02 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a man's life does not consist of his possessions, a positive outlook on life, abundance, an appropriate lesson for these times, be content with what you have, be in the world not of the world, before many witnesses, beware of covetousness, Christians living like the world, clear direction for my life, confessed a good confession, courage, covet not thy neighbour's wife, covetous vultures, covetousness is not a Christian attribute, creativity, curse, divine protection, don't covet anything that is your neighbour's, drown men in destruction, eat drink and be merry, engaging in greed and envy, erred from their faith, even as I am not of the world, evil doers, faith, fall into temptation, favour, fight the good fight, flee these things, follow after righteousness, godliness, godliness with contentment is great gain, greedy and covetous times, hast professed a good profession, having food and raiment, high-priced lawyers, holy spirit, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, in the name of Jesus, into many foolish and hurtful lusts, is not rich towards God, Jesus Christ, lay hold on eternal life, let us therewith be content, let your conduct be without covetousness, licentiousness, LOVE, maximization of earthly wealth, meekness, mercy, negative word, nice sunshiny weather, O man of God, our life's goal, patience, perdition, pierced themselves through with many sorrows, ruin and destruction, salvation, sanctify them through thy truth, self-control, self-discipline, set them apart, so is he that layeth up treasure for himself, some in their greediness, stop striving for material wealth, strayed from the faith, success, supernatural strength, supernatural wisdom, take heed, take thine ease, talent, the gospel truth, the Lord hath said, the LOVE of money, the parable of the Good Samaritan, the parable of the rich fool, the root of all kinds of evil, the Ten Commandments, the way of the world, they are not of the world, they that desire to be rich, this night thy soul shall be required of thee, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thy word is truth, truth, we brought nothing into this world, we can carry nothing out, which some coveted after, which thou hast provided, who is my neighbour, whose shall those things be, wisdom
Hebrews 13:5a. Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have:
Ah friends, I can’t believe it’s already Thursday, the penultimate day of our workweek! The week has certainly passed quickly, and October seems to be giving us some nice sunshiny weather, though a tad on the cooler side. And we won’t complain, although complaining seems to be our lot these days. (smile) Now, as I was leafing through the Good Library, seeking something to write on, I came across this rather interesting and most appropriate lesson for these particular times.
It’s a verse from the author of Hebrews, which very conveniently, we only remember the last half, while seldom paying any attention to the first half. Why? Because the scripture admonishes and wisely advises us thus: ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he (the Lord) hath said , I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Heb. 13:5)
Yes my people, we tell ourselves that the last half of the verse is the gospel truth, but we completely ignore the first half, because that’s the way of the world in these greedy and covetous times, and too many of us supposed believers are living like the world, not like Christians. Remember what Jesus said when He prayed for the disciples, and consequently us? ‘They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth.’ (John 17:16-17)
Yes friends, we’re supposed to be in the world, but set aside from the world, and knowing God’s Word, which is the infallible truth, we’re not supposed to be behaving like the world. But unfortunately, too many of us are doing just that, engaging in the greed, envy and licentiousness that we’re supposed to resist and instead make public, so that the evil doers can see the light of Christ. And the sad part is that the admonishment against covetousness is not a new one, for it was framed from time immemorial in the Ten Commandments which the Lord gave to the Israelites and subsequently to those who professed belief in him and His Son Jesus Christ.
So, let’s cast our minds back to that august document, set out in Exodus 20. The last commandment of those ten, most explicitly warns: ‘Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.’ (Ex. 20:17) Now, what about that don’t we understand eh?
And some of you trying to be smart might say, it only talks about our neighbour’s stuff. Well for your information, everybody around you, whether you live close to them or not, is your neighbour. Remember when the foolish lawyer who wanted to be seen, asked Jesus the same question, ‘Who is my neighbour?’ And Jesus then told him the parable of the Good Samaritan, showing his neighbour was anyone whom he came into contact with. (Luke 10: 28-37) So, don’t covet, means just that: don’t covet anything at all from anybody. Covetousness ought not to be an attribute of a believer in Christ Jesus.
And Jesus Himself warned us about covetousness, when someone asked him to talk to his brother about sharing their inheritance, ‘And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge, or a divider (an arbitrator) over you? And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.’ (Luke 12:13-15) Then, as was His wont, to back up His statement, Jesus told them the parable of the rich fool. Where this man had so much stuff, he had nowhere to store them. So in his foolish, worldly wisdom decided to tear down all his storehouses and build bigger and better ones, so he could store all his goods.
