18 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a path to spiritual freedomtrue purpose, a tough row to hoe, absolute loyalty to Christ is paramount, aligining yourself with God's divine viewpoint, all to Him I freely give, All to Jesus I surrender, all to thee my blessed Saviour, amazing rest and peace, as docile as a lamb, be not conformed to this world, be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, change our way of thinking, discipleship, divine blessings, enable us to handle another week, faith, family ties must be secondary, father if thou be willing, fill me with thy love and power, follow me, fully yielding your will to god's, give praise and thanks, glory to his name, God will provide us with strength mercy courage and grace, hate his own life also, hate not his mother and father, he cannot be my disciple, humbly at his feet I bow, humility, I feel the sacred flame, I surrender all, I will ever love and trust Him, I will make you fishers of men, if any man will come after me, in his presence daily live, intimacy with god, Jesus Christ, Jesus' surrender to the Father's will, let him deny himself, let thy blessing fall on me, leting go of self-centred control, LOVE, make me Saviour wholly thine, make the pilrimage to the Lord's sanctuary, mercy, no fear or anxiety, not my will but thine, obedience, Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus, prove the good and perfect will of God, remove this cup from me, salvation, song of worship, surrender, surrendered and dedicated my life to christian service, surrendering our all to Jesus, sweet sacrifices of praise, take me Jesus take me now, take up his cross daily and follow me, the Christian faith, the joy of full salvation, the most momentous moment of our lives, the power of surrendering to God, they straightway left their nets and followed him, this evil and ungodly world, trust god to provide for us, truth, wisdom, worldly pleasures all forsaken, worship
Luke 22:42. Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.
One more Sunday morning amongst the many in our lives, my fellow believers, (smile) meaning that we should make the pilgrimage to the Lord’s sanctuary to worship, give praise and thanks and receive divine blessings to enable us to handle another week in this evil and ungodly world! Now, though it’s a rather chilly Sunday, that should be offset by the bright rays of sunshine filtering through the cloud cover.
And for today’s song of worship, we’ll sing an old favourite written around 1896 by the American Hymnwriter Judson W. Van De Venter (1855-1939), most aptly titled ‘All to Jesus I Surrender.’ And how did the song come about? According to Reynolds (Companion to the Baptist Hymnal), the author apparently stated it was written “in memory of the time when, after a long struggle, I had surrendered and dedicated my life to active Christian service.” And that’s what ALL believers are called to do!
But more on that later. Right now, let’s raise our voices in sweet sacrifices of praise in a soulful, heartwarming, heartfelt, mid-tempo version of the song. Singing: ‘All to Jesus I surrender. All to Him I freely give; I will ever LOVE and trust Him, In His presence daily live. (Refrain: I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Saviour, I surrender all.) All to Jesus I surrender, Humbly at His feet I bow, Worldly pleasures all forsaken. Take me, Jesus, take me now. (Refrain: I surrender all..) All to Jesus I surrender, Make me, Saviour, wholly Thine; Let me feel the Holy Spirit, Truly know that Thou art mine.
(Refrain: I surrender all…) All to Jesus I surrender, Lord, I give myself to Thee; Fill me with Thy LOVE and power, Let Thy blessing fall on me. (Refrain: I surrender all…) All to Jesus I surrender, Now I feel the sacred flame; Oh, the joy of full salvation! Glory, glory, to His name! (Refrain: I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Saviour, I surrender all…I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Saviour, I surrender all… All to Thee, my blessed Saviour, I surrender all…’
That was a great rendition friends! And isn’t surrendering our all to Jesus the most momentous moment of our lives? It most certainly is! And I like what this commentary says about the hymn. ‘The song “I Surrender” is a beautiful reminder of the power of surrendering to God and trusting in Him. When we surrender to God, He will provide us with strength, courage, mercy, and grace. We can trust Him to take care of us and provide for us. May we all remember to surrender to God and trust in Him.’ And that’s exactly what the Christian faith and life are all about; surrendering ourselves to Jesus!
Now, before we get into the heart of the matter, (smile) it might be best to define what it means to surrender in biblical terms. This commentary explains it thus: ‘Biblically, surrender means fully yielding your own will, plans, and desires to God’s will, submitting to His authority, and trusting His sovereignty, which is seen not as weakness but as a path to spiritual freedom, true purpose, and intimacy with Him, often involving obedience, humility, and letting go of self-centered control. It’s about putting a “white flag” up to God, trusting He can handle your anxieties and lead you better than you can yourself, aligning your life with His divine viewpoint.’
And that’s indeed a tough row to hoe in this turbulent and ungodly society, but it’s what our discipleship calls for. As Jesus so succinctly puts it: (smile) ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Now that’s what we are called to do daily, not when we feel like it. And it’s not the easiest thing to do, especially when Jesus breaks it down thus: ‘If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren (brothers), and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosever doth not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.’ (Luke 14:26-27)
Oh, we know that Jesus doesn’t truly mean we should hate our families, but as the scholars point out: ‘In comparison to one’s devotion to Christ, one’s family ties must be secondary. This does not set aside Jesus’ other teachings to LOVE one’s enemies, to honour father and mother, and the like. It does highlight though that absolute loyalty to Christ is paramount, not the either-or that the verse sets up and so many societies adhere to.’
And the easiest way to begin living for Christ is by doing like Bruh Paul advocates to the Roman church: ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.’ (Rom. 12:2) The first thing we must do is change our way of thinking from that of the world to that of Jesus. And we know that’s not easy either, but with Jesus’ help we can certainly do it.
And it won’t be right to close without a couple examples of biblical surrender. The first is when Jesus called the brothers Peter and Andrew, two fishermen in the process of casting their nets. He simply said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him’ (Matt. 4:18-20) Imagine that nuh! They left their livelihood just like that to follow an itinerant preacher. And it’s the same thing James and John did when He called them soon after. They were mending their nets with their father on their ship. The Bible tells us: ‘They immediately left the ship and their father and followed him’ (Matt. 4:21-22)
Wow! Not many of us would do that on such short notice. But that’s exactly what discipleship calls for! And possibly the greatest surrender in human form might be Bruh Paul himself; an abuser and killer of the brethren when known as Saul, but after Jesus knocked him off his horse and blinded him on the way to Damascus to persecute more Christians, he became as docile as a lamb, and went quietly into Jesus’ service, with his name changed to Paul, to become one of the most hardworking and zealous apostles of them all. And you can find Bruh Paul’s story in Acts 9.
And the best example of surrendering is obviously Jesus’ surrender to His Father’s will, to come to earth and die to save a bunch of ungrateful sinners. As He says in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before His crucifixion, when His soul was in much torment at the dreadful situation he faced: ‘Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.’ (Luke 22:42)
Now that’s how we all ought to be when the Lord calls on us. So please, let’s ponder our individual responses to Jesus today, and see where we can make improvements in our attitude of surrender. Much LOVE!
