the error of their ways

The Overwhelming Need For Christians to Set Examples of True Godliness in this Ungodly World!

19 Dec 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a new flock of believers, always more loving, an intolerant attitude, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, anger, anxiety and confusion, As God for christ's sake forgave you, at the pinnacle of our growth, be better witnesses for Christ, be responsible and stay safe, be ye kind one to another, by the example, celebrate the incarnate birth of Christ, crying out for your help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, discontent, dissatisfaction, evil speaking, faith, forgiving one another, Friday chant, grieve that my attitude is so often intolerant, hold Jesus near and dear in our hearts, holy spirit, how long you've waited for me, hypocritical actions, ideal time, impatient society, impress me, Jesus Christ, keep fresh the imprint, learn from past mistakes, let all bitterness, LOVE, make me more flexible, me myself and I, mentally enlightened, mercy, more understanding, my fretful impatience, my own need to grow, my own slow progress, no longer a spring chicken, often inclined to ask, omnipotent help, One Year Book of Bible promises, our motto for Christmas, our sinful world, problems are escalating, restoring faith in you, return backsliders to your fold, Ruth Harms Calkin, Slow Growth, stand strong and steadfast, stretched patience, superficial kindness, technologically advanced, tenderhearted, the error of their ways, the essence of selfishness, the poor are getting poorer, the rich are getting richer, the throne of grace, think and act like God, to turn things around, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, ungodly times, wake up and smell the coffee, why can't she change, why is he always so slow, wisdom, wise guidance, with all malice, wrath clamour anger be put away from you, ye are sealed unto the day of redemption

Ephesians 4:32. And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

It’s down to six my people… six days before the big celebration of Christmas Day when all the world will ring out with joyful song, celebrating the miraculous, incarnate birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Yes, it’s that marvellous fact that has us busy with all sorts of preparations, but let’s make sure that the most important preparation takes place in our hearts, as we hold Jesus near and dear, and remember all that He’s done for us.

Sadly though friends, today we’re on an even later bus than yesterday, because I had to go out early for some tests and then run an errand that I could not do yesterday, so by the time I got back home, I had to rest, remember the ole fella is no longer a spring chicken, (smile) but today for sure, we’re going to be shorter than ever. So let’s get to this interesting and most appropriate poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin titled ‘Slow Growth.’ Who knows if I’ve ever shared it before, but I know that it relates to many of us in this greedy, busy and impatient society.

Please read with me. ‘In my fretful impatience I am so often inclined to ask “Why can’t she change?” “Why is he always so slow?” “Will they ever learn from past mistakes?” And then You begin to impress me With my own slow progress upward. I see your stretched patience. I remember how long You’ve waited for me. And I grieve that my attitude Is so often intolerant. O God, keep fresh the imprint Of my own need to grow And make me more flexible More understanding And always more LOVING.’

Yes my brethren, all of us can learn from those few words about the intolerant society we now live in. We’ve possibly never been this intolerant, although we are at the pinnacle of our growth; the richest, as well as the most technologically advanced, and mentally enlightened. And you’d think that that would guide us to share more of all that our new world has provided. However, that’s not true, for the rich are getting richer as they get greedier, the poor are getting poorer as they have what little they possess taken away from them, and rich nor poor seem to care about their fellow brethren as much as they ought.

The essence of selfishness, the picture of Me, Myself and I, has unfortunately taken over our world. There’s so much in our world that nobody ought to be starving or suffering from serious want, as so many are today, even in the supposedly rich and generous countries. That’s why this Christmas season is the ideal time to try and turn things around, as there’s so much giving and kindness, although a lot of it is hypocritical and superficial.

And the best way to begin is by following this wonderful advice from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. ‘And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice: And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:30 -32) And for your information, that last verse is the Bible Promise of our poem ‘Slow Growth.’

So please, let’s use those words as our motto for this Christmas season nuh, opening our arms and hearts to others with the kindness and forgiveness that God has so generously bestowed on us through the sacrifices of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant to ask for divine help to do just that.

Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.

We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’

And with all the confusion and wrongdoing in our world, it’s now time for us to wake up and be better witnesses for Christ… if we desire His help. Much LOVE!

…let’s think and act like God….showing…LOVE, peace, forgiveness, kindness, mercy and justice…to each other…

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

The Necessity for Christians to Keep Reassuring and Encouraging Themselves of God’s Providence and Provision!

31 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a flaw in our prayer, a new flock of believers, acclamation of our faith, all things work together for good, be content with such things as ye have, be of good cheer, be reminded of our previous struggles, be responsible, be strong and of a good courage, by the example we faithful believers set, can wake up and smell the coffee, carry them in his bosom, comfort ye my people, crying out for your help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine help, drag us back into medieval times, embrace your love and compassion, faith, fear not, feed his flock like a shepherd, fellowship, Friday chant, gather the lambs with his arm, gently lead those that are with young, God will continue empowering us, God's omnipotent help, Halloween Day, his arm shall rule for him, his reward is with him, his work before him, holy spirit, I am the good shepherd, I am with you, i have overcome the world, I know my sheep and are known of mine, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, I will not fear what man can do to me, improve our witness, in me you might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, Jesus Christ, keep you in all places you go, let your conduct be without covetousness, life is not a bed of roses, LOVE, mercy, no rights or privileges, nor be afraid of them, on the late bus, our Christian witness is not good enough, our sinful world, our walk with christ is a two way street, prayer time with the Father, problems escalating, restoring faith in God, return backsliders to your fold, revert to such an inhumane situation, salvation, shining our bright lights in the darkness, smell it sweet and strong, spreading our salty flavour, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the daily grind and common task, the enemy comes against us in christ's name, the error of their ways, the evil spirits come out to play, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep, the gospel truth, The Lord is my helper, the Lord tests us, the Lord will come with strong hand, the shedding of innocent blood, the throne of grace, the trick or treat game, the unexpected storms, the way of life, these things I have spoken unto you, to shower down blessings on us, to stand up and fight the evil enemy, to them that love God, tribulation, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, waiting with bated breath, walking with the Lord, we may boldly say, who are called according to His purpose, wisdom, wise guidance

Isaiah 40:1. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

Ah friends, the ole fella had a rather late night, thus he also had a rather late morning. (smile) Consequently, we are on the late bus this Friday October 31, or Halloween Day, when all the evil spirits and people come out to play the trick or treat game. But that’s a topic for another day, not this wet, cloudy, windy Friday, where we’ve offered up our acclamation of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ which means the weekend is upon us, those two short days we have for ourselves; to rest, recuperate and have some fun, before getting back to the daily grind and common task.

