18 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a comapssionate heart, a positive outlook on life, abundance, acquiring money, avoids evil influences deeds and attitudes, blessed is the man that walketh not in the way of the ungodly, blessings bestowed on the righteous, bringeth forth fruit in his season, Christians, climate change, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, do according to all that's written therein, doth he meditate day and night, faith, followers of Christ, god, God causes him to prosper, God's supernatural wisdom, godly behaviour, got a zeppo, have good success, his delight is in the law of the Lord, his leaf also shall not wither, holy spirit, in his law doth he meditate, in league with the wicked, in the name of Jesus, Jesus Christ, like a tree planted by the rivers of water, like chaff, like night follows day, like the chaff which the wind driveth away, live in a godly and righteous manner, live righteously and be blessed, live unrighteously and persih, LOVE, make thy way prosperous, material possessions, mercy, negative word, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, nor stands in the seat of sinners, only a matter of time, our guidebook for godly living, personal power, promotion, put the Lord's word into action, receive clear direction for my life, salvation, share our blessings, sit in hallowed halls, social status, spiritual growth, supernatural strength, talent, the Bible is our guidebook for living, the blessed man is the righteous man, the cold weather is inevitable, the righteous, the ungodly, the ungodly are not so, their destiny is judgement, truth, whatsoever he does shall prosper, whatsoever he doeth shall prosper, wisdom
Psalm 1:1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the seat of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Oh friends, one more beautiful summer day! In all my years in Canada, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a beautiful, summery month of September! But we’re definitely not complaining, just saying thank the Lord and climate change for making it possible, because the real summer months were too hot and filled with the smoke from the many wildfires that were then happening. Now, it’s temps in the low to mid-twenties, with a cool breeze ruffling through the trees to keep things at a modest heat. So let’s pray that it will last a while longer, as the cold weather is inevitable, like night follows day, it’s only a matter of when it will show up. (smile)
So what’s on the agenda for today? Well, I was just searching through the scriptures for something to talk on, but nothing caught my interest, then I got this sudden zeppo to go to Psalm 1. So here we are. And according to the scholars, ‘It’s an appropriate introduction to the Psalter (Book of Psalms) since it sets before the readers the three characters who will figure mostly in the psalms: the righteous, the ungodly, and God.’ And so it does, but also more importantly, it begins by telling us about the blessings which are bestowed on the godly.
So please read with me. ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the seat of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.’ (Ps. 1:1) Right away friends we are told what a blessed or righteous man ought not do. That’s basically not get in league with the wicked, the scornful, the blasphemer etc. etc. And how should that man who desires to be blessed behave? ‘But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder by talking to oneself) day and night.” (Ps. 1:2)
That means we now have the basic idea of how the righteous man ought to behave. And what happens when he behaves in that prescribed manner? Then he’s blessed! ‘And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Ps. 1.3) Wow mih bredrin! What wonderful news! Prosperity will be ours if we read,, understand and put the Lord’s Word into action!
And that’s something the Lord also drilled into Joshua’s head when He made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. He told him in no uncertain terms. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8)
Now what’s so difficult to understand in all of that eh? Nothing whatsoever! So why aren’t many more of us doing that eh? Don’t we like prosperity? Of course we do, but the problem is that we consider propserity to be simply acquiring money, the material possessions of the world, social status and personal power within the society, with no regard to the acquiring of godly behaviour and spiritual growth.
But let’s remember what Psalm 1 says on that matter. ‘The ungodly are not so (shall not prosper); but are the like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement; nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.’ (Ps. 1:4-5) Yuh see that friends; the ungodly are not worth anything; they are like the useless chaff that the wind blows away. And they certainly won’t be allowed to sit in the hallowed halls with the righteous, but their destiny is judgement.
Ah my people, it’s time we wake up and learn that propserity does not only relate to things like money and material possessions, but also to our quality of godly life. As the scholars tell us: ‘The key word in the psalm is the word blessed. It serves here as a pronouncement upon a man – a certain kind of man. In essence, the psalm is teaching that the blessed or happy man is the righteous man. The happy man avoids evil influences, deeds, and attitudes (vs. 1); he delights in God’s Word (vs. 2); therefore God causes him to prosper.’
And who’s going to decide and evaluate the righteous and the ungodly? God Himself. As the psalm concludes: ‘For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.’ (Ps. 1:6) In other words, God knows the ways of the both righteous and the ungodly, and the former will be blessed, but the latter will perish.
Now, let’s remember that God does not make idle promises. So whatever He promises in His Word, the Bible, our Guidebook for Godly Living, He will fulfill in His own time. In the meantime though, if we want to call ourselves Christians, followers of Christ, then we are required to live the way He desires us to live, and that’s in a godly and righteous manner. That’s all there is to it.
But our God, being a righteous, just and generous Deity, has also chosen to bestow on us undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings. 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 made that declaration, (awright!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord did with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…life is simple…with only two options…live righteously and be blessed…or live unrighteously and perish…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
07 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A Daily Prayer for Wisdom, according to his glorious power, and with all thy getting, anything praiseworthy, as I seek your presence each day, bad air advisories, be careful for nothing, be filled with the knowledge of his will, be not weary of God's correction, be not wise in thine own eyes, being fruitful in every good work, bounden duty, Christians, confident that you'll direct my paths, courage, creativity, curse, delivered us from the power of darkness, despise not the chastening of the Lord, faith, favour, fear the Lord and depart from evil, fill me with the knowledge of your will, get understanding, giving thanks unto the Father, growing in spiritual maturity, guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus, guide me into your truth, have redemption through Christ's blood, health to thy navel, holy spirit, honour the Lord with thy substance, I acknowledge you, I lay down my anxieties, I trust you with all my heart, in all my ways, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, in everything by prayer and supplication, increasing in the knowledge of God, Jesus Christ, lean not unto thine own understanding, let your requests be made known unto God, live a life pleasing to you, LOVE, make straight your paths, marrow to thy bones, mercy, more than conquerors, negative word, not relying on my own understanding, nothing that comes against us will prosper, of the inheritance of the saints, presenting every need with thanksgiving, qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of, receive clear direction for my life, salvation, self-control. self-discipline, strengthen my faith, strengthened with all might, success, supernatural strength, the BIBLE, the forgiveness of sins, the peace of God which passeth all understading, the peace that surpasses all understanding, therefore get wisdom, thy barns be filled with plenty, thy presses burst out with new wine, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, trusting that your peace, truth, unto all patience and longsuffering, walk worthy of the Lord, whatsoever things are true, wisdom, wisdom and understanding, wisdom is the principal thing, with joyfulness, with thanksgiving, with the firstfruits of all thine increase
Colossians 1:9b. to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
Oh my people, can you believe it’s already the 7th of August; we’ve already completed a week of this new month. It seems to be going just as fast as the others, and also being just as hot and dry, with bad air advisories and little or no rain. But being children of God, we have the godly ability to handle anything that comes against us. As the Bible tells us, we are more than conquerors (Rom. 8:37) and nothing that comes against us will prosper. (Is. 54:17) But be that as it may, all our God given help begins with prayer. And today we’ll check out one titled ‘A Daily Prayer for Wisdom.’ And as so often is the case, I cannot remember who sent it to me, but it’s still very viable. (smile)
So please pray with me. ‘Father, I trust you with all my heart, not relying on my own understanding. In all my ways, I acknowledge You, confident that You’ll direct my path. Today, fill me with the knowledge of Your will through all wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so I may live a life pleasing to You. I lay down my anxieties, presenting every need with thanksgiving, trusting that Your peace which goes beyond all understanding will guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Guide me Lord, into Your truth, and strengthen my faith as I seek Your presence each day. In Jesus name. Amen.’
