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
09 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a positive scenario, a son is given, a spiritual dynamic, a virgin shall be with child, activates the transformative impact, be it unto me according to thy word, behold the handmaid of the Lord, being a just man, bring forth a son, call his name Jesus, conceive in thy womb, consternation, Counsellor, declaring the end from the beginning, disobeyed your word, divine aid, Everlasting Father, faith, fear not, for with God nothing shall be impossible, forgiveness, found favour with God, God's creative power, holy spirit, how shall this be, humble ourselves, humble servants, I am God, I know not a man, I will do all my pleasure, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the reason for the season, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, my counsel shall stand, not willing to make her a public example, of the increase of his government, omnipotent god, overshadow thee, praise Your Holy Name, pray, predicament, prophecy, put her away secretly, remember the former things of old, salvation, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, strong faith in Christ, the Birth of Christ, The Christmas season, the God who heals, the government shall be upon his shoulder, the highest appreciation, the Holy Ghost, the mighty God, the negative scenario, the power of speaking God's truth, the Prince of Peace, the protective umbrella of jesus, the Son of God, the word of the gospel, the zeal of the Lord of hosts, there shall be no end, thou that art highly favoured, to alleviate our problems, trusts in god's faithfulness, truth, turn from our evil ways, unto us a child is born, wisdom, wise guidance, Wonderful
Luke 1:37. For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Now, it’s definitely not a good morning on which to begin our work week; a cold, wet, cloudy Monday, with a promise of snow later on in the day. But dem’s the breaks. That’s the kind of climate we live in at this time of year. But we can break that negative scenario with a positive one; that of Jesus’ birth, as we celebrate it in this Christmas season. What a joy and privilege it was, when His awesome birth brought a season of peace and goodwill to all men. And we all know how Jesus’s birth was foretold by the angel.
Yes, what a most remarkable story, where the angel Gabriel appears to Jesus’ mother, Mary, when she was just an engaged teenager, and greets her thus: ‘Hail (rejoice) thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.’ (Luke 1:28) Obviously Mary was puzzled by this unexpected enthusiastic greeting. But the angel says unto her, ‘Fear not Mary, for thou hast found favour with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.’ (Luke 1:30-31)
And then he tells her about all the great things Jesus would do. (Luke 1:32-33) But Mary doesn’t seem to pay much attention to that, for her next question is, ‘How shall this be, seeing I know not a man (I am a virgin)? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest (the Most High) shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing (One) which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.’ (Luke 1:34-35)
Can you imagine Mary’s consternation at the predicament the birth of a child while still unmarried would put her in. But then the angel explains that her cousin Elisabeth, hitherto barren, was now six months pregnant, ‘For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ (Luke 1:37) But the best part of this whole story is Mary’s final answer to Gabriel. ‘And Mary said, Behold the handmaid (maidservant) of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. and the angel departed from her.’ (Luke 1:38)
Wow! Can you imagine that teenaged girl simply accepting the angel’s message without any trepidation or apparent thought for what would certainly be an untenable situation in that rigid Jewish society. However, as Gabriel had said earlier on, nothing is impossible with God, and He fixed the situation. When her betrothed Joseph discovered she was with child and they weren’t yet married, the Bible says: ‘being a just (upright) man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily (secretly).
But while he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived (begotten) in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS (Saviour): for he shall save his people from their sins.’ (Matt. 1:19-21)
Oh friends, don’t you just LOVE how our God orchestrates things that seem impossible to us. Instead of having Jospeh put away Mary, He has him marry her just like nothing was wrong. The Bible then shares with us the important prophecy of this occasion foretold long ago. ‘Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet (Isaiah), saying, Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted (translated) is, God with us.’ (Matt. 1:22-23)
That reminds us of the prophetic power of our God, or as Bruh Paul says: ‘who quickeneth (gives life to) the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.’ (Rom. 4:17c) It’s like He said through the prophet Isaiah: ‘Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else ; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times, the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:’ (Is. 46:9-10)
Oh, my people, there is certainly none other like our omnipotent God, who went about fulfilling prophecy from the very beginning of time right up to now, with many other prophecies yet to be fulfilled as the world spins. Now, here’s an interesting commentary on the subject. It asks, ‘What does it mean to call things that are not as though they were?’ Then answers: ‘By embracing the power of speaking God’s truth over others, believers participate in a spiritual dynamic that acknowledges God’s creative power, trusts in His faithfulness, and activates the transformative impact of the word of the gospel over others.’
Yes friends, we can also be a part of God’s prophetic world if we acknowledge His truths and His power. And one of the most powerful and important prophesies to mankind is that spoken by Isaiah, concerning the birth of Jesus, who was to bring salvation and forgiveness to the people!
‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, the everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.’ (Is. 9:6-7)
And this Christmas season we’re about to celebrate is only the fulfilling of the first part of the prophecy, so let’s wake up and make sure we’re living under the protective umbrella of Jesus, before the last part of that prophecy unfolds. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to improve our world and our particular circumstances.
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, let’s remember that no divine aid will be forthcoming unless and until we humble ourselves before the Lord, seek His face and turn from our evil ways! Much LOVE!