‘And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat drink and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God.’ (Luke 12:19-21)
And we see that happening every day, where some person who has spent their entire lives building great material wealth, suddenly dies. And what becomes of their fortune eh? They surely cannot take it with them. No, it’s left behind for a lot of greedy, covetous vultures in human form to fight over it. And in the end, the people who benefit most are the high-priced lawyers they hire to fight for it! What godly justice for greed and covetousness.
And we can’t have a scriptural conversation on covetousness without these remarkable words of Bruh Paul to Timothy on the subject. He writes: ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment (clothing) let us be therewith content. But they that will be (desire to be) rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful (harmful) lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (ruin and destruction).
For the LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from their faith (for which, some in their greediness have strayed from the faith), and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim. 6:6-12)
Ah mih bredrin, Bruh Paul says it all right there! It’s high time we believers stop making the attainment of material wealth our life’s goal. There’s nothing wrong with having wealth, but living to create it is unwise. Especially since the Lord has blessed us with what we call our Thursday Blessings; so many undeserved blessings, to do our earthly work. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh!
As one strong and sincere voice. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings, it now behooves us to go out and use them on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…godliness with contentment…is what Christians should be seeking…not maximization of earthly wealth…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lean mean fighting machine, a little while, a precious message, ask for, believe, cast not away, courage fails, destruction, disregard the darkness, done the will of god, draw back, dwelling in our hearts, earthly journey, endurance, enlightening, faith, fear, feeling, follow the world, for someone else, friend of Jesus, friendsip, glory to God, God's promises, God's timing, great recompense, guiding, have need of patience, hope, hunky dory, imagine, immutable word, in a hurry, in the light, insecurity, joy, lead us astray, leading, listen, live by faith, logic, LOVE, Love of Jesus, misguided attempt, negative circumstances, northern climes, not by sight, One Year Book of Bible promises, Oswald Chambers, overwhelming, perdition, prayer, receive the promise, reward, rich, Ruth Harms Calkin, share, smile, stands firm, the good fight of faith, the Holy Spirit, the just, the realm of prayer, the saving of the soul, times of questioning, timetable, trials, tribulations, trust, trusting seems difficult, Tuesday Mantra, unfaithfulness, unwise, wait for an answer, wasted commodities, we walk by faith, will not tarry, your confidence
Hebrews 10:35-36. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance), that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
Oh my people, the ole fella went to bed pretty late last night – or this morning, if you will, and consequently, as a direct result of that unwise decision, he therefore arose pretty late this morning! What beautiful logic! (smile) He arose to another bright and deliciously cold day, with wind and snow promised sometime in the later hours of the day. So for those of you operating in these inhumane northern climes, please be careful coming home from work this afternoon, or if you have to go out at that hour.
But yuh know what friends, none of that really matters when we have the Holy Spirit of Jesus dwelling deep in our hearts, leading and guiding us on this our earthly journey! Glory to God! We can trust and depend on His holy guidance not to lead us astray, because Christ promised it, and many of us have also experienced it!
And talking about promises, here is this excerpt from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that expatiates (smile) on ‘God’s Promises.’ Please read with me: ‘With increasing joy I am discovering that God’s promises do not suddenly disappear when our courage fails and our fears become overwhelming. Feeling or no feeling, when God gives a promise that speaks directly to our need, it stands firm regardless of negative circumstances.
There may be times of questioning, and we may not understand God’s timing, but His promise remains certain through our deepest trial. If we consistently rely on His immutable (unchangeable) Word, we can disregard the darkness. Oswald Chambers (the great Christian writer) says, “Are you in the dark right now regarding your circumstances? Then listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else when you are in the light.” God waits for us to trust Him when trusting seems the most difficult thing of all.’
Yeh friends, that’s how our God operates! It’s in the rough and dark times that He expects our trust and faith to shine through! And thinking logically about it, it’s really in those times of trials and tribulations that faith and trust are really necessary. In the good times we don’t need them as much, because everything’s hunky dory!
It’s like hope; why need hope for something that you already see eh? (smile) And my people, a lot of our unfaithfulness and insecurity stems from our failure to listen to God! Yes, He does speak to us in so many ways; through His Holy Spirit, through circumstances and even through others! But in our misguided attempt to follow the world and rush through everything, we don’t take time to listen to our heavenly Father, and thus, sadly, we miss out on a lot of good stuff He has in store for us.