Ah well, that’s just the way life is, for once up a time, and it’s not so long ago that many people worked seven days a week, with a day off once in a while. Thankfully our situation has improved some, although the greedy employers would like nothing better, and indeed are trying their best to drag us back into the medieval times where we had absolutely no rights nor privileges. But we won’t ever allow that to happen, for too much innocent blood has ben shed to get us to where we are today, to ever revert to such an inhumane and ungodly situation. And all God’s children said a loud and proud, ‘Amen!’

And I’m chuckling here, because I don’t know where that all came from because it’s not Labour Day or anything of the sort, but I guess the Good Lord just wanted us to be reminded of our previous struggles and have us understand that He will continue empowering us to stand up and fight the aggressive and evil enemy. It’s like Isaiah promised on the Lord’s behalf. ‘Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God…Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand (in strength), and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work (wage) before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is. 40:1;10-11)

Yes friends, that’s one of the many promises of our God to be with us at all times and look after us. And Jesus embodied that promise in Himself when He subsequently declared: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep…I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.’ (John 10:11;14) It’s like the author of Hebrews also reminds us: ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall (can) do unto me.’ (Heb. 13:5)

Now that’s a most powerful acclamation of our faith, and hopefully we all will stand strong in it, because our God is ever-faithful to keep His promises. As he said to Jacob, when he dreamed that famous, mind-boggling, but life changing dream (Gen. 28:10-14) ‘And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.’ (Gen. 28:15) And we all know that the Lord kept His promise to Jacob.

It’s also like Moses said to the Israelites on God’s behalf: ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deut. 31:6) And that promise was also kept, except for the times when Israel rebelled against the Lord and suffered the dire consequences of such rebellion and disobedience. But all in all, Israel had it pretty good. For as Bruh Paul warns us in his letter to the Romans: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28)

And that’s one of the most important scriptures for Christians to know and understand. The Lord will keep His promises and look after us, and eventually all things will work out for our good. But we need to thoroughly understand that life, especially the Christian life is not a bed of roses, but can often be a tough slog, especially when the enemy comes against us in Christ’s name, or when the Lord Himself tests us. So it’s ever so necessary to keep in mind these most reassuring and encouraging words of Jesus. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)

And all that’s the gospel truth, my fellow believers, but it’s not easy to put into practice. That’s why we need to keep on growing in our faith, through reading and meditating on the Word, through fellowship with other believers and sincere prayer time with the Father. And our God is so wonderful, that through Jesus’ sacrifice, we can now go directly to the throne of grace seeking divine help. So let’s do that right now nuh, through our Friday Chant.

All together: ‘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.

And we’ve prayed a good prayer, but there’s one flaw in it; if the new flock of believers are like us, then they won’t be of much use, because our current Christian witness is not up to scratch. That means we have to improve, if we truly desire divine aid! So let’s get to it nuh. The Lord is waiting with bated breath to shower down blessings on us…when we improve our witness, by spreading our highly flavoured salt far and wide, and shining our lights much brighter in the many dark places of the earth. Much LOVE!

…walking with the Lord is a two way street…He’s kept all His promises…now we need to do our part…

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

The Importance of Leaders knowing and acknowledging that Their Time is Controlled by Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe!

10 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a day and a thousand years, a new flock of believers, a pawn in the hands of Jehovah, a thousand years as one day, a timely message, a wannabe dictator, all the inhabitants of the earth are considered as nothing, all whose works are truth, at the end of the days, be not ignorant of this one thing, be responsible, Blessed be the name of God, crying our for help, defeat the simmering unrest, dissatisfaction in our land, driven into the fields, embrace your love and compassion, enormous amounts of food and drink, eventually meet their Waterloo, evil and ungodly agenda, free speech, Friday chant, gives it to whomsoever he will, God has an unlimited amount of time, God holds ultimate control over all worldly leaders, God raises up kings, he changes the times and the seasons, he does according to his will, he gives wisdom unto the wise, he know what is in the darkness, he removes kings, he reveals the deep and secret things, him that liveth for ever, his kingdom is from generation to generation, his ways justice, holy spirit, I blessed the most High, improve our Christian witness, infallible truth, it's only a matter of time, Jesus Christ, knowledge to them that have understanding, lifted up mine eyes to heaven, like Napoleon met his, lots of thanks and praise, LOVE, man was made from dust, mercy, miniscule amounts of time to God, my understanding returned unto me, none can restrain his hand, none can say unto him what doest thou, none can stay his hand, omnipotent help, one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, only one sovereign ruler in the universe, open their eyes of understanding, plenty joy and good cheer, plenty peace and love, praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, praised and honoured, prayer for divine aid, restoring faith in you, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, serious problems are escalating, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, strife, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thanksgiving weekend, the anxiety and confusion, the army of heaven, the error of their ways, the example that we faithful believers set, the light that dwells with him, the Lord and his word will endure forever, the most High rules in the kingdom of men, the sinful world, the throne of grace, these ungodly times, this good land of Canada, those that walk in pride He is able to abase, time is not an issue with God, time longer than twine, to dust he will return, to eat grass like animals, totalitarian laws, totalitarian rulers, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, until thou know, use the discontent, wake up and smell the coffee, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, wisdom, wise guidance

Daniel 4:32b. until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

At long last it’s Friday friends…another beautiful day on God’s great earth! That means it’s time to shout ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here!’ Thanksgiving weekend in particular, so there will be lots of thanks and praise, plenty joy and good cheer, enormous amounts of food and drink, as well as of peace and LOVE! ‘Glory To God!’

Yes my brethren, this is a special weekend, for we have plenty to be thankful for in this good land of Canada. We’re not perfect, but we’re better than a lot of others, without the great amount of strife prevailing in the streets and totalitarian or dictatorship-like laws been passed by our government. And that’s a lot to be thankful for, because in many countries around the world free speech is no longer tolerated…even in our supposed democratic neighbor to the south, where a Wanna-Be dictator is breaking all sorts of laws to achieve and satisfy his selfish, evil and ungodly agenda.

And I do hope that someone could get it through his foolish head that there is ONLY ONE Sovereign Ruler in the universe; the One who created it and still rules it, and that he is only a pawn in the hands of the great God Jehovah! Someone should read him the scripture from Daniel when the Lord revealed to him king Nebuchadnezzars’ dream.

And Daniel, declared: ‘Blessed be the name of the God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up (raises up) kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know (have) understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.’ (Dan. 2:20-22)

Now, those verses emphasize that God is sovereign over all kingdoms and earthly rulers, holding ultimate control over who reigns and for how long. And it’s a very timely message for all the evil, ungodly and foolish totalitarian leaders that are around today, who think that they control things, that they are the last word on everything. And if they truly believe that, then somebody should quickly draw their attention to what happened to the boastful Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4, when he boasted of his great might and power in building his royal palace.