And what I like about that prayer is that it’s a compact, combination of several verses of the Bible. As the card says, ‘This daily prayer is based on Scripture verses from: Proverbs 3:5-6; Colossians 1:9; Philippians 4:6-7.’ And what better time and place to review those foundational scriptures that we all know but don’t live up to as we should? None like right now! (smile) So let’s begin our review with these marvellous words from Cousin Sol’s amazing Book of Wisdom, Proverbs.
He wisely advises: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make straight) your parts.’ (Prov. 3:5-6) Oh friends, that’s wisdom to the nth degree! You know, if we would do only those things contained in those two verses, our lives would be so enriched, both spiritually and physically, that we would not know what to do with ourselves, for that’s the basic wisdom of our Christian faith; trust the Lord, listen to His commands and do them. And when we add these other words of that scripture passage to those above, we get such a beautiful picture of Christian living!
Listen up, ‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones. Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) be filled with new wine. My son despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of (detest) his correction: For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as the father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:7-12) And right there friends we have a synopsis of the Bible in a few verses. If you followed them sincerely, you could not go wrong.
Then there’s this other beautiful scripture passage from the pen of Bruh Paul to the Colossians re his prayer for them. ‘For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.’(Col. 1:9) Now that’s the verse quoted by the prayer, but we cannot leave out the other parts of Bruh Paul’s prayer which gives us such understanding into his prayers.
He then continues: ‘That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet (qualified us) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in (the) light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated (transferred) us into the kingdom of his dear Son (the Son of His LOVE): In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:’ (Col. 1:9-14)
Wow friends! What a wonderful prayer! Please note that Bruh Paul didn’t pray for them to be rich or healthy or have no problems, but for them to be totally anchored in God; learning His word and doing it, thus growing in spiritual maturity. And it’s a method of prayer that we can all adopt that rises above our physical and material desires. And the last scripture used in our earlier prayer is another marvellous passage, this time from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Philippians, where he desires to introduce them to the God of peace.
He consequently writes. ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything 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. 4:6-7) Yes my fellow saints, more foundational scriptures; we must not be anxious or fearful about anything, but take all our anxieties and fears to the Lord in prayer, and when we do that, His outstanding peace, which is greater than we can ever understand will keep our hearts free from worry, fear and anxiety.
And then in Bruh Paul’s practical style, he tells them what to think about. ‘Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest (noble), whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise (anything praiseworthy), think (meditate) on these things. Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.’ (Phil. 4:8-9)
Oh my people! What more can we ask for eh? Not much. However, the Lord in His overwhelming generosity has given us, what we call our Thursday Blessings. That’s undeserved blessings, to do His earthly work. So let’s declare them (chuh!!!) 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!’
Now, it’s our bounden duty to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord blessed us with them, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…wisdom is the principal thing…therefore get wisdom…and with all thy getting…get understanding… (Prov. 4:7)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
31 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook on life, abundance, all will be well, always planning in love, band my jaw, brain weary, courage, creativity, curse, despair and loneliness hedge me in, duty bound, faith, favour, fighting the good fight, God's supernatural wisdom, happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, holy spirit, I lift up my soul, in peevish rebellion, in the midst of consuming sorrow, in the northern climes, in the silent darkness, Jesus Christ, Lead me in thy truth, let me not be ashamed, let none that wait in faith on thee be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me, LOVE, mercy, my fears, my hesitancies, negative word, O my God I trust in thee, on thee do I wait all the day, One Year Book of Bible promises, place our total trust in jesus, powering our motors, quiet my fragmented heart, rail against you, receive clear direction for my life, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, scamper from doubt to doubt, shew me thy ways O Lord, sitting inside by the fire, talent, teach me thy paths, the BIBLE, the concrete jungle, the cross we have to bear, the end of July, the furnace of affliction, the strength of Jesus, the white-flamed furnace of affliction, thou art the God of my salvation, Trust me, truth, unto thee O Lord, whose hope is in the Lord his God, wisdom, work in me silently, you forgive so quickly my outbursts, you never drive me away, you refine me, you understand my frailties, you whisper
Psalm 25:2. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
Well here it is finally friends, the end of the summer month of July! And though it’s been rather hot, and sometimes vexatious, we still prefer it to the cold winter weather. Now, sadly, only one more month of summer is left…and if that passes as quickly as the first two, then we’ll soon be sitting inside by the fire trying to keep warm, rather than in the air conditioning, trying to stay cool. But that’s the cross we have to bear in the northern climes.
However, with the wonderful and magnificent strength of Jesus powering our motors, we can accomplish whatever we need to accomplish. Please, let’s never forget that, because it’s that joy and strength from Him that keeps us fighting the good fight. And isn’t it strange that after all those hot days, July seems to be ending on a cool and cloudy note, with rain that’s been falling, thankfully just drizzling, for the past couple of hours.
Now some of you might be wondering how come the Bit’s so early. Well there’s good reason. I have an early morning doctor’s appointment in the concrete jungle city of Toronto, which means I have no idea when I’ll be back, plus when I return from those city outings, I’m always too tired and brain weary to write anything worthwhile, so I just have to band my jaw and do it before I go. So please don’t think that this will be a usual occurrence. When I’m getting up here, is when I’m usually going to bed. (smile)
And today, the Lord has decreed that we look at this encouraging and reaffirming poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled ‘All Will Be Well.’ I’m pretty sure I’ve shared it before, but we know that all those writings are so good and so applicable in these tough times, that they ought to be shared again and again.