And we see that oh so much in the realm of prayer; where we cry out to God, expect Him to hear us, and He always does, but then we don’t wait for His answer, we rush on to the next thing. Oh friends, when we’re talking to another human being, don’t we wait for an answer from them? Sure, some of us do! (smile)
Well it’s the same thing with God; why cry out to Him for help and then don’t wait to hear what He has to say on the matter eh? That’s totally unwise. But we’re always in a hurry, want everything now for now! Unfortunately though God does not operate on our timetable, we ought to learn to operate on His, and wait for His timing.
Yes, it often involves a long wait, as I’ve been experiencing over the last two years with all my illnesses, waiting for Him to bring it all together and heal me. It’s been slow, in my opinion, but definitely not in His. And I can see and feel things moving along…yes slowly…but by the same token I’m believing that by the end of this year of 2019, I’ll be a lean, mean, fighting machine!
Wow! Glory to our wonderful God who gives us all that we ever need…and even more than we can ask for imagine! Give Him some awesome praise my people! Yeh friends, what’s the point of having faith and not showing it eh? None whatsoever! But that’s exactly what too many of us believers are unwisely doing. Things like faith and LOVE, and trust and hope are action words, otherwise they are wasted commodities!
And our Bit for today, which is the same scripture Promise for the writing above, tells us that in no uncertain terms. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance), that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb.10:35-36) And that’s oh so true my people!
However, as the writer of Hebrews continues, quoting the prophet Habakkuk and other writers: ‘For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry (delay). Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition (destruction); but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.’ (Heb.10:37-38)
Oh give glory to God my brethren, that we are people of active faith and solidly believe that our souls have been, and will continue to be saved! Now let’s show that by boldly, loudly and sincerely declaring (got it right) our Tuesday Mantra, which tells the world in no uncertain terms, who and whose we are.
Altogether now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Now, by that same faith we’ve just declared, let’s go out and share that friendship and LOVE of Jesus, as He so greatly desires of us! Much LOVE!
…fight the good fight of faith…for we walk by faith…not by sight… (1 Tim.6:12a, 2 Cor.5:7).
P.S. Yeh, it’s a tad late, but oh so rich and enlightening! (smile) Much LOVE!
02 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a big posse, a difficult journey, a roof to sleep under, a single best friend, adventuresome, all kinds of evil, Anselm, aspires, basic amenities, be contented, be happy with what you have, betrayal, blessed, comfort zone, complain, contentment, desire to be rich, destruction, divine means, dog and pony track, drown men, eternal life, exit the world, faith, follow Christ's advice, food to eat, for your benefit, friends, fruitful, godliness, good things happen, gospel truth, great gain, greediness, greedy, Guide, hangers ons, higher the number, in time of need, inspires, interesting, internet connection, leader, lesser, life's basic necessities, LOVE, many sorrows, material wealth, meekness, misconception, missing out, more fun, negative things, patience, peace, perdition, pierced themselves, righteousness, ruin, seek first the kingdom of God, seeking for more, selfish, serve God and mammon, strayed from the faith, the Christian's life, the LOVE of money, the natrue of our society, think positive, Timothy, walking hand in hand with Jesus, we brought nothing, we can carry out nothing, wisdom, you can count on
1 Timothy 6:6. But godliness with contentment is great gain.
All right friends and family, here we go again; one more time around the dog and pony track called Life. (smile) And though it’s oftimes a difficult journey, it certainly is an interesting and adventuresome one, made even more interesting and fruitful if you’re walking hand in hand with Jesus, the great Saviour of the world!
Wow! What an awesome guide and leader He is! And if you’re not walking with Him, then unfortunately you’re missing out on the best part of this earthly life, and consequently the eternal life too. So please check Him out nuh. You’ll be surprised at what He has to offer…and it’s all for your benefit.
And with it being Saturday, let’s turn to some quotes of this past week from our friend Anselm, who genuinely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And we’ll begin with the shortest one: ‘When you think positive good things happen.’
And that’s generally true. It doesn’t mean that you won’t have any negative things happen, but they will be mostly positive, since what the mind focuses on, is what generally comes to pass.
And like Anselm was in a friend seeking mood this week (smile) as he offers these two quotes on the subject. ‘There is a misconception among people that the higher the number of friends you have, the more fun you’ll have. The fact is the lesser friends you have, the lesser you have to deal with.
Trust me; it doesn’t matter how many friends you have, all that matters is how many friends you can count upon when you are in need.’ And ‘Having a single best friend is better than having ten random friends who aren’t going to be with you for long.’
