04 May 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a false witness that speaketh lies, a hodge podge of wannabes, a lying tongue, a proud look, admire people for mediocre achievements, all of you be subject one to another, allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, allow your incredible aura of love, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, be clothed with humility, blowing their own trumpet, bombarded by the enemy's evil schemes, change unwise phiosophy, christianity, Christians, Christians are not expected to be glory seekers, comparisons sometimes make things easier to handle, constantly bombarded by, devises wicked plans, distressing times, divine aid, draw near to God and he will draw near to you, enjoy glory with humility, every little bit helps, faith, feet that be swift in running to mischief, fill us with steadfast faith, for men to search their own glory is not glory, furthering God's glorious kingdom, glory is bestowed, glory is earned, go out to meet the enemy in battle, God gives grace to the humble, God resisteth the proud, hands that shed innocent blood, haughty eyes, he may exalt you in due time, he that humbleth himself shall be exalted, he that soweth discord among brethren, hear those words over a loud speker, help us wake up from our slumber, holy spirit, humble servants, humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, humbly ask, into the evil and ungodly world, it is not good to eat much honey, Jesus Christ, Jesus looks for humility in christians, jobs that serve a useful purpose, keeping lives and families together, let another man praise thee, LOVE, lovely weather, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, mercy, not thine own mouth, nothing to match God's exaltation, over the weekend, reached the peak of your existence, resist the devil and he will flee from you, sally forth with confidence, salvation, self aggrandization, self- gratification, seven are an abomination unto him, social media, submit yourselves therefore to God, sure conquerors, thank you for our jobs, the BIBLE, the far reaching tentacles of social media, the living truth, The Lord dislikes what the world likes, the rejuvenation of Spirit, the renewed vitality and enthusiasm, the wise words of Solomon, the world seeks pride and haughtiness, these six things doth the Lord hate, to begin a new week of work, truth, we know we're invincible, we surrender our all to you, wearing your powerful protective spiritual armour, whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased, wisdom, you've wrought in our weary souls
Proverbs 27:2. Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.
And then it was Monday … a beautiful, sunshiny though somewhat windy Monday, with temps around 20 Celsius! So, there ought to be no problem in getting up and going out to work today, with such lovely weather. Just think about the many Mondays in the past few months when every Monday was a cold snowy one, and you’ll just breeze through today! (smile) Seriously though friends, sometimes the comparisons between things and times do make them easier to handle. And yes, it might be just in our minds, but every little bit helps.
Well since I had nothing specific in mind to talk about today, I opened the Word to find something worthwhile to discuss. And, lo, and behold, it opened unto the Book of Proverbs, which houses those wise words of Cousin Sol; the wisest man ever. And my eyes caught upon this most provocative second verse of Chapter 27. ‘Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.’ (Prov. 27:2)
Oh my people, how I wish our world could hear those wise words continually over a loud speaker, so that they could change their unwise philosophy of being the ones to blow their own trumpets and let their associates know of their great deeds. For that’s the current philosophy of today’s world. No one waits for others to say wonderful things about them, they broadcast it themselves. No wonder our world is such a hodge podge of wannabes, who will never be, especially with the far reaching tentacles of social media. It’s all a matter of self-gratification and self-aggrandization.
But the Lord’s Word totally rejects that situation. Listen to Cousin Sol again, earlier on in Proverbs. ‘It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search (seek) their own glory is not glory.’ (Prov. 25:27) And that is indeed the living truth my brethren! When we seek our own glory, how can that be glory eh? For as a general definition of glory states: ‘Glory generally means high renown, honor, praise, or magnificent splendor, often earned through achievement or bestowed upon something.’
And I like those last two statements, meaning that glory must first be earned and then bestowed upon you. People notice your achievements then bestow glory on you. You don’t bestow glory on yourself. And Jesus said it quite explicitly, when speaking on humility. ‘For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased (humbled); and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.’ (Luke 14:11) But our world doesn’t pay attention to that philosophy; we allow people to exalt themselves and we admire them for middling achievements.
But the Bible staunchly demands humility from God’s people. Listen to Peter: ‘Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.’ (1 Pet. 5:5-6) Oh friends, sometimes it’s good to know that you are appreciated by your fellow man, and looked upon with fondness, but there’s nothing to match God’s exaltation! When the Lord exalts you, that’s when you know you’ve done really worthy stuff in His name, and thus you’ve reached the peak of your existence!
That’s why James also encourages us to seek humility. ‘God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. … Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:6b-7; 8a;10) It’s obvious that Christians are not expected to be glory seekers, but should enjoy it with some humility if it comes.
Oh, and I just remembered a good scripture passage for us to close with; one that wraps it up all very nicely and also reminds us of what not to do as believers. (smile) Please read with me from Cousin Sol’s proverbs. ‘These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look (haughty eyes), a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations (devises wicked plans), feet that be swift in running to mischief (evil), A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.’ (Prov. 6:16-19)
And isn’t it interesting to note that all things the Lord dislikes are what the world likes and is very focused upon today. Just thought I’d throw that scripture in there to help us wake up from our slumber, from our comfortable world driven lifestyle. (smile) Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help in these distressing times.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together. We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour! We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!
And with all the reminders we’ve had today, we ought be able to go out and do good work for God! Much LOVE!
…Jesus looks for humility in Christians…the world seeks pride and haughtiness in its people…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
29 Apr 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sense of purpose, abide in me and I in you, all have room for improvement, backed up by strong faith, become better Christians, catch our second wind, Chrisitanity, come up higher, commit thy works unto the Lord, Easter celebrations, endure to the end with Jesus, except it abide in the vine, except you abide in me, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, finite minds, get left behind, getting closer to Christ, God always makes a way for us to endure our problems, God always pulled me through, God creating paths where it seems impossible, God is faithful, God will not suffer you to be tempted more than you can bear, good disciples of Christ, grown in faith and patience, halfway home, hands on the plough, he that abideth in me and I in him, holy spirit, how has our Christian witness improved, I am the vine ye are the branches, I will do a new thing, Jesus Christ, lose some of your enthusiasm when you're sick, LOVE, make a way in the wilderness, mercy, more beneficial to go through the problem, need to pay attention, never give up, New Year's resolution, no more can ye, no one to blame but ourselves, not go along lackadaisically, not that we are sufficient of ourselves, not turning back, now it shall spring forth, on His timetable not mine, our duty is to bear good fruit, our faith needs to rise up and be strong, our sufficiency is of God, physical inability to get around, rivers in the desert, salvation, shall ye not know it, sickness is not easy road to travel, sit up and take notice, so glad to be alive, stay attached to Christ, stick to Jesus like white on rice, such as is common to man, thank God, the BIBLE, the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the jet stream of quickly moving days, the living truth, the same bringeth forth much fruit, there hath no temptation taken you, thy thoughts shall be established, to a glorious future with Jesus, to follow Jesus more closely this year, to think any thing of ourselves, to truly live for Christ, truth, Wednesday Wail, will also make a way of escape, wisdom, with God's help, with the temptation, witha s sense of prupose, without me ye can do nothing, ye may be able to bear it
John 15:4. ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.’
