04 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a desire for sincere intimacy, a God full of compassion, a life-saving choice, a rebellious people, a serious warning, a waste of life, a word to the wise is sufficient, abnormal weather, all should come to repentance, all to smithereens, an example to us, as some men count slackness, blessed are all they that wait for him, blessing and cursing, boosts our souls and spirits, both thou and thy seed may live, breaks God's heart, choose life, chosen to embrace Satan's evil ways, continue unchanged, deepen my breath, delivered my soul from the depths of hell, Dr. Charles Stanley, end up in unwise situations, eternal separation, faith, from the beginning of time, get you out of the way, God is not willing that any should perish, God's righteous desires, gracious, great is thy mercy, greater intimacy with God, hell fire and damnation, holy spirit, how should we then live, human creations have turned against God, I call heaven and earth, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, I marvel to think, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, increase my awareness of you today, Israel paid harsh consequences for disobedience, Jesus Christ, laze around, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, leave all the consequences to Him, life challenging predicament, longsuffering, LOVE, lying children, may be gracious unto you, mercy, obedience and faithfulness to God, obey God, one of the reasons God created us, our children don't follow our guidelines, our transgressions and sins be upon us, pateince, pay harsh consequences for rebellious choices, personal experience, pine away, plenteous in mercy and truth, prophesy deceits, prophesy not unto us right things, quiet my soul, rebellious times, reconcile the situation, relax my muscles, right to the very end, salvation, say to the seers see not, set before you life and death, slow my thoughts, Son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, speak unto us smooth things, thank you for this tenderness, that choice also impacts us today, the Holy One of Israel, the Lord is a God of justice, the Lord is longsuffering to us-ward, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, the Lord will be exalted, the wicked turn from his way and live, therefore will the Lord wait, to cease from before us, to witness this day against you, truth, turn aside out of the path, turn ye from your evil ways, wallowing in Satan's evil mire, warms the cockles of God's heart, why will ye die, will not hear the law of the Lord, wisdom, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Isaiah 30:9. That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord:
Wow! Another sparkling, warm, beautiful summer-like day in early October. And it’s our lazy-day Saturday to boot! What bliss! (smile) We can even laze around outside at this time of year, if we so desire. And I do hope we give much thanks for this wonderful, but certainly abnormal weather, we are currently enjoying, for it’s eventually going to end. Anyhow, to aid in our lazing around, (smile) let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with heartfelt sincerity and truth.
As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Ah friends, there’s nothing like attaining greater intimacy with our LOVING God, for it not only boosts our souls and spirits, but it also warms the cockles of God’s heart, since a desire for sincere intimacy with us is one of the reasons He created us. And in these rebellious times, when so many of His human creations are turning, and have turned against Him, it just breaks His poor heart all to smithereens, because it means we have chosen to embrace His enemy, Satan’s evil ways, rather than His righteous and godly desires.
It’s just like how we end up with broken hearts when our children don’t follow our guidelines and end up in unwise situations totally opposite to what we desire for them. And I’m sure that when the Lord looks around and sees so many of His human creation following Beelzebub, wallowing in his evil mire, that it not only breaks His heart, but it keeps Him from sending Jesus back to earth, for He just cannot stand to lose so many of His creation to hell fire and damnation, and eternal separation from Himself.
It’s like Peter says: ‘The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet.3:9) Yes my people, the Lord certainly doesn’t want any of His human creation to perish, but that all of them should trust in Him and thus receive salvation and eternal life in His glorious company.
And there are several scriptures that attest to the sentiments in that verse, like these from Psalm 86 God’s Readiness to Forgive – where Bruh David writes: ‘For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest (depths of) hell (Sheol)…But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.’ (Ps. 86:13, 15) And those have been the wonderful attributes of our marvellous God from the beginning of time, and will continue unchanged right to the very end!
Now listen to Isaiah, as he talks about God’s graciousness and mercy towards a rebellious Israel. ‘And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you, for the Lord is a God of judgement (justice): blessed are all they that wait for him.’ (Is. 30:18) And that’s no lie friends! Our God is indeed filled with patience, as so many of us know from personal experience, because He waited so long for us to wake up and turn to Him for healing, salvation and eternal life. (smile)
Then there’s this interesting scripture from the prophet Ezekiel, as he talks to his people about turning from their evil ways. The Lord commands him: ‘Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine (waste) away in them, how should we then live? Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?’ (Ezek. 33:10-11)
And my brethren, that’s the very question the Lord’s asking us today…why will we die, why won’t we turn from our evil ways and live? Dying in our evil ways is simply a waste of life! It’s like Moses said to the Israelites so long ago. ‘I call heaven and earth to record (witness) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut. 30:19)
It’s all so simple friends; God offers us two paths; life or death, blessings or curses. And he urges us to choose life with blessings, which entails obedience and faithfulness to God. And it was such an important moment, such a life-saving choice that Moses called both heaven and earth to witness it and the resulting consequences from that choice. Now what we have to remember is that choice did not only impact that generation, but also their descendants and those who choose to follow God, which also includes us in this twenty-first century.
