The Necessity for Christians to Understand the Power of God’s Encouragement, and to Sincerely Seek It! Part 2.

Today’s Scrip-Bit   17 June 2026   John 16:33.

John 16:33.        ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’

Ah mih people, it’s Wednesday, our second wind day, so let’s catch it if we want to continue to do good work for Jesus. And would you believe we’re on an early bus, even though I went to my church group this morning! Glory be! Let’s also give thanks for being alive to see another day, despite the high level of evil and ungodliness that’s currently permeating our world. And as we promised yesterday, if the breath still flowed through our body today, we’d continue to look at scriptures that give us encouragement in our everyday lives.

And I like how this overview breaks down the scriptures according to purpose. Beginning with this famous one for Strength and Courage, as the Lord continues speaking to Joshua, after making him the Israelite leader following the death of Moses. For the third time in four verses He admonishes Joshua: ‘Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:9)Now you cannot get encouragement from a better source, but hearing it and putting it into action are two entirely different things, for when the enemy comes at you with all guns firing, sometimes you don’t even have time to think, much less be strong and courageous, but we’re expected to be thus, because we have all the parts and tools to do so.

Then, as per Peace and Anxiety, these verses from Philippians show us the way. ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7)

And what about a scripture for Overcoming Weariness? This one we all know and quote although we don’t action it as we ought to. Isaiah wisely informs us: ‘He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40: 29-31) What a beautiful promise my brethren! But it doesn’t happen automatically, we have to hold our horses and wait upon the Lord.  

Then there’s this section about Comfort in Hard Times. Here Peter exhorts us: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:6-7) Yes friends, Almighty God is our greatest source of comfort, as Bruh Paul explains in these verses from 2 Corinthians. ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4)

Wow! What a blessed scripture! We comfort others by the comfort we receive from God Himself! Then as per Assurance in Trials, John enlightens us from his first epistle. ‘Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ (1 John 4:4) And that’s a known fact, Jesus in us is indeed greater than Satan that’s in the world. And Jesus confirms this when he reassures us: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)

Oh my fellow believers, we certainly don’t lack for encouraging scriptures in the Lord’s Word, for that’s why it was written; to enlighten, guide, encourage, strengthen and comfort us. But it’s not always easy to do, and we first have to know the scriptures, then put them into action when the time comes. And here is one of the best examples in the Bible of putting scripture into action. It’s Bruh David’s reaction when the Philistines refused his help to fight with them against Israel, although he was then living in their territory, and he returned to his town of Ziklag and found it burned to the ground by the Amalekites, and all the women and children taken captive.

To make matters worse, although Bruh David had also lost his wives and children, his men were sorely grieved, and spoke about stoning him, blaming him for the disaster. (1 Sam. 30:1-6a) And how did Bruh David handle that frightening situation? The Bible tells us: ‘but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.’ (1 Sam. 30:6b) Yes friends, that’s what we need to do when things are really going badly; encourage ourself in the Lord our God, turn to Him in prayer with questions as to one’s direction, like Bruh David did. In that case, the Lord directed him to go after the Amalekites, (1 Sam. 30:7-8) 

And he followed the Lord’s advice, went after the Amalekites and defeated them in a great victory and recovered all that he had lost… and more. (1 Sam. 30:9-12) Ah mih people, at times the Lord might allow life to become difficult for us, but He’ll never leave us in the lurch, that is if we turn to Him for guidance and encouragement. So, in the long run, the way we live this earthly life depends quite a lot on us. We have all the tools to make it good, but what good are tools that aren’t being used eh? No good at all! So let’s wake up and wise up to the seriousness of the situation and do better, for our sakes, as well as for Christ’s.

Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And if we endure to the end, then, an even more glorious future has been promised, one we cannot imagine or comprehend. So, let’s be wise and endure to the very end, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!

…we don’t lack for encouragement…it’s right there at our fingertips…just waiting to be taken…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Importance of Christians Understanding that God is Worthy of being Worshipped!

Today’s Scrip-Bit   15 June 2026   Psalm 99:5.

Psalm 99:5.        Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.

