02 Nov 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a debt we can never repay, a heinous fate, a man of sorrows, a new week of work, acquainted with grief, as sheep going astray, bare our sins in his own body on the tree, be made the righteousness of God in Christ, be set free, become discouraged in your souls, being dead to sins, bruised for our iniquities, buffeted and bombarded by the enemy's evil schemes, by whose stripes ye were healed, can't make head nor tail of what's happening, carried our sorrows, Christ also suffered for us, Christ's sufferation, committed himself to him that judgeth righteously, consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners, deceit, despised and rejected of men, despising the shame, encompassed about, endured the cross, esteem him stricken, faith, falling apart, feel deep in our souls, fill us with steadfast faith, finished my course, finished my race, follow his steps, followers follow their leader's example, for the joy that was set before him, forgiven of our sins, forsaken by men, fought a good fight, furthering your glorious kingdom, giving us righteousness, go out and challenge the enemy, go out to meet the enemy in battle, go round the mulberry bush, God made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin, guilty of no wrongdoing, he hath borne our griefs, he was despised, heifer dust, hereunto were ye called, heroes of faith, hid our faces from him, holy spirit, hostility of sinners, humble servants, humbly ask, in his own self bare our sins on the tree, in return, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus died a substitutionary death, Jesus keeps us keeping on, Jesus offered his sinless life for our sinful ones, Jesus paid our sin debt in full, Jesus took the punishment that we deserved, jobs, jobs that serve a useful purpose, keeping lives and families together, kept the faith, lay aside every weight, leaving us an example, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds, live unto righteousness, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, mano a mano, mercy, neither was guile found in his mouth, nothing's changed in our lives, now ready to be offered, now returned unto the shepherd, on solid ground, one thing we are grateful for, our Father who art in heaven, pains, peace that we can't understand, Penal Substitution, pierced through, praise and thank you, quiets our souls, reject Jesus' offer of salvation and eternal life, rejuvenation of spirit, run with patience, run with perseverance, running their tough races with perseverance, sally forth with confidence, salvation, same old, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, sickness, smitten of God, spiritual encouragement, struck down by God, sure conquerors, surrender our all to you, surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, taking our sins, that's what disciples do, the author and finisher of our faith, the chastisement of our peace, the example we should be setting, the Great Exchange, the indwelling Holy Spirit, the living truth, the originator and perfector of our faith, the presence of Jesus in our lives, the race set before us, the renewed vitality and enthusiasm, the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls, the sin that ensnares us, the sin which doth so easily beset us, the time of my departure is at hand, things seem to be unravelling, to lead and guide all your servants, truth, walking in the footsteps of Jesus, we esteemed him not, we're not afraid, wearing your powerful protective spiritual armour, weary souls, when he suffered threatened not, when he was reviled reviled not again, who did no sin, wisdom, with his stripes we are healed, wounded for our transgressions, your incredible aura of love
Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 November 2026 2 Timothy 4:7.
2 Timothy 4:7. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith:
Well friends, here we go round the mulberry bush again on this mostly sunny and warm first Monday in November. Nothing’s much changed in our lives or the world over the weekend, so it’s the same old, same old that we’re back to at the beginning of this new week. However, there’s one same old that we are everlastingly grateful for, and that’s the continued presence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in our lives, because He is the one that keeps us keeping on, when things seem to be unravelling, to be falling apart, and we can’t seem to make head nor tail of what’s happening around us.
He is the One, through His indwelling Holy Spirit, that quiets our souls and sets us aright, puts us back on solid ground, by offering His awesome peace that we can’t understand, but can certainly feel deep in our souls. What would we do without Him eh? I refuse to dwell on that possibility. Jesus has done so much for us, that I can’t see or understand how supposedly wise and sensible people could reject His marvellous offer of salvation and eternal life. So today, let’s look at some of the things He did for us, the ‘sufferation’ He underwent on our behalf.
And I believe the best place to start is with the prophecy of Isaiah. He speaks thus of Jesus several hundred years before it became reality. ‘He is despised and rejected of (forsaken by) men; a man of sorrows, (pains), and acquainted with grief (sickness): and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs (sickness): and carried our sorrows (pains): yet we did esteem (reckon) him stricken, smitten of (struck down by) God, and afflicted. But he was wounded (pierced though) for our transgressions, he was bruised (crushed) for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes (blows that cut into His body) we are healed.’ (Is. 53:3-5)
Now tell me, should one man, especially one who is guilty of no wrongdoing, be made to suffer such a heinous fate? Obviously not! But Jesus suffered exactly such a fate on our behalf. He offered His sinless life for our sinful one, taking our sins and giving us His righteousness. Bruh Paul says it quite plainly in 2 Corinthians. ‘For he (God the Father) hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor. 5:21)
One Overview refers to that action as ‘The Great Exchange or Penal Substitution, grounded primarily in the New Testament.’ Yes, Jesus took the punishment that we deserved, died a substitutionary death, so that we could be set free, be forgiven of our abominable sins. And yuh still want to tell me that we don’t owe Him anything? Heifer dust! Meanwhile, listen to how Peter describes the situation. ‘For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
Who did no sin, neither was guile (deceit) found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again (in return); when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes (wounds) ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop (Overseer) of your souls.’ (1 Pet. 221-25)
And all of that is the living truth my people! Isaiah prophesied in the Old Testament, and it came to pass in the New Testament. Jesus paid our sin debt in full for us, and it’s a debt we can never repay. However, Jesus isn’t looking for repayment, all He’s expecting, is as Peter says, that we should copy His example, follow in His footsteps. And how do we do that? Listen as the author of Hebrews explains: ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses (heroes of faith), let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 12:1-3)
Now that’s the general kind of example we should be setting; walking as closely as possible in the footsteps of Jesus, because that’s what disciples do. And we all know that it’s not easy, but it’s doable with Jesus’ help. Look at all those heroes of faith that endured running their tough races with perseverance. Like Bruh Paul said to Timothy: ‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: ” (2 Tim. 4:6-7) Now that’s how we ought to bow out of this world. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together. We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour! We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, with that spiritual encouragement under our belts, let’s go out and challenge the enemy, mano a mano! Much LOVE!
