26 Jul 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a deficiency causes a clear adverse outcome, a misguided heart, a need is something that's necessary to sustain life, a want is a desire wish or aspiration, all fall down, bowing here, cling to God, come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, congregate in the Lord's sanctuary, consider all the blessings we have, dysfunction, eternal death, exciting, faith, fellowship, find grace to help in time of need, find rest unto your souls, find true rest and direction, gentle and humble in heart, God goodness and mercy, God's largesse, hard, headed straight for hell fire and damnation, Holiness is Christ in me, holy spirit, I confess, I find my rest, I need you every hour, I will call upon the Lord, I will give you rest, I will love thee O lord my strength, I'll fall on you Jesus, in whom I will trust, Jesus Christ, Jesus is more than sufficient for all our needs, Jesus is our be all and end all, joy filled, learn from me, let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, Lord I come, Lord I need you, LOVE, makes me wan to worship, Matt Maher, meek and lowly in heart, my buckler, my burden is light, my deliverer, my god, my high tower, my one defense, my righteousness, my shield, my stronghold, my yoke is easy, O God how I need you, obtain mercy, on the right hand of God, painful, run to God, salvation, saved from mine enemies, song of worship, Sunday, sweet sacrifices of praise, take my yoke upon you, teach my song to rise to you, the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, the delicious truth, the first day of the week, the horn of my salvation, the Lord is my rock and my fortress, the throne of grace, the undeserving children of men, there is no other God like our God Jehovah, this evil and ungodly society, time of need, total reliance on God, trust God with everything we're going through, truth, we cannot make it on our own, we need God every minute, we need God in every situation in our lives, we need the Lord's saving grace, when I cannot stand, when temptation comes my way, where grace is found is where you are, where sin runs deep, where you are Lord I am free, wisdom, without you I fall apart, worthy to be praised, you're my hope and stay, you're the one that guides my heart, your grace is more
Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 July 2026 Matthew 11:28.
Matthew 11:28. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
It’s the first day of the week my fellow believers! Sunday! The day we congregate in the Lord’s sanctuary to celebrate His sovereignty as one joyful body, to offer up praise and thanksgiving for His mercy and goodness to us undeserving children of men. For without His largesse, we’d have no chance whatsoever of escaping eternal death.
And today’s song of worship is one that shows our total reliance on our Creator. It’s a 2011 contemporary Christian song by Matt Maher, most appropriately titled `Lord I Need You. So, without further ado, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a soulful, heartfelt, lively and uplifting version, as per the Brookly Tabernacle Choir.
Singing: ‘Lord I come, I confess Bowing here, I find my rest Without You, I fall apart You’re the one that guides my heart (Chorus: Lord, I need You, oh I need You Every hour, I need You My one defense, my righteousness Oh God, how I need You) Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more Where grace is found is where You are And where You are, Lord I am free Holiness is Christ in me (Chorus)
So teach my song to rise to You When temptation comes my way And when I cannot stand, I’ll fall on You Jesus, You’re my hope and stay (Chorus. Lord, I need You, oh I need You Every hour, I need You My one defense, my righteousness Oh God, how I need You You’re my one defense, my righteousness Oh God, how I need You My one defense, my righteousness Oh God, how I need You!’
And isn’t that the delicious truth! We desperately need the Lord’s saving grace, mercy, salvation, and all the other good things He has to offer, for we simply cannot make it on our own! But before we get into the specifics of the song, I think we should clarify what we mean by a need. And this commentary gives us a good basis on which to begin.
It says: ‘A need is something that is necessary for an organism to live a healthy life. Needs are distinguished from wants in that, in the case of a need, a deficiency causes a clear adverse outcome: a dysfunction or death. In other words, a need is something required for a safe, stable and healthy life (e.g. food, water, shelter), while a want is a desire, wish, or aspiration.’
From that explanation, we can deduce that needs are ever so necessary in a human’s life, and most, if not all of them can only be met by or obtained through God’s goodness, grace and mercy! Just look at the first verse: ‘‘Lord I come, I confess Bowing here, I find my rest Without You, I fall apart You’re the one that guides my heart.’ Now where else can you find true rest and direction for an unsure or misguided heart eh? Nowhere else but in and through Jesus!
As He says in His Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11: 28-30) Now that’s Jesus satisfying a couple of our most basic needs; rest and relief from heavy burdens. No one else can do that like He does.
Then look at the chorus: ‘Lord, I need You, oh I need You Every hour, I need You My one defense, my righteousness Oh God, how I need You).’ And if that isn’t the gospel truth, then I don’t know what is! And in this evil and ungodly society that seems to be getting worse with each passing day, do we ever need the Lord. Not only every hour but also every minute, because life is passing by so swiftly, if He isn’t with us all the time then all fall down.
And the chorus most rightly terms the Lord, ‘our one defense,’ which Bruh David clearly states in Psalm 18 – A Call for God’s Deliverance, when he confidently declares: ‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength (rock), in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps. 18:1-3)
It could not be said more clearly than that my people! And we know that Bruh David was talking there from personal experience and not simple hearsay. Then this verse tells us: ‘Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more Where grace is found is where You are And where You are, Lord I am free Holiness is Christ in me.’
And where do we find grace, but at the throne of grace! As the author of Hebrews so rightly informs us: ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:16) And if we find grace where Jesus is, then Jesus must in heaven, as Peter says: ‘Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.’ (1 Pet. 3:22)
Yes my fellow believers, as I keep on saying, Jesus is our End All and Be All; without Him we’re completely lost, headed straight for hell fire and damnation, but with Him in our lives, we don’t need anything or anyone else, for He is more than sufficient for all our needs!
And we’ll close with a couple of testimonies on the song. The first one says: ‘God is ALL that we need. That’s what He wants from us. For us to run to Him, cling to Him and trust Him with everything we’re going through. Whether it’s painful and hard, or joy filled and exciting! We need Him!’ Don’t we know it!
And the second testimony declares: ‘This is a very beautiful song.it makes me look at God and see how much I need him in every situation in my life. It makes me want to worship every time I sing it. It surely is a blessing.’ What an awesome truth! And with that truth declared, I think we should spend some time today considering all the blessings we have, by having Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour! Much LOVE!
