08 May 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a big storm arose, a directive from God that we don't like, always obey God's directive, another week of work, arise, be renewed and refreshed, by the good example we your faithful believers set, call upon thy God, cast lots, cast me forth into the sea, Christian witness leaves a lot to be desired, christianity, Christians, cry out against it, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, disobey the Lord's directive, disobeying God also causes others to be hurt, divine aid, faith, flee from the presence of the Lord, for my sake is this great tempest upon you, found a ship going to Tarshish, Friday chant, Friday Mantra, further your glorious kingdom, get sufficient fun fellowship and relaxation, getting me safely through another week of work, give our leaders wise guidance, go to Nineveh that great city, God is omnipotent omniscient and omni-present, God working in His mysterious ways, God's omnipotent help, green foliage, help us to be responsible, holy spirit, how foolish was that, hurt ourselves and others when we intentionally disobey God, if God spares life, in these two short days off, Jesus Christ, joah rose up to flee unto Tarshish, Jonah was fast asleep, Jonah went to Joppa, lay not upon us innocent blood, let us not perish for this man's life, LOVE, made vows, make multiple excuses, mercy, offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, others suffer for our disobedience, our sinful world can wake up, paid the fare thereof, problems are escalating, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, salvation, so shall the sea be calm unto you, spring, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that God will think on us, that we perish not, the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, the BIBLE, the long and short of the story, the lot fell on Jonah, the men feared the Lord exceedingly, the rebirth of our dead world, the safest wat to avoid trouble, the sea ceased her raging, the throne of grace, the weekend is here at last, the word of the Lord came unto Jonah, their wickedness is come up before me, these troubled times, they took up Jonah and cast him forth into the sea, thou O Lord hast done as it pleased thee, to handle unexpected storms properly, trusting faith, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, we beseech thee O Lord, we cannot escape god's presence, we cannot run from God without consequences, what meanest thou O sleeper, wherefore they cried unto the Lord, wisdom, wise guidance, with your generous help
Jonah 1:2. Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry (out) against it; for their wickedness is come before me.
And after the rain comes the sun … that’s the Lord’s decree. And so it’s been this Friday morning in early May, when the trees are blooming with new life and a picturesque colour of green foliage. That tells us that it’s surely spring, the rebirth of our dead world in the northern climes. And with that breath of freshness in the air, our Friday Mantra rose gaily to heaven: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at long last!’
And is it ever so nice to see leaves on the trees again. By the way, that tree in my neighbour’s backyard still has the old leaves that survived the winter, blowing along with the new ones. You can see their light brown colour amongst the light green of the new leaves. Will keep you informed on that unusual scenario. (smile)
And today, we’ll also look at another interesting story, that of the prophet Jonah. The Bible tells it thus: ‘Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah (Dove) the son of Amittai (Truth), saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry (out) against it; for their wickedness is come before me.’ (Jon. 1:1-2)
Now, that’s how it usually begins; with a directive from the Lord that we don’t care for. So what happens then? We make multiple excuses and then disobey the Lord’s directive. And Jonah was no different. The Bible continues: ‘But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.’ (Jon. 1:3)
How foolish was that eh? Did Jonah really expect to escape from the Lord’s presence? Likewise, do we really expect to escape from His presence when we run and hide from Him? Oh friends, hiding from Almighty God is impossible, because He’s omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present. Meaning, He’s all powerful, all knowing, and all present, or present everywhere. So, I don’t know if Jonah really thought he could run from the Lord without any consequences. But hopefully we know that. (smile)
And during the journey to Tarshish, a big storm arose, that wanted to break up the boat. So the voyagers were all afraid, and cried out to their own god, while casting out stuff to lighten the boat. ‘But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.’ (Jon. 1:5b) Like Jonah was doing a Jesus routine; fast asleep during the storm, while the boat was about to break up. (Mark 4:35-41) But like Jesus, his restful sleep was unfortunately disturbed.
‘So the shipmaster (captain) came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil (trouble) is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.’ (Jon. 1:6-7) How amazing eh mih people for the lot to fall on Jonah! But we all know that was the hand of the Lord working in His mysterious ways.
And there’s one important thing to note here; in our disobedience, or running from God, we don’t only hurt ourselves, but very often innocent people too. The other people on the ship didn’t do anything to warrant the trouble, but Jonah’s disobedient presence amongst them, forced them to withstand unnecessary trouble. So please, let’s think seriously about what we’re doing when we try to get away from God, for some of our LOVED ones might end up suffering for our disobedience.
The long and short of Jonah’s story is that he eventually told his shipmates what was happening with him. And when they asked what they could do so that the sea would be calm; ‘And he said unto them, Take (pick) me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto (for) you: for I know that for my sake (because of me) this great tempest is upon you.’ (Jon. 1:12) But the men didn’t take him seriously and still rowed hard through the storm trying to come to land.
But the storm was too powerful for them. ‘Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us (do not charge us) with innocent blood: for thou O Lord hast done as it pleased thee.’ (Jon. 1:14) And there was absolutely no doubt about that; the Lord had indeed done as He pleased. (smile) ‘So they took up (lifted) Jonah, and cast him forth (hurled him) into the sea: and the sea ceased her raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord and made vows.’ (Jon. 1:15-16)
Now, it doesn’t always happen thus, but fortunately in this case, Jonah’s disobedience might also have created some believers, as they witnessed God’s immense power. However, the safest way to stop potential trouble from happening, is always to obey the Lord’s directive. And tomorrow, if God spares life, we will continue with Jonah’s story, and see what other valuable lessons we can learn from it. Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant seeking divine aid to help in these troubled times.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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 please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good 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 as we keep saying, it’s not only the unbelievers who need to wake up and smell the coffee, but also we supposedly faithful believers, because our Christian witness still leaves a lot to be desired. Much LOVE!
…oh…how we hurt ourselves and others…when we intentionally disobey God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
01 May 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mercy that defies explanation, a personal attack of slander, a physical pursuing of the persecuted, a tough row to hoe, all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, ambassadors of God, another week of work, back to the dark ages, blessed are the merciful, blessed are the peace makers, blessed are the pure in heart, blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, blessed are ye when men shall revile and persecute you, born again by the mercy of God, by the good example we your faithful believers set, called the children of God, christianity, Christians, conforming them to the image of Christ, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, desire to live in peace with all men, divine Love, faith, Father forgive them, fight for good working conditions, fighting tooth and nail, for my sake, for they know not what they do, for they shall see god..., Friday chant, Friday Mantra, further your glorious kingdom, get sufficient fun fellowship, God's omnipotent help, God's message to a troubled world, great is your reward in heaven, have the work of the Holy spirit in them, help us to be responsible, holiness, holy spirit, in direct contrast to the world, International Worker's Day, Jesus Christ, Jesus the ultmate example, lives transformed by the grace of God, LOVE, make inroads into the enemy's stronghold, May Day, mercy, New Birth, ones that are at peace with God, problems are escalating, rejoice and be exceeding glad, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, rest and relaxation, salvation, saving faith, say all manner of evil against you falsely, Sermon on the Mount, so persecuted they the prophets which were before you, spring festivals, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the Beatitudes, the BIBLE, the eternal destiny of all things, the process of sanctification, the qualities of a changed life, the sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, the throne of grace, the truly saved shall see God, theirs is the kingdom of heaven, they shall obtain mercy, to restrict our hard won privileges, trusting faith, truth, unregenerate men, wisdom, wise guidance, with your generous help
Matthew 5:12a. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:
So we’ve finally come to Friday, and our Friday Mantra’s has been sent on high: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at last!’ But it’s also the first of May, with May Day celebrations around the world, as this overview tells us: ‘May Day, celebrated annually on May 1st, is a dual-purpose occasion marking ancient spring festivals and International Workers’ Day. It honors the fight for an eight-hour workday, originating from the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago, and is celebrated worldwide with marches, rallies, and traditional festivals celebrating the start of summer.’
