18 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a place of show, anoint thine head, another round of snow, appear not unto men to fast, appear unto men to fast, Ash Wednesday, by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, call a solemn assembly, command that these stones be made bread, disfigure their faces, endure to the end with Jesus, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, falsehood, fasted forty days and forty nights, fasting, freezing rain, God is gracious, God's Word is all we need, halfway home, hands on the plough, holy spirit, if God spares life, if thou be the Son of God, in whom I am well pleased, into the wilderness, it is written, Jesus baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, Jesus was led up of the spirit, Jesus' source of strength, Jesus' use of scripture to resist temptation, Lent, LOVE, man shall not live by bread alone, material wealth, merciful, mercy, mourning, not looking back, obedience to the Father's will, of a sad countenance, of great kindness, on a late bus, our second wind day, our wonderful position in Christ Jesus, outward deceitful doings, physical pleasure, prayer, raise our societal stature, relents from doing harm, rend your heart and not your garments, repenteth him of evil, repentnace, salvation, sanctify a fast, self-examination, slow to anger, so glad to be alive, suffer for suffering sake, thank God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the Spirit of God descending like a dove, this is my beloved Son, to a glorious future with Jesus, to be tempted by Satan, to be tempted by the devil, to please man, truth, turn unto the Lord your God, turn ye even to me with all your heart, wash thy face, Wednesday Wail, weeping, when ye fast be not as the hypocrites, wisdom
Matthew 4:4. But he (Jesus) answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Oh friends, it’s Wednesday, our second wind day…and unfortunately we on a late bus! But many of us shouldn’t need to catch a second wind, since this is only our second day of work this week, unless we’re still tired rom the Family Day celebrations this past weekend. (smile) However, we will certainly need some help to deal with the serious freezing rain that’s happening in our area. The above freezing temps of the last few days have suddenly disappeared and the computer is calling for snow later. So let’s get prepared for another round of snow and cold temperatures, for that’s what happens in winter. (smile)
Now, today is also a special day in the life of the Christian Church; Ash Wednesday, which begins the season of Lent. Lent represents the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and being tempted by Satan, without wavering in His faith. During these forty days before Easter the believer is expected to carry out a serious discipline of fasting, repentance, prayer and self-examination. However within those confines there are certain parameters of do’s and don’ts. And we’ll begin with this interesting scripture from Joel, who after warning about the Dark Day of the Lord, (Joel 2:1-11) then announces the Lord’s Call to Repentance.
And is there ever a great need for repentance in today’s very sinful world! Not only from the unbelievers, but also from we supposed believers. So, listen up, as Joel writes: ‘Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend (tear) your heart, and not your garments, and turn (return) unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness (LOVING-KINDNESS), and repenteth him of the evil (relents from doing harm).
Who knoweth if he will return and repent (turn and relent), and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering (meal or grain) unto the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet (ram’s horn) in Zion, sanctify (consecrate) a fast, call a solemn (sacred) assembly.’ (Joel 2:12-15) Now friends, that’s possibly what we need to do; call a big, sacred fast, and turn back to the Lord our God, from whom many have turned away in the search for physical pleasure and material wealth.
But before we move on, hear this crucial explanation from the scholars . As per ‘rend your heart and not your garment,’ they say: ‘The customary way a Jew showed his grief was to tear his outer garment. This external sign could be meaningless. The tearing of the outer garment is useless unless the heart is also broken in repentance and contrition.’ And sadly, that’s what many of us do nowadays; have outward shows of fasting, repentance and all the other sacrificial stuff when in reality our hearts are not truly involved.
That’s why Jesus warned us thus about fasting. ‘Moreover when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites (pretenders), of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.’ (Matt. 6:16-18) Ah mih people, this society has become such a place of show and falsehood, of outward deceitful doings to please man, and raise our societal stature that you don’t know what or whom to believe. But as true disciples of Jesus, we should not be doing anything just to be seen and uplifted by mankind.
And we could not talk about Ash Wednesday and not consider the temptations that Jesus suffered after being baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, with the Spirit of God descending like a dove, alighting on Him, and the voice from heaven saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ (Matt. 3:16-17) After that, the Bible tells us: ‘Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered (hungry) And when the tempter came to him, he said, if thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he (Jesus) answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’ (Matt. 4:1-4)
And according to the scholars, the victory in each aspect of the temptation is related to Jesus’ use of Scripture. It is written: First He quotes Deuteronomy 8:3, about man not living by bread alone, but by the Word of God. The source of bread is more important than the bread itself. Later, during the conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus would say to the disciples, “I have meat to eat that ye know not of.” (John 4:32) Jesus’ source of strength was obedience to the Father’s will and He would not even work a miracle to avoid personal suffering when such suffering was a part of God’s purpose for Him.’
Wow! Not many of us would have the resilience and obedience to suffer for suffering sake. And imagine the contradiction in Jesus’ earlier situation nuh, where, after being highly praised by the Father, the Spirit led Him into the wilderness to suffer and be tempted. But that’s often how it is in the Will of God, and we just have to learn to live with it, by looking at the rewards at the end. Now there are two other temptations that Jesus experienced in the wilderness, but because there is so much information contained in them, it would make the Bit much too long if we included them today. So, if God spares life tomorrow, then we will continue with those other temptations.
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And for those who endure to the end with Jesus, there’s an even more glorious future to enjoy. So, hope to see you there! Much LOVE!
…the Bible…the Word of God…contains ALL we need to live this earthly life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
11 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a major part of our lives, after ye have done the will of God, are you in the dark, believe to the saving of the soul, cast not away your confidence, cause our faith to doubt, christianity, Christians, confidently live life resting in God's faithfulness, consistently rely on God's immutable Word, deepen your understanding of Gods' faithfulness, despair, dig down deep and find the faith to trust, discover God's promises in new ways, disregard the darkness, don't understand God's timimng, don't' understand why life is topsy-turvy, endure to the end with Jesus, every promise of God has come true, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, faith is all about trusting God, feeling or no feeling, God can be trusted, God keeps His promises, God waits for us to trust Him, God will give you a very precious message for someone else, God's immutable word, God's intention, God's promise remains certain through our deepest trial, God's promises, God's promises do not suddenly disappear, going the way of all the earth, great recompense of reward, halfway home, hands on the plough, he that shall come will come, he will not tarry, holy spirit, if any man draw back, if we stand strong in faith we will receive the promises, increasing joy, it stands firm, Jesus Christ, listen, loneliness, looking to Jesus, LOVE, mercy, my soul shall no pleasure in him, negative situations, not turning back, One Year Book of Bible promises, our courage fails, our fears become overwhelming, our second wind day, our wonderful position in Christ Jesus, regardless of negative circumstances, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, sincerely and humbly ask for divine help, so glad to be alive, testify to the truth of that statement, thank God, the author and finisher of our faith, the BIBLE, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the gospel truth, the just shall live by faith, the Lord always helps us to stand strong, the privilege of prayer, the truth of God's promises to be foundational in our lives, times of questioning, times of saadness, to a glorious future with Jesus, trusting seems the most difficult thing to do, truth, we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, weather the tough times, Wednesday Wail, when God gives a promise that speaks directly to our need, when you are in the light, wisdom, ye have need of patience, you have need of endurance, you might receive the promise
Hebrews 10:36. For ye have need of patience (endurance), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
Round three of our workweek fight is up today friends, that’s Wednesday. And it’s a good day, because it allows us to catch our second wind. So let’s do just that nuh, then keep on fighting the good fight for Jesus, as we are expected to do. (smile) And today we’re going to check out one of the amazing poems in our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, simply titled, ‘God’s Promises.’ And we all know that God’s Plentiful Promises are supposed to be a major part of our lives, but many of them don’t happen automatically, we have to seek them and then action them.
