29 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a word picture, alleviate our problem, apt to make mistakes, asking questions, beat upon the house, beliefs, believers cry out to God in their confusion, built his house on a rock, choose time and again, christianity, Christians, consider and hear me.O Lord my God, Consider This, covered by prayer, don't fell guilty, doubt God's presence, doubts, enlighten me, faith, faith and doubt are vital to one another, felt ashamed, for ever, gently confronted honest skepticism, God wants to hear everything that's on your mind, good with bad, had doubts about God, having sorrow in my heart daily, he hath dealt bountifully with me, hesitating, holy spirit, how long must he struggle seemingly alone, how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me, how long wilt thou forget me, how long wilt thou hide thy face from me, human, hurry, I am the beloved of god, I have prevailed against him, I have trusted in thy mercy, I will sing unto the Lord, in god's eyes, in times of doubt, In Touch Devotional Magazine, indisputable truth, it behooves us, it fell not, it was founded upon a rock, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus did not shame him, lest mine eney say, let the world know to whom we belong, lighten mine eyes, liken him unto a wise man, live by Christ's teaching, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, loving-kindness, mercy, misgivings, more fully understand faith because of doubt, not uncommon emotions, only one person to turn to, our faith is founded on the solid bedrock that's Jesus, prayer is our number one recourse, rejoice when I am moved, salvation, seemingly alone, share His love with my neighbours, simply talk to God, sleep the sleep of death, sorrow and doubt, spiritual strength, take counsel in my soul, the author and finisher of our faith, the BIBLE, the floods came, the Lord has forgotten him, the necessary proof, the rain descended, the winds blew, their constructed life, Thomas doubted Jesus' resurrection, those that trouble me, times of uncertainty, to affirm our beliefs, to go out and share the love and friendship of Christ, to whom we belong, trust my friend Jesuss, truth, Tuesday Manrta, turned his face away, uncertainty, whosoever hears these sayings of mine, wisdom, wondering, worry, ye must coexist with no
Psalm 13:5. But I have trusted in thy mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS); my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.
Oh friends on this cloudy and somewhat warm, but rainy and windy Tuesday morning, let me apologize for a mistake I made in yesterday’s Bit, claiming that only Lot and his family were saved during the Great Flood, when it should have been only Noah and his family. Hopefully, most of you knew better and recognized it as the mistake it was. I don’t know where my head was when I wrote that and then reread it a couple of times too. But it just shows that I am human, and thus apt to make mistakes. (smile) And since you are beautiful Christians, you will also graciously forgive me. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your forgiveness, and I know that Jesus is proud of you for your forgiving spirit. (smile)
Anyway, today we’ll look at an interesting article in the April In Touch Devotional Magazine, under the heading of ‘Consider This.’ So please read with me. ‘No matter how long you’ve been a believer, you’ve probably had doubts about God and felt ashamed of them. However – just as yes must coexist with no and good with bad – faith and doubt are vital to one another. We more fully understand what faith is because we doubt.
By asking questions, wondering, and hesitating, we choose time and again to affirm what we believe. Remember that Thomas doubted Jesus’ resurrection, but Jesus did not shame him. Instead, He gently confronted honest skepticism with the necessary proof. Whenever you wonder about your faith or a trial makes you doubt God’s presence in your life, don’t feel guilty. Simply talk to God. He wants to hear everything that’s on your mind – even your uncertainty.’
And that’s the indisputable truth my brethren! Our God wants to hear everything that’s happening with us, because He LOVES us so deeply and desires to be involved in whatever we’re doing or thinking, even our doubts and misgivings. Once it’s a genuine doubt or question, the Lord will ensure that we receive whatever we need to ease or alleviate our problem. And please, let’s not feel guilty or unchristian if we ever have doubts or questions regarding our faith, because even the most righteous of believers sometimes have problems that cause them to doubt or question what’s happening.
And a great example of that is Bruh David, the supposed man after God’s own heart. Look at the problems he endured in the many years that he was anointed king of Israel before that event actually took place. His constant running from King Saul, in all innocence, must have caused him to question the truth and sincerity of God’s promise. And he certainly voices his concerns in Psalm 13 – A prayer for God’s Grace, when he cries out: ‘How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?’ (Ps. 13:1-2)
Now, if such a righteous believer could put forth those questions of doubt and uncertainty during his many trials, so can we, when we’re uncertain about what’s happening in our lives. And Bruh David continues his cry to God thus: ‘Consider, and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes (enlighten me), lest I sleep the sleep of death; Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.’ (Ps. 13:3-4)
And this commentary explains Bruh David’s predicament thus. ‘Psalm 13:1–4 exposed David’s sorrow and doubt. These are not uncommon emotions, and Scripture includes moments when believers cry out to God in their confusion. In this situation, David feels the Lord has forgotten him and turned His face away. He asks the Lord how long he must struggle, seemingly alone.’
Ah friends, how often have we been faced with serious situations that we were unable to handle eh…and hopefully, we cried out to Almighty God for help. I know I have done it numerous times over my many years of life. But the difference between Bruh David’s cry and ours can possibly be summed up in the last two verses of the psalm, where, despite his problems, Bruh David acknowledges his absolute faith in God. ‘But I have trusted in thy mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS); my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.’ (Ps. 13:5-6)
And the scholars offer this explanation of the psalm. ‘The distance between four occurrences of How long, punctuated with question marks (vs, 1-2) and the confident and joyful song at the end (vs. 6) is covered only with prayer (vs. 3-4) and trust (vs. 5).’ Yes my faithful brethren, sincere prayer must always be our number ONE recourse in times of doubt or trouble, for our faith, though it can be sometimes shaken, it can never broken, because it’s founded on the solid bedrock that’ s Jesus.