Oh my people, how many of us have suffered betrayal and rejection by those we thought were friends eh? We all have, because it’s a human frailty. The wisdom lies in having a few staunch and genuine friends you can call on in times of need. A big posse is not a set of friends, but a group of hangers’ ons. And remember the corollary to the above; to have genuine friends, you must also be a genuine friend.
Then there is this last one: ‘You are living in your comfort zone, having an active Internet connection, food to eat, TV to watch and a roof to sleep under. Do remember that even if you have only these four basic amenities, you are richer than 75% of the world’s population. Be happy for what you have, but don’t settle for it.’
I would say that you are better off than more than 90 percent of the world, and you shouldn’t just be happy, but be darm happy and contented and feel extremely blessed, because there are so many others in the world struggling and suffering with much less than you have.
But unfortunately the nature of our society is that the more we have, the more we complain about the few things we don’t have. We never seem to value sufficiently the things we do have, always seeking for more, when we don’t even have the time or the resources to handle it. And it just results in a greedy and selfish society, of which we are the cream of the crop.
But Bruh Paul’s words to Timothy in our Bit should be the norm in our society. ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren? It surely is! When we have God first place in our lives we’re not selfish or greedy, because He induces a peace and contentment in our souls regardless of our particular situations.
And the verse following our Bit highlights the ridiculousness of fighting and killing ourselves over the material wealth of the world. ‘For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.’ (1 Tim.6:7)
And the scholars offer this very interesting explanation of that verse. ‘6:7. And it is certain we can carry nothing out (or, “because we are unable to carry anything out”): Man enters the world at birth possessing nothing, in order to teach him that he will exit the world in the same manner – taking nothing with him. This is a divine means of showing man that since material wealth is relatively insignificant, he should pursue the important things mentioned in verse 11.’
And those things include ‘righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience and meekness.’ Now here is this very seminal verse as Bruh Paul continues: ‘And having food and raiment (clothing) let us therewith be content.’ (1 Tim.6:8)
The scholars explain: 6:8. This verse prevents the wrong understanding of verse 7, that material possessions have no place in the Christian’s life. By figure of speech food and raiment stand for all of life’s basic necessities. These are all the believer needs, and having these he can be content.’
However, contentment is not a mainstay of our current society. We are more apt to follow this agenda that Bruh Paul talks about. ‘But they that will be (desire to be) rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful (harmful) lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (ruin and destruction).
For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds of) evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith (for which some in their greediness have strayed from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’ (1 Tim.6:9-10)
Ah mih people, the desperate seeking after money and the material possessions of this world only cause more problems than they solve. So please, let’s stop it nuh, and follow Christ’s wise advice: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:32) That’s all there is to it! Much LOVE!
…you cannot serve God and mammon (money)…at the same time… (Matt.6:24b)
07 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a leader, a wake up call, an excess of rain, Anselm, blaming, Central America, come crashing down, creation, damage, destruction, diligence, disaster, do more, dream, earth, eternal life, eternity, excellence, excuses, fraudulent schemes, friend, God's work, grin and bear it, heaven, heavenly blessings, heavenly rewards, hit the nail on the head, Honduras, ignorant of, in the water, influence human behaviour, inspire, kept in store, learn, learn more, LOVE, manipulate, meant for harm, my words, Nate, Nicaragua, perdition, Ponzi Scheme, reboot, reserved unto fire, responsibility, right relationship with God, righteousness, salvation, Saturday, seek Jesus, shall not pass away, shall pass away, shower of rain, strengthened my resolve, the beginning, the day of judgement, the enemy, the fountain head, the most powerful instrument, the stockmarket, the U.S Gulf Coast, the Word of god, tropical storm, turned into good, two edged sword, understanding, ungodly men, wisdom, wishy-washy
Matthew 24:35. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Ah friends, the enemy always finds some way to disturb God’s work yes! Would you believe that a short while ago, just as I was going to start writing, my trusty computer froze on me and I had to reboot it and start from scratch again?
And though the unexpected delay frustrated me some, overall it just strengthened my resolve to complete my task with diligence and excellence! So that what the enemy meant for harm, the Lord turned into good! All praise and glory to our heavenly Father who so wonderfully inspires us to do His work!
And then there was Nate; just a li’l ole tropical storm, but it has already caused loss of life and done oodles of damage to Central American countries like Honduras and Nicaragua, and is now supposedly heading for the U.S Gulf Coast.
