14 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: A Prayer for later years, a sour old person, able to accept with graciousness, action it asap, arrogant, becoming sweeter as the years go by, by his knowledge, by understanding he established the heavens, don't want to be a saint, endure to the end, expressing an opinion on every subject, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, favours that others bestow on me, fear God and keep his commandments, fools despise widom and instruction, give me the grace, give me the wisdom to keep my mouth shut, give me wings, God shall bring every work into judgement, growing older, halfway home, hands on the plough, help me endure the boredom with patience, helpful but not pushy, holy spirit, independent, Jesus Christ, keep me from becoming too talkative, keep me reasonably sweet, keep my lips sealed, keep my mind free, LOVE, make my thoughtful but not moody, mercy, not looking back, occasionally I might be mistaken, personal desires, physical desires, release me from the cravings, saints are too hard to live with, salvation, second wind day, self-interests, selfish, strife, take it to heart, teach me the glorious lesson, Thank You Lord, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the clouds drop down dew, the depths are broken up, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, the glorious truth, the Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the musings of a small town Nana, the pleasure of discussing my aches and pains, the pride of life, the recital of endless details, the tiresome habit of, the work of the devil, this is the whole duty of man, those of a certain age, to a glorious future with Jesus, to get to the point, to listen to others describe their aches and pains, to straighten out everybody's affairs, truth, turbulent times, ungodly, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, wisdom can only be gained from God through faith
Ecclesiastes 12:13. Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Well it’s a cloudy Wednesday my people, but the temperature is above freezing, so it’s not too bad. But we’re also on a late bus because I had to go back to the hospital for some tests this morning and you know how that is – you never get in on time or get out early, so we’re a tad behind on this second wind day. Let’s hope we all catch that second wind and keep on living successfully for Jesus. And thankfully they found nothing of any serious nature with the tests, so hopefully these stomach pains will soon go away completely with the medication I’m currently taking. Thank You Lord! And I’ll also do my best to keep it short and sweet. (smile)
So without further ado, let’s get into this prayer that was published in 2007 in a Word Press blog called Mary’s Musings, apparently about the times of a small town Nana. The prayer is called ‘A Prayer for Later Years’ and I’m pretty sure I shared it sometime aback, but last week I found it amongst one of the several piles of papers I have lying around the office, and after reading and chuckling at its appropriateness, especially for people like me in these turbulent times, I knew I just had to share it again.
So please pray with me: ‘Lord thou knowest that I am growing older. Keep me from becoming too talkative, and particularly keep from falling into the tiresome habit of expressing an opinion on every subject. Release me from the cravings to straighten out everybody’s affairs. Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details. Give me wings too to get to the point. Give me the grace dear Lord, to listen to others describe their aches and pains. Help me to endure the boredom with patience and keep my lips sealed, for my own aches and pains are increasing in number and intensity, and the pleasure of discussing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by.
Teach me the glorious lesson that, occasionally, I might be mistaken. Keep me reasonably sweet. I do not wish to be a saint (saints are so hard to live with), but a sour old person is the work of the devil. Make me thoughtful, but not moody; helpful, but not pushy; independent; yet able to accept with graciousness favours that others wish to bestow on me.
Free me of the notion that simply because I have lived a long time, I am wiser than those who have not lived so long. If I do not approve of some of the changes that have taken place in recent years, give me the wisdom to keep my mouth shut. Lord knows that when the end comes, I would like to have a friend or two left. The author is unknown but I wish I had written it. I think it is appropriate for those of us who are of a “certain age.”
And is that ever the glorious truth my fellow believers! All of us can use some part of that prayer, whether we’re old or young, because it advocates a wisdom that is necessary from birth to the grave, if we’re to live a godly and compassionate life. If many more of us, both young and old could only get halfway to adopting those suggestions, our world would be a much more wonderful place than it currently is, and there would not be as much strife and disagreement as we now have.
But then again as we saw yesterday in John’s first epistle it’s ‘the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interests),’ things that the world value, that have us behaving so ungodly, selfish and arrogant. (1 John 2:16) And it all comes right back to our lack of true reverence for God. How did Cousin Sol put in the opening chapter of Proverbs? ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the beginning (principal beginning) of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov. 1:7)
And that’s an inescapable fact! To get wisdom, one must go to the fountain from which it flows, and that’s from Almighty God. As Cousin Sol says later on in Proverbs. ‘The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth, by understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths (deeps) are broken up, and the clouds drop down dew.’ (Prov. 3:19-20) Yes friends, wisdom is so important that God Himself used it to create the world. So if He, our Creator and Controller needs it, why shouldn’t we His lowly creation also need it eh?