So, Monday’s come around again my brethren… and so quickly too. Yes, it’s a somewhat cool though sunshiny Monday. And can you imagine we are also in the middle of June? Another couple of weeks and June is toast, as well as half of the year. I don’t know what’s propelling the time to move so quickly, but, unfortunately, we cannot do anything about the speed with which the days and months are passing, so we therefore need to be alert and stick to the purpose and plan that God’s set out for our lives. Or, as the old people would say, make hay while the sun shines. (smile)

And today, we’ll look at a passage of scripture that we don’t pay much attention to, that’s Psalm 99, titled The Holiness of God. The psalmist begins it thus: ‘The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved (shaken). The Lord is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people. Let them praise thy great and terrible (awesome) name; for it (he) is holy.’ (Ps. 99:1-3)

And all of that’s the living truth my fellow believers! Our God is indeed great and mighty, with power that surpasses that of all others put together; meaning He is omnipotent, or has absolute, limitless power. Therefore, the people ought to sing His praises, and exalt His awesome and holy name, for He is indeed worthy of our complete devotion. Or as this overview says: ‘Our God is set apart, for a special purpose; is perfectly pure, unique, and in a category of His own, thus perfect in goodness and righteousness.’ And we certainly cannot doubt any of those descriptions of our wonderful Sovereign Deity!

But before we move on, here’s this interesting info, per ‘he sitteth between the cherubims.’ It comes from when God gave Moses the instructions for constructing the ark of the covenant. He told him: ‘And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune (speak) with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.’ (Ex. 25:21-22) So it’s no lie; the Lord definitely sits between the two cherubims. (smile)

Then the psalmist continues: ‘The king’s strength also LOVETH judgement; thou dost establish equity (uprightness), thou executest judgement and righteousness in Jacob. Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.’ (Ps.99:4-5) Ah friends, the Lord’s LOVE of justice and righteousness certainly cannot be denied. It’s renowned throughout the universe, for it’s one of the foundational elements of who He is. And He is most definitely worth exalting and being worshipped at His footstool on account of His perfect sense of justice and righteousness.

So the psalmist continues singing God’s praises: ‘Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the Lord, and he answered them. He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance (statute) that he gave them. Thou answeredst them, O Lord our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions (on their evil deeds). Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy hill: for the Lord our God is holy.’ (Ps. 99: 6-9) And isn’t that the indisputable truth? It surely is!

Now that last section of the psalm deals with the magnanimity of our God; His awesome and amazing capacity for forgiveness! And yes, there are consequences for our wrongdoing, but the wonderful thing about our outstanding God is that He doesn’t hold our disobedience against us, but casts them away and totally forgives us. ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.’  (Ps. 102:12) That’s how completely the Lord absolves or exonerates us of our human transgressions.

Wow! Isn’t He the greatest! He surely is! So, basically the psalm is about making known to all and sundry, God’s greatness, His heightened sense of justice and righteousness, as well as His awesome ability to forgive. That makes Him pure, perfect, unique, holy and worthy to be exalted and worshipped! And now, since we’re so far from those goals, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning battle hymn, seeking divine aid to make us more like our wonderful God.

Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together. We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes.

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour! We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!

And friends, we won’t improve ourselves or our situations unless and until we put out the effort to do so, an effort that’s so far been sadly lacking. So let’s get up and turn things around nuh, for we have all the tools to do so! Much LOVE!

…it’s our bounden duty…to exalt and worship our heavenly Father…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Importance of Christians Understanding the Greatness of God’s Works and His Faithfulness to Man!

Today’s Scrip-Bit   12 June 2026   Psalm 92:5.

Psalm 92:5.         O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.

Oh friends, all I can says is ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at long last!’ And most importantly, I don’t have any more errands to run, or other issues to stop me from getting to the Bit sooner than I’ve been able to for this week. Brother! Everyday it’s been something or other that needs my attention, and all I want to do is sit and write the Bit as early as possible. But sadly, the late bus has been my lot. (smile) And would you believe, I just came from out the street, the hot and windy street, breathing a sigh of relief, but what yuh think happens right after that.

I took out my glasses from the case, and bingo! One of the lenses fell out, the same one I had fixed a couple of weeks ago. I tried unsuccessfully to put it back in. But no way was I going back out there right now, so I went and found an old pair in my car and I’m using that for today. Later on, or tomorrow, I’ll go out and look after that matter. Ah Lord eh! When it’s not one thing it’s another! Between, life, the Lord and Satan, we’re constantly kept busy. But enough of my sad stories, let’s see what the Lord desires us to talk about today.