Down there they are busily preparing to weather it as best they can. Meanwhile in my area we are thankful that we finally got a decent shower of rain earlier this morning. Heavenly blessings have been conspicuously absent from my area for a while now.
Hn! How do you reason it out eh: one place getting a surfeit, an excess of rain, while another gets a little to none? The answer is, you don’t, because that’s God’s department. You just have to grin and bear it as best you can, with His help of course.
Anyway, let’s pray that the Lord averts further disaster in the Southern U.S, or causes it to be minimal. I don’t think they can handle much more, but that whatever happens, it will serve as a wake up call to return to right relationship with the God of their forefathers.
And since it’s Saturday, let’s consider some of the inspirational quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this week, in his noble aspiration to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this first one let’s us have it with both barrels: ‘Stop making excuses.’
It hits the proverbial nail right on the head, for we are an excuse making society. We don’t want to take responsibility for anything, always blaming something or someone else for whatever has happened. And until we stop making excuses and start taking responsibility, our society will continue to be wishy-washy.
Then there’s this quote: ‘There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.’ That’s full of truth, but again, in our evil and ungodly society, unlike our friend Anselm, (smile) we focus more on manipulating people than inspiring them.
And that’s not wise, because at some stage of the game people will realize they are being manipulated and then the whole Ponzi scheme will come crashing down. Just look at the stock market and all the other fraudulent schemes existing in our society.
Now the next quote is in direct contrast to the last one: ‘If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.’ Lots of truth in that friends! In fact our aim should always be to inspire others, as that’s what Jesus came to earth and died for; to inspire us to seek Him and His righteousness.
And I particularly like this last quote: ‘You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.’ Yes my fellow believers, that’s the gospel truth! A lot of us only recognize those who can do something for us, while neglecting, oftimes contemptuously, those who can’t help us in any form or fashion.
But we’re dreadfully wrong in that kind of thinking, for the latter might not be able to do anything for us here on earth, but they’ll do lots for us in heaven if we treat them with respect and help them as best we can. In other words, looking on them favourably will build up heavenly rewards for us. The Lord’s Word says that.
And as our Bit says: ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.’ That means all that our wonderful God has said will remain true even into eternity…and beyond. (smile)
And we’ll close this series of messages on the power and purpose of God’s everlasting Word with this scripture from 2 Peter, where the apostle is talking about living in the hope of the Lord’s coming. ‘Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers (mockers), walking after (according to) their own lusts (desires).
And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep (died), all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of (forget), that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water (the great flood):
Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished. But the heavens and the earth, which are now (currently exist), by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against (until) the day of judgement and perdition (destruction) of ungodly men.’ (2 Pet.3:3-7)
Yeh friends, it’s all in the Word, and done by the Word, and of the Word! And we can only be afforded salvation and eternal life through the Word! So let’s make sure we write all of that indelibly in our hearts, and souls nuh, because it’s the source, the fountainhead of wisdom and understanding. Much LOVE!
…the Word of God…a mighty two-edged sword…the most powerful instrument in the universe…
21 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, anxieties, aura of love, best interests, blessings, Christ-like, christianity, come hell or high water, conduct, confidence, conquerors, destruction, disunity, dormant state, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, fellowship, friends, furtherance of the gospel, generous help, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, godlessness, godly example, godly living, good things, grievances, holy spirit, Holy Week, hope, humble servants, in behalf of Christ, invincible, jealousies, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lies, living for Jesus, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Mother Nature, new week of work, no guarantees, one spirit, perdition, Philippians, rejuvenation of spirit, rest, run this earthly race of life, sacrifice, salvation, short attention spans, spiritual armour, spring has sprung, steadfast faith, steadfastness, striving together, surrender, take the bull by the horns, talking the talk, taunts, to believe on him, to suffer for him, trust, truth, ungodly world, unto you it is given, walking the walk, watershed year, we can do all thing through Jesus, wiles, wisdom, work everything out for our good, working, working together, worthless gesture, zest
Philippians 1:29. For unto you it is given in behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.
Oh friends, spring has finally sprung in this watershed year of 2016! Yes, Mother Nature is on the verge of refreshing and renewing herself with new bulbs, leaves, flowers etc!
And on this Monday morning of Holy Week, I believe that it will be in our best interests if we all did likewise. Let’s spring up today and get back in the fray of godly living with excitement and joy and faith in the good things that God has promised to bless us with.
