence sky high with all the scriptures buried deep in our hearts, and unleash them against the enemy and his evildoing cronies, letting them know that they are in a serious spiritual battle and the children of God, the saints of the Most High God are not to be toyed with, or considered to be easy pickings. (smile) Especially not when we’re dressed in our immaculate and impenetrable suit of spiritual armour; the whole armour of God, that allows us to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.
No sir! We are indeed invincible when our loins are girded with the belt of truth, our chests protected by the breastplate of righteousness, and our feet shod with the preparation or eagerness of the gospel of peace, and our heads protected by the helmet of salvation. And armed to the teeth with the shield of faith in one hand to quench the fiery arrows of the evildoers, and in the other hand, the mighty two-edged sword of the Spirit, that’s the inerrant and infallible word of God! And as a lagniappe or extra, in our back pockets we have the awesome power of prayer to guide us with all perseverance and longsuffering! (Eph. 6:10-18)
Now, how can anyone thus prepared for battle be defeated eh? No way Jose! Ah friends, that’s the way we need to go out every day, dressed to the nines with God’s armour, unleashing His amazing word, while filled with His Holy Spirit who leads and guides us in spiritual battle. And yes, it all sounds wonderful and heroic, but the truth is it takes plenty of practice, plenty of sacrifice, plenty humility, and plenty backbone and belly. Like everything we want to be good at, we have to spend a lot of time on it.
Thus, to be good at spiritual battle means reading, studying and meditating on the word, knowing it, so you can put it into action. Then continually going up against Satan’s temptations and besting him nine times out of ten. And believe you me, when you tell the Lord that you want to be a warrior for Him, He is going to provide you with lots of opportunities to prove yourself. So it’s not an easy task to live and fight for Christ, but it’s very interesting and rewarding. And here are the basic credentials Christ set out for discipleship. ‘If any man will come after (follow) me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23)
Yuh see that mih bredrin, following Jesus calls for daily involvement, daily participation in activities on His behalf; be it beating down the devil and his evil cronies, spreading the gospel, or simply being kind and offering an encouraging smile to someone in need. Once you’re a disciple of Christ you’re always on duty, 24/7! And we need to remember that as we go out to do battle today.
Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, to ask for divine help to handle our many earthly problems. Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world.
Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as always, to receive divine intervention, we need to improve our covenant behaviour! Much LOVE!
…being a true disciple of Jesus…means putting your best foot forward…as often as possible…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
24 Oct 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a godly attitude, accounted as sheep for the slaughter, better not to vow than vow and not pay, defer not to pay it, disobeyed God's word, distress, divine help, every tongue that rises against you shall be condemned, famine, food for thought, for thy sake, God hath no pleasure in fools, God's mercies and compassions, heal our land, hear our prayer, humble servants, I am with thee to deliver thee, in all these things we are more than conquerors, Jehovah Rapha, killed all the day long, lacking in confidence, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, nakedness, negative situations, no weapon formed against thee shall prosper, nothing can separate us from God, peril, promise of eternal life, prosecution, separate us from the love of God, sword, the God who heals, they shall fight against thee but shall not prevail, through him that loved us, tribulation, uplifting scriptures, victory through Christ, when thou vowest a vow unto God, who shall separate us from the Love of Christ
Romans 8:37. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that LOVED us.
Oh gee, it’s Monday! Chuh! Another day of repetitive and non-uplifting work… But wait, please note that it’s also another day of enjoying God’s awesome mercies and compassions, that are created brand new for us each and every morning! And believe me, with those powerful, encouraging and confidence building tools of God in our tool kit, we can handle anything that comes against us, have a positive, godly attitude regardless of the situations in which we find ourselves.
Remember Jehovah’s promise through the prophet Isaiah a long time ago. ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17) Now that’s a mighty promise, and since we are the Lord’s servants, then it’s still applicable to us today. And those are the kinds of encouraging and uplifting scriptures that we need to write indelibly in our hearts and minds so that we can recall them when the times get rough and our spirit and confidence are lacking.