Unfortunately, many of the young people don’t know of the enormous fight in the last couple of centuries to gain some decent labour relations. And though the current employers are fighting tooth and nail to restrict our hard won privileges, we cannot afford to let that happen, because if they had their greedy and exploitative way, we’d go right back to the dark ages. But thankfully some of us are still willing to get up and fight for good working conditions.
Anyway, since the Lord saw fit to bless us with life today, we need to keep our promise of checking out scriptures that talk about ‘blessed.’ And we ended yesterday right in the middle of the Beatitudes, a number of statements Jesus pre-fixed with the term ‘Blessed’ at the beginning of His Sermon on the Mount. So the next one is: ‘Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.’ (Matt. 5:7)
And the scholars tell us ‘Those who are merciful…shall obtain mercy has reference to those who have been born again by the mercy of God. Because divine LOVE has been extended to them, they have the work of the Holy Spirit in them producing a mercy that defies explanation by unregenerate men. Jesus Himself became the ultimate example of this when He cried from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
Then we have, ‘Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.’ (Matt. 5:8) And per the scholars, ‘Those who are truly saved shall see God. These are the pure in heart. Their lives have been transformed by the grace of God. They are not yet sinless, but their position before God has been changed. They have the New Birth, saving faith, and holiness. The process of sanctification is ever conforming them to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29), which image consists in “righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:24).
Then there’s this Beatitude: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.’ (Matt. 5:9) Sadly in these strife-filled times there doesn’t seem to be any peacemakers or children of God around. But as the scholars explain, ‘The peacemakers are ones at peace with God, and desire to live in peace with all men (cf. Rom. 5:1). Their peace with Christ enables them to be ambassadors of God’s message to a troubled world. Hence they shall be called the children of God. Throughout the Beatitudes Jesus clearly underscores that only those who have the qualities of a changed life, herein described, are citizens of His kingdom.’
Then we come to this somewhat tough Beatitude. ‘Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matt. 5:10) And the scholars tell us, ‘As Jesus develops His message, He clearly teaches that such a life causes His people to be in direct contrast to the world in which they live. Therefore He reminds us, Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. The plural use of “ye” in verse 11 indicates that He foresaw this persecution touching all His followers. Notice 2 Timothy 3:12, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
Yes friends, that’s a tough row to hoe, but hoe it we must, if we’re to consider ourselves followers of Jesus Christ. And the blessedness get even tougher as we continue; (smile) ‘Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ (Matt. 5:11-12) Ah mih bredrin, those are not easy sentiments to take in, but as followers of Christ they are true.
As per verse 11, the scholars say that ‘Again, Jesus warns that men shall revile you, and persecute you. This became true during His own ministry, in the lives of the apostles, and throughout the history of the church. The persecution spoke of here is twofold. First, it involves a physical pursuing of the persecuted, and second, a personal attack of slander against them.’ And Bruh Paul personified the persecution of the church when he was still called Saul.
Then per the next verse, the scholars inform us: ‘Rejoice is the command that grows out of the blessedness of the believer. The phrase Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, means even more, exult! Great is your reward in heaven focuses attention on the eternal destiny of all things. If God is as real as He claims, if the Bible is true, if heaven is to be gained, then no temporary earthly trouble or persecution can dispossess the child of God of joy in the prospect of the eternal glory that lies ahead.’
Wow! That’s much easier said than done! But that’s why the Lord has given us all the tools to do it. He knows that fighting His battle here on earth will be tough, but then He expects us to allow the eternal rewards to encourage and strengthen us. And these days we badly need help to keep the fight going, so let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, to receive divine help in these times of dire need.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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 please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good 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 we Christians definitely need to wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong, if we are ever going to make inroads into the enemy’s stronghold. Much LOVE!
…truly living for Jesus is not easy…but the rewards are certainly worthwhile…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Apr 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: admonish him as a brother, allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, allow your incredible aura of love, always doing our best, artificial intelligence, as best we can, be not deceived, be not weary in well doing, be taken advantage of, begin a new week of work, bombarded by the enemy's evil schemes, busybodies, command that with quietness they work, complaining about the good things we have, consider yourself without a job, constantly buffeted, count him not as an enemy, count yourself blessed, despite the many obstacles we face, divine aid, do good unto all men, do not lose heart, dog eat dog, echoes of love, experience life, faith, faithfulness, fill us with steadfast faith, food banks, further your glorious kingdom, gentleness, give their right arm, God is not mocked, have no company with him, he that soweth to his flesh, he that soweth to the spirit, holy spirit, homeless, humble servants, if any obey not our word, if any would not work neither should he eat, in due season we shall reap if we faint not, inroads into the enemy's ranks, into the evil and ungodly world, Jesus Christ, jobless, jobs that are unfair, joy, keep trying to live the christian life, keeping lives and families together, kindness, living for Jesus, living off the government, LOVE, make Jesus proud of us, make money, make worthwhile inroads, many living in dire poverty, may be ashamed, meekness, mercy, moaning and groaning, note that man, of the flesh reap corruption, of the household of faith, on the outside looking in, once the exception now the norm, our Father who art in heaven, our God-forsaken strife-filled world, over the weekend, patience, peace, people being laid of because of AI, personal experience, Praise the Lord, prices on the rise, rat race, salaries not running in tandem with prices, sally forth with confidence, salvation, self-control, serve a useful purpose, shall of the Spirit reap everlasting life, some have no shame whatsoever, some refuse to work, thank you for our jobs, the fruit of the spirit, the lack of a work ethic, the many homeless that exist in our wealthy society, the opportunity to go to work, the prevalence of food banks, the rejuvenation of Spirit, the renewed vitality and enthusiasm, the throne of grace, to meet the enemy in battle, truth, trying to right the wrong, walk among you disorderely, we know we're invincible, we surrender our all to you, we're not afraid, wearing God's powerful protective spiritual armour, whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap, wisdom, work and eat their own bread, working two jobs, wrought in our weary souls
2 Thessalonians 3:13. But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
And another Monday has rolled around again, a warm, sunshiny one to boot…Praise the Lord! Now why would you do that? Because it gives us the opportunity to go out to work, make some money and experience life at the same time. Yuh know the millions of people around our God-forsaken and strife-filled work who cannot do that, and would gladly give their right arm to be able to do so. Meanwhile, we are here moaning and groaning, complaining about the good things we have going for us.