It’s like Jesus Himself described it. ‘Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a (the) rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a (the) rock.’ (Matt. 7:24-25)
And what does all of that mean? This commentary explains: ‘Jesus is using the word picture of building a house. This “house” is a person’s spiritual strength, their beliefs, and the life they construct as a result. Those who live by His teaching will be like a man who has built a house on a foundation of rock.’ And that rock is Jesus! Let’s never forget that my fellow believers!
Now let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now, it behooves us to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…in times of uncertainty…there’s ONLY ONE place or person to turn to…that’s Jesus…the author and finisher of our faith…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
21 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great cloud of witnesses, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a true disciple of Christ, a warning, absolutely necessary, an incorruptible crown, be disqualified, bring it under subjection, business, Christian celebrations, compassed about, competes for the prize, corruptible crown, denying the spirituality of the situation, despising the shame, disicpline our bodies, disobeyed your word, disqualified from Christian ministry, divine aid, earthly spiritual journey, ease the pain, Easter celebrations, Easter Monday, encouraged by the enemy, endured the cross, eternal life, every man that striveth for mastery, faith, fall by the wayside, finished my course, flails helplessly, food, for the joy that was set before him, forfeiting rewards, fought a good fight, frustrations, gifts, grace, greed of the world, have a part to play, he that abideth in me, heavenly help, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, I am the vine, I in him, I keep under my body, I myself should be a castaway, I therefore so run, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus' miraculous resurrection, Jesus' sacrificial death, keep Jesus uppermost in our minds, kept the faith, know ye not, lay aside every weight, lest that by any means, looking unto Jesus, lose sight of the essential facts, LOVE, mass confusion, material selfishness, mercy, not as one that beateth the air, not that we are sufficient of ourselves, one receives the prize, our sufficiency is of God, parties, peace and calm, personal sacrifice, practical advice, pray, run not as uncertainly, run with patience, salvation, self-control, selfless sacrifice of Jesus, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, share a partnership with Christ, sin, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, so fight I, so run that ye may obtain, spiritual strength, spirituality, steal our joy In Jesus Christ, strong faith in Christ, suffering from negative situations, surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, ta perishable crown, temperate, temperate in all things, Thank you Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, the giver of life, the God who heals, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the material world, the race of life, the race that is set before us, the same bringeth forth much fruit, the sin which doth so easily beset us, they which run in a race run all, throne of grace, to think anything of ourselves, traffic jams, trainig for a marathon, truth, turn from our evil ways, we have all sinned, when I have preached to others, wisdom, wise guidance, without me ye can do nothing, work diligently, ye are the branches
1 Corinthians 9:24b. So run, that ye may obtain.
And the Easter celebrations continue unabated on this somewhat cloudy Easter Monday! And why not eh, when we were given the greatest presents ever; salvation and eternal life through Jesus’ sacrificial death and miraculous resurrection! And the other good thing about today is that many of us don’t have to face the traffic jams and all the other frustrations involved in going out to work. And all God’s children said, a loud and grateful, ‘Thank You Jesus!’
However, there’s always a warning needed in these Christian celebrations, a warning to not let the material selfishness and greed of the world to make us lose sight of what the celebration is truly about; the LOVE and selfless sacrifice of Jesus! For if we allow them, the material world, staunchly encouraged by the enemy, would just make it all about business, gifts, food, and parties, while denying the spirituality of the situation. So, as we celebrate, let’s keep Jesus uppermost in our minds today and every day, for He is the giver of life, health, wealth, LOVE, mercy, grace…in fact of everything that we enjoy!
Now, to always keep Jesus first place is no easy task, especially when the enemy’s main goal is to steal our joy in Christ, since, as the Bible says: ‘for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh. 8:10) That means if we lose our joy in Christ then we’ll lose our spiritual strength and won’t be able to make the wise decisions we ought to, or have the peace and calm we desire.
And how do we do that? We have to work sincerely and diligently at it. But obviously not by ourselves, for as Bruh Paul writes: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor. 3:5) And Jesus corroborates that when he declares (yesss!!!) that well known statement: ‘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)
But unlike what some might think, that does not stop us from working towards the goal of spiritual maturity, for we share a partnership with Christ, meaning we both have a part to play. If we do our part, He will do His. But if we don’t do our part, neither will He do His, and we’d be left in the lurch. And what’s our part in all this eh? Here’s one practical bit of advice from Bruh Paul. He writes thus in his first missive to the Corinthians: ‘Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.’ (1 Cor. 9:24)
Yes friends, Bruh Paul is likening our earthly spiritual journey to a race, and in his last communication with Timothy, he uses that same imagery. ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith.’ (2 Tim. 4:7) Likewise, the author of Hebrews views our earthly journey as a race, when he writes: ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witness, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us. 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.’ (Heb. 12:1-2)
So Jesus is our example for living this earthly life. But yuh know what, if we want to obtain anything positive and/or substantial from this race of life, we have to put out something. Therefore, Bruh Paul continues to the Corinthians. ‘And every man that striveth for the mastery (competes for the prize) is temperate (has self-control) in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible (perishable) crown, but we an incorruptible (imperishable). I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air (flails helplessly): but I keep under my body (discipline my body), and bring it under subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (disqualified).’ (1 Cor. 9:25-27)
Ah mih people, like a runner training for a marathon, we too have to discipline our bodies and exert ourselves so that we will do well in the race of life. If not, we’ll fall by the wayside and lose the promised imperishable crown that Christ has laid aside for us. As the scholars explain: ‘The point is that the believer must discipline himself to avert being disqualified from Christian ministry, and forfeiting the rewards for such service.’ So we see that running this earthly race is not easy, but with the help of our wonderful God, we can do it, if we put out the necessary effort. And to help us do so, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pleading for divine assistance.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And from our prayer, we see that there are some necessary steps we must take before divine aid is granted; humble ourselves, pray, sincerely seek God’s face with sincere repentance. So please, let’s get to them right now nuh, so that we’ll get heavenly help asap! Much LOVE!