So please read with me: ‘With increasing joy I am discovering that God’s promises do not suddenly disappear when our courage fails and our fears become overwhelming. Feeling or no feeling, when God gives a promise that speaks directly to our need, it stands firm regardless of negative circumstances. There may be times of questioning, and we may not understand God’s timing, but His promise remains certain through our deepest trial.
If we consistently rely on His immutable Word, we can disregard the darkness. Oswald Chambers says, “Are you in the dark right now regarding your circumstances? Then listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else when you are in the light.’’ God waits for us to trust Him when trusting seems the most difficult thing of all.’
Oh friends, most of us can testify to the truth of that last statement, because it’s in our very dark, or our darkest times that the Lord expects our faith to rise up and trust Him. And that’s not always easy to do, but if we truly believe, then we dig down deep and find that faith to trust whatever promise He’s made to us, even if it seems most unlikely to come true.
And the unfortunate part is that we all go through times of sadness, of despair, of loneliness and all those negative situations that cause our faith to doubt, to stumble, to wonder what it’s all about. However, that’s why we have the Holy Spirit, God’s unchangeable Word and the privilege of prayer to help us weather those tough times. And believe me, the Lord will always help us stand strong when we sincerely and humbly ask for His divine help.
Now, the Bible passage that is attached to today’s poem is certainly an interesting and encouraging one for the hard times. The Book uses the New Living Translation (NLT), which says: ‘Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that He has promised.’ (Heb. 10:35-36) And that’s oh so true: if we stand strong in faith we will receive the promises.
But yuh know what, I’m chuckling here because as I opened Our One year Book of Bible Promises just now, I stumbled across a very appropriate passage for this poem. It’s actually the Introduction to the Book. I don’t remember ever seeing it before, but in the Lord’s mysterious ways of working, (smile) He obviously intended me to see and use it today.
So, please read with me: ‘God keeps His promises. You’ve heard it; in fact, you’ve probably even said it a few times. But how well do you know it? God’s intention is for this great truth to be so foundational in your heart that you confidently live life resting in His faithfulness. God can be trusted. Discover His promises in new ways this year and deepen your understanding of His faithfulness.’ And it ends with this NLT translation of Joshua 23:14. “Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the Lord your God has come true. Not a single one has failed!”
Now isn’t that a marvellous intro my faithful brethren! Indeed it is! And it’s just what we’ve been talking about. The Lord desires us to live confidently in the truth of His faithfulness throughout all of our lives, despite the negative situations we will encounter from time to time! And that’s what faith is all about: trusting God, even when you don’t know or understand why your life is all topsy-turvy.
And for our information, that passage from Joshua, is actually Moses, on his death bed telling the Israelites about the faithful promises of God. ‘And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.’ (Josh. 23:14) And that’s the gospel truth my people! Not one of God’s promises have ever failed. When we interpret them properly, they all come true.
That brings us back to the scripture passage for our poem today, and we’ll look now at the King James Version. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry (delay). Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition (destruction); but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.’ (Heb. 10:36-39)
Yes friends, I thought we needed to hear the last few verses of that scripture, because they help to raise our level of faith and keep us strong, and remind us that we are not of those who turn away from Christ and end up in ruin, but those who believe and thus save our souls! Now let’s go home declaring (steupsss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And if we really want to see a more than glorious future, then we’ll endure to the end with Jesus, because then, a future so amazing that we cannot comprehend it will shine forth. And I do hope that we’ll all be there to enjoy it together! Much LOVE!
…true Christian faith…is found only by looking to Jesus…the author and finisher…the originator and perfector…of that faith…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bright and sunshiny Wednesday, a flood of peace, above our mortal understanding, be careful for nothing, be not as the hypocrites, beleivers should not make a show of their prayer, breaks the chains of the world system, christianity, delivered him up for us all, departed into a solitary place and there prayed, enabling us, endure to the end with Jesus, enter into thy closet, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, fighting the good fight, freely give us all things, give guidance and direction, halfway home, hands on the plough, he does so to his own detriment, He htat spared not his own Son, holy spirit, how shall he not with him, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in the corners of the streets, in the morning, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the Light of the world, Jesus raises us up from the darkenss of sin and sorrow, Jesus went out, let your rrequest be made known to god, LOVE, mankind cannot afford to overlook prayer, mercy, not looking back at the past, not turning back, nothing's wrong with public prayer, pray to the Father in secret, prayer, public prayer is a necessity for the Christian faith, reward thee openly, rising up a great while before day, rooted and grounded in Christ, salvation, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ, so glad to be alive, strength to renew his spirit, take everything to God in prayer, thank God, that they may be seen of men, the BIBLE, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the Father knows the things ye need before you ask him, the light of Jesus lifts our souls and spirits, the peace of God which passeth all understading, the privilege of communicating with Gode, the Sermon on the Mount, they have their reward, they love to pray standing in the sysnagogues, they shall be heard for their much speaking, thy Father which seeth in secret, to a glorious future with Jesus, to bear the brunt of winter, truth, Wednesday Wail, when thou prayest, when ye pray use not vain repetitions, wisdom
Philippians 4:6. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God.
Oh friends, the Lord has turned our damp and cloudy Tuesday into a bright and sunshiny Wednesday! Give Him much praise and thanks, for although it’s still pretty cold, the sunshine comes like the light of Jesus and lifts our spirits and our souls, enabling us to bear the brunt of the winter weather. It’s just so amazing what light can do to darkness. That’s why Jesus is the light of the world! He raises us up from the darkness of sin and sorrow and breaks the chains that the world system tries to shackle us with. And it’s indeed a nice day to catch our second wind, so that we can continue working for Jesus, fighting the good fight for the rest of the work week.
Unfortunately though, we’re on a late bus today because the ole fella went to bed late, and thus got up late. (smile) Anyway we’re going to continue talking about ‘PRAYER’ that marvellous privilege we have of communicating with our heavenly Father. Now, yesterday we saw where Jesus prayed for himself, the disciples and us, the future believers, but the most important thing is that He regularly got up early and went out to a deserted place and prayed, as Mark tells us: ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he (Jesus) went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35)
That brought up the question, if Jesus the Son of God needed regular prayer time with His Father, how can we mere mortals, creations of His hands, not require the same, if not more prayer time with the Lord? And it’s not only early in the morning that Jesus prayed, but throughout the gospels we see where every so often, He would go away by Himself to pray. And what Jesus was doing there was both seeking the Father’s strength to renew His spirit, as well as guidance and direction for the day or days ahead.