…what a great God we serve…there is no other like Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Jul 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, a Messiah, a Saviour, a solid foundation of hope, and now abideth faith hope love, anxiety, anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, basic kind of enthusiasm, be renewed and refreshed, be responsible, by the good example we your faithful believers set, calamity, Christians, cleanse and wash away our sins, Comforter, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, do some serious work for Christ, eagerly waiting with patience, eternal life, faith, faith is strong hope in Christ, fill you with all joy and peace in believing, for what a man sees why does he yet hope for ir, Friday chant, Friday Mantra, further your glorious kingdom, generous help, get sufficient fun fellowship rest and relaxation, get up off our derrieres, God does not lie, God is a god of hope, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on our behalf, God's omnipotent help, Guide, heard of your faith in Jesus Christ, holy spirit, hope, hope for that we see not, hope is an essential ingredient in our Christian journey, hope is something in the future, hope that is seen is not hope, hope that leads to faith, I know the thoughts I think toward you, Jesus Christ, life will improve, LOVE, man Friday, mercy, need your help to fix our problems, our bounden duty, our sinful world, positive exuberance, problems are escalating, rally round the cross of Christ, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, salvation, show our hope faith and love, society won't degenerate any further, stand strong and steadfast, Thank God it's Friday, the BIBLE, the expectation of good things to come, the God of hope, the greatest of these is love, the hope laid up for you in heaven, the love you have to all saints, the scriptures encourage us to have hope and patience in God's Word, the throne of grace, the truth of Christ's gospel, the weekend is here at last, the word of the truth of the gospel, things will get better, thoughts of peace and not of evil, through patience and comfort of the scriptures we might have hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost, to give you an expected end, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, unity of Jews and Gentiles, wake up and smell the coffee, we are saved by hope, whatsoever things were written aforetime, wisdom, wise guidance, with patience wait for it, written for our learning, ye may abound in hope, you cannot have faith without hope
Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 July 2026 Romans 8:24.
Romans 8:24. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
‘It’s Friday, it’s Friday, it’s Friday! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at last!’ It was indeed an ecstatic Friday Mantra that we declared this morning, what with a beautiful, cool, sunshiny summer’s day in the offing, and knowing that the work week will soon end. It’s certainly interesting and amusing the change that the upcoming weekend can produce in us. Only wish Monday could produce the same positive exuberance. (smile) But I don’t think we’ll ever see that the way our society and its working conditions are now set up.
However, there’s one thing we always have as believers in Christ Jesus, that’s HOPE! Hope, which in general is a basic kind of optimism that things will get better, life will improve and our society won’t degenerate any further. But the Christian hope goes deeper than that; for we are assured that things will indeed get better through the Word of God. So let’s check out a few scriptures that give us that solid foundation of hope, of expectation, of optimism.
And the first one comes right from the Lord Himself, when He declares through the prophet Jeremiah: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity) to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) And if the Lord God Almighty, the Creator and Controller of the universe says that, then we know we can believe it, because He does not lie and His promises are true and faithful.
Then, as Bruh Paul writes in Romans: ‘For whatsoever things were written aforetime (beforehand) were written for our learning, that we through patience (perseverance) and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.’ (Rom. 15:4) There we have more confirmation, more of a solid base for our hope, because the scriptures were written to encourage us to have patience and hope in God’s Word.
And way back in the Old Testament the Lord also promised that He would send us a Messiah, a Saviour, who would cleanse and wash away our sins, and when the time was right, He sent His Son Jesus Christ, to die on the cross at Calvary to pay for our sins, and give us the options of salvation and eternal life, with the Holy Ghost dwelling in us, as our comforter, guide and all around man Friday. And we get that salvation through a hope that leads to faith.
Bruh Paul puts it thus in Romans: ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) (eagerly) wait for it.’ (Rom. 8:24-25) Yes, hope is something in the future, not something you can see or already have, and as Christians we are expected to be filled with hope of all the good things that the future will bring, and are expected to wait eagerly for them.
Therefore, Bruh Paul, when talking about the unity of Christian Jews and Gentiles could say: ‘Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.’ (Rom. 15:13) Yes friends, our God is a God of hope! He promises and He comes through when we put our hope and faith in Him.
And if you’re wondering what’s faith; faith for our purposes is basically strong hope in Jesus Christ. We believe that He is who He says He is, and will do what He says He will do; receiving His promises as truth and living the way He desires. And you cannot have faith without hope, for hope is the very basis of faith. As it’s broken down in the LOVE chapter of 1 Corinthians: ‘And now abideth faith, hope, charity (LOVE), these three; but the greatest of these is charity (LOVE).’ (1 Cor. 13:13)
So hope is indeed an essential ingredient in our Christian journey, for without it, we’re lost, we have no starting point, and belief in Jesus begins with hope. And that hope is certain, as Bruh Paul says in his letter to the Colossians: ‘We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the LOVE which ye have to all the saints, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.’ (Col. 1:3-5) There we have it my people, hope is laid up in heaven for us, we’re sure of that from the truth of Christ’s gospel.
Consequently, we can now go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid in these turbulent and uncertain 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!’
But you know what friends, we too also need to wake up and smell the coffee, for all the talk and prayer in the world won’t help until we actually get up off of our derrieres and get out into the evil world and do some serious work for Christ! It’s our bounden duty! We need to at least try and stop our world from degenerating any further. So let’s rally round the cross and show our hope, faith and LOVE! Much LOVE!
…HOPE…the expectation of good things to come…and eagerly waiting with patience for them…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Jul 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a change of diet, a little child shall lead them, a new week of work, all people will walk in the name of his god, arenas of strife, as the waters cover the sea, be established on the top of the mountains, beat their swords into plowshares, belly and backbone, big headlines, bombarded by the enemy's evil schemes, chaos, constantly buffeted, destruction, divine aid, do our best for Jesus, every promise of God will be eventually fulfilled, evil deeds, faith, fill us with steadfast faith, for ever and ever, furthering your glorious kingdom, go out to meet the enemy in battle, he shall judge among many people, he will teach us of his ways, heartache, holy spirit, humble servants, humbly ask, hunky dory, in all it's potential fruitfulness, in the last days, it shall be exalted above the hills, it shall come to pass, Jesus Christ, jobs that serve a useful purpose, keeping lives and families together, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, LOVE, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, mercy, nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore, none shall make them afraid, peace and harmony will characterize the Messiah's kingdom, people shall flow unto it, put his hand on the cockatrice den, ravenous animals, rebuke strong nations, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality and enthusiasm, right back where we started, sally forth with confidence, salvation, sit every man under his vine, strife, surrender our all to you, targeted by evildoers, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, the chaos currently consuming our world, the covenant between God and Israel, the cow and the bear shall feed, the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, the law shall go forth out of Zion, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the light of the world, the lion shall eat straw like the ox, the Lord's promise, the Millennium reign of Christ, the mountain of the house of the Lord, the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it, the salt of the earth, the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, the throne of grace, the weaned child, the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, their spears into pruninghooks, their young ones shall lie down together, they shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, to lead and guide all your servants, to the house of the God of Jacob, truth, under his fig tree, under Satan's direction, we know we're invincible, we will walk in his paths, we will walk in the name of the Lord our God, wearing your powerful protective spiritual armour, weary souls, wisdom, your incredible aura of love
Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 July 2026 Micah 4:3b.
Micah 4:3b. nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
And we’re right back where we started… Monday; that glorious day that just invigorates us, as we go out into a new week to continue doing good work for Jesus in this evil and corrupt world. Somehow though, we don’t seem to be making much of a difference because every day new arenas of strife and hate seem to be opening up and old ones are not being closed. It’s easier to count the countries where no serious strife exists than to count those that are being targeted by the evildoers under Satan’s direction.