But before the words were even out of his mouth the Lord announced that he would be driven from that same beautiful palace out unto the fields to eat grass and be like the wild beasts. And as sure as day follows night, king Neb became mad and behaved like the wild animals for seven long years. (Dan. 4:28-33) And why did that happen? As the Bible says: ‘until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.’ (Dan. 4:32b)

However, the best part of the story is when the Bible reports: ‘And at the end of the days (time) I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed (considered) as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay (restrain) his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?… Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgement (justice): and those that walk in pride he is able to abase (humble.’ (Dan. 4:34-35, 37)

Oh my people, that’s the infallible truth! But unfortunately it took Neb a long and hard time to learn it, but learn it he did. How I wish that more of the totalitarian rulers in today’s world could experience such a fate so that their eyes of understanding could be fully opened. But there’s no need to worry, for each of these supposed invincible rulers will one day meet their own Waterloo, just like the supposed Emperor of the world, Napolean met his. It’s only a matter of time, for as the old people would say, time longer than twine.

And the Bible reminds us: ‘But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.’ (2 Pet. 3:8) In other words friends, time is not an issue with God, for He has an unlimited amount of it. he doesn’t have the same time restraints that we have. As one commentary puts it: ‘This is the idea of the verse—both a day and a thousand years are such miniscule amounts of time to God that it really makes no difference to Him.’ And until mankind recognizes and acknowledges that, we’ll all plod along thinking that we’re so much more than we really are, until the Lord chooses to show us differently.

Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid for all that’s wrong with our 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 the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you.

Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’

But unfortunately my fellow believers, deep down, we all know that our discipleship is not what it ought to be, and we will not receive any divine aid, until we clean up our acts and improve our Christian witness! Much LOVE!

…from dust man was made…and to dust he will return…but the Lord and His Word will endure forever…

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

The Light of Christ is the Natural State for Believers, Not the Darkness of Satan!

29 Sep 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: accompanying this ignorance, all things that are reproved, arise from the dead, awake thou that sleepest, begin on a good footing, bring sins to light, but rather reprove them, Christ shall give thee light, Christian witness, constant temptations, darkness encompassed people, discerning what is acceptable to the Lord, divine aid, ease the pain, expose them, exposed sins, faith, fellowship, fooling ourselves, guilt and misery, happiness, have no fellowship, hear and answer our prayers, hideous nature, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, immorality, in all goodness righteousness and truth, indulge in the sins of the unsaved, it is a shame, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep the enemy at bay, keep your promise to prosper us, knowledge of the truth, light in the Lord, LOVE, made manifest by the light, made visible by the gospel, mass confusion, mercy, moral purity, now ye are light in the Lord, pleading for wise guidance, pray, pretend we're walking in the light, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord, religiously informed, rousing unbelievers, salt and light, salvation, show them your awesome grace and mercy, sincere repentance, sincerely seek God's face, solicitations to evil, spiritual darkness, spiritually unenlightened, stop committing those sins, strong faith in Christ, terrible consequences, the error of their ways, the everlasting light of Christ, the first day of the week, the first day of the workweek, the fruit of the spirit, the fruitful works of darkness, the God who heals, the light of Christ, the many suffering from negative situations, the power to solve our problems, the unfruitful works of darkness, to alleviate our problems, to speak of those things done in secret, truth, turn away from hideous sins, turn from our evil ways, unadvisable sleep, walk as children of light, walk in darkness, whatsoever doth make manifest is light, wisdom, ye were sometimes darkness

Ephesians 5:8. For ye were sometimes (once) darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

And after Sunday, the first day of the week, comes Monday, the first day of the work week. Now, let’s hope that we are all ready for it, because if we’re not, then things can definitely go downhill for the remainder of the week, since the strongly held belief by some that a bad beginning makes for a good ending is not always true, for sometimes a bad beginning just makes for a worse ending. So, it’s always best to try and begin on a good footing rather than a bad one. (smile)

And today, I want to continue with a passage that we did not get to put into the Bit yesterday, since it would have made it much too long and complicated. It’s about the light of Christ that Christians ought to be avidly and vividly proclaiming, walking as children of light, as written by Bruh Paul to the Ephesians.

He compassionately informs them: ‘For ye were sometimes (once) darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the fruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove (expose) them.

For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved (exposed) are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.’ (Eph. 5:8-14)

Yes friends, once upon a time we lived in spiritual darkness, or as the scholars’ state, ‘spiritually unenlightened, and accompanying this ignorance was immorality with its resultant guilt and misery.’ However, since we’ve received Jesus, who is the Light, the scholars say ‘that denotes that the recipients are now to be religiously informed. Their knowledge of the truth is attended by moral purity and happiness. And because of constant temptations and solicitations to evil, believers must always be proving or discerning what is and what is not acceptable unto the Lord.’

Furthermore, ‘the believer’s duty is expressed here in two ways. Negatively, he is not to have any fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, that is not to indulge in the sins of the unsaved. Positively, he is to “expose” (reprove) these sins, that is, bring them to light and show them for what they really are, so that the unbeliever may see their hideous nature and their terrible consequences.’

Yes my brethren, it’s always best to uncover and expose those terrible sins of darkness that are constantly taking place in our rather evil world, so that those who are lost can see and understand the error of their ways and the terrible consequences that they will incur if they stay in that state of sinful darkness. And as the scholars point out, if it’s indecent or ‘shameful to even speak of those iniquities in decent company (vs. 3), then how much worse is the committing of these sins. Hence the need to bring them to the light.’

Now that’s what we’re here for, to stop committing those sins, and instead expose them to the light. And per vs. 13, the scholars have an interesting explanation of it. They say: ‘This verse may be paraphrased: All sins that are exposed are made visible by the gospel, for whatever sin is made visible becomes light.’ And that’s understandable, because the gospel allows us to expose those sins, not only by bringing them to light, but also making them light so that they can inform others.

Then re vs.14, they tell us: ‘Since exposing sin is beneficial, God invites the unbeliever (thou that sleepest) to turn from his sin (arise from the dead), with the promise that he will be granted the spiritual enlightenment and help needed (Christ shall give thee light).’ Ah my people, I do hope that we see how important it is for us to both live in the light and help others to do the same, because that’s the only way we will first, keep the enemy at bay, and then eventually win his darkness encompassed people to the bright, enlightening and everlasting light of Christ.

That means it’s imperative we get out into the world this Monday, the second to last day of September and begin rousing the unbelievers from their inadvisable sleep, so that they can start turning away from their hideous sins. Oh, by the way, many of us supposed believers also have secretly hidden hideous sins, which we are also expected to give up. (smile) Now, for help in all that we are meant to do, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking powerful divine aid.

