27 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cardinal sin, a just world without perpetual poverty, a river of giving, a stop gap measure, all who receive physical sustenance, bringing us closer to God, caring for the needy is a continuous duty, charities, comfort the poor, contemplating on Jesus, cool down the Christmas excitement, deepen my breath, ease suffering in your name, enjoyed so much of God's goodness, eradicate poverty, faith, flooding our spirits, grateful for everything you've given me, he that hath pity upon the poor, help me make sacrifices, holy spirit, homeless people, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to share what I have, in all sincerity and truth, In Touch Prayer Cards, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lendeth unto the Lord, lends to the Lord, let christ's love flow through you, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, man's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn, mercy, multiply it to bless many, negate the importance of Christ's presence, New Year's Eve celebrations, one who is gracious to a poor man, open thine hand wide unto thy brother, others will have enough, pave the way for change, ponder what we have and how we can share it, pray for the poor and hurting, quiet my soul, recognize your love. come to know you as their Saviour, relax my muscles, repay him for his good deed, salvation, show me how, slow my thoughts, take what I give, thank you for this tenderness, that which he hath given, the peace and calm of God's presence, the poor, the poor shall never cease out of the land, to the poor and needy, too few have too much, too many have too little, too many poor with so much abundance, too many suffering from lack of the basics of life, truth, will he pay him again, wisdom, you can't be contained, your heart will be blessed in the flood, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Proverbs 19:17. He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord, and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
And then it was our lazy-day Saturday! Oh what a wonderful way to relax and let all the Christmas excitement cool down, before it rachet’s back up for the New Year’s Eve celebrations next week. Yes, we do an awesome amount of celebrating between Christmas and New Years, and we do need to get a li’l break in between, contemplating on Jesus, so that we can handle it all properly.
So, before we get too lazy, (smile) let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. With all sincerity and truth: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And as always, if we were sincere in our prayer, the peace and calm of God will soon be flooding our spirits, bringing us closer to God, and putting us in a better place today. However, let’s not only think about ourselves, but also a class of people in which our world sadly abounds when there’s absolutely no need for so many. We’re talking about the poor. And yes, Jesus noted that we would always have the poor with us, after Mary anointed Him with an expensive bottle of fragrant oil, and His disciples complained that it was a waste of money. (Matt. 26:11)
And I like what this commentary says about the verse. ‘It’s often used to highlight that while caring for the needy is a continuous duty, it doesn’t negate the immediate importance of Christ’s presence or God’s ideal of a just world without perpetual poverty, referencing Deuteronomy 15:11 as a source for His command to care for the poor.’ And what does that verse say? ‘For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thy hand wide (freely) unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in the land.’ (Deut. 15:11)
Oh my people, the commandment to look after the poor could not be made any clearer, but the problem today is that we have too many poor when we also have such an abundance of wealth. It just doesn’t sync up. It means that we are not opening our hands as freely as the Lord desires, and that’s a cardinal sin, for all through the Bible the Lord warns the people, to look after, the widows, orphans, strangers and the poor, because at one time they were in those positions. And the truth is that many of us who are now wealthy or fairly well-off, were once poor, but we apparently forget those times and refuse to do more than we’re currently doing.
But please, let’s remember these wise words of Cousin Sol in Proverbs per the topic. ‘He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord, and that which he hath given will he pay him again.’ (Prov. 19:17) Or, according to this translation: ‘One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed.’ There again, we see how wise and important it is to look after the poor and hurting in our society. And as we said earlier on, the hurtful part is that we currently have so much wealth in our society that the billions of people who are poor and hurting should not be that many.
Most likely we will never eradicate poverty until Jesus comes back and sets up His kingdom, but right now there are way way too many suffering from want and lack of the basics; food, shelter and clothing. Even in the big, supposedly rich metropolitan areas of our world there are countless homeless people, living in the streets, in parks, and some lucky few in shelters. And all are not just lazy wastrels, many of them have had jobs and families but due to circumstances beyond their control, their fortunes have slid to where they are no longer able to support themselves. And this is a sad situation made even worse by the worldwide strife currently engulfing our world.
Then there are the numerous charities, supposedly set up to help the poor and hurting, constantly begging for money and food. To tell the truth, sometimes I don’t even want to go to the post box and collect my mail, because I know the majority of it will be entreaties from several charities for donations, some of them I don’t even know. And I do my best to share my treasure, but even if these charities are helping some, this should just be a stop gap measure, not a permanent way to solve the problem.
A problem which stems from too few having too much, and too many having too little, and which continues to assert the truth that man’s inhumanity makes countless millions mourn. But all we can do is share what we have and then pray for those who are poor and hurting. So, in closing, let’s put that last aspect into action, using this prayer from the Prayer Cards issued earlier this year by the In Touch Ministries.
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, please comfort the poor in this world, and pave the way for change. I’m grateful for everything You’ve given me, and I want to share what I have. Show me how I can ease suffering in Your name. Help me make sacrifices so others will have enough. Please take what I give and multiply it to bless many. Above all, may each one who receives physical sustenance recognize Your LOVE and come to know You as their Saviour. We Pray this in Jesus’ name! Amen!’
And having offered up that prayer, let’s take a moment on this lazy-day Saturday after Christmas, having recently enjoyed so much of God’s goodness, to ponder what we have and how we can share some of it with others who are much needier than us. Remember when we give to others, we lend to the Lord, and He will repay us eventually. Much LOVE!