And we also need those things, especially in these trying times, and the only way we can get them is by communicating with the Lord God Jehovah, sincerely asking Him to strengthen us like He did His Son Jesus. As Bruh Paul says in his letter to the church at Rome: ‘He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?’ (Rom. 8:32) Yes my faithful brethren, if the Lord gave up His Son Jesus Christ for our benefit, why then wouldn’t He be willing to give us the things we need eh?
He obviously would not, but like Christ did, we have to go to Him and petition Him for the desires of our hearts. Granted, He will fulfill some of them without our asking, but the majority of the time we need to go to Him and ask for them, like Bruh Paul wrote to the Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7)
Yes my people, when we take everything to God in prayer, with supplication and thanksgiving, He releases a flood of peace in our bodies and souls that’s way above our mortal understanding, but which keeps us rooted and grounded in Christ. And the wonderful thing about prayer is that it can basically take any form that the person praying desires. However, Jesus laid down certain basic rules for prayer, when He taught on prayer in the Sermon on the Mount.
‘And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites (pretenders) are: for they LOVE to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward (being seen by men). But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet (inner room), and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.’ (Matt. 6:5-8)
Now we have to be very careful about some of those stipulations, for they tend to be used in wrong ways, or out of context. Granted, a lot of pray ought to be done in secret. However, there is nothing wrong with public prayer. In fact it’s a necessity in the Christian faith when we gather to worship. But as the scholars tell us: ‘The principle here is that the believer should not make a show of his prayer nor of the answers he receives to prayer in such a way as to call attention to himself. Our attitude is of the utmost importance. Praying, like giving, is to be done to the Lord, not to man.’
Yes my people, we’re not to make a show of our prayers, or keep repeating them as the heathen do, because they think that the more they talk, the greater the likelihood they will be heard. But that’s a fallacy. The Lord will hear once our hearts are sincere and right towards Him. And now, with all of that good stuff percolating in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, (smile) let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And if we want to enjoy an even more glorious future, then we must endure to the end with Jesus, where one that boggles our imagination will be available. So let’s endure to the end so we can enjoy it together nuh! Much LOVE!
…prayer is such a big and wonderful privilege…that mankind cannot afford to overlook it…he does so to his own detriment…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a land with no hungry children, a time of joy peace and love, a world where men are free, all our dreams will come to be, be careful for nothing, catch our second wind, celebrating Christ's birth, christmas eve, don't get anxious and irritable, don't sweat it, endure to the end, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, fellowship, found what life's really worth, friendship, Glorious Light, halfway home, hands on the plough, hate will be gone, holy spirit, in a world where men are free, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, Jesus Christ, joy, learned what Christmas is for, let not your heart be troubled, let your request be made known unto God, like kids play with toys, LOVE, love will prevail, loving-kindness, Magnificent Redeemer, man will not fail, mar it with evil influences, men won't be boys, mercy, my peace I give unto you, neither let it be afraid, no empty hand, no man has fears, no more wars, no tears, not as the world giveth give I unto you, not in time for you and me, not looking back, one happy morning, one prayer away from our world today, one shining moment, one warm Doecember, our hearts will see, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, our motto for Christmas, our wonderful position in Christ Jesus, Peace and Love, Peace i leave with you, peace on earth, playing with bombs, salvation, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ, share a world where people really care, so glad to be alive, someday a new world, Someday at christmas, someday at christmas time, start with hope in every heart, strife-filled earth, thank God, the breath of life, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the glorious promise, the joy of the season, the peace of God which passeth all understading, the rush is on, the undeserving children of men, the unsurpassable peace of Jesus, to a glorious future with Jesus, to fellowship and give thanks God's greatest gift to mankind, truth, visit the Lord's sanctuary, when all men are equal, wisdom
John 14:27. 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.
And then it was Wednesday… a bright and sunshiny Christmas Eve my fellow believers! And it’s also a good day to catch our second wind, because the rush is on to get everything ready. But even if everything is not ready, please don’t sweat it and get anxious and irritable. Remember Bruh Paul’s wise words to the Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7)
Yes friends, the one thing we definitely need this Christmas season is PEACE, with a li’l LOVE thrown in for good measure, for that’s what Christ came to bring to our strife-filled earth. So don’t lose the joy of the season because everything’s not as you’d like it to be, just make sure to appreciate the time of Christ’s birth in the next twenty four hours, and both Christ and your family and friends will understand that you tried your best but you simply could not get everything you wanted done in time.
Remember, it’s the occasion of Christ’s birth we’re celebrating, and that doesn’t necessarily mean food or gifts; but simply joy and friendship, peace and LOVE on this marvellous occasion. And don’t forget to MAKE TIME to visit the Lord’s sanctuary at some stage in the next couple of days, to fellowship and give thanks for God’s greatest gift to mankind; our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
And all of God’s people said a loud, joyful and grateful: ‘Thank You Lord for giving us Your only Son Jesus Christ to be our Glorious Light and Magnificent Redeemer! We LOVE You and praise Your Holy Name for Your wonderful LOVING-KINDNESS to the undeserving children of men!’