…Jesus is the reason…for the Christmas season…let’s remind the world of that…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great high priest, a just man falleth seven times and riseth up again, all have sinned, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, Bible, challenges, christianity, cleanse us from all unrighteousness, cleanses us from all sin, come short of the glory of God, confess our sins, do not the truth, faith, fellowship with God, find grace to help in time of need, follow me, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, God is light, God of unlimited chances, God searches our hearts, he is faithful and just, holy spirit, hurry, I am the beloved of god, if any man will come after me, if we confess our sins, in god's eyes, Jesus can empathize with our suffering, Jesus Christ, Jesus is our only good option, let him deny himself, LOVE, magnanimous and magnificent God, mercy, no giving up in Jesus' economy, obedient to His word, rewards, sacrifices, salvation, selfish desires, share His love with my neighbours, sincere repentance, sinshine is a reflection of Christ, stumble into calamity, sympathize with our weaknesses, take up his cross daily and follow me, tempted like we are, tests, Thanks be to God, the blood of Jesus, The God of second chances, the propitiation for our sins, the throne of grace, the wicked shall fall into mischief, to forgive our sins, trials, trust my friend Jesuss, truth, Tuesday Mantra, walk in the light, was without sin, wisdom, worry
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
And then it was Tuesday, sunshiny but a tad on the chilly side. But as we always say, we’ll take the sunshine any time because it’s a reflection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the world! And all God’s people said a loud and grateful: ‘All thanks be to God the Father who gave us His only Son Jesus to be the propitiation for our sins! Blessed be His holy name, forever and ever! Amen!’
Ah friends, what a privilege and pleasure it is to live for Jesus! There’s nothing else like it in this world; it can be tough and challenging, with sacrifices and all sorts of tests and trials, but behind it all, let’s remember that Jesus walked this earth as a man like us and experienced all that we experience, but yet was without sin, that means He understands what we’re going through down here on earth and can empathize with our earthly problems.
For as the Good Library informs us from the Book of Hebrews: ‘Seeing that we have a great high priest, that is passed into (through) the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched (sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:14-16)
Wow mih bredrin! What wonderful news, that we can go directly to the throne of grace for help from our Lord and Saviour…and not only directly, but also boldly or confidently, knowing that we will not be, no, never be turned away. Our requests may not be granted, but we’ll always have the opportunity to present them without fear of being turned away. Which other God is so magnanimous and generous eh? None whatsoever!
That’s why it’s such a joy to live and work for Jesus! He’s not a terrible task master either, although He likes His work done when and how He says, and when you are obedient to His word, His rewards can be enormous, can be very significant in the life of a believer. By the same token though, disobedience, laziness and lack of effort bring the risk of punishment. And that’s only fair; since we can’t expect to get good rewards when we toe the line, as well as when we’re out of order.
But again, the wonderful thing about Jesus is that He’s always forgiving, if we repent of our mistakes and try to be better in the future. And John details it for us in his first epistle, when he writes: ‘This then is the message which we have heard of him (Jesus), and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him (God), and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not (practice) the truth.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.’ (1 John 1:5-10)
Simple and straightforward my brethren. And it’s indeed a fact that we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, (Rom. 3:23) so we cannot say that we have no sin, but the important thing is that if we confess to our sins, agree with God that we’ve wronged Him, then the Lord is most willing to forgive us…and more than once too. As this commentary so nicely puts it: ‘As a matter of fact, God is not only the God of second chances, but the God of third and fourth and unlimited chances for His children who confess their faults and weaknesses, and come to Him for help.’
Mama Mia! What can be better than that eh? Although it doesn’t give us license to sin and keep running back and forth through insincere repentance. Not at all! The forgiveness is for sincere repentance, although we might commit the same sin several times, in our hearts, where God looks for our true motives, we must be sincerely trying to escape it, and asking for God’s help to do so.
Oh friends, God doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but He expects us to work towards perfection, especially since He’s already given us all the tools necessary to do so, as well as the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. It’s like Cousin Sol says in Proverbs: ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity).’ (Prov. 24:16) And that’s exactly what’s expected of a faithful believer in Jesus Christ. No matter how often you fall, you are expected to get back up, after a brief respite, for there’s no giving up in Jesus’ economy.
So there you have it, a brief overview of what it is like to work and live for Jesus… Oh, I forgot one important scripture that’s the foundation of it all; meaning what it takes to be a true disciple of Jesus. Jesus said it thus: ‘If any man will come (desires to come) after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23)
Now that might seem like a real tough target, and ofttimes it is, but generally speaking it’s not too difficult, especially with Jesus leading and guiding you through it all with His Holy Spirit. The important thing though is that you need to be prepared to sacrifice all your selfish desires to Christ, if and whenever He calls. But there again, He’s the kind of master who believes in helping His people, all the way, every day!
