13 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heart full of thankfulness, a modicum of circumspection, a perpetual reason for gratitude, a personal attitude, a powerful expression of faith, an act of worship that glorifies God, be careful for nothing, be ye thankful, before taking action, called in one body, cautious and prudent, celebrate God's goodness, communal worship, considering all circumstances and consequences, divine aid, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, encouraging gratitude in all circumstances, enjoy the celebrations, enjoy the festivities, excellent weather, faith, firewaorks, food, for all the wonderful things He's done for us, give thanks, give thanks to God with sincere hearts, give thanks to our heavenly Father, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him, God's enduring love and faithfulness, God's gooness is constant, God's marvellous grace and mercy, Gratitude as a way of life, Happy Thanksgiving Day, his mercy endures forever, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, in all wisdom, in every situation, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in every thing give thanks, in psalms hymns and spiritual songs, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, let the peace of God rule in your hearts, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, let your requests be made known unto God, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, mercy, music as a powerful expression of our thankful hearts, negative situations, O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good, permeate every aspect of a believer's life, pray, prayers, public gatherings, reckless escapades, regardless of our circumstances, reinforcing trust in God, salvation, see god's hand and goodness, shifts our focus from our worries to God's provision, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord, song and dance, songs, strong faith in Christ, teaching each other, testimonies of God's wonderful deeds, thanksgiving, thanksgiving as worship, thanksgiving is a crucial element of prayer, the ball is in our court, the foundation for our gratitude, the God who heals, the power to solve our many problems, the recognition of God's unchanging love, the weekend, the will of God in Christ concerning you, this blessed land of Canada, ties thankfulness to the peace of Christ, times of abundance, times of trials, tis evil world, to alleviate our problems, truth, turn from our evil ways, two warnings, whatsoever ye do in word or deed, wisdom, wise guidance
1 Thessalonians 5:18. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY CANADA!
Oh friends, it’s good to be alive on this Thanksgiving Monday and be able to give thanks to our heavenly Father for all the wonderful things He’s done for us down through the years, and for what He’s promised to do in the future! What would we do or be without His marvellous grace and mercy eh? Certainly not as much as we are today. And although today looks somewhat cloudy, we also need to give thanks for the excellent weather we’ve experienced so far this important weekend, so that families could get together without too many problems and celebrate God’s goodness to this blessed land called Canada!
I certainly saw that in my area yesterday, where the roads and driveways were lined with more parked cars than normal. Today will also be the same, as the weekend culminates in public gatherings featuring fireworks, food, song and dance and whatever other pastime we choose to occupy the rest of the day. But this thanksgiving rhetoric would not be complete without two warnings; the first is to remember to actually give thanks to God, with sincere hearts, and not only enjoy the festivities like we often do.
And secondly, let’s not overdo the partying and the reckless escapades we tend to get into on these occasions, for remember tomorrow is a workday and we cannot book of sick, or go to work all dragged out and tired. In other words, as that wise man Jeeves would say, let’s totally enjoy the celebrations, but with a modicum of circumspection, that’s being somewhat cautious and prudent, carefully considering all circumstances and potential consequences before taking action. End of the sermon! (smile)
Now, today, we’ll look at some scripture verses that speak of thanksgiving. But before we do that here is some commentary on the matter from the Christianpure website. They break it down into three specific aspects: (1) ‘Gratitude as a Way of Life: The Bible teaches that thanksgiving should permeate every aspect of a believer’s life, encouraging gratitude in all circumstances, not just in times of abundance but also in trials. This perspective transforms how we view our experiences, prompting us to see God’s hand and goodness in every situation.
(2) God’s Enduring LOVE and Faithfulness: Central to the theme of thanksgiving in the Bible is the recognition of God’s unchanging LOVE and faithfulness as the foundation for our gratitude. The verses highlight God’s goodness and mercy as constant reasons for thanksgiving, inviting believers to respond to His LOVE with a heart full of thankfulness.
(3) Thanksgiving as Worship: The act of giving thanks is depicted not only as a personal attitude but also as an act of worship that glorifies God. Through prayers, songs, and testimonies of God’s wonderful deeds, thanksgiving becomes a powerful expression of faith and adoration, drawing believers closer to God and reinforcing their trust in Him.’
And now, having a more in-depth idea of thanksgiving, let’s look at a few verses that fit the bill, beginning with this verse from Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians, which sets the stage for all the others. ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:18) Now that could not be any more specific; in everything we are to give thanks, be grateful regardless of our circumstances, because that’s what the Lord desires of us through Christ Jesus.
Then we have the opening verse of Psalm 107, which is repeated several times throughout the Bible. ‘O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good: for his mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS) endureth for ever.’ (Ps. 107:1) And as the commentary from the Christianpure website tells us: ‘This Psalm highlights God’s enduring LOVE as the foundation for thanksgiving. It reminds us that God’s goodness is constant, providing a perpetual reason for gratitude, reflecting on His unchanging nature and faithful LOVE.’
And what about these verses from Colossians? ‘And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’ (Col. 3:15-17)
And the commentary reasons that ‘This passage ties thankfulness to the peace of Christ and communal worship. It suggests that gratitude is both a personal attitude and a communal practice, enriched through sharing and teaching, with music as a powerful expression of our thankful hearts.’
Unfortunately though, we have time for just one more verse, another one we ought to know quite well. This from Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.’ (Phil. 3:6) And per the commentary: ‘This verse teaches that thanksgiving is a crucial element of prayer, transforming anxiety into peace. It implies that gratitude shifts our focus from our worries to God’s provision, encouraging a trustful surrender to His care.’
Now hopefully we have a somewhat deeper and richer understanding of thanksgiving, (smile) so let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid for our strife-filled world. 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 our prayer indicates, now that we’ve prayed, we must begin turning from our evil ways, and sincerely seek God’s face, if we desire to receive divine aid. That means the ball is now in our court. So please, let’s do something productive and worthwhile with it! Much LOVE!
