09 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a burden to you, a Christlike countenance, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a roof over your head, a similar conversation, a true disciple of Christ, accomplished your purpose, acknowledge the misdemeanour, all these things shall be added unto you, as unto the Lord, at the thought of going to work, authority, busybodies, but wrought with labour and toil, Christian witness, clothes on your back, come around again to bother me, conforms to God's Word, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, dedicated and diligent, disciples of Christ, disturb my peace, do it heartily, eat any man's bread for nought, engaging in productive work, ensure our needs are met, even when we were with you, faith, faithfully keep your promise, faithfully promised, fall into our lap, free of charge, from the Lord, glorify your father in heaven, gossips, grumpy and dismayed, hands shamefacedly raised, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, knock knock, Let your light so shine before men, living a lifestyle, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, mercy, Monday, neither should he eat, night and day, not be chargeable, not because we have not power, not entitled to anything, our nemesis, partying all weekend, please ease the pain, put bread on your table, receive the reward of the inheritance, righteous anger, salvation, seek ye first, seriously disobeyed your word, set a Christian example, showcase ourselves, sincere repentance, sincerely seeking God, solve all our problems, strong faith in Christ, tent making trade, thank you for life, that if any would not work, that's what life is all about, the disastrous state of our world, the first day of our work week, the God who heals, the kingdom of God and his righteousness, the many suffering from negative situations, the necessities of life, the only one, the throne of grace, they may see your good works, thinking we're entitled, this we commanded you, to alleviate our problems, to be an example to you, to hear and answer our prayers, to live good, to make ourselves an ensample, to prosper us, toil and sacrifice, true believers in Christ, truth, turn from our evil ways, we behaved not ourselves disorderly, we have all sinned, whatsoever ye do, who's there, wisdom, wise guidance, without working for the rewards, working to earn a living, ye serve the Lord Christ
2 Thessalonians 3:10. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
And then there was this situation: Knock, knock! Who’s there? It’s me Monday… Oh it’s you Monday, come around again to bother me and disturb my peace by reminding me that I need to get up and go to work, although I feel so lousy after partying all weekend. And I can’t even call in sick, because I’ve used up all my sick time already…and it’s just the middle of the year. Brother, what am I going to do if I do get sick later on in the year eh?
And Monday simply replies: Crapaud smoke yuh pipe! You should not have used them all up by lying and saying you were sick, when you were just tired and hung over from your constant partying every weekend. And self replies in righteous anger: Oh go away nuh Monday and leave me alone! You’ve accomplished your purpose…I’m up and getting ready to go to the stupid ole work. Hope that makes you happy? And with a big grin on his annoying and cheeky face, Monday calmly declares: It certainly does!
Oh my people, did any of us have a similar conversation this morning, or one close to it with our nemesis Monday? Now please speak the truth. And a few hands are shamefacedly raised to shoulder level to acknowledge the misdemeanour. Yes friends, as disciples, ambassadors and agents of Christ here on planet earth, too many of us are still not ready to greet Monday, the first day of our work week with a cheery, Christlike countenance, but instead are grumpy and dismayed at the very thought of having to get up and go to work.
But that’s what life is all about; working to earn a living, so you can put bread on your table, a roof over your head, and clothes on your back. Now, if you don’t want those necessities of life, you don’t need to work. And sadly, too many of us desire to live good without working for the rewards, thinking that we’re entitled to it. In reality though, we’re not entitled to anything in this world, and we need to toil and sacrifice for most of what we want.
And I believe that some of us might be daft, or crazy enough to think that we’re entitled and don’t have to do anything because Jesus says we should not worry about clothing and food and the other necessities of life for our heavenly knows we need them. (Matt. 6:31) And rather, instructs us thus: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
Now that doesn’t mean that if we seek God and His righteousness, all those things will just fall into our laps. No, we seek God, by and while engaging in productive work, and He will then ensure that all our needs are met. Remember what Jesus said about discipleship? ‘If any man will (desires to) come after (follow) me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Now, that sure seems like it has some work in it, along with some sacrifice too.
That brings us to this interesting theory that Bruh Paul floated to the Thessalonians in his second letter. He had heard that some people there were behaving disorderly, being simply busybodies, gossips etc., basically not living a lifestyle that conforms to the Word of God. ‘For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;
Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought (free of charge); but wrought with labour (worked) and travail (toil) night and day, that we might not be chargeable (a burden) to any of you: Not because we have not power (authority), but to make ourselves and ensample (example) unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.’ (2 Thess. 3:7-10)
What a marvellous idea! If we could only put it into action! (smile) And please note, that Bruh Paul didn’t work because he had to, he could have lived off of the people. But no, he plied his tent making trade diligently and made his own money to set a Christian example for them. And setting good Christian examples to those around us is one of the best ways we can ever showcase ourselves as true believers in and followers of Christ. As Jesus so wisely says: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:16)
The long and the short of the story though, is that to be true disciples of Christ, we must work, and work diligently, efficiently and sincerely, so that others can see the true reflection of Jesus in us. In other words: ‘Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.’ (Col. 3:23-24) I could not put it any better than that my brethren. So let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, sincerely seeking God and His help, with all of our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And, as we can see from our prayer, and the disastrous state of our world, our work and Christian witness are not satisfactory, which means we need to pull up our socks and become better witnesses for Christ. And we all know what that means! Much LOVE!