So please read with me: ‘O Lord God In the midst of consuming sorrow when despair and loneliness hedge me in You understand my frailties – My hesitancies, my fears. As I scamper from doubt to doubt You forgive so quickly my outbursts. Never do you drive me away when I rail against you in peevish rebellion. When I scream don’t you even care? You quiet my fragmented heart. You work in me silently Always planning in LOVE. You refine me in the white-flamed Furnace of affliction. In the silent darkness You whisper: Trust Me – all will be well.’
And that’s exactly how it is my faithful brethren when we surrender our all, and place our total trust in the Lord Jesus Christ! All ends up being well, despite all the rebellion, the sorrow, the despair and loneliness, for as the poem so rightly says, our God and Saviour plans only and always in LOVE! For that’s His major attribute, and why He created us in the first place; to have LOVING communion with us! And the good thing is that God knows all our problems, our frailties, etc. etc. so nothing we do surprises Him, and He’s planned for them from the very beginning.
And the Bible verse for this poem come from Psalm 25, where Bruh David talks about Trust in the Lord. The poem quotes it from the NIV (New International Version) ‘To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God.’ (Ps. 25:1-2) But we here prefer the good ole King James Version, which tells it like it really is. (smile) ‘Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait (in faith) on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause (deal treacherously). (Ps. 25:1-3)
Yes friends, it’s in Almighty God alone that we ought to put our trust, for He’s the ONLY One who can protect us from our enemies. And we ought also to pray as Bruh David continues: ‘Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.’ (Ps. 25:4-5)
Oh my people, the Bible is filled with such requests, from almost all of those who put their trust in God, for their faith journey was not easy, but they knew that the One who led them had the power and the grace to show them the way. And that’s how we ought also to believe today. We will have trials and tribulations along the way, but it’s of the utmost importance to know that we can call on our great God for help at any time and any place, and He will positively respond.
He’s already being so generous to bestow on us underserved blessings to do His earthly work, we call them our Thursday Blessings, so why won’t He answer our heartfelt cries eh? No reason whatsoever! So let’s declare and activate those blessings 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 made that declaration, (yeaahhh!!!) we’re duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…happy is he…that hath the God of Jacob for his help…whose hope is in the Lord his God… (Ps. 146:5)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, being confident of this very thing, being justified by his blood, being made more like Jesus in conduct and character, bounden duty, broken right now, by grace are you saved through faith, Christ's death atones for our sins, Christ's righteousness is imputed to them through faith, created in christ Jesus unto good works, curse, divine protection, eternal life, faith, favour, follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, forgiveness of sins, God commendeth his love for us, God demonstrated his LOVE for us.', God hath before ordained, God made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin, god's declaration that a person is righteous, God's supernatural wisdom, good friends, good health, grow in spiritual maturity, he that believeth in me, he which hath begun a good work in you, holy spirit, I am the resurrection and the life, in the name of Jesus, it is the gift of God, Jesus Christ, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, joy in God through Christ, justification, justified by his blood, keep God first place, lest any man should boast, LOVE, mercy, negative word, new life, not becuse of inherent righteousness, promotion, raised from glory to glory, receive clear direction for my life, received the atonement, reconciliation, reconnection to God, salvation, salvation is not of works, sanctified -set apart for God's work, saved from wrath through Christ, self-control, self-discipline, set apart for a sacred purpose, share our blessings generously, the numerous benefits of Christ's death and resurrection, the penultimate day of our work week, the recent heat wave, the righteousness of God in christ, the saving grace of God, though he were dead yet shall he live, truth, underserved divine favour, undeserved blessings, unless we have Christ we have nothing at all, we are his workmanship, we cannot earn salvation, we should walk in them, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, whosoever believeth in me shall never die, will perform it until the day of Jesus, wisdom
John 11:25. I am the resurrection, and the life he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live:
Ah friends, it’s Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week, and it looks like we’ve gotten through the recent heat wave without too much damage! Thank the Lord! And with a li’l rain falling in the early morning hours, and some falling outside right now, it’s helped to give us a cool, but somewhat cloudy day. And as we promised yesterday if God spared our lives, we would continue looking at some of the numerous benefits that His death and resurrection brought us.
Remember, yesterday we read this commentary that gave us a brief insight into some of those things: ‘‘Christ’s death and resurrection offer believers forgiveness of sins, new life, and the hope of eternal life, among other benefits. His sacrifice on the cross atones for our sins, while his resurrection conquers death, granting believers new life and the promise of eternal life.’ And we went through some of the relevant benefits and scriptures.
Today, as time and space permit, we’ll do a few more starting with one we touched on briefly yesterday. That’s reconciliation, or reconnection to God. That’s a major benefit, because our sins had separated us from our heavenly Father, and Christ’s dying and taking them, brought us back into communion with Him. And this passage of scripture touches on several of the things Christ’s sacrifice did for us. And one thing we should note is that it all happened because of God’s great LOVE for us.
Bruh Paul writes: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more, being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom. 5:8-11)
Yes friends, in that passage we see God reaching out to us, although we were enemies, to provide reconciliation, salvation and justification through the death and the shed blood of His son. And what is salvation? Salvation is the saving grace of God, as Bruh Paul writes to the Ephesians. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph. 2:8-10)
And the gist of all that is simply that we are saved by the grace or undeserved divine favour of God, it is a gift of God, and we cannot earn it, no matter how hard we try. The fact is, we do good works because we’re expected to once we’re saved. We don’t do good works to be saved. And that’s something we all ought to understand, because many of us still believe doing good works will get us into heaven! Unfortunately it will not. Only faith, or belief in Christ Jesus will do so.
As Jesus said to Martha, the sister of Lazarus, before He raised him from the dead. ‘I am the resurrection, and the life he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ (John 11:25-26) Now that’s a very crucial question! For belief and faith in Christ is the only way we will ever experience eternal life. His death paid the atoning price for our sins. ‘For he (God) hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ.’ (1 Cor. 5:21)
And ‘the righteousness of God’ is another benefit we received from Christ’s death and resurrection. Earlier on we talked about being ‘justified by his blood” that’s another benefit. So what’s justification, and what’s the righteousness of God? They are both intertwined, as this commentary explains: ‘Justification is God’s declaration that a person is righteous, not because they are inherently righteous, but because Christ’s righteousness is imputed to them through faith.’ Yes friends, all that we are, all that we have is because of Christ and applied to us because of Him. We have been made righteous, justified, reconciled and sanctified because of His work on the cross.
And sanctified simply means been set apart to do God’s work for a sacred purpose. It’s the process of being made more like Jesus Christ in character and conduct. And it’s a lifelong journey, not a one time event. It calls to mind this verse: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus.’ (Phil.1:6) Meaning that once God begins changing you into the image of Christ, He will not stop until Christ returns, or He takes you home.