…as a true disciple of Christ…personal sacrifice is absolutely necessary…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciplined mind, a good day's work, a great cloud of witnesses, alleviate our problems, ambassadors of Christ, be cast out, be discouraged, be your best, Bible, but of power love and a sound mind, christianity, compassed about, complaining, consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners, despising the shame, disciples of Jesus, divine aid, do your best, endured such hostility of sinners, endured the cross, faint in your minds, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, follow the example of Jesus, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, for the joy that was set before him, freedom from sin, glorify your father in heaven, good for nothing, heroes of the faith, hold our heads high, holy spirit, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, joy, lay aside every weight, lest ye be weary, Let your light so shine before men, live up to a high standard, look your best, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, mercy, negative vibes, nothing fazed Jesus, originator, perfector, pray, put your best foot forward, repentance, resentment, run with patience, salt lost its flavour, salvation, see your good works, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, sincerely seek your face, sinned and seriously disobeyed your word, spoil our witness, strong faith in Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, the God who heals, the light of the world, the race set before us, the revolutionary feat, the salt of the earth, the sin that doth easily so beset us, the slavery of sin, took it in stride, trodden underfoot, truth, turn from our evil ways, under a basket, ungrateful sinners, wisdom, wise guidance
Hebrews 12:2a. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith;
Another Monday’s on the agenda friends, but I know that we can and will handle it with the quiet aplomb and efficiency that we’ve learned from the masterful example of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Nothing that came against Him fazed Him, He just took it in stride. Not even the excessive cruelty He faced on our behalf, caused Him to lose sight of His heavenly Father’s goal; accomplishing the amazing and revolutionary feat of earning freedom from sin’s abject slavery for a bunch of ungrateful sinners.
And that’s how He expects us, His followers, ambassadors and agents on this evil and ungodly earth to behave. Now He doesn’t expect perfection either, because He knows we’re not perfect and will never be until He comes to take us home and changes us, but nonetheless He expects us to always put our best foot forward. As the late Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) used to say: ‘Look your best, do your best and be your best!’
That says it all my people. For as the author of Hebrews so vividly explains it: ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses (those heroes of the faith that went before us), let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us,
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. 12:1-3)
Yes friends, that’s the example we’re supposed to follow. As disciples of Jesus we’re expected to live up to a high standard; so high, that when the unbelievers see us in action, they’ll hold their heads in awesome wonder and want what we have that makes us so joyful, peaceful, LOVING and calm. (smile) So as this new Monday rolls around, and we go out to do the same banal, every day, ofttimes boring tasks, let’s hold our heads high and get on with His business without any complaining, resentment and negative vibes to spoil our witness.
All the time, remembering Jesus’ strong admonitions: ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:13-16)
Of course my fellow saints, that’s the kind of strong witness expected of us true and faithful believers of Christ especially in these rather ungodly and sinful times! However, unfortunately, we don’t seem to be doing such a great job of witnessing for Christ, otherwise the devil would not have such a stranglehold on the affairs of the world and Christians would be filled with much more faith, LOVE and joy, not with the fear and anxiety that so many of us now project.
But let’s remember this other admonition from Bruh Paul before we foolishly throw in the towel and give up in the face of the enemies evil strategies. That’s one of the reasons Bruh Paul wrote these telling words to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7)
Now that’s a most important scripture for us to remember today, as we step out into the world, clothed in God’s armour to continue the fight for Jesus’ righteous and just army. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking help in this time of dire need.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And all of that simply means; to get divine aid, we must improve our godly behaviour! So let’s get out there and do it today nuh! Much LOVE!
…all Jesus expects of His followers…is a good, faithful day’s work…everyday…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great cloud of witnesses, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a rain warning, answer our prayers, be conformed to the image of Christ, bet your bottom dollar, Bible, broad is the way, christianity, climate change, constraints on the narrow path, contrary, depend on our faith, despising the shame, discouraged, disobeyed your word, divine aid, ease the pain, endured such hostility of sinners, endured the cross, enter ye in at the strait gate, eternal life, faith, fellowship, few find it, flooding, for the joy that was set before him, galvanizes us, heaven, holy spirit, humble servants, I am the way the truth and the life, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, lay aside every weight, lest ye be wearied and faint, light, living for Christ, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, many go in thereat, mass confusion, mercy, narrow is the way, natural diasters, negative situations, never giving up, New Year's Eve, no man comes to the Father but by me, nothing is guaranteed, perseverance, run with patience, running our race to the end, salt, salvation, sin, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, sinned, strait is the gate, strong faith in Christ, take anything for granted, that leads to destruction, that leads to life, that so easily besets us, the author and finisher of our faith, the God who heals, the main priority in your life, the only constant, the only one, the path to salvation, the power to solve our problems, the race set before us, the same yesterday today and for ever, the throne of grace, torubled times, treacherous times, truth, turbulent times, turn from our evil ways, uncertain times, vim and vigour, water damage, white christmas, who can lead us on the right path, wide is the gate, wisdom, wise guidance
Hebrews 13:8. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today and for ever.
Ah friends, can you believe it, on this Monday morning, the eve of New Year’s Eve, the Greater Toronto Area has been handed a rain warning, and not a snow warning. Flooding and all sorts of water damage is expected if the rain continues to fall as it’s been doing since Sunday morning. In fact, the entire Christmas week has been damp, foggy and cloudy, with no sunshine whatsoever. Unfortunately, the purists weren’t blessed with a white Christmas either, and now, whatever little snow was around, has been washed away with the rain and the springlike temperatures.