And no, it’s not always easy or likeable, but just sit and consider for a moment, what would happen to you and your family if you didn’t have a job in this dog eat dog, rat race of a world we currently live in. And you don’t have to go to any far-off, poor countries to see what happens when you don’t have a job and are living in dire poverty. You can see that in the many jobless and subsequently homeless people that exist right here in our prosperous and wealthy society.
And it’s not because they all don’t want to work, but ofttimes, for whatever reason, they cannot get a job. And with the new rage of AI, Artificial Intelligence, lots of people are being laid off, making it even harder to acquire a decent job. So, if you have one to go this Monday morning, then please count yourself blessed and stop complaining about the inequities and injustice that might come with it.
That’s not to say you ought to allow yourself to be taken advantage of by your employer, but be careful how you go about trying to right the wrong, for it’s very easy to find yourself on the outside looking in. And I know, from personal experience, that’s not a very nice place to be.
Now you just need to look at all the food banks that have recently opened, and you’ll see how desperate the situation is. When I first came here some fifty odd years ago, a food bank was the exception rather than the rule, but now it’s the norm, for even those who are working, sometimes two jobs at once, still cannot maintain a family on their wages, especially with prices always on the rise, but salaries not running in tandem.
And talking about working, remember what Bruh Paul wrote to the Thessalonians? ‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but they are busybodies.
Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish (warn) him as a brother.’ (2 Thess. 3:10-15)
Yes friends, with the lack of work ethic that’s currently in vogue, (smile) it’s not surprising to note that there are many in our society, who refuse to work, instead living off of the Government and any others who will help them. And it would be good if we could shame them into working, but some of them have no shame whatsoever, and will keep on in their disorderly conduct regardless of what we do.
But the important thing to note in all this is that we must not be weary in well doing. In other words, despite the many obstacles we might, or will face, we ought to keep on trying to live the Christian life as best we can. That’s allowing the fruit of the Spirit to flourish in us; echoes of LOVE, joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, patience, meekness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23)
Which reminds us of these wonderful, encouraging words of Bruh Paul to the Galatians. ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season, we shall reap, if we faint not (do not lose heart). As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.’ (Gal. 6:7-10)
We could not get any better advice than that on this first day of our work week my people. And to help us accomplish it, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid. And it’s a somewhat different prayer today, because I brought back most of the old one, which I think resonates better with our current times.
So, 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!
Now, let’s go out there and make Jesus proud of us! Much LOVE!
…living for Jesus…always means doing our best…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Apr 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a strange sight, a surrendered heart, always say thank you to god, an angry and discourteous manner, an underhanded approach, anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, appropriate for these times, be renewed and refreshed, be responsible, be the children of your Father in heaven, bless them that curse you, by the good example we your faithful believers set, called according to His purpose, Christian behaviour need improving, christianity, Christians, climate change, courtesy, curse God and die, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, divine aid, do good to them that hate you, don't waste the weekend in fun and frolic, dost thou still retain thine integrity, faith, for those who love God, Friday chant, Friday Mantra, further your glorious kingdom, get sufficient fun fellowship, God will work everything out for good, God's omnipotent help, he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, holy spirit, I made it through, in a courteous manner, in all this, in our opinion, in soul body and mind, innate trust in God, Jesus Christ, Job did not sin with his lips, living just like the rest of the world, LOVE, Love your enemies, many reject the Lord's offerings, mercy, more delighted with your trust, no matter how good you are there's going to be some rain in your life, no thank you Lord, omit the first word. delighted with your courtesy, One Year Book of Bible promises, our sinful world, our trusting faith, pray for them which spitefully use you, problems are escalating, regardless of your good Christian behaviour, rest and relaxation, right motives, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, seems difficult or unfair, sendeth rain on the just and the unjust, separates the sheep from the goats, shall we not receive calamity, shall we receive good at the hand of God, smiled and said, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, Thank You Lord, the BIBLE, the Lord never reneges on His promises, the remarkable promise of God, the throne of grace, the weekend is here at last, total surrender to God, tough to accept calamity, tried to be very courteous, truth, unexpected storms, use the weekend for rest and rejuvenation, wake up and smell the coffee, when you honour God you'll still be standing after the storms, wisdom, wise guidance, with your generous help
Job 2:10a. What? shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive (accept) calamity?
And then it was the day we all long for, Friday, which causes our Friday Mantra to rise to high heaven: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at long last!’ And that’s all well and good, but let’s hope we use the weekend to its best advantage, for rest and rejuvenation, and don’t simply waste it away in fun and frolic, as so many of us tend to do.
Oh, by the way, remember that tall tree in my neighbour’s backyard that I recently told you had leaves that made it through both the fall and winter? Well, yesterday I looked out my bedroom window and saw it budding with new leaves, but lo and behold, the old leaves were still there! I can’t wait to see what happens when all the new leaves come out, if the old ones will finally fall off, or remain for the rest of the summer. They will certainly be a strange sight, for the new leaves will be green while the old ones are a light brown. Anyhow, that’s between the Lord and climate change! (smile)
And, today, I have a rather interesting poem to share from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s simply titled ‘Courtesy.’ And I don’t believe I’ve ever shared this one because it even seems new to me, but as always, they are very appropriate and informative for the times we live in. So please read with me: ‘I tried to be Very courteous. I smiled and said “No thank You, Lord.” You smiled back and said “Omit the first word And I’ll be delighted With your courtesy – And more delighted with your trust.” “Thank You Lord.”
I got a chuckle from that when I first read it, because it does sound like how the Lord might behave, with that sort of underhanded approach. But the truth is that many of us do reject the Lord’s offerings, sometimes in a courteous manner, and sometimes in an angry, discourteous one, especially if He’s offering some thing we don’t like or in our opinion, seems rather difficult or unfair. However, at all times, we do need to remember that remarkable promise of scripture where the Lord assures us that He will work everything out for good in the end, for those who LOVE Him and are called according to His purpose. (Rom. 8:28)
That means we need to accept both the good and bad which comes into our lives with that promise at the back of our minds. Or, as the Bible verse for the poem which comes from Job’s discourse with his wife, when complete disaster befell him, and he was sitting in the ashes after scraping away the many boils that Satan had inflicted on his body. She said to him: ‘Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God and die. But he said unto her, thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive (accept) calamity? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.’ (Job 2: 9-10)
Yes friends, it’s sometimes tough to accept calamity as though it comes from God, but that’s the best way to handle it, because then we will know that He will make it right in the end. It’s like Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, when teaching about LOVING one’s enemies. ‘But I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully) use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.’ (Matt. 5:44-45)
In other words, the Lord causes the sun and rain to fall on everyone, however, as this commentary says; “Rain falls on the just and the unjust.” Means no matter how good of a person you are, no matter how much you honor God, there’s going to be some rain in your life. The difference is that when you honour God, the storms may come, but when it’s all said and done, you’ll still be standing.’