Let’s do like Mother Nature, who has no guarantees, but at this time of the year she arises from her dormant state refreshed and reinvigorated, and decides to take the bull by the horns and grow, spring forth in all her greenery, come what may.
Now that is the attitude we Christians need to adopt; come hell or high water, enthusiastically moving forward with Jesus as He desires of us. Remember, He has promised never to leave or forsake us, to always be with us, and to work everything out for our good, meaning that we have more guarantees than Mother Nature.
So let’s run this earthly race then without fear and doubts nuh, but with the supreme confidence instilled in us by the Holy Spirit, that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us each and every day of our lives. And to help us do that today, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with that confidence and zest derived from the Holy Spirit.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Now that was good friends, though not as spectacular as last week’s rendition, but it did bring a smile to Jesus’ face, and that’s the number one criteria for judging. (smile)
That brings us to our Bit, which I believe many of you might not like, but it is an integral part of working and living for Jesus. Before we get to it though, let’s try to put it in its proper context. Here Bruh Paul is exhorting the Philippians to steadfastness.
‘Only let your conversation be as it becometh (conduct be worthy of) the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.
And in nothing (no way) terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token (proof) of perdition (destruction), but to you of salvation, and that of God. For unto you it is given in behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake. Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.’ (Phil.1:27-30)
Ah my people, it’s not an easy life being a sincere Christian, but as I keep on saying it’s worth it. Nothing is as rewarding as living and working for Jesus!
And all God’s children shouted a loud and a proud ‘Glory Hallelujah! All praise and glory be to Jesus!’
Now let’s see if we can simplify some of that scripture with this info from the scholars. ‘1:27. Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel means “only conduct yourselves worthily of the gospel” That ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind: That is, the church was to look and act as though she possessed but “one mind” and one way of thinking. To achieve this the assembly must put away their many petty grievances, jealousies, and disunity.
The manner in which the Philippians are to stand fast in one spirit is by their striving together for the faith, that is, by their standing up for the Christian faith. Like Paul, they too are to expend their lives for the good of the gospel. But proper conduct on their part and unity in the church are essential if they are to benefit the gospel.’
And I’m sadly chuckling my brethren as I write that, and the truth of the matter is brought home to me; meaning that in these dreadful and difficult times, we are not working together as Bruh Paul deems necessary for the true furtherance of the Gospel. Instead the petty grievances, jealousies, fears, anxieties and disunity abound in today’s church, no wonder the relative godlessness in our society.
Oh friends, I don’t how else to say it so that it can make a serious impact, or how often I must say it, but until Christians begin living a true Christ-like lifestyle, show a truly godly example, the world will continue to be run by the powers of darkness, and Christ’s church will take a back seat to it.
Now that is definitely not what Christ died to make happen, and if we continue the way we’re going, we’ll just make His sacrifice a worthless gesture of LOVE!
And we’ll end there, because I don’t want to give us too much to ponder on, bearing in mind our short attention spans, especially when it has to do with God. We’ll continue this tomorrow, God in favour.
Till then, please, please my fellow believers, let’s pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and do better nuh. Remember it’s all for Jesus, whom we claim to LOVE and revere so much. Much LOVE!
…true Christianity means…walking the walk…as well as talking the talk…
24 Jul 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accumulation of things, acknowledge God, as we forgive our debtors, awesome power, be content, Bruh David, Bruh Paul, Commit thy way to the Lord, contentment, Cousin Sol, deceitful thoughts and attitudes, deliver us from evil, desire to be rich, destruction, don't overwork, erred from the faith, esteem, eternal life, faith, favours, fight the good fight of faith, fly away as an eagle, focus, food and clothing, for thine is the kingdom, forbearance, forgive us our debts, forsake friends and families, forsake God, fortunes, give us our daily bread, goal of our lives, godliness, godly and righteous service, goodness, gospel truth, great gain, greediness, hallowed be thy name, headaches, heavenly rewards, holiness, Jesus, judgement, justice, lead us not into temptation, light, lost fortunes, LOVE, loving kindness, made fortunes, majesty, man of God, material wealth, meekness, meritorious benefits, moth and rust destroy, Our Father, pain, patience, perdition, physical riches, praise and thanks, priorities, Psalm 37, raison d'etre, respect, reverential awe, rewards, rewards for faithful service, riches have wings, righteousness., root of all evil, ruin, shun money, significant teaching of jesus, slaves to riches, snare, sorrows, stupidity, supernatural sight, teaching of Jesus, temptation, tender mercy, the LOVE of money, the power and the glory, thieves break in, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, Timothy, treasures in heaven, treasures on earth, true motives of our hearts, trust in the Lord, where your treasure is there is your heart, wings, wisdom
Matthew 6:19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin, destroy), and where thieves break through and steal.