But that’s the way of climate change! Two decades ago, you could bet your bottom dollar that you would have a white Christmas and also a white New Year’s Eve, but things have changed so much, that today nothing is guaranteed to be the way it was. Those who never had snow, now have it, and those who had it don’t. It’s the same with drought and rainfall. We are also experiencing more natural disasters than ever. It’s sad, but our world has recently become so contrary that it’s not funny, and we can no longer take anything or any situation for granted.
So what does that mean eh? I guess we just have to depend on our faith even more than before; trust the promises of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, like we’ve never hitherto done, because He seems to be the only constant in today’s crazy, chaotic, disaster- filled world. For what does the Bible tell us? ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today and for ever.’ (Heb. 13:8) Now that, you cannot say about any other body or thing. And that’s why it’s of the utmost importance for us to put ALL of our faith and trust in Jesus, because He is the ONLY ONE who can lead us along the right path to that glorious place called heaven.
And if you don’t believe me, then let’s check out some promises of scripture that prove it. And the first one is this very important one about the right path to tread. Jesus strongly advises: ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at: Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult, confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt. 7:13-14)
In other words friends, Jesus is simply saying that the wide and winding road, where you can do whatever you like, where Beelzebub rules, leads only to destruction, and many people are unfortunately following it. However, the path that leads to salvation and eternal life is straight and narrow, and you cannot do whatever you want whenever you choose to. No, because there are some constraints on the straight and narrow path, constraints placed there to keep us, holy, righteous, justified, sanctified, thus living sincerely for Christ.
But unfortunately, not as many people are walking that path as the wide and dangerous one. And it’s our job to get out into the world, be the salt and light thereof, exuding a powerful flavour and a blinding light to help bring others to the wise, straight and narrow way, where they can encounter Jesus, accept His free gift of salvation, and live the abundant life that He died for us to have.
And what about this other promise eh? Where Jesus declares to the disciple Thomas: ‘I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) Now that also states it plain and clear that one cannot get to the Father, or heaven, unless Jesus is your Lord and Saviour! That’s an even bigger reason for you to have Him as the main priority in your life!
Then there are these most encouraging words of Hebrews: ‘Wherefore (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us, 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 (be discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 12:1-3)
Oh my fellow believers, what a powerful scripture that is ! Let’s hope that it opens up or refreshes our faith, and thus galvanizes us to do as it says! That’s remember the faithful, the heroes of faith, who have gone before us, running their race with vim and vigour, and attempt to do likewise. However, to do that properly, we have to lay aside anything that’s weighing us down, be it clothing, or excessive body weight, or whatever; then disassociate ourselves from any known sins that are entangling us and preventing us from running our race properly.
And finally, running our race with perseverance, getting back up every time we falter or fall, and keep going right until the end, never giving up, using the originator and perfector of our faith, Jesus Christ as the example to be attained, be reached or accomplished! Now, that’s what we believers need to do in these troubled and trying times; look to Jesus because the Father desires us all to be made in His image. The scriptures tell us: ‘For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brethren.’ (Rom. 8:29)
Yes my fellow saints, the Lord desires all who follow Jesus to be the spitting image of Him, our big Brother. (smile) And to help us work toward that goal, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help in these treacherous and uncertain times.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And before we get too excited (smile) let’s remember that divine aid is only granted when we turn from our evil ways, humble ourselves, pray and sincerely seek God’s face! Much LOVE!
…please remember that…Jesus is the Only One…we can depend on in these turbulent times…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a deserted place, a solitary place, a waste of a good life, believed in the name of, Bible, bubble up from our hearts and souls, christianity, come before his presence with singing, consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners, despising the shame, die from lack of nourishment, egotistical people, end up like lost sheep, endured the cross, faith, fellowship, for the joy that was set before him, god, God sent not his son into the world, God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, He taught me how, holy spirit, hostility, hungry, I was glad, in the morning, Jesus Christ, Jesus is our Good Shepherd, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds, let us go into the house of the Lord, like a wellspring of joy, live in peace and harmony, live rejoicing every day, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, mercy, Oh Happy Day, physical and spiritual nourishment, remembering those who died, Remembrance Day weekend, rising up a great while before day, sacrifices of praise, salvation, serve the Lord with gladness, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the author and finisher of our faith, the most joyful day ever, the only begotten Son of God, the reality of the situation, the world through him might be saved, thirsty, to condemn the world, to fight rejection and abuse, to watch fight and pray, truth, wage a peaceful war, wake up to, wandering aimlessly, when Jesus washed my sins away, when they said unto me, wisdom, without a good shepherd
Psalm 100:2. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
‘I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.’ Now that’s the opening verse of Psalm 122, and this Remembrance Day weekend in God’s house is where we all ought to be, giving thanks and remembering the many millions who senselessly died in the many wars of the last century. And yes, they died that we could ostensibly live in peace and harmony.
But where is that peace and harmony now eh? It doesn’t exist, for most of our world is now a strife-filled battleground, where thousands still die each day for the same supposedly worthwhile ideals of peace, LOVE, honour and country, but usually it’s to satisfy the greed and power hunger of a handful of proud and egotistical people. But that’s a story for another day.
Today however, we’ll do as Psalm 100 so wisely instructs us: ‘Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all ye lands (all the earth). Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.’ (Ps. 100:105)
So, having heard those most encouraging words, let’s grace the Lord’s house on His day with praise and worship through this wonderful rendition of that joyful tune titled ‘Oh Happy Day.’ It’s an 18th century hymn authored by clergyman Phillip Doddridge and recorded in a gospel music arrangement by the Edwin Hawkins Singers in 1967. Soon thereafter, it became an international hit and is now recognized as a gospel music standard.
So, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a mid-tempo, soulful and joyful rendition, remembering the hand clapping and the call and response of the choir and the lead vocalist. (smile) And as we sing, please let there be no doubt as to our happiness; just allow it to bubble up from our hearts and souls like a wellspring of joy.
Singing: ‘Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed) Oh, when He washed (When Jesus washed) When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed) He washed my sins away (Oh, happy day) Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) (Repeat) He taught me how (He taught me how) To watch and fight and pray Watch and pray And live rejoicing every day Every day
Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed) Oh, when He washed (When Jesus washed) When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed) He washed my sins away (Oh, happy day) Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) He taught me how (He taught me how) To watch and fight and pray Watch and pray And live rejoicing every day (Good God) Live rejoicing every day, Every day
Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) Yes, what a happy day it was, when Jesus washed all my sins away…taught me how to watch and fight and pray…and live rejoicing every day…Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)…Yes, every day’s now a happy day…since Jesus washed my sins away…and taught me how to watch and pray…and live rejoicing every day… Oh, happy day… oh, happy day…Oh, happy day…’
And oh my fellow saints, it was indeed a happy day when Jesus washed our sins away…the most joyful day ever! Then in His great LOVE, He added to it by teaching us how to watch and fight and pray… and consequently, how to live rejoicing every day in His new covenant. What can be more joyful that that eh? Nothing whatsoever! For in Jesus, we have ALL that we’ll ever need, both in this world and the next!
And these words of Jesus assure us that He is who He said He is, and did what He set out to do. He said them to Nicodemus, the Jewish leader who came to Him under cover of darkness to find out what was what. ‘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. He that believeth on him 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 3:16-18)
Yuh see friends, all it takes to be saved is true belief in Jesus. He came to save the world, and that’s exactly what He did! Who rejects His saving grace after hearing of it, have only themselves to blame. And He did teach us how to fight by all the rejection and abuse and the awful things he went through on our behalf.
As the author of Hebrews informs us: ‘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) against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 12:2-3)
Ah mih people, Jesus did teach us how to wage a peaceful war, with LOVE and understanding rather than with worldly weapons and caustic rejoinders. And oh, how He taught us to watch and pray, always making time to spend quietly with the Father and listen to His message, because He knew that he could not accomplish His earthly tasks without the Father’s help and encouragement.
And one of my favourite passages of scripture details that for us. The gospel of Mark puts it thus: ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35) Now, if Jesus the Son of God, while here on earth needed prayer so earnestly, why wouldn’t we adopted sons need it even more? And the answer is that we do!
So please, let’s wake up to the reality of the situation and realize how badly we need Jesus and all that He brings to the table, otherwise we’ll end up like lost sheep in the wilderness, without a good shepherd, wandering aimlessly, hungry and thirsty, until we die from lack of nourishment…both physical and spiritual. And that would be such a waste of a good life! Much LOVE!
…every sheep…needs a good shepherd to take care of it…and Jesus is our good shepherd…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Sep 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a kaleidoscope of colours, a marvellous feat, a name above every other, a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, at the name of Jesus, autumn season, become discouraged in your souls, Bible, christianity, climate change, despising the shame, disobeyed your word, divine aid, endured the cross, eternal life, every knee shall bow, faith, famine, floods, for the joy that was set before him, god, holy spirit, humble servants, if this cup may not pass away, it is impossible to please God, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, keep thinking this, lest ye be wearied and faint, let this mind be in you, like clockwork, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, made himself of no reputation, mass confusion, obedience, our Day Star -Jesus, pray, sacrificed His sinless life, salvation, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, sincerely seek your face, such contradiction of sinners, the author and finisher of our faith, the beautiful colours of autumn, the best example to follow, the God who heals, thy will be done, truth, turn from our evil ways, which was also in Jesus, wildfires, winter, wisdom, wise guidance
Philippians 2:5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (keep thinking this):
And then it was Monday, the last day of September 2024. We are also now officially into the fall or autumn season, where the leaves on the trees start changing colours in preparation for falling, so that trees can hibernate during the upcoming winter. And the system of the changing seasons is so ingeniously set up that only a great God like ours could have accomplished such a marvellous feat.
The seasons occur like clockwork; spring, summer, autumn, winter. You can be sure that they will happen one after the other, although with this climate change business, another instance of man’s disruption of God’s flawless system, there will be unpredictable variations in each season. And quite rightly, we the disrupters will have to bear whatever consequences results from it, like abnormal hot spells, rainfall and drought, causing serious floods, famine and wildfires.
Blessedly, in my area, the rains have caused some flooding, but we’ve generally had glorious summer weather right up to now, with the leaves remaining green and full of life. But that won’t last for much longer, and we’ll soon see all the beautiful colours of autumn, rightly considered the most colourful season, when God just went crazy with His paint brush and produced a kaleidoscope of amazing colours to awaken and titivate our senses. And the Lord knew what He was doing; preparing us with a bright, colourful season for the upcoming dead, dreary one called winter.
But in His awesome wisdom, He also gave us Jesus; our Lord and Saviour, our Redeemer and Mighty Conqueror! Wow! What a bright and shining light, our Day Star, is our Jesus! That’s why the author of Hebrews can cite, or refer to Him as a glorious example for us to follow, describing Him thus:
‘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 (become discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 12:2-3)
Ah friends, Jesus endured so much hostility, rejection, abuse, persecution and punishment for our sakes, that we can never repay any of it. But that was never the idea. It all stemmed from the LOVE of the Father for us, and the LOVE of Jesus for the Father, the desire to do His will. As He says in the night of agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, before His crucifixion, when He prayed the Father to remove the cup of wrath from Him: ‘O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me except (unless) I drink it, thy will be done.’ (Matt. 26:42)
That’s the obedient kind of Son He was. That’s why Bruh Paul could pen these tough words to the Philippians and to us, to follow Jesus’ example. ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (keep thinking this): Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men (emptied himself of his privileges): And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:5-8)
Now that’s what you call obedience and perseverance! And He never complained either! Oh how I wish that many more of us supposed believers could come up even a little higher on that score! For then our suffering world would be greatly improved. But it seems like our pleas are falling on deaf ears because not many of us are willing to sacrifice even a little for the greater good of all, and that’s the only way we will ever raise the level of our maturity.
