01 Jun 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beautiful summer Monday, a little folding of the hands to sleep, a little slumber, a prowler, a society is only as strong and productive as its people, a spirit of diligence, a wonderful work ethic, allow your incredible aura of love, another mistake, as good Christian folk, as one that travelleth, asking for forgivenss, be wise, begin a new week of work, beginning to decay, bring about positive change, christianity, Christians, Christians need to unite, colonies of ants are always busy, consider her ways and be wise, constantly buffeted, crazy idea, deeper and deeper, dire want, divine aid, do good work for Jesus, do nothing productive, do our duty, encouragement, enthusiasm, eventual poverty, expect forgiveness, faith, fill us with steadfast faith, furthering your glorious kingdom, gathereth her food in the harvest, get serious and come together, getting on in age, glorify Jesus' awesome name, go out to meet the enemy in battle, go to the ant thou sluggard, God has not given us a spirit of laziness, habitual laziness, having no guide leader overseer, holy spirit, hope and pray, how long wilt thou sleep O sluggard, humble servants, industriousness, into the evil and ungodly world, invincible conquerors, Jesus Christ, jobs, keeping lives and families together, leads to destruction, learn two important lessons from the ant, LOVE, make another apology, make living too easy, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, mankind, many who choose to sit on our fannies, May only had thrity days, mercy, numerous separate entities, ONE body in Christ, one of the lowliest of God's creations, only human, our Father who art in heaven, over the weekend, perseveraance, poverty will come as suddenly and decisively as a robber, prepare for predictable circumstances, provideth her meat in the summer, quicksand, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality and enthusiasm, sally forth with confidence, salvation, self-starter, serve a useful purpose, sluggard, so shall thy poverty come, somebody looking over their shoulder, standing over it to make it work, suffeing from a lack of positive production, surrender our all to God, the ant has no taskmaster, the apple of God's creation, the BIBLE, the enemy's evil schemes, the first day of June, the habitually lazy person, the last of my mistakes, the mind sometimes gets fuzzy, the poor are getting poorer, the result of laziness is dire poverty, the rich are getting richer, the society begins going downhill, the throne of grace, the wisdom and knowledge imbued in man by God, this wealthy comfortable society, thy want as an armed man, to, to lead and guide all your servants, too many amentities, truth, turbulent and uncertain times, unfortunate circumstances, we're not afraid, wealth distributed more equitably, wealth is consolidated in too few hands, wearing God's powerful protective spiritual armour, when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep, wisdom, wise enough to, wise words that seem appropriate, work ethic, wrought in our weary souls, yet a little sleep
Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 June 2026 Proverbs 6:9.
Proverbs 6:9. How long wilt thou sleep (lie down), O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
Oh friends, the first day of June 2026 has turned out to be a beautiful summer Monday, which ought to give us encouragement and enthusiasm to get out there and do good work for Jesus! (smile) But, unfortunately, I need to make another apology for another mistake, don’t know how many of you noticed it, but this one was in Saturday’s Bit, where I claimed that that was the last day of the month … and I did it twice to boot, at the beginning and at the end. I don’t know where I got the crazy idea that May only had thirty days. My mind must be going on me.
And it seems like I had forgotten the old rhyme that they taught us back in the old days: ‘Thirty days have April, June and September; the rest have thirty-one, except February which has twenty-eight, but in leap years twenty-nine.’ But somehow or the other I got it in my mind that May only had thirty days. So again, I’m asking for your forgiveness, and as good Christian folk, expect you to give it to me most willingly, (smile) for the ole fella is only human and is also getting on in age, and you know the mind sometimes gets fuzzy when that happens. So, let’s hope and pray that will be the last of my mistakes for a while. (smile)
And on this marvellous Monday in June, let’s look at some wise words of Cousin Sol, that seem rather appropriate for these turbulent and uncertain times, and can only benefit us if we follow them. Now, Cousin Sol’s first admonishment in this passage is: ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide (leader), overseer or ruler, Provideth her meat (grain or bread) in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.’ (Prov. 6:6-8)
Oh my people, what wise and wonderful words and ever so applicable to many of us in this wealthy, comfortable society, who choose to just sit on our fannies and don’t do anything productive. It’s as the scholars explain: ‘The sluggard is the habitually lazy person. He is admonished to learn two important lessons from the ant: (1) the ant has no guide, overseer, or ruler (vs. 7), meaning that the ant does not have to have a taskmaster standing over it to make it work; it is a self-starter. (2) The ant is wise enough to prepare for predictable circumstances (vs.8).’
Yes mih brethren, we’ve all seen how colonies of ants are always busy, especially in the summer months, when they go about collecting food and storing it away for the winter months when food is hard to come by. And they don’t need to be told to do that, or have somebody looking over their shoulder prodding them to do it. So, if ants, one of the lowliest of God’s creations, are so wise and have such a wonderful work ethic, why can’t mankind, the apple of God’s creation, with all the wisdom and knowledge imbued in Him by His Creator, react the same way to life eh?
Possibly because our society has gotten too wealthy and we have too many amenities that make living too easy. But wait, Cousin Sol isn’t done with the sluggard, for he continues: ‘How long wilt thou sleep (lie down), O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth (a prowler), and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov. 6:9-11)
And what’s that all about you ask? Listen to the scholars’ explanation: ‘Two questions about sleep are posed to the sluggard (vs.9). His answer is given in verse 10: “Just a little bit more sleep!” The result of such laziness is dire poverty, which will come as suddenly and decisively as a robber (v.11).’ And isn’t that the awful truth! Habitual laziness only leads to dire want and eventual poverty. No wonder there are so many needy people in our society. Now let’s note that all needy people are not lazy, but some have indeed endured genuine unfortunate circumstances.
However, there are indeed too many lazy people in our society, from which the work ethic is quickly disappearing, and once that happens, it’s only a matter of time before the society itself begins going downhill. That’s because a society is only as strong and productive as its people. And when we look around our world, despite our total wealth, which unfortunately is consolidated in too few hands, many societies are suffering from a lack of positive production and are thus beginning to decay.