So we’ve come to Wednesday…already? Yes, already, for the days are not waiting on us, and we’d better catch our second wind today before the week runs away with us. (smile) On a serious note though, that can easily happen if we’re not paying attention to what’s going on around us, and when it does happen, we have no one to blame but ourselves. So please, let’s sit up and take notice of what’s happening around us, if we don’t want to get left behind in the jet stream of these quickly moving days.
And talking about that, do you realize that tomorrow is the last day of April, a month which just recently began with the Easter celebrations. That means we’ve completed four months of the year already and it’s time to look at how our New Years resolution is going. Do you even remember that? Yes, we made a New Year’s resolution to follow Jesus more closely and become better Christians than we were last year. So how has that worked out so far? Have we indeed been getting closer to Christ, being like the branch that abides in Him, with Him abiding in us?
Remember what He said, ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.’ (John 15:4) And remember one of our duties as His follower is to bear good fruit, which we cannot do unless we abide in Jesus, stick close to him like white on rice. As he says: ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5)
And isn’t that the living truth! Without Jesus we cannot do a whole lot; certainly not bring forth good fruit like He and the Father desire. That’s why, if we want to be good disciples of Christ, we have to always stay close, stay attached to Him, so the sap from His vine can flow into our branches and cause us to bear much good fruit. And Bruh Paul also reminds us that without the Lord we are not able to do much, when he writes: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;’ (2 C0r. 3:5)
So again, the question is, have we improved our Chrisitan witness in the last four months? I think I have made some improvement, but I’ve also slacked off some. The problem stems from my constantly being sick for so much of the year. The sickness wasn’t an easy road to travel, still isn’t, but I believe it has grown my faith and patience some. (smile) For at times I just had to rely on the Lord’s goodness and mercy to pull me through. And in all occasions, He eventually did, but on His timetable, not mine. (smile)
However, it’s also prevented me from doing some of the good things I wanted to do. For when you are in a state of poor health, you lose some of your enthusiasm as well as the physical ability to get around and make things happen. But the important things is that we haven’t given up, and we’re not going to either. We have to keep believing that whatever the Lord allows into our lives, is for a purpose that He considers necessary, even if we don’t, and He won’t give us more than we can bear, or if He does, He will make a way for us.
It’s like the scripture says: ‘Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.’ (Is. 43:19) That’s one of God’s many promises to see us through our difficult times. Of God creating paths where there seems to be no way for Him to do so. But we need to be paying attention, we cannot just go along lackadaisically, but with a sense of purpose backed up by strong faith.
Meanwhile in Proverbs, Cousin Sol tells us: ‘Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.’ (Prov. 16:3) That means first talking to God about our plans before trying to institute them in our own strength. And if He agrees, then we know they will be successful. Then we have this verse from Bruh Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, that so many of us use to quell our worries in difficult situations. ‘There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear (endure) it.’ (1 Cor. 10:13)
Yes friends, there are many times when we believe the Lord gives us more than we can bear, and sometimes He might, (smile) but He’s also promised that if that happens, He will always make a way for us to endure the problem. And that’s where our faith needs to rise up and be strong, for we always want to escape the problem, but sometimes it’s more beneficial for us to go through it with God’s help, because that’s where our faith and trust in Almighty God are truly increased. And today is a good day to sit and ponder how we’ve done so far in regards to our New Year’s resolution, and as always, with God’s help try to come up higher, for we all have room for improvement. (smile)
Now, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And for those who stick with Jesus right to the very end, it’s been promised that they will enjoy a future so glorious that their finite minds cannot even imagine it. So let’s use that as ammunition to stick with Christ to the very end nuh, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…to truly live for Christ…Christ must be in you…and you in Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
21 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a garden of thistles and thorns, a snowy winter, abide with you for ever, all our lives through, be of good cheer, be perfect and entire, bear many a burden, bear many a care, being confident of this very thing, between a rock and a hard place, clay in the hands of a potter, count it all joy, divne help, endure to the end with Christ, eternal life, eternal separation from God, faith, fall into various trials, flower-strewn pathways, get through life scot free, give you another Comforter, God hath not promised skies ever blue, God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, God's desire is to have us all as replicas of Jesus, God's Word, grace, grace for trials, grin and bear it, guide you into all truth, halfway home, hands on the plough, he dwelleth in you, he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever, he which hath begun a good work in you, hellfire and damnation, help from above, holy spirit, i have overcome the world, I will not leave you comfortless, I will pray the Father, if ye love me keep my commandments, in my ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, Jesus Christ, joy without sorrow, lazy, leave you as orphans, let pateince have her perfect work, life is not a bed of roses, light for the way, living for Jesus offers unsurpassable rewards, LOVE, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, needing no guide, negative experiences, not looking back at the past, not turning back, omnipotent power, our second wind day, peace without pain, perform it until the day of jesus, rest amid labour, salvation, selfish, shew you things to come, smooth roads, stay on the straight and narrow path, strength for the day, sun without rain, swift easy travel, tha k god, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the living truth, the Lord's Number One Plan, the lust thereof, the positive work God accomplishes through testing, The Promises and Non-Promises of God, the Spirit of truth, the testing of your faith produces patience, the trying of your faith worketh patience, the world passeth away, the world through him might be saved, to a glorious future with Jesus, tough times in this sinful world, truth, turbulent times, undying LOVE, unfailing sympathy, unsurpassable rewards, waltz through this life with no cares, wanting nothing, when the Spirit of truth is come, when ye fall into divers temptations, whom the world cannot receive
1 John 2:17. And the world paseth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
And then it was Wednesday, our second wind day. And do we ever need to catch that second wind so we can make it safely through, because it’s a cloudy, snowy, miserable day. Chuh! This looks like it’s going to be a snowy winter, for every time you turn around it’s snowing. But there’s nothing much to do but grin and bear it, for that’s the nature of the northern climes, and we’ve been spoiled in recent years with comparatively little snow during the winter months. But here’s an interesting poem I recently discovered amongst my piles of papers. I’m not sure where it comes from or when (smile) but I’m fairly sure I’ve shared it sometime in the past.
But like so many of those prayers and poems, they are still very appropriate for these turbulent times. And I believe the poem is called ‘The Promises and Non-Promises of God.’ So please read with me. ‘God hath not promised skies ever blue, flower-strewn pathways all our lives through; God hath not promised sun without rain, joy without sorrow, peace without pain. God hath not promised smooth roads and wide, swift, easy travel needing no guide; God hath not promised we shall not bear many a burden and many a care. But God hath promised strength for the day, rest amid labour, light for the way; grace for trials, help from above, unfailing sympathy, undying LOVE!’
