20 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a gentle but refreshing calm and peace, a touch of God's peace, an attitude of gratitude, and again I say rejoice, anxious, be careful for nothing, be of good cheer, bring good news to mankind, Christ's birth would bring peace and joy to mankind on earth, deepen my breath, do our best for christ, faith, feel the Lord's Spirit drawing us closer to Him, forgiveness from sins, four days to Christmas, gladness, Glory to god in the highest, God's plan of salvation, gratitude, heaven's intention, holy spirit, i have overcome the world, I marvel to think, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, if ye love me keep my commandments, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let not your heart be troubled, let your moderation be known unto all men, let your requests be made known unto God, LOVE, make small improements, mankind is more warlike and bloodthirsty, mercy, merriment, my peace I give unto you, neither let it be afraid, no matter what life throws at us, not as the world giveth give I unto you, on earth, our victory lies in Jesus, our victory lies in Jesus not in our circumstances, peace good will toward men, Peace i leave with you, quiet my soul, reconciliation, regardless of our circumstances, Rejoice in the Lord always, relax my muscles, righteousness, salvation, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ, slow my thoughts, stand strong and steadfast in faith, still have joy, thank you for this tenderness, thanks, the angels came to earth, the Lord is at hand, the peace of God which passeth all understading, these things I have spoken unto you, too much strife in our world, truth, turbulent and ungodly times, wisdom, you are here with me, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Luke 2:14. ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’
Then it was only 5… and it’s also our lazy-day Saturday! Glory be! Actually friends, it’s only four shopping and preparation days to Christmas, since the fifth day is Christmas Day. (smile) And I know all around the world the merriment and gladness is ramping up as the day draws nearer, but let’s not forget the reason for it all; the wonderful birth of Christ Jesus, some two thousand years ago.
That was the beginning of God’s great plan of salvation and forgiveness for His human creation. And just for the very idea that God thought so highly of us, or LOVED us so much to discombobulate Himself and break His own heart, to provide reconciliation and righteousness to mankind, ought to give us an attitude of immense thanks and gratitude. Anyway, before we get into whatever we have to do today, let’s offer up some thanks and praise in the form of our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer.
So, in sincere and heartfelt voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And if we were truly sincere, then in a moment’s time we’ll feel the Lord’s Spirit drawing us closer to Him, producing a gentle but refreshing calm and peace. And there’s nothing we can desire and require more in these turbulent and ungodly times than a touch of God’s peace and calm. For, remember what the Bible says about it? Jesus made two most encouraging statements about it. The first one says: ‘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 if that did not touch your heart, enough to bring you peace, then listen to this other statement from Jesus: ‘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) And yes, it’s ofttimes difficult to actually find peace in this tumultuous world, but Jesus is the best hope we have for doing so. Why?
Listen to Bruh Paul as he spells it out in his letter to the Philippians. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests 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. 4:4-7)
Now all of that simply means that if we live sincerely for Christ, or as He quite clearly said: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments;’ (John 14:15) then we will be able to access the peace of God, which passes all human understanding and stand strong and steadfast in faith, regardless of our circumstances. But we have to do the things required of us, before we can acquire God’s peace.
And I like how this commentary puts it. ‘ The peace that transcends all understanding comes from knowing that no matter what life throws at us, we can still have joy when we know that our victory lies in Jesus Christ and not in our circumstances.’ There you go my faithful brethren! True peace only comes from knowing Jesus and sincerely living for Him!
And furthermore, this Christmas season is supposed to be one of joy and peace, for remember the night Christ was born and the angels came to earth in their multitude to serenade the occasion and bring the good news to mankind? The first people they gave the good news to were some lowly shepherds, looking after their flocks by night. And how did they end their words of greeting? ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ (Luke 2:14)
Yes my people, heaven’s intention was that Christ’s birth would bring some peace and joy to mankind down here on earth. Unfortunately though, it has not done much of that, for down through the ages, mankind has become ever more warlike and blood thirsty. But nonetheless, Jesus expects those of us who sincerely believe and try our best, to make some small improvements in the world, even if it’s our own families or neighbourhoods. And sadly, even that, many of us are not doing, for there’s much more strife in families, churches and neighbourhoods than is necessary.
So what’s the answer eh? Just continue being our best; sincerely doing our best for Christ in whatever way we can. For that’s all He really expects of us. And on this Saturday before Christmas, when our world is in such turmoil and ungodliness, I plead with us, as believers in Christ, to come together and make a strong push for Jesus, for that’s the only way, we will ever bring some semblance of true joy and peace to the earth. We pray it in Jesus’ name! Amen! Much LOVE!
