The Importance of Believers Being Prepared to Meet Monday!

18 Nov 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

John 10:10b.       I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Yoo Hoo friends, the weekly rat race has begun! Yes, unfortunately, it’s Monday and we have to be about the Lord’s business in this crazy and disaster filled world.  And although we have to keep doing the same thing over and over for many years, many of us never seem to like or accept it. Why is that eh? Who knows? We all have different reasons for disliking Monday and all the uncomfortable, unlikable and intimidating things it brings, or stands for. 

But yuh know what? We had better learn to handle it with grace and assuredness if we intend to live the abundant life that Christ died for us to enjoy on this here earth. Remember His most reassuring words? ‘The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep.’ (John 10:10-11) 

Yes friends, that’s what Jesus did: give His life so that we could enjoy an assured and fruitful life right here on this earth, not wait until we reach heaven to do so. But so many of us get so overwhelmed and distressed about having to go back out to work on a Monday, that we’re wasting, making His death on our behalf of no effect. 

Now, few of us are overjoyed to get up early on a morning, especially a Monday morning, and get out into the evil world and face all the stuff that will and might come against us. However, it is all a part of doing life with Christ down here on earth, and we should not allow it to get us miserable and annoyed, or intimidated. The problem though for many of us is that we’re not properly prepared to meet Monday. 

Even some of us who go to church on Sunday and are spiritually refreshed and renewed, still find it difficult to get up and get out on Mondays. And I’ll like to propose an interesting way to handle the situation; look at it as part of bearing our cross for Christ. (smile) Remember how He characterized being one of His disciples? ‘If any man will come after (follow) me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) 

And there ought to be some joy and reassurance in following Christ, despite how difficult it can oftentimes be. But if there’s little or no joy in living for Christ, then what’s the point? Remember again, what He said to the disciples before His crucifixion. ‘Behold the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own (place), and ye shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:32-33) 

So when all of Jesus’ followers ran away and left Him alone to face the music, He was not really alone because the Father was right there with Him, to strengthen and encourage Him. Likewise, when we are deserted and think we’re alone, we’re not really, for Christ is always with us through His indwelling Holy Spirit, which is there to guide, comfort, strengthen and reassure us of Christ’s promises. Promises like this one: ‘…and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20b) 

So you see my brethren, this wasn’t meant to be an easy life, one of only sunshine and roses, but it’s a tough nut to crack. It was tough for Jesus, and as He says above there, it will also be tough for us, but with His Spirit, His peace, mercy, grace and anointing we can certainly handle it in a fairly joyful manner, if we put our minds and hearts to it. And if we think about the rewards and the great life waiting for us in heaven, for all eternity, this comparatively short earthly life will be a cakewalk. (smile) 

Awright…that might be stretching it a bit, (smile) but the truth of the matter is that many of us can be, and ought to be more receptive to life than we are, if Jesus is truly our Lord and Saviour. And that’s enough preaching for today! (smile) Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help us in these times of dire need. 

Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

Now, as our prayer states, if we truly desire to receive divine aid, we must humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek God’s face. So let’s get on with it nuh, because we desperately need that divine aid! Much LOVE!

…talk is cheap…but it’s action and sacrifices that bring rewards…

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

2 Timothy 1:7 – Embracing Power, Love, and a Disciplined Mind

18 Jun 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2 Timothy 1:7.       For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.

And then it was Tuesday…another Monday lost in the dustbin of history! And some of you are saying, ‘Thank the Lord!’ (smile) Anyway, according to my computer it’s going to very hot in my area again today with another strong, warm wind blowing it’s way through. But that’s what we expect from summer…well, except the continual strong winds. Right now though, too many places around the globe are having unexpected heat waves and unexpected rainfall, and other natural disasters, like tornadoes, earthquakes and volcano eruptions, very valid signs of climate change. 