…to be a true disciple of Christ…one must be dedicated and diligent…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a froward heart, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a picture of Christ, a worthwhile image of his creator, acknowledging God's sovereignty, administers social justice, baking, behave wisely, Bible, Christian faith, christianity, Christians, Christmas, Christmas parties, clean up our act, cooking, cut off all wicked doers, destroy all the wicked of the land, divine aid, faith, faithfully promised to hear our prayers, fellowship, focused on the heavenly prize ahead, forgetting those things which are behind, gratitude, holy spirit, humble servants, humility, I count not myself to have apprehended, I press toward the mark, I will sing of mercy and judgement, in a perfect way, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, joy, keep love first place in our hearts, keeps his personal life pure, kiness, laid hold of perfection, let the love of christ shine forth, LOVE, love on earth, mass confusion, mercy, need to see real love in action, no greater gift than love, perfection in Christ, praise, pray, reaching forth, salvation, secretly slanders his neighbour, seriously disobeyed your word, set no wicked thing before mine eyes, shopping, sincere repentance, sincerely seek God's face, sing praises, sings to the Lord, spiritual maturity, strong faith in Christ, the attribute of God's love, the eve of Christmas Eve, the eyes of believers, the foundation of our faith, the God who heals, the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, the moral corruption, the perfect king, the prize, this one thing I do, to hear our prayers, to those things that are ahead, transforms man, truth, turn from our evil ways, Walk with a Perfect Heart, we have all sinned, wickedness, wisdom, without love man is a wild animal, workers of iniquity
Philippians 3:14. I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.
And then it was Monday; the eve of Christmas Eve, and all the last-minute Christmas parties, shopping, cooking, baking etc. are in full swing. But in the middle of all that confusion, let’s not forget who’s responsible for all the joy, peace, kindness and LOVE on earth, Jesus Christ! Let’s also remember that there’s no greater gift than LOVE, which this Christmas season is all about. No friends, we can’t say it too often, that without LOVE, mankind is nothing but a wild animal! It’s the attribute of God’s LOVE in him that transforms him into the worthwhile image of his Creator.
So, on this Monday before Christmas, let’s keep LOVE first place in our hearts nuh. Let it be the barometer of everything we do, with everybody we come into contact with. Let’s promise to allow the LOVE of Christ to shine forth in us, as we venture forth into the world today, for our world badly needs to see real LOVE in action after all the strife and disasters, both natural and manmade, that we’ve been recently experiencing. End of sermon!
And that brought my writing to a standstill. (smile) But as they say, when in doubt, search the Psalms, and so I did, and came up with this winner that I believe many of us are not familiar with. It’s Psalm 101, the words of Bruh David titled, ‘Walk with a Perfect Heart.’ So, let’s read it together. ‘I will sing of mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS) and judgement (justice): unto thee, O Lord, will I sing (sing praises).’ (Ps. 101:1)
And like all good prayers, Bruh David begins with praise and gratitude, humbly acknowledging God’s sovereignty and majesty. Then he promises: ‘I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect (blameless) heart. I will set no wicked (worthless) thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave (cling) to me. A froward (perverse) heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person (wickedness).’ (Ps. 101: 2-4)
Now there’s nothing in those statements that ought to surprise us, for those are all promises that the believer ought to make, ought to be working towards, because they are the basis, the foundation of our faith, and moves us forward towards spiritual maturity. Yes, a believer ought to have as blameless a heart as possible, not look at things that are not worthwhile, dislike the work of those that turn aside from the faith, give up all the perverseness of heart that he had before He was saved, while not associating with those who practice wickedness.
The problem though, is how successful are we in those areas of our Christian faith? We are all at different levels, but we should all be reaching forward to the things that are ahead of us. Or as Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Philippi: ‘Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended (laid hold of it – perfection in following Christ): but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth (forward) unto those things which are before (ahead). I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:13-14)
Now that’s how all good and true believers ought to be; leaving those things that are behind, behind, and instead, pressing forward towards spiritual maturity! That brings us back to the psalm, where Bruh David continues: ‘Whoso privily (secretly) slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off (destroy): him that hath an high look and a proud heart will I not suffer (endure).
Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect (blameless) way, he shall serve me. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry (be established) in my sight. I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers (workers of iniquity) from the city of the Lord.’ (Ps. 101: 5-8)
So what is that all about eh? Besides being a very good example for us to follow, the scholars tell us that ‘Psalm 101 describes the perfect king. It expresses David’s own aims but, at the same time is a picture of Christ, his descendant, who will in fact fulfil this ideal picture. The ideal king sings to the Lord (vs. 1), keeps his personal life pure (vs. 2-4), and administers social justice (vs. 5-8).’
And sadly, only Jesus Christ in all His majesty and power can ever fulfil that ideal role, for we humans don’t have the wherewithal to do so. But that doesn’t excuse us from trying to do our best, from reaching forward to the things ahead and above and leaving the past in the past. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid in these desperate 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!’
However friends, I must remind us that however much we plead with God, we won’t receive any divine aid until we clean up our act; turn from our evil ways, repent and sincerely seek God’s face! Much LOVE!
…the eyes of believers…ought always to be focused…on the heavenly prize ahead…not the moral corruption we’ve left behind…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a corruptible crown, a crown of righteousness, an incorruptible crown, and every man that striveth for mastery, be a castaway, Bible, but one receives the prize, christianity, competes for the prize, endure afflictions, endure hardship, faith, fight the good fight of faith, fought a good fight, god, good soldiers, good soldiers are not born, grace and mercy, holy spirit, humble ourselves and pray, I discipline my body, is temperate in all things, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kept the faith, life is hard, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, one that beateth the air, pick up your cross daily, put on the armour of god, repercussions, run not as uncertainly, sacrifices, self-control, seriously disobeyed your word, sincerely seek your face, stale like day old bread, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the God who heals, the helmet of salvation, the medium of prayer, the righteous judge, the shield of faith, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the spiritual armour of God, the sword of the Spirit, the throne of grace, the time of my departure is at hand, the two edged sword, the Word ofGod, they which run in a race run all, tough times, unto all them that love his appearing, when I have preached to others, wisdom, wise guidance
1 Corinthians 9:25a. And every man that striveth for the mastery (competes for the prize) is temperate in all things (has self-control).
Awright friends, it’s Monday…and there’s no birthday celebrations today. No. This is the start of a full work week, so please, let’s be up and about Christ’s business as we ought to, as good soldiers in His powerful army. And I guess there’s’ no better day to talk about fighting the good fight than on a Monday, when we’re supposed to be at our freshest and best, but so many of us seem uninterested and stale like day-old bread.
That’s why Bruh Paul exhorted Timothy with these words of valour: ‘Fight the good fight of faith…Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship) as a good soldier of Christ… But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the works of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (1 Tim. 6:12a, 2 Tim. 2:3, 4:5-8)
Oh my people, that’s the kind of buzz we need to make in this world. A stand for Jesus so strong that few can refute it. So that we can receive that crown of righteousness from the Lord when our time on earth is up. And no it’s not an easy stand to make, but we have all the tools to do it, beginning with the powerful Holy Spirit that indwells each of us.
Then there’s the proctection of the spiritual armour of God that Bruh Paul talks of in Ephesians: The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, or the Word of God, that mighty two edged sword, all banded together with the equally powerful medium of prayer. (Eph. 6:14-18)
Yes friends, with all of that firepower available to us, we cannot be defeated if we put it to good use. But it doesn’t happen automatically, we have to first put on the armour, then go out and fight the good fight. But before we fight that good fight, like all good soldiers, we also have to train, to practice, so that we can become efficient and effective on the battlefield. And that’s why Bruh Paul sets out this tough but sensible and oh so necessary training regime in his first letter to the church at Corinth.
‘Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery (competes for the prize) is temperate in all things (has self-control). Now they do it to obtain a corruptible (perishable) crown: but we an incorruptible (imperishable). I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air (throws wild and unconnected blows): But I keep under (discipline) my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (be disqualified).’ (1 Cor. 9:24-27)
Now that, my fellow believers is how we ought to be training to be good disciples and tough soldiers of Christ! Unfortunately though, too many of us supposed believers are not interested in taking up that training regime because they claim it’s too hard. But however you live life, it’s hard, and the only way to fight life is by being tougher than it, and you can only get tougher by long hours of practice and training.
Too many of us are too enamoured with the wonderful amenities and entitlements the world has to offer and thus refuse to take up their armour, go into training and fight, but they still expect to receive an imperishable crown of righteousness come the day of judgement. Unfortunately though, I’m afraid those lackadaisical, apathetic soldiers will be sorely disappointed when those crowns of righteousness are handed out.
If you refuse to pick up your cross daily and follow Christ as a good disciple, then Christ will leave you behind when he comes into His kingdom. It’s as simple as that my fellow saints. There’s no easy or simple way to cut it. Working for Jesus implies sacrifices and tough times, which we all have the wherewithal to handle, but we’re just too bloody lazy and only desire to live the easy life.