Who knows if the wealth was distributed more equitably, if the situation would change, but for sure right now, the rich are getting insanely richer while the poor are getting inhumanely poorer, and that’s not a good situation for our world. So what can be done about it? We Christians, supposed believers in, and followers of Christ, are the only ones who can bring about positive change. But before we can do that, we desperately need to unite as the ONE BODY in Christ that we were created to be, not the numerous separate entities that we’ve become. And if we don’t unite soon, our world will just keep getting deeper and deeper in the quicksand that leads to total destruction.
And to help us do all we need to do to turn the situation around, let’s confidently, but humbly, approach the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour!
We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!
Now, let’s get serious and come together, so that we can do our duty and glorify Jesus’ awesome name! Much LOVE!
…Jesus has not given us a spirit of laziness…but one of diligence…industriousness…and perseverance…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
25 May 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciplined mind, add any enthusiasm to the situation, all for the glory of Jesus, all the days of thy life, allow your incredible aura of love, another new work week, as I was with Moses so will I be with thee, be constantly in thy mouth, be not afraid neither be thou dismayed, be strong and of a good courage, but of power love and of a sound mind, constantly bombarded by the enemy's evil schemes, dangerous and unfair jobs, depend on us to a large extent, divide for an inheritance, divine aid, don't be afraid of any task God gives us, don't turn away from the law, drilled into Joshua's brain, encouragement, face challenges, faith, fill us with steadfast faith, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, furthering your glorious kingdom, get into the groove, God's conversation with Joshua, have good success, have I not commanded thee, have success, holy spirit, humble servants, humbly ask, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I praise and thank you God, I will not fail thee nor forsake thee, inclement weather, inspire us to rise to greater heights, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, jobs that serve a useful purpose, keep our promises, keeping families together, living in fear, LOVE, make thy way prosperous, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, mano a mano, meditate therein day and night, meet the enemy in battle, mercy, no man shall be able to stand against thee, no partying on Monday, observe to do according to all the law, observe to do all that's written therein, our omnipotent and merciful God, perform like you're capable of performing, positive reassurance of our faith, prerequisites for success, prosper, put it into action, reassurance, regardless of what happens, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality and enthusiasm, sally forth with confidence, salvation, step up to the plate, sudy the law and live by it, sure conquerors, surrender our all to you, the evil and ungodly world, the fulfillment of promises, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the gospel truth, the Lord thy God is with thee wherever you go, the lustful ways of the world, the throne of grace, this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, to lead and guide all your servants, too comfortable in the pleasures of the world, truth, turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, we're not afraid, wearing God's powerful protective spiritual armour, wisdom, work all five days, wrought in our weary souls
Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 May 2026 Joshua 1:9.
Joshua 1:9. Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Another new work week my people. And this time we have to work all five days, no partying on Monday, like we did last week. (smile) And it will undoubtedly be difficult for some of us to get back into the five-day groove, but get back into it we must, if we’re to do Jesus proud. Then the inclement weather we’ve had over the weekend certainly doesn’t add any enthusiasm to the situation, but the bright sunshine and warm weather of this Monday ought to inspire us to rise to greater heights, all for the glory of Jesus! (smile)
And as we face our challenges today, please, let’s remember we can face them mano a mano, because of this most important acclamation, this positive reassurance of our faith: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengetheneth me.’ (Phil. 4:13) And that’s the gospel truth, for whatever we need to do on Christ’s behalf, He will enable us to do it. And that reminds me of God’s conversation with Joshua, when He made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. He promised him: ‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. (Josh. 1:5)
Yes friends, the Lord gives us all wonderful promises, but sometimes the fulfillment of those promises depends on us to a large extent. And so it was with Joshua. The Lord made sure He pointed out certain things he needed to do to have a successful mission. He warned him: ‘Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance (you shall give as a possession) the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper (have success) whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:6-7)
Please note that the Lord specifies two things in those two verses; that Joshua must stick to the letter of the law, and twice He warned him, to be strong and very courageous. Those were the prerequisites for success. Now that warning hasn’t changed since then. We modern day believers are still required to be strong and very courageous and obey the law in living for Christ. And let’s not say we can’t do it, because Bruh Paul has already declared that we are more than able, for ‘God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) In other words, we need not be afraid of any task we are given.
But the Lord took His commands to Joshua so seriously that He expanded on them in the next couple of verses, when He warns: ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth (shall be constantly in thy mouth); but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:8-9)
Oh my brethren, you see how the Lord drilled those three things into Joshua’s brain: First we need to study the law and live by it, don’t turn away from it regardless of what happens. Then we need to be strong and courageous, and we have all the tools to do that. And last but not least, don’t be afraid, because the Lord our God is with us wherever we go! What wonderful assurance that is my fellow believers! No other supposed God offers that kind of assurance and confidence to their followers because they can’t fulfill it. They don’t have the power or wherewithal to do so. Only the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, omnipotent and merciful can make such a promise and fulfill it!
But yuh know what friends, we can have all the encouragement and reassurance in the world from God, but until we believe it and put it into action, it’s all wasted. And that’s what the Lord was trying to push home to Joshua; you can do it, because I’ve given you all you need, and I’m here to back you up, but you need to step forward, step up to the plate and perform like you are capable of performing. The same goes for us today, as so many of us are living in fear, or have simply gotten too comfortable in the lustful ways of the world and thus are not stepping forward to do our duty.
However, we hope and pray that very soon, before it’s too late, we’ll all wake up and see the light and perform the way we ought to. Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine help to turn things around. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour!
We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!
Now, let’s go out and keep our promises! Much LOVE!