So let’s go home now declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, it now behooves us to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…living for Christ…is the ONLY good option…we have in this world…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
25 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a spirit of fear, a spirit of power love and a sound mind, access to grace, and all these things shall be added unto you, anger, be a good example, be of good cheer, character, disrupt our spirits, do not worry, expereince, faith, frustration, glory in tribulations, have peace with God through Christ, holy spirit, hope maketh not ashamed, hpe does not disappoint, humble ourselves, humble servants, humility, i have overcome the world, in me ye might have peace, in the world, is not life more than meat, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, justified by faith, let not your heart be troubled, life, life is about living for Jesus, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, mercy, my peace I give unto you, neither let it be afraid, not as the world giveth, Peace i leave with you, perseverance, power to solve our problems, pray, rejoice in hope, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God, shed abroad in our hearts, sincere repentance, sincerely seek God's face, strong faith in Christ, take not thought for your life, the body more than clothes, the finished work of Jesus, the God who heals, the lilies of the field, the LOVE of God, the Prince of Peace, traffic jams, tribulation worketh patience, truth, victory, wisdom, ye shall have tribulation, your heavenly Father knows you need all these things
2 Timothy 1:7. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’
And it’s a fine looking sunshiny Monday morning, but a tad on the chilly side. We’ll take the sunshine anytime though, for its effervescence boosts the spirit, regardless of the temperature, especially on a Monday. (smile) And I sincerely hope that most of us did not allow Monday to disrupt our spirits, but were prepared to meet it and got off to work early and in a peaceful state of mind, although the traffic jams on the way there will possibly cause some frustration and anger.
But let’s remember that we serve the Prince of Peace, and He was peaceful under all circumstances, and try to be a good example of that. For the traffic jams won’t go away, but if we allow them to upset us to such a level, we might just pass away right there in the middle of it, and that will not be a very welcome or worthwhile situation.
And I guess it’s not too early…No, it’s never too early to hear the words of Jesus on any subject, especially these two on peace, which we all know, but don’t take the time to action. The first one goes like this: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
It’s like He said in Matthew about worry. ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not life more than meat (food), and the body than raiment (clothing) ? (Matt. 6:25)
Then He goes on to talk about the birds not planting or harvesting, but they eat and survive very well through God’s goodness. Likewise the lilies of the field, who neither toil nor spin, but even Cousin Sol in all his finery could not be prettier than them. So if God looks after the less important aspects of His creation, why won’t He look after the most important one eh? That’s mankind.
‘Therefore take no thought for (do not worry), saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewith shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles (unbelievers) seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:31-33)
Yuh see friends, Jesus’ peace is different to what the world offers and with it running through our souls and spirits, there’s no need to be anxious or alarmed about circumstances. And then His next declaration on peace is even more uplifting. He declares: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Now, we all know that’s easier said than done, but again, when we have the spiritual peace of Christ flowing through us, we don’t need to worry as the ordinary unbelievers do, because we know whom we serve, and what power He possesses. Remember, He’s already overcome the world; namely the devil, hell and the grave, so victory is ours, as long as we don’t give it away.
And these words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome, serve as a booster to Christ’s statement. He writes: ‘Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience (produces perseverance); and patience, experience (character); and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed (does not disappoint); because the LOVE of God is shed abroad (has been poured out) in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.’ (Rom. 5:1-5)
Oh my faithful brethren, just look at all the benefits we’ve acquired through the finished work of Jesus nuh! We didn’t do a thing to deserve them, and couldn’t even if we tried our very best. But Jesus did it all for us, and all we have to do is to receive it now by faith, a faith which grows stronger and stronger, the longer we serve Christ, read His Word and be obedient to it, and give thanks and praise for our wonderful blessings, in and through Christ!
And no, it’s not easy in a world that denies God and thus Christ. But nonetheless, we have been given all the tools to go out into this ungodly world and live like and for Christ, if we don’t fear the possible repercussions. For there will be repercussions if you go against whatever the world and it’s evil system are promoting. But let’s also remember these most reassuring and uplifting words of Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7)
So please let’s use the many gifts we’ve been granted to live the life expected of us nuh, otherwise Jesus’ sufferation would have been a waste of time. And we simply cannot allow it to go for nought. Therefore, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid for our many 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!’
Now, let’s remember that no divine aid will flow down to us unless the Lord sees some humility and sincere repentance on our part! Much LOVE!
…this life is all about Jesus…living for, in and through Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all things were made by him, alleviate our problems, an accurate perception, atonement for our sins, be filled with the knowledge of his will, being fruitful in every good work, Bible, cease not to pray for you, christianity, cycle of life, disobeyed your word, eternal destination, faith, forbearing the faults of others, fruitful in every good work, giving thanks unto the Father, god, happiness, holy spirit, immorality, in all wisdom, in him was life, In the beginning was the Word, increasing in the knowledge of God, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, joyfulness, logic, longsuffering, LOVE, made us meet, mass confusion, meditating on god's word, mercy, misery, morality, partakes of the inheritance, pateince, perseverance, practical situations, practical ways to apply theory, qualified us, ransom, redemption, sacrifices, sacrificial death, salvation, share in the salvation, sincere repentance, sincerely expressing gratitude to god, sinned, spiritual understanding, strengthened with all might, suffering, the Christian life, the crippling clutches, the darkness comprehends it not, the forgiveness of sins, the God who heals, the grim reaper, the life was the light of men, the light shines in the darkness, the saints in light, the skillful application of wisdom, the true nature of things, the Word was God, the Word was with God, this evil world, trials, tribulations, truth, walk worthy of the Lord, wisdom
John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And the cycle continues unabated. Yes friends, the cycle of life never stops, it just keeps rolling along from Monday to Sunday…Monday to Sunday…and back again. It’s like a constantly revolving Ferris wheel that simply keeps going up and down, round and round, but never stopping to disgorge its anxious and fearful passengers.