Ah mih people I know it’s difficult to take in and understand all that Christ has done for us, but as the Lord changes us into His image, and we work with Him to do so, we will grow in spiritual maturity and understand more and more, as He raises us from glory to glory. So there’s no need to worry, once we keep God first place and follow the guidance of His Holy Spirit. And to show His goodness and mercy, God has bestowed on us what we call our Thursday Blessings. Undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. So, let’s declare and thus activate them right now!
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 made that declaration, it’s now our bounden duty to use those blessings to help others, just as generously as God shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…unless we have Christ…we have nothing at all…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
01 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a great family, a new arena of strife, allow our guilt to become a burden, be strong and of a good courage, big and bold prayers, bring my soul out of trouble, broken right now, christianity, Christians, climate change, come to know and love God like we do, cut off mine enemies, deliver me from mine enemies, despise not the chastening of the Lord, destroy all that afflict my soul, determine to have our own way, disobedience, duty bound, eager to show us his kindness, even when we're faithless, faith, fall flat on our faces, favour, fear not, finally renewed commitment, for thy name's sake, for thy righteousness sake, forgotten the exhortation, fulfilment, give into temptation, glad to teach us the proper paths, God cannot deny Himself, God cannot excuse disobedience, God is compassionate and unchanging, God is determined to bless us, God is forever faithful, God is omnipotent, God will never let us down, God will never let us go, God will never let us off, God's reliable faithfulness, God's supernatural wisdom, good friends, good health, gospel truth, he will never fail thee nor forsake thee, He will never leave nor forsake us, holy spirit, I am persuaded, I am thy servant, I flee unto thee to hide me, in the image of Christ, in the name of Jesus, Jesus Christ, lead me into the land of uprightness, lifts our spirits, LOVE, may David's prayer be our prayer, mercy, must have access to our hearts, my son, negative word, no signs of peace in our world, nor be afraid of them, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him, nothing can separate us from God's matchless Love, nothing can separate us from the Love of God, of thy mercy, One Year Book of Bible promises, promotion. curse, prosper and succeed, Quicken me, rebellion, receive clear direction for my life, resist, resist until we feel exhausted, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, scourgeth every son he receives, self-control, speaks to you as children, strengthens our faith, strong will, success, teach me to do thy will, the beginning of May, the BIBLE, the Lord thy God doth go with thee, then confession, thou art my God, Three Discoveries, thy spirit is good, tough truth, truth, until comviction comes, use our blessing's on behalf of others, Whom God loves he chastens, windstorm, wisdom
Psalm 143:10. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
And this Thursday, the first day of May, looks like it’s going to be a somewhat wet and cloudy one, although the sun is fighting a valiant battle to come out. But the winner of the contest is not as important as the fact that we’re now into the fifth month of 2025, almost half of the year is gone, and our world is no closer to any kind of peace and quiet. Instead, every day, a new arena of strife is popping up, with none of the old ones being settled. Even the climate change situation seems to be getting worse.
And I never realized how much damage that windstorm of two days ago had caused until yesterday, when I saw the pictures of fallen trees, damaged house, and learned that thousands of people were without power. As the duchess said when I mentioned it; although your area might be fine, you never know what’s happening elsewhere. And that’s the awful truth of this situation, for there wasn’t much damage in my area. So, please, let’s pray for those who suffered serious damage to their lives and properties, being thankful that we were spared such misfortune.
And here’s something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that reassures of us God’s goodness, faithfulness and LOVE for His human creation. It’s titled ‘Three Discoveries.’ And yes, I’ve shared this one before, (smile) but we all know these writings are so wonderful that they can be shared over and over and over again, as each time we read or hear them, they lift our spirits and strengthen our faith. So please read with me:
‘I have made three overwhelming discoveries regarding God’s reliable faithfulness. The first: God will never let us go – NEVER! We may fall flat on our faces. We may resist until we feel exhausted, but nothing can separate us from His matchless LOVE. The second: God will never let us down – NEVER! He is forever faithful, even when we are faithless. He cannot deny Himself. He will never leave us nor forsake us. The third: He will never let us off – NEVER! Whenever we give in to temptation, when we determine to have our own way – He says with all the LOVE of His Father-heart, I LOVE you too much to excuse disobedience .” Whom He LOVES, He chastens.
God is determined to bless us. He is eager to show us His kindness. He is glad to teach us the proper paths; but He must have access to our hearts. He will allow our guilt to become a burden until conviction comes, then confession, and finally renewed commitment! May David’s prayer be our prayer.’ And yes my people, all of what we’ve read there is the gospel truth! Our wonderful God is all about growing us up into strong, faithful children, in the image of His Son, Jesus Christ!
And there are scriptures to back up each of those three discoveries. So let’s check out a few nuh. As per the first one – God will never let us go, listen to this rock solid statement from Bruh Paul to the Romans nuh. ‘For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, not things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:38-39) No friends, it could not get any surer than that!
Then, as per the second discovery – God will never let us down. Wow! There are so many scriptures that speak of His faithfulness that it would take us a whole day to go through them. (smile) But here’s one of the earliest promises of faithfulness. Its one Moses made to the children of Israel as he encouraged them re their journey into the Promised Land. ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deut. 31:6) And the Lord Himself commanded Joshua in the same manner, several times, when He made him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. (Josh. 1:7-9)
Now, per the third discovery – the Lord will never allow us to get away with disobedience or rebellion, we took a good look at that only a few days ago, when we considered some of the scriptures that tell of God’s chastening of His children. Scriptures like this one: ‘And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, (sons of God), My son, despise not thou the chastening (discipline) of the Lord, nor faint (be discouraged) when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he recieveth.’ (Heb. 12:5-6) Lots of tough truth in those verses my brethren, (smile) but that’s just the Lord’s way.
So, we’ve seen scriptures that corroborate the three discoveries, but we’re yet to discover what the last line of the prayer means. ‘May David’s prayer be our prayer.’ And what was Bruh David’s prayer? It comes from Psalm 143, where he’s pleading with God for guidance and deliverance as he’s once again best by enemies. ‘Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me (unto to thee I take cover). Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Quicken (revive) me, O Lord, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. And of thy mercy cut off (put an end) to mine enemies, and destroy them all that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.’ (Ps. 143:9-12)
Oh friends, Bruh David was not afraid to pray big and bold prayers, because he knew that God was omnipotent, could do whatever He desired. Likewise, we should not be afraid to cry out to God when we’re in distress, because He desires us to call out to Him for help. He’s our Father, we’re His children, so whom else are we going to look to for help eh? And He’s gone even one step further by giving us undeserved blessings to do His earthly work, what we call our Thursday Blessings. 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 made that declaration (steups!!!) we are now duty bound to go out and use those blessings 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!