And it’s a theme that echoes right through the Bible, specially in Cousin’s Sol’s writings. Remember He was the wisest man ever, God gave him the wisdom he asked for, along with wealth and long life that he did not ask for, because He was so pleased with his humble request. (1 Kin. 3:6-5) And since I’ve promised to keep it short and sweet, we’ll end with this final word from Cousin Sol, who as the wisest and wealthiest man ever, experimented with all that life had to offer, and found that it was all vanity, fruitless.
However, in his final recommendation as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes, he says: ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: ‘Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl. 12:13-14) And there is no greater truth than that my faithful brethren! So please, let’s take it all to heart and action it, asap.
Now, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And for those who endure to the very end with Jesus, there’s a promise of a future so glorious that we cannot even imagine it. But as the wisdom of God dictates, let’s all endure to the end, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…true wisdom can only be gained from God…through faith…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a ray of sunshine, a tough cross to bear, ambassadors for Christ, and the lust thereof, cloud cover, desensitizing our sensibilities, don't adopt the habits of unbelievers, don't associate with sexually immoral people, faith, follow christ and not the desires of the world, for my name's sake, God's faithful Word, handle anything that comes against us, he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever, holy spirit, hostile ideological environment, hurry, I have chosen you out of the world, if any man love the world, if they have persecuted me, in a location where, in god's eyes, in the world but not of the world, in their affliction, Jesus Christ, keep himself unspotted from the world, learn about the culture so you can influence it later, live in a way that pleases God not man, live like true christians, LOVE, love not the world, lust of the eyes, mercy, neither the things that are in the world, not of the Father but of the world, not to company with fornicators, others can come to know and love Christ like we do, our habits transforms unbelievers, personal desires, physical desires, pride of life, pure religion and undefiled before God, represent Christ's kingdom on earth, salvation, self-interests, separation from worldly corruption, share His love with my neighbours, starting to change the way we think, tacit approval, the beloved of God, the BIBLE, the love of the Father is not in him, the lust of the flesh, the servant is not greater than his lord, the world hated me before it hated you, the world passeth away, the world would love his own, they know not him that sent me, they will also persecute you, through Christ who strengthens us, trust my friend Jesuss, truth, Tuesday Mantra, view of the world altered, visit the fatherless and widows, wisdom, worry, ye must needs go out of the world, your Christian worldview is challenged
1 John 2:15. LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
It’s Tuesday friends, and sadly, the early ray of sunshine that began the day is now gone, obviously to be replaced by cloud cover, with the computer forecasting rain for later this afternoon. But we’ll take rain over snow every time, (smile) although we can handle anything that comes against us through Christ who strengthens us. All glory and honour to our great Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! And all God’s people said a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’
Now, today we will keep on looking at some key scriptures about being in the world but not of the world. And this commentary simply explains it as keeping our ‘focus on living with heavenly values while present on Earth, emphasizing separation from worldly corruption, transformation, and being ambassadors for Christ.’
Yesterday we had some revealing scriptures from Jesus, today we will begin with more of His revealing words, as He explains to the disciples, the world’s hatred for them. ‘If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would LOVE his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I spoke unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.’ (John 15:18-21)
Yes friends, because the world hated Jesus, and we belong to him, the world will automatically hate us also. That’s a tough cross to bear sometimes, but we know that with Christ’s help we can handle it. With the awesome power of the Holy Spirit, God’s faithful Word, the Bible and our faith and trust, we can learn to follow Christ, and not the desires of this world, and to represent Christ’s kingdom here on earth in the best way possible.