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 my fellow believers, let’s not kid ourselves, for we know that we’re not as salt and light as we ought to be, that’s why our Christian witness is sadly lacking, so if we truly want to fulfill our mandate as disciples of Christ, let’s sincerely begin humbling ourselves, praying, seeking His face, and turning from our evil ways. That’s the only way we will ever get true divine aid! Much LOVE!

…how can so many of us believers…walk in darkness…and yet pretend we’re walking in the light…we’re only fooling ourselves…not God…

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

The Great Need for Believers to Spread God’s Word ALL OVER this Evil and Ungodly World! Part 2.

12 Sep 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a master builder, a means of restoring faith in you, a new flock of believers, a word to the wise is sufficient, another buildeth thereupon, anxiety and confusion, as by fire, as sheep having no shepherd, be responsible and stay safe, bring glad tidings of good things, but he himself shall be saved, by the example your faithful believers set, can wake up and smell the coffee, combustible materials, crying out for your help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, discontent, dissatisfaction, do our part, embrace your love and compassion, every man's work shall be made manifest, faith, faith cometh by hearing, faith must be preceded by hearing, for other foundation can no man lay than Jesus, Friday chant, God gives the increase, he shall receive a reward, he shall suffer loss, hearing by the word of God, hearing requires a preacher, holy spirit, how beautiful are the feet, how shall they believe, how shall they hear without a preacher, how shall they preach except they be sent, how then shall they call on him, I am the good shepherd, if any man's work endures, if any man's work shall be burned, improving our witness for Christ, in whom they have not believed, incombustible materials, Isaiah saith Lord who hath believed our report, it shall be revealed by fire, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the Good Shepherd, Jesus was moved with compassion, Jesus' sacrificial death, knowledge is essential to belief, laid the foundation, LOVE, mercy, mundane work, of them that preach the gospel of peace, omnipotent help, one plants and one waters, our sinful world, paid for our sins, pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, preaching to a disobedient people, problems are escalating, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, salvation is completely from God, same old week of work, send forth labourers into his harvest, sending out missionaries, smell it sweet and strong, spread the gospel all over the world, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep, the grace of God, the Great Commission, the harvest truly is plenteous, the judgement day, the labourers are few, the saving faith of the gospel, the throne of grace, these ungodly times, they fainted and were scattered abroad, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, universal proclamation of the gospel, wisdom, wise guidance

Matthew 9:37-38. The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Oh brother! Friday has finally arrived, and in bright sunshiny form too. Praise the Lord! No wonder the many voices raised in that joyful shout of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ Yes, that means the weekend is here, and we have a short break from our mundane work, but please, let’s remember to use those two short days off wisely, so that we come back refreshed to begin another same old, same old week of work. (smile)

And today we’ll continue talking about the problem of getting missionaries out into the world to spread the gospel. That reminds us of Jesus reaction as He went about teaching and preaching the gospel of the kingdom. The Bible says: ‘But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.’ (Matt. 9:36-38)

Yes friends, Jesus saw that the multitude of people around him were distressed, lost and not knowing which way to turn, just like so many of us are today. And unfortunately, there is a very large crowd of us wandering lost, like sheep without a shepherd. And do we ever need a shepherd to lead and guide us, if our lives are to improve and be worth anything. And we know that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He said it Himself: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) And that’s exactly what He did; paid for our abominable sins with His sacrificial death on the cross.

However, right now we don’t have enough people willing to go out and spread the gospel, the good news of Jesus’ sacrificial death that brings salvation and eternal life. Instead we, Christ’s church is fighting amongst itself over petty matters, and not doing what is necessary to further the kingdom of God. And remember yesterday we talked about Bruh Paul accusing the Corinthians of carnality because of their envying and infighting, talking about who belonged to Paul, and who belonged to Apollos, letting them know that one planted and one watered, but in the long run, it’s God who gives the increase. (1 Cor. 3)

Consequently, we are all fellow workers in God, and it doesn’t matter what we do, once we sincerely help to build the kingdom. Then Bruh Paul makes some interesting comments, that we should all pay attention to. ‘According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation no man can lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor. 3:10-11) That’s the first thing we need to know; the only foundation worth building on is that of Christ! No other will make any substantial difference in our lives.

However, as Bruh Paul continues, we do have to be careful what building materials we use. ‘Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble (straw); Every man’s work shall be made manifest (become evident): for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try (test) every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide (endures) which he hath built upon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by (through) fire.’ (1 Cor. 3:12-15)

So friends, we not only need to build upon Christ’s foundation, but also to use good material, incombustible materials like gold, silver and precious stones, and not combustible stuff like wood, hay and straw, for our work will be tested by fire in the judgement day, and if it endures the fire then we will be rewarded, but if it doesn’t, we will lose any possible rewards, though we ourselves will be saved.

So, having seen that lots of us are lost and need Christ, but not enough of us are going out into the field to find them, we come to this final part where we consider how to spread the gospel. And in Bruh Paul’s letter to the Roman Church, where he writes about Preaching to a Disobedient People, we find out how it’s done in a most beautiful interwoven passage of scripture. It shows Bruh Paul’s power as a writer, and it’s one of my favourite passages of scripture.

He theorizes: ‘How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias (Isaiah) saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ (Rom, 10:14-17)

And I just LOVE how Bruh Paul interweaves the different aspects of missionary work. As the scholars explain: ‘In presenting the universal proclamation of the gospel, Paul presents the reasons why that’s necessary. First, because the call must be preceded by faith; second, because faith must preceded by hearing. This shows that knowledge is essential to belief. Faith must have valid content; third, because hearing requires a preacher; fourth, because preaching requires being sent. The One who sends is God. Salvation is completely from God.’

Yes my fellow believers, faith comes about by what is heard, the gospel, and to hear the saving faith of the gospel someone must preach it to you. Meaning, if we’re to spread it to all parts of the world, like Jesus desired of us in the Great Commission, then we need people willing to do so. And since we cannot do it on our own, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid.

Now, all the prayer and supplication is fine, but we also need to do our part, which means improving our witness for Christ, which right now is not very good! Nuff said! Much LOVE!

…a word to the wise is sufficient…

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

Recognizing and Believing the Sure, Steadfast and Eternal LOVE of God for Mankind!