But let’s remember that anything that’s comes too easily, will later on have serious repercussions. Life was just not meant to be easy. Whatever you want, you have to work for it. So if you truly desire that imperishable crown of righteousness, then you’d better get up off your fat, lazy fanny and work for it! Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help us with our earthly problems.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And the best way to encourage divine aid is by humbling ourselves, praying and sincerely seeking God’s face. Much LOVE!
…good soldiers are not born…but are developed…through discipline and serious training…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a atrife-filled country, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, Bible, cast over the precipice, chaos, Christ in you, christianity, deviate from God's law, divine guidance, do their own thing instead of God's, faith, forecasters of God's coming glory, god, greed, holy spirit, hunger for power, Jared C. Wilson, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, leggo-beast lifestyle, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no open vision, our Father who art in heaven, our unfortunate lot, perfect in Jesus, prophetic vision, prosper us, Revelation, run wild like savages, selfishness, serious problems, seriously disobeyed your word, sin, sincere repentance, sincerity, strife, strong faith in Christ, the God who heals, the good foundation, the mystery hid from ages, the people perish, the revelation of God, the riches of glory, the vision is Jesus, the word of the Lord was precious (rare), truth, turmoil, turn from our evil ways, ungodliness, Victoria Day, where there is no visioin, wisdom, with God all things are possible
Proverbs 29:18. Where there is no vision (prophetic vision or revelation), the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Oh friends, what a blessed country is this land of Canada! And on this Victoria Monday holiday, I hope we realize and appreciate our blessedness, especially when compared to so many other countries that are right now only filled with strife and turmoil. Unfortunately though, we are beginning to see some of that strife and turmoil entering our otherwise fairly peaceful land. And if we ignore the good foundation we have and follow the rest of the world where nothing but complaints, dissatisfaction and discontent are ever heard, we too will also end up a strife-filled country.
If we stop talking to each other in all sincerity and truth, stop trying to build on what we already have, and instead allow the world’s greed, hunger for power and selfishness to rise to the top, then our days will soon be doomed like so many other nations who have allowed that to happen to them. Let’s hope and pray that won’t become our unfortunate lot. And yes, we do have serious problems, but they can all be worked out if we would just take the time to do so.
But in this modern society everybody wants everything like yesterday, and furthermore, without doing what it takes to get everything. That however is totally impossible. And even more so if we are not a God-fearing society. For with God ALL things are possible, but without Him, we cannot do a whole lot. Remember Cousin Sol words, that ‘Where there is no vision (prophetic vision or revelation), the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov. 29:18)
And that’s not the leader’s good ideas and programs for his church but as this excerpt from the commentary by Jared C. Wilson on the subject states: ‘The vision is prophetic vision; what is in mind here is the revelation of God to his biblical spokesmen. Where there is no vision shared with us by the prophets, to whom God revealed the mysteries of the ages, we like savages run wild. In other words, we may have a vision, but if it is not the one given to the biblical representatives of God’s revelation and the forecasters of God’s coming glory, it is not to be conformed to.
“But blessed is he who keeps the law.” The latter part of the verse implies that when the vision of the prophets is held by the people, the blessing of living God’s way ensues. What is the vision of the prophets? It is “the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints” (Col. 1:26; see also Rom.16:25 and Eph. 3:9). The vision is Jesus.’
And these are the complete verses of Bruh Paul’s message to the Colossians: ‘Even the mystery (hidden truth, secret) which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest (has been revealed) to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Jesus.’ (Col. 1:26-28)
Yes, my fellow believers, if a society doesn’t know Jesus and live by His basic rules and guidelines, His standard of morality, then chaos, disaster and strife will be their eventual outcome. In simple language, when societies do not accept divine guidance, the people are unrestrained, they run wild. Or as one commentator puts it: ‘where there is no revelation from God, people do their own thing instead of what God wants them to do.’ But whoever obeys the law is joyful.
And that’s being totally proven by the rash of unrestrained and running wild societies, with the current style being for people to do their own thing instead of God’s. Consequently, there aren’t many joyful societies, if any, but the chaotic ones are indeed plentiful. And I believe this scripture from the days of Israels’ lawlessness are being replicated today. ‘And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious (rare) in those days; there was no open vision.’ (1 Sam. 3:1)
This verse from the Book of Judges also gives us an idea of what was happening with God’s people back then, and what’s also taking place with us right now. ‘In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.’ (Judg. 21:25) And unfortunately that is exactly what we are reverting to, a do as you like society. But friends we have prophetic vision; the mystery of Jesus has been revealed to us, so why are we living this chaotic, undisciplined, leggo-beast lifestyle eh?
