28 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, am known of mine, an high priest who can sympathize with our problems, Ash Wednesday, become discouraged, bracing for the weekend weather, buoy us up, Catnival, chaotic times, come boldly unto the throne of grace, consider him, crying out for help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, despising the shame, Easter, endured the cross, enormous hostility, faith, faithful trust in God, feels like I have no one, find grace, for the joy that was set before him, Friday chant, Gentiles, give me a glimpse of Your presence, help me remember, him that endured such contradiction of sinners, hold fast our profession, holy spirit, I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep, I lay down my life for the sheep, in these difficult days, it seems no one understands, Jesus Christ, Jews, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds, longsuffering, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, makes you frustrated, mercy, missing the support of others, my loneliness will come and go, not of this fold, obedience to god's word, obtain mercy, omnipotent help, one fold, one shepherd, other sheep I have, our sinful world, perseverance, problems escalating, remind me that you do, resonate with many of us, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, seeking His face in prayer, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, show me your generous provision and care, stand strong and steadfast, strengthen me with your nearness, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the author and finisher of our faith, the devil's temptations, the error of their ways, the love of your people, them also must I bring, to help in time of need, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, was in all points tempted like as we are, we have not an high priest, when life overwhelms me, who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, wisdom, yet without sin, you also faced such moments, you God are here to stay
Hebrews 4:15. For we have not an high priest who cannot be touched (sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
And then it was Friday…and all the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ have already gone up to heaven, and everyone is bracing for the weekend to see what kind of weather we’ll have. But whatever it turns out to be, we strong believers in Christ Jesus need to do the best we can to conquer it…if possible by just staying home. (smile)
So, what shall we talk about on this last day of February 2025 eh? Can you imagine February’s done already, and next week Monday and Tuesday is bacchanal (Carnival) in T&T, and therefore Ash Wednesday is the next day. It will be an early Easter, but that might just serve to buoy some of us up in these cold and cruel times. And to help us further do that, here’s this month’s prayer from the In Touch Devotional, which I am sure will resonate with many of us in these difficult days.
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, when it feels as if I have no one, give me a glimpse of Your presence. When I’m missing the support of others, show me Your generous provision and care. When life overwhelms me, help me remember You faced such moments too. When it seems no one understands my head or heart, remind me that You do – perfectly. God, my loneliness will come and go, but You are here to stay. Strengthen me with Your nearness and the LOVE of Your people. In Jesus’ name. Amen!’
What a beautiful prayer that is friends! It touches on so many basic problems we all have at some time or another. Yes, many of us often feel as if we have no one to turn to, with no support from our fellow man. And oh boy, does life ever overwhelm us, especially in these chaotic and disastrous times, when everyone is just seeking their own selfish and greedy way. And I can certainly relate to the aspect of where no one seems to understand your head nor heart. That just makes you frustrated, wondering if something’s wrong with you, and you end up asking, ‘Why, Lord, why?’
And though our loneliness comes and goes, it’s of the utmost importance for us to realize and faithfully believe, that our great and faithful God is always there with us. He understands our problems perfectly, because He also went through them while here on earth in the human form of His Son Jesus Christ. The author of Hebrews puts it thus: ‘Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into (through) the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest who cannot be touched (sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.’ (Heb. 4:14-15)
Now isn’t that wonderful news my brethren? Jesus came to earth as a man and encountered temptation just like we do, therefore He can empathize and sympathize with us when the devil comes against us. The only difference is that He did not succumb to any of the devil’s temptations, like so many of us do. He did not sin.
That’s why the author of Hebrews could also pen these fantastic verses: ‘Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds (become discouraged).’ (Heb. 12:2-3)
Yes friends, when times get difficult and it feels like our whole world is falling down around us, that’s the most opportune moment to remember Jesus and His earthly sufferings, and do like He did. How He endured the terrible ‘sufferation’ for our sake, because the Father desired Him to, and through perseverance, longsuffering and faithful trust in the Father’s grace and mercy, kept Himself buoyed and keeping on despite the enormous hostility from His own people, the Jews, whom he had come to first save.
Don’t think that He wasn’t disappointed that His own people refused to accept Him, but thankfully He was also here to break down the walls of separation between Jews and Gentiles, and in so doing save us outsiders also, by bringing us into His one fold. And He attests to that in the gospel of John. ‘I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold (Jews): them also must I bring (Gentiles), and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold (flock), and one shepherd.’ (John 10:14-16) Glory hallelujah!
Oh what a blessed day it was when Jesus included us Gentiles in His movement of salvation! And yuh know what friends, that inclusivity now entitles us to do as the author of Hebrews further says: ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb. 4:16) And this is indeed a time of dire need! So altogether, let’s offer up our Friday Chant as a means of seeking divine aid.
‘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!’
Now friends, our God is good and merciful and all those wonderful things, but He does expect some obedience to His Word and seeking His face in prayer and communion, if we expect to receive His divine aid. That means we have to pull up our breeches and become better witnesses for Almighty God! Much LOVE!
…no matter what your problem is…God can always help you with it…if you sincerely turn to Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a gnawing pain in my stomach, a means of restoring faith in you, addicted to, annoying pain, anointing him with oil, anxiety, bless the LOrd o my soul, bruised for our iniquities, by his stripes we a re healed, by the example that we set, call for the elders of the church, can't fix problems on our own, chills, Christian witness, confess your faults one to another, confusion, crowneth thee with loving-kindness, crying out for your help, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, divine help, effective supplication, embrace your love and compassion, enough to drive me crazy, faith, faithful believers, forget not all his benefits, forgives your sins, Friday chant, get a healing touch from Jesus, he was wounded for our transgressions, heal me O lord, heals your diseases, heavenly Father, holy spirit, I shall be healed, I shall be saved, if he has committed sins, if he have committed sins they shall be forgiven, in the name of the Lord of hosts, introduce a new flock of believers, is any among you afflicted, is any merry, is any sick among you, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus heals Peter's mother-in-law, Jesus touched her hand, keep on pressing on, let him pray, let him sing psalms, let them pray over him, LOVE, mercy, my prayer for today, narcotic based pain medication, omnipotent help, problems are escalating, proper concentration, redeemeth thy life from destruction, regurgitation, return backsliders to your fold, satisfieth thy mouth with good things, save me, scriptural truths on healing, she arose and ministered unto them, sick of a fever, simmering unrest, sinful world, stand strong and steadfast, stomach pains, strong and trusting faith in Jesus, tender mercies, that ye may be healed, the chastisement of our peace, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man, the error of their ways, the fever left her, the God who heals, the Great Physician, the Lord shall raise him up, the prayer of faith, the prayer of faith shall save the sick, the throne of grace, them's the breaks, thou art my praise, thy youth is renewed like the eagle's, times of desperate need, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases, wisdom, wise guidance
Jeremiah 17:14. Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.