That brings us to this very important foundational scripture from the first epistle of John, where he profoundly exhorts us: ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interests), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
And that’s the living truth my people! The world will pass away, but those who do God’s bidding will live forever! That’s what God’s Word says, and if you’re a follower of God, then you need to believe what He says, otherwise you’re just waiting your time and His. Meanwhile, in Bruh Paul‘s first epistle to the Corinthians, he writes: ‘I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company (associate) with fornicators (sexually immoral people): Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then ye must needs go out of the world.’ (1 Cor. 5:9-10)
Apparently the letter Bruh Paul is talking about is one he wrote to the Corinthians before, but now is lost. And in that letter he warned them about keeping company with sexually immoral people. But the problem is if we do not associate with any evil doers at all, we would need to leave the world completely, as Bruh Paul says in the second verse. And besides Jesus has placed us among the unbelievers so that we can show them what it is to be a true Christian, and thus have them want to be His follower. And we cannot do that if we avoid all unbelievers or evil doers. We just have to be careful that the habits of those we come into contact with don’t override our spirituality and righteousness, but that our habits transform theirs. For that’s the role of disciples and ambassadors of Christ.
Then we have this interesting verse from James, Jesus’ brother, where he declares: ‘Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.’ (James 1:27) And keeping oneself unspotted from the world can oftentimes be a difficult task, seeing that the world is always at us with advertisements, posters, social media, etc. etc. Our world has become a very noisy place, with lots of talk but little true information or empathy.
So how are we to decide whether we’re in the world or not eh? I like how this commentary simplifies it. A policeman and his wife were watching a sitcom on their laptop, and though it was humorous and full of everyday language with which he was familiar, they eventually turned it off, because they felt it was “desensitizing our sensibilities”. ‘Watching any further only demonstrated our tacit approval and we wanted to stop before our view of the world had been permanently altered.’
It goes on to say that ‘in the world’ could be defined as our point of location, and continues: ‘Paul was right when he said that we would have to leave the world altogether if we wanted to truly separate ourselves from immoral, “worldly” people. That’s not what God is asking us to do. The fact that you might be in a location where your Christian worldview is being challenged is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, God may have placed you there so you can have a positive impact on those who don’t yet know Jesus, or at least learn more about the culture so you can influence it later. So, while my wife and I were located in front of our laptop watching the sitcom, this was not the issue that concerned me.’
Then he defines ‘of the world’ as our source of information, and continues. ‘My concern was simply that the repeated exposure to the worldview expressed in the show was having an impact on my worldview as a Christian. It was starting to change the way I think. That isn’t always the case for me, but there are definitely times when I’ve caught myself repeating some objectionable phrase (or embracing some ungodly concept) simply because I heard (or saw) it repeatedly in some movie, cable show or series of conversations at work. It’s one thing to be located in these environments; it’s another thing to draw from them as a source for information and behavior.’
Now that’s the gospel truth! And I’m sure that many of us have had similar expereinces. Let’s hope we did not allow them to corrupt us. And this piece from the commentary makes a delightful summary for our Bit today. ‘It seems that Jesus understood the tension we would experience as Christians living in a hostile ideological environment. The authors of the New Testament also encouraged us to continue our relationships with the world around us, but to be careful to live in a way that pleases God, not the culture:’
And as we endeavour to live like that, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now that means we have go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do. Much LOVE!
…only if and when Christians live like true Christians…will the world pay attention to us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good example to follow, a longing for spiritual renewal, a portion for foxes, a thirsting soul, all that swear by God shall glory, and the lust thereof, comfortable slumber, deepen my breath, devour our sense of godliness, dire situations, divine help, during the work week, early will I seek thee, enjoying the peace and quiet, faith, fally by the sword, filling our hearts, get into sync with God, God's goodness and mercy, greater intimacy with God, he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever, holy spirit, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, I will bless thee while I live, if any man love the world, improve our disobedient ways, in a dry and thirsty land where no water is, in the shadow of thy wings I will rejoice, increase my awareness of you today, is not of the Father but of the world, Jesus Christ, lament, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lift up my hands in thy name, lost our humanity, LOVE, love not the world, lust for plenty, mercy, my flesh longeth for thee, my lips shall praise thee, my mouth shall praise thee, my soul shall be satisfied, my soul thirsteth for thee, neither the things that are in the world, O God thou art my God, offers up praise and thanksgiving, our most sought after goal, overflowing with thanksgiving, personal desires, petition, physical desires, praise thee with joyful lips, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, seen thee in the sanctuary, self-interests, sincere and heartfelt prayer, sincere closeness with God, slow my thoughts, sought the Lord's presence, spiritual maturity, spiritual renewal, thank you for this tenderness, the king shall rejoice in God, the Lord's face lights up, the Lord's heart dances a tango, the love of the Father is not in him, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the material things of the world, the overwhelming peace and joy of God, the pride of life, the righteous shall be glorified, the wicked shall be destroyed, the wisdom of the ages, the world passeth away, this age of greed, thy lovingkindness is better than life, thy right hand upholds me, to see thy power and thy glory, truth, wisdom, with marrow and fatness, with no hustle and bustle, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Psalm 63:1. ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
Then it was Saturday, our lazy-day Saturday! And we do not mind in the least that it’s cool, because it’s mostly sunny, for we plan on doing very little of anything but lazing around in this first part of the day. And I did laze around in the bed this morning, enjoying the peace and quiet that surrounded me, without all the hustle and bustle that goes on during the work week.