Because with our short-sighted minds, only thinking of today’s pleasures and not tomorrow’s pain, totally influenced by Satan wiles and lies, we choose not to live for Jesus. And that is exactly why our society is going down the drain, almost ready to be cast over the precipice of sin and ungodliness. But all is not lost my people, for as we say, once there’s life, there’s always hope, and with the miracle working God that we serve, if we are willing to turn back to Him, He will surely help and retrofit us, and bring us back to His fold. So please, let’s go to Him now through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And please remember that divine aid comes only when there is sincere repentance and a turning from our evil ways. Much LOVE!
…chaos always ensues…when we deviate from God’s law…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 Nov 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, a strategy to help us cope, a strong fighting spirit, artificial intelligence, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee, blessing and cursing, cast into the lake of fire, eternally separated from God, for God so loved the world, forgive us and heal our land, free will is good if used wisely, he gave his only begotten son, hear our prayer, humble servants, I have set before you life and death, I know the thoughts that I think toward you, if you don't use it you'll lose it, Jehovah Rapha, living for Jesus, lose the use of our faculties, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no good thing will he withhold, O Lord of hosts, robots, seeking nothing but victory for christ, self-driven vehicles, seriously disobeyed your word, short attention span, show them your awesome grace and mercy, sincere repentance in our hearts, thank you for life and strong faith in Christ, that both thou and thy seed shall live, the Covid 19 pandemic, the God who heals, The Lord God is a sun and shield, the Lord will give grace and glory, them that walk uprightly, therefore choose life, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end, we have all sinned, who ever believes in Jesus will not perish
Psalm 84:12. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
Now, since each day unerringly follows the other, like the moon automatically follows the sun, today had to be Monday because yesterday was Sunday, when we gathered in worship and the Lord refreshed and strengthened us to begin the new workweek with a strong fighting spirit, seeking nothing but victory for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and His righteous kingdom!
And yes, I know that’s a long, convoluted sentence, but sometimes those sentences are good, because they get us to stop and think about what they really mean, especially in this age of the short attention span, where we don’t have to use our brains to figure out anything, since it’s laid out right on a silver platter, short and sweet for us. But please remember that old saying, ‘if you don’t use it, you will lose it.’ And that’s the gospel truth my people. If we don’t use our God-given gifts, they will atrophy and eventually become useless.
And sadly, that’s where our world is headed right now, what with things like robots, artificial intelligence and self-driven vehicles becoming more a part of our everyday life. Soon we won’t have to do anything for ourselves and consequently we’ll lose the use of most of our faculties. In fact, a lot of us have already begun losing the use of many of our faculties with the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic where we were isolated for a long period of time. That only lead to a higher than normal amount of fear, anxiety, depression, mental illness and domestic abuse.
But since the pandemic doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon, we desperately need to have a strategy in place to help us cope with all the negative stuff that’s currently circulating in our world. Now my brethren, the only avenue I see open and able to deal with our situation is living for Jesus! That’s the long and short of the story! Jesus is the ONLY One who can help us to successfully handle all the negativity that’s coming against us at this present time.
And what grounds do I have for saying so. Listen to these encouraging and uplifting words of the psalmist. He positively proclaims: ‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (Ps. 84:11-12)
Wow friends! What a marvellous declaration! That’s why we believe, or rather we know that those who worship the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will be able to withstand anything that comes against them. The Lord God Himself has promised it. As Jeremiah declared: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity) to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) And we all know that Jehovah God keeps ALL of His promises! He’s not reneged on a single one down through the ages.
However, to command His marvellous benefits, we need to walk uprightly and obediently before Him. And with the free will He’s given us, it’s our choice, our decision to make. Please note though, these most important words of Moses to the Israelites. ‘I call heaven and earth to record (witness) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut. 30:19) And that charge still stands today my people!
We still have the free will, the opportunity to choose life or death, blessing or cursing. Unfortunately though, many of us seem to be choosing death and cursing over life and blessing by refusing to follow the Lord, to walk uprightly and obediently before Him. That’s a totally unwise decision friends, one that we will pay for in the long run when we are eternally separated from God, and cast into the lake of fire with Satan, the prince of darkness and disobedience.
Remember, what Bruh Paul said about disobedience: ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is sternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom. 6:23) And just like the Lord keeps the good promises, He also keeps the tough ones. So, there will be no getting away in the end if you don’t walk uprightly and follow His Son Jesus.
And that’s the very reason He sent Jesus to die on the cross. Hear Jesus tell it nuh. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17) And that’s it in a nutshell. If you don’t believe in Christ, you will perish, as simple as that.
And friends, from personal experience, I can tell you that though living for Jesus might seem difficult in this evil and ungodly world, the reality is that He gives you the wherewithal to handle whatever comes against you. He won’t always make life easy, but He will enable you to handle life. No other supposed deity can sincerely and successfully promise that. So I plead with you, please rethink your options, and if you haven’t already chosen Jesus, please do so asap, in fact right now, because tomorrow, or even later, could be too late.
