The Overwhelming Importance of Unity, Compassion, Humility and Selflessness in the Christian Church!

29 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 2:5.        Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus:

It’s a sunny Wednesday friends, time to catch our second wind and get going again, all in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Remember what we said yesterday? That be we slaves or free, we ought to do all that we do, as though we’re doing it for Jesus, that means in an excellent manner and with a good attitude. And not because there’s a rich reward from Christ, but because we simply LOVE Him and want to do all that He desires. 

And today, we’re going to check out the Let Us Pray Section in this month’s In Touch Devotional. So please pray with me: ‘Lord, grant me humility – to see the world through my neighbour’s eyes, to experience life from their perspectives, both the good days and the bad. Help me kneel beside them in hard places, to bubble over with delight when they rejoice, to forego the need for words when theirs fail, to be a companion on their journey. Let me be of the same mind as my brothers and sisters, and – like You – be moved by compassion. In Jesus’ name, amen.’ 

Now that’s what you’d call a concerned, caring and compassionate prayer! It’s all about others, not about us, except in the sense that we think about others as much as we do ourselves. And there’s a lot of scripture that commands us to do just that. As one commentary says; ‘passages that emphasize unity in purpose, LOVE, and harmony, grounded in humility and a shared commitment to Christ.’  So let’s check out a few of them nuh, starting with this one from Bruh Paul’s missive to the Philippians, where he writes. 

‘Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same LOVE, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things (interests) of others. Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus: 

Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men (emptied himself of his privileges): And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient  unto death, even the death of the cross.’  (Phil. 2:2-8) 

Yes my brethren, that’s the kind of example we need to follow! Jesus gave up all His godly privileges so that He could come to earth and become one of us. He humbled himself and was obedient to the Father’s directives, even to death on the cross. That says a whole lot about His obedience, something that far too many of us lack in these turbulent and ungodly times. But let’s get to some important explanations from the scholars, as they tell us that Bruh Paul rejoiced over the Philippians, but there was some disunity and lack of harmony among them. Thus he wants them to fulfil his joy, or make it complete by being likeminded, or living in harmony with each other. 

And that means: (1) having the same LOVE toward one believer as shown toward another, without partiality; (2) being of one accord; that is to be united in spirit; (3) of one mind; that is, the whole church is to have the same values, and goals; (4) let nothing be done trough strife or vainglory, for selfish ambition or conceit; (5) let each esteem the other better than themselves; that is, each is to regard his fellow Christian as more important than himself; and (6) look…every man also on the things of others; that is, each is to be just as concerned for the needs and problems of his brother as he is for his own affairs.’ 

Wow! What a wonderful world we would live in if only a half of the supposed believers lived like that! But unfortunately that’s not happening, for today there’s more infighting and backbiting within the church than within the devil’s legions. Too many supposed believers are following the wide and winding road that leads to destruction. That’s why the devil is ruling the roost. And he doesn’t even have to try hard to divide and conquer us, because we are doing the dividing ourselves. Oh my people, it’s so heartrending when you see fellow Christians illtreating each other for selfish purposes. 

And Peter also admonishes us on the subject, with these poignant and powerful words. ‘Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, LOVE as brethren, be pitiful (tenderhearted), be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing (reviling for reviling): but contrariwise (instead) blessing; knowing that ye should inherit a blessing. 

For he that will LOVE life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile (deceit): Let him eschew (turn away from) evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue (pursue) it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.’ (1 Pet. 3:8-12) 

Ah mih bredrin, when will our Christian community ever get to be like that eh? Do we have to wait until Jesus returns? Now that would indeed be a sad commentary on our faith. But who knows? All we can do as individuals is to try to live the way we’re supposed to, and hope and pray that more of us will fall into line through the perseverance of the Holy Spirit and our own compassionate efforts. Now, let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Wednesday Wail. Tomorrow, if God spares life, we’ll continue looking at some scriptures that talk about unity. 

So, as one strong and sincere voice: ‘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 if you didn’t know it, there’s a promise that says all those who endure with Jesus right to the very end, will enjoy a future so glorious we won’t comprehend it. So please, let’s do our best to endure to the very end with Jesus nuh, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!

…the basics of the Christian church are…humility, compassion, obedience and unity…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 January 2020 1 Peter 3:11.