Now, to further our efforts of peace and calm, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, in all sincerity and truth. As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And we know that if our prayer was sincere and heartfelt, the overwhelming peace and joy of the Lord will soon be filling our hearts, minds, souls and bodies! Why? Because a prayer to get closer to God, for greater intimacy with Him, is one He simply cannot refuse, since that’s what He’s all about; LOVE and togetherness. Oh, how the Lord’s face lights up, and His heart dances a tango, when we come to Him just seeking true closeness, nothing else but being near to Him and enjoying His marvellous company!
That reminds us of Psalm 63 – A Thirsting Soul – written when Bruh David was running from the murderous clutches of King Saul and hiding in the wilderness of Judah. He didn’t ask for deliverance or revenge on His enemies or any such thing, but he simply sought the Lord’s presence and remembered His goodness and mercy.
Thus, he writes: ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen (looked for) thee in the sanctuary. Because thy LOVING-KINDNESS is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.’ (Ps. 63:1-4)
Oh my fellow believers, isn’t that just wonderful! Instead of crying out for divine help in such a crucial time, Bruh David offers up praise and thanksgiving. Now that’s an example many more of us ought to follow. Instead of always asking God for help when we come to Him, sometimes we just need to go to Him for His awesome refreshing presence and company, offering Him praise and thanksgiving for all that He’s done, and still intends to do for us.
It’s like the scholars explain: ‘Unlike many of the psalms written in these dire situations, however, this psalm is overflowing with thanksgiving rather than lament and petition. David declares his longing for spiritual renewal (vs. 1-2), he expresses his thankful mood (vs. 3-6), he gives voice to his trust in God (vs. 7-8), and he announces his hope for the future (vs. 9-11). Enemies are mentioned only in passing (vs. 9-10).’
Oh friends, could we ever do something so wonderful when we are being bombarded by the wiles of the enemy and the numerous temptations that this world offers? I certainly hope so, because that’s when we will know that we’ve attained a decent level of spiritual maturity. And that we can do like Bruh David, as he continues with praise and meditation.
‘My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow (the best) and fatness (abundance); and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips. When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.’ (Ps. 63:5-8)
Ah mih people, as I read those words I wonder about certain things Bruh David mentions. The first is, are we ever satisfied? In this age of greed and lust for plenty, even when the Lord blesses us, are we truly ever satisfied, and give Him thanks for it? Not very often…if ever. Then, where is our supposed trust in God, and our praise for His goodness to us? Much, if not all of it has disappeared, because we have become so taken up with the material things of this world, that we’ve lost the humanity and the spirituality we once had. We’ve allowed the world to devour our sense of godliness.
It’s as John writes in his first epistle. ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interests), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
Now, hopefully, that scripture passage will awaken us from the comfortable slumber that we’ve fallen into, and cause us to improve our disobedient and lustful ways. (smile) And Bruh David, in his unshakeable confidence in the Lord, concludes the psalm thus: ‘But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion (a prey) for foxes (jackals). But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.’ (Ps. 63: 8-11)
And that’s the gospel truth my people! The Lord has promised throughout His Word that the wicked will eventually be destroyed, while the righteous shall be glorified! So please, let’s take a few moments to consider our ways this lazy-day Saturday, and see where we’re out of sync with the Lord, and ask for His help to get back into sync with Him. That’s wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…sincere closeness to God…ought to be our most sought after goal…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a form of godliness, abideth for ever, adrift on a stormy sea, artificial intelligence, Bible, blasphemers, boasters, chaos, checks and balances, christianity, cleanse us from all unrighteousness, covetous, disobedient to parents, enjoying life, evil ways, faith, forgive our sins, forgiving God, god, God is light, gracious, he that doeth the will of God, holy spirit, humble servants, in him is no darkness, in the last days, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lawlessness, leads to Satan's lair, LOVE, love not the world, lovers of their own selves, make it safely home, merciful, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, neither the things that are in the world, perilous times, proud, self-interests, strong faith in Christ, the devil's own, the directionless road, the God who heals, the love of the Father, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, the rule of law, the world passeth away, traitors, truth, unholy, usurps our weekend, walk in darkness, walk in the light of Jesus, walking the straight road to heaven, wisdom, wolves in sheep's clothing
1 John 2:15a. LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
It’s here friends, right on schedule…Monday…that day so many of us detest, because we believe that it usurps our weekend. (smile) But Monday is just keeping us on the straight and narrow path, reminding us that working for a living is as important, if not more important than just hanging around doing nothing productive, or what we call enjoying life. Without Mondays to wake us up to the reality of life, so many of us would be lost and adrift on a stormy sea of lawlessness and chaos.