…giving thanks is what God expects from us…in every circumstance…so why are we so reluctant to do it eh…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a deep longing for God, a disciplined mind, a man of God, a pilgrim feast, a shattering of my bones, a sword in my bones, an attitude change, as the hart panteth after the water brooks, but of power love and a sound mind, Christian witness, come to faith in Christ, day and night, deep calleth unto deep, despite all of our hardships, divine aid, do a good job for Jesus, doing the right things, don't know which way to turn, faith, for my name's sake, frustration is our lot, getting the wrong results, God has not given us the spirit of fear, gone with the multitude, good for a man, hated by all men, he that endureth to the end shall be saved, hell in a handbasket, his song shall be with me, holy spirit, hope and wait quietly for the Lord's salvation, hope thou in God, humble servants, I remember these things, in the night, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, kept a holyday, LOVE, mercy, my enemies reproach me all the day, my prayer, my soul is cast down within me, my tears have been my meat, never give up, not making any headway, pour out my soul, praise God for His presence, praise him for the help of his countenance, praise Your Holy Name, profess our faith, promise to prosper us, reassuring words, remember all the Lord's done for us, remember thee from the land of Jordan, salvation, say unto my rock, show this evil world, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, so panteth my soul after thee O God, standing strong and steadfast, strong faith in Christ, summer in October, the God of my life, the God who heals, the health of my countenance, the hill Mizar, the house of God, the Lamentations of Jeremiah, the Lord is good unto them that wait for him, the Lord is my portion, the Lord will command his loving-kindness in the daytime, the mass confusion in our world, the noise of thy waterspouts, the noise of waterfalls, the oppression of the enemy, the power to solve our many problems, the situation is in our hands, the sons of Korah, the voice of joy, therefore will I hope in him, thirsting for God, to the soul that seeketh him, truth, trying times, turn from our evil ways, unbelievers are laughing at us, uncertain times, waves and billows, we're lost, what are we going to do about it, When shall I come and appear before God, where is thy God, Why art thou cast down o my soul, why art thou disquieted within me, why go I mourning, why hast thou forgotten me, wisdom, work everything out for our good
Psalm 42:1. As the hart (deer) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
And even if you don’t like Mondays, you must admit that this is certainly a beautiful one; summer in October, and that alone should boost your spirits and encourage you to do a good job for Jesus today, this first day of our work week. (smile) In fact, we ought to be reminded of these marvellous words from Psalm 42, as the Sons of Korah sincerely declare: ‘As the hart (deer) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’ (Ps. 42:1-2)
Yes my faithful brethren, in these terrible and uncertain times, many of us are thirsting for God, we have a deep longing for Him, because we’re lost and don’t know which way to turn. Frustration is our lot, regardless of what we do. We confess like the psalmists: ‘My tears have been my meat (food) day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?’ (Ps. 42:3)
And sadly my people, many of us are facing such trying times as our world goes to hell in a handbasket. The unbelievers are indeed laughing at us, when we profess our faith and yet are not making any or much headway in this life. They mock us by asking where is the great God we talk about; the One who is supposed to help us make it successfully through this earthly life?
But like the Sons of Korah further declare: ‘When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them into the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday (a pilgrim feast).’ (Ps. 42:4) And it can indeed be tough when we believe we’re doing all the right things, but are getting the wrong results. Thus, we question: ‘Why art thou cast down (bowed down), O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).’ (Ps. 42:5)
Now that last half of the verse is how we should be standing strong and steadfast despite all our hardships and difficulties. Why? Because the Lord did not promise that we would not see tough times, but that in the long run He would work everything out for our good. (Rom. 8:28) Therefore, despite circumstances that cause our souls to be cast down and disquieted, we need to still praise the Lord, while remembering all that He’s done for us in the past.
And though the psalmist continues his lament, he nonetheless does just that. ‘O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites from the hill (mount) Mizar. Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts (waterfalls): all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Yet the Lord will command his LOVING-KINDNESS in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.’ (Ps. 42:6-8)
And will we ever be surprised at how our attitude changes when we remember all the things that God has done in our lives. So, though we still sadly lament: ‘I will say unto my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
As with a sword in my bones (a shattering of my bones), mine enemies’ reproach (revile) me; while they say daily (all day long) unto me, Where is thy God? Why art thou cast down (bowed down), O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance (my salvation).’ (Ps. 42:9-11)
Yes my fellow believers, once we come to faith in Christ, we will possibly find more problems simply because of that fact. For as Jesus said: ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.’ (Matt. 10:22) So the important thing is never to give up, regardless of how tough times and things might get.
Now, here are the encouraging and reassuring words of another man of God who had a hard life, lamented much, but never gave up. We’re talking about the prophet Jeremiah, who wrote in his Lamentations: ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:24-26)
And there’s no better advice that that in the Bible. But it’s also hard to take it when things are tough. So, let’s go to the throne of grace, through Our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid with our many 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 as our prayer indicates, to receive that divine aid, we need to improve our Christian witness with acts like sincere repentance, turning from our evil ways, and seeking God more than ever! That means the situation is in our hands…So what are going to do about it eh? Much LOVE!