And the shouts have gone up: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, with the weekend right around the corner!’ And the ole fella is back after a couple of days of illness. Please accept my apology for those two missed days. It seems that being out Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning in some very cold conditions didn’t agree with me, and when I came back from my church group on Wednesday morning I was tired, having had little sleep during the night, so obviously I had to have a nap. (smile)
But during that supposed nap time, the chills began trembling my body, although I was wrapped up under heavy covers. Then my stomach joined in. At first, I thought I was hungry and got up to get something to eat. But lo and behold, whatever I ate came right back up. Now, regurgitation is something I don’t normally do, (smile) even the Duchess said she’s never seen me do it, but in less than 24 hours she saw or heard me do it six times.
The problem apparently was a stomach pain that I’d had some years before, but after a whole lot of tests, they’d found nothing wrong, so they simply gave me some tablets to take whenever it occurred. And the few times the pain occurred; the tablets did take care of it. But not this past Wednesday. Brother! The whole day was a mixture of chills and stomach pains and regurgitation.
And when the chills settled down in the afternoon, I thought about writing the Bit, but the stomach pain nixed that idea right in the bud, for it just got worse, and nothing I took could ease it. And it’s not to say that it was a bright and blazing pain, but a steady gnawing in the upper left side of my stomach, like some rodent was there just eating away at it, enough to drive me crazy, and not allow proper concentration.
Well, on Thursday morning after the sixth regurgitation, tired, worn out and empty, I went to the Emergency Department of the nearby hospital. I got there at ten o’clock, but didn’t leave until five in the evening, having done all sorts of tests and waiting for reports to come back. And even then, there was no firm diagnosis, so pain tablets and further tests were prescribed. And that’s where we sit right now. Please pray that they come up with something firm and simple, very soon, because I don’t want to get addicted to this narcotic based pain medication.
And I guess since we’ve been talking about illness and healing, we can just continue by renewing our hearts and minds on some scriptural truths on the subject. And there’s no better verse to begin with than this one from Isaiah. ‘But he (Jesus) was wounded (pierced through) for our transgressions, he was bruised (crushed) for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with (by) his stripes (cruel blows that cut into him) we are healed.’ (Is. 55:5)
Then there are these marvellous words of encouragement from Bruh David in Psalm 103. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-KINDNESS and tender mercies. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:2-5)
And there’s nothing better than Jesus’ personal touch, as Matthew recounts. ‘And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.’ (Matt. 8:14-15) Oh, how I wish could get such a touch from Jesus right now, so that this annoying pain could go away. I would certainly minister to Him with everything I have. (smile)
Excuse me, but I just had to go upstairs and get another pill to ease the pain because the first one had apparently worn off. Ah Lord eh! But them’s the breaks, we simply have to keep on pressing on regardless. Then there’s this prayer from Jeremiah. ‘Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.’ (Jer. 17:14) Now, that’s my prayer for today my fellow believers. (smile)
And scriptures on healing would not be complete without this one from James. ‘Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.’ (James 5:13-16)
And I would certainly appreciate some effective supplication from you righteous bredrin in our Scrip-Bit family. (smile) Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant for divine aid to help in these times of desperate need. 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 before we do like the man who sees his face in the mirror and immediately forgets what he looks like, remember that we need to increase our Christian witness to get divine help Much LOVE!
…who is the Great Physician…Jehovah Rapha…the God who heals…our Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's voice is known by multitude of words, a man's word is his honour, all the days of his life, ambassadors for Christ, anxiety, ascended to high heaven, backsliders, barren woman, barter with God, be better witnesses for Christ, be not rash with thy mouth, be resposible, better is it that thou shouldest not vow, Bible, bitterness of soul, break our oaths, broken with impunity, burn out, character, chores, christianity, Christians, confusion, contracts, covenants, crying out for your help, deceitful, deceitful world, defer not to pay it, disciples of Jesus, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, error of their ways, faith, fellowship, forget our part of the bargain, fraudulent, Friday chant, give me a man child, go our merry way rejoicing, God hath no pleasure in fools, God is in heaven, God pulls us out, Hannah, high esteem, holy, holy spirit, housework, I will give him unto the Lord, in olden times, integrity, Jesus Christ, lack of cooperation, let not thine heart be hasty, let thy words be few, LOVE, mercy, new flock of believers, no razor shall come upon his head, not held sacred, omnipotent help, our Number One Job, our sinful world, partying, pay that which thou hast vowed, prayed tearfully, problems are escalating, promises, promises are made to be broken, promises should be unbreakable, sacrosanct, salvation, Samuel's mother, simmering unrest, sindul behaviour, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, sullies our reputation, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, than thou shouldest vow and not pay, the example we faithful believers set, the fiery furnace, the priest Eli, the throne of grace, thou upon the earth, to utter anything before God, took him under his wing, totally binding, truth, ungodly generation, ungodly times, vows, wake up and smell the coffee, wept in anguish, when thou vowest a vow unto God, wisdom, wise guidance
Ecclesiastes 5:5. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than thou shouldest vow and not pay.
So friends, Friday’s here at last, and numerous shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ have already ascended to high heaven. And it’s good to have the weekend come around, but please, let’s remember to not use it just for partying and idle, sinful behaviour, but for the purposes that it was granted; that’s rest, relaxation and fellowship with other believers in Christ Jesus! And that’s because we need to have our minds, souls, bodies, and faith renewed and refreshed so that we can go back into the world the following week and once again work diligently for Christ.
Now, I know that many of us have lots of housework to do, chores that couldn’t be done during the work week, but please don’t let the weekend be all about housework, make time to get in a reasonable amount of those renewing and refreshing factors of life. (smile) That way, we will escape burn out from too much work and worry, and continue being useful ambassadors and disciples of Jesus, which is our Number One Job.
And today we’ll talk about vows, promises, covenants, contracts, things that today are not held sacred, but are broken with impunity, helped by the lax law of the land. In olden times a vow, promise, contract or covenant was totally binding, but in this deceitful, fraudulent and ungodly generation those things are not held in high esteem and agreements are disregarded without much thought or fear. A man’s word is no longer his honour. We seem to believe the saying; promises are made to be broken.