And the only way you can escape the crippling clutches of that forever cycle is by allowing the Grim Reaper to escort you home to your eternal destination, be it heaven or hell. That means while you’re caught in the vicious cycle of life, you have to learn to handle it with some semblance of hope and fortitude.
And the best way to do that is by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. And why is that? Because as John puts it in his gospel: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehendeth it not.’ (John 1:1-5)
Oh my people, logic dictates that if those words are true and Jesus was the Word and He made everything in creation, and life and light came through Him, then He should be the most knowledgeable about life and be the one most able to teach us how to handle it. Now, that sounds all well and good in theory, but how do we put it into practice?
And that’s the beauty of living for and serving Jesus; He doesn’t only give you theory, but also practical ways to apply the theory. And one of the best ways to put that theory above into practice is highlighted by the words of Bruh Paul’s prayer for the Colossians. He writes: ‘For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet (qualified us) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in (the) light:
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated (transferred) us into the kingdom of his dear Son (the Son of His LOVE): In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:’ (Col. 1:9-14)
So those are some of the things we need to learn to help us handle the vicious cycle of life. Let’s try and break them down nuh. And the first thing we need to do is discern God’s will for our lives, through meditating on God’s Word and through the leading and guiding of His Holy Spirit that indwells us for those purposes. Bruh Paul says that we need to do so with all ‘wisdom and spiritual understanding.
Now what are those things eh? The scholars explain that ‘Wisdom is an accurate perception into the true nature of things, while Understanding is the skillful application of this wisdom in practical situations.’ So basically, they are knowing the truth and knowing how to successfully apply that truth to our lives. And why do we need to know God’s will for our lives? So that we can ‘walk worthy of the Lord,’ or live properly and please Him.
And what does a worthy walk entail? According to the scholars: ‘the believer is (1) fruitful in every good work, productive in Christian service; (2) constantly increasing in the knowledge of God, ever coming to know the Lord better; (3) always “strengthened with all might” or becoming spiritually stronger and stronger; (4) in the habit of giving thanks, sincerely expressing gratitude to God in both the pleasant and unpleasant experiences in life.’
Now, the first thing we must understand about walking with God as a believer in His Son Jesus Christ, is that it’s not easy; it’s filled with sacrifices, and suffering and tough times and just life itself…however, it is the most interesting and rewarding life we can ever live on God’s great earth!
And here we’re talking about things like ‘Patience, which the scholars tell us is persevering through problems, trials and tribulations, and so forth. Also Longsuffering which is forbearing the faults and offences of others.’ And in all of that we still need to be ‘thanking the Father who made us fit to share in the salvation belonging to the saints who are in the light.’
And ‘Light is the ethical condition in which God’s children live, namely that of spiritual understanding, with its accompanying morality and happiness. Then we come to ‘Darkness, which is the religious state in which unbelievers exist, namely, that of spiritual ignorance, with its attending immorality and misery.’
And last but not least, possibly the most important is ‘Blood, the Blood of Jesus, which reminds the Colossians, and also us, of the enormous price and sacrifice paid to secure our redemption. Redemption then, is achieved by the atonement wrought by Jesus’ death.’ His sacrificial death paid the price for our sins, or He ransomed us through His death, thus leading to forgiveness of sins, if one believes in Him. So, as we said before, living the Christian life can be a tough go, but by all accounts, it can’t be beat.
And to help us accomplish our earthly tasks with joy and thanksgiving, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn asking for divine help to do better than we’re currently doing. That’s also one of the big benefits of living for Christ; you can go to Him at anytime to ask for help.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Let’s remember though, that asking for divine aid also includes our sincere repentance and a serious desire to seek God more fully. Much LOVE!
…the cycle of life…can best be lived…in association with its Creator…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abounding in the work of the Lord, ambassadors, another person's bad, answer our prayers, Bible, bite us in the butt, bursting with enthusiasm, christianity, climate change, deliverance is of the Lord, divine aid, do worthwhile things for Jesus, down payment on your salvation, earthly representatives, eternally sealed by the Holy Spirit, faith, forevermore, from this time forth, from whence comes my help, get out into the evil world, god, good spirits, grieve not the holy Spirit of God, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, I will lift up mine eyes to the hills, in all these things, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, my help cometh from the Lord, negative situations, neither slumber nor sleep, nothing shall separate us from the love of God, one person's good, pray, safety is of the Lord, salvation, sealed unto the day of redemption, sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, seek your face, sincere repentance, steadfast, strong faith in Christ, thanks be to God who gives us the victory, the earnest of our inheritance, the God who heals, the gospel of your salvaion, the Lord is thy keeper, the Lord is thy shade, the Lord shall preserve thee from all evil, the Lord shall preserve thy going out and coming in, The sun shall not smite thee by day, through him that loved us, truth, unexpected storms, unmoveable, unseasonal warm weather, upon thy right hand, we are more than conquerors, which made heaven and earth, wisdom, wise guidance, wreaking havoc, your labour is not in vain
Psalm 121:2. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
Well a good Monday to all you my wonderful Scrip-Bits friends and family! We do hope that this new work week finds you in good spirits, just bursting with enthusiasm and desire to get out into the evil world and do worthwhile things for Jesus, as He expects of us, His ambassadors and earthly representatives.