…it’s not if we can…for we have all it takes…but if we desire to…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
11 May 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heightened desire, a new week of work, a new zest for life, a serious rampage, allow your incredible aura of love, as a lion in his den, be rewarded for your faithfulness, blesses the covetous, bombarded by the enemy's evil schemes, constantly buffeted, delight themselves in the abundance of peace, diligently consider his place, divine aid, don't give up hope, draws him into his net, evil doers shall be cut off, faith, fill us with steadfast faith, fun-filled weekend, furthering your glorious kingdom, go out to meet the enemy in battle, God has forgotten, God hides his face, God is not in his thoughts, God keeps all His promises, God will never leave nor forsake us, he says in his heart, he sitteth in the lurking places of the villages, heaven is getting ready to quench the fires of hell on earth, his mouth is full of cursing, holy spirit, I shall not be moved, in secret places, into the swing of things, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs that serve a useful purpose, keeping lives and families together, lies in wait secretly, lies in wait to catch the poor, look diligently for the wicked, LOVE, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, mercy, murders the innocent, never be in adversity, new insight, one for Jesus all for Jesus, our new best friend, raise our spirits, rejuvenation of spirit, ruling the roost, sally forth with confidence, salvation, stand strong and steadfast for Christ, stay faithful to the end, sure conquerors, surrender our all to you, taken in the devices they have imagined, thank you for jobs, the BIBLE, the evil and ungodly world, the hands of the clock turn, the indisputable truth, the poor are getting poorer, the renewed vitality and enthusiasm, the rich are getting richer, the throne of grace, the wicked are ruling the roost, the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, the wicked in his pride persecute the poor, the wicked sneers at his enemies, the wicked's ways are always prosperous, those that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth, through the pride of his countenance, to do good work for Christ, to lead and guide all your servants, triumph over the righteous, truth, under his tongue is mischief and vanity, under his tongue is trouble and iniquity, wearing your powerful protective spiritual armour, when the right time comes, who renounce the Lord, whom the Lord abhorreth, why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble, why standest thou afar off o Lord, will not seek after God, wisdom, you've wrought in our weary souls
Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 May 2026 Psalm 10:1.
Psalm 10:1. Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?
And the hands of the clock turn, and the days fly past until they come to our new best friend; Monday! And someone says, Are you crazy? How can Monday ever be our best friend when it suddenly shows up and disrupts and disturbs our nice, fun-filled weekend? Because it gets you back into the swing of things with a new zest for life, with new insight and a heightened desire to do good work for Christ, as the times get more troubled and uncertain. And besides, this Monday is a nice, bright, sunshiny day, so that should also raise our spirits. (smile)
That brings us to this interesting Psalm 10, where Bruh David cries out to God about the oppression of the poor. ‘Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?’ Now that seems to be a very good question to ask of our current times. For as Bruh David continues: ‘The wicked in his pride doth persecute (hotly pursues) the poor: let them be taken in the devices (plots) that they have imagined (devised). For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous (greedy), whom the Lord abhorreth (who renounces the Lord).
The wicked through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts (all his thoughts are, there is no God). His ways are always grievous (prosperous); thy judgements are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth (sneers) at them. He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity (trouble).’ (Ps. 10 :2-6)
And doesn’t that sound just like the wicked of today? It certainly does, because they believe that they are ruling the roost, and therefore have no time for God nor for the poor. They do whatever they like, with thoughts only for themselves and what they can gain. And we can see that happening all around our world right now, where the rich and powerful are getting richer and even more powerful, while the poor are getting poorer and even more powerless. And that’s not all; Bruh David continues: ‘His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud (oppression); under his tongue is mischief (trouble) and vanity (iniquity).’ (Ps. 10:7)
And is that ever the indisputable truth! For we now hear very blatant base, coarse and deceitful language from our leaders and power brokers, like we’ve never publicly heard before. It seems that they have absolutely no class at all. But how can they, when Bruh David declares: ‘He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places does he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily (secretly) set against the poor. He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net. He croucheth, and humbleth himself (bows down), that the poor may fall by strong ones (strength). He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.’ (Ps. 10:8-11)
And sometimes when things get really bad, when the wicked go on a serious rampage, like we’re seeing right now, we tend to think that God has forgotten us, is hiding His face from us. But we know better than that, for He has promised that He will never leave nor forsake us several times in His word, (Heb. 13:5; Deut. 31:8) and we also know that He keeps every promise He makes. In His opinion, it’s just not the right time. But as the song says, ‘when the right time come,’ He’s also promised that the wicked will be destroyed, will perish from off the earth.
As per Psalm 37 when Bruh David declares: ‘For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider (look diligently for) his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.’ (Ps. 37:9-11)
Yes my fellow believers, though times might look pretty bad right now, as though God seems to have permitted the wicked to triumph over the righteous, with the wicked doing all they can to drive the righteous into the grave, the end of the story however, as promised by our faithful God is that the wicked is the one who will pay the eventual price for his unrelenting and perverse iniquity. So please don’t give up hope; stay faithful to the end, and the Lord will reward you for your faithfulness. And to help us hang in there right down to the wire, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to stand strong and steadfast in Christ.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together. We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour! We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Yes friends, let’s get out there and put it to the enemy for Jesus’ sake! As the late Ernie Smith’s song puts it: ‘one for Jesus…all for Jesus!’ Much LOVE!
