22 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a divided church, a dysfunctional church, a fraudulent scheme, a lalwless society, a means of restoring faith in you, a new flock of believers, a slap on the wrist, an irresponsible society, as thou Father art in me and i in you, better Christian witnesses, breakdowns, burnouts, change their evil ways, Christ's Church, Christ's church is ineffective, church unity, cliques, crying out for your help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, denominations, divine help, doh-care attitude, doing our part, embrace your love and compassion, even as we are one, faith, fraudulent schemes targeting older folks, Friday chant, holy spirit, I have given them, improving our lives, information bombardment, Jesus Christ, living in harmony, LOVE, lowering our standards, may be made perfect in one, mercy, neither pray I for these alone, omnipotent help, our sinful world, petty reasons for divisions, problems are escalating, quick money, religions, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, Satan's heyday, scam callers on the telephone, show them the error of their ways, social media, spiritual unity, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that they may all be one, that they may be one, the busyness of today's world, the example your faithful believers set, the greatest thing since sliced bread, the importance of being one, the ladder of success, the oneness of the church, the spiritual unity of the church, the throne of grace, the weekend is here at last, the world may believe that thou hast sent me, them which shall believe on me through their word, thous hast loved them as thou hast loved me, time to catch our breath, times of desperate need, to keep Satan at bay, trusting faith, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, with the aid of technology
John 17:22. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one.
And that much desired day, Friday, has finally arrived, with all the accompanying shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! The weekend is here at long last!’ Ah Lord eh! We make such a big to do over Friday and the weekend, that one would think it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. (smile) But with the constant busyness of today’s world, that’s the only time many of us have to catch our breath and rest properly. And even then, some of us still have things like young children to look after, grocery shopping and other household chores to perform on the weekend, because we cannot fit them into our busy schedules during the work week.
Now, that eventually leads to burnouts and breakdowns, and we have to every so often take a look at our busy schedules and ask ourselves if it’s worth it? Is what we’re doing really improving our lives, moving us up the so-called ladder of success? Or are we simply wasting time, trying to accomplish things that are not helping us to truly enjoy our lives and the lives of those close to us. because what’s the purpose of life if we can’t enjoy a fair amount of it. And with all the social media stuff and the great influx of information that’s constantly bombarding us, it’s much more difficult to live a peaceful, quiet and joy-filled life today.
And when you add the scam callers on the telephone, sometimes you just want to run away and hide from it all. Like a call that just came through from a number that I don’t know, but everyday they keep calling. And my answer is, if it’s so bloody important then leave a message. Because, even in the way you answer the phone or answer their questions, with the aid of technology, they are able to build fraudulent schemes around those small bits of information. And I ask myself, if you can put all that time, energy and brain power into a fraudulent scheme, why not put into a legal one and thus avoid problems with the law, which you will encounter if you run the fraud long enough.
But no. It seems that we’re all out for quick money, and the fastest way to make it is through illegal means. And the sad part is that so many of us are falling for these fraudulent schemes. It’s also sickening to see that many of them are directly targeted towards older folks to defraud them of their life’s savings. And what happens to these criminals if and when they’re caught eh? Nothing much. More often than not they receive a slap on the wrist and told not to do it again. And do they listen, do they change their evil ways? Of course not! They jump right back into the fraudulent scheme of things.
Ah Lord eh! Our society has become so irresponsible, lawless, and doh-care, with standards dropping lower every day, and no proper consequences to make us change our evil ways. In fact in some cases, by watching the horrible and disgusting ways of our leaders, we are encouraged to persist in evil doing. And there’s not much that we as individuals can do about it, but the church, Christ’s church could stand up and do something about it! Yes, if it was in sync and not in such a terrible dysfunctional state; divided into so many religions, denominations, cliques, whatever, with most of the divisions refusing to communicate with the others.
That’s why Satan is currently having such a heyday in the world…Christ’s church, which was meant to keep Satan at bay, is so ineffective, it might as well not exist. And it can never become effective until it drops all the foolish things, and petty reasons that keeps it divided. Enough of my rant though! (smile) But there are several scriptures that talk about the oneness of the church, its spiritual unity, in particular this one where Jesus prays for the disciples and church unity.
‘Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. That they all may be one; as thou, Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou has sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast LOVED them, as thou hast LOVED me.’ (John 17:20-23)
Oh my fellow believers, do you see the number of times in those few verses that Jesus specifies the purpose and overwhelming importance of being one. For if we’re not one, we cannot do anything worthwhile, we’ll all be working in different ways towards different goals. It’s as simple as that. Now there are more scriptures on the subject of church unity, but it will make the Bit too long, so we’ll leave that for tomorrow, if God spares life. (smile) So, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help in these times of desperate need.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And it’s good and wise to pray, to ask for divine help, but what about the other half of the equation; doing our part, living in harmony and unity, and being better Christian witnesses for Christ? Unfortunately, until we improve our act, the Lord will not offer much divine aid. Let’s remember that and do something to turn it around! Much LOVE!
…until Christ’s church comes together as ONE…Satan will continue to hold sway…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Jun 2025
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.
