22 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a benevolent ruler, a God-like King, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, all sinned and disobeyed your word, all who believe in him, an anticlimactic end, an attribute of Jesus, blessed with eternal life, call his name Immanuel, Christ birth was foretold to give Israel hope, Counsellor, divine aid, encouragement from Isaiah's prophecy, encouragement from Jesus' words, endure to the end with Christ, Enormous Rewards, eternal peace on earth, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, Father of Eternity, focus on Jesus Christ, For unto us a child is born, from henceforth even for ever, fulfill God's requirement, give us hope, God incarnate, God with us, he hat shall endure unto the end, Hero, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, Immanuel, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, live up to your expectations, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, mercy, miraculous counsel, of the increase of his government and peace, persevere in faith, pray, salvation, show this evil world, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, spiritual insight, strong faith in Christ, thank you for life, the everlasting Father, the Gift-Child, the God who heals, the government shall be upon his shoulder, the Lord himself shall give you a sign, the mighty God, the Prince of Peace, the promise of Christ's Second Coming, the same shall be saved, the worst feeling ever, The zeal of the Lord will perform this, there shall be no end, to alleviate our problems, to establish it with judgement and with justice, to stand strong in faith, truth, turn from our evil ways, unto us a son is given, upon his kingdom to order it, upon the throne of David, wisdom, wise guidance, Wonderful
Isaiah 9:6a. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
Only two more days friends…and then it’s Christmas Day! Let’s hope that the excitement and anticipation don’t have an anticlimactic end, leaving you with a less than jolly, merry Christmas, (smile) for that can be the worst feeling ever, when a moment you put so much energy and time into doesn’t live up to your expectations. But I’m sure if you keep your focus on Jesus, that won’t happen.
So, what shall we talk about on this Monday of Christmas week eh? Well… let’s see what the Bible suggests… And after looking through the Word and seeking spiritual insight we’ve been led to this familiar passage from the prophet Isaiah, where he declares the prophecy of the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord will perform this.’ (Is. 9:6-7)
You see friends, centuries before Christ was born, His birth was foretold by the prophet Isaiah to give the people of Israel hope in their tough lives. And the zeal of the Lord indeed began the process through His birth at Christmas. Likewise, today, the promise of Christ’s Second Coming ought to give us hope to stand strong in faith with Him, so that all who believe in Him and endure to the end, can be blessed with eternal life, as He so clearly says in the gospel of Matthew while talking about the end times. ‘But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’ (Matt. 24:13)
So just like the Israelites of old were given encouragement by Isaiah’s prophecy, so we today are meant to take encouragement from Jesus’ words. But getting back to Isaiah’s prophecy, the scholars offer some interesting explanations on that passage. They say: ‘The Gift-Child in this passage is the same divine Child as Immanuel (God with Us). (Is. 7:14) Again, using the prophetic perfect, the prophet sees Him as though He were already born.
Wonderful, Counsellor is actually one term in Hebrew. A wonder is indicative of a miracle. Counsellor is often used in parallel with King (cf. Mic. 4:9) Thus miraculous counsel is given by this God-like King. The mighty God (El Gibor) is the strongest of these titles. In Isaiah, El is always used of God and never refers to man. Gibor means: “Hero.” Together they describe One who is indeed God Himself. (A most definite attribute of Jesus!)
Everlasting Father literally means Father of Eternity. He alone is the source of eternal life. (Another attribute of Jesus.) Prince of Peace (Sar-Shalom) indicates that the mighty God will be a benevolent ruler bringing eternal peace on earth through the establishment of His kingdom. Thus, the obscure figure of Immanuel is now brought to clear light: He is Himself God Incarnate!’ And everybody shouted: ‘Jesus, God Incarnate!’ (smile)
And I do hope that those explanations improved our understanding of the terms and how they were used back in the Old Testament. But, as per the reference to ‘Immanuel,’ let’s check out Is. 7:14. The situation existed where two nations were plotting war against Judah, and the Lord sent Isaiah to warn King Ahaz that the attack would not be successful. And though Ahaz was told to ask for a sign, He piously refused to ‘tempt God.’ But Isaiah nonetheless informed him: ‘Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (God be with Us).’
Another prophecy of Christ’s birth. So, it wasn’t like the Israelites didn’t know of Christ’s coming, they just didn’t know when. Similarly, we know of Christ’s Second Coming, but we don’t know when either. That means we must persevere in faith until whatever time the Father chooses to send Him back, because the rewards for those who persevere until the end will be enormous and most worthwhile. And to help us do that on this Christmas Monday, 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 Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Ah friends, our prayer is very touching, but there’s only one problem; we must first fulfil the requirement for God to prosper us, that’s turn from our evil ways. So, let’s concentrate on doing that nuh, if we indeed desire divine aid! Much LOVE!
…Jesus’ coming to earth…was never a secret…it only called for persevering faith to believe it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disgrace to ther families, a level headed girl, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a pregnant unmarried teenager, a virgin espoused, all sinned and disobeyed your word, allowed her faith to rise above the serious consequences, an unwise move, be it unto me according to thy word, bear the Son of God, behold the handmaid of the Lord, blessed art thou among women, bring forth a son, call his name Jesus, cast in her mind, conceive in thy womb, considered the greeting, decline God's outrageous offer, dismissed Gabriel's story as a joke, faith, fear not Mary, for with God nothing shall be impossible, Galilee, get your priorities straight, go out on a limb for christ, he shall be great, hold her head and bawl, holy spirit, how shall this be, humble ourselves, I am a virgin, impregnated through no human agency, in her old age, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, LOVE, Mary lived up to the Lord's expectations, Mary showed great faith, mass confusion in our world, mercy, mind-blowing information, Nazareth, of his kingdom there shall be no end, of the house of David, our faith ought to rise to the challenge, overshadow thee, please ease the pain, pray, precocious female, pregnancy without marriage, promised to hear and answer our prayers, reign over the house of Jacob for ever, rising each time we fall, salvation, seeing I know not a man, sent from God, shameful, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, sinless but totally human, strong faith in Christ, that holy thing born of thee, the angel departed from her, the angel Gabriel, the God who heals, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, the incarnate birth of Christ, the Lord God shall give unto him, the Lord is with thee, the manner of salutation, the many suffering from negative situations, the power of the Highest, the power to solve our problems, the problem is in our hands, the reason for the season, the Son of God, the Son of the Highest, the throne of grace, the throne of his father David, the virgin's name was Mary, there is no giving up in Jesus' kingdom, this evil world, thou art highly favoured, thou hast found favour with God, thrown her for a loop, thy cousin Elisabeth hat also conceived a son, to a man called Joseph, to alleviate our problems, to lay it on the line for His cause, troubled at his saying, truth, turn from our evil ways, under the prevailing circumstances, when the LZord calls to action, who was called barren, wisdom, wise guidance, Yahweh is salvation
Luke 1:38. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid (maidservant) of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Only ten more days before the Big One friends, so you had better get your priorities straight and then accomplish them as quickly as possible, before time runs out on you. But please, don’t forget that the current most important priority is remembering that the incarnate birth of Christ is the reason for all the celebrations. That’s what we must keep uppermost in our minds as we go about our business this Christmas season.