Glory to God my brethren! Again, we fall back on that marvellous promise from Romans, that in the end, all will be right with us, because our faithful God promised it, and He never reneges on any of His promises. That’s why saying ‘no thanks’ to God is not a good idea, and why He’s always more interested and delighted by our courtesy and more so by our trust. For that’s what separates the proverbial goats from the sheep, or sheep from the goats; (smile) that innate trust, the total surrender to His Word and ways.
And God knows it’s not always easy for us to do what’s right, but He does expect us to make the attempt, even if we fail in so doing. Because then he will see and know that our heart’s in the right place. And that’s all He really expects from us in our frail and finite selves; right motives in a surrendered heart! Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to stand strong when the storms of life batter us.
Altogether! Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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 please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good 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 unfortunately, it’s not the sinful world alone that needs to wake up and smell the coffee, but also a large portion of we supposed believers, because we’re living just like the rest of the world, and our Christian behaviour needs improving in the worst way! Much LOVE!
…whatever comes against…we should always say…Thank You God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Apr 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a conviction in God's provision, a lifeline to all our needs, a powerful declaration of faith, all sinned and disobeyed your word, all these things shall be added unto you, before many witnesses, believed to see the goodness of God, concrete jungles, confessed a good confession, constantly rising prices, dance the dance of work, divine help, drown men in destruction and perdition, ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, erred from the faith, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, fall into temptation, fight the good fight of faith, follow after righteousness, God should be our first love, God will never desert a righteous man, godliness, godliness with contentment is great gain, havng food and raiment, he delighteth in his way, he shall not be utterly cast down, his seed begging bread, holy spirit, hope in experiencing God's goodness on earth, humble ourselves and pray, humble servants, I had fainted, I have been young and now am old, in our greedy and selfish world, in the land of the living, indisputable truth, into many foolish and hurtful lusts, it all depends on hope faith and righteous living, it is certain we can carry nothing out, Jesus Christ, lay hold on eternal life, let us therewith be content, live the high life, LOVE, making money is not the end all and be all of life, meekness, mercy, money is no respecter of persons, money is not worth tearing asunder our lives and souls, money should not be our first love, no thought for family or self, not seen the righteous forsaken, O man of God flee these things, one more week of work, other high towers for scenery, patience, pierced themselves through with many sorrows, professed a good profession, rat race, ruin and destruction, running down the almighty dollar, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, sincere repentance, sincerely seeking God's face, some in their greediness, thank you for life and strong faith in Christ, the gospel truth, the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, the Lord upholds him with his hand, the LOVE of money, the many suffering from negative situations, the mass confusion in our world, the most important thing in life is seeking God, the necessities of life, the power to solve our many problems, the root of all kinds of evil, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, the throne of grace, the truth is played out everyday, the upright and trusting will not be abandoned, they that will be rich, though he fall, to alleviate our problems, toiling in high towers, truth, turn from our evil ways, using money to boost our ego and power, we brought nothing into this world, what we won't do for the almighty dollar, which some coveted after, wisdom, wise guidance and direction
1 Timothy 6:7. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
One more morning, one more day, one more week of work, heralded by our friend Monday. Yes my brethren, once again, it’s time to dance the dance of work, where we go back and forth to the concrete jungles, and spend our days toiling in high towers, with only other high towers as the surrounding scenery. But that’s okay; we can handle the rushing and pushing of the weekday rat race because the rewards enable us to have a somewhat better standard of living than a lot of the other denizens or inhabitants of our world.
What we won’t do for the almighty dollar eh! (smile) But unfortunately, in this society the dollar is mucho importante; for it’s our lifeline to everything we need and want. Without it, we can’t buy food, find shelter, afford transportation, clothes and several other necessities of life. And yes, we need to make a fair amount of money to live in a decent manner, especially in these times of constantly rising prices.
But let’s stop right here and make this most salient point: making money, accumulating the almighty dollar is not the end all and be all of this world! No sir! It might be very important, but it’s not supposed to be the most important thing in our lives. The most important thing in our lives ought to be seeking God. As Jesus so rightly puts it in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:34)
And that’s the gospel truth my people! When we seek Almighty God first, all our wants and needs are looked after. Remember these amazing words from Bruh David in Psalm 23: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (shall not lack anything). (Ps. 23:1) And if Bruh David says it, then there must be a lot of truth to it, for he spent his whole life seeking God and though at times his life was very difficult, he lacked nothing, for the Lord took care of his needs.
Listen to how he corroborates that in Psalm 27. ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.’ (Ps. 27:13) That means one needs to have hope in experiencing God’s goodness not only in the afterlife, but possibly more so in this earthly one. Yes friends, a lot of it depends on hope and faith and righteous living. For as Bruh David further states in Psalm 37: ‘I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread.’ (Ps. 37:25)
And as this commentary tells us: ‘That’s a powerful declaration of faith, highlighting a conviction in God’s provision, suggesting that those who live uprightly and trust in Him will not be abandoned, nor will their descendants.’ And that’s the gospel truth. God will never desert a righteous man. As Bruh David says earlier on in Psalm 37: ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.’ (Ps. 37:23-24) More indisputable truth friends!
So, although we need money to live, and we need to work for it, it should not be our first LOVE. That ought to be God. Therefore, we ought not to spend most of our time trying to get or accumulate money. Sadly though, the world we live in judges you by the amount of money you possess, thus the misfortune where a lot of us are indeed running down the almighty dollar, accumulating it with no thought for self, family or nothing else, using it to boost our ego and power and live the high life.
But let’s remember one thing, money is no respecter of persons, and you must work hard to get it, but it flies away much easier than it comes. Thus, the wisdom of these words from Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment (clothing) let us be therewith content.
But they that will be rich (desire to be rich) fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful (harmful) lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (ruin and destruction). For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds) of evil: which while some coveted after (for which some in their greediness), have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’ (1 Tim. 6:6-10)
And though we see the truth of those words being played out every day in our greedy and selfish world, too many of us are still choosing to run down earthly wealth with all our might. When, as Bruh Paul continues to Timothy, this is how we ought to be living. ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim. 6:11-12)
And since it’s not easy to live that way in our current world, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine help to do so. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And the Lord will certainly keep His promise, if we keep ours…that’s turn from our evil ways, and instead seek Him first and foremost! Much LOVE!