That’s what Jesus did for us: He selflessly sacrificed His sinless life for our abominable sins! The Father laid all of our disgusting iniquity on His shoulders, and Jesus humbly went to the cross and paid our sin debt in full. But now we can hardly give Him the time of day, much less be His true and devoted disciples! Hn! But again, as we said earlier, Jesus is the best example for us to follow, for look at how the Father rewarded Him for His obedience, perseverance and biting the bullet in those terrible times.
Bruh Paul writes thus to the church at Philippi: ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:9-11)
That’s how generous and rewarding the Father is to those who do His will! That’s why the author of Hebrews also tells us: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6)
Yes my fellow saints, only when we believe that God is who He says He is and rewards those who diligently seek Him, will we ever be on the road to true salvation. In the meanwhile, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pleading for help to get on, and stay on, that straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life with Jesus.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
But let’s not forget the words of our prayer; no divine aid will be forthcoming until and unless we humble ourselves, pray, sincerely seek God, and turn from our evil ways! Much LOVE!
…we will never be fully like Jesus…but He’s the best example to aspire to…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Sep 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dictatorial agenda, a great cloud of witnesses, as a good soldier of Christ, become discouraged in your souls, but of power love and a sound mind, consider the bigger picture, despising the shame, dictatorial times, equality, expand there sphere of power, exploitative rulers, faith, finished my course, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, for he who promised is faithful, godly traits, holy spirit, human predators, hurry, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I have fought a good fight, in god's eyes, Jesus Christ, jusrice, kept the faith, led like lambs to the slaughter, lest ye be wearied and faint, let us hold fast the profession of our faith, LOVE, lust for power, negative emotions, negativity, peace, personal aggrandizement, put on the whole armour of God, restricting rights and privileges, run with patience, Satanic behaviour, share His love with my neighbours, strife, the author and finisher of our faith, the beloved of God, thou therefore endure hardness, too busy seeking our own small-minded interests, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, turn things around, wannabe rulers, wisdom, without wavering, worry
Hebrews 10:23. Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; for he who promised is faithful;)
And then it was Tuesday, the day after Labour Day Monday, which means all the partying done for another season, and is only serious business on the mind now. What with all the strife and negative emotions that are currently plaguing our world, it’s about time we got serious and began doing something about it. Oh friends, the negativity and Satanic behaviour in our world are too far flung, widespread and deep for us to just leave them be!
And if we ever hope to turn things around, we must make a sincere and positive effort, starting right now, to combat them with godly traits like peace, LOVE, justice and equality. We need to get rid of the many sick, power-hungry, exploitative rulers and wannabe rulers, who only want to expand their sphere of power and deepen their own pockets with a dictatorial agenda. That’s the only way our world will ever improve!
You know, when I was young and reading the history of so many dictators and crazy rulers, I often wondered how they ever came to be. But now in my old age, I’m living the reality of it, seeing how it actually comes about. And how is that eh? Because too many of us go around like lost or doh care sheep, not paying sufficient attention to what’s happening in the world around us, especially in these times when we have the news from all around the world right at our fingertips.
That’s one of the reasons why dictators are able to arise and thrive; the people don’t take them seriously enough, not realizing the imminent death and withdrawal of many of their God-given rights in the society. We’re too busy seeking after our own small-minded interests to consider the bigger picture, figuring that whatever happens won’t affect us. But that’s a total lie; for whatever happens in a country affects all who live in it!
Consequently we don’t stand up and fight off the predators the way we ought to. Then, when they get in power and begin restricting our rights and privileges, we make a big outcry about it. But then it’s too late. We should have stopped them in their tracks before they got entrenched in power. And unfortunately that reminds me of a line in the scriptures that talks about Jesus and many of his followers being led like lambs to the slaughter. (Is. 53:7, Rom. 8:36)
But the truth is that many more than just followers of Christ are being led like lambs to the slaughter under the rule of greedy, power-hungry, Satan- inspired rulers, who are willing to do just about anything to gain the power and other ungodly things they desire. And it’s only when the people know their rights, and are not afraid to stand up strong, to these human predators, that the society can ever progress in a true, just and godly manner.
And the sad fact is that right now in our strife filled and angry world, there are many rulers who have been able to seize the reins of dictatorial power, and many more wannabe rulers who are doing their best to do the same. It seems like dictatorial times are cyclical; you’ll have several of them for a season, and then it’s followed by a sort of recession as they gradually die off, because most of the power is embodied in only one man.
We saw the rise of the dictator in the last part of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th, then they all died off. However, we’re now seeing the rise of another season of autocratic, selfish, greedy and ungodly leaders, to whom human rights and lives don’t mean a thing in themselves, and are only important as they can be used to feed their lust for power and personal aggrandizement.
Now stopping these human predators is not easy, never was, and never will be, but that doesn’t mean they are unstoppable, just that we have to work extra hard to stop them from rising up, or to topple them after they have attained power. And where do we begin? I believe first of all by receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, then using all the rights and powers we access by His work and that belief to stand strong and fight the greedy powers that be.