And those things, in conjunction with the strife-filled disasters that we ourselves have wrought, do serve to make our world a very calamitous and fearful place. That means one has to tread very carefully and examine everything we see and hear in a thorough manner just to ensure that it’s the truth and we’re not being deceived, as deception is rampant nowadays. Yes friends, with all the new technology, things like social media and Artificial Intelligence (AI) the stuff out there is very deceptive, slanted to either provide misinformation, or is often totally untrue. 

That’s why believers must know the Word of God, so that they can protect themselves from the constant onslaught, the constant barrage of information being thrown at us in this Information Age. And the first thing we must know is that we’re not supposed to be afraid of engaging this world, for as Bruh Paul spells out in his message to Timothy, and consequently to us: ‘For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) 

Now that’s a very powerful scripture for us to hold on to, because it drives away the constant fear that so many people right now posses in this turbulent and chaotic world. And then, to bolster those memorable words of Bruh Paul to Timothy, there are these wonderful soul-easing, reassuring words of Jesus, promising His divine peace, that He spoke to the disciples when telling them of the coming of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, after He went away. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) 

Please note friends, that the peace which our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ gives us is not like what the world calls peace. No! His peace is a higher kind of peace; one that is above the understanding of mankind. As Bruh Paul wrote to the Philippians: ‘And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:7) Now that’s the kind of peace we have when we sincerely embrace Jesus and continually meditate on His word. 

And I particularly like this promise of peace that He gave to the disciples later on just before His crucifixion. He said to them: ‘Behold the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:32-33) 

Wow! What reassuring and uplifting words from our Lord and Saviour! Though we will certainly have tribulation in this evil and ungodly world, we ought not to be fearful, but be of good cheer, because through His death and resurrection He’s conquered the world! And though Jesus knew that all His followers would desert Him in the upcoming rough days, He was assured of His heavenly Father’s company. Likewise my brethren, when we put our sincere and total trust in Christ, we can also be assured that whatever is happening to us in this crazy and disaster-filled world, we are not alone, but have His holy and reassuring presence right there with us, helping us to handle whatever is troubling us. 

Oh friends, Jesus never said that following Him would be easy, in fact He knew and said that it would be difficult. Just listen to the requirements for being one of His disciples nuh. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Now that’s indeed a rough row to hoe; being always ready for self-sacrifice and daily bearing one’s cross. But just as the Father never left Jesus alone in His earthly tribulation, Jesus will never leave us alone in ours, but will always help us to do His will. 

And that’s where our faith comes in. All that we’ve spoken so far does not become real from little faith, but needs strong faith to carry them through. That’s why we need to spend much time in the word of God, also praying and talking to Him, so that our faith can be bolstered. And there’s no better direction on that than these words of the Lord to Joshua when He made him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. In no uncertain terms, the Lord said to Joshua: 

‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall constantly be in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:8-9) 

Oh my fellow believers there could be no better encouragement than that! But it’s up to each one of us to take it and work with it to achieve the plans God has for us, otherwise, crapaud smoke we pipe! It’s as simple as that! Now for those of us who are actively trying to live for Christ, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. 

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

And having said that, it now behooves us to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…only by meditating on God’s word…then actioning it…can we truly live the abundant life…that Christ died for us to have…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 July 2021 John 16:32c.

23 Jul 2021 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

John 16:32c.      and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

And finally it’s Friday! I wonder if there’ll be Happy Hours, or Happy Fridays in the bars and restaurants after work today, now that we’ve gone into stage three of the pandemic opening? That’s an interesting question. Remember how, on a Friday evening, before the pandemic lockdown, the watering holes would be filled with workers trying to eradicate their sense of tiredness and lethargy now that the workweek was over. Are we going to revert to that type of senseless behaviour? I certainly hope not. 

Let’s pray that the pandemic has shaken us up enough to realize what is, and what is not truly important. And filling the bars on a Friday evening after work, then driving home intoxicated and depressed is not one of the sensible, important options. The bar owners might like it, because it brings in money, but think of the other side of the coin, where we’ve been having so many accidents on the roads because of impaired drivers and the huge cost in family and social life it causes. 