…the prayer card wisely advises…let Christ’s LOVE flow through you in a river of giving…your heart will be blessed in the flood…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, a new flock of believers, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, be responsible, cause for pause, ceaseless drive for wealth and power, chaos, chastened every morning, Christian living, corrupt, crying out for help, disaster areas, drifting smoke from wildfires, eyes bulge with abundance, faith, feudal states, Friday chant, genocide, God is good to Israel, gospel truth, holy spirit, I almost stumbled, I have cleansed my heart in vain, I saw the prosperity of the wicked, I was envious at the foolish, in whose powerful name we stand, inequality of wealth, inhumanity, is there knowledge in the most High, LOVE, man's fault, man's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn, mercy, my feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped, no bands in their death, no holds barred, no pain in their death, no regard for planet earth, not in trouble as other men, omnipotent help, plagued like other men, pride surrounds them like a necklace, problems escalating, return backsliders to your fold, salt and light, salvation, simmering unrest, sinful world, slavery, stay safe, such as are of a clean heart, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the example your faithful believers set, the King of Kings, the Lord of lords, the ordinary man, the poor are getting poorer, the powerful attraction to a wealthy lifestyle, the prosperity of the wicked, the rich are getting richer, the ungodly, the world to come, their eyes stand out with fatness, their strength is firm, then I understood their end, these ungodly times, they increase in riches, to handle the unexpected storms properly, to whom we belong, too few have too much, too many have too little, too painful for me, truth, until I went into the sanctuary of God, violence covers them like a garment, wake up and smell the coffee, washed my hands in innocency, who prosper in the world, wisdom, wise guidance
Psalm 73:3. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
And it looks like it might be a hazy and somewhat smokey Friday, as smoke from the wildfires drift our way. And it’s indeed possible, for I remember smelling the smoke in the air a couple of years ago when the wildfires were particularly bad. But that hasn’t stopped the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ from being sent up to heaven.
Ah Lord eh! What a sad state our world has come to, with only chaos and disaster all over our beautiful earth! But that’s man’s fault, not God’s, as in our ceaseless drive for wealth and power, we have done everything to abuse and destroy all that God’s made. What a destructive, childish, selfish and greedy animal is man, with very little regard for planet earth or his fellow man! That’s why down through the years this saying has continued to be ever so true: ‘Man’s inhumanity to man, makes countless thousands mourn!’ Nowadays it’s millions!
And if that isn’t the gospel truth, I don’t know what is! From slavery, to genocide to feudal states, to right now when the inequality of income and wealth is so vast that so few have the majority of the wealth and power, while so many have next to nothing. But do you think that gives us cause for pause? Not on your life! For the haves are trying to take even the little that the have nots possess. I don’t know how much they want, or how much they need to live, but unfortunately their mantra is more…ever more.
That’s why even the psalmist Asaph was perplexed and envied the wealthy, as he writes in Psalm 73 – Prosperity of the Wicked. ‘Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean (pure) heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone (I had almost stumbled), my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.’ (Ps. 73:1-3) And for the ordinary man, who’s trying to make an honest living, it’s difficult not to be envious of the boastful, greedy and wicked wealthy.
And there’s no doubting the powerful attraction to that lifestyle, since we all desire to live the good and easy life. It made even a spiritually strong man like Asaph almost to stumble spiritually and lose his faith. And why not, especially as Asaph continues: ‘For there are no bands (pangs or pain) in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain (serves as a necklace); violence covereth them as a garment.
Their eyes stand out with fatness (bulge with abundance): they have more than heart could wish. They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning (scoff at) oppression: they speak loftily (proudly). They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them (drained by them). And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High? Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world (are always at ease); they increase in riches.’ (Ps. 73:4-12)
Yes my faithful brethren, that’s exactly what’s happening in our world today; the rich are getting richer, while the poor are getting poorer! And the rich are blatantly showing that they don’t give a damn about God or man by their utter avariciousness. Sadly, there are no holds barred to their greed. That’s why Asaph could further say: ‘Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain (kept my heart pure in vain), and washed my hands in innocency. For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning. If I say, I will speak thus; behold I should offend against (would have been untrue to) the generation of thy children. When I thought to know (understand) this, it was too painful for me (too troublesome in my eyes). Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.’ (Ps. 73:13-17)
Glory be my people! It was only when Asaph went into the Lord’s house that he understood what would eventually happen to the greedy and wicked and evil. Now, the same remedy might apply to some of the many of us who understandably are envious of the wicked and prosperous. We might just need to visit the Lord’s house and talk to Him, or let Him talk to us about the situation. For as it’s been said throughout the Bible, the wicked may prosper in their day, but eventually they all will be destroyed by the Lord God Jehovah! And they’re so bold face to ask, how does the Lord know, and if there’s knowledge in the most High? That blasphemy alone will condemn them to certain death.
So let’s remember that though the wicked might be prosperous in this world, they will not be in the world to come, therefore let’s avoid envying them, since this world doesn’t count as much as the other. And yes, that’s hard to do when we see the amount of inhumanity being meted out to the poor and downtrodden, but please remember whose we are, and in whose powerful name we stand…Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords, the most powerful person in the universe!
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help in these very awful and very atrocious times. All together: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And if we’re truthful to ourselves, we already know that much of the world’s sad state can be attributed to the faithful not being good examples of Christian living, not spreading enough salt and light to the unbelieving world. So, let’s try and turn things around by better witnessing nuh. It’s not too late to start! Much LOVE!