…God has not given us the spirit of fear…but of power…and of LOVE…and of a sound (disciplined) mind… (2 Tim. 1:7)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
29 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accompanying this ignorance, all things that are reproved, arise from the dead, awake thou that sleepest, begin on a good footing, bring sins to light, but rather reprove them, Christ shall give thee light, Christian witness, constant temptations, darkness encompassed people, discerning what is acceptable to the Lord, divine aid, ease the pain, expose them, exposed sins, faith, fellowship, fooling ourselves, guilt and misery, happiness, have no fellowship, hear and answer our prayers, hideous nature, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, immorality, in all goodness righteousness and truth, indulge in the sins of the unsaved, it is a shame, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep the enemy at bay, keep your promise to prosper us, knowledge of the truth, light in the Lord, LOVE, made manifest by the light, made visible by the gospel, mass confusion, mercy, moral purity, now ye are light in the Lord, pleading for wise guidance, pray, pretend we're walking in the light, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord, religiously informed, rousing unbelievers, salt and light, salvation, show them your awesome grace and mercy, sincere repentance, sincerely seek God's face, solicitations to evil, spiritual darkness, spiritually unenlightened, stop committing those sins, strong faith in Christ, terrible consequences, the error of their ways, the everlasting light of Christ, the first day of the week, the first day of the workweek, the fruit of the spirit, the fruitful works of darkness, the God who heals, the light of Christ, the many suffering from negative situations, the power to solve our problems, the unfruitful works of darkness, to alleviate our problems, to speak of those things done in secret, truth, turn away from hideous sins, turn from our evil ways, unadvisable sleep, walk as children of light, walk in darkness, whatsoever doth make manifest is light, wisdom, ye were sometimes darkness
Ephesians 5:8. For ye were sometimes (once) darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
And after Sunday, the first day of the week, comes Monday, the first day of the work week. Now, let’s hope that we are all ready for it, because if we’re not, then things can definitely go downhill for the remainder of the week, since the strongly held belief by some that a bad beginning makes for a good ending is not always true, for sometimes a bad beginning just makes for a worse ending. So, it’s always best to try and begin on a good footing rather than a bad one. (smile)
And today, I want to continue with a passage that we did not get to put into the Bit yesterday, since it would have made it much too long and complicated. It’s about the light of Christ that Christians ought to be avidly and vividly proclaiming, walking as children of light, as written by Bruh Paul to the Ephesians.
He compassionately informs them: ‘For ye were sometimes (once) darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the fruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove (expose) them.
For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved (exposed) are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.’ (Eph. 5:8-14)
Yes friends, once upon a time we lived in spiritual darkness, or as the scholars’ state, ‘spiritually unenlightened, and accompanying this ignorance was immorality with its resultant guilt and misery.’ However, since we’ve received Jesus, who is the Light, the scholars say ‘that denotes that the recipients are now to be religiously informed. Their knowledge of the truth is attended by moral purity and happiness. And because of constant temptations and solicitations to evil, believers must always be proving or discerning what is and what is not acceptable unto the Lord.’
Furthermore, ‘the believer’s duty is expressed here in two ways. Negatively, he is not to have any fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, that is not to indulge in the sins of the unsaved. Positively, he is to “expose” (reprove) these sins, that is, bring them to light and show them for what they really are, so that the unbeliever may see their hideous nature and their terrible consequences.’
Yes my brethren, it’s always best to uncover and expose those terrible sins of darkness that are constantly taking place in our rather evil world, so that those who are lost can see and understand the error of their ways and the terrible consequences that they will incur if they stay in that state of sinful darkness. And as the scholars point out, if it’s indecent or ‘shameful to even speak of those iniquities in decent company (vs. 3), then how much worse is the committing of these sins. Hence the need to bring them to the light.’
Now that’s what we’re here for, to stop committing those sins, and instead expose them to the light. And per vs. 13, the scholars have an interesting explanation of it. They say: ‘This verse may be paraphrased: All sins that are exposed are made visible by the gospel, for whatever sin is made visible becomes light.’ And that’s understandable, because the gospel allows us to expose those sins, not only by bringing them to light, but also making them light so that they can inform others.
Then re vs.14, they tell us: ‘Since exposing sin is beneficial, God invites the unbeliever (thou that sleepest) to turn from his sin (arise from the dead), with the promise that he will be granted the spiritual enlightenment and help needed (Christ shall give thee light).’ Ah my people, I do hope that we see how important it is for us to both live in the light and help others to do the same, because that’s the only way we will first, keep the enemy at bay, and then eventually win his darkness encompassed people to the bright, enlightening and everlasting light of Christ.
That means it’s imperative we get out into the world this Monday, the second to last day of September and begin rousing the unbelievers from their inadvisable sleep, so that they can start turning away from their hideous sins. Oh, by the way, many of us supposed believers also have secretly hidden hideous sins, which we are also expected to give up. (smile) Now, for help in all that we are meant to do, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking powerful divine aid.
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 my fellow believers, let’s not kid ourselves, for we know that we’re not as salt and light as we ought to be, that’s why our Christian witness is sadly lacking, so if we truly want to fulfill our mandate as disciples of Christ, let’s sincerely begin humbling ourselves, praying, seeking His face, and turning from our evil ways. That’s the only way we will ever get true divine aid! Much LOVE!
…how can so many of us believers…walk in darkness…and yet pretend we’re walking in the light…we’re only fooling ourselves…not God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, acts as a preservative, by what shall it be salted, Christians have lost our salty flavour, clean our lampshades, constantly sprinkling our salty flavour, darkness is the absence of light, divine aid, faith, faith is being besieged by evil, faithfully promised to hear our prayers, find life and light in Christ, good for nothing, grow in spiritual maturity, helping the lost and blind, holy spirit, humble ourselves and pray, humble servants, if the salt has lost it s flavour, in our dysfunctional world, it cannot happen overnight, it gives light to all in the house, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep the fires of Christ burning, keep your promise to prosper us, lackadaisical discipleship, light up the world's darkness, LOVE, make a positive difference, making a difference, mass confusion in our world, meet the needs of the world, melts coldness, men light a candle, mercy, not doing a commendable job for Jesus, our great God Jehovah, our lights constantly shining, our saltshakers, persistence and perseverance, put it under a bushel, room for improvement, salt adds flavouring, salt heals wounds, salvation, shining lights of Christianity, showers of heavenly blessings, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, sinned and seriously disobeyed your word, strife-filled times, the God who heals, the keys to unlocking the closed doors, the responsibilities of Christians, the smallest light can dispel the greatest darkness, the throne of grace, to be cast out, to hear and answer our prayers, trodden under foot of men, truth, turn from our evil ways, uncertain and ungodly times, where evil and darkness lurk, wisdom, Ye are the light of the world, ye are the salt of the earth
Matthew 5:13a, 14a. Ye are the salt of the earth: Ye are the light of the world.