And the Good Library opened at that wonderful Psalm 92, titled ‘Give Thanks to the Lord.’ And it begins thus: ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:’ (Ps. 92:1) And why is that such a good thing to do eh? ‘To shew forth (declare) thy LOVING-KINDNESS in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night. Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery (lute or lyre); upon the harp with a solemn (harmonious or melodic) sound.’ (Ps. 92:2-3)

Yes my brethren, it is indeed a good thing to give thanks and praise to our God every morning for allowing us to see another day, and at night for enabling us to get through the day and refresh us with a good night’s sleep. Regardless of what we do during the day, morning and evening our thanks and praise ought to always rise up to heaven. Why? As the psalmist continues: ‘For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.’ (Ps. 92:4)

And how wonderful is that eh my brethren! That’s why our God is such a great and generous God. He only does good things for us. And the psalmist then explains why that’s possible: ‘O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish (senseless) man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.’ (Ps. 92:5-6)  And that’s very true; neither a senseless man nor a fool can understand the greatness of our God and His great works. But we do, for scripture has ingrained it in our consciousness, and we also have had personal experiences of it.

Now listen to some scripture that talks of the Lord’s greatness and His great works. Bruh David says it thus in Psalm 40: ‘Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up (recounted) in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.’ (Ps. 40:5)

And in that magnificent Psalm 139, where Bruh David describes God’s intimate and intricate knowledge about us, His human creation, he also declares: ‘How precious also are thy thoughts unto me! O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are in more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.’ (Ps. 139:17-18) Oh my people, when you read that Psalm it ought to make you understand how great our God is, and how intimately He knows us, therefore it’s foolish to try to hide anything from Him!

Then hear Bruh Paul sing the praises of our great God, to the church at Rome. ‘O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed (repaid) unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.’ (Rom. 11:33-36)

Wow! What wonderful praise! And for your information, Bruh Paul, as is his wont, has paraphrased or summarized several scriptures in that passage like ‘Is. 40:13; Jer. 23:18; 1 Cor. 2:16, Job 36:22) But it’s all true and very praiseworthy! But listen to the ultimate time of praise. It comes from Revelation 15, when John talks about the Seven Last Plagues.

He declares: ‘And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear (reverence) thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: all nations shall come and worship  before thee; for thy judgements are made manifest.’ (Rev. 15:2-4)

Now that’s the kind of powerful worship we’ll offering up in time to come, as all nations will come together to worship God in the Millennial Kingdom. But for help to endure, to be a part of that future, let’s confidently, but humbly, approach the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant.

Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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. So please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.

And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good 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 my fellow believers, please, let’s also wake up and smell the coffee nuh, so that we can rise up and do the work of Christ, that badly needs to be done! Much LOVE!

…God is exceedingly great…because He’s the only omnipotent (all-powerful)…omniscient (all-knowing)…and omnipresent (all-pervading)…being in the universe…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Importance of Knowing that One Cannot Always be Spiritual, But God should be in Every Aspect of our Lives!

Today’s Scrip-Bit   11 June 2026   2 Corinthians 3:17.

2 Corinthians 3:17.        ‘Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.’

And then it was Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week, and unfortunately too many of our minds are focused on Friday and the weekend rather than on Thursday and what challenges it presents. But that’s the siren call of Friday and the weekend, (smile) so difficult to ignore, especially when it keeps on tantalizingly calling our names. However, we need to develop the discipline to not look forward too much to Friday and the weekend, and concentrate on the day before us, if we want to be successful.

Anyway, today, we’re going to look at a very interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. All right, I understand, all of them are very interesting…but this one is also amusing, neither do I remember sharing it, as if I ever remember sharing any. (smile)  However, it’s simply titled ‘Feeling Spiritual.’ Like many more of us ought to be. So please read with me:

 ‘Lord, I keep remembering Our happy time last night – Just You and me In the quiet of our family room. I had been reading a devotional book Very “spiritual” Very inspirational So challenging I doubted that I’d ever reach the goal. Suddenly the book felt heavy Sentences twirled Words collided And with all my valiant effort I simply could not feel “spiritual.” Then, glancing at a Charlie Brown book I thought I heard You say “Let’s read it together – You and me.” I was delighted. We read and laughed and read and laughed… And just as we finished the last page You said what I needed most to hear: “Never worry about feeling ‘spiritual.’ Just share everything with me.”

Oh friends, that’s why our God is so great and wonderful! He would like us to be spiritual, but being spiritual is not everything. However, He does desire to share everything with us. He wants to be totally involved in our lives. Whatever we’re doing He wants to be included in it, because that makes Him feel wanted and desired and a part of our lives, and enjoying the intimacy with us He so dearly desires. Besides, He cannot do His best for us unless He’s involved in every aspect of our lives.