…true joy and peace…don’t come without…the sincere involvement of Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pot of gold, accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour, according to his glorious power, all that labour and are heavy laden, all things work together for good to them that love God, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, at the end of the rainbow, be filled with the knowledge of God's willl, be of good cheer, be responsible and stay safe, being fruitful in every good work, better Christian witnesses, by the example that we set, can disappoint very quickly, can wake up and smell the coffee, come unto me, crying out for help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, delivered us from the power of darkness, divine aid, do not cease to pray for you, don't depend on others to make you happy, embrace your love and compassion, faith, find joy in Jesus, find rest unto your souls, Friday chant, gentle and humble, giving thanks unto the Father, happiness, happiness can be fleeting, hits the nail on the head, holy spirit, humans are irresponsible and unpredictable, i have overcome the world, I stand at the door and knock, I will come into him, I will give you rest, if any man hear my voice and open the door, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, in me ye ight have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, in whom we have redemption through his blood, increasing in the knowledge of God, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the only who will not let us down, Jesus never disappoints, joy, learn of me, life just gives us time and space, LOVE, meek and lowly in heart, mercy, my yoke is easy and my burden light, No one is guaranteed happiness, nothing can be better than living for Jesus, omnipotent help, our sinful world can wake up, place our trust in Almighty God, problems escalating, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, scripture of promise, show them the error of their ways, stand strong and steadfast in faith, strengthened with all might, take my yoke upon you, tests our faith through tough circumstances, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the forgiveness of sins, the joy found in Christ is everlasting, the most assurance of happiness, the throne of grace, these things I have spoken unto you, these ungodly times, time of need, to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, to them who are called according to his purpose, translated us into the kingdom of his Son, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness, walk worthy of the Lord, we experience joy with Jesus, we must fill it with joy and meaning, who hath qualified us, will sup with him and he with me, wisdom, wise guidance
Matthew 11:28. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Oh friends, at long last it’s Friday, and we can see a pot of gold, the weekend, at the end of the rainbow, this work week. And to make things better, although it’s cold and windy, the sun’s shining brightly, just the way we like it! No wonder we’ve sent up sincere prayers of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’
And today we’re going to look at interesting quote from my ‘I LOVE You’ Poster my young daughter gave me years ago. Now this quote sounds familiar, and I might have used it sometime ago, but like so many of these sayings, they are worth hearing over and over. And this one resonates with awesome truth. It says: ‘No one is guaranteed happiness. Life just gives us time and space. It’s up to us to fill it with joy and meaning.’
And that hits the proverbial nail right on its proverbial head. Happiness is not guaranteed, and often it doesn’t last very long. But we have to make ourselves happy, and the best way to do that is by starting off with Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, for through Him, even if you don’t have happiness here on earth, you will certainly have it with Him wherever He is in the next life! And in Jesus we don’t experience happiness so much as joy, which is a much deeper and more lasting experience.
Now, we also have to pay attention to another aspect of the happiness situation, that is depending on others to make us happy. That’s not always wise, for human beings are so frail, fragile, irresponsible and unpredictable that if we depend on others to make us happy, in no time flat they can disappoint us, and the whole happiness house will come crashing down upon our heads. So it all comes right back to basing our happiness, our joy in Jesus, who is the ONLY One who will never let us down.
And why would He, after sacrificing Himself for our sins on the horrific cross of Calvary, and pleading with us through His Great Invitation to come to Him for rest and comfort. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (humble and gentle): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30)
He’s also constantly knocking at the doors of our hearts, so He can enter in and dine with us. He says it quite plainly: ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup (dine) with him, and he with me.’ (Rev. 3:20) Who else offers these faithful comforts eh? Nobody else but Jesus!
Oh, we humans might be faithful for a moment or a short while, but eventually we all disappoint to some extent. Jesus NEVER disappoints, if you understand His teachings and His commandments. Life with Him will not necessarily be easy, in some cases it might even be more difficult, as He tests our faith through tough circumstances, but we are assured that He will not let the devil have us, He will see us through to victory eventually. As Bruh Paul says in this awesome scripture of promise. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28)
Yes friends, if we sincerely surrender to and place our trust in Almighty God, though we will suffer trials and tribulations, we are assured that the end we will fine. It’s like Jesus reassures us in the gospel of John, where He says: ‘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 that’s not always easy to do, but if we put our sincere trust in Jesus, He will help us to do it.