We need to use scriptures like: ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; for he who promised is faithful;) (Heb. 10:23) Yes friends, the first step is to hold on strong to our faith in Jesus, for with Him we can defeat anybody and anything, as the scriptures say: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil. 4:13) But without Him, we cannot do much of anything. As he says: ‘for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
But to help us in our fight, we also need to put on the spiritual armour of God, as Bruh Paul says in Ephesians. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’ (Eph. 6:11) Then there’s this scripture that further admonishes us to stand strong and look to Jesus. ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus, the author (originator) and finisher (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 (discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 12:1-4)
Oh my people, that’s the basis for our unending fight; the strength and perseverance of Jesus, who cared not for the hostile opinions and behaviour of others, but concentrated on doing His Father’s work. Likewise, we should be concentrating on doing His work, not letting the opinions or behaviour of the ungodly frighten us into not making a positive, godly difference in the world.
Remember, ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) That means we don’t need to be afraid of the enemy, for we have the power, the Spirit and LOVE of God to resist and rebuke him. Thus we need to do like Bruh Paul told Timothy: ‘Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship), as a good soldier of Christ.’ (2 Tim. 2:3)
And if we do that, then we’ll be able to say like Bruh Paul did: ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith.’ (2 Tim. 4:7) And that’s all the Lord really expects of us; to put up a good fight in His name. Now, for those of us who are trying our best to do just that, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know whom we belong to, lock, stock and barrel.
As one voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, it now behooves us to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…we can only soldier on successfully…with the power, the armour and Spirit of Christ in us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
09 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a just man falleth seven times and riseth up again, a new flock of believers, Bible, catch up on rest, christianity, consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, divine aid, endured the cross, espising the shame, faint in the day of adversity, faith, faith to stand the disappointment, falling is not a sin, find the grace and energy to rebuild, flooded areas, for the joy that was set before him, Friday chant, give us hope, god, hurricane flora, imbibe fire water, Jesus, Jesus Christ, just my imagination, keep us strong in times of trouble, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, many are the afflictions of the righteous, men ought always to pray and not lose heart, moments of fear and uncertainty, omnipotent help, our sinful world, playing tricks on me, problems escalating, return backsliders to your fold, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, show them the error of their ways, strength in the face of adversity, stumble into calamity, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the author and finisher of our faith, the brown girl in the bottle, the example we faithful believers set, the Lord delivereth him out of them all, the purpose of scripture, the wicked shall fall into mischief, thy strength is small, Tropical Storm Debby, trusting faith, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, wise guidance, write these sciptured deep in our hearts
Proverbs 24:10. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
So it’s Friday, and all the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ have gone up to high heaven, possibly though with not that much energy from some of us who had a hectic Caribana weekend and have just been barely hanging on during the work week. (smile) Now, you’ll have a chance to catch up on your rest as the weekend unfolds. And it seems like it might be a wet and cloudy weekend, as we are forecasted to get some of the overflow rain from Tropical Storm Debby, some of which we might be currently seeing as the rain’s been falling in serious fashion this Friday morning.
Let’s hope and pray that we don’t get a recurrence of what happened a few weeks ago, as some people are still trying to clean up their basements and flooded areas. Let’s also pray for those unfortunate people in the Southern U.S. who have been struck by Debby with her high winds, tornadoes and floods. It hasn’t been an easy time for many of them. And I can empathize, because I have personal experience as a young boy when Hurricane Flora blew down Tobago in 1963. Flora was forecasted to hit Tobago at about five in the evening, but believe me, by 2.30 she had already made a shambles of God’s Little Acre.
I remember being in school around mid-day and seeing the roof of a lady’s house close by, after a couple of futile attempts, finally just blow away in the wind. And when they sent us home from school, a group of us who didn’t think the hurricane would cause much damage went to a snackette, a place that sold alcohol and food, to imbibe some fire water. Suddenly though, while we were enjoying the benefits of the brown girl in the bottle, the front of the snackette began falling down under Flora’s early and vicious assault.
About a dozen people ended up sheltering in the kitchen of the snackette, while hearing the front of the building crumpling like paper, and seeing through the kitchen window, galvanize and other parts of the owner’s house been blown away. I can laugh now, but in those moments of fear and uncertainty, I saw people who hadn’t uttered a prayer in ages, praying for divine help.
And I’ll never forget finally going home, after Flora had made a mess of the island, and finding my living room flooded with a couple inches of water, with the book ‘My Early Life’ which chronicled Winston Churchill’s early days, that I had been reading the night before and left on a chair, floating sedately in the pool of water. We spent that night at a friend’s place further up the road who had not sustained much damage. One of the things that amazed me though, is with all of the rain bestowed on us by Flora, the next day, the place looked brown and dry, as though we had suffered a drought instead of a rain storm.
And believe me, you really cannot appreciate the violence of that wind and rain in a hurricane until you’ve personally experienced it. Sometimes I tell myself that I saw the wind that day, so raging and violent it was. But most likely that was just my imagination playing tricks on me. (smile) Anyhow, these storms and tornadoes that seem to have recently escalated in both intensity and frequency, probably because of climate change, must be taken seriously as they can, and are causing lots of death and destruction.
And it’s in cases like these that our faith in Almighty God needs to show up in spades, so that we can stand the disappointment and find the grace and energy to rebuild and keep moving forward. Moving forward with scriptures like this one from Hebrews. ‘Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (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 (discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 12:2-3)
Yes friends, remember the purpose of scripture is to keep us strong, to build us up, give us hope that although we’re embroiled in serious struggles, while we’re alive, all things are possible. And another tough scripture that we need to hold on to in tough times is this bit of wisdom from Cousin Sol found in Proverbs. ‘If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.’ (Prov. 24:10) Oh my people as children of the Most High God, we cannot afford to faint and grow weary when things get tough. For as the scholars say: ‘Strength in the face of adversity is the true test of one’s endurance.’