And that reminds us of this marvellous and ever so appropriate song written many years ago by Bryan Wells and Ronald Miller, then made popular by Stevie Wonder in 1967. It’s aptly titled, ‘Someday at Christmas.’ So please sing with me: ‘Someday at Christmas men won’t be boys Playing with bombs like kids play with toys One warm December our hearts will see A world where men are free Someday at Christmas there’ll be no wars When we have learned what Christmas is for When we have found what life’s really worth There’ll be peace on earth
Someday at Christmas we’ll see a land With no hungry children, no empty hand One happy morning people will share A world where people care Someday at Christmas there’ll be no tears When all men are equal and no man has fears One shining moment one prayer away From our world today Someday at Christmas man will not fail Hate will be gone and LOVE will prevail Someday a new world that we can start With hope in every heart, yeah Someday all our dreams will come to be Someday in a world where men are free Maybe not in time for you and me But someday at Christmastime…Maybe not in time for you and me, But someday at Christmastime…’
Yes friends that ought to be our fervent hope, prayer, wish, supplication, whatever; that at some Christmastime there’d be true peace and LOVE in our world, with all the hate and anger, and the many other numerous evil influences no longer supreme, or better yet existing, just like our Saviour meant it to be when He came to earth on Christmas Day. And though life seems to be getting rougher and more uncertain with each passing day, we must never forget these wonderful and most encouraging words of Jesus: ‘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)
And my fellow believers, that ought to be our motto for this Christmas season; not being troubled or afraid, because we have the unsurpassable peace of Jesus and the joy which comes with it, steadfast and strong within our hearts, souls, bodies and minds! Now, let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And please don’t forget the promise that those who endure with Jesus right down to the very end will enjoy a future even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. That therefore means we must be wise and strong in faith to endure to the end, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…the birth of Christ is a time of joy, peace and LOVE…so let’s not mar it this year with evil influences and behaviour…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all the hil country of Judea, among a people, barren women face shame and scorn, called him Zacharias after his father, came to circumcise the child, chastened for his apparent skepticism, eight days to christmas, Elisabeth's full time came, endure to the very end with Christ, eyes fixed straight ahead, fear came on all that dwelt round about them, fulfilled in their own time, God knew his heart, God spared our lives, halfway home, hands on the plough, he beckoned unto them, he shall be called John, he spake and praised God, her neighbours and relatives heard, his mouth was opened immediately, his tongue loosed, holy spirit, I am an old man, I am Gabriel, in the days wherein he looked on me, Jesus Christ, John's birth caused consternation in the camp, keeping christ first place, kept them in their hearts, LOVE, marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple, mercy, my wife well advanced in age, not able to speak, not looking back, on the eight day, remained speechless, salvation, shall be fulfilled in their season, she brought forth a son, shew thee these glad tidings, sincere belieivng, so glad to be alive, stand in the presence of God, thank God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the Lord had showed great mercy on her, the nature of the human animal, the ole hypocrites, the people waited for Zacharias, the working of God produced a unique sensation, these sayings were noised abroad, they marvelled all, they perceived that he had a vision in the temple, they rejoiced with her, this good news, thou believest not my words, thou shalt be dumb, thus has the Lord dealt with me, to a glorious future with Jesus, to take away my reproach among men, truth, until the day these things shall be performed, Wednesday Wail, what manner of child shall this be, when he came out he could not speak to them, where not even a prophet had spoken for centuries, whereby shall I know this, wisdom, Zacahrias wrote His name is John
Luke 1:64. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake and praised God.
It’s down to eight now my people….only eight days to Christmas! Hope the preparations and celebrations are coming along well, but we’re keeping Christ first place, remembering that His birth is the ONLY reason for this Christmas celebration, and paying the respect and admiration that He’s due. And since it seems that God has spared our lives so we can see another day on His glorious Planet Earth, (smile) then we should continue with the story of Zacharias as promised.
Now, yesterday we stopped where the angel told Zacharias about all the joy and gladness that John would bring and like Elijah, turn the people of Israel back to God. (Luke 1:14-17) And having heard all of that wonderful news, ‘Zacharias said unto the angel, whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken (advanced) in years.
And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings (this good news). And, behold, thou shalt be dumb (mute), and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season (in their own time).’ (Luke 1:18-20)
Oh my people, you see what little or low faith can bring. If anyone was expected to believe Gabriel’s words, it would be the priest who was constantly dealing with faith and godly situations, not a young unmarried girl. But that’s how it happened, and thus Zacharias became dumb until his son, John the Baptist was born. Meanwhile the Bible tells us that as Zacharias was being made dumb in the temple… ‘And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried (delayed) so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had had a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.’ (Luke 1:21-22)
And I like how the scholars explain the situation. They say ‘Zacharias speechlessness serves to chasten him for his apparent skepticism. One may think it a harsh measure, but God who dispensed this judgement knew his heart. And the promise remained secure. Zacharias was merely prevented from easily spreading the news around.’ That shows us the contradiction with Mary’s situation. She believed, and was able to spread her news around, although her news was not something she desired many people to know about, since it would cause her great heartache and scandal.
The Bible continues: ‘And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration (service) were accomplished (completed), he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus has the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.’ (Luke 1:23-25) In other words, when Zacharias finished his time of service, he went back home and impregnated Elisabeth, (smile) much like the story of Abraham and Sarah, a hundred and ninety years old respectively when they conceived Isaac.
Now that last verse from Elisabeth is quite important for in Jewish culture a woman who could not bear children, like Hannah, the prophet Samuel’s mother, were looked upon with much scorn and disgrace. Thus Elisabeth was thanking the Lord for at last giving her freedom from the shame and scorn she had suffered in her earlier barren years. Sadly though, up to this day, some societies still look at barren women with scorn and disgrace. And for some reason, it’s always the fault of the woman, very seldom, if ever, of the man. But unfortunately that’s the way this male centred world goes.
However, moving on with our story, we finally come to John the Baptist’s birth. The Bible tells us: ‘Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins (relatives) heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.’ (Luke 1:57-58) As the old people would say; the ole hypocrites and them. They heaped so much scorn on her before when she was considered barren, but now that she has a child, they want to rejoice and celebrate with her. But I guess that’s the nature of the human animal.
Anyway, the story continues: ‘And it came to pass, that on the eight day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by that name. And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake and praised God.’ (Luke 1:59-64)
Ah friends, the Lord surely knows how to dramatize a scene to be the most effective. For after that, the Bible relates it thus: ‘And fear came on all that dwelt around about them: and all these sayings (things) were noised abroad (discussed) throughout all the hill country of Judea. And all they that heard them laid them up (kept them) in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.’ (Luke 1:65-66) Yes mih bredrin, the Lord does move in mysterious but very powerful and successful ways His purpose to accomplish.
Today we concentrate mostly on Jesus’ birth, but the birth of John the Baptist, His forerunner, also caused consternation in the camp. And the scholars explain the words ‘Fear came,’ by saying: ‘The working of God produced a unique sensation among a people where not even a prophet had spoken for centuries.’ But the Lord was able to wake them up though with birth of John the Baptist! (smile)
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus! As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And yes, it will be an even more glorious future than we can ask or imagine, for those who endure to the end with Christ. It therefore behooves us to endure to the very end, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…with Jesus…it’s all about faith…about sincerely believing…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dip in the salt, a glorious future with Jesus, a horse of an entirely different colour, a landslide, accept good, at the hand of God, be the children of your Father in heaven, bite our tongues, blame others for our misfortune, Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed with rain, bread and shark, busy with traffic, charged God foolishly, deposits us on the carpet, did not Job sin with his lips, endures to the end, faith, flowing through me, God knows what's happening with us, halfway home, hands on the plough, hasty decisions, he makes his sun to rise, holy spirit, icing on the cake, immerse in salt water, in all this, Jesus Christ, Job sinned not, Las Cuevas, LOVE, Maracas, mercy, mountains clothed in fog, naked came I out of my mother's womg, naked shall I return thither, natural hardships affect everyone, not accept evil, not easy to undergo trials, not looking back, on the evil and the good, our wonderful position in Christ Jesus, perseverance, Port of Spain, practice what I preach, praise be to the Lord, salvation, sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust, sincerity in worship, so glad to be alive, steadfast faith, talking tough is easy, thank god for each blessing, the bad news, the best therapeutic remedy, the breath of life, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the good news, The Lord gave and He hath taken away, the winding road, time of tribulation, tired like a dog, tough times, traffic jams, truth, unbecoming language, universal benevolence, visiting family, wisdom
Job 2:10b). ‘What? shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive (accept) evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.’