And we’ll end with one of the most beautiful prayers in the Bible, and one that sets the basic standard for life and joy in Christ. It’s Bruh Paul’s prayer for the Colossians. So please pray with me: ‘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)
Wow mih bredrin! Tell me what can be better than living for Jesus eh? NOTHING! And where can we find the most assurance of happiness here on earth and in the next life? With Jesus; where else! And now that we’re convinced that Jesus provides the best scenario for happiness and joy in this world and the next, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant seeking help in this dire time of need that our evil world makes necessary.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And yes, our sinful world does need to wake up, but so do we Christians, and start showing better witness for Christ, if we expect to receive divine aid. Much LOVE!
…happiness can be fleeting…but the joy found in Christ is everlasting…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a distorted view of God, a LOVING Father, a means of restoring faith in you, a new flock of believers, a place of judgement, all we do is evaluated, always falling short in some way, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, as the manner of some is, be responsible, become better witnesses for Christ, beware of false prophets, by the example that we set, christianity, Christians, church is not a place to be judgemental, consider one another, Consider This, deceit, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, everyone there is a patient, exhorting one another, fair minded, faith, false teachers, fellowship, finding a happy balance, Friday chant, God is a loving father, God is a strict judge, God is the ultimate healer, God is the ultimate judge, God sent Hi Son to save the world not judge it, God's infallible word, harsh judgement, He is faithful that promised, hold fast that which is good, hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, holy spirit, In Touch Devotional, jesus came for those who are sick with si, Jesus Christ, judgemental attitudes, lies, live for Jesus, LOVE, mercy, mutually exclusive, needing treatment from a loving saviour, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, omnipotent help, our sinful world, picture church as a hospital, prove all things, received the word, renewing our faith, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, searched thescriptures daily, see God as an indignant judge, see God in a new way, sermons about hellfire and brimstone, stand strong and steadfast in faith, stay safe, strengthening our confidence, test everything, the BIBLE, the cornerstone of our lives, the error of their ways, the essence of God is love, the Information Age, these ungodly times, think of church as a courtroom, to handle the unexpected storms properly, to provoke unto love and to good works, too comfortable with sin, top o the morn, trusting faith, truth, valiantly fighting for Jesus, wake up and smell the coffee, wandering ways, whether things were so, wicked schemes, wisdom, wise guidance, with all readiness of mind, you see the day approaching
1 Thessalonians 5:21. Prove all things (test everything); hold fast that which is good.
Top O the morn to you my faithful Scrip-Bit friends and families! It’s Friday, our favourite day of the week, because it ushers in the weekend! I hope you are enjoying our late spring, early summer weather. (smile) Yes, we have regressed quite a bit from the mid-thirties temps of earlier in the week to barely hitting the twenties, with a fairly strong wind and more clouds than sun. But the sun is valiantly trying to establish his supremacy, just like we Christians ought to be valiantly trying to establish ours over this currently evil and ungodly world that surrounds us.
But be all of that as it may, (smile) today I want to share an interesting discourse from the Consider This Section of the June In Touch Devotional. So please read with me. ‘We often think of church as a courtroom, a place of judgment. It can be seen as if everything we do (or don’t do) is being evaluated or that we’re forever falling short in some way. That mindset probably comes from passages in the Bible that describe God as the ultimate judge – and He certainly is. But if that’s the only way we think of Him, we end up with a distorted view of the Lord, His church, and ourselves.
Scripture tells us, ‘God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.’ (John 3:17) And Jesus Himself said He came for, ‘those who are sick’ because of sin (Mark 2:17). God is also the ultimate healer. So the next time you worship, try to picture church not as a court of law but as a hospital. And everyone there – including yourself – as patients who need treatment from a LOVING Saviour. You might find you heart is more at ease than before and see God and His people in a new way.’
O my, my, my! I said it was an interesting article. And there’s truth to it, for many of us still see God as more of an indignant judge, than as a of a LOVING Father. I guess that stems from all the fearful sermons we’ve heard about hellfire and damnation, and we do need to hear them every so often to wake us up from our lax and lazy wandering ways that the world tempts us with. But the essence of God is LOVE! And He will only judge us harshly if we are continuously rebellious and disobedient.
And when we go to church it’s not to be drowned in shame and disgrace, but to be healed and made whole. That’s what church is all about; bringing us into closer contact with our Lord and Saviour, while renewing our faith and strengthening our confidence to go out into the world and live for Him. And this scripture passage is possibly the best one to prove our point.
The author of Hebrews writes thus: ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke (stir up) unto LOVE and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.’ (Heb. 10:23-25)
Yes friends, church is for encouraging, building up, stirring up and showing LOVE to each other, not a place to be judgemental. And until we adopt that LOVING, encouraging and togetherness attitude in church, we will never get the real benefit of assembling together in Christ’s name. The problem with modern Christianity is finding a happy balance between fiery judgemental sermons and attitudes, and those that tend to be too soft and wishy-washy, not calling out sin for what it is, but trying to turn it into something nice and comfortable.