Another Monday…another new work week friends, and everything should be nice and clean after the thunder, lightning, and showers of heavenly blessings we received during the night. And did we ever need the rain, for it’s something we haven’t seen for almost a couple of weeks, what with all the unaccustomed warm, sunshiny weather we’ve been having in this month of September 2025. But I do have the feeling that things will soon return to normal, and the customary cooler and wetter weather at this time of year, will shortly assert itself.
However, be that as it may, even in the cold, wet, cloudy weather, we are still required to keep the fires of Christ burning hot and bright, and make a proactive, positive and productive difference in these uncertain and ungodly times. And right now, when faith is being besieged by evil, and many of us are having a hard time to simply hold on, much less to grow in spiritual maturity, we do need a reminder of that most salient fact.
It’s like Christ said in the Sermon on the Mount. ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has lost its savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.’ (Matt. 5:13) And sadly friends, in these disastrous and strife-filled times, it would certainly seem that Christ’s people have lost their salt, their salty flavour, since we’re not making much of a positive difference in the world today.
And I like how the scholars explain that verse. They say: ‘Again the phrase “ye are” indicates that only the genuinely born-again person is salt and can help meet the needs of the world. Salt adds flavouring, acts as a preservative, melts coldness, and heals wounds. Thus, it is a very appropriate description of the believer in his relationship to the world in which he lives.’
The question now is whether we can genuinely say that we are living up to those important responsibilities of helping our world, of helping the lost and blind find life and light in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? And if we are truthful, we would have to say that we are indeed NOT living up to our responsibilities, that’s why so many still don’t know about Christ, and many who do know about Him, refuse to accept Him.
And if being the salty, mouthwatering, wanting more flavour of the world wasn’t enough, then listen to what Jesus also says of His loyal followers. ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (a lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:14-16)
Now that’s another aspect of our discipleship of Christ; letting our lights shine brightly so that others can see it and come to know, understand and worship our great God Jehovah! That makes it necessary for us to again ask the question, are we shining our lights sufficiently to make, not even a big difference, but simply a recognizable one, in our needy and dysfunctional world? And sadly, again, if we are truthful, we would have to say NO, we are not making a worthwhile difference in the world, otherwise it would not be currently overrun with evil and evildoers!
And what do the scholars say about those verses? ‘Ye are the light of the world describes the essential mission of the Christian to the world. He is the condition (salt) to meet the world’s needs, and he has a mission (light) to the world. His light is to clearly shine forth into the darkness of human depravity. He is to set his light upon a candlestick, not hide it under a bushel, that is, a basket. Darkness is the absence of light; and darkness alone cannot dispel the light, but the smallest light can dispel the greatest darkness.’
That means we don’t have to go overboard with either our salt or light, but simply have our saltshakers constantly sprinkling our salty flavour, and our lights also constantly shining to light up the world’s darkness. It cannot happen overnight, but persistence and perseverance are the keys to unlocking those closed doors behind which all kinds of evil and darkness lurk. So please, let’s try and do better nuh. We all know that we have much room for improvement, and right now we are not doing a commendable job as followers of Jesus.
And to help us get things turned around, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid for our lackadaisical discipleship! 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 our prayer shows us some important aspects that need improving before we can receive divine aid; like praying, humbling ourselves, sincerely seeking God’s face and turning from our evil ways. Those are only some of the things we need to do friends to recover our salty flavour, and clean our lampshades, so that bright light can emanate from them again! Much LOVE!
…Jesus’ followers…must take discipleship much more seriously…than they are currently doing…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
25 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a refresher course, a sense of urgency, able to withstand, against principalities, avail ourselves of God's provision, be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, be strong in the Lord, common sense, conquer Monday, demonic onslaughts, demons, departed from him for a season, destroy our Christian witness, divine aid, efficient weapons, evil schemes of Satan, face a formidable foe, faith, faithfully promised, fallen angels, flesh and blood, flex our muscles, hand to hand combat, have the victory through Christ, having done all to stand, holy spirit, humble servants, immediate action, in the evil day, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep the ball rolling, life-saving obligation, logic, LOVE, meat and potatoes, mercy, never give up, never say die, powers, pray, proper protection, put on the whole armour of God, resist the enemy, salvation, Satan himself, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, sinned and disobeyed your Word, spiritual warfare, spiritual wickedness in high places, strong faith in Christ, the church's adversary, the devil had ended all the temptation, the devil's strategy, the God who heals, the individual nature of spiritual warfare, the lion of the work week, the Lord's armour, the mass confusion in our world, the milk of the word, the power of his might, the power to solve our problems, the power to tame lions, the rulers of darkness, the throne of grace, the wiles of the devil, to alleviate our problems, to hear and answer our prayers, tools to fight, truth, turn from our evil ways, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, wisdom, wisdom for the ages, wise guidance
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.
Welcome to Monday friends; the lion of the work week! But please remember that through Jesus Christ, we have the power to tame even the most ferocious lion, which means we can conquer Monday, without any trouble, if we put our minds to it. So, let’s do just that nuh; by getting out there and showing Monday that we have it all together, and there’s nothing it can throw at us that we cannot handle.