…there’s such amazing rest and peace…with no fear or anxiety…when we surrender our all to God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all actions have consequences, be not conformed to this world, be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, bodily exercise profiteth little, carnal pleasures, Christian service, diligent in prayer, disobedyed your word, divine aid, eternally separated from God, eternity with the Godhead, even as I am not of the world, evil wiles, exercise thyself rather unto godliness, faith, fellowshipping with others, followers of Christ, given them thy word, godliness is profitable unto all things, have my joy fulfilled in themselves, holy spirit, humble ourselves and pray, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus and his righteousness, Jesus Christ, keep them from the evil one, life is moving on, live for Jesus, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, mercy, no precipitation, obedience, pray, promise of the life that is now, prove what is that good and acceptable perfect will of God, reforming our thinking, refuse profane and old wives fables, resist being poured into the mold of the world, s avowed purpose, salvation, same old same old, Satan, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, sincerely seek your face, spiritual exercise has unlimited value, spiritual life, spiritually dead, stop thinking like the world does, strong faith in Christ, take as many people as possible to eternal death, temptations, the bells of toil have tolled, the BIBLE, the God who heals, the gospel truth, the life Jesus upholds, the life of the secular world, the life that is to come, the power to solve our many problems, the throne of grace, the world hath hated them, they are not of the world, this is a faithful saying, truth, turn away from God, turn from our evil ways, what kind of life wre we moving on with, wisdom, worthy of all acceptance
John 17:16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
And the bells of toil have tolled once more this Monday morning, to begin a new week of the same old, same old work! And it’s dark, cloudy and cold, but thankfully dry, with no kind of precipitation making it messy like last Monday. Ah friends, life’s moving on, and if we don’t move on with it we’ll get left behind. The problem though is what kind of life are we moving on with? Is it the one that the secular world proposes, or the one that Jesus desires us to participate in?
And though we’re in the same world, the two ways of life are very different. One looks to the world and all it’s carnal pleasures, while the other looks to Jesus and His righteousness. And just like our everyday actions have consequences, so too do our long term actions in terms of the type of life we live. If we live like the secular world does, we’ll end up spiritually dead and eternally separated from Almighty God, our Wonderful Creator. If you live for Jesus, then you’ll enjoy spiritual life and eternity with the Godhead.
And Jesus specified the difference He expected from His followers when He prayed for the disciples: ‘And now I come to thee (Father); and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that you shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil (one). They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.’ (John 17:13-16)
That means as followers of Jesus we must live in the world but not as the world lives. And that’s much easier said than done, but that’s why He has provided the Holy Spirit, His Word, the Bible, and whatever else we need to help us do it. And we know that once we claim to be followers of Christ that the evil one, Satan, will do his very best through all sorts of evil wiles and temptations to get us to do wrong and eventually turn away from God, thus ending up in hellfire and damnation with him. That is his avowed purpose; to carry as many as possible to eternal death with him.
But we do have some reassuring and encouraging scriptures, like the one above there from Jesus, which helps us not to fall for the temptations of the evil one. Then we have encouraging words like these from Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.’ (Rom. 12:2) Yes friends, to stay out of the world’s evil clutches we must stop conforming to what the world thinks is right.
The scholars say: ‘They are to resist being poured into the mold of the present thinking, value systems and conduct of this world.’ And the only way to do that is by reforming our thinking, stop thinking like the world does, and think like Jesus would have us. Which is to ‘Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) Yes my people, God has faithfully promised to look after all our needs if we place Him first and foremost in our lives.
And I like how Bruh Pul puts it to Timothy when he tells him about false teachers. ‘But refuse (reject) profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.’ (1 Tim. 4:7-9)
In other words, as the scholars explain verse 7: We need to reject all the false doctrines propagated in the myths and fables, because they promote ungodliness. ‘Not only must Timothy avoid false teaching, he must spare himself no pain and effort to be pious. Godliness does not come automatically. To attain holiness he must be diligent in prayer, Bible study, obedience, fellowshipping with other believers, and Christian service.’ Now that does not only pertain to Timothy but to all believers! We have to get involved in all those activities to the extent possible if we are to attain some form of godliness down here on earth.
And per verse 8, they paraphrase it to read: ‘For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness, the result of spiritual exercise, has unlimited value, since it brings blessings for both now and eternity.’ And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! Godliness is good for both now and forever! So with that in mind let’s go to the throne of grace, though our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid to help us become and stay godly.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And right there in our prayer, we see what it takes for us to get divine aid: ‘humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek God’s face.’ So please, let’s get serious about doing that nuh…if we truly desire divine aid! Much LOVE!
…the only thing truly worth seeking in this world…is GODLINESS…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a happy wife makes for a happy life, an option of turning away from sin, ate of the forbidden fruit, be more obedient in the future, because of God's great love, behind the eight ball, better late than never, endure to the end with Christ, Eve beguiled by the serpent, even our faith, everyone that loves him who begat, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, for loving me enough to die for me, get down to brass tacks, glad to be alive, God's commandments are not burdensome, halfway home, hands on the plough, hang all the law and the prophets, he that believes Jesus is the Son of God, help me to discern your voice, his commandments are not grievous, holy spirit, I experience true joy, if you love me keep my commandments, in living colour, Jesus came and died for us, Jesus Christ, keep me close, let your love grow as you follow him, Lord jesus, LOVE, love the Lord with all thy heart soul and mind, Love thy neighbour as thyself, loves him also that is begotten, mercy, not turning back, obedience, on these two commandments, ponder the words of Jesus in scripture, salvation, sin and death entered the world, thank God, thank you, that we keep his commandments, the awesome grace and mercy of Jesus, the biggest misunderstanding between God and man, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the first and great commandment, the Garden of Eden, the late bus, the second is like unto it, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, this is the love of God, this is the victory that overcometh the world, to a glorious future with Jesus, to resist distractions that draw me away from you, truth, we love the children of God, Wednesday Wail, whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world, when I obey you, when my eyes are fixed on you, when we love God and keep his commandments, which is the great commandment, who is he that overcometh the world, whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, wisdom, your burden is indeed light, your commands are a pleasure, your fellowship my greatest reward
John 14:15. If you LOVE me, keep my commandments.