And there are many interesting stories about Christ’s birth, but my favourite is the one that began it all. We’re talking about the visit of the angel Gabriel to Jesus’ mother Mary, informing her of what was about to happen. The Bible tells us: ‘And in the sixth month (of John the Baptist’s mother, Elisabeth’s pregnancy – Luke 1:5-25) the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city called Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused (betrothed) to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail (rejoice), thou art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind (considered) what manner of salutation (greeting) this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
And behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS (Yahweh is salvation). He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest (Most High): and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.’ (Luke 1:26-33)
Now, just imagine you are a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old Jewish girl, in some backwater town of Galilee called Nazareth, recently engaged to be married, and this angel suddenly appears and confounds you with all that unexpected, mind-blowing information. What would your reaction be? But the Lord chose wisely, for Mary was a levelheaded girl and didn’t faint or hold her head and bawl in fear.
The Bible continues: ‘Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man (I am a virgin)? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest (Most High) shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing (one) which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin (relative) Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ (Luke 1:34-37)
And if Mary was astonished and confused before, the information about how she would be impregnated, through no human agency, and that she would bear the Son of God, sinless but totally human, and that her relative, Elisabeth who was previously considered barren was now with child, must certainly have thrown her for a loop.
Even the most precocious female back then, or now, would probably have gotten angry, tried to argue, or just sent Gabriel away, dismissed his tale as a joke, because all that he had said was so outlandish and out of this world. And furthermore, if Mary was to get pregnant without being married…what a bam bam that would cause in little Nazareth.
But you know what, as we said before, the Lord in His infinite wisdom knew whom He was choosing to bear His Son. He didn’t pick just anybody, but someone who would not freak out and decline His outrageous offer. And Mary lived up to the Lord’s expectations, for the Bible relates: ‘And Mary said, Behold the handmaid (maidservant) of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.’ (Luke 1:38)
Now some people might look on her response as being rather stupid or foolhardy, and to a certain extent they would be right, for just consider all the problems a pregnant, unmarried teenage girl would face in a small Jewish town. Even today, in some places, pregnancy without marriage is still looked upon as wrong and shameful and can lead to serious consequences, so can you imagine how it would be construed two thousand years ago.
But the truth of the matter is that Mary showed great faith, accepting such a problematic role at such a young age. And I guess the knowledge that Elisabeth, her cousin, who had been barren for so many years, but was now six months pregnant in her old age, might have had some small effect on her decision. The point though, is that she did not back down from what under the prevailing circumstances seemed like an unwise move, but allowed her faith to rise up above the serious consequences a positive decision would undoubtedly bring.
And that’s the kind of faith the Lord is looking for in these evil and ungodly times. He’s looking for people who are not afraid to lay it all on the line for His cause. Unfortunately though, the numbers who are willing to go out on a limb for Christ are rather small, when compared with the overall total of supposed believers. But we’re not giving up, for in Jesus’ kingdom there is no giving up, just rising each time we fall, and continuing in His awesome journey.
And since we’ve been instructed to come boldly, but humbly to the throne of grace for help in times of need, let’s do that right now, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Friends, the problem is now in our hands. Our prayer says that God has promised to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways, so what are waiting for eh…if we truly desire divine aid? Much LOVE!
…when the Lord calls us to action…our faith ought to rise to the challenge…like Mary’s did…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: a barbaric society, a strife-filled society, a wintry Monday, all sinned and disobeyed your word, at the end it shall speak and not lie, cause me to behold grievance, come to that wise understanding, contention, cry out unto thee of violence, declare all thy works, destroyed all the unfaithful, destroyed all them that go a whoring, divine aid, divine judgement, don't lose hope, ease the pain, envious of the boastful, evil doers are pulling the strings, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, God is the strength of my heart, he may run that readeth it, He who has promised is faithful, his soul that is lifted up is not upright in him, holy spirit, how long shall I cry, humble ourselves, humble servants, I have put my trust in the Lord, it is good for me to draw near to God, it will surely come, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, justice doth never go forth, keep your promise to prosper us, little incentive to abide by the law, living in the northern climes, LOVE, make it plain upon tables, makes one's stomach churn, mass confusion, mercy, my flesh and my heart fails, my portion for ever, not enough serious consequences for breaking the law, perverse justice is handed down, pray, prophetic vision, repercussions, rush hour traffic, salvation, set me upon the tower, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, spoiling and violence are before me, stand upon my watch, strong faith in Christ, thank you for life, the burden, the faithful will be vindicated, the God who heals, the law is powerless, the law is slacked, the lawlessness of our society, the many suffering from negative situations, the power to solve our problems, the prosperity of the wicked, the righteous will inherit the earth, the throne of grace, the vision is for an appointed time, the wicked doth compass about the righteous, the wicked surround the righteous, the wicked will be destroyed, then understood I their end, there is never justice, there is strife, they that are far from thee shall perish, thou wilt not hear, thou wilt not save, though it tarry wait for it, to alleviate our problems, toil, trouble, truth, turn from our eil ways, until I went into the sanctuary of God, why di you show me iniquity, wisdom, wise guidance, write the vision, wrong judgement proceedeth
Habakkuk 2:4. Behold, his soul that is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
And then it was a wintry Monday; dark, snowy, slippery, aggravating and frustrating, as snow storms usually are when you must drive to work in them. But that’s all par for the course my brethren. It’s what living in the northern climes calls for and it’s what makes us such tough and hardy folks. (smile) Hope that you all left home early enough to escape most of the rush hour traffic and those who still drive unwisely under poor road conditions. Anyway, we pray that you arrived at your destinations safely, be it work, school or play, and that you will return home just as safely. We pray it all in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!
Now, yesterday in church, I heard an interesting scripture that I was not familiar with, but it made a big impression on me. It comes from the book of Habakkuk. The Book begins by saying, ‘The burden (oracle, prophecy) which the prophet Habakkuk the prophet did see. O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
Why dost thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance (trouble, toil)? For spoiling (plundering) and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife (there is strife) and contention. Therefore the law is slacked (powerless), and judgement (justice) doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about (surround) the righteous; therefore wrong (perverse) judgement proceedeth.’ (Hab. 1:1-4)
Yes friends, that was Habakkuk’s cry to the Lord, who, in his prophetic vision, was only showing him violence and evil, suffering for the righteous and prosperity for the wicked who were dominating the situation with evil, perverted schemes. In other words, a sentence of divine judgement to befall at the appropriate time. And the part of that scripture which really caught my attention was the last verse about the slackness or powerlessness of the law and the perverse or wrong justice that comes about because of the powerlessness of the law.