08 Aug 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a new flock of believers, all of a sudden, brought sin into the world, brought you a daisy bouquet, by the example your faithful believers set, can wake up and smell the coffee, Christ died for the ungodly, Christ died for us, crying out for God's help, defeat the enemy, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, divine help, eternal destiny, faith, for no discernible reason, Friday chant, God commendeth his own love toward us, God created us to have constant communion with Him, God is longing for our affection, God wanted a people to love, herein is love, holy spirit, hugged me, I long to hug you more often, I love you, I was puzzled, improve our witness for Christ, in due time, Jesus Christ, Jesus offered His sinless blood, LOVE, mercy, not living up to our part of the bargain, not that we loved God but that he loved us, omnipotent help, One year Book of Bible Promise, pay the Piper, positive evidence of God's love, practiced my lessons, problems escalating, put a damper on the enthusiasm, reconciliation, return backsliders to your fold, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, sinful ingrates, stand strong and steadfast for Christ, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the materialism the cares of this world, the propitiation of our sins, the sinful world, the throne of grace, the very reason for our existence, today you picked me up, too busy hugging yourself, trusting faith, truth, underperforming believers, unexpected storms, unwise actions, we love him because he first loved us, when the time was right, when we were without strength, while we were yet sinners, Who Me, wise guidance

1 John 4:19. We LOVE Him, because he first LOVED us.

And did the ‘TGIF’s! Thank God it’s Friday!’ ever go up this morning, but in a rather tired and halfhearted manner, as last weekend’s celebrations and this week’s work put a damper on the usual enthusiasm for the weekend. The great hope and expectation for this one is not to party, but to rest. (smile) Yes friends, if you want to call the tune, then you have to be able to pay the piper. And if you can’t, then you’ll simply have to suffer the consequences. Sermon done! (smile)

And today we’re going to check out a rather interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, simply titled ‘Who, Me?’ Yes, You! (smile) I don’t know if I’ve shared this poem before, but we know that they are all worth sharing over and over.

So please read with me: ‘Lord All of a sudden today you picked me up And hugged me And hugged me For no discernible reason. I was puzzled. After all – I hadn’t picked up my toys Or practiced my lessons Or brought You a daisy bouquet – Hesitantly, I asked why. You smiled and said I LOVE you, that’s all. Then You added: I long to hug you more often. Why don’t You, Lord? You are too busy. Too busy, Lord? Too busy hugging yourself.’

Ah my fellow believers, can that admonishment apply to us? Are we too busy hugging ourselves, too taken up with our own cares and worries to pay any attention to our wonderful and ever-LOVING God? Somehow, I think that many of us are guilty of just such unwise actions. The cares and the materialism of this crazy world occupy too much of our time. We all feel so busy. But busy doing what?

Most of the time it’s not any earth moving circumstance, but simply something we feel we ought to do. On the other hand, how often do we feel like we should be hugging our great God eh? Certainly not enough! Meanwhile, He’s there starving, longing for our affection. Remember He created us so that we could have good and constant communion with Him. But unfortunately, we’re not living up to our part of the bargain.

And the Bible verse for the poem is a simple but very telling one: The Book uses this translation: ‘We LOVE because He first LOVED us.’ But we like our good ole King James version which says: ‘We LOVE Him, because he first LOVED us.’ (1 John 4:19) Now that is such a very poignant and important statement; one that we should know and keep uppermost in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds at all times!

Why? Because it’s the very reason for our existence, our salvation and our eternal destiny! Remember we said that God created us because he wanted a people to LOVE and have constant communication with. And then, when we disobeyed His commands and thus brought sin into the world, He was heartbroken and therefore sought a way to return us to His flock. And that way was to Have His Son, Jesus Christ come to earth and selflessly offer His sinless blood as propitiation for our sins.

Why do you think the Lord did that eh? Why did He go to such great lengths to obtain a just and righteous reconciliation eh? Because He LOVED us! Else why would He break His own heart by sacrificing His only Son for a bunch of sinful ingrates eh? There’s only one logical answer; overwhelming LOVE for His sinful creation! And John explains that earlier on in the epistle, when he writes: ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.’ (1 John 4:10)

Oh my fellow believers, that’s the greatest showing of LOVE there’s ever been, and will ever be! And I don’t understand why we don’t appreciate it so much more than we do. But that’s why the Lord gave us free will, so we could make our own choices, even though they may turn out to be the wrong ones. And how can we not appreciate and reverence these amazing words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome eh?

‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:6-8)

Oh my people, what else will it take for us to recognize and truly appreciate God’s great, undying LOVE for us eh? All through the Bible it’s said, written and actioned! So why do we still refuse to believe it and live like it mattered? Only each disbelieving individual and our all- knowing God know. Nuff said. Now it’s time to go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help for our numerous problems.

Unfortunately though friends, it’s not only the sinful world that needs to wake up and smell the coffee, but also we underperforming supposed believers. And until we improve our witness for Christ, we won’t see much, if any divine help! Much LOVE!

…with all the positive evidence available…if you can’t believe God’s great LOVE for mankind…how can you believe anything else…

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

The Terrible Mistake Believers make on not relying completely on Almighty God!

25 Jul 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a helluva thing when yuh getting old, a man of many parts, a new flock of believers, a testimony, apologize for wrong date on Bit, be a good witness for Christ, be responsible, blessed is the man that trusteth in him, by the example your faithful believers set, can only have a testimony, change the batteries in the keyboard, changed his behaviour, christianity, computer keyboard, David his ten thousands, David the king of the land, delivered me from all my fears, divine help, faith, feigned himself mad in their hands, feigned madness, fled to a cave in the wilderness, Friday chant, godly coincidence, Goliath's sword, gospel truth, grin and bear it, his praise shall continually be in my mouth, holy spirit, I sought the Lord and he heard me, I will bless the Lord at all times, if God spares life, Jesus Christ, laid up these words in his heart, let his spittle fall down upon his beard, let us exalt His name together, LOVE, mercy, my soul shall make boast in the Lord, narrowly escaping death, O fear the Lord ye his saints, o magnify the Lord with me, O taste and see that the Lord is good, omnipotent help, our chaotic world, praise of one who was redeemed, problems are escalating, psalm 34, radiant, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, saved him out of all his troubles, scrabbled on the doors of the gate, seasoned instruction, seek refuge in your enemy's camp, shrew bread, sinful world, stay safe, Sual hath slain his thousands, suffer hunger, take your own medicine, Thanks be to God, the BIBLE, the computer expert, the error of their ways, the humble shall hear thereof and be glad, the Lord heard him, the poor man cried, the throne of grace, the young lions do lack, their faces were not ashamed, there is no want to them that fear him, they looked at him and were lightened, they that seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing, took these words to heart, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffe, wary of his presence, when you've passed a test, wisdom, wise guidance, witness for Christ

Psalm 34:8. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth him.

Oh friends, please let me apologize this hot, humid and somewhat cloudy Friday morning, for the date error I made on the Bit yesterday, naming it the 23rd of July instead of the 24th. And you would not believe the number of times I usually scrutinize the headings to see if they are correct. And I distinctly remember scrutinizing them yesterday and still found nothing wrong! Ah Lord eh! The devil surely finds ways to disrupt our lives. And believe me he’s doing a very good job right now through this keyboard of mine, where I am typing letters that are either not coming out, or when I hit the space button it doesn’t work and the typing comes out all jumbled up.