Ah my fellow believers, there’s not much more to say on the subject, except these words from the Lord to the prophet Isaiah, re the rebellious people of Israel, words that resonate very well and very loudly in these evil and ungodly times. ‘Now go, write it before them in a table (on a tablet), and note it in a book (on a scroll), that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.’ (Is. 30:8-11)
The Lord knew why he had Isaiah write those words, as an example, a serious warning for us. But just like Israel, we’re content to ignore them and go our merry way rejoicing, living our evil and ungodly lifestyles. But just like Israel paid harsh consequences for their disobedience, so will we also pay harsh consequences for our rebellious choices. The only way to reconcile the situation is by doing as Uncle Charles (the late Dr. Charles Stanley) liked to say; ‘Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.’ And that’s the ONLY way we will ever get out of our current, life challenging predicament. Much LOVE!
… a word to the wise is sufficient…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
11 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, according to his labour, alive and kicking, all should come to repentance, another beautiful summer's day, another blessed day on Planet Earth, as your word goes forth, because of your love, blessed with a strong will, blessed with God's supernatural widom, both he that sows and he that reaps may rejoice together, bringing lost souls to christ, but God gave the increase, but the labourers are few, clear direction for my life, courage, creativit, curse, dissensions, divisions, duty bound, enmity within the church, envying, evangelists, everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed, faith, gathereth fruit unto eternal life, go before them, God's building, God's husbandy, he that planteth and he that watereth are one, he that reaps receives wages, headed straight for hellfire and damnation, holy spirit, I am of Apollos, I am of Paul, I have meat to eat that ye know not of, I have planted and Apollos watered, I pray amny will put their trust in Christ, in the name of Jesus, infighting, Jesus Christ, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, labourers together with God, lift up your eyes, look unto the field, LOVE, make their work fruitful, mercy, missionaries, my meat is to do the will of him who sent me, negative word, not willing that any should perish, one soweth and another reapeth, others can come to know and love Christ like we do, pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, Prayer Cards from IN Touch Ministries, preachers, protect them from danger wherever they serve, receive eternal life, receive his own reward, revelling in carnality, salvation, Satan has a stranglehold on our world, self-control, self-discipline, send forth labourers into his harvest, so many need to hear the gospel, sow the seed of the gospel, speak unto you as unto spiritual but as unto carnal, strife, talent, thank you for your great mercy that saves us, Thank You Lord, the Christian's basic job, the harvest of unsaved souls, the harvest truly is great, the Lord is longsuffering to us-ward, the penultimate day of the work week, the saving word of God, there's still time to reach them, to go out and share those blessings, touch hearts to answer your call, truth, walk as men, white already to harvest, wisdom
Luke 10:2. The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
Then it was Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week. And brother has this week gone by quickly! I guess when you’re having fun and/or busy, the days pass by without you truly noticing them. Anyway, it’s another beautiful summer’s day in my neck of the woods, and you will not hear me complain, because I’m alive and kicking to enjoy it! Thank You Lord for another blessed day on Planet Earth!
And today we’re going to check out one of the Prayer Cards recently issued by the In Touch Ministry, this one deals with ‘Missionaries.’ So please pray with me: ‘Father, so many need to hear the gospel. Thank You that because of Your LOVE, there’s still time to reach them. Please send more workers into the field. Touch hearts to answer Your call as missionaries, preachers, and evangelists. Go before them and make their work fruitful. Protect them from danger wherever they serve. As Your Word goes forth, I pray many will put their faith in the Lord Jesus and receive eternal life. Thank You for Your great mercy that saves us. Amen!’
Yes friends, the world indeed needs many more people to go forth and spread the saving Word of God, otherwise too many will be headed straight for hellfire and damnation with Satan. And remember what Peter says: ‘the Lord is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet. 3:9b). And that’s possibly one of the reasons Jesus has not yet returned to take His people home: the Lord’s giving us time to get out there and bring more people to repentance.
But we need many more people; missionaries, preachers, evangelists, whosoever, to get out into the field and spread the Word of God, the good news of the gospel of Christ. For as Jesus said when he sent forth seventy disciples into the field to preach the Word: ‘The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.’ (Luke 10:2) Now that’s the scripture that our prayer above was based on, and it’s a real problem in these evil and ungodly times, because, for whatever reason, many Christians are not interested in going into the world and preaching the Word of God.