But my faithful believers, sin is sin, no matter what you call it, and how you try to whitewash it. And that’s a major problem in today’s church; we’re just too comfortable with sin, or wrongdoings, or whatever you choose to call it. And that is what will get the Lord’s harsh judgement; not trying to do your best to live up to His standards and help spread His Word.
Oh my people, this Information Age is so filled with lies, deceits, wicked schemes, disinformation and all kinds of stuff that’s trying to turn us away from Almighty God, that’s why we have to be so careful whom we listen to and believe, as well as what we listen to and believe. And the only sure thing we have is God’s holy, infallible and indisputable Word! So please, let’s make that the cornerstone of our lives nuh.
By testing teachings against the scriptures, we can avoid being deceived and endangering our faith. It’s like Bruh Paul writes to the Thessalonians: ‘Prove all things (test everything); hold fast that which is good.’ (1 Thess. 5:21) And what the scriptures say of the Bereans after Bruh Paul preached the gospel to them. ‘These were more noble (fair minded) than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so,’ ( Acts 17:11)
Now that’s what many more of us ought to be doing to safeguard our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, with the many false prophets and teachers out there, who are not preaching the truth of God’s word. And to help us with that task, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, seeking divine strength and aid.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
But friends, the truth is, we cannot expect divine aid, when we’re not really setting good examples as faithful believers. That’s why so many people are walking away from God, and the world is in such an ungodly, chaotic mess. That means, if we truly want divine aid, we have to become better witnesses for Christ! It’s as simple as that! Much LOVE!
…God is a LOVING Father…as well as a strict Judge…the two are not mutually exclusive, or incompatible…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Mar 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: always abounding in the work of the Lord, Christ's sacrificial death, conquered the prince of darkness, do all things without murmurings and disputings, do it heartily as unto the Lord, endure to the end, from the Lord, give credence to one's witness, God is not unrighteous, halfway home, hands on the plough, hit the nail on the head, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, labour of LOVE, no weapon formed against thee shall prosper, not looking back, receive the reward of the inheritance, spiritual damage, stand strong and steadfast in faith, strife and bickering, suffer no moral damage, thanks be to God who gives us the victory, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the heritage of the servants of the Lord, the sons of God, through him that loved us, to a glorious future with Jesus, to forget your work, true Christian witness, we are more than conquerors, Wednesday Wail, whatsoever ye do, without rebuke, ye may be blameless and harmless, ye shine as lights in the world, your labour is not in vain
1 Corinthians 15:57. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like today’s going to be as magnificent a day as yesterday, because there are dark storm clouds all around the skies. But I have no doubt that we will persevere in spite of whatever comes against us this Wednesday, the penultimate day of March 2022, be it rain or snow…or even shine. (smile)
Why? Because we have been anointed as mighty conquerors in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Bruh Paul said it thus: ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:37) And the prophet Isaiah was even more forceful and confident when he declared many moons ago: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17)
That’s why we can be strong and steadfast in our faith my faithful brethren in Christ! Yes, many will rise up against us and try to put us down, try to silence us, even by leading us like lambs to the slaughter, when we speak of Christ Jesus, sharing the good news of His majestic gospel, brimming with forgiveness of sins, salvation and eternal life, but they will not succeed, because our Lord and Saviour has conquered the prince of darkness and his evil empire through His sacrificial death and resurrection! Glory be!
And Bruh Paul spelled it out in even greater detail in his first letter to the church at Corinth, where, quoting the prophets Isaiah (25.8) and Hosea (13:14) he told them: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, 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. 15:54-58)
Oh Mama, Mama! What encouraging words my fellow saints in Christ! Yes friends, our work for the Lord will not be in vain, for as the author of Hebrews writes: ‘For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of LOVE, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.’ (Heb. 6:10)
But there are a couple of scriptural reminders I think we need to hear as regards doing the Lord’s work. The first one comes from Bruh Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, where he reminds them: ‘For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of (according to) his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings. That ye may be blameless and harmless (innocent), the sons (children) of God, without rebuke (fault), in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation (generation), among whom ye shine as lights in the world.’ (Phil. 2:13-15)
Now that’s indeed a very interesting scripture, and the scholars offer this explanation to it. ‘2:14. Since God is producing in the Philippians the willing and doing of His good and perfect will (vs.13), there can be no legitimate reason for murmurings and disputings. Not only are they forbidden to complain about the difficulties and persecutions that will befall them in carrying out God’s good pleasure, but quarrelling among themselves is also prohibited.’ And doesn’t that hit the nail on the head? It certainly does! For if God is working in us to do His good will, why then should there be need for complaints and disputes eh? No reason whatsoever!.