But friends, breaking a promise or contract is one of the worst things we can ever do, for it sullies our reputation, while damaging our integrity and our character. Our word will no longer be trusted by others, and we will suffer judgement and lack of cooperation by those we desire to work with. So, it’s not wise to break our oaths without very good cause, especially one made to God. Yuh know how we like to barter with God, especially when we find ourselves in tough situations, with words like: ‘Oh God, if you will only do this or that for me, I will do this or that in return.’ And when the Lord pulls us out of the fiery furnace, we forget all about our part of the bargain, and just go our merry way rejoicing.
Now that won’t wash with God, for He doesn’t like people who don’t keep their promises. We need to be people of integrity, especially with God. People like Hannah, the prophet Samuel’s mother. Remember how she was barren for a long time and prayed tearfully to the Lord to have a son. The scripture tells it thus: ‘And she (Hannah) was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore (in anguish). And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then will I give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.’ (1 Sam. 1:10-11)
And we know that the Lord heard Hannah’s prayer, and did indeed bless her with a man child, whom she named Samuel (heard by God), and when he was probably about three years old she took him to the temple in Shiloh and presented him to the priest Eli, who took him under his wing and taught him about the Lord and the workings of His service. Now that’s what meant by keeping your word, your vow.
And, as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes, Cousin Sol issues a very strong warning on the subject. He writes: ‘Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven and thou upon the earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business (effort, activity); and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it: for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl. 5:2-5)
Oh my fellow believers we cannot get any better advice than that. And please, let’s also do it in all our communications with man, not just with God. That’s the only way we will bring some integrity back into our forlorn and deceitful world. And I like how the scholars explain it. ‘The emphasis of the passage is on the folly of an empty religious profession before a sovereign God: God is in heaven, and thou upon the earth. God expects sincerity and meaningfulness in worship; He is not impressed with foolish vows.’
Oh, how I wish that many of us could understand that and stop trying to barter with God. Cousin Sol tells it thus in Proverbs. ‘It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy (to devote rashly something as holy, consecrated), and after vows to make enquiry (reconsiders his vows).’ (Prov. 20:25) Yes friends, let’s not speak too quickly, or too much, for it will only get us in serious trouble, both with God and man. So now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to help in these troubled and trying times.
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!’
Now, let’s not forget, that for divine aid to be doled out to us, we need to become better, more faithful witnesses for Christ! Much LOVE!
…promises…both to God and man…should be held inviolable…unbreakable…sacrosanct…holy…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, accepting one's limitations, are riches honour and life, as a means of restoring faith in you, as seriously as my own, as your Father in heaven is perfect, be better witnesses for Christ, be the children of your Father in heaven, be ye therefore perfect, being modest in our self-assessment, Bible, bless them that curse you, blessed are the poor in spirit, bright, bushy tailed, by humility and the fear of the Lord, by the example your faithful believers set, christianity, consider their heart, consults you often, disastrous times, discontent, dismisses other opinions, disregard anyone, dissatisfaction, divine aid, do good to them that hate you, don't think too little of ourselves, don't think too much of ourselves, embrace your love and compassion, even the publicans the same, faith, Friday chant, God gives grace to the humble, God resists the proud, God sends rain on the just and the unjust, greet your brethren only, have no use for God, he makes his sun to rise, he that humbles himself shall be exalted, holy spirit, humble yourselves in the sight of God, humbled, humility - one of the hardest virtues to attain, I pray for humility, I trust you to do it, if you love those who love you, in Jesus' name, In Touch Devotional, Jesus Christ, look down on others, LOVE, love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy, love your enemy, maintaining a sense of perspective, make or break, mercy, no matter one's background, omnipotent help, on the evil and on the good, our sinful world, persecute you, positive strides, pray for those who spitefully use you, pride, pride is the enemy of humility, problems escalating, put up barriers, rest, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, see people as, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, theirs is the kingdom of heaven, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee
Matthew 23:12. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased (humbled); and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted (lifted up).
Here comes the weekend! And as we offer up, ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ we’ll either have a chance to get in some much-needed rest, or one more go round of the new year celebrations. (smile) But whatever we do for the weekend, let’s ensure that come Monday, we’re bright and bushy-tailed, ready to do a good week’s work for Jesus, because this year is either going to make or break a lot of things and people, and only as we believers make some positive strides will things get better.
Now, today I want to share the prayer from the In Touch Devotional for December. And is it ever a most appropriate prayer for these proud, haughty and arrogant times. So please pray with me: ‘God, I pray for humility – the kind that doesn’t dismiss other opinions, that truly listens, no matter a person’s background, that consults You often and with ease. Sometimes I put up barriers and look down on others. But Lord, don’t let my pride lead me to disregard anyone – including You. Help me see people as Your beloved creations and consider their heart as seriously as my own. Only You can create this humility, Lord. I trust you to do it. In Jesus’ name, amen.’
Now that’s something we are all guilty of, to one extent or the other! For we all have some level of pride that causes us to look down on others and not value their opinions, ofttimes for rather petty, shortsighted and ungodly reasons. Like they don’t look, or act, or believe like us. They are richer or poorer than us…and the list goes on. But that’s so much foolishness it’s not funny, because we have all been made in the image of God, and though we might not look, think, act, or believe the same, we all still have value and worth and deserve to be heard, and treated with respect.
That’s how Jesus behaved and taught us to behave. Remember these momentous words of His. ‘Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour, and hate thy enemy. But I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully, maliciously) use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.
For if ye LOVE them which LOVE you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) the same? And if ye salute (greet) your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’ (Matt. 5:43-48)
Oh my people, Jesus is certainly asking a lot of us, but it’s nothing that He Himself didn’t do. And obviously we won’t be able to do it as well as He did, but if we believe and practice the main ingredient that’s necessary to accomplish that task, we will definitely come up higher. And what’s that main ingredient? Well, it’s simply what we’ve been talking about before; that’s humility! And believe me, humility is one of the hardest virtues to attain, because we all have pride, which is the very enemy of humility.
And pride is one of the seven things that Cousin Sol says the Lord considers an abomination. (Prov. 6:16-19) Why? Because when we’re filled with too much pride, we don’t tend to have any use for God. We believe we can do it all on our own, which is the furthest thing from the truth. But before we get to discussing humility, I guess we ought to get a decent definition of it. And I like this one: ‘Humility is the quality of being modest or respectful in one’s self-assessment and behavior. It involves recognizing and accepting one’s limitations, valuing others’ contributions, and maintaining a sense of perspective.’