…money and earthly wealth are important…but are not worth…the tearing asunder of our lives and souls…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 Apr 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a modicum of circumspection, a new commandment I give unto you, anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, as I have loved you that ye also love one another, as it pleased God, as the body is one and hath many members, be disciples both in word and deed, be renewed and refreshed, been all made to drink into one Spirit, believers though diverse in gifts and roles are united in Christ, brought to desolation, by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, by the good example we your faithful believers set, by this shall all men know that ye are my disiciples, championing goodness and godliness, Christ's Church, christianity, Christians, Christians are united in Christ, Christians divide themselves, clouding its spirit, correct the disunity in the church, daunting week of work, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, desire for comfort and earthly pleasure, different parts with different duties, different responsibilities, divine aid, divisions and dissensions within Christ's church, every city or house divided against itself shall not stand, every kingdom divided against itself, every one members one of another, evil and ungodliness is running rampant all over our world, faith, follow Christ's example, Friday chant, further your glorious kingdom, get much needed rest after the Easter celebrations, get our act together right now, get sufficient fun fellowship, God set the members everyone of them in the body, God's omnipotent help, have the same care one for another, help us to be responsible, holy spirit, if the whole body were an eye where were the hearing, improved Christian witness, Jesus Christ, LOVE, LOVE FOR EACH OTHER, loving each other the way Christ loves us, make a positive difference, many members yet one body, mercy, only unity moves an organization forward, our sinful world can wake up, problems are escalating, rest and relaxation, salvation, seeking excess in everything, smell the coffee strong and sweet, so we being many are one body in Christ, stand strong and steadfast, tenet of our faith, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that ye love one another, the BIBLE, the body is not one member but many, the church is one body, the church is rife with strife jealousy and backbiting, the church requires cooperation, the crowning glory of discipleship, the road to certain destruction, the shed blood of Christ, the throne of grace, the weekend is here at last, there should be no schism in the body, to avoid dysfunction and ensure growth, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, vim and vigour, welcome the weekend, whether we be bond or free, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, wisdom, wise guidance
Matthew 12:25. ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.’
And then it was Friday; a cloudy and rainy day, but that didn’t stop us from shouting out our Friday Mantra: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at last!’ And many of us are indeed overjoyed to welcome the weekend, be it rain, sleet or snow, so that we can get some much needed rest after the exhausting Easter celebrations and this daunting week of work. (smile)
But as usual, we don’t listen, we never introduced a modicum of circumspection in our celebrations, so when the work week hit us, shortened though it might have been, we still were not prepared to meet it with the necessary vim and vigour. Thus, we had to labour, drag ourselves through it, desperately hoping that we could make it until that day of release called Friday. Hopefully, one day we will learn though, not to behave like the world, seeking excess in everything, for that’s the road to certain destruction. End of Sermon. (smile)
Now, since I had nothing to say in particular, I opened the Good Library for some inspiration, and lo, and behold, it opened at a rather interesting scripture in the gospel of John. It’s where Jesus declares to the disciples: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35)
Yes friends, the crowning glory of discipleship in Christ is our LOVE for each other. At least it ought to be. But unfortunately, too many Christians today don’t share that attribute with each other. Just look at the numerous divisions, disputations and dissensions in Christ’s church nuh, even within the same religion. How can true LOVE flow from a group of supposed similar faith, when there is so much strife, envy, jealousy and backbiting clouding it’s spirit eh?
Let’s remember that the church of Christ is supposed to be one body, as specified by Bruh Paul in Romans: ‘For as we have many members in one body, and all the members have not the same office (function): So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one (individually) members one of another.’ (Rom. 12:4-5) And this commentary explains it thus: ‘The church as “one body” is a central biblical metaphor (1 Cor 12:12-27, Romans 12:4–5) indicating that believers, though diverse in gifts and roles, are united in Christ. Christ is the head, leading the organism, while individual members function as interdependent parts, requiring cooperation to avoid dysfunction and ensure growth.’
Yes my fellow believers, we are indeed supposed to be one body under the marvellous umbrella of the shed blood of Christ and His amazing resurrection. That tenet of our faith is so important that Bruh Paul again explained it to the church at Corinth. ‘For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond (slaves) or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.’ (1 Cor. 12:12-14)
Oh my people, Christ’s church can never be victorious if it’s filled with as much dissension and disunity as it now contains, for the ONLY thing that moves any body or organization truly forward is unity. That’s why in any war, the enemy always tries to disunite its foe, so they can be more easily routed. But sadly, the devil, our arch enemy, doesn’t even have to do that with us, because we do it ourselves. Why do you think there’s so much evil and ungodliness running rampant all over our world eh?
Because the body, Christ’s church, that is supposed to be championing goodness and godliness has apparently lost the will to fight the enemy, through fear or the desire for comfort and enjoyment of earthly pleasures, but it doesn’t stop them from fighting amongst themselves. Just look at the state of our world and of Christ’s church, and tell me if any visitor to earth would be able to differentiate the godly from the ungodly by their LOVE for each other, as Christ desires? Certainly not! They would most likely think that we’re all one ungodly, unrighteous bunch, because that’s the way we behave.
That’s why Bruh Paul, after saying: ‘For the body is not one member, but many,’ broke it down finely for the church in Corinth. ‘If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body (where would the body be)? But now are they many members, yet one body.’ (1 Cor. 12:15-20)
Yes my brethren, just as the Lord made man with one body, but many different parts with various duties, so has Christ has set many members in His body, the church, each with different responsibilities. ‘That there should be no schism (division) in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.’ (1 Cor. 12:25) Sadly though, Christ’s body is terribly divided, and until that division is mended, the church will not be able to perform the way it ought to.
For as Jesus Himself said: ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.’ (Matt. 12:25)So let’s take serious heed of those words nuh, and do our best to correct the disunity in the church, so that we can follow Christ’s example and be His disciples both in word and deed, by LOVING each other, the way that He LOVES us. Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking help to do just that!
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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 please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good 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 though the Lord might acknowledge our prayer, He’s definitely looking for improvement in our Christian witness, before dispensing divine aid. Much LOVE!