And the rain ceased, although it was mostly drizzle, and therefore Wednesday opened bright and sunshiny once more, though somewhat windy and cool, with a small bit of cloud cover. But the important thing is seeing the sun and feeling at least some of its effects. Unfortunately though friends, today we’re on the late, late bus, because I went to my church group this morning, then immediately after went out to breakfast with the Duchess, because today is her Special Day. And it’s obvious after all that activity, the ole fella needed to rest and recoup his energy, before I could tackle writing the Bit. (smile)
However, when I got up, the Duchess insisted on me doing a couple of chores she felt could not wait, and although I disagreed, I went along with her contention. You know the old adage; a happy wife makes for a happy life. And to make matters worse, just as I sat down to write the Bit, a sick friend called to inform me of his illness. Obviously I had to sit and talk with him for a while, which set me even further behind the eight ball. But as they say, better late then never. So now that you know the story of my life, (smile) let’s get down to brass-tacks and see what the Lord wants us to talk about today.
And His desire seems to be the biggest obstacle or misunderstanding between Him and his human creation; that’s the subject of OBEDIENCE! Yes friends, from day one, obedience has been the major disagreement between God and man. We see it in Genesis 3, where our first mother was beguiled by the evil serpent into eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the Garden of Eden, which the Lord forbade them from eating. And her foolish husband, Adam, allowed her to lead him astray into also eating the forbidden fruit, when he should have known better.
And I have to chuckle at Eve’s excuse when God asked her about her disobedience. She said, ‘The serpent beguiled (deceived) me, and I did eat.’ (Gen. 3:13) And unfortunately from that day to this, sin and death and all the negative evils we now suffer, invaded our world. But eventually, the Lord, because of His great LOVE for us, sent His Son Jesus to die on our behalf and thus give us an opportunity, an option of turning away from sin. But before we get into the meat of the subject, here’s an interesting prayer on obedience, as offered by the In Touch People on the prayer cards they recently sent out.
Please pray with me: ‘Lord Jesus, thank You for LOVING me enough to die for me. I owe you everything, and I want to show You my LOVE through obedience. Keep me close. When my eyes are fixed on you, Your commands are a pleasure. Help me to discern Your voice and to resist the distractions that draw me away from You. For when I obey you, I experience true joy. Your burden is indeed light, and your fellowship my greatest reward.’ And all God’s people said a loud and sincere ‘Amen!’
Yes my fellow believers, joy and good fellowship with Christ is exactly what we receive when we are obedient to his commands. And all through His earthly sojourn, Jesus was adamant about people being true to what He desired. And the scripture verse attached to the above prayer was none other than Christ’s simple, but oh so important declaration to the disciples, and consequently to all believers: ‘If you LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) Now that says it all my brethren! If we truly LOVE Jesus, then we’ll do as He says.
And John, in his first epistle, clearly spells it out, when he writes. ‘Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that LOVETH him that begat LOVETH him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we LOVE the children of God, when we LOVE God, and keep his commandments. For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome). For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?’ (1 John 5:1-5)
There we have it in living colour friends! LOVING Jesus means keeping His commandments, which also includes LOVING ourselves and our fellow human beings. Remember when the foppish Pharisee lawyer, trying to tie up Jesus, asked, ‘Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord 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: 36-40)
In other words, all that the prophets had been teaching, and all the laws they had proclaimed, basically called for the keeping of those two commandments. Yes my fellow believers, the Bible is simply a means of God showing us how important it is to keep His commandments. And most of us who try to keep them know that they can sometimes be tough, but they are definitely not burdensome, for Jesus in His awesome grace and mercy aided by His Holy Spirit, helps us to keep them.
And now that we’ve had an overview of obedience and what it entails, let’s promise ourselves and our God that we will indeed try to be more obedient in the future. That means we can now go home 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 it’s been further promised that all who endure with Jesus to the very end, will indeed experience such a glorious future, that their finite minds cannot think or imagine. So, wisdom dictates that we are obedient, and endure to the end, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…ponder the words of Jesus in scripture…and let your LOVE grow…as you follow Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: amidst all the anxiety and confusion, be as a tree planted by the waters, be fat and flourishing, be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, be responisble, blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, blessed is the man that walketh not in the way of the ungodly, bring forth fruit in their old age, brings forth his fruit in his season, by the example your faithful believers set, cease from bearing fruit, crying out for your help, day and night, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, depart from evil, discontent, dissatisfaction, do good, doesn't take your fancy, dwell for evermore, dwell therein for ever, faith, flourish in the courts of God, Friday chant, God's promises for the righteous, gospel truth, grow in spirituality, grow like a cedar in Lebanon, he delights in his way, he is always merciful and lendeth, he shall exalt thee to inherit the land, he shall not be utterly cast down, heavenly Father, her leaf shall be green, his delight is in the law of the Lord, his leaf shall not wither, his seed begging bread, hit the ball out of the park, holy spirit, I have been young and now am old, I have not seen the righteous forsaken, in his law doth he meditate, insufficient Christian witness, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, keep his way, lean on God's everlasting arms, LOVE, mercy, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, nor stands in the way of sinners, not afraid of whatever comes against him, obedience, omnipotent help, our sinful world, positive chages, problems escalating, Psalm 23, restoring faith in you, return backsliders to your fold, righteousness, salvation, shall not be careful in the year of drought, shall not fear when heat comes, show them the error of their ways, spreading our slat and light, spreads out her roots by the river, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, step up to the plate, strong faith in God, strong roots planted in God, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the Lord forsakes not his saints, The Lord is my rock, The Lord is my shepherd, the Lord loves justice, the Lord upholds him with his hand, the necessities of life, the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree, the righteous shall inherit the land, the seed of the wicked shall be cut off, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, there is no unrighteousness, these ungodly times, they are preserved for ever, though he fall, to enjoy the good life one must live the good life, to shew that the Lord is upright, to show that the Lord is upright, too much a part of the world, trust God's every word, trusting faith, truth, unbelievers could be attracted to jesus, unexpected storms, wait on the Lord, wake up and smell the coffee, whatsoever he does shall prosper, when the wicked are cut off, whose hope the Lord is, wisdom, wise guidance
Psalm 92:12. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon (strong and tall).
And then, at long last, it was our favourite workday, Friday. And although the sun’s not as hot and shining as we might like it, with a few clouds overhead, it doesn’t stop those shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ from rising on high. I guess it would take a really terrible Friday to stop those shouts from rising up. (smile) Anyway, since God has spared our lives to see another day on His beautiful planet earth, that’s sadly beset by all kinds of disasters, both natural and man-made, let’s keep our promise of yesterday to check out God’s promises for the righteous, having seen how He intends to utterly destroy the wicked.