And it just struck me as a similar situation to the one which our society is currently embroiled in, where lawlessness is increasing, but the law is not doing anything constructive about it, because the evil doers are pulling the strings, and thus we are becoming a rather violent and strife-filled society. Too many rules are daily being broken with little or no consequences to the lawbreakers. And it’s sad that many of them are not first-time lawbreakers, but those with records to their names.
There is little incentive to abide by the law, as well as not enough serious consequences to stop breaking it. And as some like to say, laws are only made for those who wish to abide by them; those who want to break them, will break them anyway. But there must be some repercussions for breaking them, else why bother to have them at all, let’s simply live in a barbaric society. And that’s exactly what we are inching closer to every day, because there’s such inhumanity towards each other that it makes one’s stomach churn in dismay.
And I can imagine how all the modern prophets burdened with a prophecy like Habakkuk must be crying out to the Lord as they see the injustice, violence and ‘sufferation’ being meted out to many of the righteous in our society. But the wonderful thing about the Lord is that He might allow the evil doers to prosper for a while, but He’s promised that they will eventually be destroyed, and the righteous will inherit the earth and all that the wicked possessed.
So, after opening his heart and complaining to the Lord, about the iniquity of Babylon and their abuse of other nations, here’s how Habakkuk opens Chapter 2. ‘I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower (rampart), and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.’ (Hak. 2:1)
Good for Habakkuk! He’s standing up and waiting for an answer from the Lord and contemplating his own answer to the Lord’s reproof. But the Lord surprises him with this answer. ‘And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables (tablets), that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul that is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.’ (Hab. 2:2-4)
Yes, my people, the Lord instructed Habakkuk to write the coming of the divine judgment on tablets big enough so those who are running by can read it. And He makes sure to tell him that though justice might take a while to come, it surely will come, so don’t lose hope. And I guess that’s the same message He is sending us today my faithful brethren; eventually, He will relieve the pressure and the wicked will be destroyed, and we faithful will be vindicated.
And yes, it might be tough to see the prosperity of the wicked, but let’s remember like Asaph did in Psalm 73, when he was envious of the boastful and the prosperity of the wicked, but thankfully, as he recounts: ‘Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.’ (Ps. 73:17)
Hopefully, we will also come to that wise understanding and afterwards, say like Asaph: ‘My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee (are unfaithful). But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.’ (Ps. 73: 26-28) Now let’s put that declaration (chuh!!!) in to practice and draw near to God at the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hym, seeking divine aid.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, if we sincerely desire divine aid, then it’s ever so necessary for us to do as our prayer says: ‘turn from our evil ways.’ Remember, we are the ones it’s hurting, not the Lord. Much LOVE!
…He who has promised is faithful…and that ought to be enough for us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a godly requirement to do our best, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a sincere disposition, as men pleasers, as to the Lord and not unto men, be enthusiastic in carrying out menial tasks, beneficial influence, control all areas of a Christian's life, discipleship, divine aid, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, do all to the glory of God, do it with thy might, do our own thing, faith, falling on deaf ears, fearing God, get something for nothing, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him, greedy, grin and bear it, he that doeth wrong, hold our heads and bawl, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, if any man will come after me, in our prayer lies the solution to our problems, in singleness of heart, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, jobs that are not motivating us, keep your promise to prosper us, knowing that of the Lord, lazy, let him deny himself, let's get to work, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, no respect of persons, not with eyeservice, not working on the Lord's behalf, nothing is truly free, numerous distractions, obey in all things your masters, please ease the pain, praise Your Holy Name, promised to hear and answer our prayers, receive for the wrong he has done, receive the reward of the inheritance, salvation, sincere repentance, sincerely seeking God's face, sinned and seriously disobeyed your word, take up his cross daily and follow me, the bane of our work ethic, the boss is looking over your shoulders, the God who heals, the indwelling word of Christ, the many suffering from negative situations, the power to solve our problems, the reward which is salvation, the throne of grace, there is no work device knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, time to get back into the evil and ungodly world, to alleviate our problems, truth, turn from our evil ways, unethical, we serve God not man, whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, whatsoever ye do do it heartily, whatsoever ye do in word or deed, wisdom, wise advice, wise guidance, work at jobs we don't like, ye serve the Lord Christ
Colossians 3:23. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not unto men;
Unfortunately friends, after Sunday comes Monday, a day which many of us thoroughly dislike, because it means it’s time to get back out into the evil, ungodly world, that abounds with numerous distractions, and labour at jobs that we either don’t like or are not motivating us to improve our capabilities.
But please remember we’re not in this for ourselves, but for Jesus, and thus we need to grin and bear whatever sacrifice(s) that are necessary to further His kingdom. That’s why Jesus specifically laid out this condition for discipleship. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23)
And the important thing to notice in that sentence is the provision for daily discipleship, not when you feel like it, or when it’s convenient. But we like to do our own thing, and when it backfires on us, we hold our heads and bawl and wonder why. Of course it’s going to backfire if you’re not working on the Lord’s behalf. And there are so many scriptures that warn, as well as encourage us to always do our best, in whatever we do, and consider that we’re doing it unto the Lord.
As Bruh Paul says to the Colossians. ‘And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’ (Col. 3:17) And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘The beneficial influence produced by the indwelling word of Christ is not only to affect public and private worship (vs.16), but it is also to control all areas of a Christian’s life.’ Yes friends, our Christian faith is to be showcased in all areas of our lives, not only in worship.
And then, a few verses later, Bruh Paul further issues these directives on the topic. ‘Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness (sincerity) of heart, fearing God. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.’ (Col. 3:22-25)
Ah my people, those poignant words still hold true for today…possibly even truer for today than when Bruh Paul first wrote them, for there is a greater population of Christian servants and workers today than back then, and the times are possibly much more confusing and uncertain, therefore we need that wise advice even more desperately than the Colossian believers did. And the scholars offer these explanations on those verses.
As per Eyeservice; they describe it as work done only when the master is watching. Christian slaves were to work hard even when their owners were absent. And are we ever good at eyeservice in these modern times, for it’s the bane of our current work ethic, it’s rampant wherever you go. Too many of us only work when the boss is looking over our shoulders, but once he turns his back…well, that’s another story.
Meanwhile singleness of heart means a “sincere disposition.” And do it heartily means the slave (worker) is to perform his slave duties (work) wholeheartedly, doing the best job he can with all his strength. A slave (worker) could be enthusiastic in carrying out his menial tasks because they were done, not so much for his earthly master (unto men), but for his heavenly Master (to the Lord).