Well friends, let’s give you the bad news first; (smile) it’s obvious we’re on a late late bus, and we might doing so for the next few days. And the reason for that bad news is this good news; the ole fella is in T&T!
Yes mih bredrin, the ole fella and his family journeyed through the night, with no sleep, to come to the land of mas and kaiso! And then on landing, instead of going to our hotel, we began visiting family for breakfast, which took some time as we had not seen each other for a number of years.
And since their time is an hour ahead of Canada’s, it means that we are operating on a shorter time period than normal. But that didn’t matter for we got to hotel in Port of Spain, booked in, had a short nap, then we were off again to check out the north coast of Trinidad, heading up to Maracas and Las Cuevas beaches, through the hilly and winding road, busy with traffic going in both directions.
At one point because of the rain, we encountered a small landslide which knocked a big tree over the road, but we were able to pass under it, however a bus had to stop and park until the tree could be removed, and by the time we were returning the bus passed us, going its merry way rejoicing, meaning that the fallen tree had been removed.
I had a brief dip in the salt at Las Cuevas…imagine that nuh, it’s been at least some four or five years since I’ve had the heavenly blessing of immersing my aching body in salt water, the best therapeutic remedy for aches and pains and what ever else may ail you. (smile) And that’s no lie!
After Las Cuevas, we went back to Maracas to have some of their famous bread and shark with all different kinds of trimmings. The rest of the family had it, but I didn’t, since I’m not a fish lover, and that delicacy was never one of my favourites.
And were we ever blessed with rain going and coming…not the heavy stuff, but enough drizzle to keep some of the many beautiful mountains clothed in fog. At one time I even thought I was back in good ole Canada by the amount of fog I was seeing. (smile)
And coming back was just like going home after work in the big city…traffic jams. What else is new eh! The roads have been the same size for donkey’s years but the traffic has increased very significantly.
We finally got back to the hotel around four thirty, then I had to begin sorting out my stuff, because we had no chance to do it earlier in the day. So, it’s obvious that the ole fella is tired like a dog, but I’m trying to practice what I preach; perseverance in tough times. I just could not let the day go by without some sort of information to my favourite Script-Bits Family.
So there you have it, the good and bad news, for as Job so rightly said to his frustrated wife in his time of tribulation: ‘What? shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive (accept) evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.’ (Job 2:10b)
And so it ought to be with us my fellow believers. When tough times tackle us, and unceremoniously deposits us on the carpet, we must not rush to make hasty decisions and use unbecoming language, for our God knows what is happening in our lives, and has promised to help us through them if we remain in good and steadfast faith.
Oh, it’s never really easy to undergo trials and not say anything untoward, especially about God, but if we truly believe, we have to bite our tongues and say in all sincerity in worship, like Job did after hearing the awful news about his family and his livelihood.
The Good Book tells us: ‘Then Job arose, and rent (tore) his mantle (robe), and shaved his head, and fell on the ground, and worshipped. And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.’ (Job 1:20-22)
The sad part is that when many of us encounter trials and tribulation we’re quick to blame others for our misfortune, including the Lord. But that’s never the right approach, as Job so wisely and righteously shows.
And Jesus put some icing on the cake on that in His Sermon on the Mount, when teaching about LOVING one’s enemies: ‘That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.’ (Matt. 5:45)
In other words, as this commentary explains: ‘ The phrase “the rain falls on the just and the unjust” means that natural events and hardships are not selective and affect everyone, regardless of their moral character.
Jesus states that God causes the sun to rise and rain to fall on both the good and the bad to show His universal benevolence. The saying highlights that both “good” and “bad” people will face similar trials and blessings in life.’
And we all know that, so please, let’s try to live our faith as best we can, and admit that the Lord knows what He is doing. ‘Praise be to the Lord God Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ Now, let’s go home declaring (chuhhh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And the important thing about that last statement is that whoever endures to the end with Christ, will enjoy a future so glorious that they can never understand or imagine it. So, let’s keep that in mind and endure to the end nuh, so we can enjoy that more than glorious together! Much LOVE!
…talking tough is easy…but being tough when tough times come a calling…is a horse of an entirely different colour.
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a model for all leaders, accept Him down here on earth, act as a servant to others, adds a different flavour, be cast away, became obedient unto death, being in the form of God, but to serve, come in his own glory, common sense dictates, defeating the whole purpose of our association with God, disciples should not seek to be served, earth is an extension of heaven, emptied himself of his privileges, empty ourselves of all selfish ambitions, end up with Christ in eternal life, endure to the end, eternal destiny, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, fighting the good fight, find true life, flowing through me, for what is a man advantaged, found in fashion as a man, God likes to control everything, God you are relentless, halfway home, hands on the plough, hit home to the truth, hold back some things, holy spirit, humbled himself, if any of you wants to be my follower, if he gain the whole world, if you give your life for me, in truth, it is invariably, Jesus Christ, Jesus is our example in everything, just like Jesus did, keep on keeping on, let him be your servant, let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus, logic, lose himself, LOVE, made himself of no reputation, made in the likeness of men, mercy, not turning back, of him shall the son of man be ashamed, one small exception, One Year Book of Bible promises, our second wind day, put aside your selfish ambition, Relentless, Ruth Harms Calkin, sacrifice, salvation, shoulder your cross daily, so glad to be alive, surrender our all to God, take up your cross daily, technological age, thank God, the author and finisher of our faith, the breath of life, the death of the cross, the kingdom of God has come to the earth, the son of man came not be ministered unto, the Son of man came not to be served, thought it not robbery, to a glorious future with Jesus, to be equal with God, to give his life a ransom for many, to work all things out for our good, took upon him the form of a servant, truly amazed, truth, try to keep your life for yourself, what does a man benefit, whosoever shall be ashamed, whosoever will be chief among you, why does it matter so much to you, wisdom, yielded everything to you, you keep bringing me back, you will lose it, you would even take notice
Luke 9:25. For what is a man advantaged (benefited), if he gain the whole world, and lose himself (is destroyed), or be cast away (lost)?
Aye friends, it’s Wednesday, our second wind day, and we are not doing too badly in terms of time, for we’re not quite on the late bus, although I did run around and do some errands after my church group meeting. (smile) Anyway, let’s hope and pray that we will all catch our second wind today and keep on keeping on, fighting the good fight in the most blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!
And today we’re going to look at an interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkins. It’s a poem to which all of us can relate because we all do it in one form or the other. The poem’s simply titled ‘Relentless.’ And I believe we have studied it before, but like I always say, some of these poems hit home to the truth in us so well that it’s to our benefit to study them time and time again.