Yes, we don’t need to abase ourselves, thinking that we’re no good to be humble, because we all have something to contribute. But neither ought we to think too much of ourselves. So, let’s look at a few of the many scriptures on the subject of humility. Beginning with this one from Cousin Sol in Proverbs. ‘When pride cometh, then cometh shame (disgrace): but with the lowly (humble, humility) is (comes) wisdom.’ (Prov. 11:2) Then there’s this other one from Cousin Sol in Proverbs. ‘By humility and the fear (reverence) of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.’ (Prov. 22:4) And there’s no disputing that my faithful brethren!
Then James, the brother of Jesus, gives us a couple of good ones in his epistle, namely: ‘But he (God) giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.’ (James 4:6) Then there’s scripture we all know but don’t practice enough. ‘Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:10) And let’s remember Christ’s teaching on the subject. ‘But he that is the greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased (humbled); and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted (lifted up).’ (Matt. 23:11-12)
Now that ought to make it very clear that the Lord values humility above most things. Please notice too, that His Son, Jesus Christ first came to earth in a very humble state, not because He had to, but because that was the necessary attribute for the time. However, please note that the next time He comes, then, it will be with all the pomp and splendour of a victorious warrior and King! So, with all of that under our belts, and in our hearts and minds, (smile) let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to help in these disastrous times.
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!’
Now, let’s get out into the world and be better witnesses for Christ, if we expect to receive divine aid! Much LOVE!
…blessed are the poor in spirit…the humble…for theirs is the kingdom of heaven… (Matt. 5:4)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sad blot on our efforts, a vision of the universe, all should come to repentance, anxisety, avenues of encouragement, backsliders, be responsible, Bible, can never repay our debt to Jesus, carnal lusts, christianity, Christmas all year round, come as a thief in the night, come together in peace and harmony, confusion, damnation, die trying, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, dreams, drive our motivations, enlightened times, error of their ways, faith, food, Friday chant, fulfilling the mandate, God-given dreams, good will to all mankind, have our houses in order, hellfire, holy spirit, it's been a good time, it's not always necessary to preach with words, Jesus Christ, joy, joyful greetings, light, living the life we talk, lost the world to the evil one, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, make a worthwhile effort, making disciples, mercy, negative emotions, not willing that any should perish, of all nations, omnipotent help, our sinful world, peace, problems are escalating, rejuvenate, salt, salvation, sharing gifts, simmering unrest, sincere witness, smiles, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, sufferation, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the courage of Christ, the day of the Lord, the generation that gave up, the goodness of God, the Great Commission, the Lord is longsuffering to us-ward, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, the LOVE of Jesus, the now dormant, the rapture of the church, the throne of grace, to do Christ's bidding, to turn our evil world around, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, ungodliness, ungodly times, visions, wake up and smell the coffee, wiles'lies, wisdom, wise guidance, with the state of our own lives, witnessed through our lives
2 Peter 3:9b. The Lord is …longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
And then it was Friday, and in this most joyful season of Christmas, the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ rise up to heaven with more than the usual thankfulness. Some of us had to be back at work today, following the public holidays of Christmas and Boxing days, while some are blessed to be off for the entire time from Wednesday to Monday. But whatever your situation, let’s hope that it’s been a good time, and continues to be such, with peace, joy, LOVE and good will to all mankind, as the Lord desires.
Christmas is the one time of the year that we drop some of our negative emotions and sort of come together in peace and harmony. That leads me to wish that we could have Christmas all year round, celebrate Christ’s birth throughout the entire year. (smile) I can see it in my mind’s eye! What a time of joy and peace that would be! People coming together, all smiles and joyful greetings, sharing gifts and food and the LOVE of Jesus! Wow! It would certainly help to rejuvenate the now dormant LOVE Revolution!
Okay, so I’m just dreaming, but dreams and visions are what drive our motivations and help us get to where we want to go. The Lord began with a dream, a vison of the universe He desired to create, and then He acted on it, and here we are. Likewise, when we have God-given dreams and visions, we also need to act on them. And today, I hope that ALL believers in Christ Jesus would have the dream, the vision of ourselves getting up, losing our fears and embracing the courage of Christ, and thus becoming much better witnesses for our Lord and Saviour.
Remember what Peter tells us: ‘The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet. 3:9) Now that means the Lord doesn’t want any of His human creation to end up in hellfire and damnation with Beelzebub, and He’s been patiently waiting for us, Christ’s disciples to get out there and bring as many as possible, preferably ALL of mankind to repentance, and thus salvation.
But He won’t wait forever. And as Peter therefore reminds us: ‘But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.’ (2 Pet. 3:10) Yes friends, if we miss the friendly Rapture of the church, we had better have our houses in order by the time Jesus comes again with judgement, for after that there will be no chance whatsoever to turn things around.
That’s why we must get to our tasks of spreading the good news of Christ’s gospel right now, with as much fervour and zeal as we can muster. Oh my fellow believers, don’t you see the numerous number of mankind that are sadly falling for Satan’s wiles and lies, and are thus headed for hellfire and damnation with him. It’s a sad blot on our efforts, or lack thereof, that in these supposed enlightened times, so many people are openly and joyfully embracing the carnal lusts and ungodliness of the evil one.
We obviously are not fulfilling the mandate of the Great Commission, of going out to all parts of the world and teaching and making disciples for Christ of those nations. And the unfortunate thing is that there has never been a better or easier time, with all sorts of new avenues, books, radio, television, internet, etc., etc. to get the word out to the world. And yet, many still fall to the deceitful and evil schemes of the world, possibly having never heard of Jesus’ goodness and mercy, or having not seen enough LOVE and goodness as witnessed through our lives.
Yes my brethren, talk is cheap, but the true taste of discipleship is the way in which we live our lives! And so many of us are living lives that don’t live up to our talk, so how can we expect others to come to Jesus when we’re as resentful, unloving, unforgiving, and ungodly, just like them? It’s like the saying goes, most of the time we don’t have to preach with words, but with the state of our own lives. That’s what draws people to Christ; to see us living the life we talk.
And that’s where we’ve got to get better in these difficult and troubled times, for people are looking for serious avenues of encouragement and we have the best; that of belonging to, and living for Jesus! So let’s show it to the world nuh, let’s be the true salt and light that Jesus expects us to be. If not for our sakes, then for those of our children’s children, for I’m sure we don’t want any of those to fall for the foibles and deceits of Satan. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant seeking divine aid to turn our evil world around.