…now might be the wicked’s time…but tomorrow it will Jesus’ time…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a father of the fatherless, a judge of widows, a little goes a long way, acknowledging our sins, afraid of repercussions form the wicked, before you can blink an eye, begging for begging sake, blessed are the poor in spirit, burgeoning wealth, by his name JAH, children of the Most High, cursed is he that perverts justice of the stranger, defend the poor and fatherless, deliver the poor and needy, die like men, divine aid, do justice to the afflicted, extol him that rideth upon the heavens, faith, fall like one of the princes, follow Christ's example, free them from the hand of the wicked, get their comeuppance, get up and get moving, glad at calamities, God champions the poor, God is a defender of widows, God is a good god, greed, He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, he that honours God has mercy on the poor, he that oppresses the poor, holy spirit, humble servants, humbled by the grace of God, inherit the throne of glory, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, judge the earth, judge unjustly, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, Monday's wake up call, most charity seeking society, negative situations, neither oppress the afflicted, no intention of sharing their wealthtoo few have too much, power to solve our problems, promise to prosper us, reaching out to the poor, reliant on god for salvation, reproaches his Maker, rob not the poor, running rampant in our world, salvation, self-aggrandizement, shall not go unpunished, show partiality to the wicked, sincere repentance, sing praises to his name, sing unto God, spoil the soul that spoiled them, struggling to keep life and limb together, thank you for life and strong faith in Christ, the Beatitudes, the breath of life, the God who heals, the importance of caring for those in need, the Lord lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, the Lord will plead their case, the majority have too little, the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, the throne of grace, theirs is the kingdom of heaven, to satisfy the desperate needs of others, to set them among princes, too few have too much, truth, turn from our evil ways, wisdom, wise guidance
Psalm 68:5. A father of the fatherless, and a judge (defender) of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
Oh friends, can you imagine it’s Monday already? The weekend passes so quickly, that before you can blink the proverbial eye, we get Monday’s wake up call to begin another week of work. But instead of complaining, let’s be thankful that we can answer that wake up call, that the awesome breath of life is still flowing through our bodies, for many won’t be able to answer it as the Lord called them home during the night. Let’s also be thankful that we have a job to go, for many of our fellow men don’t, and are thus struggling to keep life and limb together.
And it’s so sad and unconscionable that with the burgeoning wealth in the world, more wealth than there’s ever been, we’ve also become the most charity seeking society ever! Yes, there’s never been as many charitable associations and organizations as there are right now, and sadly, they are not all begging for begging sake, but some are begging to satisfy the desperate needs of others! What an unpleasant, absurd and ridiculous situation. One that should never occur!
And it all boils down to the ferocious greed and self-aggrandizement that’s currently running rampant in our world. Too few people have too much, while the overwhelming majority have too little. And those with too much apparently have no intention of sharing their wealth. And truthfully, they don’t have to give away everything, to solve our many problems, but just share a little more than they’re currently doing, for a little goes a long way with those who don’t have. But unfortunately that doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen anytime soon, the way the greedy haves are scraping up even the little that the have nots possess.
Now, we must not forget that our God is a good God, and won’t let His people suffer more than they can handle, but will always make a way out for them. Furthermore, let’s remember that although God cares for all people, He particularly champions the poor and downtrodden, the needy and vulnerable. And there are so many scriptures on that subject that we could spend an entire day and never cover them all. So let’s look at a few of them to solace our souls. (smile)
Like this proclamation from the prophet Samuel. ‘He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and he hath set the world upon them.’ (1 Sam. 2:8) Then there’s this one from a number of curses that Moses promised would happen to the children of Israel if they rejected God. ‘Cursed be he that perverteth the judgement (justice) of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.’ (Deut. 27:19)
Meanwhile Bruh David says in Psalm 68 – The Triumphant God – ‘Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol (praise) him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him. A father of the fatherless, and a judge (defender) of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.’ (Ps. 68:4-5) And while speaking of Unjust Judges in Psalm 82, Asaph writes thus: ‘How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked (show partiality to the wicked)? Selah. Defend (vindicate) the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid (free) them out of the hand of the wicked.’ (Ps. 82: 2-4)
And sadly there are many, many poor who today need to be freed from the hands of the wicked. But most of us refuse to lift a hand to do anything, afraid of the repercussions from the mighty wicked. But let’s remember what Asaph said in the closing verses of that psalm. ‘I have said, Ye are gods (mighty ones or judges); and all of you are the children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.’ (Ps. 82: 6-8) And God has promised that He will judge the earth in His time, so there’s no fear of it not happening, and then the wicked will pay for all their abominable and atrocious deeds.
And fear ye not, Cousin Sol does have something to say on the subject. (smile) He writes; ‘He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor (needy).’ (Prov. 14:31) And there’s’ a sister verse to that one: ‘Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not go unpunished.’ (Prov. 17:5) Then there’s this: ‘Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate: For the Lord will plead their cause, and spoil (plunder) the soul that spoiled (plundered) them.’ (Prov. 22:22-23)
Unfortunately though, that’s exactly what’s happening in our world today. The poor and afflicted are being taken serious advantage of, by the wealthy and powerful. But they will get their own comeuppance in due time. And what did Jesus do during His time here on earth? He ministered mostly among the poor and marginalized, demonstrating the importance of caring for those in need. And He left us with this promise from the Beatitudes: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matt. 5:3) Yes friends, blessed, or happy are those of us who have been humbled by the grace of God, acknowledging our sins, and are consequently reliant on God for our salvation.
Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid in these most dangerous and treacherous 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 we do need to pray for help, however, we can’t just sit back and wait on God to help us. We also have to get up and help ourselves with the amazing tools that He’s already given us. So please, let’s get up and get moving my fellow saints! Christ is depending on us! Much LOVE!
…it’s time for Christians to truly follow Christ’s example……by sincerely reaching out to the poor and downtrodden in His name…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
09 Dec 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a stranger and ye took me in, anxiety, as ye have done it unto one of the least, be not forgetful to entertain strangers, bring backsliders back to your fold, confusion, exploit the downtrodden, first world countries, Friday chant, God executes judgement, I was hungered and ye gave me food, I was sick and ye visited me, in prison and ye came unto me, introduce a new flock, let brotherly love continue, LOVE, love the stranger as thyself, many serious problems, modern salvery, naked and ye clothed me, omnipotent help, predatory bosses, show them the error of their ways, some have entertained angels unawares, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the fatherless and widow, the poor are getting poorer, the prevalence of food banks, the rich are getting richer, thirsty and ye gave me drink, too few have too much, too many have too little, trusting faith, wake up and smell the coffee, ye have done it unto me, ye were strangers in the land of Egypt
Matthew 25:40. Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Now, the new day has dawned somewhat grey and overcast, but that doesn’t matter, because it’s Friday. Oh yes, the last day of the workweek is here and we are all overjoyed. Our shouts of freedom can be heard all over the world. ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and we can soon rest for two days from the agony of this modern slavery!’
And in some respects, the sentiments are quite true, because, in spite of our supposed modern society, a lot of workers are still not enjoying the benefits of our advances, but are unfortunately still stuck in old world ways of work through the greed and selfishness of their rich and predatory bosses. It’s surprising that in a world of plenty, there are still so many with so little. The problem is that too few have too much and have greedily set up the systems so that they can acquire even more off the backs of the many with little.
But I guess that’s the way it’s been all down through the ages. Although one would have thought that in this supposedly enlightened and modern society of ours, the problem of equality would not be still such a big deal, and the distance between the haves and the have nots would not be so wide. ‘Wishful thinking,’ someone whispers in my ear. (smile) Why, in this day and age do we still have to fight tooth and nail to get a decent wage for a fair day’s work eh?. But it’s the truth. The richer are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer.
People in the so-called third and fourth world nations would never believe the amount of poverty, homelessness, sickness and economic suffering that exists in these supposed first world countries. They all think that it’s a bed of roses, and beg, borrow and steal to get here, until they arrive and sadly discover that in many cases, they were better off where they came from. At least back there if they didn’t have a job or food, some friend or relative would share what little they had with them. But in the first world countries sharing with your neighbours is not the norm.
And one aspect of the situation that’s so horrifying is the prevalence of food banks nowadays. People are working forty or more hours a week and still can’t afford to buy food for their families. I remember volunteering at a food bank many years ago, and they were few and far between at the time. It was only supposed to be a stop-gap measure. But now they are everywhere and desperately needed too. What with rents and prices for everyday items skyrocketing, but wages remaining stagnant, the ordinary man in the street needs help to feed and clothe his family.
However, the food banks should not be a staple or standard of our society, because that would simply turn us into a bigger beggy-beggy society than we already are. Three quarters of the mail I receive is from charities asking for donations to support one thing or another. I give, and gladly too, but at times it just gets to be too much. You pick up the phone, it’s someone growling in your ear about giving. You open your e-mail, the same thing. And yet, despite all these supposed charities, the situation is not improving. The governments don’t care. They are only interested in getting in power and being able to milk the gravy train themselves.
Oh my people, if we want to be a truly just and Christian society, we need to remember those who don’t have and treat them properly. Our God decreed that from way back when. Listen to these scriptures. In Leviticus, He says: ‘And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex (mistreat) him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born (native) among you, and thou shalt LOVE him as thyself: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’ (Lev. 19:33-34) Yes friends, all of us were strangers in some land at some time or another, and because of that the Lord expects us to treat strangers properly.
And Moses reminds the Israelites of God’s desire in Deuteronomy. ‘Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked (stubborn, rebellious). For the Lord your God is God of gods, and the Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward (the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality, nor takes a bribe). He doth execute the judgement of the fatherless and widow, and LOVETH the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. LOVE ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.’ (Deut. 10:16-19)
And all through the Bible references can be found about treating the stranger, the widow and fatherless with LOVE and compassion. Jesus even told us that the second great commandment was to LOVE our neighbours as ourselves. (Matt. 22:39) And our neighbour includes anyone with whom we come into contact. Then there’s also this poignant and appropriate scripture from Hebrews. ‘Let brotherly LOVE continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’ (Heb. 13:1-2)
Yes my faithful brethren, Abraham (Gen. 18:13) and Lot (Gen. 19:1-2) did receive angels unawares. And although that might not happen nowadays, showing hospitality to the needy is still important and will be very beneficial in the long run. Please remember Jesus words after the parable of the talents, when He separates the sheep from the goats, and says to the sheep. ‘For I was hungered (hungry), and ye gave me meat (food): I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.’ (Matt. 25:35-36)
And when the righteous in surprise asks when they dd all those things for Him. He replied: ‘Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’ (Matt. 25:40) That should give us plenty food for thought my people! Now, through our Friday Chant, let’s go to God in humble but confident prayer, asking for His divine intervention in our less than stellar affairs.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the confusion and anxiety caused by our many serious problems. And you know Lord that we can’t fix them on our own, so we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, without further setbacks. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe.