And one of the best scriptures on God’s blessing on the righteous is found in Psalm 1, aptly titled – Blessings on the Godly. The psalmist opens with this awesome proclamation: ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, 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 doth he meditate (ponder on) day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps. 1:1-3)
Wow! What a wonderful blessing the Lord proclaims for the righteous! And if that scripture doesn’t take your fancy, then try this one from Psalm 92, titled – Give Thaks to God. The psalmist confidently declares: ‘The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon (strong and tall). Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall bring forth fruit in their old age; they shall be fat and flourishing (plump and green); To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.’ (Ps. 92:12-15)
Now, that’s the indisputable truth! There is no unrighteousness whatsoever in the Lord God Almighty! That’s why we can trust His every word and lean on His everlasting arms without fear! And even in their old age, the righteous will still be flourishing bringing forth good fruit, because the Lord is with them. But if you still don’t believe, then try this word from the prophet Jeremiah. ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (fear) when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful (anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.’ (Jer. 17:8)
Another wonderful verse of the Lord’s blessing upon the righteous! And you might be wondering why all these metaphors about trees planted by water. That’s because in the old time agrarian society, where farming was a major part of life, it was much easier for them to understand that kind of comparison. And furthermore, when you receive Christ as Lord and Saviour, afterwards you don’t just sit around and do nothing, No, you’re expected to grow in spirituality and obedience, in faith and righteousness.
And what better way to explain that than by talking about trees planted by a plentiful supply of water with long, strong roots that go deep into the ground, and bear good fruit even in a season of drought. That’s how the righteous Christian ought to be; with strong roots planted in God and His Word, not afraid of whatever comes against him because of his strong faith in His Creator and Giver of Life, who blesses Him with all the necessities of life.
And Psalm 37 further tells us: ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and am now 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. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. For the Lord LOVETH judgement (justice), and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.’ (Ps. 37:23-29)
Now, you cannot want better testimony than that! Straight from the personal experience of Bruh David. He was a man just like us, with all our faults and foibles, but He trusted the Lord with all of his heart, and though his life was not easy, he still ended up victorious because of the Lord’s faithfulness. And he perfectly describes the Lord’s faithfulness and blessings on the righteous in his famous and heartfelt Psalm 23 – the Lord is My shepherd. Perhaps you should take a minute afterwards and check it out and see how rich and wonderful it is in godly faithfulness and blessings. (smile)
In the meanwhile please follow these most reassuring words of Bruh David from Psalm 37. ‘Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.’ (Ps. 37:34) And that’s the gospel truth my people! Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help in these tough and turbulent times.
Altogether: ‘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 truthfully, one of the major reasons for the chaotic state of our world is insufficient Christian witness. We have been too much a part of the world, rather than being apart from it and spreading our marvellous salt and light so that the unbelievers could be attracted to Jesus. And if we want to see productive and positive changes in our world, then we have to step up to the plate and hit the ball out of the park. And do it right now! It’s as simple as that my faithful brethren! Much LOVE!
…to enjoy the good life…one must live the good life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a free for all, a hard task master, a heart full of love, a man's enemies are the men of his own house, a more godly being, according to the fruit of his doings, adulteries, arrogance, be careful what we allow in our hearts, blasphemy, blustery winds, christianity, closer intimacy with God, compassion, created in the image of God, deceitful hearts, deepen my breath, desperately wicked, every man did that which was right in his own eyes, faith, filled with hope, for out of it flow the issues of life, fornications, fraud, from her that lieth in thy bosom, God tests the hearts and minds of the righteous, God's greatest attribute is love, goodness, great sinfulness, greed, hardship, heartfelt sincerity, holy spirit, I marvel to think, I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, if there be any wicked way in me, increase my awareness of you today, incurably sick, intimacy, Jesus Christ, keep the doors of thy mouth, keep thy heart with all diligence, know my anxious thoughts, know my heart, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lead me in the way everlasting, Lord I praise you, Lord I want o be with you now, LOVE, mercy, no honour in a man's' word, nothing from without a man can defile him, obedience, out of the heart of men, out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, pride, put ye not confidence in a guide, quiet my soul, receive God's help, relax my muscles, salvation, Satan, search me O God, self-aggrandizement, slow my thoughts, strife, test the mind, tests our faith and love, thank you for this tenderness, that I may know you all the more, the BIBLE, the daughter rises up against her mother, the heart is deceitful above all things, the Master Deceiver, the motives of our hearts, the son dishonours the father, the things which come out of a man defile him, there was no king in Israel, to give every man according to his ways, trust ye not in a friend, truth, try me, unwise to trust others, waiting in the wings, who can know it, wickedness come naturally to man's sinful nature, wisdom, you are here with me, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present, your unceasing nearness
Jeremiah 17:9. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?
Awright friends, our lazy-day Saturday is here, sunny with a touch of cloudiness and a little warmer than yesterday, but it opened with the same blustery winds that created havoc yesterday. Right now it seems to have settled down somewhat, but who knows what later will bring. But we won’t worry, just hope that if it does restart, it won’t do any serious damage. In the meantime, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, seeking closer intimacy with our wonderful God.
As one strong and 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 with the heartfelt sincerity in which we offered up that prayer, the Lord simply cannot refuse our request, because His greatest attribute is LOVE, which includes closeness, caring, compassion and intimacy, and from day one He’s been asking us to LOVE Him more. So how can He refuse when we come to Him with a heart full of LOVE eh? No way!
However, please note that the Lord doesn’t fall for our outward manifestations, but first checks the motives of our hearts before He makes a move. Remember what He says in Jeremiah? The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try (test) the reins (mind), even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.’ (Jer. 17:9-10)
And how does the Lord test our hearts? This commentary tells us: ‘God tests the hearts and minds of the righteous. He tests our faith and LOVE by means of obedience and hardship. He sometimes withdraws to test us. The Messiah refines His people by fire.’ So being a true believer is no Sunday afternoon walk in the park., for it takes guts and discipline. That’s why Bruh David could offer up these heartfelt words: ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my (anxious) thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ (Ps. 139:23-24)
Now that’s an interesting prayer that we can all offer up, for we know from personal experience as well as worldwide knowledge, that the heart of man is the most deceitful thing in God’s great universe! Just look around at our world today and you’ll see that all the strife, all the greed, all the fraud, arrogance and self-aggrandizement come from deceitful hearts. We blatantly make promises with no intention of keeping them. There’s no longer any honour in a man’s word. Everything’s become lawless, a free for all. We’re daily becoming more like old time Israel, when the Bible tells us: ‘In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.’ (Judg. 21:25)
Unfortunately, that’s the way we seem to be travelling my brethren, for even with an abundance of dictators and despotic leaders, man’s natural gravitation to lawlessness, to doing what He himself desires, is very strong. And don’t forget that the Master Deceiver, Satan, is always waiting in the wings with a deceitful word and smile to encourage us to go our own way. That’s why these days it’s so unwise to trust others. We have to be so wary, even with our own family.
The prophet Micah said it a long time ago, revealing the deep societal decay within Israel, and it’s the same today. ‘Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide (companion): keep (guard) the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.’ (Mic. 7:5-6) And sadly my brethren we can see that taking place all over our world right now. For wickedness comes naturally to man’s sinful nature.