Chuh! Typing that last sentence took me a few minutes because I had to go back and fix several pieces of it …hn! hn! hn! Had to fix that last phrase too. (smile) Guess I’ll just have to buy a new keyboard, and this one is barely two years old. But they don’t make them like they did before, and I’m pounding away on this one every day. And you wouldn’t believe how nicely that typed there. (smile) I’ll just have to grin and bear it, as I like to preach. Believe me, it doesn’t feel so fine when you have to take your own medicine.

Hn, hn, hn! Yes friends, I’m laughing, but it’s a laugh of shame. And it’s a good thing that our God does move in mysterious ways yes, because I took a break there just now and was about to buy a new keyboard when the Duchess suggested I first consult my young daughter, the computer expert in the family. And her wise advice was to simply change the batteries in the keyboard. Brother! Did I ever feel foolish, for only then did I remember having that same problem before and simply changing the batteries solved it. It’s a hell of a thing when yuh getting old yes!

But thanks be to God, we solved that most vexing problem! So we can move on now with some serious stuff. Yes, my fellow believers, serious stuff like Psalm 34. A psalm Bruh David wrote after narrowly escaping death at the hands of king Saul. (1 Sam. 21) He lied to the priest Abimelech about being on an important mission for the king and hadn’t had time to collect food or weapons for himself and his men. The priest gave him the shrew (hallowed) bread, the only bread he had, and also gave him Goliath’s sword, the only weapon in his possession. What a godly coincidence (smile) Bruh David using his mortal enemy’s sword. But that’s how our God works.

And having gotten those things, he fled to Gath, the city of the Philistine king Achish seeking refuge from Saul. Imagine the boldness, or stupidity, (smile) of running from your people, to seek refuge in your enemy’s camp. But that’s what you do when you have no choice. Obviously though, the Philistine king was wary of his presence, as his servants recognized Bruh David and said, ‘Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.

And David laid up these words in his heart (took these words to heart), and was sore (very much) afraid of Achish the king of Gath. And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands (feigned madness), and scrabbled (scratched) on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle (spit) fall down on upon his beard.’ (1 Sam. 21:11-13) The king believed the mad actions of Bruh David and refused him entry, so he and his men fled to a cave in the wilderness.

Ah friends, Bruh David was indeed a man of many parts, and with God’s help put on a good show. And these are some of the marvellous words that he wrote after that narrow escape. ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked at him and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed.

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him from out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing.’ (Ps. 34:1-10)

What gospel truth, my people! Those who put their trust in the Lord God Jehovah will not want for anything! And I like how the scholars describe the psalm. They say: ‘It bears all the marks of the testimony of one who narrowly escaped death, just as the passage in Samuel describes. As such, it contains the praise and testimony of one who was redeemed (vs. 1-10) and the seasoned instruction that can stem from such deliverance (vs. 11-22).’ Today we’ve covered the section of praise…and is it ever so encouraging and uplifting and true! Tomorrow, if God spares life, we’ll look at the section of ‘seasoned instruction’ and see what we can gain from it.

Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help for ourselves and our chaotic 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.

And friends, despite our supposedly sincere prayer, we also know that our witness for Christ is not good enough, that’s why our world is in such a disastrous state. So please, let’s get ourselves together and improve our witness nuh. It’s the least we can do, for all that Jesus has done for us. Much LOVE!

…you can only have a testimony…when you’ve passed a test…

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

The Importance of Seeing God not as just a Strict Judge, but also a LOVING Father!

27 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a distorted view of God, a LOVING Father, a means of restoring faith in you, a new flock of believers, a place of judgement, all we do is evaluated, always falling short in some way, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, as the manner of some is, be responsible, become better witnesses for Christ, beware of false prophets, by the example that we set, christianity, Christians, church is not a place to be judgemental, consider one another, Consider This, deceit, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, everyone there is a patient, exhorting one another, fair minded, faith, false teachers, fellowship, finding a happy balance, Friday chant, God is a loving father, God is a strict judge, God is the ultimate healer, God is the ultimate judge, God sent Hi Son to save the world not judge it, God's infallible word, harsh judgement, He is faithful that promised, hold fast that which is good, hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, holy spirit, In Touch Devotional, jesus came for those who are sick with si, Jesus Christ, judgemental attitudes, lies, live for Jesus, LOVE, mercy, mutually exclusive, needing treatment from a loving saviour, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, omnipotent help, our sinful world, picture church as a hospital, prove all things, received the word, renewing our faith, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, searched thescriptures daily, see God as an indignant judge, see God in a new way, sermons about hellfire and brimstone, stand strong and steadfast in faith, stay safe, strengthening our confidence, test everything, the BIBLE, the cornerstone of our lives, the error of their ways, the essence of God is love, the Information Age, these ungodly times, think of church as a courtroom, to handle the unexpected storms properly, to provoke unto love and to good works, too comfortable with sin, top o the morn, trusting faith, truth, valiantly fighting for Jesus, wake up and smell the coffee, wandering ways, whether things were so, wicked schemes, wisdom, wise guidance, with all readiness of mind, you see the day approaching

1 Thessalonians 5:21. Prove all things (test everything); hold fast that which is good.

Top O the morn to you my faithful Scrip-Bit friends and families! It’s Friday, our favourite day of the week, because it ushers in the weekend! I hope you are enjoying our late spring, early summer weather. (smile) Yes, we have regressed quite a bit from the mid-thirties temps of earlier in the week to barely hitting the twenties, with a fairly strong wind and more clouds than sun. But the sun is valiantly trying to establish his supremacy, just like we Christians ought to be valiantly trying to establish ours over this currently evil and ungodly world that surrounds us.

But be all of that as it may, (smile) today I want to share an interesting discourse from the Consider This Section of the June In Touch Devotional. So please read with me. ‘We often think of church as a courtroom, a place of judgment. It can be seen as if everything we do (or don’t do) is being evaluated or that we’re forever falling short in some way. That mindset probably comes from passages in the Bible that describe God as the ultimate judge – and He certainly is. But if that’s the only way we think of Him, we end up with a distorted view of the Lord, His church, and ourselves.

Scripture tells us, ‘God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.’ (John 3:17) And Jesus Himself said He came for, ‘those who are sick’ because of sin (Mark 2:17). God is also the ultimate healer. So the next time you worship, try to picture church not as a court of law but as a hospital. And everyone there – including yourself – as patients who need treatment from a LOVING Saviour. You might find you heart is more at ease than before and see God and His people in a new way.’

O my, my, my! I said it was an interesting article. And there’s truth to it, for many of us still see God as more of an indignant judge, than as a of a LOVING Father. I guess that stems from all the fearful sermons we’ve heard about hellfire and damnation, and we do need to hear them every so often to wake us up from our lax and lazy wandering ways that the world tempts us with. But the essence of God is LOVE! And He will only judge us harshly if we are continuously rebellious and disobedient.