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 friends, does our world ever need to wake up and see and smell the goodness of our great God. But they can only do it through our sincere witness. We certainly don’t want to be known as the generation that lost the world to the evil one. So let’s become the people that Jesus expects us to be nuh…for our sake, as well as His. He went through too much ‘sufferation’ on our behalf, for us not to make a worthwhile effort to do His bidding. Much LOVE!
…we can never repay our debt to Jesus…but we can surely die trying…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, according to his divine power, act in obedience to his Word, arrogant, backsliders, be partakers of the divine nature, Bible, christianity, Christmas, compassion, courtesy to others, disaster, discontent, dissatisfaction, error of their ways, escalating instead of improving, escaped the corruption, eternal destiny, faith, faithfulness, foolish, forgotten God, free will, Friday chant, generosity, gentleness, given unto us all things, goodness, grace and peace be multiplied unto you, great and precious promises, help and guidance to do His will, holy spirit, I am the vine ye are the branches, Jesus Christ, joy, kindness, life becomes unbearable, live the abundant life, longsuffering, lose our bearings, lose sight of the essential facts, LOVE, lust, meekness, mercy, no longer need God's help, no one to blame but ourselves, not that we are sufficient of ourselves, our sufficiency is of God, patience, peace, prideful, problems, produce good fruit, salvation, seek God's wisdom, self-control, shed this mortal coil, simmering unrest, sinful world, smell the coffee, stand strong and steadfast, strength, strife, temperance, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that pertain to life and godliness, the examples faithful believers set, the fruit of the spirit, the knowledge of god, the necessity of keeping Jesus first place, to think anything as of ourselves, trusting faith, truth, wake up, water and nourish the fruit, wisdom, without me ye can do nothing
2 Corinthians 3:5. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.
And it’s the Friday before Christmas! Wow! What a wonderful long weekend this will be! Some of us not going back to work for almost a week, if we have vacation time and a good employer! (smile) Thus the many joyful shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ But please, let’s not forget to include Christ in all of our Christmas doings, for He is the reason that we are celebrating this joyful time, and without Him we are nothing. As He so rightfully reminds us in the Word: ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5)
Now that should be a scripture that’s always uppermost in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, because without Jesus in us and we in Him, we cannot produce any good fruit. For it’s His presence in us, as the Holy Spirit, that sows the seeds of good fruit, then gives us the strength and wisdom to water and nurture them, as well as the necessary patience to wait for them to blossom forth with much good fruit. And that’s exactly why so many of us supposed Christians are not bearing much fruit, or any fruit at all. We’re forgetting the necessity of keeping Jesus first place in all that we do, keeping Him uppermost in our minds as we live each day, and asking for His help and guidance to do His will in His way and in His time.
And by the way, I guess we can use a refresher re the fruit that Jesus refers to. (smile) Bruh Paul outlines it to the Galatians thus: ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), gentleness (kindness), goodness (generosity), faithfulness, Meekness (courtesy with others), temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.’ (Gal. 5:22-23) Yes friends, it’s ALL about Jesus, and the moment we forget or lose sight of that most essential fact, then we begin to slide, to lose our bearings and life becomes unbearable.
Consequently, there’s this other scripture that we should always keep in the forefront of our lives. They are these most interesting and poignant words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor. 3:5) And until we have that fully planted in our souls, we won’t get anywhere. And that’s one of the reasons why our world is in such a chaotic state; we’ve become so filled with knowledge and supposed wisdom, which we feel is all our doing, and therefore we no longer need God’s help; we can handle it all. But if we’re so wise and great, why is there so much strife and disaster enveloping our once beautiful world eh?
It’s all because we’ve forgotten God, or worse yet, are trying to rid our society of Him, which is totally impossible. That just shows how foolish, arrogant and prideful we’ve become, if we believe that we can get rid of the Creator of the universe. And that’s why He’s given us free will; to make our own choices, be they good or foolish. We have no one to blame but ourselves for our foolish behaviour, because the Lord has given us everything we need to make a good life down here on earth.
As Peter attests to in his second epistle. ‘Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.’ (2 Pet. 1:2-4) And is there ever a lot of lust and corruption in our world today. It seems like there’s nothing else but that.
However, that scripture above tells us that God has already given us EVERYTHING we need for life and godliness. As parts of these two commentaries affirm: ‘We are prepared for anything. All the opportunities, information, relationships have already been given to us through knowing Him.’ As Believers, ‘Through the power of the Holy Spirit and His grace, we can seek God’s wisdom, choose to act in obedience to His Word, and live a fruitful life that reflects His glory.’
And there’s no disputing those words my brethren, for our wonderful God has done all He can to ensure that we have a decent earthly life, then, when we depart this earth, to end up with Him in heaven for all eternity. There’s no more that He can do! The rest of it all depends on us. How we respond to His commands will determine both our earthly and eternal destinies. And today, I will advise us to take a moment and consider the kind of lives we’re currently leading, and if they will enable us to live the abundant life that Christ died for us to live here on earth, and then catapult us to His waiting arms when we shed this mortal coil. It’s oh so important that we regularly check out our lives to see how we’re doing, so that we can make any necessary adjustments.
Now, let’s go to throne of grace, through our Chant, seeking divine aid to help us toe the line. 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!’
Ah friends, it’s ever so important that we wake up and smell the coffee and thus become better witnesses for Christ, if we expect to receive any divine aid! Much LOVE!