Remember what Jesus said about that? ‘There is nothing from without (outside) a man that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile a man. …That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye (licentiousness), blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.’ (Mark 7:15; 20-23)
And if you’re alive today, and of sane mind, you will see that all those evil things are currently very prevalent in our society, in fact ruling the roost. No wonder, Cousin Sol, the wisest man ever, could write a long time ago: ‘Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.’ (Prov. 4:23) And this commentary explains that verse thus: “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” Our heart is our mind—it’s what we think and believe with, feel with, choose with, and judge with. Solomon warns us to be careful what we allow into our hearts.’
And there’s no better time to start doing that than right now my faithful believers, when our world is in such chaos and disarray! It’s so sad, that at the height of our evolution, we seem to be returning to our warlike, animalistic roots, and not moving upwards to a more godly, peaceful and LOVING being, created in the wonderful image of our great God. It must break His heart every day, when He looks down upon His creation and see what a mess they are making of His universe.
But don’t worry, one thing we, His true disciples are filled with is HOPE; a hope for a brighter day, a brighter future which we are slowly and painstakingly working towards. So let’s stay strong, look up, and receive God’s help and encouragement to turn things around. For that’s why we’re here at this particular time! And we pray it all in Jesus name! Amen! Much LOVE my brethren!
…sinfulness comes easily to us…but goodness is a hard task master…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
31 Mar 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dry and cloudy day, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a woman of sorrowful spirit, all ye that labour, barren for many years, christianity, Christians, come unto me, covenant relationships, dance to God's music, day and night, divine help, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, faithfulness, feel lost and helpless, find rest unto your souls, for the help of his countenance, gentle and humble, go out like a lion, God is a refuge for us, God is the the wisest being in the universe, good riddance to you, Hannah, he is my defence, He only is my rock and my salvation, heavy laden, help in troubled times, holy spirit, hope thou in God, humble ourselves, humble servants, I am meek and lowly in heart, I shall not be moved, I shall yet praise him, I will give you rest, In God is my salvation and my glory, it takes two to tango, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep Jesus first and foremost, LOVE, mercy, my burden light, my expectation is only from him, my hope is only in God, my refuge is in God, my soul, my soul thirsts for God, my tears have been my meat, my yoke is easy, negative situations, obedience, Our Father, pour out your heart before him, poured out my soul before the Lord, praise Your Holy Name, pray, prosper us, raise up your faith, salvation, seek your face, Selah, severe ice storms, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerity, sinned and disobeyed your Word, spiritually or physically dark, sunshine peeping through the clouds, take my yoke upon you, thank you for life and strong faith in Christ, the BIBLE, the everlasting truth, the God who heals, the great invitation, the last day of March, the mass confusion in our world, the most appropriate person to ask for help, the power to solve our many problems, the prophet Samuel's mother, the rock of my strength, the throne of grace, the wisest move, to shine a little light in our lives, truth, turn from our evil ways, turn to Almighty God for help, turn to God for guidance, ungodly times, wait thou only upon God, went with them to the house of God, where is thy God, who art in heaven, Why art thou cast down o my soul, why art thou disquieted within me, wisdom, with the voice of joy and praise, ye people
Psalm 62:8. Trust in him (the Lord) at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
And this last day of March, which began as a wet and miserable, dangerous Monday, has by midday, thankfully become a somewhat dry and cloudy day with a bit of sunshine peeping through the clouds. It’s been a tough weekend, what with the constant rain in most of the city and severe ice-storms on the outskirts, that left many people without heat and light for several days. And it’s definitely not a pleasant scenario when you have no heat or light, your food is spoiling, and when you look out, or venture to go out, all around you are trees, buildings and roads covered with dangerous ice.
Some people even complained about tree branches, laden by the weight of the ice falling on their houses and being incapable of doing anything about it. And the ice storms are infinitely more dangerous and problematic since you can’t clean them up as easily as the snow storms. So, it seems the month of March intends to go out like a lion, just as it came in. Well good riddance to you! (smile)
Ah friends, in such situations the wisest move is to raise up your faith and turn to Almighty God for help, with prayerful words like these from Psalm 62. ‘My soul, (silently) wait thou only upon God; for my expectation (hope) is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved (shaken). In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.’ (Ps. 62:5-7)
Yes my people, when our world is dark, either physically or spiritually, or both, and we’re not sure what to do, our faith must be strong enough to automatically turn us to God for guidance and to shine a li’l light in our lives. And these words of Bruh David in the next verse of Psalm 62, exemplify exactly what we mean. He solemnly declares: ‘Trust in him (the Lord) at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’ (Ps. 62:8)
And that’s certainly the everlasting truth! For God is our Creator, He’s wiser and more powerful than us. Actually, He’s the wisest and most powerful being in the entire universe, therefore in times of trouble, He’s the most appropriate person to turn to for help. And there are a couple of perfect examples of troubled people doing just that.
The first one is Hannah, the prophet Samuel’s mother. She had been barren for many years and thus looked down upon as unworthy of being a wife, but one day she got her act together went into the temple and cried out to the Lord for a child. The priest Eli saw her mumbling and thought she was drunk. ‘And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.’ (1 Sam. 1:15)
Meanwhile in Psalm 42 -My Soul Thirsts for the Lord – Bruh David is having his problems, is hungering for God, and thus poignantly writes: ‘My tears have been my meat (food) day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday (a pilgrim feast). Why art thou cast (bowed) down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).’ (Ps. 42:3-5)
Yes my brethren, both Hannah and Bruh David poured out their souls to the Lord in their time of need, and He came through for them. Hannah got the son she desired, Samuel, and Bruh David eventually found the peace of mind he was seeking. So it’s very good advice to turn to Almighty God for help in troubled times. Furthermore, throughout His Word, the Bible, He’s promised on numerous occasions to help us when we feel lost and helpless, but we need to make the initial approach.
And what greater promise of help is there than Jesus’ Great Invitation? None whatsoever! He states with heartfelt sincerity: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) Now, who else could make such an outstanding promise and also have the awesome power to keep it eh? Only our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! That’s why it’s of the utmost importance to keep Him first and foremost in our lives.
So, since we’re all in a spot of trouble, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid in these crazy and ungodly times. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now friends, let’s remember that it takes two to tango, so therefore, if we need divine help, then we’ve got to do our part and dance…dance to God’s music of obedience, faithfulness, sincerity, etc. etc. Much LOVE!