And that’s the living truth my people! God never promised that we will just waltz through this life with no cares, worries, burdens or trials. He simply promised that He will help us each and every day to bear what burdens or trials we might experience. It’s just that we know His omnipotent power and are lazy and selfish and expect to get through life Scot free, that we take these liberties about what God promised and what He didn’t. Why do you think He gave us first Jesus, then the Holy Spirit eh?
Jeus came to save us from our abominable sinful behaviour that was leading us down the path of eternal separation from God. As He very plainly says in the gospel of John: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world though him might be saved.’ (John 3:17) Yes friends, we needed divine help if we were to avoid hellfire and damnation. And having given us an option to avoid that most fearful outcome, the Lord then gave us the Holy Spirit to help us live the kind of life we needed to live so we could stay on the straight and narrow path that leads to Him and eternal life.
The Holy Spirit is our guide and comforter and helper. If God didn’t think we’d need those things to live this earthly life, why give us the Holy Spirit? Listen to Jesus again, this time on the work of the Holy Spirit. ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:15-18)
And so it was done! The Holy Spirit came to dwell within each believer on the first day of Pentecost after Jesus’ ascension back to heaven. (Acts 2:1-4) Then later on, Jesus again spoke to the disciples about the importance of the Holy Spirit. ‘Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself (on his own authority); but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall ye speak: and he will shew you things to come.’ (John 16:13) And Jesus finally told them: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33).
Oh my people, the Lord knew that we would have tough times in this sinful world, that’s why he equipped us with all that we needed to handle it. The Holy Spirit, prayer, grace, mercy, and His Word. For living in an evil and ungodly world trying to be righteous and godly is a major task. That’s why we have scriptures like James’ exhortation: ‘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)
Yes those are tough words to handle, but as the scholars explain: 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.’ We do need to remember that God tests our faith all through this earthly life and that is done usually through trials and temptations because it’s only when we are between a rock and a hard place that our faith grows. When life’s good, our faith either stagnates or gets soft and weak.(smile)
And remember too that the Lord’s Number One Plan is to have all His children as replicas of His first born Jesus, therefore, as along as we are alive, we will be like putty or clay in the hands of a potter, with Him trying to make us into the image of Jesus. It’s like Bruh Paul says to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) That means everyday we’re alive the Master Potter will be working on us. So it’s not an easy life to live for Christ, but as I keep saying, it’s very interesting and the rewards are unsurpassable.
Nothing this world has to offer can ever surpass salvation and eternal life with Christ. Remember too as John says in his first epistle: ‘And the world paseth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:17) Yes, my fellow believers, this world will eventually pass away, but if we do God’s will, we will live forever with Him. Let’s remember that and set our minds to it, despite all the many tests and temptations we might face, for our God is just faithful and true !
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And if we’re serious, then we’ll endure with Christ right to the very end, and thus enjoy the promise of a more than glorious future for those who see it through to the end. Much LOVE!
…life is not a bed of roses…but a garden of thistles and thorns…that we need to work on…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
21 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child that will grow up, a joyful reminder, a ray of hope, a rosy huea rose hue, a silent wish, a tiny star lights up, add a little punch to our faith, all a dream, all across the land, allowing our lights to shine brightly, an illusion now, as the manner of some is, as ye see the day approaching, be of good courage, caught unawares, Christmas week, Ciro Dammicco, consider one another, dawns a brand new morn, don't focus on material stuff, everyone to everyone's neighbour, exhorting one another, faith, feel you're on solid ground, fellowship, flickers in the sky, focus on christ, for a spell or two, for Jesus' sake, forget to tell each other we care, Fred Jay, gathering together in fellowship, God always keeps His promises, God is trustworthy, happy that they are in the world, hate to love, He is faithful that promised, he shall strengthen thine heart, hold fast the confession of our hope, hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, holy spirit, in God's good time, in the evil darkness of the world, it must come true, Jesus can come back at any time, Jesus Christ, Johnny Mathis, King of Kings, like a chicken with your head cut off, Lord of Lords, LOVE, mercy, misery and suffering, more sensitive to the needs of our fellow man, no one knows, no one seems forlorn, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, our raison d'etre, our reason for living, our responsibilities as people, out bounden duty, reminds us of Christ's birth, resurrecting our salty flavour, running around, sails the seven seas, salvation, settles all around, show our loved ones they are important to us, somehow, sometime soon, stand strong in Faith, substitutionary death, sweet sacrifices of praise, take too much for granted, the birth of a new baby brings joy, the fourth week of Advent, the holidays provide a wonderful opportunity, the living truth, the Spirit of Christmas, the walls of doubt crumble, the winds of change, the world is waiting, this comes to pass, to bind friendships, to encourage each other, to provoke unto love and good works, tossed and torn, trust God and His promises, truth, turn tears to laughter, wait in faith, wait in faith I say on the Lord, wait with patience and perseverance, waiting for one child, war to peace, way up high, what colour child, When a child is born, whisper in the trees, words to be forgotten forever
Hebrews 10:23. Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Only 3 more days to get ready friends for that most auspicious occasion; the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Yes, it’s the fourth week of Advent, making it also Christmas week. So, make sure you have everything prepared and ready, so that come the big day on Thursday, you’re not running around like a chicken with your head cut off trying to do what should have already been done. (smile)
And today when we enter the Lord’s sanctuary to fellowship with other believers and see all the decorations and stuff, please let’s not focus on that material stuff. Yes, it does look nice, but the important focus should be on Jesus Christ, our raison d’être, our most important reason for living.
Our song of worship this morning is also a beautiful one, based on a child’s birth, and aptly titled, ‘When a Child is Born.’ And it’s strange to note that just like ‘Joy to World’ was not written as a Christian hymn, but became one of the biggest sellers in that genre, so too is today’s song.
The melody and tune were taken from two compositions by Italian composer Ciro Dammicco, with English lyrics written as a Christmas song by Austrian composer Fred Jay, although there’s no specific reference to Christmas in it. But it’s also turned out to be big hit in our Christmas repertoire. And one of the best versions of the song was done by that soulful crooner Johnny Mathis in 1976. So, let’s raise our sweet sacrifices of praise to heaven in a touching, sincere, soulful rendition of this wonderful song When a Child is Born, which so tenderly reminds us of Christ‘s birth.
And we’ll begin, a la Johnny Mathis, with an inspiring monologue, where he exhorts us thus: ‘I believe that we can be more sensitive to the needs of our fellow man, that we can be better neighbours to each other. Sometimes we take too much for granted, and we forget to tell each other we care. I think the holidays provide a wonderful opportunity to bind friendships and to show our LOVED ones they are important to us. That we’re happy they are in the world. It’s something we should do more often. And the spirit of Christmas is a joyful reminder of our responsibilities as people.’