And I like what the scholars say about ‘2:15. If the readers obey the commands of verses 12-14, they will be blameless (that’s innocent of any accusations), and harmless (i.e. morally pure). But due to party strife and bickering, this is now not true of them.’ Wow! The Corinthians were bickering and divided back then just like we are right now. So how in heaven’s name could they be like sons of God in the middle of an evil and wicked generation, without rebuke, like they ought to be, without incurring spiritual damage? No way!
And the same thing applies to our current situation of divisions and disputings within Christ’s church. We therefore could not be held blameless and harmless under any circumstances. And the end to that explanation is even better. (smile) ‘The proper place for God’s people is among the lost. For only in such a position can true Christian witness be borne and influence for the gospel be effectively exerted. Yet believers must remain “without rebuke” in that they suffer no moral damage by contact with the unsaved. Then among unbelievers they will shine forth as lights in the world. As stars are readily noticeable in a dark sky, so healthy Christian lives stand out in testimony among the lost and give credence to one’s witness.’
Now that certainly calls for another ‘Wow!’ Because it’s the gospel truth! However, it’s not so easily attained, since it calls for lots of sacrifice, LOVE, mercy, grace and forgiveness, even when temptations and tribulations are coming against us like mad. But then, on the other hand, that’s exactly what the Christian life, truly living for Jesus, is all about. And no, Christ doesn’t expect us to be perfect, because He knows that He is the ONLY perfect One, but He does expect us to try our very best. Sadly though, a lot of us supposed believers are not trying hard enough, and many are not trying at all! So how then can we shine forth as bright lights in this evil world, and be good testimony to Christ’s gospel eh? We can’t!
And this is the last scripture I want to share on the subject of doing God’s will. Bruh Paul said very sternly to the Colossians: ‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance (salvation); for ye serve the Lord Christ.’ (Col. 3:23-24) Oh my people, whether we be slave or free, whatever we do in this life, we ought to do it as though we’re doing it to God and not to men, although they might have current dominion over us, because it’s God who will reward us in the end. Please, let’s not forget that and raise the level of our Christian witness as is so necessary in these trying times.
Now, for those of us who are sincerely trying to do all that we’ve spoken of, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and confident 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 behooves us now to endure until the end, because then the future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. Much LOVE!
…am I ever looking forward to that more than glorious future…because I intend to be there at the end…hope you are too…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
31 Aug 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future, a hope, a man of his word, according to the power, all that we ask or think, an expected end, be strengthened, by faith, by his Spirit, calamity, change, Christ like attitude, Christ may dwell in your hearts, Christian, come what may, comprehend, Congratulations, corruption, crime, divinely enabled, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, easy going, Ephesians, ever-faithful God, fall from God's grace, fun and laughter character, glory hallelujah, glory in the church, glory to God, God's grace, gospel truth, Granny's warning, Happy Birthday, heartfelt, I am halfway home, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I'm not looking back, inner growth, Jawaharlal Nehru, LOVE, made its mark, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, not evil, on the world stage, open the eyes of the people, positive, prayer, prosperous country, repent of their sinfulness, revolutionary, rooted and grounded in love, sincere, stand strong and steadfast in faith, thank God, that worketh in us, the breath of life, the error of their ways, the evil one, the inner man, the Love of Christ, the power, thoughts of peace, to a glorious future with Jesus, to do exceedingly abundantly, tremendous pace of change, Trini vibe, Trinidad and Tobago Independence, Wednesday Wail
Ephesians 3:20. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.
Happy Birthday T&T! Wow! Congratulations! You’ve made it to a big 54 years old!
Yes friends, today is the 54th birthday of Trinidad and Tobago. It received Independence from Britain on August 31 1962, and has certainly made its mark on the world stage in several different areas.
Now obviously things have changed over those 54 years, some for good, others for worse, and although right now it’s allegedly steeped in crime and corruption, it hasn’t lost its essential Trini vibe; one of an easy going, come what may, fun and laughter character.
And you can imagine the partying that will be taking place today! But please, I implore us to remember Granny’s warning: ‘Sonny Boy, please, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’ For it’s in those times of great celebration that the evil one does his best work.
And I sincerely pray that the Lord will open the eyes of the people of T&T and show them the error of their ways and encourage them to repent of their sinfulness and return to the God who once made them the most prosperous country in the West Indies.
I don’t know if any other small country had as many churches, and well attended ones too, in its heyday. And like so many other countries, these days that’s changing, God is also being pushed out of the society.