Aye mih Friends, it’s Thursday, what’s new, what’s on the agenda for today eh? I know that all of us have lofty plans for the day, but just remember, for them to succeed, we have to commit these plans to the Lord, link them with His plan and will for our lives.
As Bruh David so wisely advises in Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.’ (Ps.37:5-6)
But first things first my brethren; let’s give our wonderful God a mighty shout of praise and thanks for causing us to see another marvelous day here on earth, for without His goodness and tender mercy, His LOVING-kindness and forbearance, that wouldn’t be possible.
So please pray with me, this prayer that Jesus taught us. ‘Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (the evil one): for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’ (Matt.6:9-13)
Yes my people, it’s always best to acknowledge our heavenly Father before we begin asking Him for this and that. It just shows our respect, our reverential awe for His holiness, His spectacular majesty and awesome power, and that we’re not merely interested in whatever good things He might have to offer us.
For also remember that He can see, and does read the true motives of our hearts, so any hypocrisy we try to hide from Him WILL BE exposed to His supernatural sight. Consequently, I don’t understand how so many of us still come to God with deceitful thoughts and attitudes, thinking to fool Him. Absolute stupidity!
Anyway, that brings us to our Bit, a very significant teaching of Jesus. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin, destroy), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt.6:19-21)
Oh Friends, what a very instructive and hopefully convincing passage of scripture, that all of us will sincerely and confidently take note of!
And the scholars have this to say about those verses. ‘6:19-21. The attention of the believer is directed toward treasures in heaven. The term treasures implies the addition or accumulation of things. The two kinds of treasures are conditioned by their place (either on earth or in heaven).
The concept of laying up treasures in heaven is not pictured as one of meritorious benefits but rather of rewards for faithful service, as illustrated elsewhere in the teaching of Jesus.’
Yes my brethren, unlike the world’s theory that we should aggrandize ourselves with the worthless physical riches of the earth, Jesus is advising us to store up the favours and rewards for godly and righteous service in heaven.
And it’s a proven fact that wherever the choice things of our heart are located, that’s where our attention will be focused. So if the treasures of the world hold the place of highest esteem in our lives, then that’s where our focus, our priorities, will lie.
However, if the rewards and riches found in heaven speak more to us, then it’s on heaven and heavenly things that our focus and priorities will be trained.
And though the riches of the world are nice to have, running behind them, making ourselves slaves to collecting them is not a very wise idea. For that path only brings immense headaches and pain, in the long run causing us to forsake our friends and families, and most importantly our God.
Now let’s look at some scriptures that support our Bit. And the first comes from the pen of wise Cousin Sol, where he unequivocally declares: ‘Labour not (do not overwork) to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? (Will you cause your eyes to fly on it, and it is not?) For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.’ (Prov.23:4-5)
And who should know the effect of riches my people, better than the richest man ever eh? And it is the gospel truth, as we can see from the many who have laboured long and hard to attain material wealth, then lost it all, in no time at all.
And there are also many stories of people who have made and lost several earthly fortunes in a lifetime. So it’s essentially easy to amass earthly riches, but the problem is keeping them.
And we’ll end today with those wise, famous and memorable words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment (clothing) let us therewith be content.
But they that will (desire to) be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful (harmful) lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (ruin and destruction).
For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds of) evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith (for which some in their greediness have strayed from the faith), and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
But thou, O man of God, flee these things (shun a LOVE of money); and follow after (pursue) righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim.6:6-12)
Oh my people, that passage of scripture says it all! So please, I implore us, let’s all look seriously today at our attitude towards material wealth, and wisely place it at the nether end of our priorities, not make it the goal of our lives.
Instead, let’s make the accumulation of heavenly rewards our raison d’etre, our reason for living. Now that’s the wisdom of everlasting life! Much LOVE!