However, before we can flex our muscles on Monday, we need to fulfill one important, life-saving obligation; that’s putting on the Lord’s armour before we go out to battle with Monday, for if we don’t, he will certainly come out victorious, since it’s the Lord’s armour that keeps us protected and gives us the tools to fight. Consequently, it will do us a lot of good to have a brief refresher course on the armour of God. (smile) And we find that master fighter, Bruh Paul, talking about it in his letter to the church at Ephesus.
This is what He says to them: ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph. 6:10-13)
That my people is the general why of the situation. The fight is not against human flesh but against spiritual wickedness, especially those in high places, that are controlling our world. And the scholars give us some interesting and important explanations, like ‘Put on, denotes a sense of urgency, demanding immediate action.’ And we do need to get the ball rolling with no hesitation whatsoever.
Then, ‘to stand, means to resist the enemy and hold a critical position in the battle. While the wiles of the devil (the Devil’s strategy): means that Satan carefully devises schemes and tactics against believers. And as per ‘wrestle, used of hand-to-hand combat, emphasizes the personal and individual nature of spiritual warfare waged against each local church and Christian. Flesh and blood refers to humanity.
Such is not the church’s adversary. Instead, she opposes principalities (rulers), powers (authorities), rulers (world rulers), spiritual wickedness (wicked spiritual beings), that is fallen angels, demons, and Lucifer himself.’ So friends, you see the powerful consortium of evil and wickedness that we are up against.
That’s why Bruh Paul wrote ‘Wherefore, meaning because we face such a formidable foe, we must avail ourselves of God’s provision lest the enemy destroy our Christian witness and ministry. The evil day refers to the periodic demonic onslaughts and Satanic attacks. Having done all includes both dressing oneself in God ‘s armour and resisting Satan. Having done all these, be ready, for the Devil will attack again and again.’
Yes mih bredrin, that’s one thing about Satan and his evil cronies, they don’t ever give up, they keep coming back again and again. It’s like when the Devil tempted Jesus unsuccessfully, the Bible says: ‘And when the devil had ended all the temptation (testing), he departed from him for a season.’ (Luke 4:13) That means he did not go away forever, but just to recover himself and come up with some more evil schemes.
And that’s the way we Christians ought also to be, never give up, never say die, especially when we know that we already have the victory though Jesus Christ, but we do need to protect it. And please note that Bruh Paul keeps talking about putting on ‘the whole armour of God.’ Yes, that’s all of it, not bits and pieces, because it’s only with the complete armour that we can ever fight any battle victoriously.
Now that was the milk of the armour of God, (smile) understanding why it’s necessary to be protected, and from what. And I believe that we will leave the meat and potatoes of the situation for tomorrow, if God spares life, because we have enough heavy stuff to understand today, and the rest of it is also difficult to understand and will only make the Bit long and unwieldy. So, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help in these evil 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!’
And as we can see from our prayer, there are things we first need to do before divine aid is forthcoming; like turn from our evil ways, pray, humble ourselves, and sincerely seek the Lord’s face. So why don’t we concentrate on doing those things eh my people, beginning right now, so that heaven will shower down blessings on us. It’s wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…it’s simple logic and common sense…one cannot go into battle without proper protection and efficient weapons…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
11 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a life that aligns with God's will, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, accept our shortcomings, being confident of this very thing, children of God, clay in the potter's hands, continue in sin that grace may abound, dead to sin, death, defense attorney, divine aid, ease the pain, ensures our relationship with God continues, faith, faithfully promised, freed from the eternal consequences of sin, God forbid, hazy, he which hath begun a good work in you, heavenly perch, holy spirit, hot, humble ourselves, humble servants, humid, if any man sin, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ the righteous, Jesus is our heavenly advocate, led astray by the enemy, lies, living for Christ is the only way to go, LOVE, loving the Lord with all of our hearts, mass confusion, mercy, not an an excuse to indulge in sinful desires, of the many suffering from negative situations, only Christ is perfect, open our eyes to a new day, perform it until the day of jesus, pray, put on the new man, salvation, secures our salvation, separation from God, show them your awesome grace and mercy, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, sinned and disobeyed your Word, strong faith in Christ, summertime Monday, thank you for life, the BIBLE, the deadly arrows of the enemy, the God who heals, the only way to go, the propitiation for our sins, the reject the sinful nature of the flesh, the sufficency of Jesus' blood to cleanse all sin, the truth of the matter, this evil world, this is the day the Lord has made, to hear and answer our prayers, to live a life that reflects God's character, truth, walk as new persons in Christ, we can do all things though Christ who strengthens us, we have an advocate with the Father, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wiles, wisdom, wise guidance, ye sin not
1 John 2:1b. And if any man sin, we have an advocate (intercessor) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Well, it’s a new work week, another hot, hazy, humid summertime Monday! And though these summer days can be rather hot, irritating and uninviting, we’ll take them anytime over the cold, frosty winter days that are not too far in the offing. However, for all the irritation, frustration and uncertainty the weather brings, we know that we can handle it all through the amazing strength and grace of Jesus, through whom we can do anything that’s necessary. (Phil. 4:13)
That’s why every time we open our eyes to a new day, we can also say: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps. 118:24) Yes friends, every new day we see is a cause for rejoicing, despite the many problems we might end up facing, for we know that Jesus is there with us in each step we take, He is looking after us from His heavenly perch, making sure that we don’t go astray, or get led astray by the enemy, who has many goodlooking wiles and believable lies in his arsenal.
It certainly ought to reminds us that Jesus is also seated at the Father’s right hand in heaven being our advocate and intercessor. And what does that mean? This commentary explains it thus: ‘This means that Jesus pleads our case before God, acting as our intercessor and defense attorney. He secures our salvation and ensures our relationship with God continues.’ So although Jesus’ work on earth is completed, not so in heaven, because He still has to plead our cases before the Father up there.