…when the fires of hell seem to burn bright and hot here on earth…let’s remember that heaven is getting ready to quench them…
Visit the Scrip-Bit Blog at https://randyobrien50.com
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 Feb 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Apollos watered, aura of love, babes in Christ, carnal, Christ's Church, Christians, cofidence, compassionate Deity, desire the sincere milk of the word, discern, disunity, dull of hearing, first principles, full of age, God gave the increase, good and evil, guile, humble servants, hypocrisies, I have planted, immature believers, jobs, lies, malice, mature, minimize frustrations, Monday fix, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, newborn babes, oracles of god, ought to be teachers, power of the holy spirit, practice, reason of use, rejuvenation of spirit, senses exercised, serve a useful purpose, sincerity, solid food, spiritual adrenaline, spiritual armour, spiritual maturity, steadfast faith, strife, strong meat, taunts, thanks and praise, the enemy's ranks, the word of righteousness, trained, ungodly world, unskillful, walks as men, wiles, worthwhile inroads, ye may grow thereby
1 Peter 2:2. As newborn babes, desire the sincere (pure) milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.
Another Monday friends… Yes, one more in the long line of Mondays lined up for us to go through in our work experience! And hopefully some of us might eventually wise up and realize that it doesn’t make sense to go through the Monday morning blues every week, and thus find ways to minimize the weekly frustrations and consequently decrease our stress levels and add a modicum of happiness to our lives. (smile) That’s the basic hope of our Monday offering.
But sadly, for whatever reason(s), not all of us will be able to do that, which means we will always have need for our Monday Morning Battle hymn to help us get our Monday fix of spiritual adrenaline from heaven on high, through the Holy Spirit. Now that’s not a bad thing, but with age and experience, we’re expected to achieve spiritual maturity, meaning our food types ought to improve too, move from soft, baby food, to adult stuff, like meat and spuds. (smile)
But my people, what the Lord desires more than anything else is that we come to Him, in whatever state we’re in, humbly and sincerely when we need help, regardless of whether we’re still eating baby food when by age and Christian experience, we should be eating solid stuff. (smile) So let’s come before Him now nuh, humbly and sincerely crying out for help, but confidently expecting Him to help, because that’s His awesome promise, and He keeps His promises.
Altogether 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!’
And our God is so wonderful, that the answer is on the way before we’ve even finished our supplication! Wow! Give Him some thanks and praise my fellow believers (steups!) for being such and awesome and compassionate Deity! Just look at how we’re all energized and smiling, how our attitudes have suddenly changed, and now we’re excited to go out and work for Jesus! That’s the power of the Holy Spirit friends doing the Father’s timely bidding!
And today friends, we want to talk about spiritual immaturity, the fact that we ought to grow in our Christian faith and move on from Christianity 101 to higher grades and not have to keep repeating the elementary aspects of our faith. There are several scriptures in the Good Book that deal with the subject, a few of which we want to share, beginning with Peter’s admonishment: ‘Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere (pure) milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.’ (1 Pet. 2:1-2)
Yuh see that friends, young Christians, like babies need milk to grow, they too need to learn the elementary aspects of God’s Word. But unfortunately, many of us don’t grow spiritually, we remain carnal, doing the things that Peter advises against. Thus Bruh Paul also had to admonish the Corinthians.
‘And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat (solid food); for hitherto (until now) ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions (dissensions), are ye not carnal (fleshly), and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?’ (1 Cor.3:1-4)
Of course they are, since spiritually minded believers (steups!) don’t fight about who converted or baptized them, because it’s team work. As Bruh Paul says two verses later: ‘I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.’ (1 Cor. 3:6) Yeh friends, whatever work we do for God, in the long run, it’s He who causes our work to bear fruit. Let’s remember that and stop arguing amongst ourselves as to who’s doing better than the other, because that only causes strife and disunity and destroys our witness.
Unfortunately, the continual warfare between the flesh and the spirit is a human trait that still exists, and is still causing disunity and division in Christ’s church today. As it was embarrassing to Bruh Paul with the Corinthians, so it is embarrassing today to see people who should know better, because of their long walk as Christians, still fighting and envying over petty stuff. And the scholars tell us that the flesh and spirit warfare was a big part of Bruh Paul’s writings, (cf. Rom.7:14-8:13; Gal.5:17). Please check out those scriptures, for they are very important and enlightening. (smile)
And the author of Hebrews didn’t pull any punches, but put it all in a direct manner. In his appeal to believe, he writes: ‘Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered (explained), seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time (by this time) ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles (sayings) of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat (solid food).
For every one that useth (partakes of) milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat (solid food) belongeth to them that are of full age (mature), even those who by reason of use (practice) have their senses exercised (trained) to discern both good and evil.’ (Heb. 5:11-14)
Ah mih people, too many of us are still drinking milk when we should be eating solid food, and it’s only causing serious problems in our church and our world. Please, for Christ’s sake, and with the Lord’s help, let’s try and do better nuh. Much LOVE!
…there is too much warfare…between too many immature believers (yeah!)…in Christ’s church…
20 Jan 2020
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: a pointed message, a simple blessing, abandoned, begun a good work in you, being confident, belief in Almighty God, Chrisitans, come to fruition, conversion, eternal security, faithful, from the Most High, further your glorious kingdom, God's plans, grace, heavenly succour, in this very thing, jobs, lies, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my neighbour, never give up, on my lonesome, pride, rejuvenation of spirit, rewarding God, saving work, shovelling snow, steadfast faith, the enemy, the Philippians, Three in One Deity, Triune God, unrealized, until the day of Jesus Christ, wicked taunts, wiles, will complete it, wisdom
Philippians 1:6. Being confident in this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Now whoever says that our God isn’t a good, great, faithful and rewarding God, tell them I say deh lie eh! Ah friends, I see God’s goodness everyday in little things, but sometimes in somewhat bigger ones, like something that happened to me yesterday morning. Yuh know the snowfall was a fairly big one, so after church I decided to go out and tackle my drive and the walkway. I turned on my car stereo, opened the trunk and was out there shovelling and dancing for about fifteen minutes, possibly done about one fifth of the two car drive, when all of a sudden, behind me, I heard: ‘Hi Randy! Let me do that nuh!’
It was my much younger neighbour and his son from the house opposite to mine, both with snow shovels in their hands. And they took over the job, wouldn’t let me do much, kept telling me to rest. But having some pride, I felt somewhat uncomfortable just watching them do everything, so while they were doing the driveway I did the front steps and the walkway leading up to them. That made me feel a li’l more useful. (smile) He didn’t even me allow me to pour the salt on it, but did that too.