…only with Christ in us…and we in Him…that believers can do anything worthwhile…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Julie mango, a new flock of believers, Adam and Eve, anxiety, backsliders, bamboozled them, be as gods, be responsible, believe, Bible, christianity, confusion, crying out for help, discontent, disobedience, dissatisfaction, embrace your love, endeavour to live a godly life, error of their ways, everything God made is beautiful, faith, fell for the sweet talk, free falling mode, Friday chant, God created man with his own hands, God did not speak man into existence, God saw that it was good, God sent not his Son into the world to condemn it, God so loved the world, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, he ha believeth on him is not condemned, he that believeth not is condemned already, holy spirit, in snake's clothing, Jesus Christ, knowing good and evil, leave all the consequences to Him, lost in sin shame and pain, LOVE, mercy, naked, not willing to accept responsibility, obey God, omnipotent help, problems are escalating, redeem us from sin, salvation, Satan, should not perish, sinful world, snow season, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, the blame game, the breath of life, the cross at Calvary, the example we faithful believers set, the forbidden fruit, the gift of God is eternal life, the simmering unrest, the tools to resist deception, the wages of sin is death, the world through him might be saved, they would surely die, thrive, to handle the unexpected storms properly, trusting faith, truth, ungodly times, wake up and smell the coffee, whosever believeth in him, wisdom, wise guidance, your eyes shall be opened
Romans 6:23. For the wages of sin is eternal death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Well, it certainly seems like the snow season is here to stay. Note I didn’t say winter, because that’s not officially due for another couple of weeks, but the snow has made it’s appearance and looks like it intends to stay, for although the roads are fairly clean, the land and roof tops are clothed with it, while occasional flurries continue to drift down aimlessly. I must say though that the wintry white look is indeed beautiful! And why not eh, for everything our marvellous and artistic God has made is beautiful!
Remember what the Bible says about His creation of the universe? At then of each day, He looked at what He had created that day, ‘and God saw that it was good.’ (Gen. 1:12) Then at the end, the Bible says: ‘And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.’ (Gen. 1:31) Yes friends, our God was indeed pleased with His creations, especially mankind, whom He actually created with His own hands. It was the only thing He did not speak into existence.
The Bible tells it thus: ‘And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.’ (Gen. 2:7) What a magnanimous, generous and LOVING God we serve my people! One who made us in His own image from the dust of the earth and imbued us with His Holy, Life-Giving Spirit, filled us with the breath of life! What could be more awesome and amazing that that eh? And the Lord had such great plans for us.
Sadly though, our forefathers Adam and Eve screwed everything up when they allowed the evil serpent, Satan in snake’s clothing, to bamboozle them into not believing what God had said to them about eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil; that they would surely die. The smooth talking serpent said unto Eve: ‘Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods (God), knowing good and evil.’ (Gen. 3:4-5)
And Eve fell for the sweet talk, and ate of the forbidden fruit, which I believe was not a crusty apple as many suppose, but rather a Julie mango, the sweetest and juiciest fruit the Lord has made. (smile) And it’s obvious that when they ate the Julie mango their eyes were opened, such was the sweetness of it! (smile) They even knew that they were naked and sewed fig leaves together to make aprons (girding coverings). (Gen. 3:6-7) Then foolishly, when the Lord came looking for them they went and hid themselves.
How foolish can one be? But that’s because they now knew good from evil, and realized that they had disobeyed the one thing that God had told them not to do. And when the Lord asked Adam why they had disobeyed His one command, he laid the blame on Eve for eating of the forbidden fruit. And when He asked Eve, she replied: ‘The serpent beguiled (deceived) me.’ (Gen. 3:13) Right there the blame game began! Then God unceremoniously kicked them out of the Garden of Eden, to fight life on their own.
And since then, mankind has been in a sort of free falling mode, lost in sin and shame and pain, having to till the ground, by the sweat of his brow to get bread, and suffer all kinds of trials and tribulations. All for ONE act of disobedience! That’s how seriously God takes disobedience! And sadly nothing has changed down through the ages; man is still a most sinful and disobedient being, and sill not willing to accept responsibility for his actions. This might possibly be the most sinful and disobedient generation of all.
But thankfully, there’s also another side to our God; the LOVING, compassionate side, where He doesn’t wish to see His greatest creation suffer eternal separation from Him for their sinful behaviour; ‘For the wages of sin is eternal death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom. 6:23) Thus He sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth to die on the cross at Calvary and thus redeem us from our abominable sinful condition. And all we have to do is believe and endeavour to live a godly life.
Jesus, as was His wont, said it very simply. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17) Yes friends, contrary to what many believe, Christ came to save the world, not condemn it. If He desired to condemn it, He would simply have left it as it was, sinful and sorrowful. But no, He left heaven purposely to come and save us.
And as we said earlier, all you have to do is believe in Christ to be saved. Here’s how He puts it: ‘He that believeth on him (Christ) is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:18) Ah friends, it’s so simple: believe and you will be saved; don’t believe and you will be condemned! And yes, the serpent is still out there trying to beguile and deceive as many of us as he can, but when we believe in Jesus, He also gives us the tools to resist that deception, with His Holy Spirit indwelling us to lead the way.
So although living the holy and righteous life might not always be easy, we can certainly do it, if we seriously put our minds and hearts to the task. And to help us in that endeavour, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant seeking divine aid to stay afloat and thrive. 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!’
Now, let’s realize that no divine aid will be forthcoming until we buck up and become better witnesses for Christ! Much LOVE!
…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him… (Uncle Charles – Dr. Charles Stanley)…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Sep 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a major crisis in our faith, a sad time, a stubborn and rebellious generation, ambassadors of Jesus, better examples of Christian living, chaos, death cannot celebrate thee, declare thy might acts, faith, for children to be growing up, forget the things you have seen, Friday chant, great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, hate is paramount, his greatness is unsearchable, hope for thy truth, Hurricane Helene, incline your ears, indeterminate behaviour, indoctrinated, Jesus Christ, keep his commandments, keep thy soul diligently, learn to fear me, listen to my law, lose this generation, LOVE, love can hardly be found, make known the truth, man-made disasters, mercy, natural disasters, not forget the works of God, omnipotent help, one generation shall praise thy works to another, open my mouth in a parable, pray for them, set not their heart aright, set thei hope in God, simmering unrest, spreading the gospel, stand strong and steadfast, step up to the plate, teach them to thy sons, teaching the good news of Jesus, Thanks be to God, the evil one, the father to the children, the grave can not praise thee, the living shall praise thee, the throne of grace, the words of my mouth, they may teach their children, thy sons' sons, time of dire need, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, ungodly sentiments, utter dark sayings of old, wake up and smell the coffee, wars and rumours of wars, whose spirit was not steadfast with God, wisdom, wise guidance
Psalm 145:4. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
And it’s another sunshiny day in my neck of the woods! Thanks be to God! Unfortunately though, our fellow human beings in Southern Florida are not so enthused this Friday morning, as Hurricane Helene has dealt them a disastrous blow coming ashore and creating mayhem in their area! I’m sure they didn’t send up loud and grateful shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at long last!’ Definitely not! Let’s pray for them in their time of dire need, and hope that Helene will not cause any more damage, but head out to sea and spiral down to nothing.