And isn’t that the living truth my fellow believers? It surely is! After that, we hum the first few bars over some quiet music. (Humming: ‘Hn hn hn hn hn, hn hn hn hn…’ Then we break into joyful song: ‘A ray of hope flickers in the sky A tiny star lights up way up high All across the land, dawns a brand new morn This comes to pass when a child is born –
A silent wish sails the seven seas The winds of change whisper in the trees And the walls of doubt crumble, tossed and torn This comes to pass when a child is born – A rosy hue settles all around You’ve got the feel you’re on solid ground For a spell or two, no one seems forlorn This comes to pass when a child is born –
( Monologue ) – And all of this happens because the world is waiting, Waiting for one child Black, white, yellow, no one knows But a child that will grow up and turn tears to laughter, Hate to LOVE, war to peace and everyone to everyone’s neighbor And misery and suffering will be words to be forgotten, forever)
(Singing: – (It’s all a dream, an illusion now It must come true, sometime soon somehow All across the land, dawns a brand new morn This comes to pass when a child is born.) All across the land, dawns a brand new morn This comes to pass when a child is born.’
And yes, there’s something about the birth of a new baby that brings and spreads joy to all who hear about it. It’s one of the few universally joyful occasions in our crazy, ungodly world. And don’t worry, that dream, which now seems like only an illusion, that too will certainly come to pass my faithful brethren, because the Lord set it all in motion with the birth of Christ, our King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, who was born to do just that, all in God’s good time!
Now, although it’s been some two thousand years since Christ was born and gave us salvation through His sacrificial and substitutionary death, and we are still waiting for the final times, we need to be patient, and wait in faith on the Lord, as Bruh David exhorts us to do in Psalm 37: ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps. 37:14) And that’s what we need to do if we are true believers.
Look how long the Israelites waited for the Messiah; hundreds of years, but He did come. And just like Jesus promised, He will eventually come back and make all things right, but we must stand strong in faith and wait with patience and perseverance. That brings us to these beautiful and inspiring scripture verses in Hebrews.
‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke (stir up) unto LOVE and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.’ (Heb. 10:23-25)
Oh friends, it sounds simple on paper, but it is indeed difficult to put into practice. However, if we are true believers, we need to trust God and His promises, while gathering together in fellowship, to encourage each other, especially as the day of Jesus’ return can happen anytime, and we certainly don’t want to be caught unawares whenever that happens.
So, this Christmas, let’s add a little punch to our faith nuh, resurrecting our salty flavour and allowing our lights to shine brightly in the current evil darkness of our world, for Jesus’ sake! Why? Because God is trustworthy, unchanging, and will always keep His promises. Furthermore, as Christians, it’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!
..the birth of Jesus was a momentous occasion…and no other birth…has caused so many numerous ripples and repercussions…which are still being felt all around the world today…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
29 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, a parable of covetousness and greed, all such rejoicing is evil, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, boast in your arrogance, boast not thyself of tomorrow, buy and sell and make profit, concentrate on the problems of today, contingency plans for tomorrow, continue there a year, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, doeth it not, eat drink and be merry, enquire about the wisdom of our intentions, faith, for that ye ought to say, Friday chant, give first thought to God, go to now ye say, greed, holy spirit, honour worker's contribution to the labour scene, humdrum work life, hunger for power, if the Lord will, improve our witness for Christ, inhumane times, intorduce a new flock of believers, is not rich toward God, it is even a vapour, Jesus Christ, labour day weekend, labour unrest and violence, legalization of unions, LOVE, mercy, omnipotent help, our sinful world, rejoicing in boastings is evil, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, say to my soul, show them the error of their ways, so is he that layeth up treasure for himself, Soul thou hast much goods laid up for any years, stand strong and steadfast, stand up strong and fight for what we have, strife-filled times, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, take therefore no thought for tomorrow, take thine ease, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that appeareth for a little time then vanisheth away, the horrific labour scenes, the living truth, the morrow shall take thought for itself, the throne of grace, these ungodly times, this night thy soul shall be required of thee, thou fool, thou knowest not what a day may bring forth, times of lawlessness and uncertainty, to him it is sin, to him that knoweth to do good, today or tomorrow, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, we shall live and do this or that, we will go into such a city, what is your life, whcih thou hast provided, when anything goes, whose shall those things be, wisdom, wise guidance, workers have little say in working conditions, working conditions, ye know not what shall be on the morrow, ye rejoice in your boastings
Proverbs 27:1. Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
And then it was Friday, a sunny but somewhat chilly day for August. It’s only about 15 degrees Celsius. But that did not stop the many shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ from going up to high heaven. There’s just something about Friday, whether it be hot or cold, that gets the populace in shouting mode. And it’s all because of the upcoming weekend, and the relaxing break from the humdrum work life that it promises.
And this weekend promises to be a big one, as it’s the last long weekend of the summer season, as well as the celebration of Labour Day on Monday. It’s a holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September, dedicated to honour the contribution of workers to the current Labour scene, to remember all the labour unrest and violence that happened in the 19th century, when workers were brutally illtreated by management and had very little, if any legal rights. Those demonstrations, that met with extremely violent reactions by the owners, thankfully led to the eventual legalization of unions in 1894.
Most of us take the current situation for granted, but it certainly wasn’t so in the beginning, and many workers suffered and died at the hands of owners to enshrine the work system we now have. But even today, you can see the owners fighting to get it back to where the workers have very little or no rights or say in their working conditions. Unfortunately, the excessive greed and hunger for power still lives within the ownership class. But let’s hope that today’s workers won’t allow the situation to deteriorate to what it was like a couple of centuries ago, although that would please the owners no end.
So, although this is a weekend for celebration, it’s also one for remembering the horrific labour scenes that took place not that long ago, and pledging to stand up strong and fight for what we now have, and not let those inhumane times ever happen again. End of Sermon. (smile)
And today, our scripture lesson is also very applicable to these greedy, selfish, and strife filled times. The words come from the wise writings of Cousin Sol in Proverbs. He admonishes us thus: ‘Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.’ (Prov. 27:1) And believe me people, those are indeed very wise words, especially in these times of lawlessness and uncertainty.
Remember Jesus warned us to ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (troubles) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34) So, although some contingency plans can be made for tomorrow, we should not worry about it, and instead concentrate on the problems and challenges of today, for tomorrow will bring it’s own problems and challenges. And we might not even make it to tomorrow if we don’t handle today’s problems properly.
And Jesus also gave a wonderful parable that spoke to covetousness and greed, but also highlighted the problems of placing too much interest and trust in tomorrow. He spoke of the rich man whose land produced so much fruit, that he did not have enough room to store it all. But after a moment’s contemplation, he hit upon this wonderful plan.