So instead of disliking Mondays, let’s tell it thanks for bringing us back into the real world every week. (smile) And it’s especially important for we believers in Christ Jesus who need as many checks and balances as we can get to keep us walking the straight road to heaven and not the directionless one that leads to Satan’s lair.
For as Bruh Paul warned Timothy and by extension us: ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady (reckless), highminded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more (rather) than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-5)
Ah mih bredrin, I don’t know if these are really the last days or not nuh, but I do know that those traits Bruh Paul outlined to Timothy are now sweeping our world with an intensity and viciousness like we’ve never seen before. The rule of law is being overturned in numerous places, only to be replaced by strife and chaos. Likewise the rule of God is disregarded as if it never existed. That means apostasy, or turning away from God is a major casualty in these turbulent times.
We also have a warning from John in his first epistle about the chaotic situation that’s in progress in our world. He says: ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interests), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
Now that’s a plain as day. All the stuff that’s happening in the world is not of God, and as children of God we ought to stay away from it. And let’s not forget the ongoing problem we have of false teachers, who are also out in great numbers. They preach their own version of the Bible, slanted towards their own aggrandizement and though it seems that they are in tune with God, in actual fact they are the devil’s own, like wolves in sheep’s clothing, and thus have God’s people unknowingly going astray.
That’s why it’s ever so important for believers to truly know God’s Word, so that they can compare what they hear and see to what the Word says, because there are so many unscrupulous people out there taking advantage of those with little or weak knowledge of God’s Word. Christianity is definitely not an easy path to tread these days, since there are so many pitfalls being laid out to capture the weary, the gullible and those who simply don’t know any better.
And with all the new technology, like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the social media platforms, falsehood and deceit are running rampant and will only get worse as our areas of expertise and knowledge widen. Thus we believers ought to exert every effort to do as John advises: ‘This then is the message which we have heard of him (Jesus), and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not (practice) the truth:
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.’ (1 John 1:5-10)
That my fellow saints is the style of life we need to adopt; walk in the light of Jesus and do our best not to be entrapped by the profusion of sin and temptation that’s currently in the world. However, if we do become ensnared by it, then we must not deceive ourselves or be ashamed, but be big enough to admit it and go to the Father in repentance for forgiveness and cleansing. Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, for help to keep walking the straight path in these very dangerous and ungodly times.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Let’s not forget the importance of turning from our evil ways, if we truly desire divine assistance. Much LOVE!
…the road may be rough and rocky…but we have all we need to make it safely home…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
07 Jul 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a little child, abides for ever, at the same time, be of good cheer, bitterness, Divided Heart, facades, filthy rich Christians, foolishly mix weeds with seeds, gain the whole world, glorious summer days, hate, he that doeth the will of God, history of 2020, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, i have overcome the world, if any man love the world, in god's eyes, in me ye might have peace, lack of direction, lose his soul, love not the world, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, maelstrom, naturally sinful nature, One Year Book of Bible promises, pandemic, personal desires, physical desires, pride of life, relying on the authority of the Scriptures, resentment, righteousness., rock her doll, Ruth Harms Calkin, seek ye first the kingdom of God, self-interests, set apart for godly purposes, share His love with the world, skip rope, stife, temptations, the love of the Father is not in him, the secret chamber, the things that are in the world, the world passeth away, there will be your heart aslo, tormented, tribulation, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, U.S. presidential election, violence, walk the straight and narrow, what is a man profited, where your treasure is, why do you
1 John 2:15. LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in Him.
And the glorious summer days of 2020 keep rolling along like the tumbling tumbleweed! We could certainly use a li’l rain though to cool the parched ground… and even more, some respite from the ever-present pandemic and the strife and protests that are stirring up our world into a maelstrom of bitterness, hate, resentment and violence. Ah Lord eh people, when the history of this summer – well not only of the summer, but the entire year of 2020 is written, it will consist of nothing but disturbing events – and we still have the important U.S. presidential election to come later this year.