Now would you believe that this week – the end of October, beginning of November – we’re supposed to see more unseasonal warm weather, with temps getting up into the high teens. Oh, we’re never going to refuse it, but it’s strange to have so much warm weather at this time of year in the northern climes. And although climate change is wreaking havoc elsewhere around the world, I guess we have to say thanks to it for this unseasonal warm weather. But as they say; someone’s good is someone else’s bad.
Let’s hope and pray that it doesn’t turn around and bite us in the butt with a terrible winter. (smile) But that’s why we worship and adore Almighty God through His Son Jesus Christ; He is able to protect us from all harm on this earthly journey. Psalm 116 titled ‘God Neither Slumbers Not Sleeps’ says it perfectly. ‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills (mountains), from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved (to slip): he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper (protector): the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.’ (Ps. 116:1-8)
Oh friends, our God is truly our Protector; the One to whom we ought to cry out to in times of need. He’s promised it, and He always keeps His promises. And the prophet Jeremiah confirms that man’s help does not come from the hills or mountains, as he says to his people Israel: ‘Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.’ (Jer. 3:23) And Cousin Sol totally agrees, when he writes in proverbs: ‘The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety (deliverance) is of the Lord.’ (Prov. 21:31)
Meanwhile, Bruh Paul says it thus to the Corinthians in his first missive: ‘But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain (futile) in the Lord.’ (1 Cor. 15:57-58)
Yes my fellow believers, Christ has given us the victory though His finished work here on earth, and thus we can stand strong and steadfast in it and do what we need to do maintain that victory, for which we will be well rewarded. For as Bruh Paul so eloquently and reassuringly said to the church at Rome, re the trials and tribulations we would face for Jesus’ sake:
‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:37-39)
And that’s an indisputable fact my people! How can anything separate us from the LOVE of God in Christ Jesus when we’ve been eternally sealed by the Holy Spirit eh, as declared by these two scriptures? ‘That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ (Jewish believers). In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest (the down payment or deposit) of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.’ (Eph. 1:12-14)
Oh friends, after we believed, we were sealed by Jesus with the Holy Spirit, as a down payment or guarantee of our salvation. And this next scripture, also from Ephesians simply says it this way: ‘Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption’ (Eph. 4:29-30)
That’s it in a nutshell my fellow saints! We can do all we need to do for Jesus, and we cannot ever be torn away from Him. So with that resounding assurance, let’s get out there and work our fingers to the bone for Him, like He did for us nuh. That’s only fair. And to help us in that cause, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn asking for help in these dire times of need.
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 operative words in that prayer are ‘when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.’ Yes, that’s when divine aid will come rushing down from heaven. Much LOVE!
…nothing whatsoever…can ever separate us…from the LOVE of God through Christ Jesus
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
21 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sound from heaven, a summer-like day, a well of water, all filled with the Holy Ghost, as a mighty rushing wind, as the spirit gave them utterance, be filled with the Spirit, be not drunk with wine, began to speak with other tongues, Bible, buy wine and milk without money, christianity, come ye, come ye to the waters, divine helphumble servants, eternal life, every one that thirsteth, faith, filled the hungry with good things, god, God's free gift of salvation, grieve not the Holy Spirit, he filleth the hungry soul with goodness, he satisfieth the longing soul, he that believeth on me, he that hath no money, his mercy endureth for ever, his wonderful works to the children of men, holy spirit, if any man thirst, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus was not yet glorified, let him come unto me and drink, let your soul delight in fatness, LOVE, making melody in your heart to the Lord, mass confusion, mercy, negative situations, Oh give thanks unto the Lord for he is good, oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, out of his belly, reach our full potential, salvation, sealed until the day of redemption, shall flow rivers of living water, sincere repentance, sinned and disobeyed your Word, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns, springing up into eternal life, strong faith in Christ, th day of Pentecost, the God who heals, the rich he sent away empty, the spiritually hungry and thirsty, they shall be filled, trun from our evil ways, truth, wise guidance
Matthew 5:6. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Another Monday; another beautiful, sunshiny summer-like day in my neighbourhood! As the Good Book says: ‘Oh give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for his mercy endureth forever… Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.’ (Ps. 107:1, 8-9)
Yes friends, that’s exactly what our good and LOVING God does for us! When our souls are dissatisfied and frustrated, hungry and lost, He comes and fills us up with His Spirit. The prophet Isaiah wrote it thus a long time ago: ‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight in fatness (abundance). (Is. 55:1-2)
Oh my people, as the scholars explain there: ‘God’s free gift of salvation is offered to all who will receive it. Those who are spiritually hungry and thirsty may come and eat and drink without money (freely).’ Now who else offers such freedom spiritual hunger and thirst eh? No one! As Mary, Jesus’ mother says in her song, the Magnificat: ‘He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.’ (Luke 1:53)
That reminds us of Jesus’ own words from the Beatitudes, in particular this one: ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ (Matt. 5:6) And the Lord, in His awesome power, made a big showing of just how He can fill hungry souls with His Spirit on that most memorable day of Pentecost when He filled the hundred and twenty souls sitting in the upper room waiting for something to happen.