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 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
18 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a vested interest, backsliders, Bible, but sinners to repentance, call the poor, come to seek and to save, compensated at the resurrection, crying out for your help, divine aid, economic deprivation, error of their ways, existing in a prosperous world, faith, feudal times, finished my course, fought a good fight, Friday chant, get together as One, get up off our fat fannies, god, God sent not his Son into the world to condemn it, God so loved the world, greed, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, heal the brokenhearted, holy spirit, hunger for power, I came not to call the righteous, inequality, inequity, Jesus Christ, kept the faith, LOVE, man's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn, mercy, out of joint noses, poverty, preach deliverance to captives, preach the gospel to the poor, recovering of sight to the blind, restoring faith in you, set at liberty the oppressed, should not perish, sickness, simmering unrest, still have battles to fight, strife, sufferation, supposed believers in Christ, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that which was lost, the blind, the body of Christ, the downtrodden, the example your faithful believers set, the lame, the maimed, the poor, the Son of man, the spirit of the Lord, the throne of grace, the world through him might be saved, they cannot recompense thee, this day is salvation come to this house, to fight the wrongs in our world, to handle the unexpected storms properly, truth, ungodly state of our world, wake up and smell the coffee, walk the talk, when thou make a feast, whosoever believeth in him, wisdom, wise guidance, won the war
John 3:17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
And then it was Friday.. and those shouts of TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here!’ echo around some of the world! I can’t even say much or a lot of the world, because much and a lot of the world is shrouded in chaos and disaster, both natural and man-made, so Fridays aren’t anything special for them. And it’s so sad to see all the confusion, poverty, sickness, strife and economic deprivation existing in such a prosperous world as ours. At a time when you’d think that we’d be wise enough to undo some of the inequity and inequality that’s causing the problems, our leaders, power brokers, and the greedy rich are instead seeking to make it worse, to bring us back to feudal times, if possible.
Ah Lord eh! Greed and hunger for power are further decimating our already decimated world. Thus, the term ‘man’s inhumanity to man, makes countless thousands or now millions, or even billions mourn,’ unfortunately is still most appropriate to the sinful, evil, ungodly state of our world. And the situation will never get better, but most likely worse, until and unless we supposed believers in Jesus Christ get up off our fat, lazy, comfortable and fearful fannies and help to do something about it.
We are the only ones, who according to God’s Word, have a vested interest in seeing the sick healed, the lame walk and the poor prosper. But that will never happen until the Body of Christ, His Church get’s together as ONE, not the many divisions now existing, and start fighting a serious and determined fight to right some of the many wrongs in our world. I don’t know if we remember what Jesus said He came to earth for, but let’s check them out nuh.
And it begins with these encouraging and reassuring words of Jesus re His purpose on earth. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17) Now that’s His overall purpose, to save the world. And how did He intend to do that? This scripture from Isaiah 61:1-2a, which Jesus read in the synagogue of His hometown, Nazareth, on the sabbath helps to explain it.
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath appointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised (oppressed). To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.’ (Luke 4:18-19) And Jesus showed His cares for the sick and suffering later on in that same chapter. ‘Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers (various) diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.’ (Luke 4:40) So Jesus wasn’t only talking the talk, like so many of us do today, but He also walked it.
Then in Luke 5: 30, where the scribes and Pharisees were complaining about Jesus and His disciples eating with publicans (tax collectors) and sinners. Jesus answers: ‘They that are whole (healthy) need not a physician, but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’ (Luke 5:31-32)
And again in Luke 14, Jesus shows His compassion for the have nots by recommending: ‘When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again (invite you back), and a recompense be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed (crippled), the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; they cannot recompense (repay) thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection.’ (Luke14:12-14)
But we, with our haughty, arrogant selves, contrary to Jesus’ recommendations, invite only the brightest and the best to our feasts, thumbing our out of joint noses at the poor and downtrodden. But nonetheless, we expect to receive rewards in heaven. Hn! That will be the day!
And remember the incident with the tax collector Zacheus, who climbed the tree so that he could see Jesus as he passed through Jericho, then Jesus called him down saying that He would dine with him. (Luke 19:1-6) Then, having eaten with Jesus, Zacheus said to Him: ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ (Luke 19:8-10)
You see my fellow believers, Jesus didn’t just talk about His purpose, He went about fulfilling it, the way we ought to do. Remember we are His ambassadors, His earthly agents and He expects us to put up a good showing. We might not turn the world around, but we certainly can prevent it from sinking any deeper into the mire of Satan. But we can only do that if we become serious about our faith, get together and do what is required of us. We need to be up and doing like Bruh Paul said to Timothy: ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith:’ (2 Tim. 4:7)
Oh my fellow saints, don’t you feel badly about our lack of real effort and zeal in living for Christ, our Lord and Saviour, who gave up His sinless life for us on the cross of Calvary? Who underwent so much ‘sufferation’ for our sake? Don’t we have enough shame and/or decency in us to do a better job than we’re currently doing in His name? I plead with us to start walking our talk, and not just talking it, otherwise we’ll never receive that crown of righteousness laid up in heaven for those who sincerely LOVE Jesus and have fought a good fight in His name!
Now, let’s go confidently to the throne of grace and through our Friday Chant, ask for divine aid to turn things around in both our lives and in the 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!’
And please remember, that we’ll get no divine aid until we begin fighting a better fight of faith in Jesus’ name! Much LOVE!