And when we go to church it’s not to be drowned in shame and disgrace, but to be healed and made whole. That’s what church is all about; bringing us into closer contact with our Lord and Saviour, while renewing our faith and strengthening our confidence to go out into the world and live for Him. And this scripture passage is possibly the best one to prove our point.

The author of Hebrews writes thus: ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke (stir up) unto LOVE and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.’ (Heb. 10:23-25)

Yes friends, church is for encouraging, building up, stirring up and showing LOVE to each other, not a place to be judgemental. And until we adopt that LOVING, encouraging and togetherness attitude in church, we will never get the real benefit of assembling together in Christ’s name. The problem with modern Christianity is finding a happy balance between fiery judgemental sermons and attitudes, and those that tend to be too soft and wishy-washy, not calling out sin for what it is, but trying to turn it into something nice and comfortable.

But my faithful believers, sin is sin, no matter what you call it, and how you try to whitewash it. And that’s a major problem in today’s church; we’re just too comfortable with sin, or wrongdoings, or whatever you choose to call it. And that is what will get the Lord’s harsh judgement; not trying to do your best to live up to His standards and help spread His Word.

Oh my people, this Information Age is so filled with lies, deceits, wicked schemes, disinformation and all kinds of stuff that’s trying to turn us away from Almighty God, that’s why we have to be so careful whom we listen to and believe, as well as what we listen to and believe. And the only sure thing we have is God’s holy, infallible and indisputable Word! So please, let’s make that the cornerstone of our lives nuh.

By testing teachings against the scriptures, we can avoid being deceived and endangering our faith. It’s like Bruh Paul writes to the Thessalonians: ‘Prove all things (test everything); hold fast that which is good.’ (1 Thess. 5:21) And what the scriptures say of the Bereans after Bruh Paul preached the gospel to them. ‘These were more noble (fair minded) than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so,’ ( Acts 17:11)

Now that’s what many more of us ought to be doing to safeguard our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, with the many false prophets and teachers out there, who are not preaching the truth of God’s word. And to help us with that task, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, seeking divine strength and aid.

But friends, the truth is, we cannot expect divine aid, when we’re not really setting good examples as faithful believers. That’s why so many people are walking away from God, and the world is in such an ungodly, chaotic mess. That means, if we truly want divine aid, we have to become better witnesses for Christ! It’s as simple as that! Much LOVE!

…God is a LOVING Father…as well as a strict Judge…the two are not mutually exclusive, or incompatible…

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

The Necessity for Believers to Resist the Pull of the Prosperity of the Wicked!

06 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, a new flock of believers, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, be responsible, cause for pause, ceaseless drive for wealth and power, chaos, chastened every morning, Christian living, corrupt, crying out for help, disaster areas, drifting smoke from wildfires, eyes bulge with abundance, faith, feudal states, Friday chant, genocide, God is good to Israel, gospel truth, holy spirit, I almost stumbled, I have cleansed my heart in vain, I saw the prosperity of the wicked, I was envious at the foolish, in whose powerful name we stand, inequality of wealth, inhumanity, is there knowledge in the most High, LOVE, man's fault, man's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn, mercy, my feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped, no bands in their death, no holds barred, no pain in their death, no regard for planet earth, not in trouble as other men, omnipotent help, plagued like other men, pride surrounds them like a necklace, problems escalating, return backsliders to your fold, salt and light, salvation, simmering unrest, sinful world, slavery, stay safe, such as are of a clean heart, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the example your faithful believers set, the King of Kings, the Lord of lords, the ordinary man, the poor are getting poorer, the powerful attraction to a wealthy lifestyle, the prosperity of the wicked, the rich are getting richer, the ungodly, the world to come, their eyes stand out with fatness, their strength is firm, then I understood their end, these ungodly times, they increase in riches, to handle the unexpected storms properly, to whom we belong, too few have too much, too many have too little, too painful for me, truth, until I went into the sanctuary of God, violence covers them like a garment, wake up and smell the coffee, washed my hands in innocency, who prosper in the world, wisdom, wise guidance

Psalm 73:3. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

And it looks like it might be a hazy and somewhat smokey Friday, as smoke from the wildfires drift our way. And it’s indeed possible, for I remember smelling the smoke in the air a couple of years ago when the wildfires were particularly bad. But that hasn’t stopped the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ from being sent up to heaven.

Ah Lord eh! What a sad state our world has come to, with only chaos and disaster all over our beautiful earth! But that’s man’s fault, not God’s, as in our ceaseless drive for wealth and power, we have done everything to abuse and destroy all that God’s made. What a destructive, childish, selfish and greedy animal is man, with very little regard for planet earth or his fellow man! That’s why down through the years this saying has continued to be ever so true: ‘Man’s inhumanity to man, makes countless thousands mourn!’ Nowadays it’s millions!

And if that isn’t the gospel truth, I don’t know what is! From slavery, to genocide to feudal states, to right now when the inequality of income and wealth is so vast that so few have the majority of the wealth and power, while so many have next to nothing. But do you think that gives us cause for pause? Not on your life! For the haves are trying to take even the little that the have nots possess. I don’t know how much they want, or how much they need to live, but unfortunately their mantra is more…ever more.

That’s why even the psalmist Asaph was perplexed and envied the wealthy, as he writes in Psalm 73 – Prosperity of the Wicked. ‘Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean (pure) heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone (I had almost stumbled), my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.’ (Ps. 73:1-3) And for the ordinary man, who’s trying to make an honest living, it’s difficult not to be envious of the boastful, greedy and wicked wealthy.

And there’s no doubting the powerful attraction to that lifestyle, since we all desire to live the good and easy life. It made even a spiritually strong man like Asaph almost to stumble spiritually and lose his faith. And why not, especially as Asaph continues: ‘For there are no bands (pangs or pain) in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain (serves as a necklace); violence covereth them as a garment.

Their eyes stand out with fatness (bulge with abundance): they have more than heart could wish. They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning (scoff at) oppression: they speak loftily (proudly). They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them (drained by them). And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High? Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world (are always at ease); they increase in riches.’ (Ps. 73:4-12)

Yes my faithful brethren, that’s exactly what’s happening in our world today; the rich are getting richer, while the poor are getting poorer! And the rich are blatantly showing that they don’t give a damn about God or man by their utter avariciousness. Sadly, there are no holds barred to their greed. That’s why Asaph could further say: ‘Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain (kept my heart pure in vain), and washed my hands in innocency. For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning. If I say, I will speak thus; behold I should offend against (would have been untrue to) the generation of thy children. When I thought to know (understand) this, it was too painful for me (too troublesome in my eyes). Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.’ (Ps. 73:13-17)

Glory be my people! It was only when Asaph went into the Lord’s house that he understood what would eventually happen to the greedy and wicked and evil. Now, the same remedy might apply to some of the many of us who understandably are envious of the wicked and prosperous. We might just need to visit the Lord’s house and talk to Him, or let Him talk to us about the situation. For as it’s been said throughout the Bible, the wicked may prosper in their day, but eventually they all will be destroyed by the Lord God Jehovah! And they’re so bold face to ask, how does the Lord know, and if there’s knowledge in the most High? That blasphemy alone will condemn them to certain death.