There are so many, that most of them no longer make the headlines but have become forgotten in light of the more newsworthy ones, like that between the U.S and Iran, Israel and Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, and Russia and the Ukraine. All those in places like Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, and several other states in Africa and the Eastern world, as well as in South America, are now being ignored because they don’t make big headlines and sell news like the bigger ones now on centre stage. But unfortunately, many of those smaller ones have been around longer than the big ones and are creating just as much strife and heartache as those we’re now focused on.
Oh, how we long for that day when the Lord’s promise as declared by Isaiah and Micah will come true. Micah says it thus: ‘But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in (on) the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people (peoples) shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of (out of) Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
And he shall judge among (between) many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks (pruning knives): nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.’ (Mic. 4: 1-5)
Oh my people, what a blessed day that will be, as the scholars explain, when Jesus comes to set up His Millenium reign, and every promise given to Abraham and to Israel will ultimately be fulfilled. They also explain that ‘the vine and fig tree are both native to Israel. They flourish into luxuriant, natural arbours under which people can sit and enjoy fellowship while being shaded from the heat of the day. Both were used symbolically to represent the basic covenant between God and Israel in all its potential fruitfulness.’
And wouldn’t it be glorious to be sitting in such shade and enjoying peaceful and LOVING fellowship with each other, rather than the hate, anger, strife, evil deeds, destruction and chaos that’s currently consuming our world? It surely would be! But I guess until such time as Jesus returns, we’ll just have to exhibit much belly and backbone while doing what little we can to improve it. I’m also dying to see this other prophecy from Isaiah.
‘The wolf shall also dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed (graze); their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the suckling (nursing) child shall play on the hole of the asp (cobra), and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ (viper’s) den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.’ (Is. 11:6-9)
What a day that will be when the earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord! But that also seems to be not until Christ comes again to take up His rightful rule. As the scholars say: ‘Peace and harmony will characterize the Messiahs kingdom. Ravenous predatory animals – wolf, leopard, lion and bear – are set in deliberate contrast to the more defenseless lamb, kid, calf, cow and ox.
That the lion shall eat straw implies a change of diet. Even the asp and the cockatrice (snakes) will be harmless to a small child. Isaiah sees the Messiah ruling the world in righteousness and a peace that extends even to the animal kingdom. During this time the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord. Thus the prophet sees beyond the restoration of Judah to a time when the Messiah will rule the entire world.’
And we also look forward to that wonderful and amazing time, without wars and hate and strife, just LOVE and peace! Now, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help us stand strong and steadfast in Christ until that marvellous day comes.
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 friends, it’s up to us to go out there and do our best for Jesus. Let’s remember that we’re the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and in Jesus we can do anything He calls us to do! Much LOVE!
…in the Messiah’s kingdom…everything will be hunky dory…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Jul 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of glory, a man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, air quality warnings, all this I have proved by wisdom, anxiety, be it good or evil, be responsible, christianity, confusion, current witness for Christ is unacceptable, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, diabolical schemes, even of foolishness and madness, exalt her, faith, fallen short of the glory of God, fear God and keep his commandments, foolishness, for all have sinned, forest fires, Friday chant, Friday Mantra, further your glorious kingdom, get sufficient fun fellowship rest and relaxation, get wisdom, give to thine head an ornament of grace, God made man upright, God shall bring every work into judgement, God's omnipotent help, gospel truth, holy spirit, I applied my heart to know, I said I will be wise, it was far from me, Jesus Christ, LOVE, madness, man cannot attain God's righteousness without His help, man has sought out many inventions, mercy, not a wise woman among them, one wise man among a thousand, our fallen nature, our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffe, proble, problems are escalating, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, salvation, saw his face as the face of an angel, she shall promote thee, Solomon's wisdom was insufficient to understand life fully, stand strong and steadfast, supposed righteousness, take no heed to all the words that are spoken, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that doeth good and sinneth not, that which is far off and exceeding deep, the BIBLE, the boldness of his face shall be changed, the face of wisdom, the reason of things, the throne of grace, the weekend is here at last, there is not a just man upon earth, thou hear thy servanr curse thee, to know the wickedness of folly, to search, to seek out wisdom, trusting faith, truth, two short days off, unexpected storms, ungodly times, who can find it out, who is as the wise man, who knoweth the interpretation of a thing, wisdom, wisdom is the principal thing, wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men, wise guidance, with all thy getting get understanding, with every secret thing, with your generous help, your own heart knows you have cursed others
Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 July 2026 Ecclesiastes 8:1b.
Ecclesiastes 8:1b. a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness (strength) of his face shall be changed.
It’s Friday, so most working people are happy, and very early in the morning, have joyfully sent their Friday Mantra up to high heaven: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at long last!’ But let’s remember, we still have to work and live through Friday before we can truly relax and let out hair down, because Friday also has challenges for us to navigate with the help of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who strengthens us so that we can do His awesome will.
And for the third day in a row we have air quality warnings, and today’s warning claims it’s severe. What a way July has begun, not only with several heat warnings but also now with air quality warnings because of the many forest fires burning in the northern part of the province. And one would think that as the days progress the quality would improve, but apparently not. The first day, Wednesday the sky was very dark, which led me to forecast rain, until the duchess informed me otherwise.
Yesterday it wasn’t dark, jut a bit cloudy and the sun was shining fairly bright so I decided to go out and run some errands. But as soon as I left home, I had to close my windows and put on the AC, because the smoke smell was fairly strong. I did the few errands that were in a small area, but left those that required me going further afield undone, for the smoke was getting to me. So now, although the sun is shining brightly with not much cloud cover, and with the air quality possibly worse, I’m wondering if I’m going out again this afternoon to find my errands. Who knows? But we’ll consider that when the time comes.
Right now though, let’s consider some wise and interesting words from Cousin Sol talking about the Face of Wisdom, as the Preacher in the Book of Ecclesiastes. He declares: ‘Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness (strength) of his face shall be changed.’ (Eccl. 8:1)
And that’s no lie, for as Cousin Sol asserts in Proverbs: ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to thine head (place on thine head) an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.’ (Prov. 4:7-9) Yes friends, when we seek wisdom and understanding they brighten both our physical and emotional selves.
And Luke corroborates that in the Book of Acts when he describes Stephen’s features as he stood before the Jewish council on charges of blasphemy. ‘And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.’ (Acts. 6:15) And earlier on in Ecclesiastes, Cousin Sol argues: ‘Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men (rulers) which are in the city. For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.’ (Eccl. 7:19-20)
Now there can be no argument with the last statement, for as Bruh Paul says in Romans: ‘For all have sinned and come short (fallen short) of the glory of God.’ (Rom. 3:23) Yes, for as the scholars tell us: ‘Man can exceed his own standards but never, left to himself, can he attain to God’s righteousness.’ That’s why we need God in our lives.
And Cousin Sol continues: ‘Also take no heed unto (don’t take to heart) all the words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee: For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.’ (Eccl. 7:21-22) And isn’t that the gospel truth! We can’t listen to everything or we’ll find much that discourages and disappoints us. And for sure, many of us have likewise spoken badly against others.