So, let’s go to the Lord in prayer, through what we call our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and sincerely open up our hearts and souls to Him, pleading for His help. Altogether now: ‘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. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that 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. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, if we want the Lord to keep His promises, it behooves us to keep ours. Much LOVE!
…free will is good…but only if used wisely…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
27 Sep 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a broken and contrite heart, a broken spirit, a figment of our imagination, a fool's wisdom, agree to disagree, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, come together, devolve into anarchy, directions for earthly living, endemic strife, every idle word that men speak, fear God and keep his commandments, fomenting disagreement, forgive us and heal our land, God shall bring every work into judgement, God's Word, guidance and direction, hear our prayer, humble servants, in the day of judgement, it's talk that won the war, Jehovah Rapha, learn to live in unity, leave all the consequences to Him, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, obey God, repentance in our hearts, right motives, seriously disobeyed your word, sincerely seek your face, submission to God and His revelation, the BIBLE, the God who heals, the killing machine, the sacrifices of God, they shall give account for, this is the whole duty of man, thou desirest not sacrifice, to do justly and to love mercy, to walk humbly with thy God, turn from our evil ways, weapons of mass destruction, what does the Lord require of thee, whether it be evil, whether it be good, with every secret thing
Ecclesiastes 12:13. Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Oh my brethren, let’s come together on this last Monday in September 2021 nuh! It’s the only hope we have of going forward in a relatively calm world. The anger scouring our world right now is tremendous and can lead to no good. There are too many divisive actions and responses to the many serious problems we face. Unless we at least agree to disagree and stop fighting each other on the important matters our world currently faces, the situation will just devolve into anarchy and full-scale violence.
The pandemic, the vaccines, climate control, worldwide poverty and endemic strife will never be settled through violence and bloodshed, which is where we are heading right now. As my Uncle Foster used to tell me: ‘It’s talk that won the war nephew.’ And he was quite right, for it’s in the peace talks after the war that everything’s really decided. So why can’t we have the peace talks before the war eh? Haven’t we been self-destructive enough over the last century, where we have killed more people than in all the wars of several centuries before?
The killing doesn’t prove anything, it just keeps the status quo going, where every few years we turn to killing each other again in a vain attempt to solve age old differences. And the next worldwide slaughter will most likely be the last one since we’ve improved our destructive methods like nothing else. The killing machine is our proudest and most significant area of expertise! Whatever’s happened to the peace and LOVE that so many of us romanticize in our societies eh? Is it really only a figment of our imagination? It certainly seems so, because right now those two attributes are totally lacking from the world scene.
We certainly have not spent half as much time on promoting peace and LOVE as we have on fomenting disagreement and building weapons of mass destruction, which has inevitably led to the vitriolic anger and hatred we’re currently spewing against our friends, families and neighbours. Whatever happened to the tenets of the Good Book eh, the Bible, God’s Word, His directions for living this earthly life? Obviously it’s no longer looked upon favourably. Instead, we are trying to remove it and God completely from our society, which is a fool’s wisdom and will never happen.
How many centuries have mankind tried to rid themselves of it eh, but it only becomes stronger and takes greater hold, especially since Jesus came to earth and showed us the true image of our heavenly Father and how much He cares for us, that He’d even allow His Son to die for us, while we were yet sinners. Yes friends, the Bible is God’s word to us, still fresh through all the ages, and if we’d but read it, we would find God’s wisdom on its pages. The amazing wisdom He desires His favourite creation to live by. Oh my people, what will it take for us to truly realize that there’s ONLY One Power and One Presence in this great universe eh: that of Almighty God, the Good Omnipotent!
And until we get it through our thick skulls that He created this universe and all therein, and will not allow it to be taken away from Him, so we had better learn to live in unity with each other and with Him, the sooner there will be some real semblance of peace and LOVE in our angry, hating, divisive world!
What then is the solution to our problems you ask? I believe the writer of Ecclesiastes tells us as simply and clearly as possible. He wisely declares: ‘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) That’s the gospel truth friends!
Now hear this explanation from the scholars: ‘12:12-14. God has not answered every problem of life, but He has commanded man to live joyfully, responsibly, and wisely. Finally, the controlling factor of all life should be the fear (reverence) of God, that is, submission to God and His revelation (cf. Prov. 1:7). The certainty of divine judgement demands it.’
And that is not new news my fellow saints, it’s old stuff. Moses told the Israelites that in (Deut. 6:2, 10:12) and the prophet Micah reiterated it to them later on: ‘He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?’ (Mic. 6:8) Meanwhile Bruh David says it thus in Psalm 51 – A prayer for cleansing. ‘For thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps. 51:16-17)
Yes, my fellow believers, that is what the Lord desires of His greatest creation; to come to Him humbly and in reverence, admitting His awesome sovereignty. And if you didn’t believe the prophets, then listen to Jesus, the Son of God. ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:36-37).