Also Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic, the bubbling discontent and dissatisfaction in our land, as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now friends, if we want to receive a positive answer to our prayers, then we need to get serious about the promises we’ve just made, obeying God’s word and living the life He desires us to live. Much LOVE!
…you can’t exploit the downtrodden…and expect to be rewarded by Christ…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
15 Jul 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, a lack of work ethic, a means of restoring faith in you, a positive answer from heaven, and lo I am with you always, approach the throne of grace, avoid more serious setbacks, be responsible and stay safe, bring backsliders back to your fold, divine help, embrace your love and compassion, fallen into sin, Friday chant, God created us in His own image, God's most precious creation, gotten too big for our britches, I know the thoughts that I think toward you, I will not fail thee nor forsake thee, introduce a whole new flock, lack of brotherly love, living in disharmony with God and man, LOVE, more equitable sharing of our prosperity, pay our sin debt in full, ruled by entitlement, show them the error of their ways, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that's it in a nutshell, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end, too few have too much, too many have too little, turning back to God, wake up and smell the coffee, we have tossed God aside, we've improved because of our own strength
Matthew 28:20b. … and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.
So, another week has rolled by, pretty quickly too, and once more we hear that raucous shout: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ We’re so thankful that it’s Friday, even though we might not have done a lick of work for the week. (smile) But that’s just how we are these days; ruled by entitlement, a lack of work ethic, lack of brotherly LOVE, but ever so filled with greed, selfishness, and ungodliness.
For many of us, God doesn’t even exist…and even if He does, it’s like some ghost-like figure somewhere far, far out in the universe, and He doesn’t have any real connection to man. Now there’s nothing that’s further from the truth than that, for God is with man, dwelling within those who revere Him and desire Him in their lives. And why would He not want to have anything to do with us eh, when He purposely created us in His own image, to have beautiful communion and fellowship with Him?
And when we’d fallen so badly into sin, God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die on our behalf, to take all of those sins on His own conscience and pay our sin debt in full by shedding His sinless blood on the cross at Calvary, giving us His righteousness for our sinfulness, making us righteous, justified and reconciled with the Father. Now if God didn’t want a relationship with us, why do all those things eh?
The truth of the matter is that we have forgotten God, tossed Him aside, gotten too big for our britches, foolishly believing that we no longer need Him since our society has evolved so much, become so enlightened, so modern and prosperous. To make matters even worse, the enemy has also goaded us into falsely believing that the improvements in our society happened through our own strength and not through God’s grace and mercy.
That leads me to wonder why some of us with all our money, power and the great medicinal achievements of our current world, still fall sick and die of simple diseases? Why we even die at all? It means that we are not in full control of our lives. Never were, and never will be! That there is indeed a greater power than us, One we call God, who created us and still controls all our goings and comings, and who still desires a warm and friendly relationship with us, because He doesn’t even want to lose one of His most precious creations to the enemy.
God is right there, just waiting for us to acknowledge Him and ask for His awesome help in ALL our doings. Why do you think the Lord made the promise as far back as the Israelites release from bondage in Egypt, to never leave nor forsake us. (Deut. 31:6, 8) Why did He tell Joshua in no uncertain terms when He made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses: ‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’(Josh. 1:5)
Jesus also promised the disciples and all those who followed and believed in Him: ‘… and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20b) The author of Hebrews also resurrects God’s old but not extinct promise of never leaving nor forsaking us. (Heb. 13:5) And if God wasn’t interested in us, why would he make this awesome statement though the prophet Jeremiah eh? ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you and expected end (a future and a hope.’ (Jer. 29:11)
Now please tell me, if we were living in harmony with God and with each other do you think there would be as much calamity, disaster and evil doings as there currently is in our world? Surely not! But because we are out of sync, living in disharmony with God and our fellow man, our world is in a terrible mess. Just look around…every day there are more disasters, both natural and manmade; fires, floods, famines, more evil dictators and power-hungry politicians, claiming to work for the people, but in truth only filling their own pockets while the people suffer.
Why is there still so much poverty and sickness in a world that’s never been as prosperous and enlightened? Because too few have too much and too many have too little, and the few are too greedy, selfish and godless to share with the many. That’s it in a nutshell folks. There’s enough wealth and prosperity in our world for most of us to live comfortably, if that wealth and prosperity were shared just a tad more equitably. Sermon done! (smile)
But please, let’s never forget that turning back to God is an option, in fact our best option, and in doing so, we will always have the power of prayer to call on Him for His divine help. And there’s no better time for that than right now. So, through our Friday Chant, let’s confidently, but humbly, approach the throne of grace.
As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets.
So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways.
And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And now, if we desire a positive answer from heaven, it behooves us to keep those promises, turn our lives around and live like God desires. Much LOVE!