And I hope that that poem causes some of us to lighten up and stop trying to be this big, holy, spiritual person, behaving as though we have the whole weight of the world on our shoulders, because we don’t. Life was made for living and once you have God, first and foremost in your life, you will be fine. You don’t have to behave like the Pharisees of old and put on all the hypocritical airs and graces of being spiritual and godly. For God knows who we really are.

Remember what He told Samuel when He sent him to anoint a king from Jesse’s house and Samuel looked on the fine appearance of the eldest son Eliab and assumed he was the one? ‘For the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (1 Sam. 16:7b)

So friends, it’s time we stop trying to hide from the Lord, for He knows all that we’ll ever think, say or do. Remember He’s the one who created us, who formed us in our mother’s womb, and put His breath of life in us. So it’s foolish to try and fool Him. But many of us still try to do it. And when we do, like a wise and LOVING but disappointed Father, He just shakes His head and sadly chuckles at our unwise attempt to fool Him.

And interestingly enough the Bible verse for the poem comes from the pen of Bruh Paul, where in talking to the Corinthians about the Glory of God, he states: ‘Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.’ (2 Cor. 3:17) In other words, wherever the Spirit of God is, there’s freedom, you don’t have to worry. And since the Spirit of God indwells each believer, then we’re free, we don’t have to trouble ourselves because sometimes we don’t feel particularly spiritual, because the Lord is right there with us…always and forever.

As Bruh Paul say in Galatians: ‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.’ (Gal. 5:1) And as the scholars explain: ‘The verse could be rendered: “For freedom Christ freed us. therefore stand fast, and do not again be subject to a yoke of bondage.”  The “freedom” in view is freedom from the law, here called “a yoke of bondage.” Paul wants the Galatians ( as well as us) to “stand fast,” that is, retain their spiritual freedom.’

And that’s exactly what we also need to do my faithful brethren; don’t let the law coax us back into its bondage, for we know the truth about it, and when we  know the truth, as Jesus says: ‘And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.’ (John 8:32) And when Jesus says it, then that’s it, full stop! (smile)

Now let’s declare and thus activate our undeserved Thursday Blessings which the Lord has generously bestowed on us to help do our earthly work. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! 

I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And with that declaration we’ve become obliged to go out and use those undeserved blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…sometimes we get so caught up in our spirituality…that we lose the freedom Christ died for us to have…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Overwhelming Importance of Understanding that God Disciplines Those Who Disobey Him!

Today’s Scrip-Bit   9 June 2026   Deuteronomy 8:5.

Deuteronomy 8:5.        Thou shalt also consider (know) in thine heart, that as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.

Ah friends, today we’re on a real late bus, because I went to see my family doctor about a bad sore throat I’ve had for almost a week now and it wasn’t falling prey to my prayers or any of my home remedies, so I succumbed to the medic as a last resort. (smile)  Anyway, without further ado, let’s get to our topic for today, making it as short and sweet as possible. (smile) 

And it’s the same topic as it yesterday, God’s disciplining of His people, just with more scriptures. And if several people spoke about it down through the ages, that just goes to show how important it is. So we’ll go right back to the early years, where Moses is instructing the young Israelites who were going into the Promised Land, about the things the Lord had unsuccessfully tried to teach their forefathers.

He began by telling them that they had to keep all the commandments that he would tell them that day, so that they could live and multiply and go in and possess the Promised land. Then he related about the tough forty years spent in the wilderness, with the Lord trying to prove their faithfulness, humbling them, suffering them to hunger, then feeding them with manna, so that they could learn that man did not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the Lord’s mouth, and how their garments never grew old, nor their feet swollen in those forty years. (Deut. 8:1-4)

And he continues, ‘Thou shalt also consider (know) in thine heart, that as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his way, and to fear (reverence) him.’ (Deut. 8:5-6)  And all of that still stands to day my people! If we don’t keep the Lord’s commands as His children, He will discipline us.

Then we have the prophet Nathan speaking to Bruh David about God’s promises after his death. ‘I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes (strokes) of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.’ (2 Sam. 7:12-16)

Yes mih bredrin, that’s how much the Lord valued Bruh David, to make sure the kingdom was always ruled by his descendants, beginning with Cousin Sol, right down to Jesus. But please notice that He promised to chasten Cousin Sol if he erred. Just like He chastened Bruh David for his sinful and ungodly behaviour with Bathsheba and her husband Uriah. So no one is exempt from the Lord’s discipline.