Bubba! Can you imagine how that will resonate around the world, regardless of how it ends up! Ah Lord eh…! Will mankind ever learn? Or do we have to wait until Jesus comes back? It certainly seems like the last proposition is the correct one! (smile) And that brings us to this most appropriate poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s titled ‘Divided Heart.’
Please pray with me: ‘Lord I am so often tormented By my lack of direction – So often disturbed By my divided heart. I am like a little child Who wants to rock her doll And jump rope at the same time. I want to obey You in part If I can choose the area of obedience. I want to be real except at those moments When compromise is more appealing.
I want to be half-motivated And half-satisfied with things as they are. I want to walk a straight path If now and then I can enjoy A few side trips into the far country. I don’t want to be a miserable sinner But neither do I feel excited About being a stoic saint. I want to be partly Yours And partly my own. But in the secret chamber Of my divided heart I am so often disquieted By the pointed question “Why do you so foolishly Mix weeds with seed?”
And yuh know what my friends, we all do just that! We want to sit on the fence and do a li’l to please God and a li’l to please ourselves. But the problem with that situation is that God doesn’t want our leftovers, or what we so generously choose to give Him. He wants ALL of us or NOTHING at all! Remember Jesus’ words as part of our discipleship: ‘For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?’ (Matt. 16:26) Those are very good questions that we should all consider my people!
And Remember Jesus’ earlier advice: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) Yeh friends, if we seek God and His righteousness first, He will give us all the worldly things we need to make it comfortably in this world. Believe me, there are quite a lot of well off, even filthy rich Christians in this world, so it’s not like God isn’t generous when we try our best to walk the straight and narrow path and not sit churlishly on the fence.
And remember also when Jesus prayed for the disciples… ‘I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them… They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth.’ (John 17: 9-10; 16-17) Yes friends, Jesus was very plain and straightforward about it. He knew we had to live in the world to do His will, but He did not want us to be a part of it. Instead, He desired of the Father that we be set apart for godly purposes!
But because of our naturally sinful nature, we are so enamoured of the world and all its sinful things, so easily fooled by their pretty but false, empty and deceitful facades. Oh, I know it’s not easy to bypass all those outwardly beautiful things that the world favours, but as true followers of Jesus we must do our best to stay on the straight and narrow road. That’s why John in his first epistle seriously warns us.
‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in Him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2: 15-17)
Oh my people, it couldn’t be put any clearer than that nuh! The world and all its supposedly beautiful things are run by the enemy and he wants nothing better than to get us saints of Christ, so bemused and in LOVE with his stuff that we forsake the things of God and thus besmirch or tarnish our godly reputation and testimony. But my people we need to be strong and ignore all the empty and false advances of the enemy.
And to help us, hear this explanation of the scholars re Temptation. ‘2:16. Though all people are tempted differently according to their individual weaknesses, temptations follow patterns. They appeal to three fundamental areas of life: (1) the lust of the flesh (physical desires); (2) the lust of the eyes (personal desires); and (3) the pride of life (self-interests).
Illustration: when Satan caused the fall of the race, he appealed to each of these areas of weakness (Gen. 3:6). He also appealed to them when he tempted Christ (Matt. 4:1-11), who defied Satan’s temptations by relying on the authority of the Scriptures. Application: The Christian today should also depend on the Scriptures to defeat temptation. (First Ref. Gen. 3:1-6; Primary Ref. 1 John 2:15-17; cf. Rom. 5:12.)’
And we all have been thus tempted, and it’s not always easy to refute or refuse them, but let’s hear our Lord and Saviour one more time. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Wow! What assurance my brethren! That means we can go home today in such good spirits declaring (steups!) our Tuesday Mantra. In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
So what we waiting for eh? Let’s go and do just that nuh! Much LOVE!
…for where your treasure is…there will be your heart also… (Matt. 6:21)
P.S. Don’t pay attention to the lateness, just check out the great substance! (smile) Much LOVE!