That recalls an interesting quote I recently saw on my ‘PS. I LOVE YOU’ Poster, that one of my daughters gave me a long time ago. And I’m chuckling here, because it sits right by my side, a little to my back, and like so many other things on my office walls and elsewhere, I pass it daily without even noticing it. Does that happen to anyone else but me? All around my office is encouraging and reassuring stuff that I set up so that I can see them when I pass by, but invariably, I don’t. Looking around at them now, I realize that it’s been years since I last looked at some of them, although they are in plain sight. 

But enough of me and my blurred vision (smile). The quote I mentioned earlier on says: ‘No one is guaranteed happiness. Life just gives us time and space. It’s up to us to fill it with joy and meaning.’ And that’s true to a great extent. We don’t just wake up and find happiness overflowing on our doorsteps. We have to consciously seek out happiness, fill up our lives with joy and meaning. It’s a conscious decision we all need to make if our lives are going to be worthwhile. And the best way, I know to do that is by finding Jesus, surrendering our lives to Him, allowing Him to become our Lord and Saviour. 

And even then, total joy and happiness are not guaranteed without some effort on our part. When we come to Jesus, joy doesn’t just fall into our laps, we still must seek it out. The major difference is that with Jesus, we can find joy and meaning even in times of calamity and untold disappointment. Even though times are rough Jesus is always with us. Like He told the disciples shortly before His crucifixion. ‘Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own (place), and leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.’ (John 16:32) 

Oh my faithful brethren isn’t that wonderful? It certainly is! For just like Jesus had the Father with Him in His time of ‘sufferation’, so do we have Jesus, His Holy Spirit with us when we are going through our trials. And as He continued to the disciples: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And that’s the awesome truth friends! Jesus overcame the world and all its evil when He died, was buried, then magnificently rose from the dead on the third day like he had promised! 

Wow! He broke the bondage of sin, the crucial hold that sin held over us prior to His paying our sin death in full, so that we could have everlasting life. The scriptures tell us in the words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.’ (Rom. 6:14). 

And in his words to Timothy, talking about Jesus’ death. ‘Who hath saved us, and called us to a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.’ (2 Tim. 1:9-10) 

That’s the thing about Jesus; He keeps ALL His promises. Neither does He make empty, trivial promises. And He can afford to make any kind of promise, because, being the Son of God, He has the awesome power to back them up! That’s why He is such a wonderful Being to surrender our lives, our troubles, our fears, difficulties and problems to. And in truth, the only other option available to us is Satan and the evils of this world. And for many of us that’s not even an option, because in the end it will mean death and damnation, eternal separation from God. 

And who really wants that eh? That’s why Jesus is the only wise and sensible choice for us. So, as He desires, let’s take our problems to Him right now nuh, through our Friday Chant. 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!’ 

But just remember friends, before we jump for joy, we also have to keep our promises, that means being the faithful believers we just talked about, otherwise our prayers will not be answered. Much LOVE!

..true joy comes…only when you sincerely embrace Jesus as Lord and Saviour…                                                                                                

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8             

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 April 2021 John 16:33b.

08 Apr 2021 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

John 16:33b.     ​In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Good morning my Scrip-Bit friends and family! Oh what a glorious day to be alive! One more day walking with Christ, our wonderful Lord and Saviour, on this confused and troubled earth, but knowing that He has the awesome power to make a way for us and provide all that we need, for He sincerely promised that if we walk with Him, we’ll never want for anything that’s necessary and that our souls will be filled with the amazing peace that He offers all His followers! 

Wow! That means we need nothing or no one else but our dear Jesus, for He’s on our side, and all we have to do is stand strong and tall, don’t worry, and do what He asks of us. No other organization in this whole wide world has the benefits that we Christians have, so please let’s enjoy them nuh, and stop being miserable, worried and depressed, because the Good Book has always told us to not worry or fret, but to be of good cheer. 