As Eliphaz, Job’s supposed friend reminds us: ‘Behold happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.’ (Job 5:17-18) Now that’s the awesome truth my people; the Lord’s work runs the whole gamut of our existence.

Then in Psalm 119, the psalmist declares: ‘It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.’ (Ps. 119:71-72) Unfortunately though, that’s a fact some of us can only learn the hard way. (smile) But don’t worry, the Lord will not give up on us, once we desire to rest under His umbrella, He will make sure that we learn what we need to.

And in closing, let’s remember this most appropriate verse from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Philippians, where he reminds them and us: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) That’s just to remind us that every day we’re alive, the Lord will be putting us through our paces on His potter’s wheel, attempting to make us more Christ-like, on our earthly journey.

And since we cannot evade the Lord’s discipline, hopefully the scriptures we’ve reviewed these past two days, will enable us to do what’s right more than ever, and thus not need to be disciplined by the Lord too often. (smile) Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

And that now makes duty bound to go our 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!

… as Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) liked to say…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Understanding How to Run the Race of Faith! Part 2.

Today’s Scrip-Bit   6 June 2026   Hebrews 12:2a.

Hebrews 12:2a.         Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith;

Now, after a hot, humid and sunny Friday with 30 degree temps, then some overnight rain, we come to a Saturday that had opened as a somewhat cloudy day, but by midday it’s showing some sunny features and a rather brisk wind. Hopefully we won’t get another hot and humid day like yesterday, for although the heat is welcome, too much of it is not good for anyone.

That brings us to our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. So, with sincere and heartfelt voices: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And it’s so great to know that our Lord never refuses sincere, heartfelt pleas for greater intimacy with Him. No! Never! In fact it warms the very cockles of His heart that His human creation desires more time and closer ties with Him, because that’s one of the main reasons He initially created us. So, if your plea for greater intimacy with our heavenly Father was sincere, then you should soon be feeling that wonderful calming presence of His peace and LOVE flooding your soul.

And since God was good and graceful enough to grant us another day of life on this earth, let’s keep our promise and continue looking at the scriptures about keeping our faith strong and enduring to the very end. We stopped yesterday where the author of Hebrews told us to get rid of all our extra baggage and develop a strong constitution that would enable us to run our race of faith. But then he  continues: ‘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. 12:2)

And isn’t that a glorious piece of encouragement and wise direction! We must look to Jesus as our example of running the faith race, for He began it, He was the trailblazer, the first person to run that course, and He’s already successfully completed it. So there could be no better example than Jesus for us to follow. And it was not easy for Him, just like us, He had to get rid of any baggage that was keeping Him back, and also develop stamina and endurance to handle all the many things that would come against Him in His faith journey. But He did it, with the help of His heavenly Father, and so can we.

So let’s look at that verse of scripture again, which tells us, ‘who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame…’  That means the race of faith He was expected to run had some wonderful reward(s) at the end; rewards with such motivational power, that it allowed Him to endure the shame and terrible affliction of the cross.  And so it did, because at the end of it, the author tells us that now Jesus ‘is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’

Wow! That certainly would have motivated Jesus to do His Father’s tough bidding. But that’s not all He received. Listen to how Bruh Paul explains it to the Philippians. ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant (emptied himself of his privileges), and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every other 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. 2:5-11)

Mama Mia! What a wonderful exaltation! Yuh see mih bredrin how the Lord exalted Jesus so highly for doing His tough and physically painful bidding. It’s the same way He will exalt us if we sincerely follow Christ and endure all the trials and tribulations that come against us with as much obedience and endurance as we can muster. Just look at how Jesus gave up His wonderful heavenly position to come to earth, to be made like a human being and endure all the physical, emotional and spiritual hardship that was to be His lot.

But He never complained, because He knew the great reason behind the Father’s bidding, which was the payment for and eventual forgiveness of our sins, along with reconciliation back into the Father’s fold. Now, obviously Jesus had some parts and powers that we don’t have, but that doesn’t excuse us from following in His footsteps to the best of our ability, in terms of obedience, endurance and a positive faith journey, for the rewards of salvation and eternal life with the Holy Trinity is most definitely worth the trials and tribulations we need to put up with in this comparatively short earthly life.

