The Utmost Necessity for a Strong Work Ethic in a Prosperous Society!

09 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

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

2 Thessalonians 3:10.         For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

And then there was this situation: Knock, knock! Who’s there? It’s me Monday… Oh it’s you Monday, come around again to bother me and disturb my peace by reminding me that I need to get up and go to work, although I feel so lousy after partying all weekend. And I can’t even call in sick, because I’ve used up all my sick time already…and it’s just the middle of the year. Brother, what am I going to do if I do get sick later on in the year eh?

And Monday simply replies: Crapaud smoke yuh pipe! You should not have used them all up by lying and saying you were sick, when you were just tired and hung over from your constant partying every weekend. And self replies in righteous anger: Oh go away nuh Monday and leave me alone! You’ve accomplished your purpose…I’m up and getting ready to go to the stupid ole work. Hope that makes you happy? And with a big grin on his annoying and cheeky face, Monday calmly declares: It certainly does!

Oh my people, did any of us have a similar conversation this morning, or one close to it with our nemesis Monday? Now please speak the truth. And a few hands are shamefacedly raised to shoulder level to acknowledge the misdemeanour. Yes friends, as disciples, ambassadors and agents of Christ here on planet earth, too many of us are still not ready to greet Monday, the first day of our work week with a cheery, Christlike countenance, but instead are grumpy and dismayed at the very thought of having to get up and go to work.

But that’s what life is all about; working to earn a living, so you can put bread on your table, a roof over your head, and clothes on your back. Now, if you don’t want those necessities of life, you don’t need to work. And sadly, too many of us desire to live good without working for the rewards, thinking that we’re entitled to it. In reality though, we’re not entitled to anything in this world, and we need to toil and sacrifice for most of what we want.

And I believe that some of us might be daft, or crazy enough to think that we’re entitled and don’t have to do anything because Jesus says we should not worry about clothing and food and the other necessities of life for our heavenly knows we need them. (Matt. 6:31) And rather, instructs us thus: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)

Now that doesn’t mean that if we seek God and His righteousness, all those things will just fall into our laps. No, we seek God, by and while engaging in productive work, and He will then ensure that all our needs are met. Remember what Jesus said about discipleship? ‘If any man will (desires to) come after (follow) me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Now, that sure seems like it has some work in it, along with some sacrifice too.

That brings us to this interesting theory that Bruh Paul floated to the Thessalonians in his second letter. He had heard that some people there were behaving disorderly, being simply busybodies, gossips etc., basically not living a lifestyle that conforms to the Word of God. ‘For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;

Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought (free of charge); but wrought with labour (worked) and travail (toil) night and day, that we might not be chargeable (a burden) to any of you: Not because we have not power (authority), but to make ourselves and ensample (example) unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.’ (2 Thess. 3:7-10)

What a marvellous idea! If we could only put it into action! (smile) And please note, that Bruh Paul didn’t work because he had to, he could have lived off of the people. But no, he plied his tent making trade diligently and made his own money to set a Christian example for them. And setting good Christian examples to those around us is one of the best ways we can ever showcase ourselves as true believers in and followers of Christ. As Jesus so wisely says: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:16)

The long and the short of the story though, is that to be true disciples of Christ, we must work, and work diligently, efficiently and sincerely, so that others can see the true reflection of Jesus in us. In other words: ‘Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.’ (Col. 3:23-24) I could not put it any better than that my brethren. So let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, sincerely seeking God and His help, with all of our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.

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

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

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

And, as we can see from our prayer, and the disastrous state of our world, our work and Christian witness are not satisfactory, which means we need to pull up our socks and become better witnesses for Christ. And we all know what that means! Much LOVE!

…to be a true disciple of Christ…one must be dedicated and diligent…

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

There’s Nothing The Lord LOVES More Than Hearing His People Sincerely Magnify Him In Worship!