And Jesus again made reference to the importance of believers spreading the gospel, when at one juncture, the disciples encouraged Him to eat something. ‘But he said unto them, I have meat (food) to eat that ye know not of. Therefore said the disciples one to another, hath any man brought him ought (anything) to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat (food) is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest?
behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look unto the field; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured and ye are entered into their labours.’ (John 4:32-38)
Oh my fellow believers the harvest of unsaved souls is very large out there and it takes both those who sow the seed of the gospel and those who reap the harvest by continually preaching the word in encouragement. It’s like Bruh Paul admonished the Corinthians when they were arguing about whom they believed in, Paul or Apollos.
‘And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat (solid food): for hitherto (until now) ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions (dissensions), are ye not carnal (fleshly), and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?’ (1 Cor. 3:1-4)
And unfortunately friends, Christ’s church is still like that; divided and revelling in carnality much more than true spirituality. So how can we ever truly get going to spread Christ’s gospel when there’s so much infighting and enmity within the so-called church eh? It’s impossible! That’s why Satan has such a strangle hold on the world and our society!
Then Bruh Paul continues his admonition thus: ‘Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but minsters by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together (fellow workers) with God: ye are God’s husbandry (field), ye are God’s building.’ (1 Cor. 3:5-9)
And the long and short of the story my fellow believers is that we are all God’s fellow workers. We work together under the auspices of the Lord God Almighty, and none of us is greater than the other. We do different jobs, but it’s the Lord himself who provides the increase! Please let’s remember that and try to minimize the envy and jealousy and divisiveness that still engulfs the church. Otherwise we will not be able to do a good job of bringing lost souls to Christ, which is one of our most important roles here on earth..
And the Lord’s so wonderful that He’s generously bestowed on us undeserved blessings to enable us to do that earthly work. We call them our Thursday blessings. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (awright!!!) we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…spreading the gospel of Christ…in both word and deed…is the Christian’s basic job…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sad blot on our efforts, a vision of the universe, all should come to repentance, anxisety, avenues of encouragement, backsliders, be responsible, Bible, can never repay our debt to Jesus, carnal lusts, christianity, Christmas all year round, come as a thief in the night, come together in peace and harmony, confusion, damnation, die trying, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, dreams, drive our motivations, enlightened times, error of their ways, faith, food, Friday chant, fulfilling the mandate, God-given dreams, good will to all mankind, have our houses in order, hellfire, holy spirit, it's been a good time, it's not always necessary to preach with words, Jesus Christ, joy, joyful greetings, light, living the life we talk, lost the world to the evil one, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, make a worthwhile effort, making disciples, mercy, negative emotions, not willing that any should perish, of all nations, omnipotent help, our sinful world, peace, problems are escalating, rejuvenate, salt, salvation, sharing gifts, simmering unrest, sincere witness, smiles, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, sufferation, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the courage of Christ, the day of the Lord, the generation that gave up, the goodness of God, the Great Commission, the Lord is longsuffering to us-ward, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, the LOVE of Jesus, the now dormant, the rapture of the church, the throne of grace, to do Christ's bidding, to turn our evil world around, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, ungodliness, ungodly times, visions, wake up and smell the coffee, wiles'lies, wisdom, wise guidance, with the state of our own lives, witnessed through our lives
2 Peter 3:9b. The Lord is …longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
And then it was Friday, and in this most joyful season of Christmas, the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ rise up to heaven with more than the usual thankfulness. Some of us had to be back at work today, following the public holidays of Christmas and Boxing days, while some are blessed to be off for the entire time from Wednesday to Monday. But whatever your situation, let’s hope that it’s been a good time, and continues to be such, with peace, joy, LOVE and good will to all mankind, as the Lord desires.
Christmas is the one time of the year that we drop some of our negative emotions and sort of come together in peace and harmony. That leads me to wish that we could have Christmas all year round, celebrate Christ’s birth throughout the entire year. (smile) I can see it in my mind’s eye! What a time of joy and peace that would be! People coming together, all smiles and joyful greetings, sharing gifts and food and the LOVE of Jesus! Wow! It would certainly help to rejuvenate the now dormant LOVE Revolution!
Okay, so I’m just dreaming, but dreams and visions are what drive our motivations and help us get to where we want to go. The Lord began with a dream, a vison of the universe He desired to create, and then He acted on it, and here we are. Likewise, when we have God-given dreams and visions, we also need to act on them. And today, I hope that ALL believers in Christ Jesus would have the dream, the vision of ourselves getting up, losing our fears and embracing the courage of Christ, and thus becoming much better witnesses for our Lord and Saviour.