…we might have won the war…but we still have battles to fight…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all the days of his life, as long as he liveth, barren womb, be responsible, being in agony, Bible, christianity, desperate prayers, different levels of intensity, divine aid, even unto death, faith, Friday chant, give unto thine handmaid a man child, god, Hannah's Prayer, Hannak kept her vow to God, he prayed more earnestly, he shall be lent to the Lord, his sweat as it were great drops of blood, I have lent him to the Lord, I will give him unto the Lord, if it be possible, if this cup may not pass from me except I drink it I, improve our Christian witness, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus agonized over separation from the Father, Jesus Christ, let this cup pass from me, look on the affliction of thine hand maid, LOVE, My God my God, my soul is exceeding sorrowful, no razor shall come upon his head, not as I will but as thou wilt, O thou that hearest prayer, omnipotent help, return backsliders to your fold, show them the error of their ways, simmering unrest, strengthening him, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example your faithful believers set, the Garden of Gethsemane, the sin-bearer for all mankind, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, thy will be done, unexpecte storms, ungodly times, vowed a vow unto God, wake up and smell the coffee, watch and pray, why hast thou forsaken me, ye enter not into temptation
Psalm 65:2. O thou that hearest prayer…unto thee shall all flesh come…
And so it’s Friday; with the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ reaching up to heaven with different levels of intensity and sincerity, according to our particular circumstances. (smile) Yes, in times of dire need our intensity level does ramp up, while in good times our prayers have a greater calm and peace to them. We don’t need God or His help as quickly and desperately, so we’re much more relaxed. And that’s only human, as we can see in the Bible, where many great people of faith prayed desperate prayers. Let’s look at a couple of them.
Now, the first one that comes to mind is that of Jesus Himself, where on the night before His crucifixion, after the Passover meal, His disciples and himself went to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. There, He took His three favourites, Peter, James, and John aside, and began to be sorrowful (grieved) and very heavy (deeply distressed). Then He told them: ‘My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: Tarry (stay) ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.
And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing , but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except (unless) I drink it, thy will be done.’ (Matt. 26:38-42) After that second prayer, Jesus came back to the three disciples and again found them asleep, but left them alone and went back by Himself and prayed the same prayer.
Then we pick up the story from Luke: Jesus prayed: ‘Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.’ (Luke 22:42-44) Yes friends, three times Jesus prayed asking the Father to abandon the crucifixion, and He was in so much agony that His sweat seemed like drops of blood. And as the Lord is won’t to do when we are in need, He sends an angel to strengthen Christ.
Oh, Jesus knew that the cross was the reason for His coming to earth, and according to the Scholars, ‘He wrestles, not so much with death itself, but with His own destiny to be made the sin-bearer for all mankind for all the ages. The punishment that had to be borne for our sins brings Jesus to His knees in anguish.’ And so it should, with the mighty weight of all sins placed on one person’s shoulders.
It should also be noted that Jesus was agonized by the coming separation from His Father, for they had never been separated before, and since the Father could not tolerate sin, when He became the world’s sin bearer, He’d become accursed of God, and the Father would automatically turn away. Thus His plea the next day on the cross: ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Matt. 27:46)
And sadly we have time for only more one example of desperate prayers from people of great faith; that’s Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel. She was the barren second wife of Elkanah, a prosperous man who LOVED her deeply. But she was constantly laughed at and scorned by the other very fruitful wife for her barrenness. One time when the family went up to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord, Hannah couldn’t take it anymore and went into the temple.
The Bible tells us: ‘And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, wand wept sore (in anguish). And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine hand maid, and remember me, and forget not thine hand maid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.’ (1 Sam. 1:10-1)
And we all know that eventually the Lord answered her desperate prayer with the birth of the prophet Samuel. But most important of all, Hannah kept her vow to the Lord. When Samuel was of age she took him up to the temple in Shiloh and feasted and sacrificed to the Lord before the priest Eli, who, had seen her praying that day for the child but thought her drunk and accused her thus, but found our differently after their conversation. (1 Sam. 1: 12-18)
‘And she (Hannah) said, Oh my lord, (referring to Eli) as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by here, praying unto the Lord. For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent (granted) him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. And he worshipped the Lord there.’ (1 Sam. 1:26-28)
Oh friends, our God does answer prayers, especially sincere and desperate ones. (smile) Now, let’s offer up our sincere and desperate prayer for help through our Friday Chant. 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 do we ever need to improve our Christian witness in these very troubled times… if we expect to receive divine aid! Much LOVE!
…O thou that hearest prayer…unto thee shall all flesh come… (Ps. 65:2)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
21 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good attitude, annoyed, anxiety, be perfect and entire, be responsible, Bible, Christian living, christianity, confusion, count it all joy, divine help, faith, fall into various trials, Friday chant, genuine faith will never pass away, god, God's favour, impatient, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lacking nothing, let patience have her perfect work, LOVE, meant to teach a lesson, negative experiences, one's victory over trials, purified genuine faith, restoring faith in you, return backsliders to your fold, spiritual growth, spiritual maturity, stay safe, test our faith, test our mettle, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the example your faithful believers set, the furnace for gold, the positive work God accomplishes through testing, the refining pot is for silver, the simmering unrest, the treasure trove of wisdom, the trials of life, the trieth the hearts, the trying of your faith worketh patience, trials burn away impurities in the believer's faith, unexpected storms, ungodly times, when the time was right, when ye fall into divers temptations, wisdom, wise guidance
James 1:2. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials);
Thankfully, this morning when we shouted ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ we discovered that it was not going to be as scorching as the last few days, but still hot enough, in the mid to high twenties. And additionally it will be somewhat cloudy, which will also help to keep the heat down.
Now here’s an interesting happening. Yesterday evening, having put off some errands all week, because of the heat, I decided to brave the weather and went out in a slight drizzle. After putting gas in my car, I headed for the pharmacy, two blocks away to get some medication. However, before I got to the parking lot of the pharmacy, the rain was pouring down. I didn’t want to get all soaked because I had other errands to run, so I sat in the car and waited for it to stop.