…God’s goodness, LOVE, mercy, grace, and faithfulness…will never change…for that’s who God is…a compassionate and unchanging God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 Sep 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook on life, abundance, Bible, by grace ye are saved, Christ died for us, christianity, come unto the knowledge of truth, courage, created in christ Jesus unto good works, creativity, curse, dead in sins, do foolish things, eternally separated from God, faith, foible, frail, god, God commendeth his love for us, God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, he will rejoice over thee with joy, he will rest (quiet you) in his love, he will save, herein is love, in his kindness towards us through Christ, in the ages to come, Jesus Christ, Jesus' Second Coming, joy over thee with singing, lack of love, lest any man should boast, LOVE, loved thee with everlasting love, make mistakes, manifested the love of God, mercy, negative word, not of works, prosper and succeed, quickened us together with Christ, receive clear direction for my life, reconciliation, salvation, save our bacon, shew the exceeding riches of his grace, should not perish but have everlasting life, sit together in heavenly places, success, talent, the calamitous state of our world, the cross of Calvary, the end of the church age, the fiery end of the world, the gift of God, the greatest of these is love, the Lord God in the midst of thee is mighty, the Lord hath appeared. of old, the Lord is longsuffering to us-ward, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, the propitiation for our sins, to know God on a personal level, we are his workmanship, we ought also to love one another, while we were yet sinners, who will have all men to be saved, whosoever believeth in him, with loving-kindness have I drawn thee
Jeremiah 31:3. The Lord hath appeared of old (from afar) unto me, saying, Yea, I have LOVED thee with an everlasting LOVE: therefore with LOVING-kindness have I drawn thee.
Ah friends, that’s what happens when you have a late morning and a tired body; you get up late and thus all your well-planned and thought out activities also end being late. (smile) But that’s life! We’re human, very frail and foible, thus we makes mistakes and do foolish things. The wonderful thing though is that our Lord and Creator still adores, admires us and LOVES us no end! And even sent His One Son Jesus to die on the cross at Calvary so that we wouldn’t be lost to Him for all eternity!
Wow! What a wonderful God we serve my people! And just to remind and reassure us of that great LOVE of the Father, let’s look at a few Bible verses that show it in spades. Beginning with one of my favourites: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrates) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8)
Isn’t that marvellous my people! A God who shows His LOVE for His underserving and sinful creation by taking the lead in reconciliation. No other supposed God would ever do that! But our God, the One True God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is so confident and assured of Himself that He can do things like that.
Then there’s this other famous verse on the topic of God’s LOVE for mankind, spoken by none other than Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ while here on earth. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16)
Yes friends, if the Lord had not stepped in to save our bacon, we would all have been automatically consigned to hellfire and damnation because of our sinful and ungodly behaviour. But God’s LOVE for His awesome creation was so great, that although we certainly deserved eternal separation from Him, in all good conscience, He could not allow it to happen. As Bruh Paul says of God, to his protégé Timothy. ‘Who will (desires to) have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.’ (1 Tim. 2:4)
Meanwhile Peter puts it thus in his second epistle. ‘The Lord is not slack concerning his promise (re the end of the church age with Jesus’ second coming, and the eventual fiery destruction of the world), as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet. 3:9)
Yes my fellow believers, those words clearly signify that God desires salvation for all who will trust in Him and His Son Jesus Christ. And the scholars say that ‘Salvation here is equated with repentance.’ So we see again the high value that the Lord places on us being reconciled to Him and not being eternally separated, which is really the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul.
Even way back in the Old Testament God was forecasting salvation and healing for His people. Listen to this scripture from the prophet Zephaniah. ‘For the Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest (quiet you) in his LOVE, he will joy over thee with singing.’ (Zeph. 3:17) And what about this verse as Jeremiah reassures Israel of God’s everlasting LOVE. ‘The Lord hath appeared of old (from afar) unto me, saying, Yea, I have LOVED thee with an everlasting LOVE: therefore with LOVING-kindness have I drawn thee.’ (Jer. 31:3)
And this commentary very nicely explains that verse. ‘His LOVE for us will continue for all eternity. It never decreases or subsides. At all times, in all conditions, regardless of who we are or what we have done, God LOVES us. Moreover, the Lord is constantly drawing us to Himself that we might know Him on a personal level and experience the fullness of His LOVE for us.’ Mama Mia! How marvellous is that eh! God LOVING us so much that He’s constantly drawing us to Him on a personal level so that we can experience all that He truly is.
That brings us to this other magnificent scripture on God’s LOVE, this from the apostle John’s first epistle. ‘In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world , that we might live through him. Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that He LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:9-11)
And right there is the crux of our problem my fellow believers! God LOVES us and has shown it in numerous ways, but we are so hardhearted, cold and selfish, that we refuse to LOVE each other as God desires! And that’s why our world is in such a disastrous and calamitous state…the sad and sorry lack of LOVE!
Now here is the crowning glory of God’s LOVE as told by Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. ‘But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE, wherewith he LOVED us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us (made us alive) together with Christ, (by grace ye are (have been) saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace ye are (have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph. 2:4-10)
That says it all my fellow saints! All that we are from creation to the judgment day comes from the great LOVE of God towards His favourite creation. How can we not return that LOVE eh? Because we’re too full of ourselves and the nonsense that Satan and the world is filling up our heads with. And to further show God’s great LOVE for us, let’s go home now declaring (chuh man!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which He’s so generously bestowed on us to do his earthly work.
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 made that declaration, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use those blessings just as generously for the benefit of others! Much LOVE!
…and now abideth faith, hope, LOVE…but the greatest of these is…LOVE…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
07 Dec 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, an intimate relationship with Christ, be of good cheer I have overcome the world, courage, creativity, curse, faith, holy spirit, I will love thee O Lord, in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, in whom I will trust, it doesn't happen automatically, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the pilot of our life, live the abundant life, LOVE, my deliverer my God my strength, negative word, nothing shall separate us from the love of God, receive clear direction for my life, saved from mine enemies, self-discipline. self-control, stand strong in Faith, success, talent, the awesome power of His Holy Spirit, the horn of my salvation, the Lord is my rock and my fortress, the Lord is worthy to be praised, Thursday Blessings, we are more than conquerors, written indelibly in our hearts
Psalm 18:1. I will LOVE thee O Lord, my strength.