Remember what Peter tells us: ‘The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet. 3:9) Now that means the Lord doesn’t want any of His human creation to end up in hellfire and damnation with Beelzebub, and He’s been patiently waiting for us, Christ’s disciples to get out there and bring as many as possible, preferably ALL of mankind to repentance, and thus salvation.
But He won’t wait forever. And as Peter therefore reminds us: ‘But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.’ (2 Pet. 3:10) Yes friends, if we miss the friendly Rapture of the church, we had better have our houses in order by the time Jesus comes again with judgement, for after that there will be no chance whatsoever to turn things around.
That’s why we must get to our tasks of spreading the good news of Christ’s gospel right now, with as much fervour and zeal as we can muster. Oh my fellow believers, don’t you see the numerous number of mankind that are sadly falling for Satan’s wiles and lies, and are thus headed for hellfire and damnation with him. It’s a sad blot on our efforts, or lack thereof, that in these supposed enlightened times, so many people are openly and joyfully embracing the carnal lusts and ungodliness of the evil one.
We obviously are not fulfilling the mandate of the Great Commission, of going out to all parts of the world and teaching and making disciples for Christ of those nations. And the unfortunate thing is that there has never been a better or easier time, with all sorts of new avenues, books, radio, television, internet, etc., etc. to get the word out to the world. And yet, many still fall to the deceitful and evil schemes of the world, possibly having never heard of Jesus’ goodness and mercy, or having not seen enough LOVE and goodness as witnessed through our lives.
Yes my brethren, talk is cheap, but the true taste of discipleship is the way in which we live our lives! And so many of us are living lives that don’t live up to our talk, so how can we expect others to come to Jesus when we’re as resentful, unloving, unforgiving, and ungodly, just like them? It’s like the saying goes, most of the time we don’t have to preach with words, but with the state of our own lives. That’s what draws people to Christ; to see us living the life we talk.
And that’s where we’ve got to get better in these difficult and troubled times, for people are looking for serious avenues of encouragement and we have the best; that of belonging to, and living for Jesus! So let’s show it to the world nuh, let’s be the true salt and light that Jesus expects us to be. If not for our sakes, then for those of our children’s children, for I’m sure we don’t want any of those to fall for the foibles and deceits of Satan. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant seeking divine aid to turn our evil world around.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And friends, does our world ever need to wake up and see and smell the goodness of our great God. But they can only do it through our sincere witness. We certainly don’t want to be known as the generation that lost the world to the evil one. So let’s become the people that Jesus expects us to be nuh…for our sake, as well as His. He went through too much ‘sufferation’ on our behalf, for us not to make a worthwhile effort to do His bidding. Much LOVE!
…we can never repay our debt to Jesus…but we can surely die trying…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 Sep 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook on life, abundance, Bible, by grace ye are saved, Christ died for us, christianity, come unto the knowledge of truth, courage, created in christ Jesus unto good works, creativity, curse, dead in sins, do foolish things, eternally separated from God, faith, foible, frail, god, God commendeth his love for us, God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, he will rejoice over thee with joy, he will rest (quiet you) in his love, he will save, herein is love, in his kindness towards us through Christ, in the ages to come, Jesus Christ, Jesus' Second Coming, joy over thee with singing, lack of love, lest any man should boast, LOVE, loved thee with everlasting love, make mistakes, manifested the love of God, mercy, negative word, not of works, prosper and succeed, quickened us together with Christ, receive clear direction for my life, reconciliation, salvation, save our bacon, shew the exceeding riches of his grace, should not perish but have everlasting life, sit together in heavenly places, success, talent, the calamitous state of our world, the cross of Calvary, the end of the church age, the fiery end of the world, the gift of God, the greatest of these is love, the Lord God in the midst of thee is mighty, the Lord hath appeared. of old, the Lord is longsuffering to us-ward, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, the propitiation for our sins, to know God on a personal level, we are his workmanship, we ought also to love one another, while we were yet sinners, who will have all men to be saved, whosoever believeth in him, with loving-kindness have I drawn thee
Jeremiah 31:3. The Lord hath appeared of old (from afar) unto me, saying, Yea, I have LOVED thee with an everlasting LOVE: therefore with LOVING-kindness have I drawn thee.
Ah friends, that’s what happens when you have a late morning and a tired body; you get up late and thus all your well-planned and thought out activities also end being late. (smile) But that’s life! We’re human, very frail and foible, thus we makes mistakes and do foolish things. The wonderful thing though is that our Lord and Creator still adores, admires us and LOVES us no end! And even sent His One Son Jesus to die on the cross at Calvary so that we wouldn’t be lost to Him for all eternity!