Ten minutes later though, with the windows all foggy, the rain was still pouring down. So annoyed and impatient I decided to get out, get wet, then simply go back home and leave the other errands for a later date. The road in front of the pharmacy was like a river, so much rain had fallen and flowed down the angled parking lot to that flat surface. I braved it all in the name of medication. (smile)
But shortly thereafter, when I exited the pharmacy the rain had stopped. So, somewhat miffed at getting soaked unnecessarily, I headed for home. But before I got there, although the skies were dark and ominous, I changed my mind and decided to complete my other errands, reasoning that I’d already gotten wet, so what was another shower of heavenly blessings. (smile) And as the Lord would have it, I got through my errands before the rain came down again. I don’t know if that was meant to teach me a lesson, (smile) perhaps in persistence and not always seeking the easy way out, but I’m glad I don’t have to go out today to finish my errands.
Yes friends, every so often we encounter circumstances, though small and seemingly insignificant that test our mettle and our faith. And there are numerous scriptures in the Bible that speak of the testing of our faith, so let’s look at a few of them today, for they are very important to know so that we can use them, especially in these very deceitful, evil and trying times.
Now here’s this first one from the man of wisdom, Cousin Sol, from his treasure trove of wisdom, the Book of Proverbs. He writes: ‘The fining (refining) pot is for silver, and furnace for gold: but the Lord trieth the hearts.’ (Prov. 17:3) And that’s an indisputable fact my fellow believers. The Lord tries us to test our faith, to see how strong it is. If we truly believe and care for Him enough to go through such testing with a good attitude and not turn against Him.
And I like this commentary which speaks to what happens when our faith is tested. ‘The trials burn away any impurities in the believer’s faith. What is left when the trials have ended is purified, genuine faith, analogous to the pure gold that emerges from the refiner’s fire. As valuable as gold is, it is not as precious as our faith because genuine faith will never pass away.’
Of course! It’s as James says in his epistle: ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials); Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire (complete), wanting (lacking) nothing.’ (James 1:2-4)
Now that’s certainly a tough scripture to digest. But here are some explanations on it from the scholars. Per verses 1-2: ‘In this epistle on Christian living, James opens with a most crucial topic: the trials of life. These verses describe the various testings – whether from the world and Satan, or from God – into which godly Christians fall. (Greek: peripipto) These “negative” experiences are to be accepted with great joy, not for the sake of the trial itself but because of the positive work God can accomplish through the testing.
The words in verses 2 and 3 (temptations and trying) are often regarded as synonymous. If this were true, then trials themselves would produce spiritual maturity. But they do not. Often, testings make Christians bitter instead of better, with no spiritual growth occurring. The Greek word for “trying” (dokimion) might be better translated as “approving.” It is not merely one’s presence in such trials but one’s victory over them that brings spiritual growth and maturity. Those Christians whom God can use the most are those whom God has bruised the most.’
Now that last sentence is indeed another tough one to digest, but it’s the gospel truth, because if you look through the Bible, many, if not all of the great heroes of faith went through some very trying times, often when innocent. Take for example, Bruh Joseph. He was sold by his brothers to slavery in Egypt, got locked up in prison for a number of years for sexual assault, a crime he did not commit. Pharoah’s baker and barber forget him when they got out of prison, although they had promised to plead his cause.
But when the time was right in God’s sight, He arranged circumstances to help him get out of prison and become the second most important person in Egypt, the most powerful country then on the earth. And what did Bruh Joseph do through all those trials and temptations? He stood strong and steadfast in his faith. He might not have termed it joy, but he maintained a good attitude throughout it all, possibly because, in all of his trials, he found instances of God’s goodness, of God’s favour.
Likewise friends, when we keep a good attitude, and not get bitter, God will enable us to handle the situations. He’s promised never to leave nor forsake us and He keeps all His promises. So we need to be strong and understand His position, although we many not like it. That’s what our faith is all about. Tomorrow, if God spares life, we’ll continue looking at some more scriptures on the testing of our faith. Now let’s go to God, through our Friday Chant, asking for divine help to keep our faith strong.
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 if we truly want to see divine help, then we’ve got to get the ball rolling by setting good Christian examples to those around us. Much LOVE!
…faith can only be measured…by the tests we successfully endure…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, A Plea for God's Presence, anxiety, backsliders, be not far from me for trouble is near, be responsible, Christian values, confusion, divine help, error of their ways, evil times, faith, Friday chant, god, God will never let us down, God's way are higher than ours, I cry in the daytime, in the night season am not silent, inclement weather, Jesus Christ, laugh me to scorn, let him deliver him, LOVE, My God my God, prayer, psalms, seeing he delighted in him, simmering unrest, so far from helping me, stay safe, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example your faithful believers set, the horns of the unicorns, the words of my roaring, there is none to help, this too shall pass, thou hearest not, trusted on the Lord, unexpected storms, ungodly times, why hast thou forsaken me, wisdom, wisdom of the ages, wise guidance
Psalm 22:1a. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
And the inclement weather continues. What a nice way to put it eh…inclement weather – the constant drizzle and occasional heavy shower of rain, plus the dreary cloudiness, fog at nights and early morning, and what else have you. I do believe that the usual shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ have been somewhat dampened by the joyless weather, especially those who have slogged through it for the last couple of days. But here’s the best perspective in which to see this inclement weather: the next time we see the sun we’ll be even more appreciative and joyful over it! That’s for sure! So, as the wise ones say, take it in your stride, for this too shall pass. And yuh better believe it most certainly will!