Obviously the job took much less time than if I had done it on my lonesome. Now was that merely a simple blessing from the Most High, or a pointed message letting me know that I wasn’t physically capable of doing it all on my lonesome? I’m taking it as both, (smile) because to tell the truth, I don’t even know if I could have done it all at once having seen how much was out there, especially with the duchess on my back, fearful that something tragic would happen, wanting me to leave it and come inside. (smile)
And making the situation even more memorable, my neighbour promised to come over and help whenever I needed it! So how can I not be grateful and thankful eh? And how can something like that not strengthen my faith and belief in Almighty God eh mih people? Only if I’m not a true believer! But I like to think I am, that’s why I want to encourage those of us who are shaking it rough this Monday morning to join us in that mysterious and miraculous act of communion that we call prayer, where we offer thanks to God for His many blessings as well as cry out to Him for help in times of need.
So let’s confidently and humbly go to the throne of grace declaring (yeah!) our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking heavenly succour. 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!’
And since our motives were right and our hearts sincere, we know the Lord heard our prayer. We also know that He answered it, judging by our suddenly enthused spirit and rearing to go attitude. (smile) So let’s do just that nuh; get out into the evil world and work the works of Christ, because we all have a job, a plan that He’s envisioned for us.
And of this one thing we’re sure, that God won’t allow His plans for us to go astray, regardless of the circumstances, for as Bruh Paul said to the Philippians: ‘Being confident in this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ Yes my brethren, we can be sure that whatever God begins in us, He will complete it!
And the scholars explain: ‘1:6. Will perform it is said “will finish it.” Paul is convinced that the work of grace that God began in the Philippians at conversion will be divinely continued until the day of Jesus Christ. That is, the Lord will keep working in these believers until Jesus returns to earth, at which point He will finish His work, bringing it to completion. This speaks of the Christian’s eternal security. For God had a purpose in view when He began His saving work in the Philippians, and that purpose will neither be abandoned or unrealized.’
Neither will the saving work He began in us be ever abandoned or unrealized my people. That means we have real security in Jesus, and therefore, though we may sometimes falter, even fall, we can be assured that our wonderful Triune God will keep raising us back up if we don’t lose faith, never give up, but sincerely stick with the omnipotent Three In One Deity that created, and still rules the universe. That’s wisdom of infinite proportions friends, so let’s diligently seek it nuh! Much LOVE!
…God’s plans…ALWAYS come to fruition…
13 Jan 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a prayer away, abolished, aura of love, be of good cheer, be prepared, breaking down, Christians, contrariness, desires for Jesus, drive yuh crazy, enmity, enthusiasm, Gentiles, humble servants, i have overcome the world, I have spoken to you, imposters, in me you might have peace, in the world, Jeremiah, Jews, mocked, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, more than conquerors, never giving up, peace, powers, principalities, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, resolutions, separate us from the love of God, sinful world, spiritual armour, the Lord be praised, the wall of partition, the weather scene, these things, times of trouble, ungodly world, useful purpose, waery with forbearing, ye shall have tribulation
John 16:33. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Now this weather scene is getting to be a bit much yes! Can you believe that after a wet, rainy and icy Sunday morning that by ten a.m. the sun had come out and it became clear and dry, though somewhat chilly, and stayed so for the remainder of the day? Wonder what kind of weather we will experience today eh? But I’m not bothering mihself over it nuh, because with it’s contrariness, if you take it on, it will just drive yuh crazy! You just have to be prepared for whatever comes and say, the Lord be praised! (smile)
And can you also believe that we’re already into half of January? Time sure isn’t wasting time… like some of us! (smile) Wonder how many sure-fire resolutions have been broken already? No doubt many. But it’s Monday, and that tired, sickly, lazy and unenergized feeling is afflicting some of us, like it will always do, so let’s take our problems to the Lord in prayer as we ought to. Let’s humbly, but confidently declare our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and receive His awesome help to cure our ailments.
Altogether 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!’
And as always, the positive heavenly reply is not long in coming. We soon feel our spirits lifting, our energy pumping up, and our desires for Jesus, His Word and His work burning like a righteous fire in our being! (smile) Like poor Jeremiah who was tired of declaring the Lord’s word because he was being mocked continually, and thus decided to give up speaking it. However he found that he could not. Why? ‘But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing (of holding back) and I could not stay (endure it). (Jer. 20:9)
Ah friends, many of us sometimes feel like Jeremiah; getting a lot of negative reactions when we try to speak God’s word, but we cannot give up, we have to endure, whatever it takes. It’s that spirit of NEVER GIVING UP, regardless of our circumstances, or who comes against us, that divides Christians from the rest of the human race. Once you become a believer in Jesus Christ, His Holy Spirit fills you with His awesome strength and courage so that you can keep keeping on with Christ as your Guide and Leader.
He didn’t have it easy on this earth, and neither will we. But as He faithfully promised: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ And He certainly has friends, by dying on the cross to save our sinful souls, and then coming to life once again, thus defeating, hell, death and the grave for all time! And we’ll just quote a few scriptures to highlight the truth of what Jesus said in our Bit.
As pertaining to His peace, hear Bruh Paul to the church at Ephesus regarding the unity of ALL believers. ‘For He (Christ himself) is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition (division) between us. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances: for to make (create) in himself of twain (the two) one new man, so making peace.’ (Eph. 2:14-15)
Yes precious people, Christ broke down the barrier between Jews and Gentiles, namely the Mosaic Law which was made to protect the Jews from pagan influences, but which they improperly used to make themselves feel superior to the Gentiles. But Jesus got rid of all of that by making us, Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles, One new man, a unified Church.
And as per having tribulation in this evil world, hear Bruh Paul to Timothy, re the coming days of apostasy (backsliding). ‘Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers (imposters) shall wax (grow) worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.’ (2 Tim. 3:12-13) And we certainly are seeing it all in these strife-filled end times.