…Christians badly need to get their act together…if they truly desire to make a positive difference in our world…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Apr 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a big occasion in the Christian faith, a modicum of circumspection, a time to be sensible and responsible, all sinned and disobeyed your word, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, be willing to sacrifice every day for Christ, become discouraged, blow up in our faces, bring victory to the love revolution, clean on the outside but dirty inside, consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners, deny ourselves, despising the shame, direct one's eyes to the finish line, do a commendable job, do as I have done to you, ease the pain, Easter Monday, ecsessive body weight, endured the cross, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, for the joy that was set before him, heed the warning, heroes of faith, holy spirit, humble ourselves, hypocrites like the Pharisees, I have given you an example, if I have washed your feet, impediments that weigh us down, increase our Christian witness, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus has already blazed the trail and finished the course, Jesus set a direct example, Jesus washing of the disciples' feet, Jeus' followers ought to serve one another, lay aside every weight, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds, like a turtle in no hurry, like Jesus, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, mankind is never satisfied, mass confusion in our world, mercy, not many Christians are truly humble, operate in humble servanthood and love, performing the role of the lowliest servant, perseverance, pray, put our noses to the grindstone, rally round the cross, rise up, run with patience, salvation, seeing we are compassed about, servant leadership, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, show our undying love for Christ, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek God's face, strong faith in Christ, surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, take their own sweet time, take up our crosses daily, the author and finisher of our faith, the day of celebration, the days of work, the diligent runner, the faithful Christian, the foundation of Jesus' philosophy, the God who heals, the gospel truth, the many suffering from negative situations, the passion of Easter, the power to solve our many problems, the race of faith is to be run with endurance, the race that is set before us, the sin that defeats a Christian, the sin which doth so easily beset us, the supreme example of endurance is Jesus, the throne of grace, the world is hanging by a thread, therefore endure hardness, to be a disciple of Jesus, to demonstrate humility, truth, turn from our evil ways, well done thou good and faithful servant, whitewashed tombs, wisdom, wise guidance and direction, ye also ought to wash one another's feet, zip by like a windstorm
Hebrews 12:1a. Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us,
And isn’t it amazing how the days of celebration can zip by like a windstorm, while the days of work, take their own sweet time, like a turtle in no hurry whatsoever to get wherever he’s going. (smile) Yes, friends, we’re already down to Easter Monday in this season of Easter celebration, meaning tomorrow is a day of work. Chuh! We’re never satisfied eh, even when many of us had a four-day weekend, from Monday to Sunday, and some were even smart enough to wangle five days, from Thursday to Monday.
And although yesterday was somewhat cloudy and blustery, the celebrations seemed to be fairly large, for in my area alone, the streets were chocked full of cars of visitors to friends and families in the neighbourhood. And most likely today, the same thing will be happening in many neighbourhoods around the world, for the passion of Easter is indeed a big occasion in the Christian faith. But please, let’s remember not to overdo it, and thus institute a modicum of circumspection into the celebrations, for we already have enough problems in our world, and this is a time to be like Jesus; sensible and responsible. (smile)
That reminds us of some sensible and important things Jesus asked us to know and do. Like, if we want to be His disciple, we must deny ourselves, take up our crosses daily and follow Him. (Luke 9:23) That means being willing to sacrifice on His behalf every single day. Then there’s the unexpected washing of the disciples’ feet that Jesus humbly performed. He did that as this commentary tells us, ‘To demonstrate humility, servant leadership, and LOVE. By performing the role of a lowliest servant, Jesus set a direct example for his followers to serve one another.’
Then He gently but seriously admonished them. ‘If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.’ (John 13:14-15) Now that’s the very foundation of Jesus’ philosophy and the way He desires His kingdom to operate, in humble servanthood and LOVE, for that’s exactly how He carried Himself while here on earth. In truth though, how many of us supposed Christians are truly humble and take servanthood in our stride, while showing sincere LOVE to all we meet?
Not as many as ought to. And that’s a crying shame, for most of us talk the talk but don’t walk the talk, meaning we’re simply a bunch of hypocrites, like the Pharisees, whitewashed tombs, clean on the outside, but dirty inside. (Matt. 23:27-28) That’s why the author of Hebrews penned these most encouraging words for us to meditate on, and then follow. ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (become discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 12:1-3)
Yes my fellow believers, we have all the bygone heroes of faith watching us as we now run our own race here on earth, and we cannot afford to let them down. And to successfully run this race of faith, the scholars tell us; we must first ‘lay aside every weight. This refers to impediments that weigh us down, whether clothing or excessive body weight. These things are not inherently wrong, but for the diligent runner or the faithful Christian they must be removed. Secondly, it is to be run by putting off the entangling sin. This seems to refer to the one sin above all others that defeats a Christian. This may be a different sin for everyone. Thirdly, the race of faith is to be run with patience, or endurance.’
And the scholars continue: ‘Just as verse 1 establishes some qualities for the entrance into the actual running of life’s race, so verse 2 directs one’s eyes to the finish line. Jesus is the author and finisher in that He has already blazed the trail and finished the course. And though there are many champions for believers to emulate, the supreme example of endurance is Jesus Himself.’ And that’s the gospel truth! Nobody does it like Jesus!
And He is by no means an easy example to follow, but if we do as Bruh Paul tells Timothy: ‘Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship), as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” (2 Tim. 2:3) In other words, if we put our noses to the grindstone, we will do a commendable job, with the Lord eventually greeting us, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ (Matt. 25:23) And having said all of that, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help in these perilous times.
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!’
Oh friends, we desperately need to use this time of increased passion and faith to increase our Christian witness, because our world is hanging by a thread, and if we don’t make the most of the time, then it’s liable to simply blow up in our faces, both literally and figuratively! It’s as simple as that! So please, let’s heed the warning and show our wonderful gratitude and amazing, undying LOVE for Christ in spades. Much LOVE!
…Easter is the time when Christians rally round the cross…and rise up to bring victory to the LOVE Revolution…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Mar 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a house of prayer for all people, a public bazaar, a source of extortion, accepted on my altar, all praise to Jesus, an ungodly operation in the temple, become a den of robbers in your eyes, burnt offerings and sacrfices, cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, Christian witness, christianity, divine aid, do damage to the evil doers, ease the pain of the many, even I have seen it saith the Lord, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, get with the programme, gross perversion, have ye never read, holy spirit, Hosanna to the son of David, humble ourselves, humble servants, it is written, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus healed the blind and the lame in the temple, Jesus is all we have need of, Jesus went into the temple of God, Jesus' cleansing of the temple, Jesus' disdain for the corruption of organized religion, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, keep your promise to prosper us, leaving them with their mouths hanging open, life and strong faith in Christ, LOVE, made it into a den of thieves, make them joyful in my house of prayer, mercy, my house shall be called the house of prayer, not up to scratch, ordained strength because of thine enemies, our Father who art in heaven, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, overthrew the tables of the money changers, Palm Sunday, praise Your Holy Name, pray, priests out for personal gain, publicly acknowledged as the Messiah, put the Jewish leaders in their place, salvation, set godly standards, silence the enemy, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek God's face, sinned and seriously disobeyed your word, sore displeased, suffering from negative situations, temple doves sold for sacrifices, thank you this Monday morning, the BIBLE, the chief priests and pharisees, the children crying in the temple, the God who heals, the mass confusion in our world, the only one to solve our problems, the power of God, the power to solve our problems, the purity of life, the seats of them that sold doves, the throne of grace, this house which is called by my name, thou hast perfected praise, to alleviate our problems, tolerated such gross perversion of the temple, truth, turn from our evil ways, wisdom, wise guidance and direction
Matthew 21:13. And he said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it into a den of thieves.