‘And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow (store) all my fruits (crops) and goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat drink, and be merry. But the Lord said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:18-21)
Yes friends, whatever we do, we must first give thought to God, and enquire about the wisdom of our decisions or intentions, for He might have completely different plans and ideas for us, like He did for that greedy, rich man. And that’s why James also warns us that rejoicing in boastings is evil. He puts it thus: ‘Go to now (come now), ye say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain (profit): Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.’ (James 4:13-14)
And that’s the living truth my fellow believers! Our earthly lives are very short and can be taken away from us at any time by Almighty God, our Creator and Life-giver. So, instead of boasting about what we will do tomorrow or in the distant future, James wisely advises: ‘For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings (boast in your arrogance): all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’ (James 4:15-17)
Oh my fellow believers, I could not put it any better than that, and it’s something we ought to seriously consider in our daily walk, especially in this season when anything goes. Are there good things we know we ought to do, and are not doing them? If so, we are only building up our sin account, which is not a wise move. So, let’s go right now to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant seeking divine aid in these tough and turbulent 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!’
Now friends, despite our prayer, we still need to do our part; that’s improve our witness for Christ, because it’s our lack of good, strong and constant witness that’s caused the enemy to become so powerful in our world. And until we improve, divine aid will not be forthcoming. It’s as simple as that! Much LOVE!
…believers know what to do…but for one reason or another…we are not doing it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
07 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great calm, a modicum of hope and faith, a trade war, a world beset by evil, abide with you for ever, all have sinned, bear up under the stress and strain, called unto the fellowship of his son, calm our metaphorical storms, christianity, Christians, despite the trials and tribulations you are facing, disobeyed your word, ease the pain, endure hardness, establish you, faith, give you another Comforter, God is faithful, God-given desires, he dwells with you, He is faithful that promised, hold fast the confession of our faith, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, I will come to you, I will not leave you comfortless, I will pray the Father, if you love me keep my commandments, in the name of Jesus Christ, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the ONLY ONE, Jesus' light and love, keep you from evil, keep your promise to prosper us, leave you as orphans, life is not easy, like a good soldier of Christ, lost jobs, LOVE, mercy, monotonous regularity, negative situations, peace be still, praise Your Holy Name, pray, resolve to never give up, salvation, shall be in you, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, society is structured, stand up and fight, strong faith in Christ, tedious, that's the way, the best years of our life, the BIBLE, the church exploded with new saints, The Day of Pentecost, the God who heals, the living truth, the mass confusion in our world, the restrictive reins, the Spirit of truth, the storms of life, the throne of grace, the wind ceased, tiring, to alleviate our problems, to earn a living, to liven up the same old routine, trust our Triune God, truth, turn from our evil ways, unemployed, up and at 'em, when things are not going your way, who can offer comfort, wisdom, wise guidance, without wavering
John 14:18. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.
So, it’s up and at ‘em one more time, that means getting out to work on a Monday morning, something that many of us do with a monotonous regularity for numerous years of our life. Actually, for the best years of our lives. No wonder, after a while it becomes tedious and tiring and we just sometimes want to cry out for a change, for something to liven up the dreary same ole same ole routine.
Yes, we often long for a loosening of the restrictive reins that have us tied to a job that does not satisfy our capabilities or skills and act as a de facto killer to our God-given dreams and desires. But unfortunately, that’s the way our society is structured, and if you want to eat and have a roof over your head, then you’ve got to work, at least with some regularity. (smile)
On a serious note though, in this latest round of one foolish egotist’s doings, a trade war has erupted all over the world, and many have already lost their jobs, due to no fault of their own, and sadly, it appears that many more will if this nonsense isn’t curtailed as soon as possible. And it’s only when we don’t have a job to go to, with no prospects for one very soon either, that we do appreciate the boring, same ole, same ole tasks that we are forced to perform most days of our lives to earn a living.
Let’s hope that all those who find themselves summarily unemployed will wake up and see the light and turn their attentions seriously towards Jesus, for He is the ONLY ONE who can offer you comfort despite the trials and tribulations you might be facing. And I’ve been unemployed, so I know what I’m talking about. Jesus is always the best One to turn to when things aren’t going your way.
He might not always solve your problems quickly, or even solve them at all, but if you are sincere, He will provide you with a modicum of hope and faith that will keep you going through the tough times, in a calm, non-anxious manner, and not allow you to give up. And that’s always the first step in recovery; having a modicum of hope and the resolve to never give up.
You can trust Him to always be by your side. Remember what He promised the disciples before His ascension: ‘If you LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him: for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:15-18)
And He did come to them, and consequently to us, on that memorable day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit began to indwell all believers and the church exploded with new saints. And since then, the Holy Spirit has indwelt every believer, acting as a Guide, Leader and Comforter on behalf of Jesus.
But there’s one thing that we must understand, that life is not easy, never was, and never will be, therefore we have to bear up under the stress and strain of whatever we’re going through, with the help of the Holy Spirit. As Bruh Paul sagely warns Timothy: ‘Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship), as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.’ (2 Tim. 2:3) That’s the living truth; we’ve got to stand up and fight the battles that come against us, all in the name of Jesus.
Meanwhile, the author of Hebrews puts it thus: ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)’ (Heb. 10:23) And Bruh Paul also stated that fact, first to the church at Corinth: ‘God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor. 1:9) And then to the Thessalonians: ‘But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish (establish) you, and keep you from evil (the evil one).’ (2 Thess. 3:3)
That means we can faithfully trust our Triune God to look after us and keep us safe when the storms of life revolt against us. Remember what Jesus said to the stormy waves and howling winds on the sea of Galilee? ‘Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.’ (Mark 4:39) So, if He can calm the real physical storm, why won’t He be able to calm our metaphorical ones eh? No reason whatsoever!
Now, let’s go straight to the throne of grace for help, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn as we’ve been instructed to do. 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!’
So, it’s obvious from our prayer that there are certain things we need to do to get divine aid. We know them…so please let’s do them nuh! Much LOVE!
…in a world beset by darkness and evil…Jesus is the ONLY ONE who can overcome them…with His Light and LOVE…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
14 May 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be careful for nothing, break our resolve, bring backsliders back to your fold, confusion and havoc of Covid 19, drown out all anxiety and worry, embrace your love and compassion, evil tentacles, faithful believers, Friday chant, friendship, fruit of the Spirit, gospel truth, in everything by prayer and supplication, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, LOVE, not a bed of roses, omnipotent help, passeth all understanding, practicing what I preach, praise is the hardest thing of all, put up a good fight, racial strife, read your Bible, rest from my sorrow, restoring faith in you, set them free, setting good examples, stand strong and live for Jesus, take the tests over and over, thanksgiving, the after-effects of covid, The Hardest Thing, the living truth, the peace of God, this sinful world, unexpected storm, victorious saints, wake up and smell the coffee, water in the wilderness, wise guidance
Philippians 4:7. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
So what’s up this Friday morning friends? I guess some of us are hard at work, while others are drifting around, suffering from the after-effects of covid. But please, please, my people, whatever we do, or whatever ‘sufferation’ we’re currently going through, let’s not allow covid and its evil tentacles to break our resolve to stand strong and live this life for Jesus!