…Jesus is our leader…and followers always follow their leader’s example…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Oct 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of God, a total effort of mind emotion and will, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, allow your incredible aura of love, as to the Lord and not unto men, as we therefore have opportunity, attitude of entitlement, be diligent and zealous, become discouraged, believers in Jesus Christ, bringing out the best in us, buffeted and bombarded by the enemy's evil schemes, children of Jehovah God, Christians, divine aid, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, do all to the glory of God, do it heartily, do it with thy might, do not lose heart, especially unto them who are of the household of faith, faith, fill us with steadfast faith, furthering your glorious kingdom, give of our best in every situation, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him, go out to meet the enemy in battle, he becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand, he that doeth wrong, he that is negligent becomes poor, heavenly Father we're not afraid, holy spirit, humble servants, in due season we shall reap if we faint not, in the long run we're working for God, Jesus Christ, jobs that serve a useful purpose, keeping lives and families together, lackadaisical times, let us do good unto all men, let us not be weary in well doing, LOVE, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, mediocre work, mercy, no respect of persons, of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of inheritance, our commitment to God, our Father who art in heaven, our responsibility to do our best with what we have, over the weekend, perform our duties wholeheartedly, properly interpret the Word of God, put out our best effort, receive for the wrong he has done, rejuvenation of spirit, rightly dividing the word of truth, sally forth with confidence, salvation, servants' attitudes to their jobs, study to show thyself approved unto God, sure conquerors, surrender our all to you, thank you for our jobs, the daily grind and common task, the day we all love to hate, the hand of the diligent maketh rich, the mark of a true believer, the renewed vitality and enthusiasm, the reward of the inheritance, the throne of grace, there is no work device knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, to begin a new week of work, to lead and guide all your servants, traffic tie ups, truth, we know we're invincible, wearing your powerful protective spiritual armour, whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, whatsoever ye do in word or deed, whether therefore ye eat or drink, whither thou goest, win the day for Jesus, wisdom, work that doesn't stimulate us, ye serve the Lord Christ, you've wrought in our weary souls
Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 October 2026 Colossians 3:23.
Colossians 3:23. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men:
And then it was Monday that day we all LOVE to hate, simply because it begins a new work week. I believe that we’d dislike whatever the day was called that ended our two-day weekend and had us scurrying back to the daily grind and common task. That’s back to two a day traffic tie-ups and work that doesn’t energize, stimulate or excite us, so we don’t put out our best effort, and thus end up doing mediocre work.
And yes, sometimes the conditions under which we work, the supervision we must adhere to, or even the work itself are admittedly not amenable to bringing out the best in us. However, as children of Jehovah God, as Christians, that’s believers in Christ Jesus, we are expected to give of our best efforts in every situation, because that’s a mark of being a true believer and child of God. And there are numerous scriptures that command us to do just that. So, let’s look at a few of them today, to remind us of our commitment to Almighty God nuh.
And we’ll begin with these verses that we all know quite well, although we don’t always follow them. (smile) They come from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Colossians. The first verse comes from his talk about putting on the new man, where he ends that passage thus: ‘And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’ (Col. 3:17)
Then a little later, in talking about servants’ attitudes to their job’s Bruh Paul admonishes them: ‘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 inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.’ (Col. 3:23-25)
Yes friends, although Bruh Paul was actually talking about slaves there, the same directive also applies to us doing work for earthly masters for remuneration. As the scholars explain: We are to perform our duties wholeheartedly, doing the best job we can, with all of our strength, because in the long run, we’re not working so much for our earthly employers, (unto men) but for our heavenly Master (to the Lord.) And the fact that we will receive the reward of the inheritance, which is salvation, from the Lord and not from men, verifies the assertion in verse 23 that we serve Christ; not our earthly employers.
Then we have this verse where Bruh Paul exhorts Timothy: ‘Study (be diligent) to show (present) thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.’ (2 Tim. 2:15) There Bruh Paul is telling us to be diligent and zealous (to study). And the scholars explain that studying ‘Involves a total effort of mind, emotion and will.’ And when we seriously consider the way we do our work in these lackadaisical times of supposed entitlement, I very much doubt that many of us put a total effort into it. And, as per Rightly dividing the word of truth, the scholars say that means, ‘The apostle appeals for efforts to be made to properly interpret the Word of God.’
And what would the scriptures be without some wise words from Cousin Sol eh, who seems to have something to say on every subject. (smile) On the topic of work from Proverbs, he establishes that ‘He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack (negligent) hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.’ (Prov. 10:4) And that’s no lie, because we see it happening every day to those around us who don’t apply themselves properly to their tasks. Then from Ecclesiastes, speaking as the Preacher, Cousin Sol offers this most excellent advice: ‘Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.’ (Eccl. 9:10)
Yes my people, there is no work, wisdom or enjoyment in the grave, and it’s our portion, our responsibility to do the best we can with what we have in this earthly life. And we’ll end with this gem from Bruh Paul to the Galatians. He strongly advises: ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (do not lose heart, become discouraged). As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.’ (Gal. 6:9-10)
Oh my faithful brethren, we could not end with better advice than that! So, having reminded ourselves of all those marvellous scriptures, let’s spend some time pondering them, then doing our best to action them nuh. And for divine aid to help us do that, we’ll go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together. We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour! We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And with the Holy Spirit leading us out into battle, let’s get out there, engage the enemy, and win the day for Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
…whether therefore ye eat or drink…or whatsoever ye do…do all to the glory of God… (1 Cor. 10:31)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 Sep 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a gift of grace, according to his labour, aggravated souls, allow your incredible aura of love, anchoring our daily choices values and faith in His teachings, beat upon that house, become evident, bufeted and bombarded, build on incombustible material, building our lives on the foundation of Jesus, built his house on a rock, built his house upon the sand, Christians, combustible and incombustible material, consuming power, did ye never read in the scriptures, divine help, divinely inspired, early morning commute, endure the fire of judgement day, enlightening power, every man shall receive his own reward, every man's work shall be made manifest, everyone that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not, faith, fill us with steadfast faith, fire is figurative for judgement, for it was founded upon the rock, furthering your glorious kingdom, go out to meet the enemy in battle, gold, great was the fall of it, hay stubble, he himself shall be saved, he that planteth and he that watereth are one, holy spirit, humble servants, if any man build upon this foundation, if any man's work shall be burned, if any man's work abides, if any man's work endures, in the long run, invincible, it fell not, it is marvellous in our eyes, it shall be revealed by fire, Jesus chosen by God and exalted, Jesus Christ, Jesus was rejected by human builders, jobs that serve a useful purpose, keep life and limbs together, keeping lives and families together, learn to live with it, liken him unto a wise man, likened unto a foolish man, look to yourselves, lose not the things we have worked for, LOVE, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, making the long slow trek, mercy, not on a personal relationship to Christ, nothing stronger than the rock that's Jesus, of what sort it is, on service to Christ, other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ., our Father who art in heaven, precious stones, receive a full reward, receive a reward, rejuvenation of spirit, sally forth with confidence, salvation, shifting cultural trends, silver, spread the good news of Christ's gospel, straw, suffer loss, sure conquerors, surrender our all to you, thank you for our jobs, the BIBLE, the day shall declare it, the enemy's evil schemes, the fire shall try every man's work, the floods came, the house fell, the Lord's promised to work everything out for our good, the parable of the vineyard, the rain descended, the renewed vitality and enthusiasm, the righteous judgement of God, the sullen reply, the supreme foundation of faith, the winds blew, this is the Lord's doing, to begin a new week of work, to earn a day's wage, to lead and guide all your servants, truth, two days of sleeping in, using Christ as the cornerstone of our lives, we're not afraid, wearing your powerful protective spiritual armour, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, wisdom, wood, wrought on our weary souls over the weekend, yet so as by fire
Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 September 2026 Matthew 21:42a.