So, please read with me: ‘God, You are relentless. I have yielded everything to You – Everything but one small exception – An exception so small I’m truly amazed You would even take notice. Yet it is invariably To that one small exception That you keep bringing me Back, and back, and back. Why does it matter so much to You? My Child why does it matter so much to You.’
Now that’s a very good question that the Lord asked in return. If it’s so small an exception why does it matter so much to us, that we don’t want to turn it over to Him? But that’s the way most of us are; we say we surrender our all to God, but in truth, we hide or hold back certain things that we either don’t want Him to know, or to control. However, that’s defeating the whole purpose of our association with Almighty God, for He likes to control EVERYTHING, EVERY PART of our lives, since that’s the ONLY way He can truly work all things out for our good.
That’s pure logic with a touch of common sense, (smile) although I know that logic and common sense are not in vogue in this overvalued and wrongly used technological age. And the Bible verses for today’s poem are some from the lips of Jesus that we ought to know and ought to practice every day. It’s His discourse on following Him, or being His disciple. And we’ll read it from the New Living Translation (NLT) that the book uses, because it differs somewhat from the King James Version, using more of today’s language, and it does add an interesting and different flavour to the scripture.
‘Then he said to the crowd, If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give your life for me, you will find true life.’ (Luke 9:23-24) Yes friends, that’s stating it simply, but very clearly. If you desire to follow Jesus then you must empty yourself of all selfish ambitions and do what He desires. It’s just like He did when he came to earth.
As the Bible tells us: ‘Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men (He emptied Himself of all His heavenly privileges). And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil 4:5-8)
Oh my brethren, if Jesus could give up His heavenly life to come to earth to be a servant, why can’t we do the same eh? No reason whatsoever! But problems arise when we see words like ‘put aside your selfish ambition,’ and others that include sacrifice and taking up our crosses DAILY! Now that just drives us to the proverbial drink! (smile) Because we believe that we’ll have no control over our lives, and we won’t be able to enjoy all the earthly lusts and pleasures that we desire to experience.
But please note that living for Jesus excludes many of those worldly pleasures, for they only lead us down the path to destruction and damnation. And that’s partly why we cannot give up our all to the Lord; for though we know it’s wrong, we still want to enjoy those lustful pleasures. (smile) But let’s go back to the King James Version for this most important reasoning of Christ, where He explains why we should follow Him the way He desires. ‘For what is a man advantaged (benefited), if he gain the whole world, and lose himself (is destroyed), or be cast away (lost)? For whosever shall be ashamed of me and my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.’ (Luke 9:25-26)
Oh my people, it’s all about our eternal destiny, where we will end up after this earthly life. And you cannot end up with Christ in eternal life if you don’t accept Him down here today, and live the way He desires us to live! Remember, the kingdom of heaven has now come to earth with the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. So technically speaking, we’re simply an extension of heaven and need to live by the decrees thereof. And let’s remember these poignant words of Jesus, after the mother of James and John begged for them to be placed on His left and ride side when He came in all His glory.
‘And whosoever will be chief (first) among you, let him be your servant (slave):Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto (be served), but to minister (serve), and to give his life a ransom for many.’ (Matt. 20:27-28) And I like what this commentary says re those verse. ‘Jesus taught that those who wish to be great in his kingdom should not seek to be served, but should instead act as a servant to others. This is a model for all leaders, as well as for the disciples. Jesus exemplified this through his actions, such as washing his disciples’ feet, healing the sick, and feeding the thousands.
These were not acts of someone who came to be served, but acts of humble service from the “Son of Man”.’ And having seen what Jesus did, and what our lives should be like as His disciples, let’s now go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
That brings to mind the promise of anyone enduring to then end with Jesus, will receive an even more glorious future than we can ask or imagine. Therefore, let’s be wise and endure to the end with Jesus, so we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…Jesus…the author and finisher of our faith…ought to be our example in EVERYTHING…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a large responsibility, add a little balm to our wounds, another fine summer's day, appear beautiful outward, born of God, detracts from our Christian influence, endure to the end, faith, follow the world's wisdom, God's commandments are not burdensome, God's commandments are not grievous, halfway home, hands on the plough, he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God, he that endureth to the end shall be saved, holy spirit, honour me with their lips, hypocrites, if any man will come after me, if ye love me keep my commandments, in vain do they worship me, insincere religious behaviour, Jesus Christ, Jesus' admonishment of the Pharisees, let him deny himself, like unto whited sepulchres, LOVE, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not looking back at the past, our second wind day, outwardly appear righteous, pay lip service to God, paying lip service, salvation, so glad to be alive, take up his cross daily and follow me, talking through our hats, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, thank God, the breath of life, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the Christian life is not easy and comfortable, the Comforter, the lack of true Christian behaviour, the rewards are worth the sacrifices, the sun is in ascendance, the world is going to hell in a handbasket, their heart is far from me, this is the love of God, this is the victory that overcometh the world, this people draw near to me with their mouth, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, undeserved grace, we love the children of God, Wednesday Wail, whatever is born of God overcomes the world, when we love God and keep his commandments, whitewashed tombs, who is he that overcometh the world, whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, wisdom, within are full of dead men's bones, within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity, woe unto you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites, ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake
John 14:15. If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.
And this Wednesday, our second wind day, has turned out to be another fine summer’s Day! Well, it’s a tad cloudy, (smile) but there’s no doubt that the sun is in ascendance, so let’s give our good God some thanks and praise for allowing us to see another beautiful day on planet earth. And all God’s children gave a loud and grateful shout of: ‘Thank you heavenly Father, for LOVING us so much and granting us the undeserved grace and mercy to live another day! We LOVE You, and praise Your holy name! Amen!’
And I’m sadly chuckling here friends, because that statement we made above there about LOVING God, carries a rather large requirement and responsibility with it. For remember what Jesus said to the disciples before telling them about the coming of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. it was a simple but most important statement. ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:35) Yes my fellow believers, that’s the gist of the whole story; if we LOVE God, we will keep His commandments.
And since too many of us are not keeping His commandments, then it means we don’t truly LOVE Him, we’re merely talking through our hats, merely paying lip service. It brings us right back to Jesus’ admonishment of the Pharisees. ‘Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias (Isaiah) prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh (near) unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’ (Matt. 15:8-9)
And that’s oh so true my people! Too many of us supposed Christians only pay lip service to God, but basically follow the world’s wisdom in most of what we do. And that greatly detracts from whatever influence we might have with the unbelievers. That means we’re behaving like the leaders of Israel in Jesus’ time, when He again admonished them for their insincere religious behaviour, this time re washing of hands before eating, by saying:
‘Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres (whitewashed tombs), which indeed appear beautiful outward, but within are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.’ (Matt. 23:27-28)
And unfortunately my brethren, too many supposed Christians of today are the same way. We look good on the outside, behave ever so righteously, but on the inside we’re a terrible mess, or as Jesus says, ‘full of hypocrisy and iniquity.’ No wonder the world is going to hell in a handbasket…and very quickly too. And a lot of it has to do with the lack of true Christian behaviour by those of us who claim to be followers of Christ.