17 Jan 2020 Leave a comment

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

1 Peter 3:11.    ​Let him eschew (turn away from) evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue (pursue) it.
 
And as the day opens, a whole lot of people around the world emit sighs of relief because it’s that magical day called Friday, when their outside labour will end for a couple of days and they won’t have to face snarled, slow-moving traffic twice a day, and engage in mindless chit-chat with selfish, ignorant co-workers whom they thoroughly dislike! (smile) 

Ah friends, what an evil and deceitful world we live in! And the sad part is that it’s getting worse daily. All the negative stuff that’s currently happening in our world is just creating more tension, anxiety and strife between hitherto comfortable people. But all that us true believers in Christ can basically do is pray for world peace and then do our best to pursue it in our families, friends and neighbourhoods! 

And since it’s Friday, we ought to hear what the ordinary workingman has to say for himself. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday yes! And am I ever grateful for the two days off! I forgot how hard work could really be. Yeh, now that the new year has truly gotten rolling, the work is pouring in and the slave driving task master we have is flashing the whip often because the more work we do means more money for him. And yes, we do get a little more too, but nothing like what he gets, and certainly not in proper proportion to the amount of work we do to create the extra money… 

But I guess them’s the breaks! It’s how the greedy massa and them build the society – the people who do all the back breaking work, get the smallest amount of the harvest. And to tell the truth, in all the different systems we have in the world, one thing stands out…the handful of people who run the show, always get the best part of the pie! Regardless of how much revolution yuh have, it always end up like that. And right now, I too old to fight it anymore, so I’ll just put mih gear in cruise, and just bide mih time till I retire, and until then keep saying, ‘Thank God for Fridays and weekends oui!’ 

Now that’s the unfortunate reaction of a great number of people in our down-pressed world today, and sometimes you can’t give them wrong because they do seem to be fighting a losing battle. However, as true believers in Christ Jesus we don’t have to accept that defeatist philosophy, because in Christ there’s NO giving up. In fact, He has already won the victory and all we now have to do is walk it through in diligent faith and preordained works. That’s why our Friday Chant is so different from the workingman’s song. 

So let’s chant it now nuh, in strong voice and sincere hearts, so that we can be encouraged this Friday morning. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’ 

You see my faithful brethren, whatever it looks like, and however life turns out, we believers need to keep on keeping on, fixated on the promises and sacrificial work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, always looking forward to His wonderful  coming in glory, sometime soon, any day now! In the meantime though, one thing we should all be seeking is that very real, but very elusive thing called peace, because it is a very important part of Christ’s kingdom. 

Now let’s look at some of the many scriptures in the Good Book that call for the making of peace. The first one is the prophecy of John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah re John’s work. ‘To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’ (Luke 1:79) And if a big part of John’s work was to guide us in the way of peace, and John was the forerunner of Christ, then it means that peace was also a big part of Christ’s ministry. 

And He made that clear often enough. One of the Beatitudes, those 8 states of mind and heart  that Christ said was absolutely necessary for Christian discipleship in the Sermon on the Mount is: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.’ (Matt.5:9) Yes friends, blessed are those who seek peace and make peace and are at peace with God and man. And Peter makes it quite clear that if we want to have a good, long life: ‘Let him eschew (turn away from) evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue (pursue) it.’ Yuh see people, we have to make a definite decision and action; pursue peace. It doesn’t just come by desiring it, we have to make it happen! 

And I’m chuckling and a tad confused because I have so many scriptures on peace I don’t know which to share because of our time and space constraints. (smile) But since we can’t ever go wrong with Jesus, listen to Him again. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) Yuh see that, Jesus’ peace is an entirely different kind of peace to what we find in the world. His is the kind that surpasses man’s understanding! (Phil. 4:7) And if we’re smart, we’ll diligently seek for His kind and not the world’s. 

And Hebrews so wisely tells us: ‘Follow (pursue) peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.’ (Heb.12:14) Then James proudly proclaims: ‘And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.’ (James 3:18) Yeh friends, peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit, and you can’t get it unless you sow it. And what better way to end than with one of Jesus’ better known sayings on peace. ‘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) 

Oh friends with those encouraging words ringing in our hearts and minds, let’s go out today and in our own li’l way pursue peace nuh, because that’s the only way our world will ever improve! Much LOVE!

…as much as possible…follow peace with all men…