Oh my fellow workers, can you imagine the increase in productivity such sincere and wholehearted efforts would make in today’s work environment! It would boggle our minds, because right now too many of us don’t put out our best efforts at our jobs, but we certainly want to get the same amount of pay and benefits for making a sub-standard effort.
And, as per the reward of the inheritance (or “the reward which is salvation); they say, the fact that Christian slaves will receive salvation from the Lord rather than from men verifies the assertion in verse 23 that they serve Christ, and not their masters. The very same thing applies to us today my faithful brethren. We serve God, not mankind, or those who pay our wages, but we do have a godly requirement to always do our best.
And no topic of scripture would be complete without a word from the wisest man ever, Cousin Sol. (smile) So listen to him give this wise and wonderful advice from Ecclesiastes, as the Preacher. ‘Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave wither thou goest.’ (Eccl. 9:10)
Wiser words were never spoken my people, but like it’s all falling on deaf ears these days, as our society has become so lazy, greedy and unethical, where our main intention is to get something for nothing as often as possible. We fail to consider that nothing is really free, for someone has to pay for it somewhere along the food chain. But all we care about is that it’s not us. Anyway, to help us in our earthly endeavours, 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 Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And it’s rather interesting, that right in our prayer lies the solution to many of our problems; humbling ourselves, sincerely seeking God through prayer, and overall, turning from our evil ways. Now do we truly want divine aid? Then let’s get to work nuh! Much LOVE!
…whether therefore ye eat…or drink…or whatsoever ye do…do all to the glory of God… (1 Cor. 10:31)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heart full of thankfulness, a modicum of circumspection, a perpetual reason for gratitude, a personal attitude, a powerful expression of faith, an act of worship that glorifies God, be careful for nothing, be ye thankful, before taking action, called in one body, cautious and prudent, celebrate God's goodness, communal worship, considering all circumstances and consequences, divine aid, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, encouraging gratitude in all circumstances, enjoy the celebrations, enjoy the festivities, excellent weather, faith, firewaorks, food, for all the wonderful things He's done for us, give thanks, give thanks to God with sincere hearts, give thanks to our heavenly Father, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him, God's enduring love and faithfulness, God's gooness is constant, God's marvellous grace and mercy, Gratitude as a way of life, Happy Thanksgiving Day, his mercy endures forever, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, in all wisdom, in every situation, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in every thing give thanks, in psalms hymns and spiritual songs, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, let the peace of God rule in your hearts, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, let your requests be made known unto God, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, mercy, music as a powerful expression of our thankful hearts, negative situations, O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good, permeate every aspect of a believer's life, pray, prayers, public gatherings, reckless escapades, regardless of our circumstances, reinforcing trust in God, salvation, see god's hand and goodness, shifts our focus from our worries to God's provision, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord, song and dance, songs, strong faith in Christ, teaching each other, testimonies of God's wonderful deeds, thanksgiving, thanksgiving as worship, thanksgiving is a crucial element of prayer, the ball is in our court, the foundation for our gratitude, the God who heals, the power to solve our many problems, the recognition of God's unchanging love, the weekend, the will of God in Christ concerning you, this blessed land of Canada, ties thankfulness to the peace of Christ, times of abundance, times of trials, tis evil world, to alleviate our problems, truth, turn from our evil ways, two warnings, whatsoever ye do in word or deed, wisdom, wise guidance
1 Thessalonians 5:18. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY CANADA!
Oh friends, it’s good to be alive on this Thanksgiving Monday and be able to give thanks to our heavenly Father for all the wonderful things He’s done for us down through the years, and for what He’s promised to do in the future! What would we do or be without His marvellous grace and mercy eh? Certainly not as much as we are today. And although today looks somewhat cloudy, we also need to give thanks for the excellent weather we’ve experienced so far this important weekend, so that families could get together without too many problems and celebrate God’s goodness to this blessed land called Canada!
I certainly saw that in my area yesterday, where the roads and driveways were lined with more parked cars than normal. Today will also be the same, as the weekend culminates in public gatherings featuring fireworks, food, song and dance and whatever other pastime we choose to occupy the rest of the day. But this thanksgiving rhetoric would not be complete without two warnings; the first is to remember to actually give thanks to God, with sincere hearts, and not only enjoy the festivities like we often do.
And secondly, let’s not overdo the partying and the reckless escapades we tend to get into on these occasions, for remember tomorrow is a workday and we cannot book of sick, or go to work all dragged out and tired. In other words, as that wise man Jeeves would say, let’s totally enjoy the celebrations, but with a modicum of circumspection, that’s being somewhat cautious and prudent, carefully considering all circumstances and potential consequences before taking action. End of the sermon! (smile)
Now, today, we’ll look at some scripture verses that speak of thanksgiving. But before we do that here is some commentary on the matter from the Christianpure website. They break it down into three specific aspects: (1) ‘Gratitude as a Way of Life: The Bible teaches that thanksgiving should permeate every aspect of a believer’s life, encouraging gratitude in all circumstances, not just in times of abundance but also in trials. This perspective transforms how we view our experiences, prompting us to see God’s hand and goodness in every situation.
(2) God’s Enduring LOVE and Faithfulness: Central to the theme of thanksgiving in the Bible is the recognition of God’s unchanging LOVE and faithfulness as the foundation for our gratitude. The verses highlight God’s goodness and mercy as constant reasons for thanksgiving, inviting believers to respond to His LOVE with a heart full of thankfulness.
(3) Thanksgiving as Worship: The act of giving thanks is depicted not only as a personal attitude but also as an act of worship that glorifies God. Through prayers, songs, and testimonies of God’s wonderful deeds, thanksgiving becomes a powerful expression of faith and adoration, drawing believers closer to God and reinforcing their trust in Him.’
And now, having a more in-depth idea of thanksgiving, let’s look at a few verses that fit the bill, beginning with this verse from Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians, which sets the stage for all the others. ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:18) Now that could not be any more specific; in everything we are to give thanks, be grateful regardless of our circumstances, because that’s what the Lord desires of us through Christ Jesus.
Then we have the opening verse of Psalm 107, which is repeated several times throughout the Bible. ‘O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good: for his mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS) endureth for ever.’ (Ps. 107:1) And as the commentary from the Christianpure website tells us: ‘This Psalm highlights God’s enduring LOVE as the foundation for thanksgiving. It reminds us that God’s goodness is constant, providing a perpetual reason for gratitude, reflecting on His unchanging nature and faithful LOVE.’
And what about these verses from Colossians? ‘And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’ (Col. 3:15-17)
And the commentary reasons that ‘This passage ties thankfulness to the peace of Christ and communal worship. It suggests that gratitude is both a personal attitude and a communal practice, enriched through sharing and teaching, with music as a powerful expression of our thankful hearts.’