But have we ever seriously considered what it means to be a follower, a disciple of Christ? I doubt many of us have, but just take it for granted. Here though, is what Jesus says about and expects from His disciples and followers. ‘And he (Jesus) said to them all, 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)
Yes my fellow believers that’s what Jesus expects from those who claim to be His followers. But how many of us really fall into that category eh? Not many, since we find it hard to deny ourselves, and even more so, take up our cross DAILY. Now that’s the operative word in that whole sentence. We have to be able to deny ourselves and live for Jesus DAILY, not only when it’s convenient for us. And no, it’s not easy doing that, but whoever said that following Christ was easy eh? It’s not! But the rewards for doing so are most definitely worth the sacrifice it entails.
Enough admonishment though, for we all know that we’re not doing such a great job on Jesus’ behalf, otherwise our world would not be in the sorry, strife-filled, angry and hateful state it’s now in. So now, let’s add a little balm to our wounds, (smile) with these healing words from the first epistle of John.
‘Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that LOVETH him that begat LOVETH him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we LOVE the children of God, when we LOVE God, and keep his commandments. For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome). For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?’ (1 John 5:1-5)
There again, John reiterates the fact that we need to keep God’s commandments, and they are not burdensome, as so many of us believe, because we just want to live the easy comfortable life. But that’s not the Christian life. And there will always be problems, simply because we call ourselves Christians. It’s as Jesus said when He talked about sending us forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: ‘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)
Now that last part is the important part…he who endures to the end, he shall be saved. That means we need to endure to the end, despite what happens to us along our life’s journey. And as John so rightly says: ‘he that overcomes the world is he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God!’ So once we truly believe, we can indeed overcome the world! And with that, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And it’s been promised that all who endure to the end, will not only be saved, but have an even more glorious future than they can ever imagine. So please let’s be wise and endure right to the very end with Jesus, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…if one wants to be a part of an organization…one must follow the rules…so, to be a Chrisitan…we must keep Christ’s commandments…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a state of weakness, addicted to perfection, allowing them to accomplish things beyond their own capabilities, be not wise in thine own eyes, become avenues for divine strength and grace to manifest, brokenness, calls for trust and dependence on God's grace, Christ's power manifests in our lives through our weaknesses, depart from evil, despairing in hardships, direct thy paths, do the right thing, encourages believers, endure to the very end with Christ, evil ruling the roost, faith, fear the Lord, feel like failures, glory in my infirmities, God's power is most effective, God's strength is not diminished by our weaknesses, guiltiness, halfway home, hands on the plough, he said unto me, health to thy navel, help me let go of perfection, help me remember, holy spirit, I expereince your healing and sufficiency, I learn to depend on and trust you, I try so hard to follow your ways, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in those moments, In Touch Devotional Magazine, Jesus Christ, Jeus is the only perfect one, lean not unto thine own understanding, LOVE, marrow to thy bones, mercy, most gladly therefore, my brokenness is where we meet, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my failures, my grace is sufficient for thee, my strength is made perfect in weakness, not in fine fettle, not looking back, not that we are sufficient of ourselves, not up to scratch, often falling short, open my arms to you, opportunities for God to demonstrate His strength and support, our sufficiency is of God, paradox, perceived failings, perfection was never part of your plan, redemptive history, remove the thorn from his flesh, salvation, sit heavy on my heart, so glad to be alive, supernatural powers, the breath of life, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the power of Christ may rest upon me, the sufficiency of Scripture, their vulnerabilities, to a glorious future with Jesus, to face difficulties, to overcome personal limitations, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, trusting, truth, vulnerability, Wednesday Wail, wisdom
2 Corinthians 12:9a. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.
Well friends, this sunshiny Wednesday morning, we’re on a later bus than normal, and it’s not because of our Wednesday morning gathering, because that doesn’t start back for another couple of weeks. But the ole fella got up late and was just not in fine fettle. And the sad part is that I could not pin point the problem. I just knew that I wasn’t up to scratch. And there’s nothing that annoys me like feeling lousy and not knowing the reason. But that’s my story for today…and I’m sticking to it. (smile) Anyway, after a shower and some coffee, I’m not feeling to badly now; good enough to write the Bit.
So here goes. This last Wednesday in August we will look at the prayer from the In Touch Devotional for this month. Please pray with me: ‘Lord, I try so hard… to follow Your ways, to do the right thing. But it often seems as if I’m falling short, and those failures sit heavy on my heart. In those moments, help me remember perfection was never part of Your plan. Rather, my brokenness is where we meet. Where I learn to depend on and trust You, where I experience Your healing and sufficiency. Lord, help me let go of perfection and instead open my arms to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.’
And unfortunately, many of us believers do suffer from that addiction to perfection. Oh, we are expected to do excellent work, but not kill ourselves to be perfect, because the Lord knows He did not make perfect human beings. The only one in human form that’s ever been perfect is Jesus! The Lord made us less than perfect so that we would have to turn to Him in our weakness. It’s like when Bruh Paul asked the Lord three times to take away the thorn from his flesh. ‘And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.’ (2 Cor. 12:9a)
And this commentary explains that verse by saying: ‘It suggests that God’s power is fully displayed and most effective when a person is in a state of weakness or vulnerability. This paradox encourages believers to embrace their perceived limitations, trusting that their vulnerabilities become avenues for divine strength and grace to manifest, allowing them to accomplish things beyond their own capabilities.’
That’s why Bruh Paul exulted thus in the next half of the verse. ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’ (2 Cor. 12:9b) Yes, Bruh Paul then glories in his weaknesses, realizing that it’s through those weaknesses that the power of Christ would manifest in his life.
So, as the commentary continues: ‘The core idea is that God’s strength is not diminished by our weaknesses but rather highlighted by them, allowing for a greater demonstration of His power working through us. But it calls for trust and dependence on God’s grace and strength to overcome personal limitations and face difficulties, rather than trying to rely solely on one’s own abilities. So, rather than despairing in hardships or perceived failings, believers are to see these as opportunities for God to demonstrate His strength and support.’
And we all know that is not easy to do, especially in light of our failure to achieve perfection, when guiltiness comes upon us and we feel like failures. But until we learn to let go of our own perfection desires, and place our total trust in God, we will forever feel guilty and consider ourselves failures.