16 Feb 2025 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 34:3.       ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’

And the snow began falling on Saturday…and except for a couple of short breaks…it’s still falling on Sunday afternoon. Brother, it’s just a picturesque scenario of white silently covering everything. It’s been so bad that several churches, including mine, canceled Sunday services in the sanctuary because it would have been difficult for most people to get out. So, today’s an online and television day for worshipping and fellowshipping. But it’s all good, for our great God hears our prayers and worship wherever we are. 

And today in our session of afternoon praise and worship we’re going open with one of my all-time favourite songs, taken by songwriter Shane Barnard from the marvellous words of Bruh David in Psalm 34, Praise to the Lord, and so aptly titled ‘O Taste and See that the Lord is Good.’ And no one does it as beautifully as the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. So, without further ado, let’s raise our voices in sacrificial praise to high heaven, in gratitude for all that we are and have through the amazing and selfless sacrifices of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Singing: ‘I sought the Lord And He answered me And delivered me From every fear. Those who look on Him Are radiant They’ll never be ashamed They’ll never be ashamed. This poor man cried And the Lord heard me And saved me from My enemies. The Son of God Surrounds His saints He will deliver them He will deliver them. Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good Oh blessed is he Who hides in Him. 

Oh fear the Lord Oh all you saints He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. (Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Repeat) (Let us bless the Lord Every day and night Never ending praise May our incense rise. (Repeat 4 times) Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. {Repeat} Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. …He’ll give you everything…’ 

And that is the gospel truth if you are obedient to His holy will! He’s promised that so often in His word. Even Jesus reminded us of it, when He declared in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) And Bruh Paul reiterated it in his letter to the Philippians: ‘My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 4:19) No wonder we don’t get a lot of what we desire, because we’re not as in tune with His will as we ought to be. 

But, getting back to our song, if you’ve never heard it as done by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, then I strongly suggest you do so as soon as possible. And even better yet, check out their video of it. It’s such a total picture of worship, as these commentaries on it so joyfully declare. This first one says: ‘This is how it would be like in heaven. Every voice, musicians, race, soul praising the name of God. Amen!!’ And the second is like unto it: (smile) ‘Every frame, every beat, every note, perfectly executed. THIS is musical perfection in gospel music.’ Without a doubt my people! 

And the song is merely a different arrangement of Bruh David’s words found in Psalm 34, verses 3-10, that begin with ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ put to glorious music. And what catches me most about that video is the way the musicians themselves get into it. You can see the joy and gladness as they play. And believe me, that is often the most important part of any song rendition, how much the musicians themselves are motivated to play. 

And to tell the truth, this late in the afternoon, I don’t know what else to say nuh, (smile) because the words of the song says it all. You can read the psalm for yourself and see how the song was ingeniously extracted from it. So, we’ll just close with a couple more interesting commentaries on the song, that say so much more than I ever can. 

Please read with me: ‘I work in ER, single parent, university student, worked through the pandemic. Got really bad Covid end of January. Still on long term recovery. Got too painful last week and I found myself ‘telling’ God what He could do to fix this. Went on YouTube and this song came up. I stood up and started worshiping even though I did not know the words. Before I knew it, I was down on my knees with my hands lifted up in worship. I’m back at work in ER but I have not stopped playing this song. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this worship. My deepest condolences to everyone who lost a loved one. God bless you and keep you safe.’ 

Then there’s this: ‘Every time I listen to this song, I imagine myself along with all the other saints in heaven worshipping. This song carries a strong anointing. You can feel the presence of the heavenly hosts.’ And what about this one? ‘The worship that the people utter after the song is like Heaven, every race, every tongue raising up their voices in one accord unto The King of Kings.’ And there’s nothing better to close with than this commentary: ‘I just imagine being in heaven worshipping with this magnificent choir, just magnifying our great God! Hallelujah!!!’ Amen, my people, Amen! 