We need to put up a good fight against it, and we can only do so if we have Jesus in our corner. The world is fighting a tough battle with several things at the same time, but as believers in Christ, sanctified as His church, we are ever so privileged to have Him battle alongside us with a faithful promise of eventual victory!
But to gain that victory, we have to do our part in the partnership, that’s read and meditate on His word, keep His commandments, and spread LOVE and the other eight fruit of the Spirit all around us, so that others will want to join our band of strong, powerful and victorious saints. Only when others see us standing strong, being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, shining forth like a beacon set on a hill, despite the trials and tribulations we’re facing, will they ever contemplate coming to Jesus and getting some of that same peace, LOVE, friendship and gospel truth to set them free from this sinful the world.
And I believe that this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, can help us stand up strong this Friday. It is called ‘The Hardest Thing.’ So please read with me: ‘O God In these crisis days Of piercing pain And emotional fatigue Do a brand new thing in me. Give me water in the wilderness And streams in my desert. You have promised to be my God Through all my lifetime. Surely You will keep Your word! As You promised Give me rest from my sorrow And from my fear and from the bondage that binds me. One thing more, dear Lord: Enable me to praise you When to praise Is the hardest thing of all.’
And isn’t that the living truth? We need to praise the Lord even when times are tough and we don’t feel like doing it, or just can’t get up the wherewithal to do it. It’s the number one thing in our living for God; praising and glorifying Him. As Bruh Paul so wisely wrote to the church at Philippi: ‘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)
Ah mih people, it’s only when we go to God in prayer and pour out our hearts to Him, while offering up thanks and praise at the same time, that the wonderful peace of God will come into our souls, and drown out all the anxiety and worry that’s permeating them. Our circumstances may not necessarily change, but we will be better able to handle them. And that’s what Jesus promises. With Him living and working in us, we are enabled to handle the world and its sinful and evil ways with a peaceful and quiet mind and spirit. Now isn’t that something wonderful to aspire to?
I certainly think so, and I have the peace of mind to prove it. No, my life is not a bed of roses, in fact because I am considered a teacher of the word, I am tested more than the normal person, to see if I’m adhering to, or practicing what I preach. (smile) And some days, before I’m even finished writing the Bit, I have to chuckle because the Lord will throw up something I’ve just written about and test me with it. Sometimes I pass the test…sometimes I don’t. But the Lord knows the state of my heart and helps me to come up higher in the tests I fail. And as Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say, with God, there are no downgrades, but you do keep getting to take those tests over and over until you pass them.
Now here is the Bible Promise attached to our poem. It comes from Jeremiah, as he talks about the restoration of Israel. ‘Then shall the virgin (maidens) rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together (as well): for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.’ (Jer. 31:13) Now isn’t that a mighty encouraging scripture? But of course! It’s one of the many promises our God has made if we are obedient to His word. And I’m sure we’ll all agree that that situation isn’t currently happening in our world to the extent needed, so no wonder our world is in constant upheaval.
But if we want peace and understanding to flourish in our time, we need to turn to God in prayer and thanksgiving. And my brethren, there’s no better time to do that than right now. So let’s offer up our Friday Chant in all sincerity and sense of purpose nuh. ‘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 the racial strife is 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!’
The next step my fellow saints, is for us to begin acting like faithful believers and setting good examples. Much LOVE!
…the only way to find true peace…read your Bibles…pray and give thanks…every day…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
26 Dec 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sense of pride, against the knowledge of God, Anself, aspires to inspire us, Boxing Day, bringing every thought, can change the future, Casting down imaginations, Christ has conquered hell death and the grave, Christ's comforting arms, chruch attendane, committed obedience to Christ's teachings, every high thing, find it hard to forgive ourselves, for a better tomorrow, giving thanks for all things, I allow them, in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, is the evil thereof, making melody in your heart to god, memorizing Scriptures, negative thoughts, no amount of guilt can change the past, no amount of worrying, obeying the Covid rules, one one cocoa full basket, only have the power, Ontario lockdown, positive affirmation, praise the Lord for the gift of Christ, regular study and meditation, rejoice and give thanks, setting new records, speaking to yourselves, suffer the undesirable consequences, suffering sinners, sufficient unto the day, take therefore no thought for tomorrow, that exalteth itself, The Christmas season, the control centre of your life, the living truth, the mind is the battlefield, the spiritual war, to make small steps toward big goals, to the obedience of Christ, tomorrow shall take care of itself, we only awesome in Jesus, Ye cannot serve God and mammon, your attitude
2 Corinthians 10:5. Casting down imaginations (arguments), and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought to the obedience of Christ.
And so, most of the excitement is over now…Chuh! I don’t know why as soon as Christmas day is over people seem to think that the Christmas season done nuh, and they stop playing Christmas music, because it isn’t. It lasts from the beginning of Advent, long before the actual day till into the New Year. Remember is a season. And nobody takes down their Christmas trees before January 7thor thereabouts. So if yuh Christmas tree still up then, that means is still the Christmas season, so you suppose to rejoice and give thanks and praise the Lord for the gift of Christ. (smile)
Anyhow, today is Boxing Day, and the Province of Ontario lockdown tighter than ah don’t know what. For sure there’ll be none of the usual Boxing Day sales. Well if yuh can’t behave yuhself when the going is good, then you obviously going to suffer the undesirable consequences!
And that’s exactly what’s been happening here in Ontario; people haven’t been obeying the Covid rules and the cases have been mushrooming, setting new records almost every day, so something had to give. Hope that now all the Christmas festivities sort of over, people will wake up and realize that unless we take serious precautions this virus will become increasingly virulent. But who knows what people will do eh?
Anyway, it’s also Saturday, so let’s check out some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week nuh, as he aspires to inspire us for a brighter tomorrow. And the preface business still running. ‘Positive affirmation you should tell yourself to remind yourself just how awesome you are.’ And as always, I’ll remind us to remind ourselves that we only awesome when we in Jesus, and He’s in us!
And the first quote is this: ‘Negative thoughts only have the power I allow them.’ And that’s the gospel truth, for since Christ has conquered hell, death and the grave, NOTHING negative, even the devil, has any power over us, unless we allow it. And as per negative thoughts, Bruh Paul reminds us that we should be about ‘Casting down imaginations (arguments), and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought to the obedience of Christ.’ (2 Cor. 10:5)
Yes friends, we need to be careful what thoughts we allow to exist in our minds, because the mind is the battlefield of the spiritual war in which we’re engaged. And how do we keep control of our thoughts? One website puts it thus: ‘The word of Christ should dwell in you richly. This can be accomplished by regular study and meditation in the Bible, by memorizing Scriptures, by church attendance, and through committed obedience to Christ’s teachings. It also says to teach and admonish.’
As Bruh Paul said to the Ephesians: ‘Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph. 5:19-21) Those are some of the ways we can keep our thoughts and minds strong and reject the negative stuff that’s ever so quick to jump in there.