And per overcoming the world, listen to these encouraging words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘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. 8:37-39)
So friends, we have it all in Jesus, God Himself, all that we need to successfully navigate this fallen and sinful world. So there is absolutely no need to worry when things seem rough. Just call on Him and He will faithfully see you through. Much LOVE!
…in times of trouble…Jesus is only a prayer away…
23 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aura of love, bet your bottom dollar, by reason of, disobedience, examples, finish shopping, further your glorious kingdom, he who doesnt hear, humble servants, I cried, I remembered the Lord, Jesus Christ, jobs, Jonah, keeping lives together, lying vanities, mine affliction, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my soul fainted within me, Nineveh, our admonition, out of the belly of hell, rejuvenation of spirit, sacrifice, sure conquerors, teach him a lesson, the enemy's ranks, the voice of thanksgiving, thou heardest my voice, unto the Lord, we're not afraid, will certainly feel, with a good attitude, without a word of protest, worthless idols, worthwhile inroads
Jonah 2:2. And said, I cried by reason of mine (because of my) affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
Yes, I know it’s Monday, and as far as some of us are concerned the only thing good about it is that it’s the eve of Christmas Eve, meaning things might be slow at work, or we might just get off work early, or steal some time to go and finish shopping. (smile) But friends, however we frame it, it is still the first day of the work week and we still have to show up. So why don’t we just be sensible and do it with a good attitude eh? We’d all feel a whole lot better.
But just in case you can’t bring yourself to that point on your own, for whatever reason, we do have an alternative option; that of crying out to our great and generous God for help. And believe me, it works! So why don’t we all, in strong and confident voices, but humble attitude, declare our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. ‘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!’
Ah friends, what and honour and a privilege we’ve been granted to be able to come before the Most High God in prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving! And what I particularly like about that prayer is before we’re even finished praying it, we feel our spirits begin to lift as the Lord directs His Holy Spirit to start activating us. And if you think praying when you’re down in the dumps is a waste of time, then check out Jonah’s prayer when He disobeyed God and ran in the opposition direction to which he was sent.
We all know the story of how the Lord appointed a big fish to swallow him… And who says our God doesn’t have a sense of humour eh? He could have simply saved him, but Jonah needed to be a taught a lesson in obedience, just like so many of us today my bredrin, because disobedience is rife in our world, even amongst supposed believers. And what a way to teach him a lesson; three days and nights in a fish’s belly. You certainly know the slime and entrails and all the other junky, distasteful stuff we see in a fish’s innards when we clean them out. So just imagine swirling around in that for three days and nights nuh. (smile) It would surely teach you a lesson in anything at all!
And learn his lesson, Jonah did! The Good Book describes the situation thus: ‘Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly. And said, I cried by reason of mine (because of my) affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.’ (Jon. 1-2) Oh friends, of one thing we can be sure; whenever we cry out to the Lord in sincerity, He WILL hear and answer our cries! Not always the way we want, or when we want, but He will respond to our cry! You can bet your bottom dollar on that.
And Jonah knew that secret, so although it looked like it was cleaners for him, he could still reason: ‘Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.’ (Jon.2:4) Yes faithful believers, there is lots of truth in the old adage; while there is life there is hope, especially with our God, He of many chances! And after Jonah described his perils in depths of the fish and the sea, (Jon. 2:5-6) he finally acknowledged: ‘When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord; and my prayer came in (went up) unto thee, into thine holy temple.’ (Jon.2:7)
Ah mih people, there’s no wiser action in this life, than to turn to the Lord in sincere prayer when you find yourself in trouble! And I like how Jonah ends his prayer. ‘They that observe lying vanities (worthless idols) forsake their own mercy (LOVING-kindness). But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.’ (Jon. 2:8-9) Words to live by my people!
And the result of Jonah’s cry? The Good Book details it: ‘And the Lord (ever generous and merciful) spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon dry land.’ (Jon. 2:10) Yes siree! And yuh know what? Jonah did learn his lesson, because the next time the Lord told him to go and preach to Nineveh, he went without a word of protest. (smile)
And we’ll close with these wise and warning words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians, re Israel. ‘Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition (instruction), upon whom the end of the world (ages) are come.’ (1 Cor. 10:11) Yes friends, Jonah’s experience and all the other acts of disobedience have been written down in the Lord’s Word so that we can read them and learn from them, otherwise, we too will suffer the inherent consequences, which can ofttimes be terrible experiences. The Lord is indeed a Good God, but He doesn’t cotton much to disobedience. Please remember that. Much LOVE!
…he who doesn’t hear…will certainly feel…
14 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to thy word, aura of love, Christ died for the ungodly, deal treacherously, deceit, drunk or sober, further your glorious kingdom, grace, Granny's warning, granted life, have respect, hope maketh not ashamed, humble servants, I may live, I shall be safe, invincible, jobs, let me not be ashamed, lies, magnanimous god, mercy, mind yuh business, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, new work week, of my hope, rejuvenation of spirit, see another day, shed abroad in our hearts, steadfast faith, sunshine, taunts, Thanksgiving Day, the LOVE of God, University of the West Indies, unto thy statutes, uphold me, wait in faith, warm weather, wiles
Psalm 119:116. Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope.
And yes friends, we’ve been granted life and breath to see another day on God’s great earth! What a joy and a pleasure, that’s why we ought to give great thanks and enjoy it! And we’re doing just that today in Canada on our official Thanksgiving Day; giving lots of thanks for the numerous blessings we enjoy up there in that wonderful country and enjoying the fruits of our labour as the Lord would have us do. Sorry I’m not up there to share it with you my Canadian Scrip-Bit family, but I’m down in J.A. giving plenty thanks too, especially for the sunshine and warm weather, (smile) although some rain fell earlier this morning.
