The ONLY Place, or Way to Find True Happiness and Joy is in Living for Jesus Christ!

12 Dec 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 11:28.         Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Oh friends, at long last it’s Friday, and we can see a pot of gold, the weekend, at the end of the rainbow, this work week. And to make things better, although it’s cold and windy, the sun’s shining brightly, just the way we like it! No wonder we’ve sent up sincere prayers of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ 

And today we’re going to look at interesting quote from my ‘I LOVE You’ Poster my young daughter gave me years ago. Now this quote sounds familiar, and I might have used it sometime ago, but like so many of these sayings, they are worth hearing over and over. And this one resonates with awesome truth. It says: ‘No one is guaranteed happiness. Life just gives us time and space. It’s up to us to fill it with joy and meaning.’ 

And that hits the proverbial nail right on its proverbial head. Happiness is not guaranteed, and often it doesn’t last very long. But we have to make ourselves happy, and the best way to do that is by starting off with Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, for through Him, even if you don’t have happiness here on earth, you will certainly have it with Him wherever He is in the next life! And in Jesus we don’t experience happiness so much as joy, which is a much deeper and more lasting experience. 

Now, we also have to pay attention to another aspect of the happiness situation, that is depending on others to make us happy. That’s not always wise, for human beings are so frail, fragile, irresponsible and unpredictable that if we depend on others to make us happy, in no time flat they can disappoint us, and the whole happiness house will come crashing down upon our heads. So it all comes right back to basing our happiness, our joy in Jesus, who is the ONLY One who will never let us down. 

And why would He, after sacrificing Himself for our sins on the horrific cross of Calvary, and pleading with us through His Great Invitation to come to Him for rest and comfort. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (humble and gentle): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’  (Matt. 11:28-30)  

He’s also constantly knocking at the doors of our hearts, so He can enter in and dine with us. He says it quite plainly: ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup (dine) with him, and he with me.’ (Rev. 3:20) Who else offers these faithful comforts eh? Nobody else but Jesus! 

Oh, we humans might be faithful for a moment or a short while, but eventually we all disappoint to some extent. Jesus NEVER disappoints, if you understand His teachings and His commandments. Life with Him will not necessarily be easy, in some cases it might even be more difficult, as He tests our faith through tough circumstances, but we are assured that He will not let the devil have us, He will see us through to victory eventually. As Bruh Paul says in this awesome scripture of promise. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) 

Yes friends, if we sincerely surrender to and place our trust in Almighty God, though we will suffer trials and tribulations, we are assured that the end we will fine. It’s like Jesus reassures us in the gospel of John, where He says: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Now that’s not always easy to do, but if we put our sincere trust in Jesus, He will help us to do it. 

And we’ll end with one of the most beautiful prayers in the Bible, and one that sets the basic standard for life and joy in Christ. It’s Bruh Paul’s prayer for the Colossians. So please pray with me: ‘For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 

Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet (qualified us) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in (the) light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated (transferred) us into the kingdom of his dear Son (the Son of His LOVE): In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.’ (Col 1:9-14) 

Wow mih bredrin! Tell me what can be better than living for Jesus eh? NOTHING! And where can we find the most assurance of happiness here on earth and in the next life? With Jesus; where else! And now that we’re convinced that Jesus provides the best scenario for happiness and joy in this world and the next, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant seeking help in this dire time of need that our evil world makes necessary. 

Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. 

We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And yes, our sinful world does need to wake up, but so do we Christians, and start showing better witness for Christ, if we expect to receive divine aid. Much LOVE!

…happiness can be fleeting…but the joy found in Christ is everlasting…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   7 May 2024 Colossians 1:9b.