Then Cousin Sol makes these very interesting statements. ‘All this I have proved (tested) by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me. That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out? I applied my heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:
…Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one (adding one thing to another), to find out the account (reason): which yet my soul seeketh, but find not: one (wise) man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found. Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions (schemes).’ (Eccl. 7:23-25; 27-29) And that’s oh so true. God made man upright, but in our fallen nature we have searched out the most wicked and diabolical schemes, especially in these times of great learning and knowledge.
And the scholars explain those verses thus: ‘Solomon is known as the wisest man who ever lived, but even his wisdom was insufficient to understand life fully (7:23). In his search for wisdom Solomon found many sinful people (7;26), but few righteous (7:28; cf. Prov. 31:10). In spite of the failures of wisdom, it is still the most attractive virtue since it helps bring inner happiness (8:1).’ Now can you imagine if the wisest man’s wisdom was not enough to fully understand life, what does that say about us, less wise beings eh?
But that’s exactly why Cousin Sol ends Ecclesiastes thus. ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl. 12:13-14) Yes my people, it’s so simple. All that’s really required of us is to reverence the Lord and keep His commandments. Nothing else. But we make life even more difficult than it already is by adding all sorts of foolishness and evil to it.
Anyway, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to help us stick to the true programme. 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 let’s not get carried away by our supposed righteousness, for the truth is that our current witness for Christ is totally unacceptable, which means we also need to wake up and smell the coffee sweet and strong. Much LOVE!
…if more of us…sought true wisdom and understanding…our world would not be in the terrible mess it’s currently in…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Jul 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a day in thy courts is better than a thousand, a reversal of fortune, acknowledgement of God's faithfulness, another new work week, be a doorkeeper, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee, bombarded by the enemy's evil schemes, came upon me to devour my flesh, Christ is our be all and end all, doing our best, exalt him, faith, fill us with steadfast faith, God our shield, God shall wipe away all tears, goes round and round, he hath triumphed gloriously, he is become my salvation, he is my God, hide me in his pavilion, holy spirit, humble servants, I will sing unto the Lord, in the house of my God, in the secret of his tabernacle, in the time of trouble, in this will I be confident, incredible aura of LOVE, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus is our sin bearer, jobs that serve a useful purpose, keeping lives and families together, laugh at those going to work, locked out of the new Jerusalem, look upon the face of thine anointed one, LOVE, make every day count, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, mercy, Messiah, mine enemies and my foes, my father's God, my heart shall not fear, names written in the Lamb's Book of Life, neither for brightness shall the moon give light, neither sorrow nor crying, no good thing will he withhold, no more death, no more pain, no need of the sun or moon, no night there, of whom shall I be afraid, praise God, prepare him an habitation, put our brave words into action, Redeemer, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality and enthusiasm, retirement, sally forth with confidence, salvation, set me upon a rock, sure conquerors, surrender our all to you, the BIBLE, the days of thy mourning shall be ended, the fires of hell, the gates shall not be shut at all by day, the glory of God illuminated it, the grim reaper, the horse and his rider, the Lamb is the light thereof, the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it, The Lord God is a sun and shield, the Lord is my light and my salvation, the Lord is my strength and song, the Lord is the strength of my life, the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, the Lord will give grace and glory, the merry-go-round, the new heaven and the new earth, the song of Moses, the sons of Korah, the stage of our working life, the sun shall be no more thy light by day, the throne of grace, the wicked, them that walk uprightly, they stumbled and fell, though an host should encamp against me, though war should rise against me, thrown into the sea, to dwell in the tents of wickedness, to lead and guide all your servants, truth, walk in the light of it, wearing your powerful protective spiritual armour, whom shall I fear, wisdom, wisdom says be wise
Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 July 2026 Psalm 27:1.
Psalm 27:1. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Another day, another Monday, another new work week! And the merry-go-round keeps going around and around, but just where does it stop? Who knows? Because that’s the way our society is set up. True relief might only be found when the Grim Reaper comes a calling. Or if you are lucky or blessed you might have a short time in what we call retirement, where you can lay in your bed on a Monday morning and just laugh at all those going out to labour.
Unfortunately though, many of us don’t get to enjoy such a reversal of fortune, and therefore we have to make every day count by doing our best while we’re out there on the stage of our working life. But enough of my amateur philosophizing, (smile) let’s see what the Lord wants us to talk about this Monday morning in mid-July. And the Good Library opened today at that marvellous, encouraging Psalm 27 – My Heart Shall Not Fear – so I assume that’s what the Lord wants us to consider today.
So, please read with me these beautiful and reassuring sentiments of Bruh David. ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up (devour) my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident… For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me upon a rock.’ (Ps. 27:1-3; 5)
Yes friends, that’s the kind of God we serve and the way our faith ought to reassure us of God’s faithfulness, and strength. It’s like the song Moses sang unto the Lord about His defeat of Pharaoh’s army. ‘I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation (praise him); my father’s God, and I will exalt him.’ (Ex. 15:1-2) And Moses had cause to praise and exalt God, just like we do, for His sending Jesus to be our sin bearer, redeemer, Messiah; in fact, our Be All and End All!
Then the Sons of Korah also exalt God and praise His holy name in Psalm 84 – Rejoicing in God’s Tabernacle. ‘Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed (commissioned) one. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper (stand in the threshold) in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (Ps. 84:9-12)
Meanwhile, Isaiah reassured his people thus: ‘The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.’ (Is. 60:19-20)
Oh my faithful brethren, the Lord is indeed our light and our salvation, and He keeps that promise in the Book of Revelation, where John says of the new heaven and new earth: ‘And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten (illuminate it), and the Lamb is the light thereof.
And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And there shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh (causes) abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.’ (Rev. 21:22-27)
Ah mih bredrin, yuh see how important it is to have our names written in the Lamb’s book of life! For if your name’s not written therein, then you won’t be entering the new heaven and the new earth, you will be locked out of the new Jerusalem and will be spending time with Beelzebub and all his evil cronies in the fires of hell. And we all know that’s not a nice place to spend any time at all.
What we truly need to be enjoying then, is this wonderful situation that John describes in that New Jerusalem: ‘And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away’ (Rev. 21: 4) And I can only jump for joy and shout, ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ longing to see that day when there will be no more pain. (smile)
Now, with all that reassurance and encouragement under our belts, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help us stand strong for Jesus, with our names indelibly recorded in the Lamb’s book of life. 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 get out there and put those brave words into action! Much LOVE!