But it’s certainly been a fierce hurricane season. Before one can be quite done, another has taken its place. Brother! Can we lay all of that at the feet of climate change? Our world has become such a disastrous place recently; what with numerous natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, and a whole lot of man-made ones too, like wars and rumours of wars. It’s a sad time for children to be growing up amongst all this chaos and indeterminate behaviour, for they can only be indoctrinated with all the negative and ungodly sentiments that are currently filling our world.
That’s why it’s so important that we believers are busy doing God’s work, spreading the gospel, the good news of Jesus’ work on our behalf. For if we don’t, who will teach the young ones the truth, who will lead them on the straight and narrow path? Definitely not Satan and his evil cronies! Right now my fellow believers we’re facing a major crisis in our faith and in our world, and if we don’t step up to the plate and do better than we’re currently doing, all will be lost. It’s as simple as that!
As ambassadors and disciples of Jesus, He is expecting us to make a substantial, positive difference in the world, being the salt of the earth, and the light of the world, which we’re certainly not doing, otherwise our world would not be in such a chaotic state, where hate is paramount, and LOVE can hardly be found. It’s a time when all Christians ought to start behaving like true Christians, for if we lose this generation to the evil one then things will get even worse. Let’s remember these words of the psalmist Asaph from Psalm 78 – titled ‘Teach Children God’s laws.’
Please read with me: ‘Give ear (listen), O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old (speak obscure sayings or riddles). Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make known to their children:
That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: And might not be as their fathers; a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright (did not prepare their heart), and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.’ (Ps. 78:1-8)
Ah friends, teaching the next generation about God has been the responsibility of the parents from time immemorial. That’s how we learned about God. Unfortunately though, we have not done a good job in teaching our children about God, but have allowed the schools and other places to teach them all the other foolishness that now fills their heads.
And I don’t know if it’s a misdeed we can ever live down, because if this generation doesn’t know God, then who is going to teach the next one about Him? We had better get busy teaching our grandchildren what we unwisely didn’t teach our children, otherwise Satan will be laughing all the way to hell and damnation, since His avowed purpose is to take as many of us with him as possible down to Hades.
And there are so many scriptures that tell about one generation teaching the next one about God and His awesome works. Like this one from Psalm 145; Bruh David’s Psalm of praise to God’s Unsearchable Greatness, where he writes: ‘Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding). One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.’ (Ps. 145:3-4)
And then there are these words from Isaiah. ‘For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.’ (Is. 38:18-19) Yes friends, when we’re in the grave we cannot tell the children about God, it’s only when we alive and kicking.
And Moses gave the same instructions to the Israelites way back when. ‘Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul (yourself) diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them to thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; Specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.’ (Deut. 4:9-10)
Yes my fellow saints, the Lord’s instructions and desires for us to teach our children about Him could not be any clearer! And it’s to our sad record and history that we have not done a better job. However, it’s never too late, so let’s begin right now by going to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant asking for help to restore ourselves in God’s good grace.
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 please note, that divine aid won’t be forthcoming until we begin setting better examples of Christian living! Much LOVE!
…how can the young learn about Jesus…if the elders don’t teach them…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, according to the beauty of man, all of them are vanity, battening down the hatches, better examples of Christian witness, Bible, christianity, confusion, crying out for your help, deceived hearts, deliver me according to thy word, faith, Friday chant, god, god made in the image of man, graven image, he hath shut their eyes, he makes a god and worships it, idols, Jesus Christ, labour day weekend, lay up treasures for yourself in heaven, LOVE, makes a god of the residue, makes it after the figure of man, omnipotent help, pagan idolatry, return backsliders to your fold, show them the error of their ways, simmering unrest, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that they cannot understand, the dreaded winter season, the example we faithful believers set, the foolishness of worshipping idols, their hearts, there your heart will be also, they cannot see, they have not known nor understood, thou art my God, trusting faith, truth, ungodly times, wake up and see the light, wake up and smell the coffee, wherever your treasure is, wisdom, worth a snowball's chance in hell
Isaiah 44:18. They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand.
And would you believe it’s the second to last day of August, which means the Labour Day long weekend is on tap! So you can imagine the many joyous shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ that have been sent up on high this morning. Let’s remember though, that also means the end of the summer holidays, and on the other side of Monday is a return to school and work and less play. The time to begin battening down the hatches for the dreaded winter season that so many of us despise. But that’s life…and sometimes we make it seem so awful and terrifying, when it’s not, and we always take it in stride, because that’s what we do as true believers in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
So what are we going to talk about today eh? I don’t have anything particular in mind. And when in doubt, what do we do? Obviously check the Good Library to see what it says. (smile) So let’s open it and see what comes up. Soon come. Oh, we’re back, a couple minutes later. And I’ve been led to a most interesting item of scripture from the prophet Isaiah, as he talks about the foolishness of worshipping idols. And that’s certainly a most important topic in our modern world, because so many of us worship idols, be they dead or otherwise, for an idol is whatever we treasure above the presence and company of God.
Remember what Jesus said on the subject: To lay up treasures for yourself in heaven not on earth. ‘For wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:21) That means unless you’re laying up treasures in heaven, you’re worshipping some idol on earth more than God. And Isaiah says on God’s behalf. ‘They that make a graven image are all of them vanity (useless); and their delectable (precious) shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. Who hath formed a god, or molten (moulded) a graven image that is profitable for nothing?
Behold, all his fellows (companions) shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men (mere men): let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together. The smith (blacksmith) with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint. The carpenter (craftsman) stetcheth out his rule; he market it our with a line (chalk); he fitteth it with planes (fashions it with a plane), and he market it our with a compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house.
He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth (secures) for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash (pine), and the rain doth nourish it. Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh a graven image, and falleth down thereto.
He burneth part (half) thereof in the fire; with part (half) thereof he eateth flesh; he roastest roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire. And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.’ (Is. 44:9-17)
Oh friends that was true of the Israelites back then and it’s also true of us right now. Many of us don’t worship graven images of wood and metal, but we worship all sorts of other stuff beside the One True God Jehovah! And that’s utter foolishness! How can you plant a tree, then when it grows, cut it down, warm yourself and bake bread with it, then use the remainder to make a god in your own image to bow down and worship eh. Or as Isaiah says: ‘shall I fall down to the stock of a tree (a block of wood?’ (Is. 44:19) But we fall down nowadays to even more foolish things.