John tells it this is way in his first epistle. ‘My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not (may not sin). And if any man sin, we have an advocate (intercessor) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.’ (1 John 2:1-2) And although we have Jesus, whose advocacy is powerful, based on the sufficiency of His blood to cleanse all sin, both past and present, the imperative of the situation is that we ought not to sin.
No! For although, through faith in Jesus, believers are freed from the eternal consequences of sin (death and separation from God), that freedom is not an excuse to indulge in sinful desires. But it’s a call to live a life that reflects God’s character and aligns with His will. It’s like Bruh Paul says in Romans 6, where he anticipates the objection that that the amazing and free grace of God encourages sin. He writes: ‘What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. (Certainly not!) How shall we that are dead to sin (who died to sin), live any longer therein?’ (Rom. 6:1-2)
No friends, once we’ve put on the new man in Christ, we cannot go back to our old sinful way of life. And yes, we will still be tempted, possibly more because we’ve become children of God. Oh, it’s a lifelong aspect of our Christian walk, but thankfully we have the power and authority of the Holy Spirit to help us refute the deadly arrows of the enemy. To help us live in the Spirit and to reject the sinful nature of the flesh.
And though it’s not easy to resist the mind boggling and captivating things of the flesh, if we put our hearts, souls, minds and bodies to it, we will get better with each passing day. It’s also true that we will never achieve perfection, because only Christ is perfect, but if we keep striving towards that goal, we will have much success. For remember what Bruh Paul wrote the Philippians? ‘Being confident of this very thing that he which hath begin a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6)
In other words, the Father is continually working on us, like clay in the potter’s hands to bring us into the full image of Christ, and once He’s begun the work, He will not stop until it’s complete. And all of that is such a great package my brethren! Jesus atones for our sins by His death on the cross of Calvary, and is now in heaven advocating for us, meanwhile the Holy Spirit dwells within us to lead, guide and comfort us, and the Father is quietly moulding and shaping us into the amazing image of His Son!
Wow! What more can we ask for eh my people? Nothing whatsoever! And because of all those wonderful things happening in our lives as Christians, we therefore should do our best to forsake the sinful nature of our flesh and walk as new persons in Christ, LOVING the Lord with all of our hearts, bodies, souls and minds, and our neighbours as ourselves, for those are the two great commandments. (Matt. 22:37-39)
Now, it’s time to put our heads and hearts together and through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, go to the throne of grace seeking divine aid for our numerous earthly problems, as we have been so wisely advised to do. (Heb. 4:16) 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!’
But the truth of the matter friends, is that unless we do what the Lord advises, that’s humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek His face, we won’t be receiving any divine aid. So let’s wake up and accept our shortcomings and improve on them nuh! It’s all for our benefit! Much LOVE!
…sincerely living for Christ is…the ONLY WAY TO GO…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
21 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a more authentic and fulfilling existence, a more profound understanding of oneself, all for our benefit, are ye my disciples indeed, as Christ desires of us, as you sent me into the world, be sanctified through the truth, blunt our witness for Christ, bondage, boring, confidence, corrupted by the evil one, deception, disobedient beings, do our divine duty, doing their evil bidding, encouraging fellowship, exasperating, faith, followers of the crowd, for their sakes, freedom from fear, given them thy word, guilt, have my joy fulfilled in themselves, hear and answer our prayers, holy spirit, humble ourselves, I have also sent them into the world, I sanctify myself, if ye continue in my word, ignorance, improved relationships, instead of leaders, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, lead to personal growth, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, mercy, mix and mingle with the world, of the many suffering from negative situations, our divine calling, perseverance, please ease the pain, positive preparation, pray, prevailing weather conditions, salvation, sanctify them, set them apart, sin, sincere repentance, sincerely seek God's face, sinful by nature, sinned and seriously disobeyed your word, strong faith in Christ, sufficient rest, the advice of wisdom and common sense, the devil and his evil cohorts, the God who heals, the new work week, the opening day, the throne of grace, the truth can liberate one from bondage, the truth shall make you free, the way God planned it, the world hated them, these things I speak in the world, they are not of the world, through thy truth, thy word is truth, to alleviate our problems, traffic jams, truth, truth is not an abstract concept, turn from our evil ways, use our free will indiscriminately, weekly work merry-go-round, wisdom, wise guidance, worry, ye shall know the truth
John 8:32. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
And the weekly work merry-go-round continues; Monday to Friday, and then back to Monday again! It does get kind of boring and exasperating at times, but that’s the way God planned it, and if we’re wise, we’ll also learn the method He devised for us to handle it with confidence and perseverance. That’s getting sufficient rest and encouraging fellowship over the weekend, then early, positive preparation for the opening day of the new work week.
And if we’ll obediently follow that pattern, then we’ll have no serious problems or concerns, except for the prevailing weather conditions and usual traffic jams come Monday mornings. But the problem is that we’re by nature a bunch of disobedient beings, who like to use the free will God gave us to do whatever we like, when we like. That means doing the exact opposite of what wisdom and common sense advise; like partying all weekend, thus, not getting sufficient rest, neither going to church and refreshing one’s spirit, nor making early preparations for Monday.
But although that unwise attitude usually leads us to terrible Mondays, we persist in doing it. Why eh? Is it because so many others, especially unbelievers, are doing the foolishness that we feel we need to do it too? Are we simply being followers of the crowd instead of leaders, as Christ desires us to be? Remember, if we desire to be true believers in, and worthwhile disciples of Christ, we cannot be mere followers of the crowd, like sheep being led sheepishly to the slaughter.
No! We need to be leading the way which leads to Christ and eternal life. That’s our divine calling! Jesus stated it when He prayed to the Father for the early disciples and all others who came after them. He said: ‘And now I come to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hated them, because they are not of this world, even as I am not of the world.