Unfortunately though, we have time for just one more verse, another one we ought to know quite well. This from Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.’ (Phil. 3:6) And per the commentary: ‘This verse teaches that thanksgiving is a crucial element of prayer, transforming anxiety into peace. It implies that gratitude shifts our focus from our worries to God’s provision, encouraging a trustful surrender to His care.’
Now hopefully we have a somewhat deeper and richer understanding of thanksgiving, (smile) so let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid for our strife-filled world. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as our prayer indicates, now that we’ve prayed, we must begin turning from our evil ways, and sincerely seek God’s face, if we desire to receive divine aid. That means the ball is now in our court. So please, let’s do something productive and worthwhile with it! Much LOVE!
…giving thanks is what God expects from us…in every circumstance…so why are we so reluctant to do it eh…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
29 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accompanying this ignorance, all things that are reproved, arise from the dead, awake thou that sleepest, begin on a good footing, bring sins to light, but rather reprove them, Christ shall give thee light, Christian witness, constant temptations, darkness encompassed people, discerning what is acceptable to the Lord, divine aid, ease the pain, expose them, exposed sins, faith, fellowship, fooling ourselves, guilt and misery, happiness, have no fellowship, hear and answer our prayers, hideous nature, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, immorality, in all goodness righteousness and truth, indulge in the sins of the unsaved, it is a shame, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep the enemy at bay, keep your promise to prosper us, knowledge of the truth, light in the Lord, LOVE, made manifest by the light, made visible by the gospel, mass confusion, mercy, moral purity, now ye are light in the Lord, pleading for wise guidance, pray, pretend we're walking in the light, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord, religiously informed, rousing unbelievers, salt and light, salvation, show them your awesome grace and mercy, sincere repentance, sincerely seek God's face, solicitations to evil, spiritual darkness, spiritually unenlightened, stop committing those sins, strong faith in Christ, terrible consequences, the error of their ways, the everlasting light of Christ, the first day of the week, the first day of the workweek, the fruit of the spirit, the fruitful works of darkness, the God who heals, the light of Christ, the many suffering from negative situations, the power to solve our problems, the unfruitful works of darkness, to alleviate our problems, to speak of those things done in secret, truth, turn away from hideous sins, turn from our evil ways, unadvisable sleep, walk as children of light, walk in darkness, whatsoever doth make manifest is light, wisdom, ye were sometimes darkness
Ephesians 5:8. For ye were sometimes (once) darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
And after Sunday, the first day of the week, comes Monday, the first day of the work week. Now, let’s hope that we are all ready for it, because if we’re not, then things can definitely go downhill for the remainder of the week, since the strongly held belief by some that a bad beginning makes for a good ending is not always true, for sometimes a bad beginning just makes for a worse ending. So, it’s always best to try and begin on a good footing rather than a bad one. (smile)
And today, I want to continue with a passage that we did not get to put into the Bit yesterday, since it would have made it much too long and complicated. It’s about the light of Christ that Christians ought to be avidly and vividly proclaiming, walking as children of light, as written by Bruh Paul to the Ephesians.
He compassionately informs them: ‘For ye were sometimes (once) darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the fruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove (expose) them.
For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved (exposed) are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.’ (Eph. 5:8-14)
Yes friends, once upon a time we lived in spiritual darkness, or as the scholars’ state, ‘spiritually unenlightened, and accompanying this ignorance was immorality with its resultant guilt and misery.’ However, since we’ve received Jesus, who is the Light, the scholars say ‘that denotes that the recipients are now to be religiously informed. Their knowledge of the truth is attended by moral purity and happiness. And because of constant temptations and solicitations to evil, believers must always be proving or discerning what is and what is not acceptable unto the Lord.’
Furthermore, ‘the believer’s duty is expressed here in two ways. Negatively, he is not to have any fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, that is not to indulge in the sins of the unsaved. Positively, he is to “expose” (reprove) these sins, that is, bring them to light and show them for what they really are, so that the unbeliever may see their hideous nature and their terrible consequences.’
Yes my brethren, it’s always best to uncover and expose those terrible sins of darkness that are constantly taking place in our rather evil world, so that those who are lost can see and understand the error of their ways and the terrible consequences that they will incur if they stay in that state of sinful darkness. And as the scholars point out, if it’s indecent or ‘shameful to even speak of those iniquities in decent company (vs. 3), then how much worse is the committing of these sins. Hence the need to bring them to the light.’
Now that’s what we’re here for, to stop committing those sins, and instead expose them to the light. And per vs. 13, the scholars have an interesting explanation of it. They say: ‘This verse may be paraphrased: All sins that are exposed are made visible by the gospel, for whatever sin is made visible becomes light.’ And that’s understandable, because the gospel allows us to expose those sins, not only by bringing them to light, but also making them light so that they can inform others.
Then re vs.14, they tell us: ‘Since exposing sin is beneficial, God invites the unbeliever (thou that sleepest) to turn from his sin (arise from the dead), with the promise that he will be granted the spiritual enlightenment and help needed (Christ shall give thee light).’ Ah my people, I do hope that we see how important it is for us to both live in the light and help others to do the same, because that’s the only way we will first, keep the enemy at bay, and then eventually win his darkness encompassed people to the bright, enlightening and everlasting light of Christ.
That means it’s imperative we get out into the world this Monday, the second to last day of September and begin rousing the unbelievers from their inadvisable sleep, so that they can start turning away from their hideous sins. Oh, by the way, many of us supposed believers also have secretly hidden hideous sins, which we are also expected to give up. (smile) Now, for help in all that we are meant to do, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking powerful divine aid.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And my fellow believers, let’s not kid ourselves, for we know that we’re not as salt and light as we ought to be, that’s why our Christian witness is sadly lacking, so if we truly want to fulfill our mandate as disciples of Christ, let’s sincerely begin humbling ourselves, praying, seeking His face, and turning from our evil ways. That’s the only way we will ever get true divine aid! Much LOVE!