Wow! What a wonderful God we serve my people! And just to remind and reassure us of that great LOVE of the Father, let’s look at a few Bible verses that show it in spades. Beginning with one of my favourites: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrates) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8)
Isn’t that marvellous my people! A God who shows His LOVE for His underserving and sinful creation by taking the lead in reconciliation. No other supposed God would ever do that! But our God, the One True God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is so confident and assured of Himself that He can do things like that.
Then there’s this other famous verse on the topic of God’s LOVE for mankind, spoken by none other than Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ while here on earth. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16)
Yes friends, if the Lord had not stepped in to save our bacon, we would all have been automatically consigned to hellfire and damnation because of our sinful and ungodly behaviour. But God’s LOVE for His awesome creation was so great, that although we certainly deserved eternal separation from Him, in all good conscience, He could not allow it to happen. As Bruh Paul says of God, to his protégé Timothy. ‘Who will (desires to) have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.’ (1 Tim. 2:4)
Meanwhile Peter puts it thus in his second epistle. ‘The Lord is not slack concerning his promise (re the end of the church age with Jesus’ second coming, and the eventual fiery destruction of the world), as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet. 3:9)
Yes my fellow believers, those words clearly signify that God desires salvation for all who will trust in Him and His Son Jesus Christ. And the scholars say that ‘Salvation here is equated with repentance.’ So we see again the high value that the Lord places on us being reconciled to Him and not being eternally separated, which is really the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul.
Even way back in the Old Testament God was forecasting salvation and healing for His people. Listen to this scripture from the prophet Zephaniah. ‘For the Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest (quiet you) in his LOVE, he will joy over thee with singing.’ (Zeph. 3:17) And what about this verse as Jeremiah reassures Israel of God’s everlasting LOVE. ‘The Lord hath appeared of old (from afar) unto me, saying, Yea, I have LOVED thee with an everlasting LOVE: therefore with LOVING-kindness have I drawn thee.’ (Jer. 31:3)
And this commentary very nicely explains that verse. ‘His LOVE for us will continue for all eternity. It never decreases or subsides. At all times, in all conditions, regardless of who we are or what we have done, God LOVES us. Moreover, the Lord is constantly drawing us to Himself that we might know Him on a personal level and experience the fullness of His LOVE for us.’ Mama Mia! How marvellous is that eh! God LOVING us so much that He’s constantly drawing us to Him on a personal level so that we can experience all that He truly is.
That brings us to this other magnificent scripture on God’s LOVE, this from the apostle John’s first epistle. ‘In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world , that we might live through him. Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that He LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:9-11)
And right there is the crux of our problem my fellow believers! God LOVES us and has shown it in numerous ways, but we are so hardhearted, cold and selfish, that we refuse to LOVE each other as God desires! And that’s why our world is in such a disastrous and calamitous state…the sad and sorry lack of LOVE!
Now here is the crowning glory of God’s LOVE as told by Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. ‘But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE, wherewith he LOVED us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us (made us alive) together with Christ, (by grace ye are (have been) saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace ye are (have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph. 2:4-10)
That says it all my fellow saints! All that we are from creation to the judgment day comes from the great LOVE of God towards His favourite creation. How can we not return that LOVE eh? Because we’re too full of ourselves and the nonsense that Satan and the world is filling up our heads with. And to further show God’s great LOVE for us, let’s go home now declaring (chuh man!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which He’s so generously bestowed on us to do his earthly work.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use those blessings just as generously for the benefit of others! Much LOVE!
…and now abideth faith, hope, LOVE…but the greatest of these is…LOVE…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cheerleader, a good mother, a quiet strength, a single mother, a steady anchor, all peaches and cream, anointed by God, Bible, calm assurance, care, caring ways, compassion, complain, each challenge, echo in my mind, encourage children, faith, god, God-like qualities, goodness, grace, guide me still today, Happy Mother's Day, honour thy mother and father, inspiration for your song, Janice Kapp Pery, Jesus, kindness, laid the foundation for my faith, live in my soul, LOVE, love of mothers, moments of despair, my mother's faith, My Mother's Love, my mother's voice, paid the price for disobedience, patience, perseverance, prayer, prayers of earnest pleading, the essence of her being, the greatest treasure, the Lord is longsuffering to us-ward, the power of her teachings, thy days may be long upon the land, timeless words of wisdom, tough times, turned me to God, whine, wisdom, worked her fingers to the bone
Exodus 20:12. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
And then it was Sunday once again… but one of those special Sundays in our calendar, namely Mother’s Day! Yes friends, today is the day we celebrate Mothers all over the world! The goodness, grace, care, compassion, kindness and LOVE of those amazing women who bear us in their wombs for nine long months, and keep on running their households, while also being out in the world working to bring home a pay cheque.