I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil (one). 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. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.’ (John 17:13-19)
Oh my fellow believers, you see how Jesus desperately prayed for us to be in the world so that we could do His work, but sanctified, or set apart from it so that we wouldn’t be corrupted by the evil one. Yes, we do need to be in the world, how else would we ever do our divine duty. But being in the world, does not necessarily mean being a part of the world, or doing the things that the world does. Unfortunately though, too many of us forget our sanctified, sat apart roles and thus mix and mingle with the world as though we were a part of it.
And that’s exactly what the evil one desires, so he can blunt our witness for Christ. So, when we act like the world, we’re playing straight into his hand, and he goes to his evil lair with a big smile on his evil face. That brings us to these words of Jesus, to those Jews who believed in Him. ‘If ye continue (abide) in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’
Now what does that mean? This commentary explains it thus: ‘It suggests that truth is not just an abstract concept but something that exists, and that can be known and applied to one’s life, leading to a more authentic and fulfilling existence. It also signifies that knowing the truth can liberate one from various forms of bondage, including ignorance, deception, sin, freedom from fear, worry and guilt. Knowing the truth can lead to personal growth, improved relationships, and a more profound understanding of oneself and the world.’
And that’s exactly what the Word of God is designed to do in our lives. But sadly, though Jesus teaches us the truth of God’s Word, we’re not being truly set free by it, and are still allowing the devil and his evil cohorts to ‘confuffle’ and confuse us into doing their evil bidding. Now that does not speak well of us my fellow believers, so it’s time we do something serious and concrete about our shortcomings. And there’s no better time to begin than right now! So let’s start by going to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid for all that ails us.
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 now, knowing what it takes for God to answer our prayers, let’s do those things nuh; that’s humble ourselves, pray, and with true repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek God’s face. Remember, they are all for our benefit, not God’s! Much LOVE!
…if we know God’s truth…which can set us free…why do we allow ourselves to stay in bondage…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a negative situation, a prudent man forseeth the evil, a prudent man sees danger, a word to the wise is sufficient, alleviate our problems, and are punished, as a snare shall it come, avarice, be ye also ready, cares of is life, carousing, crapaud smoke we pipe, divine aid, done like dinner, drunkenness, embrace it like a stalworth friend, entitlement, faith, fellowship, for in such an hour as ye think not, for ye know neither the day nor the hour, grab the baton and run, grab the bull by the horns, heaven and earth shall pass away, holy spirit, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, laze away the weekend, lest at any time, LOVE, mercy, my words shall not pass away, of fame, of ory, our Father who art in heaven, our pants down around our ankles, party away the weekend, physical rest, practical foresight, pray always, prepare for Monday, preparedness, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, spiritual preparedness, spiritual readiness, spiritual renewal, stand before the Son of man, strong faith in Christ, take heed to yourselves, takes refuge, the ball is now in our court, the day come upon you unawares, the God who heals, the imple keep going and suffer for it, the Lord's house must be magnificent, the merry-go-round, the power to solve our many problems, the simple pass on, the Son of man cometh, the throne of grace, them that dwell on the whole face of the earth, throughout all countries, traffic jams, truth, turn from our evil ways, vim and vitality, watch therefore, wherein the Son of man cometh, wisdom, wise guidance, without complaining, words of warning, work ethic, ye know not what hour your Lord doth come, ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things, your awesome grace and mercy, your hearts be weighed down with surfeiting
Matthew 25:13. ‘Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.’
One more time on the merry-go round called our work week my beauties! We cannot get away from Monday, no matter how hard we try, so it’s best we stop trying and rather embrace it like a good and stalworth friend. (smile) Otherwise it will just frustrate us for all of our working lives. And what a waste of a good life that would be! So all God’s people said a loud and frustrated ‘Amen!’ Yes, it’s best we just grab the bull by the horns and get on with it, or the bull will action us with his horns instead. And we all know that’s a very negative situation, which we want to avoid at all costs.
But all of what we just said there doesn’t come easily, no, it requires a few things of us. The first is a good work ethic, simply knowing that we must work to earn a living, so we just make up our minds to do it without complaining, because complaining will make no real difference, except to make us miserable. But then that calls for self-discipline and self-control, two things that are very difficult to come by in this age of avarice and entitlement.
We must learn to prepare for Monday, just like we do for the other days of the week, not just party or laze the weekend away. And in all of that there’s a call for some decent physical rest, as well as spiritual renewal, meaning church and fellowship time with other believers, for we cannot handle Monday properly unless we’re filled with new vim and vitality.
And right now, let’s be thankful that it’s summer time and many people are on vacation, so the traffic jams are not as deadly, neither do we have to be wading through the snow and sludge to get to work. That is also something we cannot avoid if we live in the northern climes, but we have a few months of reprieve still to go. But let’s also note that this is the 30th day of June, meaning that it’s now done like dinner, (smile) and the summer months will pass quicker than we realize, so please, let’s grab the baton and run with it like crazy! End of sermon!
And I guess all of that leads us to the topic of preparedness. And what do the scriptures have to say about that? They offer various teachings in both spiritual readiness and practical foresight. Let’s check out a few nuh. And this first one deals with practical foresight. It tells of when Bruh David wanted to build a temple for God, but God nixed the idea because of the great amount of blood he’d shed and said that his son Cousin Sol would build the temple.
However the Bible tells us that Bruh David began collecting supplies for the building of the temple. ‘And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnifical, of fame, and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.’ (1 Chr. 22:5) Yes friends, that’s how we ought to prepare for Mondays! (smile)
And here’s another interesting scripture highlighting practical foresight; this from Cousin Sol in Proverbs. He writes: ‘A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.’ (Prov. 22:3) In other words: ‘A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.’