And so, after celebrating Psalm Sunday, Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem like the King He is, on a never ridden donkey, with all the celebration that engendered, we come right back to Monday, another opening day in a new week of work! What can be more disheartening eh? (smile) But remember as Bruh Paul admonishes, if you want to eat, you ought to work, (2 Thess. 3:10) so we must get with the programme if we want to be successful in this life.
Anyway, here’s another interesting and glorious achievement that Jesus apparently accomplished on that first Palm Sunday. Matthew writes: ‘And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast (drove) out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew (overturned) the tables of the money changers, and the seats of then that sold doves. And he said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it into a den of thieves.’ (Matt. 21:12-13)
Yes friends, Jesus could get angry enough to do damage to the evil doers in the temple. And the scholars explain that ‘A similar cleansing is recorded at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, (cf. John 2:13-22) indicating His disdain for the corruption of organized religion which lacked purity of life and the power of God. In light of the seriousness of what He had come to do, Jesus could not tolerate such gross perversion of the temple, meaning the whole temple area on Mount Moriah including all the precincts and courts.’
Brother! To get Jesus so angry, it must have been a big, ungodly operation throughout the temple. Now, here is another explanation from the scholars, per the Moneychangers, that tells us of the scale of the wrongdoing going on back then in the Lord’s house. They say: ‘Temple dues could be paid only in sacred coinage, and it was necessary to change one’s money. The selling of doves was for purposes of sacrifice. This exchange became a source of extortion for the family of the high priest, who personally controlled it. In reality the atmosphere amounted to a public bazaar.’
Ah Lord eh! And the priests were the ones who were supposed to set godly standards. But come to think of it, that’s not so different from nowadays, where many priests are gouging their own congregations and those they deal with for personal gain. And per It is written, the scholars write: ‘In His condemnation, the Lord quotes from the Greek Septuagint version of Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11.’ And we shall squeeze in those two verses for our elucidation. (smile)
The first one says: ‘Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.’ (Is. 56:7) Then the passage from Jeremiah states: ‘Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord.’ (Jer. 7:11)
However, Jesus’ cleansing of the temple was not the last action in the temple for that day, for Matthew graciously informs us: ‘And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the son of David, they were sore displeased (indignant), And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings (nursing infants) thou hast perfected praise.? And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.’ (Matt. 21:14-17)
Wow! Jesus Himself seemed to like the drama that went on between the Jewish religious leaders and Himself. He must have taken great joy in putting them in their place when they brought their nonsense to Him. And by the way, that quote about praise from the mouths of babes and sucklings seems to be another concoction of Jesus from Ps. 8:2, where Bruh David writes: ‘Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings (nursing infants) hast thou ordained (established) strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still (silence) the enemy and the avenger.’
Then there’s this verse where Jesus prays: ‘I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.’ (Matt. 11:25) So friends, Palm Sunday was indeed a good day for Jesus: He accomplished three…no four things that day. First, He was publicly acknowledged as the Messiah; secondly, He cleansed the temple of the ole crooks and them, then He healed those that needed healing, and finally, He put the Jewish leaders in their place, before walking out and leaving them with their mouths hanging open!
All praise to Jesus our wonderful Lord and Saviour. And having said all of that, let’s now go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid, to help in these turbulent times. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world.
Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, if we want to truly receive divine aid, we need to increase our Christian witness, because it is definitely not up to scratch, otherwise our world would not be is such a terrible evil and ungodly state! Much LOVE!
… Jesus is the One and Only necessity we have need of…our lives are completely fulfilled with His wonderful presence in them…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Mar 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man who sowed good seed, a warning to labourers in the filed, an enemy hath done this, anxiety and confusion, be renewed and refreshed, bind them in bundles to burn them, brought forth fruit, by the good example we your faithful believers set, cast them into the furnace of fire, christianity, Christians, didst thou not sow good seed, divine aid, easier in the church age to have counterfeits, escalating problems, faith, faithful believers, false converts produce no lasting fruit, fellowship. rest, Friday chant, Friday Mantra, further your glorious kingdom, gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, gather the wheat into my barn, gather together first the tares, get sufficient fun, good example, he that soweth the good seed is the Son of man, help us to be responsible, I made it through, ignorance of the law is no excuse, in the kingdom of their father, in the time of harvest, is likened unto a man, Jesus Christ, lest while ye gather up the tares, let them both grow together until the harvest, LOVE, mercy, omnipotent help, practice lawlessness, refeshed in body soul and mind, relaxation, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of heaven, shall we go and gather them up, tares bear no fruit, tares look almost identical to wheat, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thanks for getting me safely though another week of work, the BIBLE, the enemy is Satan, the enemy sowed tares among the wheat, the field is the world, the good seed are the children of the kingdom, the harvest is the end of the church age, the meaning of the parable's gone over our heads, the parable of the wheat and the tares, the reapers are the angels, the righteous shine forth as the sun, the sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, the Son of man shall send forth his angels, the tares are false converts, the throne of grace, the time for serious christianity is right now, them which do iniquity, then appeared the tares also, true converts produce fruitful lives, truth, unexpected storms, ungodly times, wailing and gnashing of teeth, when the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit, while men slept, who hath ears to hear let him hear, wisdom, wise guidance, with your generous help, ye root up also the wheat
Matthew 13:43b. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Oh mih people, Friday, that long awaited day, is here at last! Therefore, we can offer up our Friday Mantra: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is finally here!’ What would we do without the weekend eh? I don’t know. Our forefathers must have had it really hard when they were forced to work six and seven days a week, but thanks be to their fighting spirit, we’ve cut it down to five, and some are blessed enough to have only a four day work week. But let’s remember the hefty price our forefathers paid for reducing the work week, and truly appreciate it, and thus work diligently and efficiently as unto Jesus.
And today, we’ll look at an interesting parable of Jesus, that of the Wheat and the Tares (weeds), one we don’t hear a lot about. Jesus said to the multitude: ‘The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade (grain) was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.’ (Matt. 13:24-26)
Now, according to this commentary, ‘Tares are weed plants (specifically darnel,) that look almost identical to wheat in their early stages, acting as a poisonous, bitter choking weed in grain fields. In appearance, they are incredibly similar to wheat, making them difficult to identify until the wheat bows down with grain and the tares remain upright.’
And Jesus continues the parable. ‘So the servants of the house-holder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while we gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.’ (Matt. 13:27-30)
And it’s obvious that Jesus’ audience back then would hardly understand what He was talking about. Oh, they knew about wheat and tares because it was an agrarian, or agricultural society, but Jesus’ hidden meaning would have gone over their heads, much like it would go over ours. (smile) So what does He mean?
The scholars offer these explanations. ‘24-27. This parable serves as a warning to the labourers in the field (the world, vs. 38). Unlike the Jewish form of the kingdom in the Old Testament, where citizens could easily be recognized, during the church age, converts will be made from all over the world and received upon their profession of faith. Thus, it will be easier to slip in some counterfeits who profess the church, which is the subject of these parables.