…earthly wealth can easily be lost…and in any case we leave it all behind…when we go to collect our heavenly rewards…so why doggedly pursue it eh…
13 Sep 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, blessings, body, condemnation, confidence, daily bread, delay, demon worship, destruction, divine approval, doomed, endurance, eternal rewards, fails to obey, faith, fellowship, Friday 13th, Friday chant, generous help, glorious kingdom, God's wrath, habakkuk, heart-warming scripture, heaven, hot to trot, in the sight of God, jolt of pain, just shall live by faith, justification by faith, justified by the law, mercies, meritorious works, mind, Mosaic Law, New Testament, obedience, Old Testament, patience, perdition, Praise the Lord, principle of believing, principle of doing, receive the promise, refreshed, relaxation, rest, reward, right perspective, root canal, salvation, saving of the soul, secure salvation, sinful man, sinful souls, soft food, soul, steadfast faith, sufficent fun, tarry, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, the proud soul, the weekend, the will of God, unconditional LOVE, under the curse, wisdom, works of the law
Habakkuk 2:4. Behold, his soul which is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday! Friday the 13th to boot! ‘So what?’ shout the believers in Jesus. ‘We don’t care because we don’t believe in that Friday the 13th nonsense. That’s just demon worship!’
Wow! Mih people hot to trot today sir! And that’s the way it should be Friends. As far as we are concerned, everyday is the same generally speaking, a special gift from Almighty God with new blessings, mercies, our daily bread and His unconditional LOVE!
We don’t need any satanic stuff to ‘confuffle’ our already ‘confuffled’ minds.’ We’re just glad that it’s Friday and we can shout out loud ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! The weekend’s here at last. Slaving for massa done for two days! Praise the Lord!’
And I’m also praising the Lord for getting me in to see my dentist yesterday evening to begin some work on a root canal, because the tooth was just paining everlasting over the last few days. Now it’s just sore, and every time my tongue or jaw touches it, or I try to blow my nose, I feel a jolt of pain. But it’s surely much better than the constant pain I was feeling before. I guess I’m also eating soft food for the next couple days, since I can’t chew on that side.
Ah Lord eh! When is not one thing, it’s always something else! Just hope I don’t do any further damage to it, before I go back to finish the work next Thursday. But whatever happens, I know I can count on the Lord to look after me. Steups! My bottom teeth just touched the top ones and a lovely pain was immediately generated. Let’s hope this ends by tomorrow yes.
And having said all of that, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much gusto, so that we can remember and understand how to use the weekend.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
And now that we have the right perspective in grasp, where we go out bright and fresh on Mondays, instead of tired and miserable, let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Behold, his soul which is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.’
Ah mih breddren, that’s such an encouraging and heart-warming scripture! And as we’ve seen, it’s been used quite a lot in the New Testament to prove the theory of justification by faith. Now yesterday I wasn’t able to wrap up the series as I’d planned because of some scholarly explanations that I thought important. Hope they help us to better understand the scripture, because that’s why I include them.
Now let’s continue with the scriptures that we didn’t get in yesterday. And we’re going to begin with some of Bruh Paul’s wise words to the Galatians. ‘For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
But that no man is justified (declared righteous) by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, the man that doeth them shall live in (by) them.’ (Gal.3:10-12)
Oh Friends, you can count on Bruh Paul to use the Old Testament to promote the New! In the above verses he first quotes, Deuteronomy 27:26. Then in the second, our Bit from Habakkuk. And in the third, Leviticus 18:5.
Now here are some explanations from the scholars. 3:10. As many as are of the works of the law refers to all who rely upon obedience to the Mosaic Law as the means of winning divine approval (salvation). To be under the curse is to be subject to God’s wrath and condemnation. Continueth is explained by to do, which means “to obey.”
The recipient of divine wrath is every one, who, believing salvation can be obtained by meritorious works, fails to obey the law perfectly. Complete obedience to the law is impossible for sinful man (Acts 15:10; James 2:10). All then, who attempt to secure salvation by this route are doomed.
3:11. The last part of this verse means, “He who is just because of his faith shall live,” that is, forever.
3:12. This verse declares that the law is a matter of performance, not of faith; it is a principle of doing, not believing.’
That’s a fact Friends, for we all know that mere doing, though good, without faith and belief in Jesus Christ, it is of no use in terms of salvation and escape from divine wrath.
And we’ll end with these wise and encouraging verses from Hebrews. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry (delay). Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition (destruction); but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.’ (Heb.10:35-39)
Yes my people, it’s all about steadfast faith, enduring patience, unswerving belief in Jesus, and overwhelming confidence in Almighty God! Those are the basics for saving our sinful souls. And in sincerely seeking them, there’s wisdom here on earth, and eternal rewards in heaven.
Now who wouldn’t want those things eh? Only a fool! Much LOVE!
…the fool say’s there’s no God…but when life strikes him down…his first words are…Oh God…
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