And the next quote tells us: ‘To make small steps toward big goals is progress.’ Now that’s no lie, for life itself usually goes in small steps, and there aren’t many times when big things happen suddenly as big things, but they mostly grow from small things until they get big. As mih Jamaican people say, ‘one one cocoa full basket.’
And that’s the living truth. You can only put one cocoa in the basket at time, thus we ought to esteem the small things in our lives, because put together, they can grow to big things. Like the mighty oak tree that grows from a small acorn – but it takes a long time to become mighty, doing so in small steps.
Then we come to this: ‘No amount of guilt can change the past, and no amount of worrying can change the future.’ And isn’t that the indisputable truth. Yet we keep on allowing the guilt of our past to hamper our present and future and allow worry for the future to disrupt our present. That’s foolish my people!
Once we have come to Christ and asked for forgiveness for our past wrongs, they were forgiven, so there’s no need to keep letting that guilt attack our souls and spirits. The problem there is that we find it hard to forgive ourselves, and that’s possibly a sense of pride. For if Almighty God has forgiven us, who are we not forgive ourselves eh? We’re just saying there that we don’t really believe and trust God’s forgiveness.
And as per worrying about the future, Jesus said it loud and clear in His Sermon on the Mount: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow (therefore 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. 6:34)
Ah friends, every day has its own problems, more than enough, so there’s no need to take any from one and put it on the other. We just need to try and live ONE DAY at a time and not get too far ahead of ourselves, for life takes pleasure in gumming up the works if we try to be too smart. (smile)
And our last quote says: ‘The control center of your life is your attitude.’ Now that certainly rings true! Our attitude controls our thoughts and actions. If we have a good attitude, then invariably we have good thoughts and actions. The opposite is also true. If our attitude is bad, then most likely bad thoughts and actions will predominate. And where do we get those polar opposite attitudes from eh? From the two options available to us in this world.
As Jesus said: ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to (be loyal to) the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (earthly riches).’ (Matt. 6:24) And there’s no disputing that! You can’t serve God and the devil at the same time. You have to make a choice. And depending on that choice, you will adopt a certain attitude.
If you choose Jesus, then your attitude will be predominantly good. But if you choose to serve Beelzebub, then your attitude will be predominantly evil! So it’s up to each of us to choose to whom we will bow, but bow to somebody, we must. Let’s hope that most, no, ALL of us choose to serve the One and Only Saviour of our fallen world; JESUS CHRIST! Then, good attitudes will predominate in our world. Much LOVE!
…oh…why is it so hard to get suffering sinners…to come to Christ’s comforting arms eh…
06 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a joyful and abundant life, Albert Camus, an active act or expectation, an invincible calm, an invincible love, an invincible smile, an invincible summer, another comforter, baptized with the Holy ghost, believers in Christ, Celia Davidson Francis, changed for the better, Day of Pentecost, hearing, I am the beloved of god, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, I shall pray the Father, I will not leave you comfortless, if ye love me, in god's eyes, in the midst of chaos, In the midst of hate, in the midst of tears, in the midst of winter, Jean and Dinah, John baptized with water, keep my commandments, lead and guide into all righteousness, let's be upbeat, let's rejoice in it, listen to the Holy Spirit, listening, live godly and rightesous, LOVE, no matter how hard the world pushes, no one can take that from me, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, obey, pushing right back, rejoice, shall hear a word behind thee, share His love with the world, Sparrow's famous kaiso, strong and steadfast, the living truth, the New Covenant, the Spirit of truth, the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, there was within me, there's something stronger, thine ears, this is the day the Lord has made, this is the way, tough people do, tough times don't last, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, walk the straight and narrow path, walk ye in it, we have to activate it, when ye turn to the left, when ye turn to the right hand, with the coming of Jesus, within me
Isaiah 30:21. And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
Wow! It’s Tuesday already? Yes mih bredrin, Monday done, and Tuesday take over now! Reminds me of Sparrow’s famous kaiso – Jean and Dinah – ‘The Yankees gone, and Sparrow take over now.’ So we have to forget Monday and concentrate on Tuesday, because we can only live one day at a time, for that’s all we get, all the Lord’s given us; one day at a time. So let’s be upbeat as we declare that this is the day the Lord has given us, and then let’s rejoice in it, because it’s been given to us by the Lord for that exact purpose!
Yeh, it might be a li’l confusing, but you know what I mean. (smile) Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice! That’s what the people of God do, for they have seen the light in the darkness, and that light, that bright, shining light, whose name is Jesus, is oh so good! Give Him thanks and praise my people!
Now here’s an interesting quote that the Director of Alumni Relations of the University of the West Indies, Celia Davidson Francis, recently shared in her news update, as an encouragement to us all in these trying times. It comes from the work of the French-Algerian, author, journalist and philosopher, Albert Camus (1913-1960).
He said: “In the midst of hate, I found, there was within me, an invincible LOVE. In the midst of tears, I found, there was within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found, there was within me, and invincible calm. I realized, through it all, that in the midst of winter, I found, there was within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”
And that’s the living truth my people! We all have that little space within us that’s been set there by our Creator, that can come up strong when things get tough. The only problem is that we have to activate it for it to come to life and help us stand strong and push back at our enemies. And for us believers in Christ Jesus, it’s His Holy Spirit that helps us activate that push back. But again, we have to listen to the prodding and pushing and pleading of the Holy Spirit, as it leads and guides us, else nothing positive will happen.
And my fellow believers, do we ever need the wisdom and advice of the Holy Spirit in these turbulent times to help us be strong and steadfast and walk the straight and narrow path as we ought. And we can outlast these tough times by listening to the Holy Spirit that dwells within each one of us. That’s why Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) could say without any hesitation: ‘tough times don’t last, but tough people do.’ That’s because the Holy Spirit of God enables us to be tough and withstand the tough times.
And do I ever get a high from, and have to chuckle at the mysterious ways and the faithfulness of our wonderful God! Yeh friends, I just decided to stop and look for a scripture to corroborate what I’ve been saying, so I turned to the opened Good Book next to me. I hadn’t looked at it before, just saw that it had opened at Isaiah when I opened it earlier. And lo, and behold, what do you think I espied with my own two little eyes eh? (smile) This most amazing and encouraging verse that so deftly describes the actions of the Holy Spirit in our lives. ‘And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ (Is. 30:21)
Oh my people, that’s what Isaiah said to the Israelites many moons ago when he appealed to them to turn to the Lord for help. But thankfully that has all changed for the better, because with the coming of Jesus and the New Covenant, each and every believer, as soon as they accept Christ as Lord and Saviour receives the Holy Ghost as well, who comes to dwell within them to lead and guide them into all righteousness!
Glory be mih people! How blessed are we to have the Holy Spirit of God Himself dwelling within us, showing us the way to live a godly and righteous, a joyful and abundant life! Mama Yo! We couldn’t ask for anything more or anything better! Our big problem though is that we don’t listen, and/or we don’t hear.