And the Good Library opened this morning to Psalm 22 – A Plea for God’s Presence. And the scholars say this is a most important psalm, but before getting into their explanations, first, let’s read some of Bruh David’s words. He begins thus: ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring (groaning)? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded (ashamed). But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip (show contempt with their mouth), they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.’ (Ps. 22:1-8)
Ah friends, I’m sure that on this Friday morning many of us are experiencing a situation not unlike Bruh David’s when he wrote those heartfelt words. But like Bruh David, we cannot afford to give up on our God, whatever reason He might have for not taking us out of our undesirable situations. Remember God’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours, (Is. 55:8-9) and we won’t always understand His purpose for leaving us in unfavourable situations. And Bruh David continues his plea for God’s presence. ‘But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope (caused me to trust) when I was upon my mother’s breast. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have compassed (surrounded) me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round (have encircled me). They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening (raging) and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels (within me). My strength is dried up like a potsherd (a broken vessel); and my tongue cleaveth (clings) to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
For dogs have compassed (surrounded) me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell (can count) all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments (divided my clothing) among them, and cast lots upon my vesture (for my clothing). But be not thou far from me, O Lord: my strength, haste to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling (precious life) from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou has heard me from the horns of the unicorns (and from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered me).’ (Ps. 22:9-21)
Ah mih people, Bruh David must have been having a real rough time of it, to be crying out so hauntingly to God. And no doubt many of us go through similar situations during the endless trials and tribulations of this earthly life, however, the important thing in those troubled and trying times is to keep our focus on our great God, for He will NEVER let us down, but will come through for us when He believes the time is right. You can witness that from the life of Bruh David who went through all types of tribulation, some for cause, and others not so, but the Lord eventually delivered him out of them all, after he had learned whatever lesson the Lord wanted him to learn.
And the same thing applies to us in these trying and desperately evil times. So let’s not ever give up, just keep on holding on tightly to the Lord of our forefathers, for that is the wisdom of the ages. Now, let’s go humbly, but confidently to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, asking for grace and mercy to help us in these ungodly times. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you.
Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And our first act to receive divine help, must be to show ourselves good examples of Christian values to those around us. Much LOVE!
…God will never forsake us…even though He has good reason to…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
13 Oct 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fruitful bough, be responsible, blessings of heaven above, blessings of the breasts, crying out for help, divine help, Friday chant, Friday the 13th, he whom thy brethren shall praise, Him to Whom It Belongs, his clothes in the blood of grapes, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, Lion of the tribe of Judah, LOVE, on the crown of the head, on the neck of thine enemies, one truth from the Bible, return backsliders to your fold, simmering unrest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the example your faithful believers set, the Messiah, the sceptreshall not depart from Judah, the twelve tribes of Israel, the unexpected storms, the weekend, thy father's children shall bow down before thee, until Shiloh come, wake up and and smell the coffee, washed his garments in wine, wise guidance, worth more than all the wisdom of man
Genesis 49:8. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: …thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.
And it’s one of those Friday the 13th days, when all the old wives tales surface. Tales like don’t walk beneath a ladder today, or don’t let a black cat cross your path. There’s also the superstition that the number 13 itself is unlucky, that’s why you don’t find 13th floors in buildings or elevators. But be that as it may, we’ll still joyfully declare ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at last!’ Although this was just a four-day work week. (smile) So, without further ado, let’s get down to the Father’s business. That means to continue looking at Bruh Joseph’s amazing and intriguing story, as we promised if God spared life. And since He most mercifully did so, let’s get to it!
We’ve reached the point where the old patriarch Jacob, hitherto known as Israel, calls his sons together to bless them. And it’s from him that we derive the twelve tribes of Israel. Now there are actually eleven sons of his loins, but we’ve seen where He adopts or calls the first two sons of Bruh Joseph his. But when the Promised Land is divided up, Bruh Joseph doesn’t have a tribe, but his two sons do, which makes it twelve. Anyway, Jacob on his deathbed calls his sons together and blesses them according to the order of their birth, with Reuben the oldest first, and Benjamin, the youngest last.
The scholars tell us: ‘Jacob concludes his life as other saints who spoke a blessing before their end: Isaac (Gen. 27), Moses (Deut. 33), Joshua (Josh. 24), and Samuel (1 Sam. 12).’ Now, we don’t have either time nor space to go through all the blessings, so we’ll only go through the two most important ones, Bruh Joseph’s, because it’s his story we’re dealing with, and Judah’s because his line turned out to be the most influential. And just for interest’s sake, those two have the longest blessings.
So, let’s begin with Bruh Joseph’s blessing. Jacob said: ‘Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall. The archers have sorely (bitterly) grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength (remained strong), and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under (beneath), blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: The blessings of thy father have prevailed (excelled) above the blessings of my progenitors (ancestors) unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.’ (Gen. 49:22-26)
Yes friends, though Bruh Joseph was separated from his brothers through envy and jealousy, the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob kept him strong, showed him favour in his many trials, and eventually blessed him with great honour and material wealth, and he would go on to do well, if he kept walking with the Lord.
As for Judah, Jacob said: ‘Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in (on) the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee (reminiscent of Bruh Joseph’s dream). Judah is a lion’s welp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped (crouches), he couched (lies) down as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
The sceptre (symbol of kingship) shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering (obedience) of the people be. Binding his foal (donkey) unto the vine, and his ass’s (donkey’s) colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with (darker than) wine, and his teeth white with (whiter than) milk.’ (Gen. 49:8-12)
And what does all of that mean eh? Let’s get some insight from the scholars. They say ‘The key thought is expressed as the sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. The sceptre was a symbol of royal power. Lawgiver, according to Speiser, refers to a mace. Etymologically (in its origins), it is something pertaining to a legislator or one in authority, and from the context, an analogue of (comparison to) the sceptre. When a dignity was seated, the staff would rest between his feet.