Women, in particular mothers, are a special breed of human beings who have been anointed by God to bear the young of the species, and believe me, that takes a lot of patience, perseverance and longsuffering, virtues that are also attributed to God. And they must have God-like qualities and strength to accomplish the monumental tasks they are expected to fulfil. The amazing thing is that many of these mothers bear their tough tasks without complaining, just go about their business, their lot in life without stirring up too much fuss.
But then again, like in every walk if life, there are others who whine and complain about everything. Nonetheless, the Lord said in the Ten major commandments He gave to the Israelites, and to all subsequent believers: ‘Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ (Ex. 20:12) So even if your mother or father wasn’t the greatest, it’s still your responsibility to honour them in a godly manner.
And we’re going to do that today for all mothers, by singing a special song, written in their honour by Janice Kapp Perry (born October 1, 1938), an American composer, songwriter, and author, who grew up in a very musical family. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), she has written over 3,000 songs. According to Janice Kapp Perry, she was thrilled when Mack Wilberg asked her to write a new Mother’s Day song.
‘And of course, you can only think of your own mother. If you had a good mother, she’s your inspiration for the song. My mother’s LOVE was the basis of everything good in my life. She was always there for me. My mother Ruth was a very enthusiastic person, energetic, she LOVED projects played in a dance band with their father, wrote musicals for the community. As far as her children were concerned, she was just a cheerleader. She LOVED everything they did. Made them feel like they could do things.’
And that my people is what mothers do; encourage their children, make them feel appreciated and able to fulfill every dream they have. So, having said all of that, let’s finally get around to singing this wonderful song titled ‘My Mother’s LOVE,’ in a slow, and soulful, rich and scintillating version of this hauntingly beautiful music as performed by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Singing: “My mother’s voice, the power of her teachings, Live in my soul and guide me still today. Her caring ways, her timeless words of wisdom Come forth to help me through each day. In each challenge, each choice, Above the world’s noise, I hear my mother’s voice. My mother’s faith, her prayers of earnest pleading, Turned me to God in moments of despair. Her calm assurance of His tender caring Taught me to turn to Him in prayer. Through my darkest of days, I reach to feel His grace. Such was my mother’s faith. My mother’s hands that lifted and protected, Those loving hands that soothed my fevered brow Were as a shield from every earthly trial,
And still, the memory helps me now. And my heart is aware, the strength that I now share Came from my mother’s hands. My mother’s voice will live in me forever. A steady anchor for my reaching soul, As generations climb the path together to sweet eternities untold. My mother’s LOVE, the essence of her being, Flows in and through me every waking hour. A quiet strength grew from her constant caring, A legacy of saving power. By her words and her touch, she strengthened me so much. I felt my mother’s LOVE… I felt my mother’s LOVE.”
Ah friends, I know for those of us who had good mothers, that’s the kind of upbringing we had. And I have to chuckle as I read the first lines of the song. ‘My mother’s voice, the power of her teachings, Live in my soul and guide me still today. Her caring ways, her timeless words of wisdom Come forth to help me through each day.’ And that’s the gospel truth. My mother Molly’s words, and the power of her teachings still echo in my mind everyday as I face this crazy world. And yuh know what, with age and understanding, today I appreciate her teachings and guidance more than I did when she first instilled them in me.
And being a single mother, I saw firsthand how she expended every effort for me to have a fairly decent life. We won’t rich… or even well-to-do, but we never lacked for anything, because she worked her fingers to the bone doing two jobs, or more like three, since after her full-time day job she would go down to the cinema and sell tickets for the afternoon show, come home, then go back and sell tickets for the evening show. And I’m talking about seventy years ago, long before the two jobs thing became a big deal.
But along with that I also had LOVE and a fair amount of freedom and independence, built on a strong foundation of responsibility. I could generally go where I wanted to, once I’d done my chores and left a note stating where I’d gone to. However, please don’t believe it was all peaches and cream, because I paid the price for disobedience. She wasn’t as cruel as some of my friends’ mothers, but I did feel her wrath a time or two. (smile) And her faith, her calm assurance and perseverance through all the tough times we faced, unknowingly laid the foundation for my strong faith today.
Obviously, I was in church every Sunday morning, and Sunday school every Sunday afternoon. I had no say in the matter. And even today I can feel the strength and joy in her living of life. For though it was sometimes rough, she always had a smile, and was kindness personified, she never complained, just encouraged me to always do my best. And no, she wasn’t a saint like we think of them, but simply a mother doing the best she could with what she had. And that’s what good mothers do! And it’s not only today we ought to celebrate them, but each and every day of the year, because that’s what they deserve! Much LOVE!