09 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fall, a glorious future with Jesus, a haughty spirit, a proud look, abides forever, accede, arrogance, as the eagle, be of a humble spirit, bombastic ego, breath of life, bring me down, clefts of the rock, continue praying, deceived thee, destruction, divide the spoil, does the will of God, dream, drunkards, exalt thyself, faith, fame, glad to be alive, glory, glory hallelujah, God hates pride, gospel truth, halfway home, hate evil, haughtiness, haughty eyes, Hawaiian volcano, high habitation, hope, inner joy of dreaming, love not the world, lust, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, make the man of God, midway point, not turning back, of the world, our faith, panting, passes away, personal desires, perverse mouth, physical desires, plod on to the end, pomp, power, pride, pride goes before destruction, pride of life, pride of thine heart, riches, self-interests, serenity, spring weather, stumbling, the crown of pride, the fear of the Lord, the LOVE of God, the love of the Father, the proud, things of the flesh, trampled, Wednesday Wail, what is what, wine and roses, your amigo, your ego
Proverbs 16:18. Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (stumbling).
And then it was Wednesday; the midway point of the workweek, but yet another glorious day seems to be in the offing in my area! This spring weather is really outdoing itself yes! (smile)
But unfortunately not all around is wine and roses and glorious weather, because the Hawaiian people are still being plagued by their convulsive volcano, and those things can be so temperamental that you never know what they’ll do or when. So please, let’s continue praying for them and helping however we can.
And this morning I’m going to give us a few reminders about what is what in our faith. (smile) First off, please remember that ‘Faith gives us that inner joy of dreaming again.’ Yeh friends, it’s the presence of faith, catapulted by hope that enables us to dream. Without them dreaming wouldn’t happen.
And remember too, that there’s ‘Serenity in the LOVE of God.’ In fact that’s the dwelling place of Serenity, so if you don’t have the LOVE of God within you, then you won’t be able to achieve Serenity. And lastly, this one is ever so important, remember that ‘Your ego is not your amigo.’
Definitely not mih breddren! Our ego more often than not lines up as our enemy, because it’s pride based and has us panting for the things of the flesh and behaving in a fleshly manner. So when it begins to cozy up to you, please check it very carefully before you accede to its desires.
I guess that can only lead to a lesson on pride and egotistic stuff. (smile) Thus our Bit: ‘Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (stumbling).’ And we all know that to be gospel truth!
Unnecessary pride and haughtiness and a rather bombastic ego never last long. How could they eh, when the Lord declares amongst the seven things He thoroughly dislikes is ‘a proud look (haughty eyes).’ (Prov.6:17a)
And Cousin Sol continues later on in Proverbs: ‘The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the forward (perverse) mouth, do I hate.’ (Prov.8:13)
Meanwhile Isaiah declares in his condemnation of Ephraim: ‘Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim…The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden (trampled) under feet:’ (Is.28:1,3) Yeh friends, those that are full of pride shall eventually be brought low. That’s why Cousin Sol advises after our Bit: ‘Better it is to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil (plunder) with the proud.’ (Prov.16:19)
And the big thing nowadays is to be in the upper echelon of society, to walk with the rich and famous. We boast about whom we know and associate with in the corridors of power. But friends, that show doesn’t get us any place really, for what happens when our supposed rich and famous associates are no longer rich and famous eh?
And it something that happens everyday. Being rich and famous isn’t guaranteed for a lifetime, especially if you flaunt your worldly assets in people’s faces. You know the ones who put you up there will bring you down even faster than they put you up, and take even more joy in doing so.
Remember the scripture we recently quoted from the prophet Obadiah re the destruction of Edom. ‘The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou exalt thyself as (high as) the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.’ (Obad.3-4)
Yes my brethren, pride and power and pomp and glory and fame and riches do not make the man that God desires. I think John says it best in his first epistle. ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interests), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
That’s the word of the Lord my people. And if we believe that it’s true, then if we are wise, we will pay serious attention to it, and try to follow it as best we can. What more can I say eh? We all have to make these personal decisions for ourselves.
Now let’s go home joyfully declaring our position with and in Jesus through our Wednesday Wail. In strong and sincere voice now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And for those of us who wisely plod on to the end, will that future ever be glorious! Much LOVE!
…if the Lord hates it…then it doesn’t make sense to have it…and He surely hates pride…
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