Then there are these magnificent verses from Bruh Paul explaining to the church at Rome, the marvellous unbreakable bond we have with Almighty God through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He confidently writes: ‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:35-37)
Oh my faithful brethren, what uplifting and confidence building verses! Yes! In all these things we are indeed more than conquerors. Though the enemy tries to overcome us they just can’t because they don’t have the power nor the authority for Christ has already won the victory over hell, death and the grave, leaving Satan a toothless lion with only a loud growl, but no real bite since he can’t inflict any damage with just gums. (smile) Oh, by the way, verse 36 above comes directly from Psalm 44:22.
And I like this simple explanation on ‘we are more than conquerors,’ offered by an article on the gotquestions.org website. It reads: ‘To be more than conquerors means we face the trials of life with the certainty that we are not alone. We have a mighty Father who fights for us. We approach the darkest valleys with confidence, knowing that nothing can happen to us that is not permitted by our LOVING Father for our good (Psalm 23:4; Romans 8:28).
We have His promise of eternal life (John 3:16;Titus 1:2; 1 John 5:11) and the presence of Almighty God every moment of every day until we see Him face to face (Psalm 139:7-12; Deuteronomy 31:8; Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20). No sin of ours and no attempt of the enemy can steal the LOVING care of God from our lives, and that makes us more than conquerors through Christ who LOVES us.’
So true my people, so true! And don’t forget to check out those scriptures referenced above, because they too are also powerful and encouraging verses that keep us strong and confident in the Lord. But Bruh Paul’s not done. He continues his missive to the Romans, delving even deeper into the subject, leaving us in absolutely no doubt on the matter. He says: ‘For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:38-39)
Glory be my people! Bruh Paul leaves no stone unturned. In the first few verses he addresses the earthly things and trials that can beset us, then in the last two, he deals with the spiritual aspect of the situation. And isn’t it joyful and faith-building to know that NOTHING whatsoever can separate us from God’s LOVE? Indeed it is!
And the scholars offer their two cents worth on the subject by saying that ‘We cannot be separated from God’s LOVE, because it is set forth in a person who is God Himself, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. God’s desire to redeem believers cannot be frustrated, because He is infinitely greater than any potential enemy. His plan will be realized because it is His purpose. (Rom. 8:28).’ And all of that’s gospel truth friends, so for our sake, our peace of mind and salvation, we had better believe it!
And just for added protection (smile) let’s add this other uplifting promise from our omnipotent God, this one when the Lord called Jeremiah to be His spokesperson. He told him in no uncertain terms. ‘And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee.’ (Jer. 1:19) More food for spiritual strength my people! (smile) And can we ever use all the help possible. And when yuh talking about help, well brethren, there’s only one place to go: to the throne room of heaven with confident, sincere prayer. So let’s do that right now nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
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 after asking for divine favour through prayer, it’s then wise to keep whatever promises you’ve made, for as Cousin Sol says as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes: ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it: for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl. 5:4-5) No wonder Cousin Sol is considered the wisest man who ever lived. (smile) Much food for thought today friends, please don’t let it go to waste. Much LOVE!
…if you sincerely believe in God…then God won’t let you down…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ
30 Mar 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: always abounding in the work of the Lord, Christ's sacrificial death, conquered the prince of darkness, do all things without murmurings and disputings, do it heartily as unto the Lord, endure to the end, from the Lord, give credence to one's witness, God is not unrighteous, halfway home, hands on the plough, hit the nail on the head, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, labour of LOVE, no weapon formed against thee shall prosper, not looking back, receive the reward of the inheritance, spiritual damage, stand strong and steadfast in faith, strife and bickering, suffer no moral damage, thanks be to God who gives us the victory, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the heritage of the servants of the Lord, the sons of God, through him that loved us, to a glorious future with Jesus, to forget your work, true Christian witness, we are more than conquerors, Wednesday Wail, whatsoever ye do, without rebuke, ye may be blameless and harmless, ye shine as lights in the world, your labour is not in vain
1 Corinthians 15:57. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like today’s going to be as magnificent a day as yesterday, because there are dark storm clouds all around the skies. But I have no doubt that we will persevere in spite of whatever comes against us this Wednesday, the penultimate day of March 2022, be it rain or snow…or even shine. (smile)
Why? Because we have been anointed as mighty conquerors in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Bruh Paul said it thus: ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:37) And the prophet Isaiah was even more forceful and confident when he declared many moons ago: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17)
That’s why we can be strong and steadfast in our faith my faithful brethren in Christ! Yes, many will rise up against us and try to put us down, try to silence us, even by leading us like lambs to the slaughter, when we speak of Christ Jesus, sharing the good news of His majestic gospel, brimming with forgiveness of sins, salvation and eternal life, but they will not succeed, because our Lord and Saviour has conquered the prince of darkness and his evil empire through His sacrificial death and resurrection! Glory be!