The Bible tells us: ‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as a mighty rushing wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:2-4) Oh my fellow believers, when our God desires to put on a show, no one can best Him! And from that day henceforth, every believer has been filled with the Holy Spirit as soon as they believe.
Unlike that first filling though, the Lord doesn’t make a big show of it, but does it quietly, without you even knowing, until sometime later you experience this new and different feeling, of a still small voice, talking to your spirit, trying to lead and guide you in the way Jesus desires. And one of the things that Jesus often spoke about was spiritual hunger and invite us to come to Him to satisfy it.
Listen to Him with the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob. ‘Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again; But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be a well of water (fountain) springing up into eternal life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.’ (John 4:13-15) She thought that Jesus was talking about real water, but the living water referred to the Holy Spirit, which Jesus again spoke about later on.
The Good Library tells us: ‘In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly (heart) shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified.’ (John 7:37-39) And we saw that happen above on the day of Pentecost after Jesus’s resurrection.
But the Holy Spirit is so important that there are several things we are commanded not do to it. First off is to not grieve the Holy Spirit. Bruh Paul instructs us: ‘And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.’ (Eph. 4:30) That’s don’t make the Holy Spirit unhappy by not listening to Him and doing ungodly stuff. Then later on He says: ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.’ (Eph. 5:18-19)
It’s thus necessary to keep the Holy Spirit alive and kicking in our lives. And being filled by it means being “continually filled” with it. It’s a repeated experience, not like the first indwelling which came once and for all time. And the scholars put it quite nicely. ‘God desires that the minds of Christians be controlled by the Holy Spirit so that they will walk in the Spirit, speak on behalf of God, and understand the things of God. Because people are indwelt by the Holy Spirit at salvation, they do not need to get more of the Holy Spirit, but the filling of the Holy Spirit occurs when the Holy Spirit gets more of the believer.’
And that’s the gospel truth my fellow saints! What we need is to be more obedient and open to the workings of the Holy Spirit as the Lord desires of us. Now, that’s just a brief recounting of the importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and we hope it perks us up on this first day of our new work week. So, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to handle our 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!’
But please remember that nothing positive will happen until we begin sincerely seeking God, and turning from our evil ways. Much LOVE!
…unless the Holy Spirit is truly guiding our lives…we’ll never reach our full potential…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
07 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crying shame, a disciple of Jesus, a new creation, a nuclear holocaust, accoring to his riches in glory, after the things of the Spirit, all our needs met, all things are become new, as babes in Christ, Bible, cannot please God, carnal, christianity, deny himself, divine aid, enmity against God, excellence, faith, fed you with milk not meat, fervently, forget ourselves, grow in faith, humble servants, if any man be in Christ, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, just laze around, life, LOVE, make a living, mass confusion, mercy, mid the things of the Spirit, mind the things of the flesh, negative situations, old things are passed away, peace, reconciled us to himself, sacrifice, sacrificing for Christ, saints of Christ, salvation, seek God and his righteousness first, sincere repentance, spiritual maturity, strife, strong faith in Christ, take up his cross daily, the carnal mind, the God who heals, the sins of the flesh, the Spirit of God, they athat are after the flesh, those in the flesh, to be carnally minded is death, to be spiritually minded is life and peace, trun from our evil ways, truth, wisdom, wise guidance, work dilgently, ye are yet carnal
Romans 8:6. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
And the roller coaster ride keeps rolling on! Another day, another dollar! Yes my people, it’s another Monday, the start of a new work week and we have to get out into the evil world and make a living. And Jesus did instruct us to seek God and His righteousness first, and all of our needs would be met; (Matt. 6:33) while Bruh Paul also promised that God would provide all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus; (Philp. 4:19) but all of that implies that we would get up and work diligently, fervently and efficiently, not just laze around, as so many of us are doing, and expecting our needs to be filled.
Being a disciple of Jesus can be hard work. Remember how He described a disciple? ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) That means we have to take up our cross, every day, and follow Him, wherever He may lead us, sacrificing our own desires for His. And that’s not easy to do, especially in this prosperous and amenity filled society in which we currently live.
The word ‘sacrifice’ doesn’t even register with a large portion of our population, many of whom have no idea what it means, much less know how to put it into practice. But if we desire to be true believers, true disciples of Christ, then we have to learn how to do the job, how to forget ourselves and sacrifice whenever and wherever necessary, so that His desires can be achieved.
And my fellow believers, we can say whatever we want, fool ourselves as much as we desire, but it’s obvious in this last generation, our witness, our sacrifice, diligence, fervency and excellence on Jesus’ behalf have not been very satisfactory. We have allowed the world and all its carnality, it’s fleshly lusts, to lessen our call to righteousness.
That’s why Bruh Paul wrote these words of warning to the Roman church. ‘For they that are after the flesh do mind (set their minds on) the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.’ (Rom. 8:5-10)
Yes friends, we have received the indwelling Spirit of God to help us lead a godly life, not turn back to the sins of the flesh that Christ died to save us from. When we become saints of Christ, we have to kill that old life. As Bruh Paul wrote in his second missive to the Corinthians: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given us the ministry of reconciliation.’ (2 Cor. 5:17-18)
Now my people, that change in us to the new man cannot be just for a time… no. When we come into a new relationship with the risen and glorified Lord, we see things in a different light, and that change has to continue for the rest of our lives, so we can sincerely do the work Christ requires of us. And furthermore, we have to grow in faith, in spiritual maturity – from no faith, to little faith, to great faith! Otherwise we’d end up, and have indeed ended up just like Bruh Paul chided the Corinthians in his first letter.