Now listening and hearing are two entirely different things. The first means an active act or expectation of hearing something at some time or other. It’s like faith, so we’re paying attention, waiting with great expectation. Meanwhile, hearing is basically anything and everything that’s going through our ear-waves, stuff that we’re not necessarily expecting or paying particular attention to, stuff that we can ignore or do with as we please. However, as believers, we are supposed to listen to, to expect that still, small voice that’s the Holy Spirit to talk to us, to lead and guide us in the way we should go.
Now too many of us don’t listen for that still small voice, or if we do, when we hear it, we ignore it’s advice. So what else can we expect but unwise doings then eh? Remember Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit to the disciples? ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.’ (John 14:15-17)
And Jesus did fulfill that promise at the first day of Pentecost after He ascended back to heaven. That day all the disciples were sitting together in a room ready to enjoy the feast day; ‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:2-4)
Oh mih people, what a glorious day that was; the day when believers were first baptized with the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised in Acts 1:5. ‘For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ And from that day onwards, all believers receive the Holy Ghost to indwell them, when they accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour! What a magnanimous and magnificent Deity we serve and worship my brethren!
So let’s go home now letting all and sundry know who we are, and to whom we belong, by declaring (awrightttt!) our Tuesday Mantra. In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘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 the world. Amen!’
It now behooves us to go out and show that trust and spread that wonderful LOVE with those who don’t know Christ. Much LOVE!
…you can’t hear…if you don’t listen…and you can’t be successful…if you don’t obey…
18 Aug 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a death cloud, a spirit of fear, brilliant deduction, dr robert h schuller, fabricated a terrifying ghost, fear not, fearless hearts, God is not the inventor of fear, God's peace, gospel truth, Gramps Schuller, hurry, I am the beloved of god, I am the Lord your God, I the Lord thy God, I will help thee, in god's eyes, indescribable peace, it's our own fault, joint pains, let not your heart be troubled, like a deer in the headlights, my peace I give unto you, not like the world giveth, not loving perfectly, not what I have, not who I am, of power love and a sound mind, our trembling world is so frightened, pain pills, painful effects, pandemic, Peace i leave with you, perfect love has no fear, positive promises of God, preponderance of pain, racial protests, saying unto thee, share His love with the world, spiritual therapy, stand strong in the Lord, steadfastness, strong voice, studying the Word, take God's promises in vain, the Holy One of Israel, the joy of living, the living truth, thou worm Jacob, thy Redeemer, trust, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, whether you do or don't do, will hold thy right hand, worry
Isaiah 41:13. For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
Aye mih people, the last couple of days been pretty rough on the ole fella. Yeh, the joint pains and them just been disgusting, and the pain pills and them not helping all that much either! And the sad part is that I don’t remember doing anything to exacerbate them to that extent. But on further ‘ponderation,’ I’m beginning to think that that’s the very reason for the preponderance of my recent pain: I haven’t done anything, meaning like exercise.
It certainly seems like whether you do, or don’t do, the same painful effects follow. Our bodies are certainly wonderfully made yes! (smile) But enough of my complaining, I should realize by now that the process of aging includes the preponderance of pain! Wow! What a brilliant deduction! (smile)
But here’s another brilliant deduction, this time from someone from whom we haven’t heard for a long time; one of the foundation stones of our Bit. We talking about Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) And from His Hour of Power Devotional he enlightens us on ‘God’s Peace.’
‘We take God’s promises in vain. No wonder our trembling world is so frightened!’ And isn’t that the living truth! That was written way back in at least 2004. Can you imagine what He would say if he was alive to see how frightened and panicked we are today over the pandemic and racial protests situations?
But listen to how he continues: ‘Let’s have an honest understanding. God is not the inventor of fear. He is not responsible for our worry, fear, and anxiety. It’s our own fault. If we took God’s promises seriously, we would mount up with wings like eagles, run and not be weary, walk and never faint.’ (Is. 40:31)
Now that lines up very nicely with Bruh Paul’s revelation to Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) So what does that mean eh? Simple; when we feel fear, especially the kind that just seems to trap us in an immovable position, like a deer in the headlights, then that situation is not of God but of our enemy, the devil.
And Gramps Schuller uses the example of a man who goes to bed fearing he won’t be able to fall asleep, and that will lead to lack of energy on his job, which will further lead to mind problems; he’ll crack up. And there goes his career! ‘So his imagination works overtime and before he knows it, he has fabricated a terrifying ghost that haunts his mind, and robs him of the joy of living!’
And don’t we do that sort of thing all the time my brethren? We certainly do! We imagine all sorts of problems that could crop up, but in reality will not, and then we give ourselves unnecessary headaches over them! And I like Gramps Schuller’s remedy for such situations. ‘What he needs is spiritual therapy!’ Mama Yo! Now isn’t that the gospel truth? It certainly is!
‘Let him read some of God’s wonderful promises of peace and LOVE and power and in quietness of mind he will rest in a natural sleep.’ Yes friends, that is exactly what we all need in these difficult and uncertain times, when the twin aspects of fear and panic are constantly hovering over our society like a storm, even a death cloud.
Gramps Schuller recommends this solution. ‘Quietly, gently, tenderly, let the promise of God fall softly and sweetly into your tense, tight mind.’ Then he quotes salient parts of these wonderful scriptures. I will give us the full scriptures though. ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Is. 26:3) “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)
The last quote of Gramps Schuller was simply “I am the Lord your God.’ However there are so many passages of scripture with those words attached to them, that I am not sure which one he meant; possibly all of them. (smile) I will quote this one though that seems appropriate to our current topics of fear and peace.
Hear what our great and wonderful, merciful and gracious God says through the prophet Isaiah. ‘For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.’ (Is.41:13-14)
Oh precious saints of Christ, what more must out God do to receive our sincere trust, faith and surrender eh? He’s given us so many wonderful promises in His holy Word, it’s now our duty to accept them and hold on to them and use them in a positive manner. But hear how Gramps Schuller ends this devotion nuh. ‘Reach for your Bible, friend, and underline the positive promises of God and trust them. Indescribable peace is bound to follow!’
And that I can personally testify to! So can many of you. But the problem persists: we don’t read our Bibles enough, and don’t hold on as securely to the promises found there as we ought to! We let the devil and the world infiltrate our thoughts with their fear and other nonsense too much, that’s why our minds are so uncertain and fearful when troubles come.
And my people, right now troubles are coming a mile a minute, so we need that peace, steadfastness, and trust, so we can stand strong in the Lord! That means much more of reading and studying the Word, and accepting it and living it! That’s the only way we’ll ever find peace in these trying times.
Now let’s go home declaring (yeahh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know who and whose we are. In strong voice, with sincere and fearless hearts: ‘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 the world. Amen!’
So let’s go out and do just that nuh; be the salt of the earth, rise on wings like eagles, be the light of the world! Much LOVE!
…if perfect LOVE has no fear…and we have fear…that means we’re not LOVING perfectly…
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