Now, if Jesus says there will be a day of judgement, then there will be one. And all our words and actions will come before Him, and we will receive our just deserts, be it rewards in heaven or eternal damnation and separation from Almighty God. Let’s understand and believe that there is a price to pay for all that we do that does not line up with God’s will.
Disunity is our biggest problem right now. Why can’t we see that eh? We desperately need to come together and get back to worshipping and reverencing Almighty God. And there’s no better time to start than right now. So let’s go to Him in prayer with our problems nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that 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. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as always, the Lord will search our hearts for the right motives and see how we keep our promises before answering our prayers. Much LOVE!
…the duty of man…to obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…. (Uncle Charles – Dr. Charles Stanley)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
13 Sep 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving gracious God, a more fruitful way to live is alongside others, a threefold cord is not quickly broken, bereave my soul of good, crosswalk.com website, divine help, faithfully promised to hear our prayers, for whom do I labour, forgive us and heal our land, good relationship with God and man, he hath not another to help him up, how can one be warm alone, humble servants, I saw vanity under the sun, if two lie together they have heat, it is a sore travail, it's all about unity, Jehovah Rapha, life's difficult pathway, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no man is an island, seriously disobeyed your word, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, strong faith in Christ, Tamara Chamberlain, the God who heals, the one will lift up his fellow, the truth is the truth, they have a good reward for their labour, turn from our evil ways, two are better than one, two heads are better than one, unity between man and man and God, walk in unity, we have all sinned, wise guidance and direction, woe to his that is alone when he falleth
Ecclesiastes 4:9. Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
Come down Monday, come on down! Let us walk in unity along life’s convoluted and ofttimes difficult pathway. For only together can we be victorious. Alone we will most surely be defeated. That’s why the wise author of Ecclesiastes, who simply refers to himself as the Preacher, but whom most scholars believe is Cousin Sol, tells us about two being better than one, and three, an even stronger cord.
Listen to these words of everlasting wisdom. ‘Then I returned, and I saw vanity (futility) under the sun. There is one alone, and there is not a second (a companion); yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he. For whom do I labour, and bereave (deprive) my soul of good? This is also vanity (futility), yea, it is a sore travail (grievous toil).’ (Eccl. 4:7-8) And is that ever the gospel truth! It is a useless, futile task when you are labouring by yourself for only yourself!
However, the Preacher wisely continues: ‘Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow (companion): but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.’ (Eccl. 4:9-10) Now that’s not rocket science friends, but mere common sense; two people working and walking in harmony and unity are always better than one, because each can help the other when they fall, either literally or figuratively.
But when you’re on your lonesome, it’s often impossible to get up if you fall. Just goes to show that we all need help to live this simple, yet complicated life. As the wisdom of the world says; no man is an island, he can’t do it all himself. But the preacher is not done yet. (smile) He maintains his claim of togetherness being oh so important: ‘Again if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?’ (Eccl. 4:11) Now that’s a very good question. And if anyone can answer it, please let me know. (smile)
Meanwhile, the Preacher is just warming up to his argument: ‘And if one prevail against him (though one may be overpowered by another), two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.’ (Eccl. 4:12). Mama Mia! What incredible words of wisdom! So life is not completely useless, futile or meaningless after all! That is, if you are in worthwhile company.
As the scholars explain: ‘4:7-12. The toil of the miser is futile, especially when he toils only for himself. On the other hand, two are better than one because they have a good return (vs. 9); they can help each other (vs. 10); they can provide mutual warmth (vs. 11); and they double their strength (or triple it, as in the case of three friends (vs. 12).’
Now, here are some interesting insights on the subject from commentator Tamara Chamberlain, found on the crosswalk.com website. She says: ‘One of the unique things about Ecclesiastes is that its wisdom is beneficial regardless of your belief in God. The wisdom shown in these four verses can be agreed with, even if you don’t consider yourself a follower of Jesus. There are many other non-Christian proverbs that support the wisdom stated in these verses. Proverbs like, “two heads are better than one” or “no man is an island.”
The writer of Ecclesiastes penned these truths thousands of years before the similar proverbs we commonly know today. It truly is amazing to see the way the truths revealed in Scripture are not only true because we find them in the Bible, but because the truth is the truth… The principle of two being better than one can be applied to any partnership or aspect of life. To be alone isn’t necessarily seen as negative, but when you add another person to your life the situation is usually better. One of the keywords in these verses is “better.” The writer is stating that a better way, a more fruitful way to live life is alongside other people…
The statement of two being better than one is true in many different life circumstances all across time… From the very beginning, God created us to be in relationship with others. Not only are we to live in relationship with other people but with God as well. The image is explained in Ecclesiastes 4:12) “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” The three-strand cord is understood to be unity between yourself, God, and another person.’