…a good mother is possibly the greatest treasure in this world…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
07 Jul 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, anxiety, be in a constant state of readiness, be not conformed to this world, be transformed by the renewing of your mind, bring Christ and His good news to the world, confusion, evil predominates, Friday chant, he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever, if any man love the world, introduce a new flock of believers, like a thief in the night, LOVE, love not the world, neither that things that are in the world, omnipotent help, our sinful world, rapture of the church, return backsliders to your fold, show them the error of their ways, simmering unrest, the duty of the Christian, the Lord is longsuffering to us-ward, the love of the Father is not in him, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the perfect will of God, the pride of life, the world passeth away, wake up and smell the coffee, we can do all things though Christ who strengthens us
1 John 2:15a. LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
Finally it’s Friday, and as always, the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ resonate around the world, possibly with a more grateful heart but less energy in North America after all the exuberant birthday celebrations of the last week. (smile) But now that the celebrations are over, it’s time to move on, move on seriously with wisdom and common sense, and return our world to a state of goodness and godliness without which we’ll just keep slithering down into the bowels of hell, for the evil that’s encumbering the world carries a heavy weight, and with each day that evil predominates, the weight increases.
And simple logic decrees that our world cannot withstand the ever-increasing weight of sin and evil forever. Now, we all know that it’s the duty of the Christian believer to bring Christ and His good news to the world, which unfortunately, we are not doing at a meaningful rate, thus evil and all its negative associates have become ever so prevalent.
But that negative and unalluring situation can certainly be forestalled, stopped in its deadly tracks, and our world turned around if we decide to get up and do the job we were placed in this time to do; that is be the salt of the earth and light of the world and show the unbelievers the immense value of knowing Christ and living exclusively for Him.
Now, yesterday we looked at some scriptures that offer encouragement and show us how to reverse the unwanted situation in which we find ourselves. Today, I want us to look at a few more scriptures that can also help in that monumental but oh so possible with Christ task. Remember, the first lesson we must learn and sincerely believe is that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! (Phil 4:13) That is the foundation of the whole process. If we don’t sincerely believe that, then we’re wasting our time trying to make a difference.
Then the next thing is a scripture we shared yesterday, where Bruh Paul warned the Romans. ‘Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.’ (Rom. 12:2) Oh friends, that’s another very important step we need to take in this turnaround situation. We need to stop thinking and acting like the world does, and behave like Christ wants us to.
Let’s also remember that time is of the utmost importance, for we don’t know when Christ is going to return, but whenever He does, we need to be ready, to have as many people as possible ready and waiting for His return, and right now that number is way too small. The Lord has waited, is still waiting for that number to increase, but His patience won’t last forever.
As Peter says: ‘The Lord is not slack concerning his promises, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief (robber) in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up,’ (2 Pet. 3:9-10)
That’s at the final judgement friends, not at the rapture of the church. However, we notice a couple things there; first that the Lord doesn’t want any of His creation to perish, thus He’s given them the choice of salvation, of trusting in Him, but we’ve got to get the word to them so they can receive it. Secondly, He’s holding back the day of reckoning so that as many people as possible can be saved, but one day Jesus will return for the rapture of the church, and one day He will return for the eventual judging of the world.
However, both those climactic events will take place without warning, like a thief in the night, therefore we need to be in a constant state of readiness for whenever it happens. And that’s something we need to make the unbelievers very aware of, time is oh so important, that there can be no hemming and hawing and long moments of thinking about being saved. But enough wandering, (smile) let’s get back to scriptures that will enable us to renew our minds, throw off the old man, our old conduct, and put on the new man, created in righteousness and true holiness (Eph. 4:22-24)
John, in his first epistle, puts it thus. ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interest), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
Now that’s something we need to pay much more attention to; the world and all therein, all the glitzy, glamourous things that are now holding our rapt attention pass away; but the things of Christ, and those who live for Him, don’t. They last forever. Now do we want to be amongst the things that pass away, or amongst those that live forever? That’s the question we all must answer on an individual basis, and let’s hope and pray that many, most of us will decide to live forever and then get out there into the fields that are white with a great harvest of unbelievers and begin harvesting them, as the Lord of the harvest, Jesus Christ has decreed we do!
Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, and lay our anxieties before our most merciful and gracious Creator. Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the confusion and anxiety caused by the pandemic and our many other serious problems. We can’t fix them on our own Lord, so 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 the simmering unrest in our land. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, without further serious setbacks. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to 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. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic, the bubbling discontent and dissatisfaction in our land, as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
The next move is now in our court; do the things that will cause God to answer our prayers in a positive manner. Much LOVE!