…Wisdom says…be wise…and live to see the New Jerusalem…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 Jul 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a hiding place, a place of comfort, be of good courage, be renewed and refreshed, be responsible, blessed is the man maketh the Lord his trust, by the good example we your faithful believers set, christianity, deal treacherously, defeat and destroy the enemy, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, divine aid, established my goings, faith, Friday chant, Friday Mantra, further your glorious kingdom, get sufficient fun fellowship and relaxation, God always gives the best, God is a refuge for us, God shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities, God's omnipotent help, God's timing is perfect, he brought me up also out of an horrible pit, he hath put a new song in my mouth, he inclined unto me, he is my defence, He only is my rock and my salvation, he shall exalt thee to inherit the land, he shall strengthen thine heart, holy spirit, I shall not be moved, I wait for the Lord, I waited patiently for the lord, In God is my salvation and my glory, in his word do I hope, in soul body and mind, Jesus Christ, let me not be ashamed, let none that wait in faith on thee be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me, let them be ashamed which transgress without cause, LOVE, many shall see it and fear, mercy, more haste less speed, more than they that watch for the morning, my expectation is from him, my hope is from God, my refuge is in God, my soul, my soul doth wait, my soul silently wait thou upon God, my soul waiteth for the Lord, O my God I trust in thee, our best interest, our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffe, our society's desire for speed, out of the miry clay, pour out your heart before God, praise unto our God, relax in God's uprightness, respecteth not the proud, rushing about but going nowhere, salvation, Selah, serious problems are escalating, set my feet on a rock, speed kills, stand strong and steadfast, such as turn aside to lies, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the BIBLE, the Lord heard my cry, the rock of my strength, the throne of grace, the weekend is here at last, time for Christians to rise up, trust in him at all times, trusting faith, trusting in God's will, truth, two short days off, unexpected storms, wait in faith I say on the Lord, wait in faith on the Lord, wait on the Lord and keep his way, wisdom, wise guidance, with him is plenteous redemption, with the Lord there is mercy, with your generous help, you shall see when the wicked are cut off
Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 July 2026 Psalm 27:14.
Psalm 27:14. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.
And on this hot and sunshiny summer Friday morning, the shouts of our Friday Mantra obviously rang out loud and clear to high heaven! ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at long last!’ To tell the truth, the weekend doesn’t seem as though it took long to come, but came rather quickly, just like July began only last week and we’re already into double digit days. There doesn’t seem to be anything like slow moving time again, it all seems to have speeded up just like our society’s desire for speed in everything.
But please, let’s remember that very true adage; speed kills, not only on the roads but in many other areas of life too. Not taking time to make wise decisions has become a norm in our society; too many things are being rushed into without proper consideration, and like so many of us we’re simply rushing about, but going nowhere. It’s like that other old adage; more haste, less speed. And most of us have experienced that in several areas of our lives, where we hurry to do things or go places, but we simply end up taking more time that we expected.
That’s why there’s such wisdom in these words of Bruh David from Psalm 27: ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27:14) And friends there’s nothing better than waiting in faith on God, for His timing is perfect and He always gives us the best of whatever He has to offer. If, and when we learn to wait in faith patiently on Him, then we’ll see and experience a great calm and trust in our spirits, we’ll not be as anxious and fearful as before, because we’ve accepted the Lord’s timetable and are no longer desirous of pursuing our own will, but trusting in His.
And that statement of waiting on the Lord in faith seemed to be rather important to Bruh David, because he mentions it in several psalms. In Psalm 25, My heart Shall Not Fear, he declares: ‘O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait (in faith) on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause (deal treacherously).’ (Ps. 25:2-3) Then in Psalm 37, Trust in the Lord, Bruh David advises: ‘Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off thou shalt see it.’ (Ps. 37:34)
Ah friends, it’s all about trusting God, being sure of His supremacy and of His wonderful and generous LOVE and compassion for us; therefore we can rest in His timing and relax in His uprightness and righteousness. Meanwhile in Psalm 40, Praise for God’s Deliverance, Bruh David sincerely informs us: ‘I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet on a rock, and established my goings (steps). And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’ (Ps. 40:1-4)
Oh my people, those are the kinds of things that happen when we trust in the Lord and wait on Him, for He is ever generous to those who truly trust, rely and wait on His timing and promise! Then in Psalm 62, My Rock and My Salvation, Bruh David declares: ‘My soul, (silently) wait thou only upon God; for my expectation (hope) is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved (shaken). In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’ (Ps. 62:5-8)
And that’s the glorious truth my brethren! God is a refuge, a hiding place, a place of comfort, calm and peace for those who trust, believe in and wait patiently on Him! And it’s not Bruh David alone that writes about the importance of trusting and waiting on God. Listen to this passage from Psalm 130, Hoping and Waiting for the Lord.
The psalmist acknowledges: ‘I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy (LOVING KINDNESS), and with him is plenteous (abundant) redemption. And he shall redeem Isreal from all his iniquities.’ (Ps. 130:5-8) And that’s exactly what happens when we wait patiently for the Lord, put our trust in Him and aspire to live the way He desires!
Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to do all the things we need to do to live sincerely for God. 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!’
Now, let’s be reminded that we believers also need to wake up and smell the coffee, because our current Christian witness for Christ is totally unacceptable. It has to be, if the enemy is dominating our world to such a great extent. It’s time for us to rise up, resist, defeat and destroy the enemy! Much LOVE!
…waiting in faith…patiently on God…is in our best interest…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Jul 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit, a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit, a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, a new week of work, an unholy mess, apostasy will characterize the final days of the church age, believe not every spirit, beware of false prophets, blasphemers, boasters, bombarded by the enemy's evil schemes, born of God, bounden duty, brutal, check the conformity of their teaching with the scriptures, Christ's return to earth, christianity, come to you in sheep's clothing, conquerors, covetous, deceitful workers, denying the power thereof, despisers of those that are good, disobedient to parents, distort the truth of the gospel, dog eat dog world, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, every spirit that confesseth Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus is come in the flesh, face the rat race our world has become, faith, false accuser, fierce, figs of thistles, fill us with steadfast faith, from such turn away, furthering your glorious kingdom, gather grapes of thorns, get our act together, greater is he that is in you, haughty, have it more abundantly, having a form of godliness, heady, hereby know ye the Spirit of God, highminded, holy spirit, humble servants, in the last days perilous times shall come, incontinent, invincible, inwardly they are ravening wolves, irreconcilable, Jesus came the we might have life, Jesus Christ, keeping lives and families together, know them by their fruits, live a godly and abundant life, look like innocent lambs, LOVE, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, many false prophets are in the world, meet the enemy in battle, men shall be lovers of their own selves, ministers of righteousness, money lovers, over the weekend, proud, rat race, ravenous wolves, reckless, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality and enthusiasm, sally forth with confidence, salvation, Satan transforms himself, serve a useful purpose, slanderers, such are false apostles, surrender our all to you, than he that is in the world, thankful for jobs, the angel of light, the BIBLE, the devil only comes to steal and destroy, the help and comfort of the Holy Spirit, the nature of the beast, the omnipotent omniscient omni-present God, the spirit of antichrist, the throne of grace, the ushering in of the church age, time to turn up the heat on the devil, to lead and guide all your servants, traitors, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ, truce breakers, truth, try the spirits whether they be of God, turning away from the faith, unholy, unthankful, we have all the tools to handle it, we're not afraid, wearing your powerful protective spiritual armour, whose end shall be according to their works, wisdom, without natural affection, without self-control, wrought in our weary souls, ye are of God little children, your incredible aura of love
Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 July 2026 Matthew 7:15.