Matthew 21:42a. Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner (chief corner stone):
And then it was Monday… So what else is new came the sullen reply. Nothing really, just another day in the life, where one is expected to get up and make one’s way to a job so you can keep life and limbs together in a fairly reasonable manner. (smile) Yes, we all know how it feels to get up oh so early on a Monday morning, after two wonderful days of sleeping in, and join the other aggravated souls making the long, slow trek to some distant point to earn a day’s wage. And though the early morning commute was somewhat disrupted by some cloud and drizzle, at midday it’s mostly sunny and dry.
Now, it might not be the best scenario, but it’s the best we have right now, so let’s learn to live with it, using our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as the corner stone for our lives, knowing that in the long run, the Lord’s promised to work everything out for our good. (Rom. 8:28) And what does building our lives on the foundation of Jesus mean? According to this overview: ‘Building your life on the foundation of Jesus Christ means anchoring your daily choices, values, and faith in His teachings rather than shifting cultural trends.’
And why is Jesus such a great choice on which to build our lives eh? Because as He points out in the parable of the vineyard. ‘Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner (chief corner stone): this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?’ (Matt. 21:42)
There Jesus is referring to the words of Psalm 118:22-23, which prophesy about a stone rejected by the builders becoming the most important part of the building, the corner stone, which in ancient building, was the largest, strongest, and most carefully placed stone. Everything else was carefully aligned with it. Psalm 118:22 therefore signifies how Jesus was rejected by human builders yet chosen and exalted by God as the supreme foundation of faith. And believe me friends, there is no better foundation to build our lives on than Jesus.
Listen to the case Bruh Paul makes for it in his first letter to the Corinthians. ‘For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble (straw); Every man’s work shall be made manifest (become evident): for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try (test) every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide (endures) which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved: yet so as by (through) fire.’ (1 Cor, 3:11-15)
Yuh see mih bredrin, we must build strong works from strong stuff, like silver and gold that will endure the fire of the judgement day, so we can be well rewarded. As the scholars explain: ‘Fire is figurative for judgement, more specifically, the absolutely righteous judgement of God. Fire is used here to denote, not enlightening power, but consuming power. Of the six types of material mentioned, three are incombustible (silver, gold, precious stones) and three are combustible (wood, hay and stubble).
As per Reward (wages; cf. 3:8) And the “wages” mentioned here are entirely a gift of grace (cf. 1. Cor. 9:17; 2 John 8; Rev. 11:18). As per Saved: Such a one does not suffer the loss of his salvation, but the loss of reward. The stress in this entire passage is not on a person’s relationship to Christ, but on service to Christ.’
And to help us understand the situation a little better, we shall quote the first reference verse from the Reward section above. ‘Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.’ (1 Cor. 3:8) Meaning that you will only be judged on your own labour, not someone else’s.
And as per the other references, 2 John 8 says this: ‘Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought (worked for), but that we receive a full reward.’ That means we have to be careful and build on strong, incombustible material and then make sure we don’t do anything to lose our full reward.
Now if you’re still uncertain about all we’ve said so far, then here’s some practical advice from Jesus on the subject, where He explains about the wisdom of two builders. ‘Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a (the) rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a (the) rock.
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.’ (Matt. 7:24-27) Oh friends, Jesus is there reassuring us that He is indeed the Rock, and we’d be wise to build our lives on Him! And for divine help to aid in doing that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together. We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour! We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!
And now, having been divinely inspired, let’s get out there and diligently and proudly spread the good news of Christ’s gospel to all we meet and thus turn our world around! Much LOVE!
…anything you build is only as strong as its foundation…and there’s nothing stronger than the Rock…that’s Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
01 Jun 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beautiful summer Monday, a little folding of the hands to sleep, a little slumber, a prowler, a society is only as strong and productive as its people, a spirit of diligence, a wonderful work ethic, allow your incredible aura of love, another mistake, as good Christian folk, as one that travelleth, asking for forgivenss, be wise, begin a new week of work, beginning to decay, bring about positive change, christianity, Christians, Christians need to unite, colonies of ants are always busy, consider her ways and be wise, constantly buffeted, crazy idea, deeper and deeper, dire want, divine aid, do good work for Jesus, do nothing productive, do our duty, encouragement, enthusiasm, eventual poverty, expect forgiveness, faith, fill us with steadfast faith, furthering your glorious kingdom, gathereth her food in the harvest, get serious and come together, getting on in age, glorify Jesus' awesome name, go out to meet the enemy in battle, go to the ant thou sluggard, God has not given us a spirit of laziness, habitual laziness, having no guide leader overseer, holy spirit, hope and pray, how long wilt thou sleep O sluggard, humble servants, industriousness, into the evil and ungodly world, invincible conquerors, Jesus Christ, jobs, keeping lives and families together, leads to destruction, learn two important lessons from the ant, LOVE, make another apology, make living too easy, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, mankind, many who choose to sit on our fannies, May only had thrity days, mercy, numerous separate entities, ONE body in Christ, one of the lowliest of God's creations, only human, our Father who art in heaven, over the weekend, perseveraance, poverty will come as suddenly and decisively as a robber, prepare for predictable circumstances, provideth her meat in the summer, quicksand, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality and enthusiasm, sally forth with confidence, salvation, self-starter, serve a useful purpose, sluggard, so shall thy poverty come, somebody looking over their shoulder, standing over it to make it work, suffeing from a lack of positive production, surrender our all to God, the ant has no taskmaster, the apple of God's creation, the BIBLE, the enemy's evil schemes, the first day of June, the habitually lazy person, the last of my mistakes, the mind sometimes gets fuzzy, the poor are getting poorer, the result of laziness is dire poverty, the rich are getting richer, the society begins going downhill, the throne of grace, the wisdom and knowledge imbued in man by God, this wealthy comfortable society, thy want as an armed man, to, to lead and guide all your servants, too many amentities, truth, turbulent and uncertain times, unfortunate circumstances, we're not afraid, wealth distributed more equitably, wealth is consolidated in too few hands, wearing God's powerful protective spiritual armour, when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep, wisdom, wise enough to, wise words that seem appropriate, work ethic, wrought in our weary souls, yet a little sleep
Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 June 2026 Proverbs 6:9.
Proverbs 6:9. How long wilt thou sleep (lie down), O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
Oh friends, the first day of June 2026 has turned out to be a beautiful summer Monday, which ought to give us encouragement and enthusiasm to get out there and do good work for Jesus! (smile) But, unfortunately, I need to make another apology for another mistake, don’t know how many of you noticed it, but this one was in Saturday’s Bit, where I claimed that that was the last day of the month … and I did it twice to boot, at the beginning and at the end. I don’t know where I got the crazy idea that May only had thirty days. My mind must be going on me.