Let’s also remember Christ’s advice: ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1) And since we are His disciples, His ardent and true followers, then we need to live up to His dictates. Then there’s this ever-encouraging scripture from Cousin Sol. ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity).’ (Prov. 24:16) Yes my fellow believers, the righteous man always recovers. For with the strength of Christ behind him, he gets up and begins again, no matter the cost.
And there are many other scriptures that encourage us in difficult times like this one from the wisdom of Bruh David. ‘Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.’ (Ps. 34:19-20) Oh friends, let’s write those scriptures we quoted today deep in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, so that in the time of adversity we can resurrect them and keep moving forward with Christ! Now lets go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant seeking divine 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!’
Now let’s acknowledge the fact that our example as faithful believers is not great, and until we improve it, we will not get any divine aid. Much LOVE!
…falling is not a sin…not getting back up…is where the problem lies…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, because I love you, Bible, christianity, crying out for help, despising the shame, divine help, do as I have done unto you, Easter celebrations, endured the cross, faith, foolish pride, for the joy that was set before him, frightened, give the Lord thanks, god, his goodness to the children of men, I choose to obey, I have given you an example, ill at ease, incompetent, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus gave up his sinless life, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, obedient to god, our sins forgiven, our souls washed clean, return backsliders to your fold, sacrifice, selflessness, set down at the right hand of God, Spiritual Tug-of-War, stand strong and steadfast, teach me thy statutes, Thank God it's Friday, the author and finisher of our faith, the error of their ways, the indisputable truth, the simmering unrest, thou art good and doest good, traffic congestion, ungrateful sinners, wake up and smell the coffee, washing of feet, wisdom, wouldn't do this for anyone else -but you
Psalm 119:68. Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.
And then it was Friday, with all the shouts of ‘Thank God it’s Friday!’ Yes friends, we’re all glad to see the weekend, so we can rest from our hard week’s work. Hn! Or rather rest from our excessive Easter celebrations. (smile) But Easter is nothing to laugh about, because it’s when we were guaranteed resurrection from the dead and eternal life if we believe in Jesus Christ. So don’t overdo the celebrations, but don’t make light of the situation either.
Now, my sincere apologies for the Bit being so late today, but I had an early appointment in Toronto for my cataract surgery one week check up. And the highways were fairly decent, both ways, but it’s the streets in the city itself that are bustling with a mix of traffic and construction, causing lanes to be closed and traffic backed up. But as they say, you have to do what you have to do, and my trip was successful, both in terms of the report on my eye and getting back home safely. Give the Lord thanks for His goodness to the children of men!
And today we’re going to look at a rather interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promise with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled ‘Spiritual Tug-of-War.’ It’s something that all of us have experienced at some time or other in our Christian lives. So please read with me: ‘Lord. I’ve waited long enough No longer can I withstand This spiritual tug-of-war between us. Today I will do what You asked me to do. I still don’t want to, Lord – Surely You know that. I’m frightened and ill-at-ease. I feel foolish and uncomfortable. I almost feel put-upon. What You’ve asked of me slaps at my pride. Nevertheless, I choose to obey You Simply because I LOVE You. Do You understand, dear Lord? I wouldn’t do this For anyone in the world – but You.’
Ah friends, many are the times when we engage in a tug-of-war with the Lord, because He asks us to do something that we feel is inappropriate, too low brow for our high esteem of ourselves, and it just dusts up our pride. And yuh know what? Ofttimes the Lord asks us to do certain things just for that reason; to kill our foolish pride. For if there’s one thing He totally dislikes is human pride, because that makes us believe and behave like we don’t need Him. Furthermore, do you think that Jesus really wanted to go to the cross and sacrifice Himself for a bunch of ungrateful sinners? Of course not! But He did it because the Father asked it of Him, and He LOVED the Father that much to give up His sinless life so that our sins could be forgiven and our souls washed clean.
And what does our Christian faith teach us? That we ought to behave like Jesus: use His life as an example for our own. Remember what Jesus told the disciples at the Last Supper, after He had washed their feet. ‘For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord (master); neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.’ (John 13:15-17)
Oh my fellow believers that’s one of the many truths Jesus passed on to us during His earthly sojourn. And it’s a big one too, especially after He had just finished doing a servant’s job; one of the lowliest and nastiest jobs in those times, washing someone’s dirty feet. And believe me, feet could get very dirty in those days as they wore sandals without socks on the dusty dirt streets of the land. This scripture from Hebrews also warns us: ‘Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher 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.’ (Heb. 12:2)
Likewise friends, we ought to put aside our worldly shame and foolish pride and do what the Lord asks of us, because of the joy that emanates from doing His will, and the wonderful rewards we will eventually get if we obey without much complaining. And here’s one other reminder. The growth in our Christian maturity and faith will cease until we have done His will. Neither is God very likely to change His mind on whatever He’s asked of us. So yes, sometimes stuff God asks of us is difficult; we feel incompetent, or it’s shameful and pride killing, but don’t forget the Lord never asks us to do something without a very good reason – in His eyes (smile) and always gives us the wherewithal to do it.
So let’s try to be more obedient to God’s will nuh, and sincerely reduce our tug-of-war bouts because we truly LOVE Him, and anyway, all that He asks is really for our benefit. And I got so carried away that I forgot to mention the Bible Promise for our poem. It comes from Psalm 119, and says in the King James Version: ‘Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statute’ (Ps. 119:68) Meanwhile the NIV (New International Version) says: ‘You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.’
And my fellow saints, whichever version you choose, it’s still the indisputable truth. Therefore, if we truly LOVE the Lord, then we desperately need to improve our maturity level, using Christ as our shining example. Now let’s go to the throne of grace seeking divine aid for all that ails our turbulent world.
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 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 also fervently pray 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 let’s not forget that divine help will only be forthcoming when we begin being better examples of Christianity than we currently are! Much LOVE!
…LOVE means selflessness and sacrifice…like Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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