‘And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat (solid food): for hitherto (until now)ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions (dissensions), are ye not carnal (fleshly), and walk as men (according to man’s ways).’ (1 Cor. 3:1-3)
And unfortunately that carnal and fleshly attitude still prevails in Christ’s church today. The majority of the people are not growing in spiritual maturity, they’re not seriously and sincerely studying the Word and living it. At this stage of their development when they should be eating solid food, they still can only drink milk, because there’s too much envying and strife and dissensions amongst the body of Christ.
That’s why the negative attributes of the enemy are currently holding our world hostage, and unless we supposed believers get up and begin fighting back mano a mano, God’s great world is liable to implode with all the strife and talk of strife that’s currently in the air. We’re talking about World War Three, which won’t be fought with ordinary weapons, but will be a nuclear holocaust. So let’s start doing something about it right now nuh, by going to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid to help in this time of dire need.
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 first things first, we have to start changing from our evil ways and becoming true disciples of Christ before any divine aid will start flowing down to us. Much LOVE!
…it’s a crying shame…that Christ’s church…is still so carnally minded…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciple of Christ, a living sacrifice, a society without discipline, abusing children, an incorruptible crown, an unruly mob, be not conformed to this world, be ye transformed, bring my body into subjection, chasteneth him betimes, crown of righteousness, discipline, disciplining our body, disobeyed your word, divine help, every man that striveth for mastery, faith, faith restored, God's Word, he that loveth him, he that spareth his rod hateth his son, humble ourselves, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, if any man will come after me, infallible truth, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, let him deny himself, live godly lives, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, Monday morning debacle, Olympic Games, pray, present your bodies, running amok, self-control, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, spiritual tank refilled, strong faith in Christ, take up his cross daily, temperate in all things, the bullyboy, the God who heals, the gospel truth, the perfect will of God, the renewing of your mind, the righteous judge, traffic jams, truth, turn from our evil ways, 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).
Ah friends, another weekend disturbing Monday to contend with! But we’re fully able to handle it if we’re true believers in Christ Jesus, went to church yesterday, had our spiritual tank refilled, our faith restored, and we got some decent rest last night. Yes, that’s all it takes to handle the bullyboy called Monday!
The problem though, is that so many of us don’t acquire the necessary tools for the job, the things we just recommended, therefore, come Monday morning we’re scrambling and rushing around helter skelter, frustrated and afraid of being late for work, especially with the maddening traffic jams that constantly clog up the roadways.
And the sad part is every week we complain, but come the long-awaited weekend we forget about the Monday morning debacle in our lives, and thus, never make the effort to improve the situation. But it all comes down to two words: discipline and self-control. Two words that are not adhered to very much in our modern technology and information-based society. No wonder the society is running amok with so much chaos and man-made disaster.
And since the Bible, the Lord’s Word is the Guidebook for our earthly journey, let’s see what it has to say on the subject nuh. Remember, the Lord’s Word is infallible truth, so whatever it says, we ought to believe and live by it. And there are numerous Bible verses on the subject. So, let’s look at few, some of which we already know, but don’t put into action. (smile)
And the first one comes from the wisdom of Cousin Sol, the supposed wisest man ever. In terms of rearing children, Cousin Sol advocates: ‘He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that LOVETH him chasteneth him betimes (promptly).’ (Prov. 13:24) And that’s the gospel truth! Although nowadays our foolish society takes that to mean abusing our children. And thus, many parents don’t discipline their children, and it’s one of the reasons why our society is so undisciplined and godless.
But disciplining our children is an important aspect of parenthood, and there are many ways to teach them discipline, which they need to learn to become valuable members of the society. For a society without discipline is nothing but an unruly mob. And that’s where we’re heading today because, for whatever reason(s), we refuse to discipline our children. Nuff said on that. (smile)
Then there’s this scripture on disciplining our body from Bruh Paul to the Corinthians. ‘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: 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 (disqualified). (1 Cor. 9:24-27)
Yes friends, that’s also true. If we want to be good at anything we’ve got to train our bodies, discipline them so that they can perform at a high level. And we have the best example of that in the recently concluded Olympic Games in Paris, where all the athletes trained to the nth degree, disciplined their bodies so that they could perform at the highest level possible, and hopefully win a gold medal, the highest honour in whatever sport they participated in.
Likewise, we believers in Christ need to train our bodies, so that we live the goldy lives that Christ desires of us, although our goal is a much higher and better honour than a mere perishable gold medal, that’s an imperishable crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to all who obey His will. (2 Tim.4:8)
So we’ve dealt with disciplining our children and our bodies, let’s turn to our minds now, with words from Bruh Paul to the Romans. ‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable (rational) service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.’ (Rom. 12:1-2)
Oh my fellow believers, to live sincerely for God, or even be successful at anything, our minds must also be disciplined, turned away from the lusts and ungodly behaviour of the world. And I’m chuckling here, because I just remembered the activity that possibly requires the biggest and longest efforts of discipline and self-control. It’s being a true disciple of Jesus. He puts it thus: ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23).