And it seems like I had forgotten the old rhyme that they taught us back in the old days: ‘Thirty days have April, June and September; the rest have thirty-one, except February which has twenty-eight, but in leap years twenty-nine.’ But somehow or the other I got it in my mind that May only had thirty days. So again, I’m asking for your forgiveness, and as good Christian folk, expect you to give it to me most willingly, (smile) for the ole fella is only human and is also getting on in age, and you know the mind sometimes gets fuzzy when that happens. So, let’s hope and pray that will be the last of my mistakes for a while. (smile)
And on this marvellous Monday in June, let’s look at some wise words of Cousin Sol, that seem rather appropriate for these turbulent and uncertain times, and can only benefit us if we follow them. Now, Cousin Sol’s first admonishment in this passage is: ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide (leader), overseer or ruler, Provideth her meat (grain or bread) in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.’ (Prov. 6:6-8)
Oh my people, what wise and wonderful words and ever so applicable to many of us in this wealthy, comfortable society, who choose to just sit on our fannies and don’t do anything productive. It’s as the scholars explain: ‘The sluggard is the habitually lazy person. He is admonished to learn two important lessons from the ant: (1) the ant has no guide, overseer, or ruler (vs. 7), meaning that the ant does not have to have a taskmaster standing over it to make it work; it is a self-starter. (2) The ant is wise enough to prepare for predictable circumstances (vs.8).’
Yes mih brethren, we’ve all seen how colonies of ants are always busy, especially in the summer months, when they go about collecting food and storing it away for the winter months when food is hard to come by. And they don’t need to be told to do that, or have somebody looking over their shoulder prodding them to do it. So, if ants, one of the lowliest of God’s creations, are so wise and have such a wonderful work ethic, why can’t mankind, the apple of God’s creation, with all the wisdom and knowledge imbued in Him by His Creator, react the same way to life eh?
Possibly because our society has gotten too wealthy and we have too many amenities that make living too easy. But wait, Cousin Sol isn’t done with the sluggard, for he continues: ‘How long wilt thou sleep (lie down), O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth (a prowler), and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov. 6:9-11)
And what’s that all about you ask? Listen to the scholars’ explanation: ‘Two questions about sleep are posed to the sluggard (vs.9). His answer is given in verse 10: “Just a little bit more sleep!” The result of such laziness is dire poverty, which will come as suddenly and decisively as a robber (v.11).’ And isn’t that the awful truth! Habitual laziness only leads to dire want and eventual poverty. No wonder there are so many needy people in our society. Now let’s note that all needy people are not lazy, but some have indeed endured genuine unfortunate circumstances.
However, there are indeed too many lazy people in our society, from which the work ethic is quickly disappearing, and once that happens, it’s only a matter of time before the society itself begins going downhill. That’s because a society is only as strong and productive as its people. And when we look around our world, despite our total wealth, which unfortunately is consolidated in too few hands, many societies are suffering from a lack of positive production and are thus beginning to decay.
Who knows if the wealth was distributed more equitably, if the situation would change, but for sure right now, the rich are getting insanely richer while the poor are getting inhumanely poorer, and that’s not a good situation for our world. So what can be done about it? We Christians, supposed believers in, and followers of Christ, are the only ones who can bring about positive change. But before we can do that, we desperately need to unite as the ONE BODY in Christ that we were created to be, not the numerous separate entities that we’ve become. And if we don’t unite soon, our world will just keep getting deeper and deeper in the quicksand that leads to total destruction.
And to help us do all we need to do to turn the situation around, let’s confidently, but humbly, approach the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour!
We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!
Now, let’s get serious and come together, so that we can do our duty and glorify Jesus’ awesome name! Much LOVE!
…Jesus has not given us a spirit of laziness…but one of diligence…industriousness…and perseverance…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Apr 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: admonish him as a brother, allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, allow your incredible aura of love, always doing our best, artificial intelligence, as best we can, be not deceived, be not weary in well doing, be taken advantage of, begin a new week of work, bombarded by the enemy's evil schemes, busybodies, command that with quietness they work, complaining about the good things we have, consider yourself without a job, constantly buffeted, count him not as an enemy, count yourself blessed, despite the many obstacles we face, divine aid, do good unto all men, do not lose heart, dog eat dog, echoes of love, experience life, faith, faithfulness, fill us with steadfast faith, food banks, further your glorious kingdom, gentleness, give their right arm, God is not mocked, have no company with him, he that soweth to his flesh, he that soweth to the spirit, holy spirit, homeless, humble servants, if any obey not our word, if any would not work neither should he eat, in due season we shall reap if we faint not, inroads into the enemy's ranks, into the evil and ungodly world, Jesus Christ, jobless, jobs that are unfair, joy, keep trying to live the christian life, keeping lives and families together, kindness, living for Jesus, living off the government, LOVE, make Jesus proud of us, make money, make worthwhile inroads, many living in dire poverty, may be ashamed, meekness, mercy, moaning and groaning, note that man, of the flesh reap corruption, of the household of faith, on the outside looking in, once the exception now the norm, our Father who art in heaven, our God-forsaken strife-filled world, over the weekend, patience, peace, people being laid of because of AI, personal experience, Praise the Lord, prices on the rise, rat race, salaries not running in tandem with prices, sally forth with confidence, salvation, self-control, serve a useful purpose, shall of the Spirit reap everlasting life, some have no shame whatsoever, some refuse to work, thank you for our jobs, the fruit of the spirit, the lack of a work ethic, the many homeless that exist in our wealthy society, the opportunity to go to work, the prevalence of food banks, the rejuvenation of Spirit, the renewed vitality and enthusiasm, the throne of grace, to meet the enemy in battle, truth, trying to right the wrong, walk among you disorderely, we know we're invincible, we surrender our all to you, we're not afraid, wearing God's powerful protective spiritual armour, whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap, wisdom, work and eat their own bread, working two jobs, wrought in our weary souls
2 Thessalonians 3:13. But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
And another Monday has rolled around again, a warm, sunshiny one to boot…Praise the Lord! Now why would you do that? Because it gives us the opportunity to go out to work, make some money and experience life at the same time. Yuh know the millions of people around our God-forsaken and strife-filled work who cannot do that, and would gladly give their right arm to be able to do so. Meanwhile, we are here moaning and groaning, complaining about the good things we have going for us.
And no, it’s not always easy or likeable, but just sit and consider for a moment, what would happen to you and your family if you didn’t have a job in this dog eat dog, rat race of a world we currently live in. And you don’t have to go to any far-off, poor countries to see what happens when you don’t have a job and are living in dire poverty. You can see that in the many jobless and subsequently homeless people that exist right here in our prosperous and wealthy society.