So let’s rise up and sincerely follow Jesus nuh, not making the shame and whatever else that comes against us in so doing discourage us. As the author of Hebrews so wisely says: ‘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. 12:3) Yes my fellow believers, when we encounter difficulties and problems, let’s think about how Jesus handled them with the awesome help of His Father, and be encouraged that He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us handle our own troubles. And that’s something worthwhile pondering on this lazy day Saturday. (smile) Much LOVE!

…to run a faith race for Jesus…one must look to Jesus as the best example to follow…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Understanding How to Run the Race of Faith! Part 1.

Today’s Scrip-Bit   5 June 2026   Hebrews 12:1b.

Hebrews 12:1b.         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.

And then it was that blessed day of Friday, another hot and sunny one, and all the shouts of the Friday Mantra gloriously rose up to heaven: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at last!’ Our society has become so obsessed with Friday that we don’t give much thanks for any other day. I guess it’s because Friday has become associated with the end of the work week, and our society does not have a great work ethic, so working is not something we like to do. 

But as the saying goes; if you want to eat, and have a roof over your head, you have to work. Bruh Paul even went so far as to tell the Thessalonians, that the busybodies and gossipmongers among them, who refused to work, should not be given food. (2 Thess. 3:10-11) Now, that seems a fair reckoning, but doing it is an entirely different story. (smile)

And today we’re going to talk about one of the most precious things we have, but also one of the hardest to keep on the right trail. That’s our Christian faith, which in this evil and godly world of today is being seriously challenged at every turn, but needs to be strong enough to endure and withstand the constant temptation and bombardment that’s thrown at it. For it’s our faith that keeps us rooted and grounded in the goodness, mercy and LOVE of our ever-faithful God.

And this passage in Hebrews 12, gives us an interesting explanation and path to follow. ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are encompassed 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.’ (Heb. 12 :1) Ah friends, that’s a tough requirement, but it needs to be done, if we are to be successful in our race of faith.

There are a lot of heroes of the faith, witnesses, who have gone before us and who are looking on at our progress. We also need to stand strong like they did, but there’s only one way to do that. As the author of Hebrews says; we need to lay aside every weight, or whatever impediment that keeps us weighed down, the scholars suggest stuff like clothing and body weight. But for the diligent runner or the faithful Christian, those things must be removed, so it can lighten our load.

We also need to put aside every sin which so easily ensnares us. And what sins ensnares us eh? The scholars seem to think that refers to the one sin that is uppermost in our lives; the one sin that defeats us above all others. And there are numerous sins that ensnare us. It’s like Bruh Paul wrote the Colossians: ‘Mortify therefore (put to death) your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection (passion), evil concupiscence (desire), and covetousness, which is idolatry:

For which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds:’ (Col. 3:5-9) Now that gives us some idea of the kinds of sins we ought to put aside as we run our faith race.

Then the author of Hebrews states that we should run our faith race with patience, that’s perseverance, or better yet endurance. We need to have the endurance of a long distance runner because our faith race is indeed a long one, and those short of breath will never win it. And we have another good example of how we should run that race from Bruh Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. He writes: Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run that ye may obtain.

And every man that striveth for the mastery (competes for the prize) is temperate in all things (has self-control). Now they do it to obtain a corruptible (perishable) crown, but we an incorruptible (imperishable). I therefore so run , not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under (discipline) my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (be disqualified).’ (1 Cor. 9:24-27)

Yes mih bredrin, this race of faith that we’re running is one for our very life, therefore we need to be serious about it, have discipline and self-control, while working hard to keep our endurance going strong, for endurance and self-discipline are two important aspects of our race, that we badly need if we hope to win that imperishable crown promised to us by the Lord.

But sadly, endurance and self-discipline are two of the least recognized and practiced attributes in today’s society. Not many of us can stick with anything or project for a long time, or have the discipline to do the tough things needed to accomplish success. No wonder our society has become lackadaisical and undisciplined, wild and unruly. Unfortunately though, time and space have run out on us, so if God spares life tomorrow, we’ll continue looking at this race of faith that we are required to run.

Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to help us run our race. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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. So please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.

And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good 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 we Christians also need to wake up and smell the coffee, because our work and witness for Christ is definitely not good or strong enough, otherwise our world would not be in the terrible state it’s currently in! Much LOVE!

…everyone who runs a race…runs to win…but you can’t win if you’re not prepared…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

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