…how can so many of us believers…walk in darkness…and yet pretend we’re walking in the light…we’re only fooling ourselves…not God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a daily choice for believers, a merciful God, a repeated experience for believers, be filled with the Holy Spirit, be grateful for all things, be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, be used for good, being refilled with the Holy Spirit, Christians be filled with the Holy Spirit, continually yielded to God's control and power, contrary to God's will, control one's passions and lusts, dependability, disobeyed God's word, dissipation, divine aid, divinely allowed to enter one's life, do the Lord's work, don't get drunk on alcoholic beverages, drunkenness, exhort and instruct each other, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, generosity, gentleness, giving thanks always for all things, gladness of heart, God's will, goodness, grow spiritually in Christ, holy spirit, humble servants, in psalms hymns and spiritual songs, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, individual song and praise for the Lord, it's all for our benefit, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, joy, kindness, longsuffering, LOVE, making melody in your heart to the Lord, mass confusion in our world, mercy, moral intemperance, negative situations, not a one time thing, obedience to God's will, ongoing submission to God's will, patience with others, peace, practical advice for living the Christian life, sacrificial giving of oneself, salvation, seed planted and nourished by the Holy spirit, self-control, show them your awesome grace and mercy, sincerely seek your face, singing, speaking to yourselves, submitting yourselves one to another, temperance, thank you for life and strong faith in Christ, the believer is expected to bear much fruit, the fear of God, the fruit of the spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, the God who heals, the Holy Spirit gets more of the believer, the only one to solve our problems, the throne of grace, to alleviate our problems, tranquility of mind, truth, turn from our evil ways, under the influence of wine, unto god and the Father, wisdom, wise guidance
Ephesians 5:18. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Holy Spirit.
It’s Monday once again my people, time to get up and get going out into the world to do the Lord’s work! Let’s hope that we’re all refreshed and renewed with His Holy Spirit so that we can do good, efficient, excellent work on this sunshiny summer’s day. It’s like Bruh Paul wrote to the Ephesians: ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ (Eph. 5:18).
And what does that mean? According to the scholars, ‘that basically means we’re not to get drunk on alcoholic beverages, because it leads to drunkenness and excessive behaviour causing moral intemperance, which is clearly contrary to God’s will. God’s will is that Christians be filled with (by) the Holy Spirit; that is, they are to allow Him to fill them with God’s own life, character and virtues. The analogy between these two moral states is this: a person filled with wine is under its influence; similarly, a Christian is filled with the Spirit when He (the Spirit) controls his thoughts.’
And I like how this commentary explains the situation. It says: ‘To be refilled with the Holy Spirit means to be continually yielded to God’s control and power, a state of ongoing submission and obedience to His will, rather than a one-time event. It is an intentional, active, and daily choice by believers to allow the Holy Spirit to empower them to live a victorious and fruitful Christian life by obeying God’s Word, committing to prayer and fellowship, and trusting in God’s sovereignty.’
Yes friends, being refilled with the Holy Spirit is not a one-time thing, but a continual filling, a repeated experience for believers. Where we actively submit our will to God’s control, thus ‘making a conscious decision to live under His constant direction and power, leading to a transformed character and priorities.’ And Bruh Paul, as is his wont, goes on to give us some practical advice on how to achieve those desires in real life.
He writes: ‘Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph. 5:19-21) What a great passage of scripture that is my brethren!
And the scholars break it down thus: ‘There are four results of being Spirit-filled. (1) believers speak to one another with psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs; that is, they exhort and instruct each other; (2) there is singing and the making of melody, of individual song and praise for the Lord; (3) there is giving thanks always – the Spirit enables the Christian to be grateful for all things divinely allowed to enter his life since they will be used for good; (4) there is mutual submission, that is, showing deference to the wishes of one another, as long as that to which the believer submits is in the fear of God, which is to say, in accord with what pleases Him.’
Then there’s an interesting addendum that the scholars add to their explanation, which says: ‘Because people are indwelt by the Holy Spirit at salvation, they do not need to get more of the Holy Spirit, but the filling of the Spirit occurs when the Holy Spirit gets more of the believer.’ Wow! That sounds right. Technically speaking, we already have the Holy Spirit dwelling with us, so we can’t get any more of it in the sense of receiving it, but instead we need to give more of ourselves to the Holy Spirit, that’s listening to Him more, so that He can lead, guide and comfort us in the manner our heavenly Father desires.
And all that practical advice that Bruh Paul gives back there can only be successfully accomplished if we have the fruit of the Spirit flourishing in us. And what’s the fruit of the Spirit? Bruh Paul explained it thus to the Galatians. ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE (the willing sacrificial giving of oneself for the benefit of another without thought of return), joy (gladness of heart), peace (tranquility of mind, freeing one from worry and fear), longsuffering (patience with others).
Gentleness is kindness. Goodness is generosity. Faith here is dependability. Meekness is gentleness, that is, courtesy and consideration in one’s relations with others. Temperance is self-control, that is the ability to harness and control one’s passions and lusts. (Gal. 5:22-23) And that’s the nine fruit of the Spirit (singular), unlike the gifts of the Spirit (plural). And for this fruit to develop, all nine aspects must mature. In other words, we won’t grow spiritually unless all the fruit is maturing and growing.
And having said all those things, it’s time now to go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid to put them into effect. (smile) Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as we can see from our prayer certain things are necessary before we can receive divine aid; like humbling ourselves, praying, sincerely seeking God’s face and turning from our evil ways. So please, let’s concentrate on improving in those areas nuh, so that divine aid can begin flowing down to us. Remember, it’s all for our benefit!! Much LOVE!
…the Christian believer…is expected to bear much fruit…from seed planted and nourished by the Holy Spirit…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
01 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better place for our children, a bunch of ungrateful sinners, a modicum of circumspection, both morning and evening, breaking his own heart, Christ died for us, divine aid, ease the pain, faith, fight valiantly to retain our benefits, God commendeth his own love toward us, God so loved the world, God's compassionate heart, God's unfailing love, goodness and mercy, grateful praise, Happy Labour Day, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, heartfelt appreciation, hellfire and damnation, holy spirit, humble servants, I will triumph, in the works of thy hands, it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, labour benefits, license to go overboard, LOVE, made me glad, mercy, negative situations, obeisance, paid the price for sin, repentance, rising up to God, sacrifice His sinless Son, salvation, show our gratitude, sincerely seek your face, the depth of feeling, the gift of salvation, the God who heals, the Lord's faithfulness, the Lord's love for us, the throne of grace, this evil world, through thy work, thy faithfulness every night, to alleviate our problems, to shew forth thy loving kindness in the morning, to sing praises unto thy name, truth, turn from our evil ways, upon an instrument of ten strongs, upon the harp, while we were yet sinners, whosoever believeth in hims should not perish, wisdom, wise guidance, with a solemn sound, you have made me gald through your work
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
HAPPY LABOUR DAY!
Well, it’s September first, meaning the summer vacation season is over. And since this is the first Monday in September, we’re also celebrating Labour Day in honour of all those who put up a strenuous fight over the last century, for us to get the labour benefits many of us now currently enjoy. It was not an easy fight, and many died and suffered so we could enjoy these gains. So please, as we enjoy the holiday, let’s not forget those who made it happen, and promise to fight valiantly not to allow the labour situation to revert to anything like it was back then.