Jacob was not saying his (Judah’s) rule would end when Shiloh came. On the contrary, this term denotes the turning point at which the superiority of Judah will continue, and at that time to be enlarged to embrace all nations. Shiloh is a hidden name for Messiah; it is made up of three grammatical parts (sh–l– oh) meaning “Him to Whom it (the Sceptre or Kingdom ) Belongs.” It is not to be taken as a proper name for Messiah, nor does it refer to the town where the tabernacle was later established, for this would be meaningless prophetically.
The phrase and unto him shall be the gathering of the people be means, literally, “And unto him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” This can refer only to the Messiah. Thus the reference to a lion in verse 9 points to that One who is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” (Rev. 5:5). Verses 11 and 12 describe the millennial prosperity (cf. Is. 11:1-9; Ezek. 34:23-31; Amos 9:11-15).’
Yes my people, it sounds very complicated and difficult to understand, but the long and short of the story is that Judah would be the tribe, the line from which the Messiah, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ would come. That’s why Jacob prophesied so mightily in Judah’s blessing. And it just goes to show all the foreshadowing that the Lord did when compiling His Word. Even from the days of Jacob a Messiah was in the works. That’s why we say the Lord is indeed the greatest dramatist there is! But He is also the Creator and Controller, the One to whom we need to go for divine help for our earthly problems. So, let’s do that right now nuh, through our Friday Chant.
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 the operative words in that prayer my people are ‘by the example, we, your faithful believers set.’ So please, let’s be about setting a good example nuh. Much LOVE!
…one truth from the Bible…is worth…more than all the wisdom of man…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
14 Oct 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a tired frame of mind and body, an ostentatious display, arrogance, be your best, bring backsliders back to your fold, carousing, Christ's watchwords, Christ-like efficiency, confusion, diligence, discontent, dissatisfaction, do your best, excellence, Friday chant, govern our appetites', havoc, let your moderation be known unto all men, look your best, LOVE, omnipotent help, pandemic, pleasure-filled darts, pride, restrain our temper, restriant on passions, see the Lord Jesus coming in the clouds, simmering unrest, stand at the bar of God, take it all to God, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the after effects of thanksgiving, the example your faithful believers set, the Lord is at hand, viruses, wake up and smell the coffee, wise guidance, ying and yang
Philippians 4:5. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
And then it was Friday, the big day, somewhat cloudy in my area, but nonetheless still worth shouting ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! That’s because many of us are still suffering from the after-effects of the Thanksgiving weekend just past. (smile) Yes, when you’re running on emergency power, it’s always a blessing to find time to recharge those life batteries.
And that’s what the weekend is really for; rest, relaxation and recharging for another tough workweek. But we’ve become such pleasure-seeking animals in this last generation, that we seldom get much rest and recharging, because we’re out there trying to catch up on all the pleasure and partying we’ve missed during the week. So, when Monday rolls around, as it inevitably does, we have to go back out to work in a tired frame of mind and body again.
Now it’s obvious that if we’re tired in both body and mind that our work is going to suffer. We’re not going to put out our best effort, and the diligence and excellence that we talk about so much will be lacking. And that’s not good for followers of Christ, because His watchwords are diligence and excellence! As Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley likes to say: ‘Look your best, be your best, and do your best.’ That should be the basic motto of the Christian believer. Always trying to do our best in Christ’s name.
And there’s nothing that says we cannot enjoy ourselves, but too much of anything is bad for us. We ought to keep our lives in some semblance of balance. And it’s not always easy to do, especially with the feast of pleasures that are currently available in our pleasure-centred world and are constantly been thrown up in our faces. That’s why Bruh Paul, after telling the Philippians to rejoice, however warned them: ‘Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.’ (Phil. 4:5)
And what does all that mean? Here is an interesting excerpt from Godtube website, highlighting the Barnes Bible commentary on the subject. “Let your moderation be known unto all men – That is, let it be such that others may see it. This does not mean that they were to make an ostentatious display of it, but that it should be such a characteristic of their lives that it would be constantly visible to others.
The word “moderation” – ἐπιεικὲς epieikes – refers to restraint on the passions, general soberness of living, being free from all excesses. The word properly means that which is fit or suitable, and then propriety, gentleness, mildness – They were to indulge in no excess of passion, or dress, or eating, or drinking. They were to govern their appetites, restrain their temper, and to be examples of what was proper for people in view of the expectation that the Lord would soon appear.”
And as per, ‘The Lord is at hand -The idea is, that the expectation that the Lord Jesus will “come,” ought to be allowed to produce moderation of our passions, in our manner of living, in our expectations of what this world can furnish, and in our desires of earthly good. On him who feels that he is soon to die, and to stand at the bar of God – on him who expects soon to see the Lord Jesus coming in the clouds of heaven, it cannot fail to have this effect.
People indulge their passions – are extravagant in their plans of life, and in their expectations of earthly good for themselves and for their families, because they have no realizing sense of the truth that there is before them a vast eternity. He that has a lively expectation that heaven will soon be his, will form very moderate expectations of what this world can furnish.’
Yes friends, the believer can’t afford to be ostentatious, or overly proud and carry on with the behaviour that rises out of that kind of temperament, for remember that actions speak louder than words, and if we are guilty of too much carousing, pride and arrogance, and such ungodly things then the unbeliever will never come to Christ when we witness to them. They will just laugh at us, realizing that we’re only talking the talk, but not walking the walk. In other words, we are just like them in our actions, where it counts ever so much more.