…mankind might be God’s greatest creation…but he’s still only a created being…with all the inadequacies that that state entails…let’s not forget it…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
25 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a man's enemies are the men of his own house, a roof over our heads, climate change, do evil with both hands, economic sufferartion, endure to the end, faithfulness, fraud, gone out of style, halfway home, hands on the plough, her that lieth in your bosom, I will look unto the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation, in limbo, keep the doors of thy mouth, lavish living, lol around and do nothing, looking forward to, LOVE, loyalty, mid-week blues day, my God will hear me, no longer have a heart for God, no man's land, not looking back, now shall be their perplexity, out for blood, pandemic, put ye not confidence in a guide, putting bread on our tables, sharper than a thorn hedge, so glad to be alive, still flowing through me, strife and war, thank God, the best of them is as a brier, the breath of life, the dark abyss of depravity, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the good man is perished, the judge asketh for a reward, the moral sins of Israel, the most upright, the poor get poorer, the prince asketh for gifts, the rich get richer, the son dishonoureth the father, the wide and winding path to destruction, there is none upright, through Jesus Christ the Son, thy visitation cometh, to God the Father be the glory, too few have too much, too many have too little, trust ye not in a friend, we all get our comeuppance, Wednesday Wail, weeping and gnashing of teeth, white collar crime, wine women and song
Micah 7:7. Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
Oh my, it’s the mid-week blues day…Wednesday! Yes, only two days of the working week have gone by, and there are two more still left to go, which leaves you in a sort of no man’s land, in limbo, not knowing whether to be happy that half the week’s gone, or sad that there’s still another half to go. Thus the blues day of Wednesday!
Ah mih people, we can be so trifling and petty! Instead of thanking the Lord for another day on His beautiful earth with His many blessings, and that we at least have a job to go to, unlike so many others in these troubled and trying times. Although we may not like or appreciate our job, the hard, cold fact of the matter is that it takes care of our basic necessities, putting bread on our tables and a roof over our heads. But no, too many of us would rather lol around and do nothing all day. How could we ever get any satisfaction from constantly doing nothing eh? Especially when you don’t even have the funds, or the wherewithal to do fun nothings! (smile)
In our rush to achieve material things and earthly power, our society has reached such immoral and evil heights that we no longer have a heart for God nor each other. It recalls the prophet Micah’s lament over the moral sins of Israel way back when. In his despair, he laments: ‘The good (loyal, faithful) man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.
That they may do evil with both hands earnestly (successfully), the prince asketh (asks for gifts), and the judge asketh for a reward (bribe); and the great man he uttereth his mischievous (evil) desire: so they wrap it up (scheme together). The best of them is as a brier (thorny or prickly plant): the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation (punishment) cometh; now shall be their perplexity.’ (Mic. 7:2-4)
And if we are truthful friends, we will admit that’s a very good and accurate description of our current society! Things like loyalty and faithfulness have gone out of style. Some of our young people don’t even know the meaning of those words, having never encountered the situations and behaviour to which they refer. Too many of us are just out for blood, just out to get whatever we can from whomever we can, and be it family, friend, or foe, it doesn’t matter in the least. We just want whatever we think should be coming to us. Even the best of us is sharp and prickly like a thorn bush, which isn’t a good recommendation!
And we have gone so far along the wide and winding path to destruction, like Israel did, that Micah’s advice and warning now stands us in good stead, just like it did Israel. It’s so sad when he warns: ‘Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide (companion): keep (guard) the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.’ (Mic. 7:5-6)
Yes friends, it’s all true! You can’t be too careful, because nowadays everyone seems to have some nefarious scheme up their sleeves. And if you can’t trust your lifelong friend, or your wife, who can you trust then eh? In actual fact NOBODY! And we are seeing an increase in family quarrels and sibling rivalry, as well as increased litigation over petty and unimportant stuff. Fraud, or as we so nicely label it, ‘white collar crime’ is so rampant that we can’t keep up with it, even if we dared to try.
And the sad part is that all these fraudsters are doing with the money they get by fraudulent means is spending it wastefully on lavish living. You can only own and enjoy so many, houses, cars, boats, yachts and planes, as well as indulge in only so much wine, women and song. Your body will eventually give out, if your funds don’t depart first. But friends, there is good news… yes good advice from Micah. Despite all the immorality and evil around him, he unabashedly declares: ‘Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.’ (Mic. 7:7)
And that my brethren is the only hope for our society. If we don’t turn to the God of our forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob very soon, like right now, our society will keep plunging into the dark abyss of depravity and sin, and will eventually become of no account, or extinct, like so many other immoral and depraved ones that have gone before. That’s the long and short of the story my people! Without our turning back to Jehovah God, and allowing His Son Jesus Christ to come into our hearts and show us the way to the Father, we’re done, like dinner.
Are the blinkers put over our eyes by Satan so strong that we can’t see the gradual, but ever quickening demise of our society, even the earth we inhabit? When have we ever experienced so many disastrous natural disasters all at once eh? Right now, we have wildfires burning all over the world. Many are suffering from drought and famine, while many more are suffering from excessive rainfall and floods. And we also have volcanoes going off all over the world like crazy. But we are fighting over climate change, instead of seriously dealing with it.
Look at the pandemic that’s so suddenly hit us and doesn’t seem like it’s going away any time soon because we can’t agree on what it is and how to handle it. And I won’t even mention the widespread strife and many wars that are currently taking place in so many divided places around the globe. And if you want to, you can also consider the enormous state of poverty and economic suffering that currently exists in a world that has enough for everybody, because a few have too much, while many have too little.