Labour Day also means that the CNE Exhibition down by the lakeshore ends today, and schools reopen tomorrow. So this is the last big party of the summer, but that doesn’t give us license to go overboard with celebrations, for tomorrow is also work for most of us and we cannot afford to book off sick or go to work obviously suffering from the effects of too much partying. Consequently, we need to apply a modicum of circumspection to the celebrations. (smile) End of sermon.
Ah friends, as I was just browsing through the Good Library for an interesting topic to expatiate on (smile), I came across these wise and marvellous words of Psalm 92. ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth (declare) thy LOVING-KINDNESS in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night. Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery (lute, lyre); upon the harp with a solemn (harmonious, melodic) sound. For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the work of thy hands.’ (Ps. 92:1-4)
Now that’s how it ought to be all over the Christian world! As we enjoy triumph through the marvellous work of the Lord’s mighty hands, our grateful praise and thanksgiving should be rising up to Him, both morning and evening…and even during other times of the day! Yes, my people, because of the Lord’s innate faithfulness and LOVE for us, He’s gone out of His way to do a lot of stuff on our behalf, stuff we certainly don’t deserve.
And though we can never truly repay Him for His goodness and mercy towards us, we can certainly attempt to show our gratitude and heartfelt appreciation by genuinely returning His LOVE and offering up much praise and thanksgiving! And that’s all the Lord really desires of us, because He created us and knows that we don’t have the wherewithal to do better.
And for those who would dispute the Lord’s goodness, His unconditional LOVE and compassion for man, we simply need to look at the great gifts of salvation and eternal life He’s bestowed on us, through the sacrificial death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. And why did He do it? As Bruh Paul writes to the Romans: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8)
Now that’s one of my favourite scriptures, and it tells me that unlike most rulers who would call and/or wait for us to change before giving us the gift of salvation, the Lord God Jehovah LOVED us so much that He gave us the gift before requiring our obeisance. And Jesus Himself spoke of God’s great LOVE for humanity, when He poignantly informed Nicodemus, the Jewish Leader: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16)
Oh my people, those two verses of scripture are possibly the most important in the Bible, because it shows why the Lord sacrificed His Son for a bunch of ungrateful sinners; the word is simply a deep and satisfying LOVE for His human creation. After we had become so steeped in sin, disobedience and rebellion, God could have just given up on us and allowed us all to head to hellfire and damnation with Satan, whom we seem to admire much more than Him.
But His compassionate heart, His unfailing LOVE would not allow Him to be so callous. So He had to find a way to remedy the situation. And believe me, because of His sense of righteousness and justice, the proper price for sin had to be paid, and the only choice available was to sacrifice His sinless Son. Obviously, it was not an easy choice, for it meant breaking His own heart, but He did it, thus showing the depth of feeling He had for us. And we’d be truly a sad bunch of sinful ingrates, if we did not attempt to be grateful and thankful for all God’s done for us.
And one of the things that we get to do through His work, is go to the throne of grace to receive grace and mercy in time of need. And are ever in a time of need right now! So, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, let’s confidently, but humbly approach the throne of grace for divine aid.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And, from our prayer, it’s very easy to see what we need to do to get divine aid – turn from our evil ways, with sincere repentance in our hearts. So please, I plead with us, let’s get up and do it nuh, right now, so that we can make this evil and ungodly world a better place for our children and grandchildren! Much LOVE!
…God has been so good to us…that His praise should come naturally from our lips and hearts…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
25 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a refresher course, a sense of urgency, able to withstand, against principalities, avail ourselves of God's provision, be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, be strong in the Lord, common sense, conquer Monday, demonic onslaughts, demons, departed from him for a season, destroy our Christian witness, divine aid, efficient weapons, evil schemes of Satan, face a formidable foe, faith, faithfully promised, fallen angels, flesh and blood, flex our muscles, hand to hand combat, have the victory through Christ, having done all to stand, holy spirit, humble servants, immediate action, in the evil day, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep the ball rolling, life-saving obligation, logic, LOVE, meat and potatoes, mercy, never give up, never say die, powers, pray, proper protection, put on the whole armour of God, resist the enemy, salvation, Satan himself, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, sinned and disobeyed your Word, spiritual warfare, spiritual wickedness in high places, strong faith in Christ, the church's adversary, the devil had ended all the temptation, the devil's strategy, the God who heals, the individual nature of spiritual warfare, the lion of the work week, the Lord's armour, the mass confusion in our world, the milk of the word, the power of his might, the power to solve our problems, the power to tame lions, the rulers of darkness, the throne of grace, the wiles of the devil, to alleviate our problems, to hear and answer our prayers, tools to fight, truth, turn from our evil ways, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, wisdom, wisdom for the ages, wise guidance
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.
Welcome to Monday friends; the lion of the work week! But please remember that through Jesus Christ, we have the power to tame even the most ferocious lion, which means we can conquer Monday, without any trouble, if we put our minds to it. So, let’s do just that nuh; by getting out there and showing Monday that we have it all together, and there’s nothing it can throw at us that we cannot handle.
However, before we can flex our muscles on Monday, we need to fulfill one important, life-saving obligation; that’s putting on the Lord’s armour before we go out to battle with Monday, for if we don’t, he will certainly come out victorious, since it’s the Lord’s armour that keeps us protected and gives us the tools to fight. Consequently, it will do us a lot of good to have a brief refresher course on the armour of God. (smile) And we find that master fighter, Bruh Paul, talking about it in his letter to the church at Ephesus.
This is what He says to them: ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph. 6:10-13)
That my people is the general why of the situation. The fight is not against human flesh but against spiritual wickedness, especially those in high places, that are controlling our world. And the scholars give us some interesting and important explanations, like ‘Put on, denotes a sense of urgency, demanding immediate action.’ And we do need to get the ball rolling with no hesitation whatsoever.
Then, ‘to stand, means to resist the enemy and hold a critical position in the battle. While the wiles of the devil (the Devil’s strategy): means that Satan carefully devises schemes and tactics against believers. And as per ‘wrestle, used of hand-to-hand combat, emphasizes the personal and individual nature of spiritual warfare waged against each local church and Christian. Flesh and blood refers to humanity.
Such is not the church’s adversary. Instead, she opposes principalities (rulers), powers (authorities), rulers (world rulers), spiritual wickedness (wicked spiritual beings), that is fallen angels, demons, and Lucifer himself.’ So friends, you see the powerful consortium of evil and wickedness that we are up against.
That’s why Bruh Paul wrote ‘Wherefore, meaning because we face such a formidable foe, we must avail ourselves of God’s provision lest the enemy destroy our Christian witness and ministry. The evil day refers to the periodic demonic onslaughts and Satanic attacks. Having done all includes both dressing oneself in God ‘s armour and resisting Satan. Having done all these, be ready, for the Devil will attack again and again.’