And so, to help us handle the tough battle between our flesh and our spirit, Bruh Paul therefore advised. ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.4:6-7)
Yes mih bredrin, that’s the only way we can successfully overcome the enemy when he begins throwing all his pleasure-filled darts at us. As they say, take it all to God! And that’s the gospel truth. And if that’s really so, then let’s take our troubles right now nuh to our gracious and merciful God through our Friday Chant.
As one sincere voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the several viruses and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the viruses and the simmering unrest in our land.
So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the threatening to boil over discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And now, as whenever we go to God in prayer, there are things we need to do before He will do what He needs to do. So please, if we desire Him to work on our behalf, then let’s get busy doing the things we know we ought to be doing nuh. Otherwise our prayers are a waste of time and breath. Much LOVE!
…if our Ying and Yang aren’t in balance…then our souls and spirits can’t function in Christ-like efficiency…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ
09 Sep 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a steady spoke in the wheel, according to the Lord's will and timing, all these things shall be added unto you, be responsible, bring backsliders back to your fold, Friday chant, he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever, I know the thoughts I think toward you, introduce a new flock, legendary diplomacy, made a positive difference, omnipotent help, Queen Elizabeth II, seek his face evermore, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, seek ye the Lord and his strength, show them the error of their ways, strife and hatred more prevalent than peace and love, strong and steadfast leader, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example your faithful believers set, the world goes on without us, the world passeth away, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a hope and a future, true leaders lead by example, unexpected storm, wake up and smell the coffee, wise guidance, ye shall search for me with all your heart, ye shall seek me and find me
Psalm 105:4. Seek ye the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
Oh friends, it’s Friday, and many of us around the world have already shouted that seminal phrase: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ But unfortunately, many of us around the world are also mourning the passing yesterday of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II, in her 97th year, having reigned for almost 71 consistent years on the throne of Great Britain, after being unexpectedly thrown into the spotlight by the abdication of her uncle and the death of her father.
Just the numbers alone say a lot, and regardless of how you felt about the Queen herself, her family or the monarchy, you have to admit that we’ve lost one of the very few strong and steadfast leaders in our crazy world. Much of her power has been eroded over the years, but her diplomacy was legendary, and she was undoubtedly the one steady spoke in the wheel that kept the United Kingdom and many parts of the universe from falling apart or going on dangerous strategic runs.
Let us pray that her son, King Charles III will keep that steadfastness and diplomacy of his mother going, because we desperately need a lot of that in our leaders, instead of the despotic, autocratic and dictatorial attitudes that are currently prevalent. Our sincere condolences to the Royal Family. We forget that they are people just like us, with the same human frailties and feelings. May the Lord receive you into His glory Queen Elizabeth the second!
Ah mih people, with strife and hatred prevalent in more places around the world than peace and LOVE, it’s sad and frustrating to lose one of the few people who sincerely tried to keep matters on an even keel. But that’s life, we all have to go home to our Maker one day, and the world goes on in whatever fashion without us. And much to our chagrin, very few leaders in this day and age can be said to have made a positive difference in the lives of their people, and in the world in general.
It’s interesting to note that the U.K now has a new King, or titular leader, and also a new Prime Minister, or active leader, a female at that. Hopefully that’s a sign for better days to come. In the meanwhile though, all of us plebs, (smile) must continue to do as the psalmist advises in Psalm 105. ‘Seek ye the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgements of his mouth.’ (Ps. 105:4-5)
Yes friends, seeking God’s face and remembering all that He’s done in our lives is extremely important, especially in times of serious change like our world is currently experiencing. That’s because the Lord God Almighty is the One who has brought us this far, and who will determine our future by our righteousness.
Remember the promise of God the prophet Jeremiah made to the people of Israel, when they were in captivity in Babylon? ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:11-13)
Oh my brethren, that is exactly what the Lord is saying to us today too. We desperately need to come to Him with full surrender and trust, seek Him with all our hearts, if we want our world to be improved. There are no ifs, ands, and buts about that! Only if we sincerely seek the face of the Lord God Jehovah, turn away from all the evil idols we’re currently worshipping, give up all the ungodly things of the world that are still so much a part of our lives, will we ever find the One, True, Living God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Jesus also made that very clear when He commanded us: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 16:33) All of us know that foundational scripture, yet we refuse to practice it. Instead, we continue running down the things of the world like wealth and power, on our own. That’s the total opposite of what Jesus taught and what the heavenly Father expects. And please don’t think that because you are a Christian you cannot possess a lot of the earth’s wealth and power, because there are a lot of rich and powerful believers in the world, but you just have to do it according to the Lord’s will and timing.
And it is of the utmost importance that we read, know, inwardly digest and practice these words of scripture from the first epistle of John. ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interests), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
Ah my fellow saints, when are we going to stop paying lip service to our God and His will eh? When are we going to begin taking His edicts and promises very seriously eh, and realize that a lot of our current suffering rests on our own sinful and ungodly desires and behaviour? Until we wake up and be transformed in our minds and actions, our world will continue to go down the drain in spectacular fashion. So, having said all of that that, the first thing on our agenda of change, is prayer. So, in confident but humble voice, let’s go to the throne of God, through our Friday Chant and ask for His benevolent help.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that viruses and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the viruses and the unrest in our streets.
So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways.
And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And if we sincerely want divine help, then we must keep our promises, and have right motives in our hearts. Much LOVE!