That brings to mind the quote of the first Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964) that says: ‘The basic fact of today is the tremendous pace of change in human life.’ Hn!
And if Nehru thought that life was changing fast in his time, he wouldn’t like to experience it now, for at no other time in man’s history has change been as quick and revolutionary in all aspects, as today.
Now some change is good, but others not good. Unfortunately though, our world seems to be accepting more readily the changes that are not so good, thus our continuing fall from God’s grace.
But yuh know what my people? We’re not going to complain about all that’s wrong with our world nuh, instead we’re going to do our very best to fix it, while enjoying the good things. And that all begins with a positive, Christ like attitude which is found in our Wednesday Wail.
So, as one strong, positive enthusiastic, energetic Christian body, let’s wail it nuh! ‘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’re true Christians, that should be gospel truth my brethren! We should be excited about being alive, of securely holding the plough and moving forward with Jesus to what ever wonderful opportunities He has planned for us!
Remember His promise in Jeremiah: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer.29:11)
And our ever faithful God is truly a man of His word. So if He says that He has a good future in mind for us, then there is an excellent plan laid out for each of our lives. I don’t know about anybody else nuh, but I believe my best years are still ahead of me…Glory to God!
Now let’s check out our Bit. ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.’
Steups! As usual, I’ve left too little time and space for our Bit. But we’ll soldier on and do our best. (smile)
Now yesterday we saw that Bruh Paul was praying for the inner growth of the Ephesians, and by extension us too. Today, we’ll look at the actual prayer, the three verses before our Bit.
‘That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in LOVE,
May be able to comprehend (understand) with all saints what is the breadth (width), and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the LOVE of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.’ (Eph.3:16-19)
Oh friends, in these desperate times, we also desperately need that prayer over our lives. We need to understand, be strengthened, rooted and grounded in Christ’s LOVE, so that we can courageously and faithfully go about His business here on earth.
Now here is some info from the scholars. ‘3:16-19. In these verses Paul makes three prayer requests for the addressees: (1) That they would be strengthened with might by his Spirit (v.16), that is, that they be divinely enabled to successfully live the Christian life.
(2) That the readers be able to comprehend…the LOVE of Christ, that is, to better understand the enormous LOVE Christ has for them. And (3) that they might be filled with the fullness of God, that is, that the life, character, and virtues of God Himself may be fully developed in them.’
Yes my faithful brethren, we need to have all of that worked into our lives too. So let’s end like Bruh Paul did; sending those prayers up to the One who could successfully answer them.
‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.’ (Eph.3:20-21)
And may the Lord answer our sincere, heartfelt prayer my people, as we stay strong and steadfast in faith! Much LOVE!
…only when our lives are built on the strong foundation that’s Jesus…can we truly enjoy our earthly life…
10 Mar 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a loving manner, a rough day, age, airplane travel, annoyed, baggage carousel, behaviour, boarding pass, brain, caring wife, childlike, Christian living, Christians, comfort level, complain, conduct, deceived, doctrine, false, family, ferry passengers, forgive, friends, function properly, grow in grace, hold ups, home, human frailty, immature believers, immigration, in the knowledge of God, inferior service, instruction, LOVE, meat intake, mess up, milk diet, our Saviour Jesus Christ, patient, paying attention, poorly run service, reintegrate, security checks, sense of forgiveness, social worker, spiritually mature, stand strong and steadfast in faith, swayed, sweet Tobago, taken aback, test, Thank the Lord, the Ephesians, the Lord's way, the middle of March, the new life in Christ, to him be glory, Tuesday Mantra, walk our talk, warmer temps, wheelchair service, wisdom
2 Peter 3:18. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Oh friends, the ole fella’s a mess; tired and out of sorts…but I am at home, my comfort level has been raised, because they say that home is where the heart is, and though I LOVE Tobago dearly, it’s in the cold North country that I am currently domiciled.
Now yesterday was indeed a crazy day. I got up pretty early so that I could write the Bit then finish packing, and I don’t know how many of you realized the nonsense that I did. First of all I did not include the Wednesday Wail. I only realized that last night while sitting down listening to Uncle John (John Hagee) trying to get back into my old routine.
Then just now, when I read the Bit I discovered that I had written it as though it were Tuesday, complete with the Tuesday Mantra and all. Ah Lord eh! And as I just looked back at Tuesday’s Bit, the Tuesday Mantra wasn’t included.
What a mess up! Friends, you’ll just have to forgive the ole fella yes, because he’s just showing His age and human frailty. (smile)
And I am somewhat annoyed with you all, because when I mess up so badly I expect somebody to let me know. That means you all are either not reading the Bit, or not paying serious attention to it, which isn’t very encouraging.