And, due to a somewhat snowy Wednesday night, we have ended up with a snow tinged Thursday morning. (smile) Yes, some snow, not a whole lot, just enough to cover everything, fell during the night hours, but by the time the day opened the roads were mostly clear and the white intruder had begun melting. But we still need to be careful as we go out today, because it’s still wet and possibly slippery. In other words, welcome to a damp and cloudy day! And as always, possibly a li’l more so today because of the wet, gloomy weather, before we step out of the house, we have to ask our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for His protection and guidance as we go about our business.
For He is the ONLY sure thing we have in this evil and ungodly world! And we have these strong and sure sentiments of Bruh David from Psalm 18, to prove it. He uttered these words in song when the Lord delivered him from all his enemies, especially King Saul. ‘I will LOVE thee O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength (rock), in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps. 18:1-3)
We can’t get any stronger or more faithful sentiments than those my brethren! And let’s hope that those are words we all believe, that we have written indelibly in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, for without that strong trust in Almighty God, who knows what will happen to us at any given time, on any given day! Only when we have surrendered our all, placed our complete trust in Christ Jesus can we walk in comparative safety. For Jesus is the able pilot of our good ship Life, and He, and He alone can pilot us safely through the storms that most certainly will come upon each of us.
Remember these word of His: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And yes, I know that’s easier said than done, for when the unexpected troubles and tribulations suddenly come upon us, sometimes we don’t even have time to think before we need to respond to them. But if we walk faithfully with that peace that comes from a strong and intimate relationship with Christ, then He will ensure that we have whatever time we need to think, before responding to our unfortunate situation.
Yes my people, it’s all about building the kind of faith in Jesus that will allow us to go about our business and His, with a type of peace that only comes from Him. as He says in the gospel of John: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) And it’s ever so important to note that Jesus’ peace is way different to what the world touts as peace. His peace is that peace which passes all human understanding. It’s so far above our understanding, so powerful and refreshing, that we who posses it don’t understand it either, but we know that it’s there, indwelling us through the awesome power of the Holy Spirit!
Wow! And it doesn’t mean that we won’t feel fear, anxiety or any of the other negative emotions when tough times invade our souls, but that we will have the peace of Jesus to handle them without them taking us under. However, in those rough times, we need to stand strong in faith, by remembering all that Jesus has already done for us, and His promise never to leave nor forsake us, (Heb. 13:5) otherwise, all our talk will be in vain. He’s also promised that we won’t ever be faced with spirit-crunching fear because as Bruh Paul told Timothy: ‘God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7)
So you see, we have all the tools to handle the world’s attempts to drive us into the evil arms of Satan. That’s the peace of God which passes all human understanding; the promise of God never to leave nor forsake us, and God’s indomitable, invincible Spirit of power, LOVE and a sound mind! But unfortunately they don’t work unless and until we put them together in that big ball of strong faith required to defeat the enemy and his many attempts to overcome us. That brings to mind this added scripture of promise; the encouraging words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome.
He writes: ‘Who will separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:39)
Mama Mia! What powerful words my fellow saints! Words that we should all be able to truly espouse in our hearts, bodies and souls, if we want to live the abundant life that Christ died for us to have. Jesus said it thus: ‘The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) There we have it friends, Jesus died so that we can have an abundant life down here as well as in heaven, but unfortunately it doesn’t happen automatically, we have an important part to play in the process: that’s putting all the tools we’ve been granted together to make the whole come right.
But yuh know what, in addition to those tools, our God is so generous and forthcoming, that He’s also bestowed a number of undeserved blessings on us to use in our advancement of His kingdom. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare (yesss!!!) them now that they can be activated in our lives. As one 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, we’re now responsible to go out and share them with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…God’s given us all we need to succeed in life…it’s up to us how we use His gifts…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
06 Apr 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: curse, deny me thrice before the cock crows twice, divine protection, do this in remembrance of me, Eucharist, He said drink ye all of it, Holy Communion, If I your Lord and Master have washed your feet, Jesus set certain parameters in our faith, Jesus took the cup of wine, Jesus washed the disciples' feet, Maundy Thursday, negative word, promotion, receive clear direction for my life, self-discipline, selflessness of Christ, shed for many for the remission of sins, take eat this is my body, the Angel of Death, the cup of blessing, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Jewish Passover, the lamb's blood on the lintel of the door, the Last Supper, the perfect example of humility, the sacrificial Lamb, this is my blood of the new testament, Thursday Blessings, ye also to wash one another's feet
Matthew 26:28. For this is my blood of the new testament (covenant), which is shed for many for the remission (forgiveness) of sins.
And then it was Thursday; Maundy Thursday. And we wish you all a Happy Maundy Thursday! It might not have been such a happy day in Jesus’ life, neither in ours right now, as we contemplate the next few days of tragic happenings, but it was indeed a special one, where He set certain parameters in our faith, and left us several examples to follow. Maundy Thursday was the day in Jesus’ life when, as we say, everything came to bump, meaning that He had finally reached the stage when there’s no turning back.
On that Thursday, certain things happened that reminds us of the passionate moments of Jesus’ life. And we are invited to remember and celebrate these four events: the Last Supper, the Washing of the Apostle’s Feet by Jesus, Christ’s agony and prayer in Gethsemane, and the arrest of Jesus. At the Last Supper, He offered Himself as the sacrificial Lamb, with such humility and selflessness that makes Him the perfect example of those attributes.
Now this was a time of the celebration of the Passover Feast in Jerusalem, one of the most sacred days in the Jewish Calendar, reminding them of that time during their slavery in Egypt, when the Angel of Death passed over Egypt and killed every first born son, but spared the Jews, because of the lamb’s blood on the lintel of their doors. (Ex. 12)
On that night Jesus sat with His twelve disciples celebrating. ‘And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord is it I? And He answered and said, he that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had never been born. Then Judas which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He (Jesus) said unto him, Thou hast said (it).’ (Matt. 26:21-24)
Oh my people, can you imagine the consternation, the doubt and grief engendered by Jesus’ comment that one of His closest supplicants would betray Him. And the scholars explain: ‘Jesus’ reply to Judas Thou hast said means “yes.” He that dippeth reveals the personal and intimate nature of the betrayal.’ But that was only the first of several eye-opening occasions on that fateful evening.
After that, the Good Book tells: ‘And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. And he took the cup (of wine), and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it (drink from it all of you). For this is my blood of the new testament (covenant), which is shed for many for the remission (forgiveness) of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.’ (Matt. 26:26-29)
Right there we have it friends, the celebration of what we call ‘The Eucharist, or Holy Communion,’ as a memorial of the death and resurrection of Jesus, in response to his words at the final meal he shared with his disciples, ‘Do this in remembrance of me.’ (Luke 22:19 ) Thus, when we receive communion, we remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us, and we grow in LOVE for one another as Jesus commanded us.