Now that’s something that requires lots of discipline, self-control, sacrifice, belly and backbone – every day! But like most things in this world, if we are serious about them and are willing to contribute the necessary effort, we can certainly do them, especially when the Bible assures us that we can do anything and everything through Christ who strengthens us. (Phil. 4:13)
But we first need to develop the discipline and self-control, which doesn’t come easily or overnight, but is oftentimes a long, hard and painstaking process. However, it always begins with prayer. So let’s take this opportunity through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and go to God for divine help, without which we’ll be totally lost.
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. 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 a word to the wise; unfortunately, that divine aid doesn’t start flowing until we begin to change our evil ways! Much LOVE!
…to do anything properly…demands discipline and self-control…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a modicum of circumspection, acknowledgement of sin, all the day long, all ye that are upright in heart, alleviate our problems, be glad in the Lord, be held with bit and bridle, be ye not as the horse or the mule, Caribana weekend, Civic Holiday Monday, common sense, compass me about, confession of sin, consntat prayer, disobeyed your word, distractions, divine aid, divine instruction, ever changing emotions, faith, fleshly lusts, forgiveness, guide thee with mine eye, have no understanding, he that trusteth in the Lord, holy spirit, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Last Lap, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, mercy shall compass him about, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my bones waxed old, my roaring, my vitality, preserve me from trouble, rejoice ye righteous, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, shout for joy, sincere repentance, songs of deliverance, strong faith in Christ, teach thee in the way thou shall go, the blessedness of confession, the God who heals, the throne of grace, the word of the Lord, thou art my hiding place, thy hand was heavy upon me, trun from our evil ways, truth, turned into the drought of summer, we have all sinned, when I kept silence, wise guidance
Psalm 32:11. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
Well, it’s Civic Holiday Monday in Ontario and all the weekend festivities are set to climax today, as the good ole workweek resumes again tomorrow. And I know that many of us are going to try to finish on a high note, but please be careful, as that last lap go round, might just be the one to do you in. (smile)
So a modicum of circumspection is strongly advised today. Let’s think of the possible consequences before we commit to the actions. And remember that many of us cannot afford to book off sick tomorrow, having already used up most of our sick time. Anyway, the boss will know just why you’re sick. So please let common sense prevail. (smile)
And today we’ll continue looking at Psalm 32, the blessedness of Confession and Forgiveness, which will surely be rather important to many of us, after this Caribana weekend. (smile) Last week we stopped where Bruh David agreed to acknowledge his sin and confess his transgressions, and the Lord forgave him. (Ps. 32:5)
He then continues: ‘For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of the great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble: thou shalt compass me about (surround me) with songs of deliverance. Selah.’ (Ps. 32:6-7)
Yes friends, Bruh David knows that if he stays steadfast in prayer, acknowledging his sins and asking for forgiveness, the Lord will keep him safe, preserve him from trouble and surround him with songs of deliverance. How wonderful is that eh! But it only comes from constant prayer and acknowledgement of one’s sins to Almighty God.
And with that steadfast attitude of prayer and confession of sins also comes divine instruction. As Bruh David writes of the Lord: ‘I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.’ (Ps. 32:8-9)
How excellent is that my fellow believers! If we stay close to the Lord and empty our hearts and souls to Him, He will guide us with His divine eye. However, we must be wise and sensible, and not be like the mule or horse that have no understanding, and must have bit and bridle to be controlled.
But unfortunately, many of us in these times of turbulence, entitlement and extremism, are behaving just like those animals who lack understanding. We’re allowing our fleshly lusts and our ever changing emotions to govern our lives, rather than the Word of the Lord. We’re not listening to His Holy Spirit that dwells within us for the very purpose of leading and guiding us in a godly fashion.
We don’t pray or confess our sins and ask for forgiveness as we ought to, so what kind of life can we expect to live but one with no true godly support. One like Bruh David describes in the early stages of the psalm. ‘When I kept silence, my bones waxed (grew) old through my roaring (groaning) all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture (vitality) is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.’ (Ps. 32:3-4)
Yes my people, that’s how we feel when our connection to Almighty God is missing, or simply not in tune. And we have no one else to blame but ourselves, for it’s our responsibility to go to Him in prayer for whatever ails us. And believe me, the confession of sin and its forgiveness can lift one’s soul from the very depths of misery and hell, right to the hallowed halls of heaven!
But we need to stay steadfast in prayer and confession of sin. For as Bruh David further advises: ‘Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about (surround him). Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.’ (Ps. 32:10-11)
Oh my fellow saints, we could not ask for wiser direction than that! But just remember that our heart must be right for it to work. We must be doing as Jesus advises: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) That’s Christianity 101 friends!
And we all know it’s difficult to stay steadfast and focused on God in this evil and ungodly world, with so many distractions and bombardments constantly coming at us, but with God’s help we can certainly do it. And it all begins with prayer. So lets’ go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid down here on earth.
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 if we truly listen to our prayer, we can see that the basic elements for divine aid is a turning from evil ways, humility, prayer and sincerely seeking the Lord. So please let’s put that in our pipe and smoke it…that is if we truly want to receive divine aid! Much LOVE!
…there’s nothing that improves a believer’s life like…confession of sin…and the resultant forgiveness…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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