Matthew 7:15. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening (ravenous) wolves.
It’s Monday my brethren… and that means work! Yes, we’ve got to get out there and face the rat race that our world has become. But the good news is that we have all the parts and all the tools to handle it through the help and comfort of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ that indwells us. We just have to get our act together and make use of what we’ve been given to live a godly and abundant life. And I believe the rat race and dog eat dog situation that our world has become was well described by Bruh Paul in his second letter to Timothy, when he solemnly warned him: ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.’ (2 Tim. 3:1)
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘The last days began with the birth of Christ, (or the ushering in of the church age), and will culminate in Christ’s return to the earth to set up His kingdom. The prediction of perilous times indicates that apostasy (turning away from the faith) will characterize the final days of the church age.’ And there are indeed a lot of people turning away from the faith in these evil and ungodly times. Our world today is exactly like Bruh Paul describes it to Timothy.
‘For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, truce breakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady (reckless), highminded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more than (rather than) lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:2-5)
Oh friends, if we go through all those categories, we’ll find that our world is indeed overwhelmingly full of each one, consequently why it’s in such a disastrous and chaotic state. For a world filled with so much ungodliness and evil cannot help but be disastrous and chaotic; it’s just the very nature of such a beast. So, we should not be surprised that some think that these are truly the last days, because our world is in such an unholy mess. And per the term, a form of godliness, the scholars explain that as having mere religion without power or spiritual life. That’s why Paul commands Timothy to stay away from those false teachers.
And Bruh Paul also warns about them in his letter to the Corinthians, where he writes; ‘For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed (transforms himself) as the angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.’ (2 Cor. 11:13-15)
And in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Himself warned about these false people. ‘Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening (ravenous) wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil (bad) fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil (bad) fruit), neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.’ (Matt. 7:15-18)
Those false prophets and teachers distort the truth of the gospel, and although they look like innocent lambs, they are instead ravenous and destructive wolves hiding under the umbrella of Christ’s gospel to lead people astray. And most of them preach one thing but live another. That’s why it’s of the utmost importance that we check the conformity of their teaching with that of the scriptures. That’s why John in his first epistle also asked his readers to test the doctrine of those who come pretending to be teachers of the gospel.
‘Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ (1 John 4:1-4)
And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! Christ who dwells in us believers, is greater than Satan who dwells in the followers of the world. And our strength to overcome lies in the fact that we are born of the omnipotent, omniscient, and omni-present God! So, although the antichrist and his cronies might be somewhat powerful and very deceitful, they are no match for those who believe in Christ. However, as we said at the beginning, we must be careful and use all the tools we’ve been given, if we want to be successful in this chaotic world.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, with humble confidence, (smile) seeking divine aid in these troubled times. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour!
We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Oh my fellow believers, it’s time we turn up the heat on the devil and his evil cronies! That’s our bounden duty! So let’s get to it nuh! Much LOVE!
…the devil only comes to lie and steal and destroy…but Jesus came that we might have life…and have it more abundantly…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Jul 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bright light suddenly shined down from heaven, a glorious truth, a heat warning in effect, anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, arise and go into the city, be not afraid of their faces, be renewed and refreshed, be responsible, before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, before thou camest forth out ot the womb, Behold, Christian witness for Christ, christianity, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, divine aid, faith, far from perfect, Friday chant, Friday Mantra, further your glorious kingdom, get sufficient fun fellowship rest and relaxation, go to all that I shall send thee, goads, God does not call us by chance but by choice, God gives you all the tools you need to do His work, God's omnipotent help, holy spirit, How high Lord, I am Jesus, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest, I am with thee to deliver thee, I cannot speak for I am a child, I have put my words in thy mouth, I have this day set thee over nations, I knew thee, I sactified thee, it is hard to kick against the pricks, it shall be told thee what to do, Jesus Christ, LOVE, made havock of the church, make excuses, making life difficult, mercy, not enough religious knowledge, ordained thee a prophet unto the nations, our sinful world can wake up, over the kingdoms, personal experience, problems escalating, reading and studying the word, refuse God's call because we feel unworthy, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, salvation, Saul harassing the church, Saul Saul why persecutest thou me, Saul was blind and did not eat or drink for three days, say not I am a child, set thee apart, sharpened sticks used to prod animals, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the BIBLE, the Creator of the universe, the example we faithful believers set, the great persecutor of the church became its greatest zealot, the long process, the Lord always gets his man, the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth, the sufficiency for God's service comes only from God Himself, the throne of grace, the weekend is here at last, the word of the Lord came unto me, to build, to destroy, to plant, to pull down, to root out, trembling and astonished, trusting faith, truth, two short days off, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, what wilt thou have me to do, whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak, when God comes a calling, who art thou Lord, wisdom, wise guidance, young and inexperienced
Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 July 2026 Acts 9:6a.
Acts 9:6a. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
And finally, our long awaited day of Friday. Obviously the shouts of our Friday Mantra rise to the sky. ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at last!’ And many of us are just dying to get it over with so we can rest up after the Canada Day celebrations earlier on in the week. But please be careful, because it’s going to be another hot, sweltering day, with the heat warning still in effect. So stay inside, or make sure you’re well protected if you’re outside.
And today the Lord caused the Bible to open to the beginning of the Book of Jeremiah. Why? Because He wanted to point out an example to many of us who make excuses to do His bidding, like Jeremiah did. Jeremiah relates it thus: ‘Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, ‘Before I formed thee in the belly (womb) I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee (set thee apart), and ordained (appointed) thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child (youth).
But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations, and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull (tear) down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build and to plant.’ (Jer. 1:5-10)
Yes friends, many of us make excuses when the Lord calls us to do something for Him, claiming we’re not capable for whatever reason. Jeremiah claimed that he was young and thus inexperienced. When He approached me to write the Bit, I laughed, because it did seem like a joke, and claimed that I did not have enough religious knowledge, which at the time was perfectly true. But the Creator of the universe and all therein knows what He’s doing and does not call us by chance, but rather by choice. Yuh see how He told Jeremiah that He knew him and set him apart as a prophet from before his birth, then touched his mouth and made him understand.
Unfortunately, with me, He did not touch my mouth and make we wise, No. After making life difficult for me until I accepted His call, I had to go through the long process of reading and studying His Word and trying to understand what He was saying to me through the Holy Spirit. And even after nineteen long years of writing the Bit, I’m still far from perfect. But I have improved from first writing only a few lines to now writing too much. (smile) And don’t think we’re alone in refusing God’s call because we feel unworthy, for many great men of God at first refused for just that reason.