And it’s not because they all don’t want to work, but ofttimes, for whatever reason, they cannot get a job. And with the new rage of AI, Artificial Intelligence, lots of people are being laid off, making it even harder to acquire a decent job. So, if you have one to go this Monday morning, then please count yourself blessed and stop complaining about the inequities and injustice that might come with it.
That’s not to say you ought to allow yourself to be taken advantage of by your employer, but be careful how you go about trying to right the wrong, for it’s very easy to find yourself on the outside looking in. And I know, from personal experience, that’s not a very nice place to be.
Now you just need to look at all the food banks that have recently opened, and you’ll see how desperate the situation is. When I first came here some fifty odd years ago, a food bank was the exception rather than the rule, but now it’s the norm, for even those who are working, sometimes two jobs at once, still cannot maintain a family on their wages, especially with prices always on the rise, but salaries not running in tandem.
And talking about working, remember what Bruh Paul wrote to the Thessalonians? ‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but they are busybodies.
Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish (warn) him as a brother.’ (2 Thess. 3:10-15)
Yes friends, with the lack of work ethic that’s currently in vogue, (smile) it’s not surprising to note that there are many in our society, who refuse to work, instead living off of the Government and any others who will help them. And it would be good if we could shame them into working, but some of them have no shame whatsoever, and will keep on in their disorderly conduct regardless of what we do.
But the important thing to note in all this is that we must not be weary in well doing. In other words, despite the many obstacles we might, or will face, we ought to keep on trying to live the Christian life as best we can. That’s allowing the fruit of the Spirit to flourish in us; echoes of LOVE, joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, patience, meekness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23)
Which reminds us of these wonderful, encouraging words of Bruh Paul to the Galatians. ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season, we shall reap, if we faint not (do not lose heart). As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.’ (Gal. 6:7-10)
We could not get any better advice than that on this first day of our work week my people. And to help us accomplish it, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid. And it’s a somewhat different prayer today, because I brought back most of the old one, which I think resonates better with our current times.
So, altogether: Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together. We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour! We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!
Now, let’s go out there and make Jesus proud of us! Much LOVE!
…living for Jesus…always means doing our best…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Mar 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a house of prayer for all people, a public bazaar, a source of extortion, accepted on my altar, all praise to Jesus, an ungodly operation in the temple, become a den of robbers in your eyes, burnt offerings and sacrfices, cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, Christian witness, christianity, divine aid, do damage to the evil doers, ease the pain of the many, even I have seen it saith the Lord, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, get with the programme, gross perversion, have ye never read, holy spirit, Hosanna to the son of David, humble ourselves, humble servants, it is written, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus healed the blind and the lame in the temple, Jesus is all we have need of, Jesus went into the temple of God, Jesus' cleansing of the temple, Jesus' disdain for the corruption of organized religion, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, keep your promise to prosper us, leaving them with their mouths hanging open, life and strong faith in Christ, LOVE, made it into a den of thieves, make them joyful in my house of prayer, mercy, my house shall be called the house of prayer, not up to scratch, ordained strength because of thine enemies, our Father who art in heaven, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, overthrew the tables of the money changers, Palm Sunday, praise Your Holy Name, pray, priests out for personal gain, publicly acknowledged as the Messiah, put the Jewish leaders in their place, salvation, set godly standards, silence the enemy, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek God's face, sinned and seriously disobeyed your word, sore displeased, suffering from negative situations, temple doves sold for sacrifices, thank you this Monday morning, the BIBLE, the chief priests and pharisees, the children crying in the temple, the God who heals, the mass confusion in our world, the only one to solve our problems, the power of God, the power to solve our problems, the purity of life, the seats of them that sold doves, the throne of grace, this house which is called by my name, thou hast perfected praise, to alleviate our problems, tolerated such gross perversion of the temple, truth, turn from our evil ways, wisdom, wise guidance and direction
Matthew 21:13. And he said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it into a den of thieves.
And so, after celebrating Psalm Sunday, Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem like the King He is, on a never ridden donkey, with all the celebration that engendered, we come right back to Monday, another opening day in a new week of work! What can be more disheartening eh? (smile) But remember as Bruh Paul admonishes, if you want to eat, you ought to work, (2 Thess. 3:10) so we must get with the programme if we want to be successful in this life.
Anyway, here’s another interesting and glorious achievement that Jesus apparently accomplished on that first Palm Sunday. Matthew writes: ‘And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast (drove) out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew (overturned) the tables of the money changers, and the seats of then that sold doves. And he said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it into a den of thieves.’ (Matt. 21:12-13)
Yes friends, Jesus could get angry enough to do damage to the evil doers in the temple. And the scholars explain that ‘A similar cleansing is recorded at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, (cf. John 2:13-22) indicating His disdain for the corruption of organized religion which lacked purity of life and the power of God. In light of the seriousness of what He had come to do, Jesus could not tolerate such gross perversion of the temple, meaning the whole temple area on Mount Moriah including all the precincts and courts.’
Brother! To get Jesus so angry, it must have been a big, ungodly operation throughout the temple. Now, here is another explanation from the scholars, per the Moneychangers, that tells us of the scale of the wrongdoing going on back then in the Lord’s house. They say: ‘Temple dues could be paid only in sacred coinage, and it was necessary to change one’s money. The selling of doves was for purposes of sacrifice. This exchange became a source of extortion for the family of the high priest, who personally controlled it. In reality the atmosphere amounted to a public bazaar.’
Ah Lord eh! And the priests were the ones who were supposed to set godly standards. But come to think of it, that’s not so different from nowadays, where many priests are gouging their own congregations and those they deal with for personal gain. And per It is written, the scholars write: ‘In His condemnation, the Lord quotes from the Greek Septuagint version of Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11.’ And we shall squeeze in those two verses for our elucidation. (smile)
The first one says: ‘Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.’ (Is. 56:7) Then the passage from Jeremiah states: ‘Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord.’ (Jer. 7:11)
However, Jesus’ cleansing of the temple was not the last action in the temple for that day, for Matthew graciously informs us: ‘And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the son of David, they were sore displeased (indignant), And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings (nursing infants) thou hast perfected praise.? And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.’ (Matt. 21:14-17)
Wow! Jesus Himself seemed to like the drama that went on between the Jewish religious leaders and Himself. He must have taken great joy in putting them in their place when they brought their nonsense to Him. And by the way, that quote about praise from the mouths of babes and sucklings seems to be another concoction of Jesus from Ps. 8:2, where Bruh David writes: ‘Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings (nursing infants) hast thou ordained (established) strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still (silence) the enemy and the avenger.’
Then there’s this verse where Jesus prays: ‘I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.’ (Matt. 11:25) So friends, Palm Sunday was indeed a good day for Jesus: He accomplished three…no four things that day. First, He was publicly acknowledged as the Messiah; secondly, He cleansed the temple of the ole crooks and them, then He healed those that needed healing, and finally, He put the Jewish leaders in their place, before walking out and leaving them with their mouths hanging open!