Now that’s how a song of worship ought to affect us; have us all thinking about heaven and us singing along with all the heavenly hosts. (smile) So, let’s hope that what we’ve said today has uplifted and encouraged us despite the crazy, snowy weather outside. And if you do have to go out in it, please be very careful, because it looks innocent, but it’s like the very devil himself; wily and very dangerous. And above all, please make sure that you are walking with God as your Guide, Protector and Friend! Much LOVE!

…our God LOVES to hear us worship Him sincerely…so why don’t we worship Him more with our hearts…and not merely our mouths eh…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 August 2020 Matthew 6:33.

17 Aug 2020 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 6:33.     But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 
 

‘Come leh we go, come leh we go!’ Yeh friends, is Monday morning, and that means is time for many of us to get up and go off to work, as safely and carefully as we can. Some of us have the benefit of being able to work from home, but many of us are not so blessed. And even worse, many of us don’t have a job to go to, and don’t know where and when the next penny or mouthful of food is going to come from, or when they are going to be evicted from their homes and businesses through non-payment of rent or mortgage. 

Ah mih people, these are indeed trying and uncertain times. Times like we’ve never had to deal with before, so there’s no example for us to follow, that’s why we’re making it up as we go and are stumbling at times, making mistakes like we will when the path is not clearly defined or lit. But the important thing is for us to realize that we’re ALL in this together, although we’re not ALL being affected in the same way. Thus it behooves us to work together as much as possible, and help the worse off ones when and where we can, because it’s only with a common goal and destination, and everyone taking our responsibilities seriously, that we’ll ever conquer our problems. That’s my penny’s worth! (smile) 

Let’s move on to a higher power, the Lord God Jehovah, let’s take our concerns to Him through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. As one strong voice now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. 

We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control. 

And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land 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!’ 

Yes my brethren, Jehovah God is the ONLY ONE who can truly help us with the many problems we are currently facing. But that will mean a complete turnaround in our attitude towards Him and His Word. And the billion-dollar question is are we ready to sincerely do so? We must be very serious about the matter, not just playing games like we so often do. We will have to give up our evil ways, our worldly lusts, the seeking of worldly treasure, wealth and pleasure. 

That means, as Jesus so wisely advised in His Sermon on the Mount: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow (do not worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:33-34) That should be clear and self-explanatory my people. True believers in Jesus, those who truly accept Him as their King, their Lord and Saviour, who have pledged their allegiance to Him, need to continually seek His kingdom, and its righteousness. Yes, it’s a continual seeking. 

As the scholars explain. ‘6:33-34. The contrast between the spiritual and material is again emphasized. The believer is to seek first the righteousness that is characteristic of God’s kingdom and then all these things (material things) shall be added to him. When our priority is spiritual, God will take care of the material, for where God guides, He provides. We need not even worry about tomorrow, for sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. This means that each day has its own troubles and challenges to be responsibly handled without worrying about the hypothetical problems that could arise tomorrow.’ 

I don’t know what else to say nuh friends, except to quote Jesus again from earlier on the topic of worrying. ‘Which of you by taking thought (by worrying) can add one cubit unto his stature (height)?’ (Matt. 6:27) And the answer to that friends, is NONE of us! So why do we keep on allowing the enemy to get into our heads and cause us to worry eh? For worrying is like Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say, rocking in a rocking chair all day, but not moving anywhere. Worry helps nothing, only cause more problems, by draining away the li’l positive energy we have and turning it into a negative stumbling block. 

So when worry assails us, let’s do like Bruh Paul advises nuh: ‘Casting down imaginations (arguments) and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.’ (2 Cor. 10:5). In other words, ‘We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought and make it obedient to Christ.’ (NIV). 

‘Taking your thoughts captive simply means gaining control over what you think about yourself and your life. What you put in your mind has an effect on what you think. God has provided a way to overcome unhealthy thoughts and behaviors, and gain the self-control you seek. It’s a matter of taking charge of your life – His way.’ (crosswalk.com) 

So, in a nutshell, we need to stop listening to the devil, control our thoughts and seek God and His righteousness first in our lives. Much LOVE!

…if God is not our number one priority…then our lives are not right…