Then there are scriptures on spiritual preparedness, like this poignant warning from Christ where He’s talking about no one knowing the day nor the hour when He returns, except the Father. ‘Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord will come. But know this, that if the goodman (master) of the house had known in what watch (hour) the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered (allowed) his house to be broken up (into). Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 24:42-44)
Yes my brethren, we need to always be prepared and watching for whenever Jesus returns, for if He catches us with our pants down around our knees, then crapaud smoke we pipe! And He considered our readiness so important that He repeated it later on in the parable of the Ten Virgins: ‘Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 25:13)Oh friends, there’s no more important preparedness for us believers than that!
And I like how Luke writes it. ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged (be weighed down) with surfeiting (carousing), and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.’ (Luke 21:33-36)
Now those are powerful words of warning my people, so please let’s pay close heed to them. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid for all that ails us. 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!’
Now, please note what our prayer says we need to do to receive divine aid; turn from our evil ways, humble ourselves, pray and sincerely seek God face. The ball is now in our court! Much LOVE!
…a word to the wise is sufficient…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a simple formula for achieving peace of mind, almighty god, an undying affirmation of faith and trust, because they trust him, behold the upright, bring forth thy righteousness as the light., brings evil schemes to pass, cease from anger, commit thy way unto the Lord, communing with God, delight thyself also in the Lord, deliver them from the wicked, divine aid, dwell in the land, ease the pain, envious of the wicked, faith, feed on God's faithfulness, fellowshipping with other believers, forsake wrath, fret not thyself because of him who prospers, fret not thyself in any wise to do evil, getting sufficient rest, give thee the desires of thine heart, God is their strength in the time of trouble, going to the Lord's sanctuary, grace, hate to pitch to him, he shall bring it to pass, hits us out of the park, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, in the face of the wicked's propserity, it only causes harm, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, lead off hitter, listen to the wisdom of God's Word, LOVE, mark the perfect man, mercy, not rocket science, of the many suffering from negative situations, our guidebook for earthly living, our troubled and ungodly world, praise and give thanks to God, pray, renewal of spirit, Rest in the Lord, salvation, save them, scripture must be put into action, self-control, self-discipline, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, strong faith in Christ, thank you for life, the BIBLE, the end of that man is peace, the God who heals, the Lord shall help them and deliver them, the only true source of help for man, the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord, the transgressors shall be destroyed together, the unchanging character of God, these exhortations, thy judgement as the noonday, to alleviate our problems, to confidently trust the Lord, trials and tribulations, trust in the Lord and do good, truth, turn from our evil ways, urge the believer, use the confidence, wait patiently for him, wisdom, wise guidance, with all of life's problems
Psalm 37:40. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
And another work week has begun, with Monday as our usual lead-off hitter! And we all hate to pitch to him, because he so often hits us out of the park. (smile) But let’s not allow him to agitate us today and make us fearful of his big swing, by pitching him balls that he cannot hit. Yes friends, let’s use the confidence, the grace, and the renewal of spirit that we got from going to the Lord’s sanctuary yesterday and, with the Lord’s help, understand how to handle Monday on the mound for the opening week’s pitch.
Remember how the psalmist Asaph says in Psalm 73, that he was envious of the wicked for their earthly prosperity, but it was not until he went into the Lord’s house and communed with Him that he learned the answer to his problem. We can also learn to handle Mondays by communing with God. And learning to handle Monday is not always easy, because it takes a lot of self -control and self-discipline.
Meaning not wanting to party the whole weekend away, but getting sufficient rest that you will be fresh to begin anew on Monday. And most importantly, fellowshipping with other believers so that the Holy Spirit can work on you while you praise and give thanks to Almighty God, and listen to His wise and Holy Word. Amen! End of sermon! (smile)Yes friends, that’s the basic way to properly handle Mondays.
And now that we know how to handle Monday’s, what about the rest of the week, you ask? Well that’s easy. (smile) Here’s some practical advice from Bruh David from Psalm 37. He says: ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on God’s faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.’ (Ps. 37:3-6)
So my brethren, we’ve got to begin with trusting God, doing good, delighting ourselves in Him, and committing our way to Him, before any serious and productive improvements come our way. But that’s not all, for it’s a big job, that we can only do with God’s help! The next step, as Bruh David lays it out, is to ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of a man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm).’ (Ps. 37:7-8)
That’s basically how to handle the rest of the week friends. (smile) Remember, knowing scripture is of no use unless we put it into action, unless we live it in our everyday lives. That’s why the Lord gave us the Bible; to be our Guidebook for earthly living. And if we don’t use it as such, we’ll be sadly wasting all the heartaches, trials and tribulations that the godly men, the prophets and Jesus went through to live it, and then go through more hardship to get it written, so that we can have a good example of how to live this earthly life.
And the scholars offer this interesting explanation on a portion of the psalm. ‘The psalm also contains a simple formula for achieving peace of mind in the face of the wicked’s prosperity: fret not … neither be thou envious (vs.1), trust …do good (vs.3), delight thyself also in the Lord (vs. 4), commit thy way … trust (vs.5), rest … wait patiently … fret not (vs.7), cease from anger …forsake wrath … fret not (vs.8). All of these exhortations urge the believer to confidently trust the Lord with all of life’s problems. The psalm concludes appropriately with an undying affirmation of faith and trust in the unchanging character of God.’
And these are the last words of the psalm: ‘Mark the perfect (blameless) man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.’ (Ps. 37:37-40)
Yes my fellow believers, the Lord does all He does for the righteous because they trust sincerely and fully in Him. Let’s remember that most important aspect of our faith, so that we can live it out successfully. Now, it’s time to go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help with our many serious 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 friends, we know exactly what we need to do to receive divine aid, for it’s not rocket science; our prayer clearly states it. God has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we turn from our evil ways, humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek His face. So please, let’s get to doing that right now nuh, because we desperately need divine help in our troubled and ungodly world! Much LOVE!
…the only true source of help for man…is that which comes from Almighty God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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
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