And what do the scholars say about Jesus’ actions at the Last Supper. As per ‘Jesus took bread: The head of the Jewish household was accustomed to doing this during the Passover feast. Jesus gave a completely new significance to the action.’ Then, as per ‘This is my body: During the Passover feast the Jewish householder took bread in his hand and said, This is the bread of affliction which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt,’ meaning, of course, that one represented the other. By His words the Lord changed the whole significance and emphasis of the feast from looking back to the typical redemption from Egypt to faith in the redemption from sin accomplished by His death.
The bread and wine were only outward symbols of our Lord’s death. Nothing in the gospels indicates that these were to be viewed as a means of grace, sacraments, or that they were physically necessary for one’s salvation.’ Meanwhile, as per ‘The cup: Three cups were passed around by the Jewish householder during the Passover meal; the third, which is probably the one referred to here, being known as “the cup of blessing.”
And ‘My blood of the new testament taken from the Greek Septuagint version of Exodus 24:8, with allusions to Jeremiah 31:31 and Zechariah 9:11. The covenant in Exodus 24: 8 was sealed with blood. Now, as per ‘Shed for many the remission of sins: Here is a clear statement that the death of Jesus was necessary to enable God to forgive sins. It, in fact, made it right or morally justified for Him to do so.’
Ah friends, so much happened on that penultimate day of Jesus’ life that we don’t have time nor space to recount it all in detail. But we do know that after supper Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, (John 13:2-17) which was another eye-opener for the disciples; their Master doing a slave’s job. And when Peter refused, Jesus simply told him: ‘If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.’ (John 2:8) It was a powerful example as Jesus told them. ‘If I then, your Lord and Master (Teacher), have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.’ (John 2:14) That’s a picture of the humility and selflessness we were talking about earlier.
Then Jesus told them about their being offended by the things that were going to happen to Him, but Peter as usual refused to accept Christ’s words, claiming he would never be offended or leave Jesus. At which point, Jesus told Peter about his denying Him thrice before the cock crowed twice. (Matt. 26:31-35) Then they went into the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus, with heavy heart and sorrowful soul prayed for a reprieve from His Father, but none was forthcoming. (Matt. 26:36-46)
Finally, Jesus was betrayed by Judas and arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, and all the disciples fled the scene. (Matt. 26:47-57) Then while Jesus was being questioned by the high priest Caiaphas, Peter denied knowing him three times before the cock crowed twice, and the Lord just looked at him, with an ‘I told you so’ look. And Peter went outside and wept bitterly. (Matt. 26:69-75) Yes my fellow saints, Maundy Thursday was indeed a busy and important day for our Lord and Saviour. But you’ll notice that though His soul was burdened, He nonetheless stepped up to the plate and batted the most wonderful innings ever played!
Now that is a most worthy example for us to follow, especially since we’ve been generously granted what we call our Thursday Blessings, of which we’re not worthy, but have been bestowed them to help us do Christ’s work here on earth. So, let’s declare (yesss!!!) them so that they can be activated. Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now it’s time for us to go out and do the work that we’ve been so generously blessed to do! Much LOVE!
…though also God…in His humanity…Jesus was indeed…a man amongst men…a class act…no doubt about it…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
30 Jun 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A man's heartdeviseth his way, but after this the judgement, come buy wine and milk without money, come ye to the waters, comfort is available through trust in God, comfort ye my people, courage, creativity, curse, eat that which is good, every one that thirsteth, faith, favour, God's sense of humour, he that hath no moey come buy and eat, hearken diligently unto me, heaven or hell, it is appointed unto men once to die, let the wicked forsake his way, let your soul delight in fatness, LOVE, negative word, only two options open to man, our God will abundantly pardon, prosper and succeed, receive clear direction for my life, self-control, spiritually hungry and thirsty, supernatural wisdom, talent, the best laid plans of mice and men usually go astray, the counsel of the Lord shall stand, the Holy One of Israel, the Lord directeth his steps, the Lord God of Abraham Isaac and jacob, Thursday Blessings
Isaiah 55:6. Seek thou the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.
Ah friends, our God is a great and good God, no doubt about that, but sometimes I don’t appreciate his sense of humour nuh. Remember, yesterday I wrote that it was cloudy in my area, but no sign of rain? Well, would you believe that when I went upstairs after writing the Bit, the rain was falling.
Ah Lord eh! And it fell for a while too, though not a big downpour, but a steady drizzle. I can imagine how my Scrip-Bit family members in the area must have chuckled as they read it while the rain was falling. But I guess as the wise folks say, the best laid plans of mice and men usually go astray.
Or as Cousin Sol declares in Proverbs: ‘A man’s heart deviseth (plans) his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.’ (Prov. 16:9) And so He does, because He is sovereign over everything in His universe. And who shall say Him nay eh? Not a single soul! And as Cousin Sol reinforces in a later chapter of Proverbs. ‘There are many devices (plans) in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.’ (Prov. 19:21)
So, although sometimes I might not appreciate His humour, I have no choice but to grin and bear it and gracefully and gratefully say: ‘Thank You Lord!’ But the truly great thing about God is that though we don’t like His moves, we can go to Him in proper reverence and explain our situation, and instead of turning us away in anger, He will comfort us in our disappointment. No other supposed god does anything like that. That’s why He, the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the GREATEST!
And consequently why the prophet Isaiah could shout to the people of Israel: ‘Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.’ (Is. 40:1) He was looking beyond Judah’s imminent captivity in Babylon to the day of salvation that was in their future. He was letting them know that though their sins ran red with blood, and they would pay for them, comfort is always available through trust in the Lord.
Yes friends, even in our sorriest times, we can always find comfort through trust in our heavenly Father. It won’t always change our circumstances, but we will feel a peace that passes all understanding, one that will allow us to handle the circumstances in a positive manner. And no other supposed god makes a free offer of mercy to all and sundry like our God does. I like how He says through Isaiah. ‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness (abundance). Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make a covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.
Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. Seek thou the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is. 55:1-7)
Oh my people, yuh see how long God has been making His free offer of salvation to all who will receive it. And He’s still doing it today, a couple thousands of years after sending His One Son Jesus to fulfill the covenant to the Gentiles. However, just like Israel back then didn’t listen, so we are not listening to the heart-felt call of the Lord God Almighty.