Here are some examples that the scholars give. ‘Moses (Ex. 3:4), Barak (Judg. 4:8), Gideon (Judg. 6:15), Saul (1 Sam. 10:22), Bruh David (2 Sam. 7:19), and Cousin Sol (1 Kin. 3:7), and many others who understood clearly that sufficiency for God’s service comes only from God Himself.’ And that’s a glorious truth my people, for God does not call you to do something and leave you in the lurch. No! He takes time and teaches you what He expects from you, gives you all the tools you need to do His work efficiently and peacefully.
And my best advice is if and when the Lord calls you to do something, make a true excuse, if there’s one, but if He persists, then right away say, ‘Yes Lord, how high do you want me to jump?’ (smile) That’s because He will make your life miserable in so many different ways until He finally breaks you down and you agree to His offer. And I’m speaking there from personal experience. Please understand, that if the Lord truly wants you, He will get you.
And there’s a fine example in Bruh Paul. He was out there harassing the church. The Bible says: ‘As for Saul (Paul), he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling (dragging off) men and women committed them to prison.’ (Acts 8:3) And he was present when they killed Stephen. Then, one day while on his way to Damascus to do more harassing of the church, this bright light suddenly shined down from heaven blinded him and knocked him off his horse.
And he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou Lord? and the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks (goads, sharpened sticks used to prod animals). And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what to do.’ (Acts 9:4-6) And Saul got up from the ground blind, and they led him to Damascus, where he stayed blind and didn’t eat nor drink for three days.
Oh friends, yuh see how easily the great persecutor of the church became it’s greatest zealot. Yes, because the Lord desired it. He had planned it that way from long before. And what amazes me is how Bruh Paul gave in so easily, with no fight or bluster at all. It just goes to show that when the Lord wants your services, He will get them one way or another. So when next He comes a calling, just agree from the very beginning, and save yourself some trouble. Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid 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 unfortunately, it’s not the unbelievers alone who need to wake up and smell the coffee, but also believers, for our Christian witness for Christ is certainly not good enough! Much LOVE!
…don’t try to kick against the pricks (goads)…for the Lord ALWAYS gets His man…or woman…eventually…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Jun 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all whose works are truth, allow your incredible aura of love, an idol, be disobedient to God, before the God of his fathers, begin a new week of work, besought the Lord his God, better relations can blossom from interaction, better to have some interaction than no interaction, bombarded by the enemy's evil schemes, bound him with fetters, brings estranged fathers and children together, bronze chains, brought him again to Jerusalem, built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the temple, built altars in the house of the Lord, carried him to Babylon, caused his children to pass through the fire, children must make their own personal choice for God, constantly buffeted, consulted mediums, dangerous jobs, dealt with a familiar spirit, desecrated the Lord's temple and the grounds, divine aid, do as we promised, don't depend on their parents relationship to God, Dr. Charles Stanley, emphasizes the need, faith, Father's Day celebrations, fill us with steadfast faith, furthering your glorious kingdom, gives it to whom he will, giveth it to whomsoever he will, go out to meet the enemy in battle, God abases those that walk in pride, he built again the high places, he did that which was evil in the Lord's sight, his ways judgement, holy spirit, humble servants, humbled himself greatly, I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the king of heaven, in affliction, in Jerusalem shall my name be for ever, into the evil and ungodly world, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, justice, keep us on the straight and narrow path, keeping lives and families together, know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, lead and guide all your servants, like unto the abominations of the heathen, LOVE, made groves, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, man is naturally stubborn and rebellious, Manasseh made Judah and Jerusalem to err, mercy, Nebuchadnezzar's boast, nose hooks, obey God and leave all the consequences to him, observed times, parents need to communicate personal godliness to their children, places for pagan worship, practiced soothsaying, prayed unto him, provoked the Lord to anger, put an idol in the temple, reared up altars for Baailim, refused to listen, renewed vitality and enthusiasm, sally forth with confidence, salvation, sentenced him to seven years of madness, serve a useful purpose, set a carved image in the house of God, sorcery, spiritists, spiritual armour, sure conquerors, surrender our all to you, the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, the Lord brought upon them, the Lord heard his supplication, the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, the number one rule for earthly living, the rejuvenation of Spirit, the son of the godly Hezekiah, the throne of grace, the wickedness of Manasseh, then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God, they would not hearken, those that walk in pride He is able to abase, to do worse than the heathen, took Manasseh among the thorns, truth, used enchantments, was intreated of him, weak and puny, wisdom, witchcraft, wizards, wooden images, worshipped all the host of heaven, worshipped the gods of the Assyrians, wrought in our weary souls, wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord
Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 June 2026 2 Chronicles 33:13b.
2 Chronicles 33:13b. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God.
So the Father’s Day celebrations are finished now, and it’s back to work on a somewhat wet and cloudy Monday. But there are questions as to whether the celebrations are necessary because of the many unused, not needed or wanted gifts the occasion produces. However, using that same argument you can cut out almost every major celebration we currently enjoy. And we certainly do have too many celebrations nowadays, for almost every day something is being celebrated. The important thing about Father’s Day though is that it brings children and fathers together who might not see, talk to, or associate with each other very often during the year.
What we’re trying to rebuild is the rather poor connection that exists today between too many children and their fathers, because of the unfortunate prevalence of divorce, separation and single-family homes At least on a day like that there’s some interaction and better relations can blossom from it. It’s always better to have some interaction than no interaction at all. So, the vote is against repealing Father’s Day! (smile)
And friends, today we’ll look at a very interesting story that deals with the reign of King Manasseh, the son of King Hezekiah. The Bible tells us first off that ‘Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem.’ (2 Chr. 33:1) So he had a long reign, but was it profitable?
Not to begin with, for the Bible continues: ‘But did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. For he built again the high places (places for pagan worship) which Hezikiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves (wooden images), and worshipped all the host of heaven (the gods of the Assyrians) and served them.’ (2 Chr. 33:2-4.) Yes mih bredrin, Hezkiah had broken down all the pagan worship places and forbidden them during his reign, but unfortunately his son Manasseh restored it all.
And furthermore, ‘Also he built altars in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever. And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. (2 Chr. 33:4-5) He even desecrated the Lord’s temple and the grounds, thus destroying all the good work that his father Hezekiah had done. And the scholars make an interesting statement here. They say, ‘The wickedness of Manasseh, the son of the godly Hezekiah, emphasizes the need for parents to communicate personal godliness to their children. Children must make their own personal choice for God and not depend simply on their parents’ relationship to God.’
And it’s obvious that Manasseh did not make his personal choice for God, but for Satan. For as the Bible continues: ‘And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times (practiced soothsaying), and used enchantments (witchcraft), and used witchcraft (sorcery), and dealt with a familiar spirit (consulted mediums), and with wizards (spiritists): he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.’ (2 Chr. 33:6)
That would drive anybody to anger. But to make things even worse, the Bible tells us: ‘And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God (the temple), of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever.’ (2 Chr. 33:7) Now imagine that nuh, putting a carved image in God’s sanctuary. And what was the consequence of all that?