Yes friends, it’s all about unity…with God and with each other! And that’s what our world, our church and our lives are sadly lacking in these turbulent and ever so dangerous times. And the only way to fix it is by sincerely attempting to grow that unity between you, me, and God again. And we can begin to close that needless and foolish rift, right now, by coming together and raising up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to Almighty God, and acknowledging His sovereignty over the universe.
So as one sincere voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that 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. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as always, the answers to our prayers will be determined by the way we keep the promises we make to Almighty God! Much LOVE!
…it’s only in good relationship with God and man…can our earthly purpose be truly fulfilled…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
28 Jun 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: after this manner, be not proud for the Lord hath spoken, be unto me a people, caught up in the darkness of night, disobedience, God detests pride, heal our land, hear ye and give ear, humble ourselves and pray, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, make hay while the sun shines, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seriously disobeyed your word, show them your awesome grace and mercy, sincerely seek your face, strong faith in Christ, the God who heals, the great pride of Jerusalem, the shadow of death, they would not hear, this evil people who refuse to hear my words, time waits on no one, turn from our evil ways, ungodliness, walk in the imagination of their heart, we have all sinned, will I mar the pride of Judah, wise guidance and direction
Jeremiah 13:15. Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken.
So our favourite day, Monday, has rolled around once again. Some people seem to think that the days are passing very slowly, but friends, I beg to differ. In my opinion, they are passing rather quickly, and consequently I’m not doing as much as I want to – although I did improve some last week. (smile) Look, the year didn’t too long begin, and we are already at the end of June, despite the pandemic and all the other controversy that’s been recently plaguing our world. And before we even turn around, it’s going to be Christmas and New Year’s again! (smile)
But as they say, time waits on no one. So, if you don’t want to get up and do your thing, make hay while the sun shines, then too bad for you. And I think that is a message the Lord is sending to us in these last days. It is a message which He sent to the people of Judah and Jerusalem in the days of the prophet Jeremiah.
‘Thus saith the Lord, After this manner will I mar (ruin) the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem. This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination (stubbornness) of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle (sash) which is good for nothing.
For as the girdle (sash) cleaveth to loins (clings to the waist) of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto (cling to) me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the Lord; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name (renown), and for praise, and for a glory, but they would not hear.’ (Jer. 13:9-11)
Yes friends, back then, though the Lord had told Judah and Jerusalem to cling to Him, to be His people, so that He could raise them up with glory and renown, they blatantly ignored Him and did their own thing, being totally disobedient and ungodly, thus the Lord’s warning that if they didn’t humble themselves and turn back to Him, He would cut them down to size. Remember pride is one of the things that our God detests, since it means we have little or no need for Him.
As Jeremiah declares later on in the chapter: ‘Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for the light, he turn it into shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock is carried away captive.’ (Jer. 13:15-17) Now that’s a strong warning my brethren!
And the scholars explain those verses thus: ‘13:15-17. A third illustration ( the first was the marred girdle, and the second filled bottles of wine that were smashed together), concerns a weary traveller in danger of being overtaken by the falling darkness of night. Such was Judah. It must renounce all pride and give God His rightful glory before the final darkness of national catastrophe engulfs it.’ And if you remember rightly, Judah didn’t comply with the warning and were eventually transported away as captives to Babylon.
Now I beg to put forward the argument that we have also become very prideful, disobedient and ungodly during the last few generations, to the point where we have very little respect for Almighty God and are doing our best to eradicate him from our society. And what’s happened to us during the last fifteen months eh? Doesn’t it seem like what we’ve been going through during that period closely resembles that example of a weary traveller being caught up in the darkness of night? It certainly does.
Just look at all the ‘sufferation’ we’ve endured, and are still enduring. And we didn’t merely have the shadow of death, but the real thing that took away millions of lives! Then look at our lack of knowledge re the Covid -19 virus and all its variants that’s still plaguing us. Look at the controversy about the value of the vaccine and all the other disinformation that’s flourished on the subject. And fifteen months later we’re really not much further ahead, because of some people’s refusal to comply with the few variables we believe can stop the flow of the virus.
And in all of this, has our society ever turned to the Creator of the universe and tried to invoke His help? A comparative handful of believers. But the majority of the world has ignored God and continued being dependent on the efforts of mortal and frail mankind. Now, I don’t know if this is the Lord’s way of punishing us for our disgusting pride, disobedience and ungodliness, but I do know that wisdom dictates that we turn to Him in times of trouble, especially if we can’t seem to correct the situation on our own.
So please friends, let’s do that right now nuh. Let’s turn to our Creator, lift up our voices in sincere prayer, asking for His divine help in this our time of very critical need. Therefore, as one voice, let’s offer up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. ‘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. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that 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. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land 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!’
But then again friends, our prayer will only be positively answered if we keep our promise and sincerely turn from our evil ways. So it’s all in our hands now. Much LOVE!
…when is the created ever going to learn…that it cannot diminish or defeat the Creator…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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