So let’s remember that though the wicked might be prosperous in this world, they will not be in the world to come, therefore let’s avoid envying them, since this world doesn’t count as much as the other. And yes, that’s hard to do when we see the amount of inhumanity being meted out to the poor and downtrodden, but please remember whose we are, and in whose powerful name we stand…Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords, the most powerful person in the universe!

Now, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help in these very awful and very atrocious times. All together: ‘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.

And if we’re truthful to ourselves, we already know that much of the world’s sad state can be attributed to the faithful not being good examples of Christian living, not spreading enough salt and light to the unbelieving world. So, let’s try and turn things around by better witnessing nuh. It’s not too late to start! Much LOVE!

…now might be the wicked’s time…but tomorrow it will Jesus’ time…

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

God has a Purpose for Allowing Everything that Happens in His Universe!

30 May 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a new flock of believers, a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, a time of peace, a time of war, a time to be born, a time to break down, a time to build up, a time to cast away stones, a time to dance, a time to die, a time to embrace, a time to every purpose under heaven, a time to gather stones together, a time to get, a time to hate, a time to heal, a time to keep silence, a time to kill, a time to laugh, a time to lose, a time to love, a time to mourn, a time to plant, a time to pluck up that which is planted, a time to rend, a time to sew, a time to speak, a time to weep, all things work together for good, bask in the freedom, blasphemy, by the example your faithful believers set, Christ is not to this world, Christian witness, crying out for God's help, dire times, escalating problems, faith, faith is the substance of things hoped for, finite minds, Friday chant, God's sovereign design behind everything, God-given wisdom, he that comes to God, he that cometh to God must believe that He is, holy spirit, in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, leggo-beasts, LOVE, mercy, negative happenings, not up to scratch, omnipotent help, our sinful world, return backsliders to your fold, salt and light, salvation, stand strong and steadfast for Christ, summer gets closer, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the evidence of things not seen, the Lords thoughts and ways are higher than ours, the simmering unrest, the throne of grace, to every thing there is a season, to those who love God, trusting faith, truth, turn back to God, wake up and smell the coffee, who are called according to His purpose, wisdom, without faith it is impossible to please God

Ecclesiastes 3:1. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Oh friends, it’s another Friday in the life – a warm but somewhat cloudy one. And thankfully, with each passing day the summer season grows closer, and so do thoughts of vacation time. That means, each weekend the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ are also louder. Those fortunate people living in year round sunshine and warmth cannot fathom the great desire that those of us who live in the northern climes have for summer weather. But that’s when we’re let loose like leggo-beasts; freed from all the clothing and indoor living that we are forced to wear and do for several months of the year.

And I guess that’s why we take so many liberties, bask in the freedom of it all, and consequently have so many accidents during the summer. Therefore, Cousin Sol, in his great God-given wisdom, could write as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes: ‘To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born (to bear), and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get (gain), and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend (tear apart), and a time to sew (sew together); a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to LOVE, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.’ (Eccl. 3:1-8)

Yes my people, there’s a time for everything in God’s great universe, but unfortunately right now seems to be the time for most of the negative happenings: like a time for many to die, one for many things to be plucked up that were planted, a time to kill and break down the beautiful things we’ve built over the years, a time to weep and mourn, as so many are doing in these disastrous times, a time to cast away stones and to refrain from embracing, a time for many to lose what they have and cast off relationships, a time to tear up and a time to speak blasphemy and lies, a time to hate and a time of war.

Oh my fellow believers these times of strife and hardship, of lack and greed, of envy and distrust seem to be all a part of God’s great plan for His universe. And the scholars put it thus: ‘As Solomon reflects on all of life, he expresses in a beautiful poem of 14 pairs of opposite events that God has a sovereign design behind all events. (cf. Rom. 8:28).’ Of that we can be very sure, for our God does not move in a vikey-vie, careless or unplanned manner. No sir! All His moves are planned out from the beginning and are so intertwined as to produce His purpose.

That’s why, as believers in Almighty God we have to hold on tightly to this foundational scripture: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) That’s because the Lord’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours, (Is. 55:8-9) and He doesn’t always move in straight line, or in ways that our puny and finite minds can understand. Therefore we need to hold on tightly to His promises in tough times, especially that one, where He’s going to eventually work everything out for our good.

Yes, it’s all about faith, about trust, about surrender to Almighty God, the Creator and Controller of this great universe! And what does the author of Hebrews tell us about faith? ‘Now faith is the substance (realization, assurance) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction, sense of proof) of things not seen.’ (Heb.11:1) However, even more importantly, the author of Hebrews informs 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)

So it’s all wrapped up in our belief and faith friends. Once we give our hearts, souls, bodies and minds to Christ, then we have to stay strong and operate under the laws of His kingdom, though some of them might seem strange and are definitely not in sync with those of the world system. But then, Christ is not of this world, neither are we. So, for help in these dire times of need, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant.

Now friends, our own prayer indicates that our Christian witness is not up to scratch, otherwise our world would not be in such a vile, disgusting and strife-filled state. So please, let’s get together as ONE in Christ and improve our witness, so that the world can see our salt and light, our good works, and joyfully turn back to God and glorify Him. Much LOVE!

…God causes or allows ALL things to happen…and Christians must show absolute trust in His goodness and mercy…towards those who sincerely LOVE Him….

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

SCRIP-BITS

The Overwhelming Need For Christians to Set Examples of True Godliness in this Ungodly World!

The Necessity for Christians to Keep Reassuring and Encouraging Themselves of God’s Providence and Provision!

The Importance of Leaders knowing and acknowledging that Their Time is Controlled by Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe!

The Light of Christ is the Natural State for Believers, Not the Darkness of Satan!

The Great Need for Believers to Spread God’s Word ALL OVER this Evil and Ungodly World! Part 2.

Recognizing and Believing the Sure, Steadfast and Eternal LOVE of God for Mankind!

The Terrible Mistake Believers make on not relying completely on Almighty God!

The Importance of Seeing God not as just a Strict Judge, but also a LOVING Father!

The Necessity for Believers to Resist the Pull of the Prosperity of the Wicked!

God has a Purpose for Allowing Everything that Happens in His Universe!

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