Anyway, what I believe really happened is that I was so taken up with leaving sweet Tobago, the packing, the seeing of friends and family for the last time and the feeling of sadness that obviously crept in, my poor brain just could not function properly. All of that though is just the Lord’s way to test your Christian sense of forgiveness. (smile) And I know that I am forgiven.
But it truly was a rough day yesterday. I don’t know how many times I packed and unpacked the numerous heavy bags we had; from the house to the car, then from the car to the check in.
Luckily I got a porter to take them from the arrival lounge to the car outside, but I had to pack them in the house again when I got home. By then I had spent some 7 or eight hours en route, most of them cooped up in a li’l tin can plane with barely any leg room, like sardines, leaving T&T around 1 p.m T&T time, not arriving in T.O. until 6.30 p.m T.O time, which is an hour different.
And believe you me, T.O has the worst, yes I said the worst wheelchair service at any airport. Yes the ole fella has to use the wheelchair service now because he can’t walk the long distances between the arrival and departure points any more, especially with heavy hand luggage.
One poor lady who couldn’t walk at all, and who was using the service for the first time was totally taken aback at the number of hold ups we were forced to endure. There never seems to be enough people or wheelchairs to ferry the passengers in Toronto.
And then their main concern is to get your boarding pass so that they can record it, to possibly show how many people they serviced. Don’t know if they get paid by the numbers or what, but at each level, that’s always the first requirement. And even though they have state of the art golf-carts to move you around some, the service is very poorly run.
Apparently this lady had once been a social worker, and she was truly appalled at the inferior service. She expected it to be better than T& T’s, but it certainly isn’t. So by the time we got to immigration all the other two hundred and odd people on our plane had already gone through, and at the baggage carousel, only the few bags of the seven wheelchair passengers remained.
You can just imagine the duchess’ reaction. Hn! Sadly, she always gets saddled with my slow process. But what can you do eh? As a concerned and caring wife, you have to stay and support your not so ambulatory husband. (smile)
And then, wonder of wonder, we arrived in T.O to 17 degree Celsius temperature. Mama yo! 17 degrees in the middle of March? That is unheard off! Inside the house was colder than outside. I had to turn up the heat.
And right now it’s about ten or eleven with rain. Thank the Lord! I’m certainly not complaining, because the warmer temps are helping me to reintegrate myself much more easily than if it had been bitterly cold as it usually is in early March.
And that’s the story of my life. Let’s hope there are no more screw-ups. (smile) And please friends, if I do screw up, please let me know nuh. I’m only human, and can’t catch everything. Thank you.
Now we can finally turn to our Bit. ‘But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.’
Well I certainly hope I did some of that yesterday, because my Christian behaviour was truly tested by the waiting and the many security checks and all the other nonsense that is involved in airplane travel these days.
Again, the Lord puts us through these things to test us, to see if we can truly walk our talk. On the scale of 1 to 10, I must have been around a 7, which is not too bad, all things considered. I didn’t complain too much, and my patience was fair. I was encouraging others to be patient. Hn!
And as we saw yesterday from Bruh Paul’s writing on the new life in Christ to the Ephesians, as Christians we have to be strong and steadfast in our faith. We can’t afford to be childlike and swayed by every evil and cunning doctrine introduced by man. That means we have to become, and then continue to be spiritually mature.
And we’ll end today with this explanation from the scholars on the subject. ‘4:14-15. Two results occur when Christians reach spiritual maturity. (1) Negatively, they will no longer be children, that is, immature believers easily deceived by every wind of (false) doctrine; and (2) positively, they will grow up into him, that is fully grown in all aspects of Christian living – doctrine, conduct, service and so on.
But speaking the truth in LOVE, may grow up may be read “by LOVINGLY teaching the truth, we will grow up.” Christian maturity is attained, in part, by thorough instruction in sound doctrine giving in a LOVING manner.’