…true leaders lead by example…as Jesus did…not by deceit or force…as Satan does…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
01 Jul 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a feeling of love and compassion, a means of restoring faith in you, adherence to God's law, as the Father has loved me so have I loved you, bring backsliders back to your fold, divine revelation, every man did that which was right in his own eyes, Friday chant, Happy Canada Day, he that keepeth the law; happy is he, introduce a whole new flock, Jesus the living word of God, lack of God's word, legalism, LOVE, monkey see monkey do, my joy may be in you, now is the time to turn to Jesus, omnipotent help, seeking grace mercy and forgiveness, shines bright like the noonday sun, show them the error of their ways, stand on our own two feet, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the example your faithful believers set, the Ten Commandments, the word of the Lord was precious (rare), tomorrow may be too late, trusting faith, wake up and smell the coffee, where there is no vision the people perish, wise guidance and direction, your joy may be complete
Proverbs 29:18. Where there is no vision (prophetic vision), the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
HAPPY CANADA DAY!
Oh mih people, the caffeine is hot, strong and sweet this Friday morning, this sunshiny, cloudy, first day of July 2022! Can you imagine that June is finished already! But that’s okay, because today in this blessed land we’re celebrating and shouting two things: The first is the usual ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ And with that comes the added incentive of no work today, because it’s a holiday, as we celebrate the birthday of our beautiful land, and shout ‘Happy Canada Day!’
Yes, on July 1. 1867, the separate Provinces came together to form the Confederation of Canada, and since then we’ve been plowing forward regardless. Oh, we’ve had misfortunes, done wrong things and displeased others, but yuh better believe right now we are the best big country in the world, despite our many problems! Yes, like all other countries we have problems, some of our own making, others because of our close association with the richest and one of the most volatile countries in the world right now, the U.S. of A.
They want to spread their dissent abroad, and we want to play monkey see, monkey do. But hopefully, we will stand upon our own two feet and not allow them to further corrupt our already corrupt land and drive out the little decency we still have. We certainly don’t need any help to do that, because we do a good enough job on our own. That brings to mind the poignant and powerful words of Cousin Sol from Proverbs. ‘Where there is no vision (prophetic vision), the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov. 29:18)
The scholars tell us that ‘Vision refers to the divine revelation received by the prophet. Morality is based on adherence to God’s revealed will.’ And that’s what sadly lacking in our world today, a prophetic vision from Almighty God, why we have cast off restraint and are doing what we want, which is so much evil, immoral and ungodly stuff. But how can we ever have revelation from God when we are doing our best to remove Him from our society eh? No wonder our world is indeed perishing from lack of God’s word and adherence to His law.
And we have a perfect example of that back in the days when the prophet Samuel came on the scene in Israel. The Good Book relates it thus. ‘And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious (rare) in those days, there was no open vision.’ (1 Sam. 3:1) And to show how bad it was back then, the last verse of Judges says: ‘In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.’ (Jud. 21:25) Now any fool can see that’s exactly where we are headed in this modern generation, which is downward to catastrophe and disaster like all the other societies which turned away from the Great I AM!
But let’s go back and listen as the scholars explain the above verse from Samuel: ‘The severity of Israel’s apostasy, (turning away from God) (cf. Jud. 21:25) caused a dearth of God’s revelatory work. The condition was perpetuating and self-defeating (cf. Prov. 29:18). By God’s grace, the prophetic institution would receive renewed impetus and standardization in the person of Samuel. (cf. 3:21; 19:20)’ You can read those verses on your own, but they are basically telling us about the Lord appearing to Samuel and thus the increasing revelation in the society.
Now, that calls up the second part of the proverb: ‘but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ Yes friends, when we keep God’s directives we are blessed. And I like how this commentator on the gotquestions.org website puts it. ‘Lest anyone be confused, this is not a call to legalism. Life is not found in our ability to obey a list of dos and don’ts. Within Psalm 19 we see indications of relationship with God. David talks about the fear of the Lord being pure (verse 9), he calls himself God’s servant (verse 13), and he calls God his “LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer” (verse 14). When Jesus named the greatest commandment, He referred to the command to LOVE God. (Mark 12:28-34) Our obedience to God and our keeping of His Word flow from a relationship in which we are LOVED by God and we LOVE Him in return (1 John 4:7-10).’
Oh my brethren, there must indeed be a few dos and don’ts like the Ten Commandments, if a society is to be stable and not continually chaotic, but generally speaking what a society needs, what we need to live a blessed and abundant life is a feeling of LOVE, of care and compassion to Almighty God and to each other! With LOVE being the basic essence of our existence, a society flourishes, shines bright like the noonday sun, gives God all the glory and honour, and is a perfect example to others.
And we’ll enlist more of the interesting and true words of the commentator from the gotquestions.org website to aid in our offence against the enemy. So please read and take serious note. ‘Hebrews 1:1-2 says, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” Jesus has come into the world as the living Word of God (John 1:1, 14). God has also given us the written Word, the Bible. When we fail to read God’s Word and live it out in our lives, we become people “without vision.”
When we ignore God’s Word, we begin to live without restraint to our own peril. Conversely, when we heed God’s Word, we are blessed. Jesus said, “As the Father has LOVED me, so have I LOVED you. Now remain in my LOVE. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my LOVE, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his LOVE. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:9-11). God has given us His Word, and He calls us to be faithful to it. In keeping God’s Word, we will find joy in Him.’
And is all of that ever so true my fellow saints! Now let’s go to our heavenly Father in prayer, through our Friday Chant, seeking grace and mercy, forgiveness and help to improve our individual lives and our society. Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And with those words of prayer flowing from our lips, we now need to keep our promises and show the Lord that we are indeed serious about changing our evil ways and coming back to His safe and blessed refuge. Much LOVE!
…the time to turn to Jesus is NOW…tomorrow may be too late…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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