All praise to Jesus our wonderful Lord and Saviour. And having said all of that, let’s now go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid, to help in these turbulent 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, if we want to truly receive divine aid, we need to increase our Christian witness, because it is definitely not up to scratch, otherwise our world would not be is such a terrible evil and ungodly state! Much LOVE!
… Jesus is the One and Only necessity we have need of…our lives are completely fulfilled with His wonderful presence in them…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a constant merry-go-round, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, all these things shall be added unto you, and again I say rejoice, backbone and belly, be anxious for nothing, be careful for nothing, but are busybodies, clothes on our backs, diligent in reading the Bible, divine aid, ease the pain, especially in the tough times, faith, fellowshipping with other believers, food on our tables, God must be first and foremost in our lives, God's opinion is what truly matters, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, humdrum existence, if any man will come after me, if any would not work neither should he eat, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in the name of Jesus, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep a roof over our heads, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, labouring diligently, let him deny himself, let your moderation be known unto all men, let your requests be made known unto God, listening to the Holy Spirit, living for Jesus is a lifestyle, LOVE, make a living, mass confusion in our world, material wealth, mercy, one more time around the block, our Father who art in heaven, pray, praying, promised to hear and answer our prayers, Rejoice in the Lord always, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, sincere repentance, sincerely seek God's face, sinned and seriously disobeyed your word, strong faith in Christ, take up his cross daily and follow me, thanky you for life, the BIBLE, the God who heals, the Lord is at hand, the many suffering from negative situations, the peace of God which passeth all understading, the peace that passes all human understanding, the power to solve our problems, the resilience to go out to work every week, the throne of grace, Thou shalt have no other Gods before me, trials and tribulations, true faith in Jesus, trusting Jesus to take care of us, truth, turn from our evil ways, upgrade our Christian witness, usurping God's spot, walk among you disorderely, willing to sacrifice for Jesus, wisdom, wise guidance, working not at all
Luke 9:23. If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
One more time around the block this Monday morning friends! Yes, we’ve got to get out there and make a living, so we can keep a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs and food on our tables. Remember what Bruh Paul said to the Thessalonians? ‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.’ (2 Thess 3:10-11)
Now that situation still prevails in modern society, possibly even more now with the wealth we’ve achieved, but that ought not to stop most of us from going out and labouring diligently, all in the name of Jesus. And yes, it does seem like a constant merry go-round, the same thing from week to another, but that’s how our society is structured, and there’s not much we can do about it, except win the lottery or marry a rich spouse. (smile)
But yuh know what, when you have a lot of money and material wealth, you sometimes have to work even harder than normal to keep it, for someone else is always trying to take it away from you. And besides, plenty rich people are unhappy, so having material wealth is not necessarily the answer to our humdrum existence. So what is the answer then, you ask? It’s to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and therefore receive the peace that passes all human understanding so that we can handle all the same old same old things we need to deal with in this life.
That’s why Bruh Paul wrote thus to the Philippians: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let you moderation (graciousness) 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. 4:4-7)
And that’s how we attain and maintain the peace of mind and resilience to go out to work every week! It’s all about true faith in Jesus, trusting Him to take care of us, even, or especially in the tough times, when we don’t know what to do. Yes, friends, living for Jesus is a lifestyle; the only one that will allow you to handle this world with the energy, faith and confidence that you need to do it successfully. However, that means knowing what it takes to live a life for Christ; what He desires and dislikes in our earthly walk.
It means being very diligent in reading His Word – the Bible, praying, listening to the advice of His Holy Spirit, as well as fellowshipping with other believers on a regular basis. It’s not an easy life to live, if we want to live it right, as you can see from how Jesus describes what He desires of His followers. ‘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) In a nutshell, He’s looking for those willing to sacrifice themselves and their possessions on His behalf.
But the wonderful thing about Jesus is that He’s given us all the tools we need to do what He desires, and if we do our best to adhere to His will, then, despite the trials and tribulations we will face, we will do well in this evil and ungodly world. That’s why Jesus warned us: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt; 6:33) That’s right my people, God must be first and foremost in our hearts, thoughts and actions!
No wonder He said it loud and clear in the Ten Commandments: ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me.’ (Ex. 20:3) Now that could either mean, no other gods beside Him, or put no other gods in front of Him. But in the long run, it simply means that Almighty God must be first in our lives, and anything or anyone we put before Him is usurping His spot, and that’s a no-no in His opinion. And believe me, God’s opinion is what truly matters in this earthly life!
So, hopefully from these few words (smile) we’ve gained some new insight into how best to live this life, and if you already knew it, then we’ve refreshed your memory. (smile) It’s a smiley kind of day although the weather is not so good. Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to put it all together.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. 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 though our prayer says the right things, our actions don’t show them in real life. And until they do, divine aid will not be forthcoming. It’s as simple as that! We need to upgrade our Christian witness. Much LOVE!
…it takes knowledge…faith…backbone and belly…to truly live for Christ…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit, a flamboyant lifestyle, a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, all sinned and disobeyed your word, alleviate our problems, because strait is the gate, beware of false prophets, burnt out, Christ himself is both the gate and the way, come to you in sheep's clothing, common grind, conformity of doctrine with the scriptures, denied or distorted the truth of the gospel, dissatisfied, divine aid, drama, ease the pain of the many, enter ye in at the strait gate, eternal life, except the father draw him, exceptions rather than the rule, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, few there be that find it, food for thought, good things don't last forever, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, I am the way the truth and the life, impossible to live a life of constant excitement, inwardly they are ravening wolves, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus is not a killjoy, keep your promise to prosper us, lead us down the garden path, living for Jesus, LOVE, many go in thereat, mass confusion in our world, mercy, merry-go-round of excitement, narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, no man can come to me, no man cometh unto the Father but by me, only two paths in life, our Father who art in heaven, passion, pray, raise him up the last day, ravenous wolves, reminiscent of the turtle, salvation, season celebrations over, sincere repentance, sincerely seek God's face, social media, suffering from negative situations, take life as it comes, take life quietly, tempting things, thank you for life and strong faith in Christ, the broad way that leads to destruction, the daily task, the God who heals, the least stress, the power to solve our many problems, the throne of grace, the ups and downs of life, to live for Jesus, truth, turn from our evil ways, walk the straight and narrow path, wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, wisdom, wise guidance
Matthew 7:13. Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Oh friends, the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations have finally petered out, and sadly it’s back to work this Monday morning, despite the snowy weather out there, back to the daily task and common grind. (smile) But good things don’t last forever, so we hope you had a peaceful and LOVING Christmas and a bang-up New Year, that saw you renew your resolution to follow Jesus even more closely in this unknown year of 2026, for He is the ONLY One who can guide us on the straight and narrow path that leads to salvation and eternal life.