The scholars explain it thus: ‘Those who are spiritually hungry and thirsty may come to eat and drink without money (or freely). He promises an everlasting covenant to the Gentiles like the one He established with Israel. His invitation to all men is clearly stated by the appeal, Seek ye the Lord and call ye upon him.’
Yes mih bredrin, I don’t know what else we expect the Lord to do for us nuh, so that we will willingly come to Him for help and refuge. Is our inherent sin nature so powerful that it completely blinds us to the irreparable damage it’s doing to our hearts, souls, bodies and minds? Does Satan have so great a hold on us, the chains he’s wrapped us in, so tight, and the darkness he’s enveloped around us, so thick that we can’t break free, that we can’t see or desire anything besides his evil doings?
Almighty God has bent over backwards to help us, to give us another option besides the evil one, including sacrificing His Son Jesus Christ. However, it seems like many of us still blindly and foolishly prefer the company and doings of his satanic majesty. But please remember there will come a time when we will ALL be called to order, even his satanic majesty himself. As the Good Book tells us: ‘And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement.’ (Heb. 9:27)
Please remember that after death, or Jesus’ Second Coming, it will be too late to make any changes to our beliefs or anything else, so I implore us to make whatever changes are necessary, RIGHT NOW, since we have no idea when any of those things will occur, only our heavenly Father knows the day and time of all things. And He’s not sharing. (smile)
But for those of us who already believe and are doing our best to work for the good of Christ’s kingdom, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) what we call our Thursday Blessings, blessings bestowed on us by our Creator to enable us to do His earthly work. So as one confident 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!’
Now, let’s go out and unselfishly put those blessings to work like Christ desires of us nuh. Much LOVE!
…only two options are open to man…heaven or hell…it’s our choice…let’s make the wise one before it’s too late…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
10 Mar 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, accept His easy yoke and light burden, acknowledge that Christ is Lord, all these things shall be added unto you, curse, do God's work with diligence and excellence, don't take them out of the world, fought tenaciously for Christ, if ye love me keep my commandments, LOVE, negative word, one more day on God's glorious earth, peace be still, prosper and succeed, receive clear direction for my life, rule the roost, Satan's vice-like grip on our world, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, spreading the gospel, standing up strong for Jesus, supernatural wisdom, the Great Commission, the name above every other name, the offer of salvation and eternal life, the only wise and truthful way to live, they are not of the world, this fallen earth, Thursday Blessings, two hallmarks of Christ's ministry, what's wrong with right living, white washed sepulchres
John 14:15. If ye LOVE me keep my commandments.
Oh my people, we’ve been blessed with one more day on God’s glorious earth…with sunshine to boot! What an honour! You can search all the obits and you won’t find our names there, (smile) that’s because the Lord still has work down here on earth for us to do. So let’s get to it nuh, with both diligence and excellence, two hallmarks of Christ’s ministry.
Yes, friends, these troubled times are desperately crying out for the hand of Jesus, His awesome revitalizing touch, to bring some semblance of calm and peace to them. He is the ONLY ONE who can do that miraculous job! Remember when He simply said to the raging storm on the Sea of Galilee ‘Peace be still,’ (Mark 4:39) and both the wind and the sea obeyed?
Well, right now He’s asking us to get real serious about the Great Commission He gave us two thousand years ago, that’s spreading His gospel, the good news, the wonderful offer of salvation and eternal life that He sacrificed His sinless self on the cross of Calvary for us to have.
And that’s because His Word is the only thing that will reverse the tremendous slide that’s recently taken place towards the side of evil and ungodliness, where anger, hate, strife and greed rule the roost, and so many people get annoyed and angry when you call the name of Jesus. Living wrong seems to be the big thrill these days. But as the song asks: ‘What’s wrong with living right eh?’ What’s wrong with living for Jesus?
To my mind, nothing at all! In fact, it’s the ONLY wise and truthful way to live! And that’s how He is asking us to live in these scary and uncertain times…for Him. As He simply said when He was here on earth: ‘If ye LOVE me keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) Yes my brethren, they are a few simple words, but they carry a rather profound meaning. We can’t truly LOVE Him unless we keep His commandments, do what He asks of us.
Now, we obviously have not done what He asks of us, at least not the extent we need to, otherwise our world would not be in the sad and sorrowful state it’s currently in. Satan would not have the terrible vise-like, death-grip on our world that he now has. Not enough people have heard of Christ and His good news gospel, neither have we been good enough examples of Christ-like living.
Sadly, many have been turned off of Jesus because of the hypocritical way we supposed Christians live. We talk one way, but in actual fact live another, like the Pharisees of old, who Jesus called ‘whitewashed sepulchres’ or tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but are thoroughly unclean within. (Matt. 23:27)
And unfortunately, until the bulk of us believers truly begin living for Jesus, both on the outside and the inside, our words of salvation and eternal life won’t make much difference to the unbelievers, and Satan will retain his vise-like grip on the neck of our world, continually dragging us down to hell with him.
Oh, I know I’m not painting a pretty picture, but that’s just how it is. It’s the reality of the situation. With all the amazing resources we currently have to spread God’s Word, we ought to be doing better than we are. The problem is that we don’t take Jesus’ words as seriously as we should. Words like ‘seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things (you need) shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
And we forget Jesus’ prayer request to the Father on our behalf. ‘I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that that thou shouldest keep them from the evil (one). They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.’ (John 17:14-16)
However, despite Christ’s intervention on our behalf too many of us still seek the things of the world, it’s wealth, power, social standing and other stuff that does not help us in our walk with Christ. And since God has given us free will to do as we please, if we choose to live a life filled with the things of the world, He won’t stop us.
Sadly, not enough of us are standing up strong for Jesus. Can you imagine the impact that we would have as Christians, if all of us stood up strong and fought tenaciously for Christ? We’d run over the unbeliever, bring them to the realization that Christ is truly the name above every other name, the ONE to whom they must bow and acknowledge as Lord and Saviour!
But we must wake up, realize that things are in a truly terrible state, then get serious, let the Holy Spirit of Christ fill us up with His unmatched power, put on His spiritual armour and get out there and fight to the death for Him! That’s the only way we will lessen Satan’s power upon this fallen earth.
And the Lord in His wisdom has given us all the words and tools we need to do His will, amongst them are what we call our Thursday Blessings, so we can’t complain that He’s left us clueless and toolless. (smile) However, we have to invoke them, or declare (steups!!!) them out loud for them to take effect. So, let’s do that right now nuh, in strong and confident 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 made those blessed pronouncements, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and help others, share those blessings with them just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so they will want to come to Him and accept His easy yoke and light burden! Much LOVE?
…our duty is simple…fulfill the Great Commission…and though it’s not easy…God’s given us all we need to do it…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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