And Bruh Paul spelled it out in even greater detail in his first letter to the church at Corinth, where, quoting the prophets Isaiah (25.8) and Hosea (13:14) he told them: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain (futile) in the Lord.’ (1 Cor. 15:54-58)
Oh Mama, Mama! What encouraging words my fellow saints in Christ! Yes friends, our work for the Lord will not be in vain, for as the author of Hebrews writes: ‘For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of LOVE, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.’ (Heb. 6:10)
But there are a couple of scriptural reminders I think we need to hear as regards doing the Lord’s work. The first one comes from Bruh Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, where he reminds them: ‘For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of (according to) his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings. That ye may be blameless and harmless (innocent), the sons (children) of God, without rebuke (fault), in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation (generation), among whom ye shine as lights in the world.’ (Phil. 2:13-15)
Now that’s indeed a very interesting scripture, and the scholars offer this explanation to it. ‘2:14. Since God is producing in the Philippians the willing and doing of His good and perfect will (vs.13), there can be no legitimate reason for murmurings and disputings. Not only are they forbidden to complain about the difficulties and persecutions that will befall them in carrying out God’s good pleasure, but quarrelling among themselves is also prohibited.’ And doesn’t that hit the nail on the head? It certainly does! For if God is working in us to do His good will, why then should there be need for complaints and disputes eh? No reason whatsoever!.
And I like what the scholars say about ‘2:15. If the readers obey the commands of verses 12-14, they will be blameless (that’s innocent of any accusations), and harmless (i.e. morally pure). But due to party strife and bickering, this is now not true of them.’ Wow! The Corinthians were bickering and divided back then just like we are right now. So how in heaven’s name could they be like sons of God in the middle of an evil and wicked generation, without rebuke, like they ought to be, without incurring spiritual damage? No way!
And the same thing applies to our current situation of divisions and disputings within Christ’s church. We therefore could not be held blameless and harmless under any circumstances. And the end to that explanation is even better. (smile) ‘The proper place for God’s people is among the lost. For only in such a position can true Christian witness be borne and influence for the gospel be effectively exerted. Yet believers must remain “without rebuke” in that they suffer no moral damage by contact with the unsaved. Then among unbelievers they will shine forth as lights in the world. As stars are readily noticeable in a dark sky, so healthy Christian lives stand out in testimony among the lost and give credence to one’s witness.’
Now that certainly calls for another ‘Wow!’ Because it’s the gospel truth! However, it’s not so easily attained, since it calls for lots of sacrifice, LOVE, mercy, grace and forgiveness, even when temptations and tribulations are coming against us like mad. But then, on the other hand, that’s exactly what the Christian life, truly living for Jesus, is all about. And no, Christ doesn’t expect us to be perfect, because He knows that He is the ONLY perfect One, but He does expect us to try our very best. Sadly though, a lot of us supposed believers are not trying hard enough, and many are not trying at all! So how then can we shine forth as bright lights in this evil world, and be good testimony to Christ’s gospel eh? We can’t!
And this is the last scripture I want to share on the subject of doing God’s will. Bruh Paul said very sternly to the Colossians: ‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance (salvation); for ye serve the Lord Christ.’ (Col. 3:23-24) Oh my people, whether we be slave or free, whatever we do in this life, we ought to do it as though we’re doing it to God and not to men, although they might have current dominion over us, because it’s God who will reward us in the end. Please, let’s not forget that and raise the level of our Christian witness as is so necessary in these trying times.
Now, for those of us who are sincerely trying to do all that we’ve spoken of, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and confident voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And it behooves us now to endure until the end, because then the future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. Much LOVE!
…am I ever looking forward to that more than glorious future…because I intend to be there at the end…hope you are too…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
SCRIP-BITS 