The enemy is Satan and the tares (darnel) are false converts. The darnel, although it resembled the wheat did not come to fruition (didn’t bear fruit). Thus Jesus words: The good seed …sprung up, and brought forth fruit, again, emphasizing that true converts produce fruitful lives. By contrast, false converts produce no lasting fruit.’
Then, as per verses 28-30, the scholars note: ‘The servants asked what could be done with these tares. To uproot them would be to damage the entire crop. Root up…the wheat with them: The implication seems to be that too much scathing (caustic criticism) of people’s genuineness of faith may damage the saved before it exposes the lost. Let both grow together indicates that there will always be some false professors among true Christian believers until the time of harvest or judgement. Note that the tares are gathered, bound, and burned first, whereas the wheat is gathered into my barn (heaven).’
Now, that’s a tough parable to break down, and not surprisingly, even the disciples didn’t understand it, and later asked Jesus for an explanation. ‘He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man. The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world (age); and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world (age).
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity (practice lawlessness); And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.’ (Matt. 13:37-43)
Oh friends, none of that needs further explanation. Jesus explained it fully, and if we don’t receive it, then that’s our problem. As He says, ‘Who has ears to hear, let him hear.’ So it’s all up to us now. We cannot say we didn’t know. Remember, ignorance of the law is no excuse. Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant for divine aid in these crucial times. And you’ll notice that I’ve reworked it with an older version, and made it a little shorter. (smile)
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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 please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good example that 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 to receive that divine aid, it now behooves us to go out and set the good example that we were talking about! Much LOVE!
…the time for serious Christianity…is RIGHT NOW…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Mar 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a new creation, a roaring toothless lion, a toehold in our minds, alienated from God, all sinned and disobeyed your word, all things are become new, be not conformed to this world, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, be ye angry and sin not, be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, beaming with confidence, behave like the world, belly and backbone, comprehend the true ramifications of the situation, corrupt according to deceitful lusts, created in righteousness and true holiness, depending on our own strength, divine aid, don't give opportunity to the devil, dressed in God's spiritual armour, ease the pain of the many, eternal life, Eve disobeyed God's directive, evil, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, follow Christ's battle plan, futility of their mind, given themselves over to lasciviousness, having their understanding darkened, holy spirit, humble ourselves and pray, if any man be in Christ, in the vanity of their mind, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus guarantees us victory, Jesus' selfless sacrifices, julie mango, keep your promise to prosper us, let not the sun go down upon your wrath, licentiousness, lies, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, members one of another, mercy, mind games, neither give place to the devil, old things are passed away, patience, perseverance, practical guidelines, prayer, put off the former conversation, put on the new man, putting away lying, right motives, salvation, seek supremacy to control our lives, sincere repentnace, sincerely seeking God's face, speak every man the truth with his neighbour, strong faith in Christ's promises, suffering from negative situations, temptations, thank you for life and strong faith in Christ, the battel for our souls is waged in our minds, the blindness of their heart, the devil convinced Eve to eat of the forbidden tree by logical reasoning, the devil is a master of mind games, the forbidden fruit, the former conduct of the old man, the God who heals, the power to solve our problems, the serpent beguiled me, the throne of grace, the truth is in Jesus, the Word, through their ignorance, to alleviate our problems, to live for Christ, to work all uncleanness with greediness, truth, turn from our evil ways, turn us away from Christ, ungodliness, walk not as other Gentiles walk, we cannot defeat the enemy in our own strength, wiles, wisdom, wise guidance, ye have not so learned Christ
Romans 12. 2. ‘And 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.’
One more Monday, one more time to face the foe, dressed in all of God’s spiritual armour and beaming with confidence in the upcoming clash! For Jesus guarantees us victory if we follow His battle plan. And we only fail when we don’t carry out His perceptive and enemy defeating strategy, inserting in its place, a plan from our own finite, inferior and diminutive mind. In other words, depending on our own strength. I don’t know when we’re going to learn that we cannot defeat the enemy in our own strength. That’s why Jesus gave us the tools we have; His Word, the Holy Spirit, prayer and strong faith in His faithful promises.
But again, because our mind is puny and inferior, some of us cannot fully comprehend the true ramifications of the situation. The enemy might be powerless, like a roaring, toothless lion, but he’s not stupid when it comes to temptations, wiles and lies, in an effort to turn us away from the teachings and values of Christ. And all he seeks is a small toe or fingerhold in our minds, then he can go to work more fully on us. That’s why Bruh Paul warned the Ephesians with some practical guidelines: ‘Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil.’ (Eph. 4:26-27)
Therefore friends, it is imperative that we don’t give the enemy any opportunity to get that fingerhold or toehold in our affairs so he can play games with our minds, and when we get angry it’s very easy to lose our composure and give into his desires. And believe me, the devil is a master at mind games. You just have to check out in the Book of Genesis Chapter 3, how he confused and then convinced our first mother Eve, with seemingly logical arguments, so that she disobeyed God’s directive to not eat from the Julie Mango tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden, even to the point of getting Adam to have a bite himself.
And I know the temptation was strong, because the Julie Mango is the best fruit the Lord’s made. (smile) But still, both she and Adam should have been careful not to fall for the devil’s wiles. And when the Lord asked Eve if she recognized the seriousness of her situation, her answer was, ‘The serpent beguiled me.’ (Gen. 3:13) And she was quite right, because that’s what serpents do. And why is the mind so important you ask? Because that’s where the battle for our souls is waged.
No wonder Bruh Paul wrote thus to the church at Rome: ‘And 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) Yes friends our mind is the battlefield where both the enemy and Jesus seek supremacy to control our lives. The devil tries to get us to behave like the world with all its ungodliness and evil, while Christ tries to bring us to salvation and eternal life through belief and faith in His selfless sacrifices on our behalf.
Consequently, Bruh Paul also warned the Ephesians. ‘This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity (futility) of their mind. Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from God through (because of) the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness (hardening) of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness (licentiousness), to work all uncleanness with greediness.
But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation (conduct) the old man, which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.’ (Eph. 4:17-25)
That basically means, if you have received Christ as Lord and Saviour, you have to stop living like you did before that occurrence took place: put off the old man, or old conduct with all the ungodliness, lawlessness and licentiousness of the world. And instead, be renewed in your mind, that’s constantly being changed, as you gain greater understanding of God’s viewpoint, putting on the new man, the new nature and conduct as desired by Christ. And none of that is very easy to do, for it takes plenty patience, perseverance, faith and much belly and backbone to live for Christ. But that’s why God invited us to come to the throne of grace when we need help in troubled times. And are our times ever troubled right now. So, let’s go there, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now that prayer assumes that our hearts are sincere with right motives, and if the Lord discovers otherwise when He inspects our hearts, then divine aid will not be forthcoming. That’s just the way it is! Much LOVE!
…therefore…if any man be in Christ…he is a new creation…old things are passed away…behold…all things are become new… (2 Cor. 5:17)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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