…covenant relationships cannot be successful…if only one partner is keeping there part of the covenant…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
14 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, anxiety, as long as there's life there's always hope in God, as the hart panteth after the water brooks, Bible, Chistianaity, Christians, confusion, deep longing for God, divine aid, every morning is a fresh beginning, faith, for the help of his countenance, for the hope I have today, Friday chant, give me new direction, goals vanish, God's greatest attribute, guide my steps, holy spirit, hope, hope thou in God, I know you never fail, I shall yet praise him, I take your hand in this place, In you I always have hope, Jesus Christ, longing, LOVE, mercy, my soul thirsteth for god, my tears have been my meat, obedience, omnipotent help, our sinful world, perplexity, prayer on Hope, regret, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, shrouded in darkness, simmering unrest, sing a song of praise, so panteth my soul for thee, sure confidence in God, tempted to fear all is lost, Thank You God, the error of their ways, the living God, the sons of Korah, the throne of grace, the trail ahead, this day of love, trust, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, ungodly times, Valentine's day, wake up and smell the coffee, when plans evaporate, where is thy God, Why art thou cast down o my soul, why art thou disquieted within me, wisdom, with hope anything is possible, without hope there's no real life, witness for Christ, You know the way, you're my light, your great faithfulness
Psalm 42:5. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).
And the shouts went up in loud unison this Valentine’s Day morning: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here!’ That said, a Happy Valentine’s Day to all you my Scrip-Bit friends and families! Let’s hope that this day of LOVE will indeed be one that brings God’s greatest attribute sincerely to our hearts, and stay there after the day is done. Because we talk a lot about LOVE, but many of us don’t know what it really means, or don’t show it enough in our relationships with others.
Anyway, it’s been a bright, sunshiny, though somewhat windy day in my area, but at least the streets are clean and the snow has been mostly removed. I heard the snow crew working diligently all night, until around four this morning to get it done. However, after the 25-30 cm. of snow we recently received, it’s forecasted to have another big downpour this weekend. Let’s hope that there’s enough money in the Snow Removal Budget to clean that up also, and we don’t end up like we’ve done in some past years, with not enough money to facilitate a quick and thorough clean up. (smile)
But you know the most important word in that sentence is the li’l word HOPE! It’s small but ever so powerful, so that without it, one is without true life, but with it, all things are possible. Especially if we have Christ Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. And we’ll dedicate this Valentine’s Day Friday to not only LOVE, but also to HOPE, because, if we have those two things in abundance, we are truly blessed. And we’ll begin with this most appropriate prayer on HOPE, from the recently published Prayer Series of Cards by the In Touch Ministries.
So please pray with me: ‘Thank You, God, for the Hope I have today. The trail ahead is shrouded in darkness, but You’re my light. Though I’m tempted to fear all is lost, I know You never fail. Guide my steps, because You know the way. When plans evaporate and goals vanish, give me new direction. Every morning is a fresh beginning in Your great faithfulness. So I take Your hand in this place and sing a song of praise. In You I always have hope.’ And all God’s people said a loud and sincerely grateful ‘Amen!’
Yes friends, In Christ our Saviour there’s ALWAYS HOPE! Let’s never forget that. And there are no better words from the scriptures to describe our great hope in God than these awesome words from Psalm 42, penned by the Sons of Korah. Please read with me: ‘As the hart panteth after (deer longs for) the water brooks, so panteth (longs) my soul for thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my meat (food) day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday (a pilgrim feast). Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).’ (Ps. 42:1-5) And that’s the best advice we can ever take or give anyone else; continue hoping in God and His amazing presence!
Now we don’t have time for all of the psalm, but these words of explanation from the scholars bring it’s truth home to us. In the first place, they claim that Psalms 42 and 43 could be read as one, and in fact are joined together in some Hebrew texts. So here, they are talking about both psalms together.
‘Using the refrain Hope thou in God as a marker, the poem yields three stanzas. First, the psalmist expresses his deep longing for God (42:1-5); second, his sad lament and dejection before God (42: 6-11); finally, his sure confidence in God (43:1-5). The three stanzas reveal the changing moods of the psalmist: from longing and regret to perplexity, then to trust and assurance. If only every downcast soul could end up in that third stanza!’
Yes friends, if only. However, we can, because we have the true and real hope in God, for when our souls are cast down and disquieted, we can go confidently, but ever so humbly, to the throne of grace, seeking divine aid to help with our earthly problems. So let’s do that right now nuh, go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant for aid in these dire times.
Altogether: ‘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!’
But please remember, divine aid all depends on our level of obedience, trust and the quality of witness we give for Christ. Much LOVE!
…as long as there’s life…there’s ALWAYS HOPE in Almighty God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a constant attitude of prayer, alleviate our problems, anxiety, anxious, be careful for nothing, be of good cheer, be prayerful about everything, Bible, by prayer and supplication, catch your fancy, christianity, Christians, concerning you, death, divine aid, divinely bestowed peace, ease the pain, faith, faith in Christ, give thanks to god, he who has ears to hear let him hear, hear our requests, hell, holy spirit, humble servants, i have overcome the world, in every event or circumstance, in every thing give thanks, in me ye shall have peace, in the face of adversity, irresposibility, Jehovah Rapha, legitimate concern, let not your heart be troubled, let your moderation be known unto all men, let your requests be made known unto God, LOVE, maintain gratitude, mass confusion in our world, mercy, moderation, my peace I give unto you, my thoughts are higher than your thoughts, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are higher than your ways, my ways are not your ways, negative situations, neither let it be afraid, not as the world gives, obedience, passes all understanding, Peace i leave with you, pray without ceasing, propser us, protection, repentance, sacrifice, salvation, seeking God's face, the God who heals, the grave, the heavens are higher than the earth, the Lord is at hand, the peace of God, the promises of Christ, the tools of Christ, the will of God, this is the will of God in Christ, throne of grace, time of need, tranquility of mind, tribulation, truth, turn from our evil ways, wisdom, wise guidance, with thanksgiving
1 Thessalonians 5:18. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Come on down Monday, we’re ready and waiting for you! Hit us with your best shot! But it won’t work, for we have all the tools and promises of Jesus, at the ready, waiting to shoot you down. Therefore, we have taken this scripture from the pen of Bruh Paul to heart. ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:18)
Ah friends, that’s a tough scripture, but one we definitely need to know and totally embrace. And what does it mean? The scholars say that ‘In every event or circumstance (thing) the Christian is to give thanks to God for the good He can bring out of the event, even should the event be unpleasant. The constant attitude of prayer, mentioned in verse 17 – ‘Pray without ceasing,’ will help the believer to maintain gratitude in the face of adversity.’
And if that scripture doesn’t catch your fancy, (smile) then try this one from Bruh Paul’s missive to the Philippians. ‘Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:5-7)
And I must admit that one seems a tad easier than the first one, although they both basically mean the same thing. Instead of worrying about anything, we are to take every situation, be it pleasant or unpleasant and present it to God through prayer, supplication and thanksgiving.