And it’s so cruel and heartbreaking to see that even in this time of pandemic that the rich are getting richer, while the poor are getting poorer. And what really hurts is that the rich have no conscience, they go around boasting about their increase in material wealth, while they keep the poor in economic sufferation! But as Micah said so long ago: ‘the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation (punishment) cometh; now shall be their perplexity.’ Yes people, we all shall get our comeuppance sooner or later, and if we don’t repent and turn away from our evil deeds now, there will soon be much weeping and gnashing of teeth. End of Sermon.
Now for those of us who are sincerely trying to make a difference, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And though it’s difficult under our current circumstances, please, let’s never forget that if we endure to the very end, that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…to God the Father be the glory…through Jesus Christ the Son…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
05 Apr 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: consequences to sin, declare his glory among the heathen, disobedience to God's laws, divine help, foretells trouble, forgive us, governments not trusted to handle pandemic, heal our land, hear our prayer, if ye will hear his voice, Jehovah Rapha, let us kneel before the Lord our maker, lose the trust of their citizens, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, o come let us worship and bow down, out of bondage in Egypt, pandemic lockdown, show forth his salvation, sin, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, sing unto the Lord a new song, stand up like faithful soldiers, the evil one, the God who heals, the Lord reigneth, the sheep of his hand, the wages of sin is death, too few have too much, too many have too little, turn from our evil ways, wandered in the wilderness, we are the people of his pasture, wise guidance and direction
Psalm 95:6. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
Once more unto the breach dear friends; once more on to a brand new Monday morning, in this most recent and very controversial pandemic lockdown! It’s not surprising that there are so many varying opinions on the status of the lockdown. Some are for it the way it is, some want it even tighter, some want it loser, and some don’t want it at all. And I guess a lot of the opinions boil down to money, the economic factor. If you’re not working, or your business is closed, then you obviously want to get some livelihood going.
Meanwhile, if you’re a medical proponent, you possible are more concerned with saving lives. It’s a fine balancing act, indeed a most difficult one, and whatever the governments do, many people will be displeased. And many governments are not doing such a great job, in fact some are making an utter mess of the situation. In a recent poll it was found that at the beginning of the pandemic, the citizens were very trusting of the governments to do a good job, but a year into it, they no longer trust the governments to handle it properly.
And when governments lose the trust of their citizens, that almost always foretells trouble. And we’re indeed seeing a lot of chaos and confusion all over the world right now, due to the handling of the pandemic. So what shall we do to break the stranglehold that this Corona virus has on us eh? You all know my take on the situation; namely that sin and disobedience to God’s laws are too rampant in our world today. Evil is the number one force in the world, instead of LOVE! Selfishness abounds instead of togetherness.
This means that Almighty God is no longer respected, valued and worshipped to the extent that He should be. We are more concerned with getting rid of Him from our society than placing Him on a pinnacle of glory. Look at the many sad tales of hunger, famine, economic devastation, strife and all the other negative situations in an overall wealthy and prosperous world. It should never be as bad as it currently is my people. The problem is that too few have too much and too many have too little, and until we straighten out that horrible inequity, our world will always be in a state of turmoil.
But how do we do that, you ask? As far as I am concerned, the answer is very simple; return to sincerely worshipping and obeying the God of our forefathers; the One who created us and still LOVES us, but will not put up with our disobedience and abominable sinful behaviour forever. But we know that the evil one and his henchmen don’t want that, for it will mean losing their current control, and they will fight tooth and nail to retain it. But we Christians need to spring into battle right now, if we’re to make a difference before it’s too late.
And how do we do that? We can begin by doing what the psalmist says in Psalm 96 – A call to praise God. ‘O Sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; show forth (proclaim the good news of) his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen (gentiles), his wonders among all people.’ (Ps. 96:1-3)
Now that’s the first move friends; spreading God’s word and His glory over the land. And if we want our efforts to succeed, we can’t be bashful, afraid, or ashamed of doing it, but be strong and stand up like faithful soldiers in Christ’s army, and fight the good fight, keep the faith, like Bruh Paul told Timothy. (2 Tim. 4:7)
And the psalmist continues his plea for unity and sense of purpose. ‘For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear (tremble) before him all the earth. Say among the heathen (gentiles) that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be (is firmly) established that it shall not be moved (shaken): he shall judge the people righteously.’ (Ps. 96: 4-10)
Now that’s the kind of thing believers ought to be doing, not sitting on our fannies, afraid of the evil one, and enjoying the sinful pleasures of the world. We desperately need to do as Psalm 95 tells us. ‘O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand (under his care). Today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart, as in the provocation (rebellion), and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted (tried) me, proved me, and saw my work.’ (Ps. 95:6-9)
Friends, we are being just as stupid as the Israelites were back in the wilderness, trying and testing God with their rebellion and disobedience and surly complaining, forgetting what he had just done for them, bringing them out of four hundred years of bondage in Egypt. And they paid a hefty price for it; wandering aimlessly in the wilderness for forty years, until all the generation that had come out of Egypt were dead, except Joshua and Caleb. And we are running the same foolish, ungrateful joke right now my brethren by trying to move God out of our society.
I can assure us though, that the consequences will not be pretty, for there are always harsh consequences to stubborn and willful disobedience and sin. So what better time, than this Easter Monday, a day after Christ’s Resurrection, for us to get smart, realize our serious failings and call out to our God, our Maker, for the divine help that only He can give. Therefore, in strong and confident, but humble voice, let’s offer up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn in sincere prayer.
‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the many natural disasters that now seem more prevalent than ever.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control.
And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land 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 fellow believers, we have to go out and show that sincere repentance and obedience in all our dealings, so the Lord can positively answer our prayer. Much LOVE!
…the wages of sin is death…only in and with Jesus…can you avoid it…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
28 Nov 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: almighty god, Babylon, be thankful, biblical instruction, Black Friday, border hassles, Canadian merchants, come together, Cousin Sol, Cyber Monday, days of feasting, don't be sorry, drink the sweet, eat the fat, Egypt, electric toothbrush, empathy, enemies, enjoy the good of his labour, Esther, every good thing, exchange rate, expense, Ezra, fatherless, Feast of Purim, feasts, fellow believers, fighting, first fruits, for the life in me, friends, friends and families, gifts to the poor, give thanks, giving thanks, good things from God, gospel truth, greedy, Haman, heartfelt, inspired words, Israelites, Jesus, joy, Law of Moses, learn to share, leggo-beast, less fortunate, LOVE, Mordecai, Nehemiah, orphans, rejoice, sale mentality, selfish, send portions, sorrow, south of the border, special interest, thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day, the gift of God, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the Levite, the stranger, to do good, too few have too much, too many have too little, travel time, true followers, widows, wild animal, wisdom, worthwhile
Deuteronomy 26:11. And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite (priest), and the stranger that is among you.
HAPPY U. S. THANKSGIVING DAY!
Well a Happy Thanksgiving Day to all our Friends and families south of the border! Today is the big day in the U.S. Possibly the most celebrated holiday on their calendar, where friends and families come together to give thanks for whatever they have it, be it much or little.
The sad part though is that too many have too little and too few have too much. But whatever we do have Friends, we need to be thankful for it.
As our Bit says, from the instructions of offering of our first fruits to the Lord: ‘And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite (priest), and the stranger that is among you.’ Please note that it includes EVERYBODY; even ‘the stranger that is among you.’
And I just LOVE the scripture from Nehemiah, after Ezra and the priests had read and explained the Law of Moses, which most of the people had never heard before, and they wept after hearing it.
‘Then he (Nehemiah) said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto the Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh.8:10)
What I LOVE about that scripture are the inspired words; ‘and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared.’ Oh my fellow believers, that is supposed to be a big part of the Thanksgiving Holiday, or for that matter, ALL holidays! We need to learn to share with those who have less than us, because it is a Biblical instruction.
Note this verse, when the Israelites came out of Egypt, and were being told about certain feasts and how to cook the food and where to eat it.
‘And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place his name there.’ (Deut.16:11)
EVERYBODY was supposed to be included! But unfortunately as the years rolled along and we became more selfish and greedy people, we have tended to forget about those the Lord takes special interest in; the poor, the widows and the orphans.
The same message is sent in Esther, after the Jews defeated Haman and their enemies in Babylon, and instituted the Feast of Purim. Mordecai instructed them to keep the feast; ‘As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day (holiday): that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions (presents) one to another, and gifts to the poor.’ (Esth.9:22)
But sadly, these days the poor are generally forgotten. Thanksgiving has become another big commercial day. It’s all about sales and money. As soon as Thanksgiving dinner is over, we now rush over to the stores to eagerly await Black Friday, when stuff is supposedly marked down tremendously.
Yes Friends, some stuff might be marked down, but others might also be marked up, because the merchants know that once you’re in the store for one cheap item, you’re more than likely to buy much more at higher mark-ups.
And the wild animal, leggo beast behaviour on display at these sales is truly disgusting. Many of us don’t even really need the stuff we line up for and rush and push to buy. But just because it’s on sale, we decide we must have it. That’s the kind of mentality the merchants have developed in us. Ah Lord eh!
And talking about the leggo beast behaviour, one woman claims she saw two other women fighting in a store over one object, while the security people stood around looking at them, no doubt in astonishment. Each woman had a hold on one end of the object, pulling and pushing and tugging and shouting angrily at each other.
And do you know what that must have object was? An electric toothbrush. Steups!
And then after Black Friday comes Cyber Monday, another big sales day. Chuh! It’s all about merchandising these days!
Now even the Canadian merchants are getting involved in the nonsense as a way of stopping Canadians form going south to spend their money. Unfortunately, I don’t know how much good that is going to do nuh, because they say that even with the travel time and expense, the exchange rate and the border hassles, it’s still worthwhile to go south and shop on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Ah Lord eh!
Anyway Friends, enough of my whatever you choose to call it. I just hope that in all our business we remember the true purpose behind the holiday, and do give thanks to Almighty God for all that’s He’s done for us and provided us with.
Let’s also remember to share with the less fortunate, because that’s what Jesus is all about, and if we’re to be His true followers, we need to display the same empathy.
And we’ll end with some wise words from Cousin Sol on the topic. ‘I know that there is no good in them (nothing better for them), but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.’ (Eccl.3:12-13)
And that my brethren is gospel truth! So please let’s act accordingly and thus give Jesus a good Thanksgiving present. It’s heartfelt wisdom. Much LOVE!
…I’m giving thanks…for all I’ve got…I’m giving thanks…whether or not…I’m giving thanks…for the life in me…I’m giving thanks now… (From the song ‘Giving Thanks’ by Beres Hammond)
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