It’s like those marvellous verses of wisdom from Cousin Sol in Proverbs that we all know and quote but then don’t action them in our lives. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make straight) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength or refreshment) to thy bones.’ (Prov. 3:5-8)
And my people, if we’d only follow those few simple commands – trust in the Lord and not in our own prideful selves, reverence Him and depart from evil – then our lives would be much more enjoyable, and we would not feel the guilt and failure we will always experience when we rely on our own comparatively puny, finite strength and wisdom. And let’s not forget that most telling verse that Bruh Paul wrote earlier on his second letter to the Corinthians: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor. 3:5)
And what does that mean? Firstly, it means that God is self-sufficient in Himself; has always been so, and will always be so. However, we His human creation don’t have the supernatural powers that He possesses, and thus need to rely on Him for our sufficiency. And on top of all that, we have this commentary that asks and then explains: ‘What is the biblical definition of sufficiency? “We can define the sufficiency of Scripture as follows: The sufficiency of Scripture means that Scripture contained all the words of God that He intended His people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that it now contains all the words of God we need for salvation, for trusting Him perfectly, and for obeying …’
And you know what my fellow believers, there’s never been a time like right now, with evil and ungodliness ruling the roost, when we desperately need to believe, trust, obey and seek the sufficiency of Christ, rather than our own ineffective efforts. End of the Sermon! (smile) Now let’s declare (steupesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And it’s been faithfully promised, that all those who endure with Jesus to the very end, will enjoy an even more glorious future than we can ever ask or imagine. So let’s be wise and plan to endure to the very end nuh, in order to enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…God made us to be dependent on Him…not on our inferior powers…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all these things shall be added unto you, as the heavens are higher than the earth, be ready to suffer the consequences, boggles our imagination, call ye upon him while he is near, christianity, Dr Charles Stanley, endure to the end with Christ, eternity, faith, forgiving, free will, getting you into trouble with God, God created humans for good, gospel truth, gracious, halfway home, hands on the plough, have it more abundantly, he Sermon on the Mount, he will abundantly pardon, he will have mercy upon him, hold our heads and bawl, holy spirit, humans are more enamoured with evil than good, I am come that they might have life, if only I'd thought before doing it, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the best, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, let the wicked forsake his way, LOVE, merciful, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my thoughts higher than your thoughts, my ways are not your ways, my ways higher than your ways, negative consequences, not looking back at the past, obey God and leave all the consequences to him, our finite minds, our poor decisions end up hurting innocent people, our wonderful position in Christ Jesus, return unto the Lord, risk of flooding, salvation, Satan is all about deceit and greed, Satan's machinations, satisfying the thirsty earth, second wind day, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, seek ye the Lord while he may be found, so glad to be alive, some we cannot even comprehend, thank God, the atoning lamb of God, the awesome help of Jesus, the BIBLE, the breath of life, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the cross at Calvary, the embodiment of all we can ask for or imagine, the good life, the King of Kings, the Lily of the Valley, the Lion of Judah, the Lord is Sovereign over the earth, the Lord of lords, the material things of the world, the rains fell, the resurrection and the life, the Son of God, the thief comes only to steal kill and destroy, the unrighteous man his thoughts, the Way Maker, the way the truth and the life, thieves break through and steal, thieves do not break through and steal, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, unwise decisions, we can handle whatever comes against us, Wednesday Wail, where moth and rust doth corrupt, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, where your treasure is there will be your heart also, wisdom, wisdom to the nth degree
Isaiah 55:6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.
And the rains fell; from early evening through the night, until the morning hours, finally satisfying the parched and thirsty earth! Thankfully though, it was not an onslaught of powerful showers but mostly a constant drizzle, which greatly reduced the risk of flooding. Understandably then, Wednesday, our second wind day has opened damp, cloudy and cool, and we possibly ought to brace ourselves for more rain because that warning just showed up on the computer. But let’s remember that whatever comes against us, we can certainly handle it with Jesus’ awesome help! And all God’s children said a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Jesus! You’re the Best!’
And that’s the awesome truth! For there’s none like Jesus! He’s the Son of God, and is thus godly, gracious, forgiving, merciful, the atoning lamb of God, the Way Maker, the Lion of Judah, the Way, the Life and the Truth, the Light of the World, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Lily of the Valley, the Resurrection and the Life, and a host of other names which it would take the whole day to list. (smile) But seriously though, Jesus is the embodiment of all that we can ever ask for or imagine…and even then some that we cannot even comprehend with our finite minds.
As the prophet Isaiah writes: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) That’s why we cannot understand a lot of what the Lord does, or is doing, both in our own lives and in the world. We know that He still sits as Sovereign of the world, but some of the stuff that He allows to happen when He can either prevent them or stop them just boggles our imagination.
However, the Lord has His own plans for the world He created and still rules, while giving us free will to make independent choices. He did not make robots, but human beings with minds that they could use to do what’s right or wrong, but must be prepared to suffer the consequences of each decision. And that’s exactly where we’re falling down. We rush to live like the world, like Satan desires, but when the negative consequences of those unwise decisions come rushing up against us, we hold our heads and bawl, saying, ‘if only, if only I’d thought about it before doing it.’
But then it’s usually too late my people, and unfortunately our decisions end up hurting not only ourselves but a lot of others around us. And that’s the really sad part about us making unwise decisions; it never hurts us alone, but other innocent ones in our proximity. That’s why Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) always admonished us to obey God and leave all the consequences to Him. For when we do as God desires, the consequences are usually good, and if not, then he will certainly help us to handle them.
But Satan doesn’t help us to handle the bad consequences we suffer when we follow him. Not at all. He just sits back and laughs at us and considers us stupid to be following him, when all that ever comes from his machinations are negative consequences. And that’s why the prophet Isaiah, when informing Israel of God’s abundant pardons, declared: ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is. 55:6-7)
Yes friends, that’s an international call to all people, to both Jews and Gentiles, to come to the Lord for salvation, for forgiveness and the good life throughout eternity. And He certainly made it all possible by the unselfish but heartbreaking offering of His only begotten Son Jesus as a sacrifice, the Lamb of God, on the cross at Calvary. I don’t know why we keep forgetting that God is generous and merciful, forgiving and compassionate, while Satan is all about deceit, greed, and taking whatever you have and getting you into trouble with God.
It’s as Jesus so eloquently and truthfully puts it: ‘The thief (Satan) cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) And I don’t understand why we cannot believe that and make it a part of our lives because it’s the absolute truth. All Satan wants to do is to destroy, to break down, to bring people down to damnation and hellfire with him, while Jesus wants to build, to give life, eternal life to all who are wise enough to embrace Him and what He stands for.
So, again, I don’t know why we’re so adamant at following Satan, killing ourselves to get the material things of the world, and then we don’t even have time to enjoy them. Remember the same material things Satan tempts us with, are the same material things we can get from God if we do as Jesus says: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) And believe me, if you get these things from God, rather than through Satan’s evil machinations, you will enjoy them more and they will last longer.
But it’s all about wisdom and where your hearts truly lie. For as Jesus wisely say in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:19-21) And that’s the gospel truth friends! So please, let’s stop concentrating on storing up earthly treasures and wisely decide to store up heavenly ones instead nuh! For that’s wisdom to the nth degree!
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Now there’s an addendum to that declaration which states, whoever endures to the very end with Jesus will enjoy an even more glorious future than we can ever comprehend or imagine. So let’s plan to meet at the very end and enjoy that more than glorious future together nuh! Much LOVE!
…why is the human being more enamoured with evil…than with good…when he was created by God…for good…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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