The scholars advise: ‘The Lord’s nearness (vs. 5b) leads Paul to forbid his readers from worrying. This is no summons to irresponsibility or an invitation to dismiss legitimate concern. The solution to undue anxiety is prayer in every thing, “in any matter of life.” The way to be free of anxiety is to be prayerful about everything. While God is eager to hear our requests, they are to be accompanied by thanksgiving.’
Now, that seems easier said than done, but like all things we need to get good at, it requires continuous practice until it becomes a habit. And what’s the benefit of that exercise, you ask? ‘The peace of God which passes all understanding.’ Wow! Isn’t that important enough to make the effort worthwhile? It surely is!
Because as the scholars tell us, ‘The peace of God is that tranquility of mind freeing the believer from fear and worry. “Peace” which passeth all understanding means (1) peace divinely bestowed in times of anxiety, so wonderful that it exceeds one’s ability to understand it; (2) God’s peace far surpasses one’s own understanding of the problem, and his ability to cope with and solve it.’
That brings to mind this most important scripture from the prophet Isaiah, where he speaks on God’s behalf. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) That says it all my people. And so it should be, if He is God!
Therefore, when we take our problems to Him in prayer, with thanksgiving, He gives us His unsurpassable peace that guards our hearts and minds from the enemies attempts to cause us worry and anxiety. And that dovetails very nicely with Jesus words on the subject to the disciples, and consequently to us. ‘Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
Oh my people, what a marvellous gift is the peace of Jesus! It’s unlike any other that the world knows, and surpasses any other kind. It’s the amazing kind of peace that causes us not to worry or be afraid. Where else can you find that kind of peace eh? Only in and from Jesus! Then later on, He tells us again about the kind of peace we can have if we accept Him as Lord and Saviour. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Wow! What can we say to that most expressive statement eh? Not much really, but accept it for what it is: Jesus’ faithful promise! There’s no doubt whatsoever that in the world we will have trials and tribulations, but since Jesus has already overcome the world, that’s hell, death and the grave, if we stay entwined with Jesus, then we will have His awesome protection against the world and it’s ungodly masses. You can’t ask for anything more than that friends.
However, Jesus has already done His work, it’s now our turn to live up to our promise when we accepted Him as Lord and Saviour. That’s take up our cross daily and follow Him, even if it calls for personal sacrifice. And sometimes that’s difficult to do, but through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving we can do it. So let’s go to the throne of grace right now, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help us in this our great time of need.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
In closing though, please remember that divine aid is not doled out willy-nilly, but for obedience, repentance, sincerely seeking God’s face and a change in our evil ways. Much LOVE!
…He who has ears to hear…let Him hear…otherwise…He will feel…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a banner year for peace and love, a God of hope, a wonderful experience, adhere to Jesus, all should come to repentance, an acolyte of Satan, as a thief in the night, be caught up in the clouds, be not ignorant of this one thing, Bible, cast into the lake of fire, christianity, comfort one another with these words, compassion, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, deepen my breath, descend from heaven with a shout, encouragement, eternal death, eternal life, every one that doeth evil hateth the light, evil deeds, faith, free will, guided like a moth, he that doeth the truth comes to the light, hide from the light, his deeds may be made manifest, holy spirit, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, increase my awareness of you, intimacy with god, Jesus Christ, Jesus wins, kindness, know you all the more, laziness, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lest his deeds be reproved, live for Christ, longsuffering, LOVE, loyalty, men loved darkness rather than light, mercy, neither comes to the light, not willing that any should perish, obedience, one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, repentance, salvation, Satan, shall rise first, sincerity, sinful pleasures, slow my thoughts, so shall we ever be with the Lord, stay strong, tenderness, the amazing presence of God, the day of the Lord, the dead in christ, the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the fallen angel Lucifer, the Great tribulation, the heavens shall pass away, the judgement, the light is come into the world, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, the Rapture of Christ's church, the trump of God, the voice of he archangel, their deeds are evil, to meet the Lord in the air, to the flame of Jesus, truth, warms the cockles of God's heart, we which are alive, wrought in God
John 3:20. For every one that doeth (practices) evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds shall be reproved (exposed).
Yes friends, on this last day of November, our lazy-day Saturday has arrived, windy and cold, but with more sunshine than cloud, and we’ll take it however it comes, for we can laze around in any kind of weather. (smile) And I did manage to get in some early morning laziness, so I’m not feeling too envious of those of you who can afford to spend the whole day doing nothing. But enough laziness, let’s get to the Lord’s business, and offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity and truth.
As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And it’s always a wonderful experience to come into the amazing presence of our great God; to get into deeper intimacy with Him, for that’s His greatest desire. So let’s never forget that He made us to have deep intimacy with Him, to LOVE Him as He LOVES us! The Lord needed a creation to LOVE, to show His great kindness and compassion to, in return for obedience and loyalty. And there’s nothing that warms the cockles of His heart like His creation seeking deeper intimacy with Him.
It’s unfortunate though, that with the free will He also gave us, not many of His creation are using it to choose Him, but rather to choose the sinful pleasures and evil deeds of the world controlled by the fallen angel Lucifer. It obviously breaks His heart to see so many of us falling under the evil spell of the great deceiver, but thankfully our God is the God of hope, hoping that many more, if not all of us, will one day receive His Son, Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Listen, as Peter spells it out in his second epistle. ‘But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.’ (2 Pet. 3:8-10)
Oh my people, the Lord in His everlasting kindness is giving us a long time to come to repentance and thus obtain salvation, for He will prefer that none of His most marvellous creation suffers hellfire and damnation. However, He will not wait forever, and after the many warnings He’s given us, one day, Jesus will simply appear unexpectedly, like a thief in the night, bringing with the Him the final judgement of man. And if you’re still an acolyte of Satan, then you will suffer the same punishment as him, being cast into the lake of fire, with eternal separation from Almighty God.
Now that is the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul, which means you need to repent and receive salvation as soon as possible, in fact RIGHT NOW, for who knows if Jesus will return to Rapture us sometime today, and if you’re not ready, then crapaud smoke yuh pipe! You’ll have to go through the Great Tribulation which will be nothing like the earth has ever seen before, and after that, the judgement!
So, wouldn’t it be much better to be amongst this lot as Bruh Paul wrote to the Thessalonians. ‘For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump (trumpet) of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever (always) be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.’ (1 Thess. 4:16-18)
Oh my fellow believers, those are indeed comforting words! How can they not be? Knowing that when Christ returns to rapture His church that those of us who held on to Him till the very end, both dead and alive will rise to meet Him in the skies certainly gives one comfort and encouragement to stay strong and live for Christ despite the many trials and tribulations we will face in this evil and ungodly world.
And I like this brief commentary on the Rapture: ‘When Christ enters the cloud, he brings us with him, not just the first disciples. As he took on our humanity and took it to the cross, so he brings us into the presence and glory of God. As he pours grace upon us, he makes us sharers in the Divine Presence.’ Now what could be better than that eh? Absolutely nothing!