Oh, yes, today is also Monday, that means the start of a new work week for most people, except we Canadians, (smile) who mostly have the day off to give thanks and praise and celebrate. But just remember Granny’s warning: drunk or sober mind yuh business, and don’t give the devil an opportunity to get into yuh business, because yuh know how he destructive and deceitful, and just wants to muck up our lives and get us off the path of righteousness as set by Jesus.
Now I believe it’s just a holiday in Canada, which means lots of others still have to go to work, and many might just be jealous of us having the day off, so their spirits are low, (smile) but we’re here to assure them of our encouragement with that wonder-working prayer we call our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, which is designed to get us up and moving. So let’s declare it together now nuh, let’s call upon our mighty and magnanimous God for His awesome help, wonderful grace and mercy, which enable us to do His work.
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!’
Oh mih people, don’t you just LOVE how those sincere words of prayer automatically raises our spirits and strengthens our entrails, causing us to get the gumption to go out and do Jesus’ work! That’s the endearing work of the Holy Spirit that indwells us for that very purpose! Give our wonderful God some thanks for the way He looks after us, how He has provided for our every need!
And that’s what some of us, the Graduating Class of 1969, have been doing for the last few days; giving thanks and praise, reminiscing, fellowshipping, partying, and making new memories to add to the old ones we made some fifty years ago on the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies, that august institution that spawned so many leaders in so many fields all around the world!
Sadly, that good time is now over, it ended yesterday with a church service and a brunch in Mary Seacole Hall of Residence for some of us, but some of the medical fraternity continued it up in the hills above Kingston by one of their colleagues. The Saturday night events were good too. It reminded the Economic Students especially, of the wonderful days in the Students Union where the parties happened back then. And the old tunes brought back vivid memories of those fun-filled times. And I LOVED the D.J because whatever old tune you asked for, he just dialled it up, and the music never stopped…
Oh by the way, we had the famed Jamaican musician Boris Gardiner with us that evening, and he crooned a few of his old hits, which we also danced to – especially the rent-a tile ones. (smile) And I’m reaping the consequences of so much partying because my ole hip is aching like crazy. (smile) But it was worth it! All in all it was a most entertaining and worthwhile time; the camaraderie and togetherness were exceptional…just hope we can do it another fifty years from now. (smile)
That brings us to today’s scripture taken from the great Psalm 119. ‘Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope. Hold thou me up (uphold me), and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto (observe) thy statutes continually.’ (Ps.119:116-117) Ah friends, without the Lord’s mighty hands holding us up and looking after us, we’d be lost, adrift in this evil and ungodly world, merely playthings for the evil one!
No wonder Bruh David, in Psalm 25, his prayer for guidance and protection, sincerely cried out: ‘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 (deal treacherously) without cause. Show 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.25:3-5)
Oh people, with sincere words like those reaching up to heaven, yuh think the Lord would ever turn them down? NEVER! Because that’s how He wants us to be; ever trusting and faithful to Him and His Word! And furthermore, no one who believes in the Most High God shall be ashamed of or disappointed in that trust and belief and hope.
Hear Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘And hope maketh not ashamed (does not disappoint); because the LOVE of God is shed abroad (has been poured out) in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly.’ (Rom.5:5-6) Oh friends, what more can we ask or expect eh? Nothing really, because everything has already been provided for us by our wonderful heavenly Father! Give Him much thanks and praise for His grace and mercy to the ungrateful children of men! Much LOVE!
…there’s nothing in this world…as satisfying…as gratifying…as giving thanks and praise to our Creator…
07 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aura of love, call upon him in truth, confidence, encouraged, enemy's ranks, enthused, enthusiasm, feeling good, fight for Jesus, foot dragging, for his hope, fulfill the desire, full of vim and vigour, further your glorious kingdom, gospel truth, great is our Lord, happy is he, hath the God of Jacob, hearsay, holy spirit, Jesus Christ, jobs, lies, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, new week of work, of them that fear Him, personal experience, praise him, preserves all who love Him, protective spiritual armour, rejuvenation of spirit, saints in glory, serve a useful purpose, sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving, taunts, the Lord is nigh, the wicked will he destroy, unto all that call upon Him, wiles
Psalm 145:18. The Lord is nigh (near) unto all that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
Aw, come on nuh friends, no lagging and foot dragging this morning nuh! Is Monday, and we should be full of vim and vigour, eager to get out into the world and fight the Lord’s battles! What’s this yuh tired and not up top scratch nonsense eh? That means you didn’t go to church yesterday and worship and praise God with other believers, else you’d be up bright and early just dying to get out and fight for Jesus.
But regardless of your situation, we’re not here to condemn you, but to help you. So please don’t feel too badly, just join us in sending up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, where we ask the Lord to strengthen and inspire us to go out and do His work. Altogether now, in strong voice, with sincere hearts:
‘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!’
And here’s what I like about that particular prayer…before you even finish saying it, you start feeling good; enthused, encouraged, confident and well able to go out and fight a good fight in Christ’s name! Glory be my people! So let’s go out now and do just that nuh. And as we do, let’s remember Bruh David’s fateful and famous words from Psalm 145 – The Lord is gracious. ‘The Lord is nigh (near) unto all that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.’
Yeh mih breddren, that’s why we can sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn in humble sincerity and know that He will hear and also answer us! As Bruh David continues: ‘He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that LOVE him: but all the wicked will he destroy.’ (Ps.145:19-20)
Gospel truth that friends! And we know that Bruh David is talking from personal experience there, not merely hearsay. And many of us have also had the wonderful experience of experiencing God’s mercy and LOVING- kindness, so we too know first hand that those words are absolutely true! So there is no need to fret or worry about whatever comes against us.
As the psalmist so rightly and wisely says in support of those words: ‘Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.’ (Ps.146:5) And that elicits a li’l smile and chuckle from me, as I was somewhat late in getting up and was worried that I wouldn’t finish the Bit in time for me to do some other things that need my attention this morning.