Yes mih bredrin, that’s one thing about Satan and his evil cronies, they don’t ever give up, they keep coming back again and again. It’s like when the Devil tempted Jesus unsuccessfully, the Bible says: ‘And when the devil had ended all the temptation (testing), he departed from him for a season.’ (Luke 4:13) That means he did not go away forever, but just to recover himself and come up with some more evil schemes.
And that’s the way we Christians ought also to be, never give up, never say die, especially when we know that we already have the victory though Jesus Christ, but we do need to protect it. And please note that Bruh Paul keeps talking about putting on ‘the whole armour of God.’ Yes, that’s all of it, not bits and pieces, because it’s only with the complete armour that we can ever fight any battle victoriously.
Now that was the milk of the armour of God, (smile) understanding why it’s necessary to be protected, and from what. And I believe that we will leave the meat and potatoes of the situation for tomorrow, if God spares life, because we have enough heavy stuff to understand today, and the rest of it is also difficult to understand and will only make the Bit long and unwieldy. So, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help in these evil and ungodly times.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as we can see from our prayer, there are things we first need to do before divine aid is forthcoming; like turn from our evil ways, pray, humble ourselves, and sincerely seek the Lord’s face. So why don’t we concentrate on doing those things eh my people, beginning right now, so that heaven will shower down blessings on us. It’s wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…it’s simple logic and common sense…one cannot go into battle without proper protection and efficient weapons…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundant provision, according to his riches in glory, all the days of my life, all these things shall be added unto you, an honoured guest, another work week, be eternally grateful, by Christ Jesus, Christians, divine intervention, do our part, dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, ease the pain, eternal celebration of God's goodness, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, for His name's sake, he leads me beside the still waters, he makes me lie down in green pastures, he restoreth my soul, holy spirit, humble servants, I am the good shepherd, I will fear no evil, improve our Christian witness, in the presence of mine enemies, independent, it's all for our benefit, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, lack any good thing, leads me in the paths of righteousness, live a life befitting the name of Christ, live the life God desires of us, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, mercy, mighty lions, my cup runneth over, my God shall supply all your needs, Praise the Lord, pray, prosper us, protector and provider, rebellious and disobedient sheep, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, self-sufficient, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek your face, sinned and disobeyed your Word, strong faith in Christ, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, the BIBLE, the God who heals, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep, the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, the many suffering from negative situations, the role of God, the throne of grace, the utopian dream of sheep, the valley of the shadow of death, the very essence of God, things are on the upswing, thou anointest my head with oil, thou art with me, thou preparest a table before me, though I walk through, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, to alleviate our problems, truth, turn from our evil ways, vindication before one's enemies, wisdom, wise guidance
Psalm 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (lack any good thing).
Well, well, well! If it isn’t another Monday, meaning the start of another work week. And it’s a different one too, not as hot as the last few, and it might just get up above the twenty degree mark, with a cool breeze to keep things in order. (smile) Even yesterday wasn’t that hot, and we did have some more rain in the afternoon. So hopefully, things are on the upswing now, with fewer very hot days. I even got to sit comfortably on my porch yesterday afternoon and watch the people passing by. Praise the Lord!
And since the sun is shining brightly, and the birds are singing sweetly, why don’t we give the Lord some sincere praise and thanks for allowing us to see another beautiful day on His marvellous earth? And what better way to do that than through the most beautiful and most appropriate words of Bruh David from Psalm 23. So please declare with me: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (lack any good thing). He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still (calm) waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’ (Ps. 23:1-6)
Wow! What beautiful sentiments…and they are all true too! And I like how the scholars put it: ‘The psalm has been a favourite of God’s people through the ages and with due reason: it expresses as simply and clearly as any the role of God as our protector and provider in life. The charm of the psalm rests on two figures of speech: the Lord is compared to a shepherd and the believer to his sheep (vs. 1-4); then the Lord is likened to a host with the believer as the guest (vs. 5-6).’
And the image of the Lord as being a shepherd is not a new one, you can find it all through the Bible. In the Old Testament for instance in Ps. 78:52; 80:1; Is. 40:11; Jer. 31:10; and Ezek. 34:11. Then in the New Testament in Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 2:25; Rev. 7:16-17. And this one in John, which comes from the mouth of the shepherd Himself, where Jesus informs us: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep.’ (John 10:11) And that is exactly what He did; selflessly give His sinless life as atonement for our horrible sins against Almighty God!
Oh friends, Bruh David catches the very essence of God in those few verses, like no one else has ever done. So let’s look at some of the sentiments nuh. For instance, ‘I shall not want.’ That means the Lord his shepherd will provide all he needs. Jesus also said it loud and clear: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.’ (Matt. 6:33) And Bruh Paul corroborated that in his letter to the Philippians, when he writes: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in Glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19)
And what more can we ask for, when he makes us to lie down in pastures of green grass beside quiet and calm waters eh? Nothing! Because that is the utopian dream of sheep! (smile) Then He restores our souls, and leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. The Lord is surely powerful and merciful, if He can and is willing to do those things. And Bruh David certainly believed that, as he confidently declared in Psalm 31: ‘For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.’ (Ps. 31:3) And please note that it’s all in God’s name, all for His glory, not for ours.
And do I ever like the next verse, about walking through the valley of the shadow of death and not fearing. But why should we fear, when it’s only a shadow of death, and a shadow can do us no harm. But nonetheless, the Lord will not allow us to go through terrible times without being present at our side and helping us through them. For that’s what a good shepherd does!
Now here’s this interesting affirmation from the scholars. ‘Believers are never pictured in Scripture as mighty lions, independent and self-sufficient; rather, they are sheep who are dependent on their Shepherd for His provision and protection. But the Believer is more than a dependent sheep, however, he is also like an honoured guest, since the Lord prepares a table for him. Connected with this honoured position is abundant provision, vindication before one’s enemies, and eternal celebration of God’s goodness.’
No wonder that despite all of my failures, the Lord will still treat me as an honoured guest, preparing a table of lavish provision right in the presence of mine enemies; so much so that my cup overflows with His goodness and mercy, which will lead to a wonderful life with Him through all eternity. What more can one ask for eh my brethren! Absolutely nothing else! Christians are the ONLY ONES who have a gracious, merciful and forgiving God, who is not afraid to extend Himself to meet the needs of His people! For that we ought to be eternally grateful and live a life that’s befitting the name of Christ.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking grace and mercy in these desperate times. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, going to God in prayer is fine, but we won’t see divine intervention until we do our part and live the life God desires of us. And we all know where we’re faltering, so let’s be wise and improve our Christian witness nuh! Remember, it’s all for our benefit! Much LOVE!
…the Lord’s a good shepherd…but it doesn’t matter if the sheep are rebellious and disobedient…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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