And that’s indisputable truth my brethren! So please, let’s go out today, and every day, and try to grow thus nuh, for that is indeed the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…as each day goes by…our Christian meat intake…ought to supplant at least a little of our milk diet…
16 Sep 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a breath of summer, a glorious future with Jesus, a shower of grace, abounding with thanksgiving, absent in the flesh, another glorious day on God's great earth, as for me and mine, awesome truth, Beauty for Ashes, beware lest any man spoil you, blessings, boggles my mind, Bruh Paul, cherishing Jesus, Colossians, deceived by the lies of Lucifer, died for sinners, enthusiasm, enticing words, eradicate Jesus from our society, false teachers, fat fannies, focusing on Jesus, forgiveness, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God took away my sorrow, grace of Jesus Christ, gullible, hope for tomorrow, I am halfway home, I'm not turning back, I'm so glad to be alive, Im not looking back at the past, Jesus went to the cross, lest any man should beguile you, Lord and Saviour, Love for Jesus, loving Jesus, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are fixed securely on the plough, my neck of the woods, philosophy, present in the spirit, principles of the world, promises, put a smile upon my face, put our complete trust in Jesus, sit on our laurels, stand strong and steadfast in faith, surrender our all, thank God, the breath of life, the fullness of the Godhead, the Godhead, the tradition of men, till our dying day, until eternity, vain deceit, walk in him rooted and built up in Jesus, walk obedient to Jesus' word, we are complete in Jesus, we will follow Jesus, Wednesday Wail, work God's plan for our lives
Colossians 2:4. And this I say, lest any man should beguile (deceive) you with enticing (persuasive) words.
Ah Friends, welcome to another glorious day on God’s great earth! Glory Hallelujah! That means God still has work for us to do down here, so let’s not merely sit on our laurels, rather our fat fannies, (smile) but instead sincerely work the plan God has for our earthly lives.
And it does promise to be a bright and sunshiny day in my neck of the woods. A breath of summer is still gloriously in the air… Oh glory to God! You people with summer like weather all year round won’t truly appreciate the reality of true summer temps in the middle of September.
But enough talk. It’s Wednesday, which means it’s wailing time. So let’s wail nuh. As one harmonious wailer now. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And I do hope that’s the awesome truth in our lives my people! I do hope that we all are steadfastly concentrating on, consistently focusing on Jesus and all that He so wonderfully stands for. He is wonderful, isn’t He? Oh my, my!
When I think about all that He’s done for us, when there was absolutely no reason to do it, I simply cannot imagine not LOVING and cherishing Him as my Lord and Saviour.
And just to show how wonderful Jesus is, listen to the chorus of one of my favourite songs that I heard last night, and just had to share with you again.
The song’s called ‘Beauty for Ashes,’ by Jermaine Cowan, and the chorus says: ‘Beauty for ashes…In a shower of Grace. Hope for tomorrow…It’s a bright, brand new day. Took away my sorrow…Put a smile upon my face. Beauty for ashes…In a shower of grace.’
Oh my people isn’t that truly wonderful? Of course it is! And it’s exactly what Jesus does for us when we surrender our all, put our complete trust in Him and try to walk obedient to His Word. That’s why it boggles my small, finite mind when people refuse to acknowledge His Lordship and LOVE Him, especially when there’s no one else around to do the things He does.
Is mankind crazy, or just stupid, plus gullible, to be deceived by the lies of Lucifer and his evil cronies, and thus try to eradicate Jesus from our society? I don’t know nuh Friends, but all I can say is, that as for me and mine, we will follow Jesus until our dying day, in fact until eternity! Oh Glory to God!
Yes my people, it’s true enthusiasm. And every day that I live and grow a little more in His Word, and experience more of His wonderful blessings, my enthusiasm and LOVE for Him increases! And that’s exactly how it ought to be my brethren.
That brings us to our Bit, which is ever so relevant to what we’ve said above. They are words of warning against false teachers and teachings from Bruh Paul to the Colossians. ‘And this I say, lest any man should beguile (deceive) you with enticing (persuasive) words.’
Ah Friends, we do need to be very careful of whom and what we read and/or listen to, because there are a lot of glib and persuasive false teachers and teachings circulating in our distressed and turbulent world, and it’s very easy to fall under their spell, unless one has the teachings of and LOVE for Jesus sincerely wrapped around your hearts and minds.
Now listen to Bruh Paul as he continues after our Bit. ‘For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your (good) order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Beware lest any man spoil you (plunder, take you captive) through philosophy and vain (empty, futile) deceit, after (according to) the tradition of men, after (according to) the rudiments (basic principles) of the world, and not after (according to) Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power (rule and authority).’ (Col.2:5-10)
Ah Friends, that warning is still in effect today, so let’s pay serious attention to it nuh. Christ is the end all and be all! He controls the universe and all therein! His words are faithful promises and will not be diluted or diminished! And above all, we have been given ALL that we need to handle this world; we are complete in Him, therefore it’s not necessary to look to anyone or anywhere else for anything that we need.
Please remember that my people, and let’s stand strong and steadfast in the faith and in the LOVE, mercy, forgiveness and grace of Jesus Christ! For that is indeed the wisdom of heaven! Much LOVE!
…only Jesus went to the cross and died for us sinners…so how can we put our trust in…or believe in anybody else eh…
SCRIP-BITS 