However, let’s get some further insight into the scripture from the scholars. They say: ‘This exposé of idolatry is the most taunting in all of the Bible. The prophet Isaiah, serving as the spokesman of Yahweh, reveals the utter foolishness of polytheistic pagan idolatry. The graven image (carved idol) is called vanity (nothing). Delectable things refers to the adornment of idols with gold, silver, and precious stones. The prophet announces that idols themselves are their own witnesses. They see not, nor know. Therefore these inanimate objects are profitable for nothing.
Isaiah then berates the workmen (artisans) for designing and constructing their idols in the figure of a man. He exposes the basic fallacy of idolatry, a god made in the image of man. Thus the prophet’s criticism of one who would worship an idol carved from the same tree that he would use for firewood is that he feedeth on ashes.’
However you look at it friends, worshipping anything in the image of a man or another God-created being is foolishness. But as Isaiah says of their deceived hearts: ‘They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand.’ (Is. 44:18) Thus they are unable to see their folly.
And that’s exactly what happens to us when we are intent on rebelling against the Lord; He shuts our eyes and ears of understanding so we can continue in our foolish behaviour, until we wake up and see the light. And many of us need to do that today, as we are still considering other things in this material and evil world more important than God. But let’s go to Him right now, through our Friday Chant and ask for His omnipotent help in whatever is ailing us.
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!’
Let’s not forget though, that our prayers won’t be worth a snowball’s chance in hell, if we don’t set better examples of Christian witness! Much LOVE!
…too many of us worship…everything else…but God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man after God's own heart, a new flock of believers, a sensitivity to sin, according to thy loving kindness, against thee only have I sinned, backsliders, Blessed is he, blessed is the man, blot out my transgressions, by grace are ye saved through faith, caribana festivities, cast me not away from thy presence, Civic holiday, cleanse me from my sin, confession, create in me a clean heart, crying out for help, day and night, dead to sin, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, divien aid, done this evil in thy sight, dysfunctional family, error of their ways, faith, forgiveness, Friday chant, God forbid, have mercy upon me O God, I acknowledged my sin, I will confess my transgressions, in whose spirit there is no guile, it is the gift of God, Jesus Christ, lest any man should boast, LOVE, my bones waxed old, my moisture, my sin is ever before me, not of works, purge me with hyssop, purposeful sin, renew a right spirit within me, salvation, shall we continue in sin, stand strong and steadfast, take not thy holy spirit from me, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that grace may abound, the joy of thy salvation, the multitude of thy tender mercies, thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin, through my roaring all day long, thy hand was heavy upon me, truned into the drought of summer, truth, unto whom the Lord Imputeth n iniquity, wake up and smell the coffee, wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, when I kept silence, whieter than snowmake me to hear joy and gladness, whose sin is covered, whose transgression is forgiven, wisdom
Psalm 32:1. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
It’s the big day people; Friday! And it’s especially big in the Province of Ontario because it’s our long Civic weekend holiday, where the yearly Caribana celebrations will be front and centre. They had the King and Queen Competition last night, and tonight the Steelbands will be on stage, then tomorrow the grand parade. So when we shout ‘TGIF! Thank God It’s Friday!’ many will truly be thankful. (smile)
But fortunately, or unfortunately, my time for all the Caribana hoopla is over. I only go to the Steelband competition these days, as I don’t like the sorry spectacle it’s turned into. But that’s just my opinion…and anyway, the ole body can no longer handle all the physical exertion required to participate in the Saturday parade. (smile)
Today however, we’ll look at Psalm 32, where Bruh David talks about Confession and Forgiveness, two things that are ever so necessary in a believer’s life, especially in these ungodly and evil times. So let’s read: ‘Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth no iniquity (doesn’t charge his account with sin), and in whose spirit there is no guile (deceit).’ (Ps. 32:1-2)
Ah friends, those are such important words for us as believers. For Jesus died that we could be set free from the bondage of sin, and thus we have forgiveness of our sins through the shed blood of Christ on the cross of Calvary. And as Bruh Paul writes to the Ephesians: ‘For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.’ ((Eph. 2:8-9)
But does that give us the right to sin as we please? Obviously not! And Bruh Paul addresses that question in his letter to the Roman church, when he asks: ‘What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid (certainly not). How shall we, that are dead (who died) to sin, live any longer therein?’ (Rom. 6:1-2)
That means we cannot take advantage of the grace that abounds from God for our sins and keep on living a sinful life. We ought to do our best to live righteously, although we’re still human and will sin occasionally. (smile) However, when we sin, it is in our best interest to ask for God’s forgiveness as soon as possible.
Why? Listen to Bruh David from psalm 32: ‘When I kept silence, my bones waxed (grew) old through my roaring (groaning) all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture (vitality) is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.’ (Ps. 32:3-4) Yes mih bredrin, that’s what happens to us when we don’t confess our sins; they lay heavy on our souls, along with the Lord’s displeasure, such that our vitality, our pleasure in life seems to be lost.
But look at what happens when we confess. Bruh David writes: ‘I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.’ (Ps. 32:5) Now that’s what we ought to do when we know that we have sinned. And we have a very good example of that not being done by Bruh Daid after he had sinned with Bathsheba. He only confessed his sin after the prophet Nathan, on the Lord’s directive, confronted him with it. And you can find that story in 2 Samuel 12. And from that, it seems Psalm 51- A Plea for Forgiveness – was born.
There Bruh David writes: ‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified (be found just) when thou speakest, and be clear (blameless) when thou judgest.’ (Ps. 51:1-4)
And although Bruh David’s sin affected his work for God very much, and his confession and plea for forgiveness was somewhat late, the Lord forgave him because of his sincerity, but for the rest of his life he suffered for it with a dysfunctional family. And according to the scholars: ‘The psalm gives expression to why David was “a man after God’s own heart”: he was not perfect, but he had a sensitivity to sin that few knew about.’
So much so, that after confessing his sin and pleading for forgiveness, he continues with a plea for cleansing. ‘Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all of mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free (generous) spirit.’ (Ps. 51:7-12)
Yes friends, ofttimes that’s the sort of cleansing we need for some of the sins we’ve committed. But please, let’s remember that if we don’t confess our known sins and ask for forgiveness, they will lay heavily on our conscience and will drag us down, causing us to lose our joy and be very ineffective witnesses for Christ. Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, asking for divine aid to live our best lives.
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 as always, the granting of divine aid depends on the examples that we, supposedly faithful believers set. Much LOVE!
…God’s grace should not be abused…by continual and purposeful sin…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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