All the way back in Genesis 42 and 43, we have this example of when Joseph’s brothers came down to Egypt to buy food in the famine and Joseph kept his brother Simeon as a pledge that they would return, and then they found the money they had paid for the food back in their sacks. But were they ever scared on their return with Benjamin, and had Joseph invite them to his house. But Joseph’s steward told them. ‘Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks. I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them.’ (Gen. 43:23) 

And when yuh talking about being cheerful despite prevailing unfortunate circumstances, Jesus was the master of that! His words were always cheerful and uplifting. Some of His favourite words were ‘Do not fear,’ and ‘Be of good cheer.’ Let’s look at a few examples to encourage ourselves nuh. Remember that time when he healed the paralytic man? The Good Book tells us: ‘And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy (paralyzed man), lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy (paralytic); Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.’ (Matt. 9:2) 

And I just LOVE how Jesus liked to annoy the scribes and the Pharisees, for when He said that, their thoughts immediately turned to blasphemy. ‘And Jesus, knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether (which) is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house.’ (Matt. 9:4-7) 

Oh mih people, if we have such a mighty individual, High Priest and Saviour on our side, why do we keep worrying eh? Who knows? I guess, only God and the fearful individuals. And then, we come to the instance where Jesus is walking on the water in the early hours of the morning towards the disciples fighting a torrid storm in their li’l boat on the rough Sea of Galilee. ‘And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit (ghost); and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer (take courage); it is I; be not afraid.’ (Matt. 14:26-27) That’s when Peter took courage and walked on the water, until his courage failed him. 

And then we have this magnificent example when Jesus began talking seriously to the disciples about His approaching death and all the other things that were to come. He said to them. ‘Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own (place), and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:32-33) 

And that’s the awesome truth friends! Jesus has overcome the world, thus we can be cheerful despite whatever is happening around us. And please note, that though all the disciples deserted Jesus in His time of need, His heavenly Father did not! All glory be to our great God and Creator! And some of Jesus’ last words to the disciples, and consequently to us, was also a promise of never to leave us alone: ‘and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20b) And it’s a promise He faithfully keeps by having His Holy Spirit dwell in our hearts when we receive him as Lord and Saviour. 

And yes, it’s not easy living for Jesus, and all those encouraging words don’t always work for us. But I found, or rather was led to (smile) a passage from a Devotional by Camille Fronk, Associate Professor of Ancient Scripture at BYU, written on April 30, 2004 and featured on the Brigham Young University website. Please listen closely to Camille. ‘I wish to focus my remarks today on the role of Christ’s enabling power in our ability to feel cheer amid mortal gloom and doom. Misfortune and hardship lose their tragedy when viewed through the lens of the Atonement. 

The process could be explained this way: The more we know the Savior, the longer becomes our view. The more we see His truths, the more we feel His joy. But it is one thing to know that’s the right answer in a Sunday School class and quite another to experience firsthand a cheerful outlook when current circumstances are far from what we hoped. If we would develop faith to apply the Atonement in this manner and not merely talk about it, awareness of imaginary finite boundaries, inadvertently placed on the Savior’s infinite sacrifice, can be meaningful. Consider two false assumptions that, if pursued, will block our appreciation and access to the Lord’s divine assistance.’ 

And she explains those two false assumptions as being thinking that because we are Christians, we can avoid tribulation, and that we can trust in our own efforts. And yes friends, those are two major stumbling blocks in our Christian walk. But Jesus specifically said that we would all face tribulation in the world, especially if we believe in Him, and try to do His work in this evil and godless society in which we live. And please don’t forget about that scripture verse we are always quoting: ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.’ (Phil. 4:13) 

What’s the point of talking about it if we don’t practice it eh? None whatsoever. So let’s hold our heads up high nuh, and smile, although things might not be going too good for us, because we have Jesus and His promises to keep us strong and fortified. Now let’s go home declaring (awright!) our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us so that we can do His earthly work. 

Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! 

I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

Now it’s our turn to share those blessings just as generously with the unfortunate others around us! Much LOVE!

…faith and light will overcome fear and darkness…every time… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8