The Bible says: ‘So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel. And the Lord spake to Mannaseh and his people: but they would not hearken.’ (2 Chr. 33:9-10) And my fellow believers, we all know that when the Lord speaks to you about your disobedience, and you fail to listen, then the eventual consequences won’t be very pleasant.
And they certainly won’t for Manasseh and the people. The Bibe declares: ‘Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns (with nose hooks), and bound him with fetters (bronze chains), and carried him to Babylon.’ (2 Chr. 33:11)
Now I don’t think that made Manasseh very happy, but it did do wonders for his wisdom. For as the Bible relates: ‘And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God.’ (2 Chr. 33:12-13)
Oh my people, why do we have to be disobedient to God, and thus put ourselves through so much distress, when we can easily do His will in the first place? Because we’re naturally stubborn and rebellious, thinking that we are powerful and know it all, when we’re weak and puny, and don’t know anything.
That’s another story like the Babylonian king Nebuchadnnezzar, who felt he had built a mighty palace through his own power, but before he could even finish speaking, the Lord had sentenced him to seven years of madness, living with beasts in the field and eating grass like the oxen, ‘until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.’ (Dan. 4:32) And Neb did achieve wisdom after the seven years of madness, as he subsequently declared: ‘Now I Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgement (justice): and those that walk in pride he is able to abase (humble).’ (Dan. 4:37)
Now let’s hope that delves deep into our hearts and keeps us on the straight and narrow path. And for help to do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour!
We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And having said all of that, we now need to get out there and do as we promised. Much LOVE!
…as Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley)…so wisely declared…the number one rule for earthly living is…obey God and leave all the consequences to him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 Jun 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a God that forgavest them, allow your incredible aura of love, as far as the east is from the west, begin a new week of work, between the two cherubims upon the ark, bounden duty, buffeted by the enemy's wicked taunts, christianity, commune with thee from above the mercy seat, consequences of their evil deeds, divine aid, exalt ye the Lord our God, executest judgement and righteousness in jacob, faith, far from our goals, fill us with steadfast faith, furthering your glorious kingdom, God has absolute power, God is omnipotent, God is worthy of our complete devotion, God LOVES justice, God's capacity for forgiveness, God's in a category of His own, God's perfect in goodness and righteousness, god's perfect sense of justice and righteousness, he is high above all the people, he sitteth between the cherubims, holy spirit, humble servants, humbly ask, into the evil and ungodly world, invincible, Jesus Christ, keeping lives and families together, let the earth be moved, let the people tremble, let them praise thy great and awesome name, limitless power, LOVE, make hay while the sun shines, make worthwhile inroads into the enemy's ranks, mercy, Moses and Aaron among his priests, need to be alert, our God is holy, put out the effort, rejuvenation of spirit, sadly lacking, sally forth with confidence, salvation, serve a useful purpose, so far hath he removed our transgressions, spake unto them in the cloudy pillar, stick to God's plan and purpose for our lives, sure conquerors, surrender our all to you, thank you for our jobs, the ark of the covenant, the BIBLE, The Holiness of God, the indisputable truth, the king's strength also loveth judgement, the living truth, the Lord exonerates our human transgressions, the Lord is great in Zion, the Lord reigneth, the magnanimity of God, the mercy seat, the renewed vitality and enthusiasm, the throne of grace, them that call upon his name, they called upon the Lord and he answered them, they kept his testimonies, thou dost establish equity, to lead and guide all your servants, to meet the enemy in battle, tookest vengeance of their inventions, truth, uprightness, we're not afraid, wearing your powerful protective spiritual armour, what's propelling the time, wisdom, worship at his footstool, wrought in our weary souls
Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 June 2026 Psalm 99:5.
Psalm 99:5. Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.
So, Monday’s come around again my brethren… and so quickly too. Yes, it’s a somewhat cool though sunshiny Monday. And can you imagine we are also in the middle of June? Another couple of weeks and June is toast, as well as half of the year. I don’t know what’s propelling the time to move so quickly, but, unfortunately, we cannot do anything about the speed with which the days and months are passing, so we therefore need to be alert and stick to the purpose and plan that God’s set out for our lives. Or, as the old people would say, make hay while the sun shines. (smile)
And today, we’ll look at a passage of scripture that we don’t pay much attention to, that’s Psalm 99, titled The Holiness of God. The psalmist begins it thus: ‘The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved (shaken). The Lord is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people. Let them praise thy great and terrible (awesome) name; for it (he) is holy.’ (Ps. 99:1-3)
And all of that’s the living truth my fellow believers! Our God is indeed great and mighty, with power that surpasses that of all others put together; meaning He is omnipotent, or has absolute, limitless power. Therefore, the people ought to sing His praises, and exalt His awesome and holy name, for He is indeed worthy of our complete devotion. Or as this overview says: ‘Our God is set apart, for a special purpose; is perfectly pure, unique, and in a category of His own, thus perfect in goodness and righteousness.’ And we certainly cannot doubt any of those descriptions of our wonderful Sovereign Deity!
But before we move on, here’s this interesting info, per ‘he sitteth between the cherubims.’ It comes from when God gave Moses the instructions for constructing the ark of the covenant. He told him: ‘And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune (speak) with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.’ (Ex. 25:21-22) So it’s no lie; the Lord definitely sits between the two cherubims. (smile)
Then the psalmist continues: ‘The king’s strength also LOVETH judgement; thou dost establish equity (uprightness), thou executest judgement and righteousness in Jacob. Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.’ (Ps.99:4-5) Ah friends, the Lord’s LOVE of justice and righteousness certainly cannot be denied. It’s renowned throughout the universe, for it’s one of the foundational elements of who He is. And He is most definitely worth exalting and being worshipped at His footstool on account of His perfect sense of justice and righteousness.
So the psalmist continues singing God’s praises: ‘Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the Lord, and he answered them. He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance (statute) that he gave them. Thou answeredst them, O Lord our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions (on their evil deeds). Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy hill: for the Lord our God is holy.’ (Ps. 99: 6-9) And isn’t that the indisputable truth? It surely is!
Now that last section of the psalm deals with the magnanimity of our God; His awesome and amazing capacity for forgiveness! And yes, there are consequences for our wrongdoing, but the wonderful thing about our outstanding God is that He doesn’t hold our disobedience against us, but casts them away and totally forgives us. ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.’ (Ps. 102:12) That’s how completely the Lord absolves or exonerates us of our human transgressions.
Wow! Isn’t He the greatest! He surely is! So, basically the psalm is about making known to all and sundry, God’s greatness, His heightened sense of justice and righteousness, as well as His awesome ability to forgive. That makes Him pure, perfect, unique, holy and worthy to be exalted and worshipped! And now, since we’re so far from those goals, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning battle hymn, seeking divine aid to make us more like our wonderful God.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together. We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour! We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!
And friends, we won’t improve ourselves or our situations unless and until we put out the effort to do so, an effort that’s so far been sadly lacking. So let’s get up and turn things around nuh, for we have all the tools to do so! Much LOVE!
…it’s our bounden duty…to exalt and worship our heavenly Father…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