And one of the things we must learn and teach the young people as quickly as possible is that life is not a constant merry-go-round of excitement, passion and drama, like so many people tend to, or want to believe. But life is basically a bland, banal, slow-paced affair, reminiscent of the turtle and not the hare. And yes, it does have moments of excitement, drama and passion, but those are the exceptions rather than the rule, for it would be rather difficult, if not impossible to live a life of constant excitement, although some of us try to live it, but soon get burnt out and dissatisfied.
That’s why those who live the longest and with least stress are those who take life quietly, or as it comes, and handles the ups and downs with a peace and calm that comes from living for and with Jesus. Unfortunately though, the world today is trying to make us believe that life is one big, swinging party with lots of fun and excitement happening all the time. And sadly, a lot of us are flocking to that way of thinking through social media and all the other flashy, flamboyant, tempting things that are currently floating around in our world.
Therefore, Jesus warned us thus: ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult, confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt. 7:13-14) And is that ever the absolute truth my fellow believers! And it’s not that Jesus is a killjoy or something like that, and doesn’t want us to have fun, but He knows that if we follow certain behaviour that the world calls appropriate we would be led down the proverbial garden path; that’s the broad way that leads to destruction.
And the scholars offer these explanations on the subject. ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate means that one must come through the narrow gate to reach the path that leads to eternal life. Though many are on the broad … way, that leadeth to destruction (eternal separation from God), the gate that leads to life is so narrow that few there be that find it. Christ Himself is both the gate and the way (cf. John 14:6), and God enables men to find that gate (cf. John 6:44)’
Now, we know that the first reference refers to Jesus’ declaration to the disciple Thomas: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.’ And the second reference refers to Jesus’ statement: ‘No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.’ So, with Jesus’ warning about the two paths one can tread in this life, one good and one bad, we need to be very careful about what activities we participate in, as well as with whom we interact.
Thus Jesus continues His warning: ‘Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening (ravenous) wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil (bad) fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil (bad) fruit), neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.’ (Matt. 7:15-18) And that’s the truth of the matter friends!
And the scholars explain those verses thus: ‘The warning Beware of false prophets fits appropriately with the concept of the two ways. Since many are being led in the wrong way, they are obviously being led by the wrong people. False prophets were prevalent in the Old Testament, whereas God’s true prophets were often in the minority. False prophets appear in sheep’s clothing but are in reality ravening wolves. This is a perfect description of those preachers who have denied or distorted the truth of the gospel. They look like lambs but act like wolves. Meanwhile, a true test of a prophet was the conformity of his doctrine to the Scriptures (cf. Deut. 13: 1-5; 1 Cor. 14:37)’
And that test is still very important and applicable today, for there are many false prophets currently in our world. Consequently, when you listen to a preacher or teacher, it’s your duty to go and consult the scriptures and see if what they preach or teach actually conforms to God’s Word. That’s why the scholars further explain: ‘Their fruits refer not only to the actions of their lives, but also to the doctrines they proclaim. The two trees are contrasted in relation to the fruit they produce. Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit consistently, while a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit continually. Therefore, the normal and consistent production of fruit, whether good or evil, in a person’s life will bear evidence whether or not that life is of God.’
Now that should give us food for thought, (smile) as we go about our daily duties in this new year. So, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid in this earthly life. 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 lest we forget, divine aid hangs on us turning away from our evil ways! Much LOVE!
…if you want to live for Jesus…then you must endeavour to walk the straight and narrow path…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
01 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a divine promise from God, a light unto my path, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a spiritual message, abandon our hopes, all sinned and disobeyed your word, an inner sense of direction, assuring us of His guidance, be ruled by our emotions, be thou strong and very courageous, become better Chrsitian witnesses, behind the wheel, building trust, choose peace, clean up our act, common sense, Consider This, decision, divine help, do all acording to the law, emotional desires, encourages listening to God's will, experience the peace that comes only from God, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, falling prey to ungodly decisions, feel lost and uncertain, God is in the driver's seat, God will never lead us astray, God will never let us down, God will provide the right path, God will work all things out for our good, help me, hold my hopes with open hands, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, ignore our feelings, In Touch Magazine, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, let all thy ways be established, let thine eyelids look straight before thee, let thine eyes look right on, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, Moses my servant commanded thee, not allowing temptations to derail us, not be governed by my emotions, not easy to navigate on God's behalf, not the advice of others, our Father who art in heaven, place our lives in the hands of God, ponder the path of thy feet, praise Your Holy Name, pray, prosper wherever you go, put our trust in Almighty God, puts space between us and our desires, regardless of the choices, remove thy foot from evil, ruled by our emotions, salvation, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, staying focused on a righteous path, strong faith in Christ, thank you for life, the first day of the work week, the God who heals, the gospel truth, the infallible truth, the passenger seat, the throne of grace, the topic of problems, they word is a lamp unto my feet, thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, this is the way walk ye in it, through scripture, trust you for everything, trusting that God will guide us, trusting the Lord feels risky, truth, turn away from our own ways, turn from our evil ways, turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, turn not to the right hand nor to the left, warning words, we want to know how god will fix our problems, welcomes God, when you turn to the left, when you turn to the right hand, wisdom, wise guidance, wishy-washy society
Proverbs 4:26-27. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.’
And wouldn’t you know it, Monday, the first day of the work week, and in this case the first day of December 2025, has rolled around again friends, just like it has done for eons, and yet many of us still find it difficult to handle. (smile) Now, the weather should not be a problem since most of the snow from yesterday’s storm has melted, so that’s one item in our favour. And today we have some important and interesting info to share on the topic of problems from the ‘Consider This’ Section of the November Edition of the In Touch Magazine.
So please read with me: ‘When there’s a problem, we want to know how God will fix it. But we never know exactly what He’ll do. In these moments, trusting the Lord feels risky (when it’s actually anything but). A good way to begin building trust is to choose peace rather than be ruled by our emotions. This doesn’t mean we abandon our hopes or ignore our feelings – but simply that we keep them in the passenger seat rather than behind the wheel.
This decision puts space between us and our desires and welcomes God in them. And by doing so, we’re better able to receive whatever he has planned – whether it’s what we imagined or something altogether different. So how do we begin? With a prayer like this: “Lord, I want to experience the peace that comes only from You and not be governed by my emotions. Help me hold my hopes with open hands and trust you for everything. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Ah mih people, what wise information! Because in this wishy-washy society in which we currently live, with so many distractions and evil schemes, too many of us are ruled by our emotions and not good common sense which advises us to put our trust in Almighty God, who sincerely LOVES and cares for us and will never lead us astray. And there are several scriptures that warn of falling prey to unwise, ungodly distractions, and live by God’s Word and His guidance instead.