And yuh know the whole thing is not rocket science nuh, but simple common sense, for if the sinful pleasures of this world are short-lived, and Satan has nothing to eventually offer but hellfire and damnation, why take up with him eh? Why subjugate yourselves to his awful lies, deceits and half-truths of which he is a master. On the other hand, if you adhere to Jesus then you will probably enjoy a tough but decent life down here on earth, then a marvellous one with Him in heaven for all eternity. There’s absolutely no comparison! Jesus wins hands down every time!
But, for whatever reason, many of us seem enamoured with the keeper of the darkness and live for him. I guess it’s like Jesus said: ‘And this is the condemnation, that (the) light is come into the world, and men LOVED darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. For every one that doeth (practices) evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds shall be reproved (exposed). But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.’ (John 3:19-21)
Oh, my fellow saints, that’s a marvellous note for us to end on today! So please, let’s spend some of our lazy-day Saturday time pondering the truth of those words as they apply to us nuh. Are our deeds evil, thus we hide from the light…or are our deeds filled with truth, and thus we are guided like a moth to the flame of Christ? It’s time to take serious account of our spiritual condition! Much LOVE!
…we were granted wisdom and free will…that we could choose…eternal life with Christ…not eternal death with Satan…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a false witness, a heart that devises wicked schemes, a lying tongue, a proud look, a warning from God, abominations in the Lord's sight, Bible, christianity, deepen my breath, disaster-prone earth, dying at the cross of Calvary, eterna separation, eternal death, eternal life, faith, fearful times, forgiveness of sins, getting back into God's good graces, god, godly light, hands that shed innocent blood, hardhearted creatures, haughty eyes, he that sows discord amongst brethren, I am the way the truth and the life, I may know you all the more, increase my awareness of you today, intimacy with god, Jehovah, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, no man comes to the Father but by me, nothing to lose in turning back to God, obedience, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, seven are an abomination unto him, share love, sincerely seek Christ, sinful, sinful bondage, sinful darkness, sinners set free, six things the Lord hates, slow my thoughts, struggling, sweet swift to run to mischief, tenderness, Thanksgiving Saturday, the gift of God is eternal life, the One True God, the wages of sin is death, truth, ungodly, waiting with wide open arms, welcome us back to His fold, wisdom, your unceasing nearness
Proverbs 6:16. These six things doth the Lord hate: yea seven are an abomination unto him (his soul).
Oh, it’s a beautiful lazy-day Thanksgiving Saturday in my neighbourhood; bright and sunshiny, though somewhat windy and cool. But it’s the middle of October in the northern climes, so what do we expect eh? We’re blessed that it’s not colder at this time of year, and temps are still getting up into the teens.
But be that as it may, I certainly enjoyed the largesse of our lazy-day Saturday, by lolling around in bed quite late. That was only made possible though by my going to bed at a rather late hour this morning, consequently, the Bit is even later than usual. But it’s a lazy-day Saturday…and what’s a lazy-day Saturday for if not to loll around and do very little …or even nothing? (smile)
Anyhow, enough of my excuses, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer 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, oh, how our lives and our world would benefit enormously if many more of us would turn to God and sincerely seek greater intimacy with Him! Remember, that’s one of the major reasons for which He created us; to have strong communion with Him, and share LOVE back and forth! But sadly, our world and many in our Christian faith don’t seem to see it that way, thus, comparatively speaking, there’s a big void, very little intimacy between our Creator and the millions of His creation who walk this ungodly and disaster-prone earth.
And that could never be a good or pleasant situation my fellow believers. How could it be when we have little true and sincere communication between ourselves and the One who created us and still controls our lives eh? And it doesn’t make any sense when we’re down here struggling in these fearful times, having tried all of man’s solutions without success, that we simply refuse to turn to God, which is the best option there is.
The one good thing about the Israelites of old is that when they strayed from God and He punished them for it, they had the good sense to run back to Him as quickly as possible in repentance and soul searching. But we, we have grown so big for our britches, so sinful and ungodly, with all our wonderful technology and modern inventions, that we don’t even give turning back to God a thought, a possible solution, when our world is falling apart around us. Hn! What foolish, arrogant, stubborn and hardhearted creatures we’ve become.
Please my people, let’s remember these wise words of Cousin Sol in Proverbs. ‘These six things doth the Lord hate: yea seven are an abomination unto him (his soul). A proud look (haughty eyes), a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations (devises wicked plans), feet that are swift in running to mischief (evil), A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among the brethren.’ (Prov. 6:16-19) And unless you’re living on some other planet, you will know that all those things that are abominations in the Lord’s sight are the very things that are currently very prevalent on this planet Earth!
Now, if the Lord so strongly dislikes those practices, it’s obvious that He will also dislike and reject the people who practice them. And right there we have ample reason to contemplate the sad state of our world and all the disasters that are suddenly befalling it with greater frequency than usual. I don’t know why, but with every new disaster, natural or man-made, I keep thinking that this is a warning from God.
And even if I am wrong, what do we have to lose by sincerely turning back to God, giving up our evil ways, renewing our communion with Him, and thus getting back into His good graces. It’s foolish to be wanting to stay in Satan’s good graces when he can do nothing but negative stuff for us, when the One True God, Jehovah who created the word and all therein, is waiting with wide open arms to welcome us back to His magnificent fold.
That’s the wise position we ought to pursue, but unfortunately Satan has so many of us so wrapped up in his evil doings, so caught in sinful bondage, while keeping us in total darkness, that it’s become rather difficult for us to break through the darkness and the bondage of sin.
But friends, if we truly desire to do that, all we have to do is call on the name of Jesus and He will come and save us from both the bondage of sin and the oppressing darkness that Satan has us wrapped up in. He will break those bonds of sin and take us into the bright and powerful light that He represents, while offering forgiveness of sins, salvation and eternal life, instead of the eternal death and separation from God that followers of the enemy will suffer.
As the Bible so wisely and truly tells us: ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom. 6:23) And the very important thing to notice there my brethren is the last phrase; ‘through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ Yes, eternal life or any serious communication with God can only be accomplished through Jesus Christ, for, as the Son of God during His short tenure here on earth He outrightly declared (chuh!!!) ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6)
And that’s the gospel truth friends! If you want to see or associate with the Father, you have to go through the Son Jesus! Why? Because the Father has promoted Him to the highest name ever for His obedience and LOVE in taking the sins of the world on His sinless shoulders and dying on the cross at Calvary so that we sad and sorrowful sinners could be set free.
So please, on this Thanksgiving Saturday, let’s contemplate all that we’ve said, and make a wise decision to sincerely seek Christ with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, for it’s what He truly desires! Much LOVE!
…man was made to live in godly light…not sinful darkness…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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