Oh what a wonderful God we serve and worship my people! He never leaves us in the lurch, nor fails to reassure and encourage us! Wow! So how can we not LOVE Him with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds eh? We’d be real foolish not to! For listen to the psalmist again: ‘Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite (innumerable, without count). The Lord lifteth up the meek (humble): he casteth the wicked down to the ground.’ (Ps.147:5-6)
And please note people, it’s not the same psalmist who is saying all those wonderful things about our God, but different ones, so there must be some truth in their assertions. And if that’s so, then we ought to respond thus: ‘Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.
He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy (LOVING-kindness). Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.’ (Ps.147:7-12)
Yes my people, the Lord is indeed worthy to be praised! There’s absolutely no doubt about it! So on this chilly autumn morn, as we go out to do His bidding, let’s praise Him nuh! Let’s glorify Him, let’s extol His wonderful attributes and exalt His mighty name, for there’s nothing our God likes better than hearing His praises being sung! Much LOVE!
…praise Him…praise Him…all you His saints in glory…praise Him with loud voice…
23 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man after His own heart, Aloha, an understanding heart, angry with Solomon, arise with enthusiasm, but the Lord looketh, faithfulness, for David, further your glorious kingdom, give praise and thanks, go after other gods, good motives, goodly to look at, hacking, heart in the righ place, his heart was turned from, humble servants, incredible aura of LOVE, inroads, into the enemy's camp, jobs, l have refused him, largeness of heart, look not on his countenance, LOVE, man looketh, mistakes, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, my servant David, not as man seeth, of a beautiful countenance, on the heart, on the outward appearance, packed like sardines, power of the holy spirit, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, ruddy, secret ingredient, serve a useful purpose, sincere prayer, sneezing, steadfast faith, strong wind, the height of his stature, the Lord God of Israel, the Lord seeth, the Lord's friend, thy father's sake, understanding, ungodly world, weary souls, whatever ails you, wisdom
1 Samuel 16:7. But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
Aloha people! It’s Monday, that means it’s time to rise and shine and join the battle lines where Jesus awaits us! Like any good Field General, He’s the first one at the front surveying and reconnoitering the situation, so He can draw up good battle plans to ensure our victory. Remember, without good, solid, wise plans victory is never possible.
Consequently, we His soldiers also ought to have good, wise battle plans for our day. And the first one is to arise with enthusiasm, to greet the new day full of vim and vinegar, giving our Lord thanks and praise for allowing us to see another day! Oh, I know that’s not possible for all of us, but don’t worry, we have the secret ingredient to help us get up to par. We call it our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, a simple but most productive prayer, suitable for any ailment you have on a Monday morning.
So let’s join together in saying it nuh, because we all need prayer regardless of how strong and faithful we are. As one 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!’
Yuh feel it friends? Yuh feel the power of the Holy Spirit just working its way through your soul and spirit? I know you do, because I feel it too! It never ceases to amaze me that whenever we pray that prayer, how my enthusiasm level just rises another notch, even when it’s already high! That’s the giddy answer (smile) of our great God to our genuine and sincere prayer. And believe me, I needed a boost this morning, because it seems I caught some bug on the plane.
When you’re packed like sardines with so many people hacking and sneezing, with one lady right next to me, it’s not unusual to catch something. Brother! After church yesterday, where I was feeling lousy, with my throat aching, I came home, had breakfast and went straight to bed. Remember I don’t have my I-pad, so I couldn’t play any games first. (smile) And I spent the whole day there, just getting up for supper in the afternoon and going straight back.
I also spent most of the night there, waking and sleeping, listening to the strong wind that kept blowing all day through the trees. Sometimes it sounded like rain, but when I opened my eyes and looked, it was still just the wind. Sometime in the early morning hours I did get up and say some prayers, not fully conscious though, but I know our wonderful God understood, because my heart was in the right place.
Oh friends, I can’t begin to tell you what a wonderful God we serve and worship because He doesn’t look at our outward actions but at the motives of our hearts, and if they are true and sincere, He does accept our faults and frailties. In any case, He already knows them better than us. And we see this plainly in the words of the Lord to Samuel when He sent him to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the next king of Israel. Samuel looked at Eliab, big and strong and handsome and thought ‘This must be the one‘
‘But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ But that doesn’t mean that the Lord doesn’t like good-looking people, for it was said of Bruh David: ‘he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look at.’ (1 Kin.16:12) Meaning he had bright eyes and was also good-looking, and he must have been strong too from all those hours out in the wild. (smile)
Oh my people, unfortunately we can only look on the outward actions of our fellow man, so we can’t tell what is truly in their hearts, but the Lord can. And we see the good motives and intentions of our hearts played out quite plainly in Bruh David. Although he made many mistakes, and the Lord did punish him for them, He never left him, because Bruh David never left Him either. He always stuck to the God of His Fathers.
Note too, the prayer of Cousin Sol, when the Lord asked him what he wanted. ‘Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people. And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon has asked this thing.’ (1 Kin.3:9-10) ‘And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore.’ (1 Kin.4:29)
Yes friends, most of what we ask for, if it falls within the Father’s will and our hearts are true, we will get them. But note when Cousin Sol got old and turned to the gods of his many wives, how the Lord blanked him. ‘And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel which had appeared unto him twice. And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.’ (1 Kin.11:9-10)
Therefore the Lord told Cousin Sol he would take away the kingdom from him, but not in his days, but in his son’s. And why was the Lord so generous? ‘For David thy father’s sake…for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.’ (1 Kin.11:12b,13c) Yuh see mih people, though Bruh David did a whole lot of wrong, his heart never strayed from his God, and that eventually made him a measuring stick for faithfulness in the Old Testament.
Are we faithful, can the Lord use us as a measuring stick for others today? Possibly not, but if we keep striving to be faithful and keep doing our best, one day the Lord might even deign to consider us His friend and a man after His own heart, like He said of Bruh David. I can think of no higher accolade that our great God can pay us. Much LOVE!
…the motives of our heart…must be right…when we come to the Lord in prayer…
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