Listen as the prophet Isaiah warns us, while telling his people Israel about God’s graciousness and mercy. He writes: ‘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) Yes friends, it’s a divine promise from God to His people, assuring us of His guidance if we will turn away from our own ways and listen to Him.
And this commentary offers this explanation as per the ‘Spiritual interpretation: The phrase is interpreted as a spiritual message that regardless of the choices one faces, God will provide the correct path. It is a call to trust in divine guidance and be attentive to the “voice” of God, whether through scripture, the Holy Spirit, or an inner sense of direction.’ And per the ‘Practical application: For believers, the message encourages listening to God’s will rather than the advice of others and trusting that He will guide them, even when they feel lost or uncertain.’
And is that ever the infallible truth! Of course! For it’s the very same thing the Lord told Joshua when He made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. ‘Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou may observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:7) It could not be put any plainer than that my faithful brethren.
Then we also have these warning words from Cousin Sol in Proverbs re swerving from God’s path, where he solemnly advises: ‘Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.’ (Prov. 4:25-27) There again we have a warning about staying focused on a righteous path, not allowing temptations to derail us from it through emotional desires.
Remember, God is in the driver’s seat, not our emotions. That’s why Cousin Sol tells us to specifically watch where we walk. It’s also like the psalmist says: ‘Thy word is a lamp uno my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) And that’s exactly why the Lord gave us His Word, so it can light our path and guide our feet. But none of this will happen if we don’t know the Word and then place our lives in the hands of God, trusting Him to eventually work all things out for our good, because that’s His promise. (Rom. 8:28)
And though all we’re saying is the gospel truth, it’s still not easy to navigate on God’s behalf in this evil world. That’s why we can go confidently to the throne of grace seeking divine help in times of need. So, let’s do that right now nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world.
Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And it’s all well and good to remind God of His promise to prosper us, but what about the conditions that must first be met eh? That’s our turning from our evil ways. The point is, until we clean up our act and become better Christian witnesses and ambassadors, God will not cause us to prosper. So let’s concentrate on doing that nuh … if we indeed desire divine help. Much LOVE!
…when we sincerely place our lives in God’s hands…He will never let us down…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a negative situation, a prudent man forseeth the evil, a prudent man sees danger, a word to the wise is sufficient, alleviate our problems, and are punished, as a snare shall it come, avarice, be ye also ready, cares of is life, carousing, crapaud smoke we pipe, divine aid, done like dinner, drunkenness, embrace it like a stalworth friend, entitlement, faith, fellowship, for in such an hour as ye think not, for ye know neither the day nor the hour, grab the baton and run, grab the bull by the horns, heaven and earth shall pass away, holy spirit, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, laze away the weekend, lest at any time, LOVE, mercy, my words shall not pass away, of fame, of ory, our Father who art in heaven, our pants down around our ankles, party away the weekend, physical rest, practical foresight, pray always, prepare for Monday, preparedness, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, spiritual preparedness, spiritual readiness, spiritual renewal, stand before the Son of man, strong faith in Christ, take heed to yourselves, takes refuge, the ball is now in our court, the day come upon you unawares, the God who heals, the imple keep going and suffer for it, the Lord's house must be magnificent, the merry-go-round, the power to solve our many problems, the simple pass on, the Son of man cometh, the throne of grace, them that dwell on the whole face of the earth, throughout all countries, traffic jams, truth, turn from our evil ways, vim and vitality, watch therefore, wherein the Son of man cometh, wisdom, wise guidance, without complaining, words of warning, work ethic, ye know not what hour your Lord doth come, ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things, your awesome grace and mercy, your hearts be weighed down with surfeiting
Matthew 25:13. ‘Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.’
One more time on the merry-go round called our work week my beauties! We cannot get away from Monday, no matter how hard we try, so it’s best we stop trying and rather embrace it like a good and stalworth friend. (smile) Otherwise it will just frustrate us for all of our working lives. And what a waste of a good life that would be! So all God’s people said a loud and frustrated ‘Amen!’ Yes, it’s best we just grab the bull by the horns and get on with it, or the bull will action us with his horns instead. And we all know that’s a very negative situation, which we want to avoid at all costs.
But all of what we just said there doesn’t come easily, no, it requires a few things of us. The first is a good work ethic, simply knowing that we must work to earn a living, so we just make up our minds to do it without complaining, because complaining will make no real difference, except to make us miserable. But then that calls for self-discipline and self-control, two things that are very difficult to come by in this age of avarice and entitlement.
We must learn to prepare for Monday, just like we do for the other days of the week, not just party or laze the weekend away. And in all of that there’s a call for some decent physical rest, as well as spiritual renewal, meaning church and fellowship time with other believers, for we cannot handle Monday properly unless we’re filled with new vim and vitality.
And right now, let’s be thankful that it’s summer time and many people are on vacation, so the traffic jams are not as deadly, neither do we have to be wading through the snow and sludge to get to work. That is also something we cannot avoid if we live in the northern climes, but we have a few months of reprieve still to go. But let’s also note that this is the 30th day of June, meaning that it’s now done like dinner, (smile) and the summer months will pass quicker than we realize, so please, let’s grab the baton and run with it like crazy! End of sermon!
And I guess all of that leads us to the topic of preparedness. And what do the scriptures have to say about that? They offer various teachings in both spiritual readiness and practical foresight. Let’s check out a few nuh. And this first one deals with practical foresight. It tells of when Bruh David wanted to build a temple for God, but God nixed the idea because of the great amount of blood he’d shed and said that his son Cousin Sol would build the temple.
However the Bible tells us that Bruh David began collecting supplies for the building of the temple. ‘And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnifical, of fame, and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.’ (1 Chr. 22:5) Yes friends, that’s how we ought to prepare for Mondays! (smile)
And here’s another interesting scripture highlighting practical foresight; this from Cousin Sol in Proverbs. He writes: ‘A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.’ (Prov. 22:3) In other words: ‘A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.’
Then there are scriptures on spiritual preparedness, like this poignant warning from Christ where He’s talking about no one knowing the day nor the hour when He returns, except the Father. ‘Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord will come. But know this, that if the goodman (master) of the house had known in what watch (hour) the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered (allowed) his house to be broken up (into). Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 24:42-44)
Yes my brethren, we need to always be prepared and watching for whenever Jesus returns, for if He catches us with our pants down around our knees, then crapaud smoke we pipe! And He considered our readiness so important that He repeated it later on in the parable of the Ten Virgins: ‘Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 25:13)Oh friends, there’s no more important preparedness for us believers than that!
And I like how Luke writes it. ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged (be weighed down) with surfeiting (carousing), and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.’ (Luke 21:33-36)
Now those are powerful words of warning my people, so please let’s pay close heed to them. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid for all that ails us. 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, please note what our prayer says we need to do to receive divine aid; turn from our evil ways, humble ourselves, pray and sincerely seek God face. The ball is now in our court! Much LOVE!
…a word to the wise is sufficient…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
Previous Older Entries