…good will always overcome evil…but it must first be set in motion…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
01 Apr 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a thousand years as one day, according to his promise, April Fool's day, be diligent, be ye glad and rejoice for ever, blameless, cast into the lake of fire, contrary weather, death and hell were cast into the lake of fire, I create new heavens and a new earth, I must be about my Father's business, I will rejoice in Jerusalem, in all holy conversation and godliness, joy in my people, lazy day rations, LOVE, neither sorrow, no more death, nor pain, not willing that any should perish, one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, that ye may be found of him in peace, the Book of Life, the former things are passed away, the Lord is longsuffering to us-ward, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, the Millennial kingdom, the rapture of the church, the second death, the voice of weeping shall be no more heard, we look for new heavens and a new earth, what manner of persons ought ye to be, wherein dwelleth righteousness, whosoever was not found written in the book of life, without spot
2 Peter 3:13. Nevertheless we, according to his promise look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Well can you believe it? It’s the first of April already! No, it’s not an April Fool’s Day joke, it’s the real thing. (smile) We just sailed through the first three months of this new year as though it was one day. It’s like Peter says: ‘one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.’ (2 Pet. 3:8) Those last three months certainly passed in a hurry. It seems like we just celebrated Christmas, New Years, Valentine’s Day and Carnival, now we’re about to celebrate Easter.
The weather is just as contrary too. After raining all through yesterday and last night, till early morn, it’s now bright and sunny with a temperature around eleven degrees Celsius, but it’s going to seem colder because of the brisk wind that’s blowing in the sunshine. So, all in all, it’s a beautiful day to be lazy. (smile) Unfortunately though, I’ve already used up my lazy rations for the day. Now I’ve got to be about my Father’s business. And it seems that the scriptures after the verse we quoted in 2 Peter are ideal ones for us to look at today.
So, let’s continue, as Peter tells us. ‘The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet. 3:9) Right there friends, we see that our God is worthy to keep His promises, but He’s also patient and persevering with us, and desires everybody to come to salvation, but we need to trust in Him, if that’s to happen.
Then Peter goes on to explain: ‘But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.’ (2 Pet. 3:10) Now let’s be careful and recognize there that Peter is talking about the final apocalyptic judgement, when Jesus returns to close out the old earth and heavens, not the Rapture of the church.
And since that will happen as suddenly and without warning like the Rapture, Peter therefore makes these very pertinent statements for those who will be living in the Millennial Kingdom, as well as to us living right now before the Rapture. ‘Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation (conduct) and godliness. Looking for and hasting (hastening) unto the coming of the day, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?’ (2 Pet. 3:11-12)
Oh friends, at some stage of the game, the old heavens and earth will be destroyed, what then? Peter tells us: ‘Nevertheless we, according to his promise look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.’ (2 Pet. 3:13) Oh my brethren, Peter is urging us to look past this heaven and earth to a new heaven and earth, one characterized by righteousness, with this further admonishment. ‘Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.’ (2 Pet. 3:14)
Yes, as a consequence of our looking forward to bigger and better things, we also need to come up higher in our walk with God. And if you don’t believe that one day the old earth and heaven will be destroyed, then read Revelation chapters 17-19, and they should clear up your doubt. Let’s not forget either the earlier promise of God that Peter talked about. It’s highlighted in the prophecy of Isaiah, where he speaks of the prosperity of God’s servants, beyond the millennial kingdom, in His promise of the new day.
‘For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered,, nor come into mind (come upon the heart). But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem in a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days (who lives but a few days), nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.’ (Is. 65:17-20)
Ah mih people, that was just the foreshadowing of what we read in Revelation 21 about the new heaven and new earth that John saw coming down from God. In particular this verse that we all look forward to. ‘And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’ (Rev. 21:4)
Oh my fellow saints, what a magnificent scripture of promise that is! And remember it’s the third time it’s found in the Good Library, The second time is in Isaiah 66:22-24, which means it’s certainly going to happen some day, whenever the Father chooses. But for us to be there celebrating that momentous occasion we have to start living right from right now. We can’t say we haven’t been warned. And for good measure, let’s read some of that scripture.
John says in the Book of Revelation: ‘And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell (hades) delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell (hades) were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.’ (Rev. 20: 11-15)
Those are not my words my brethren, but the inspired, inerrant, truthful word of God. Now it’s up to ensure that our names are found written in the book of life. We know what to do to make that happen, so please let’s do it nuh. Much LOVE!
…we have everything we need to do it…so there’s no reason whatsoever…that our names…should not be found in the Book of Life…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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