07 May 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Colossians 1:9b.        we might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

Oh, what a beautiful Tuesday…what a beautiful Tuesday! Yes my brethren, this Tuesday is going to be sunny, warm and supposedly summer-like. What more can we ask for eh? Possibly only the grace and peace that comes from our great God, through Jesus Christ, with the added desire that ‘we might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. That we might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 

Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet (qualified us) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated (transferred) us into the  kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.’ (Col. 1:9-14) 

Wow! What a comprehensive prayer. But that’s Bruh Paul’s style. He doesn’t pray for us to have wealth and health as such, but more spiritual wisdom and understanding because growth in our Christian faith depends mostly on those two things. Oh, health and wealth are important, but if we don’t understand the Word and put it into action, then we will never grow spiritually. And what do all those spiritually minded words mean? (smile) The scholars give some explanations. They say that ‘Wisdom is an accurate perception into the true nature of things. Understanding is the skillful application of this wisdom in practical situations. 

And the reason why Bruh Paul wants the Colossians to obtain a knowledge of God’s will is that they may walk (live) properly and fully please God. In Greek the four explanatory participles of verses of 10b -12 spell out and precisely define what a worthy walk entails: the believer is (1) fruitful in every good work, productive in Christian service; (2) constantly increasing in the knowledge of God, ever coming to know the Lord better; (3) always “strengthened with all might,” becoming stronger and stronger; and (4) in the habit of giving thanks, sincerely expressing gratitude to God in both the pleasant and unpleasant experiences in his life. 

Patience is persevering through problems, trials, tribulations, and so forth. Longsuffering is forbearing the faults and offenses of others. As per verse 12, it might be translated “thanking the Father, for He made us fit to share in the salvation belonging to the saints who are in the light.”  Darkness is the religious state in which unbelievers exist, namely that of spiritual ignorance with its attending immorality and misery. Blood reminds the Colossians (and us) of the enormous price and sacrifice paid to secure their (and our) redemption. Redemption, then is achieved by the atonement wrought by Jesus’ death. See Ephesians 1:7 for “redemption.” 

Oh friends, the wide scope of the prayer might be a lot for us to take in, but the good thing is that we don’t have to take it in all at once, we can take it piece by piece, learning each aspect before moving on to another. In any case, it should not be too difficult to do since most of us, unlike the Colossians back then, already know the basics of Christianity and what it entails, and the prayer simply puts it all together so that it encapsulates our faith. But as Bruh Paul was so emphatic in his teaching, we all need to be spiritually enlightened and continually growing in the will, knowledge and good works of God. That’s the only way to be a true believer. 

And do we ever need those attributes in this currently evil and ungodly world, when darkness is so widespread because it’s purveyors are doing a good job of spreading it. And if darkness is spreading, that obviously means that light is not overtaking it. And why is that you ask?  The answer is quite obvious: the purveyors of light are not doing their job. It’s as simple as that. And if we consider our scriptures to be right, that light is stronger than darkness and can readily overcome it, then we can only assume that the purveyors of light, Christians, are not doing as much as they ought to spread light and overcome the evil darkness that’s carrying our world to hell in a handbasket. 

And sadly, if we are truthful with ourselves, we will acknowledge that our efforts at light bearing and spreading are nowhere near the level they ought to be, especially if we want to combat the current spread of darkness and evil that’s so rampant and fast moving. Oh my fellow believers, remember what Christ said to us, when He gave us the Great Commission? (Matt. 28:18-20) That it was our job to spread the good news of His gospel all around the world, in other words to spread His light over the darkness of the evil world. 

Let’s recall these words of Jesus on the subject of light nuh. First off, He tells us: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) Then later on He clarifies it by saying: ‘As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ (John 9:5) Now my brethren, now that Jesus is no longer bodily in the world, who is responsible for being the light that He shone when down here as a human being? He said it quite plainly in His Sermon on the Mount to those who believe in Him. ‘Ye are the light of the world…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:14, 16) 

And you know who that refers to in these trying and troubled times? Those of us who call ourselves Christians, or followers of Christ. And with the current state of the world, the supremacy of darkness over light, it means that the body of Christ, His church is not doing it’s job. It’s a sad but very true comment. For if we were making a big enough wave, our world would never be in such a disastrous mess as it currently is. End of Sermon! 

Now for those of us who are trying our best, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

And now, it’s our bounden duty to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do. Much LOVE!

…it’s extremely urgent that Christians arise and shine…shine like they never shone before…

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