05 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, anixety, asleep on a pillow, Bible, break every fetter, but of power love and a sound mind, catastrophe, Christian living, confusion, crying out for help, divine aid, don't you even yet have confidence in me, Even God doesn't care, even the wind and the sea obey him, Even This, failure, faith, faith is from God, fear, fear is from the enemy, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, Friday chant, god, God's love never changes, God's presence never leaves us, how is it that ye have no faith, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus, Jesus Christ, LOVE, Master carest not thou that we perish, obscured your sense of God's presence, omnipotent help, One Year Book of Bible promises, our sinful world, pages of tear-stained script, pay the price for our folly, peace be still, rebuked the wind, return backsliders to your fold, Ruth Harms Calkin, send faith to answer it, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that habit that chains you, the error of their ways, the fear that paralyzes you, the frightened disciples, the loss that numbs you, trusting faith, unexpected storms, ungodly times, wake up and smell the coffee, when fear knocks, why are ye so fearful, wisdom, wise guidance
Mark 4:40. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
And at last it was Friday. But after last weekend’s partying and this week’s tough sledding at work, some of us didn’t have the energy to shout: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ but merely mouthed it. (smile) Yes friends, that’s what happens when we get greedy and overdo it; we pay the price for our folly later on. And sometimes it’s a high price too, one we can barely afford. So let’s allow wisdom to prevail this weekend and concentrate on getting some rest nuh. End of Sermon. (smile)
Now, today, we’re going to look at something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin; a reading that’s oh so appropriate for these catastrophic times in which we live. It’s simply titled, ‘Even This.’ Please read with me: ‘It was a long letter – pages of tear-stained script. “Even God doesn’t care…” she wrote. Perhaps you haven’t put it in a letter, but has some overwhelming failure or fear obscured your sense of God’s presence? That was the catastrophe of the frightened disciples. The wind was boisterous, they had lost control… and Jesus went on sleeping. We quickly identify with the shouting: “Don’t you even care if we go under?” We’ve all shouted it, at least in attitude.
Jesus quieted the sea that night, but his piercing question hits the target of our hearts: ‘Don’t you even yet have confidence in me?” The awe filled disciples said among themselves, “Even the winds and seas obey him.” “How wonderful,” we say. Then suddenly, often without warning, the winds of adversity beat against our personal lives, and we cry “Lord, don’t you even care?” Again he asks, “Don’t you even yet have confidence in me? That habit that chains you. That fear that paralyzes you. That loss than numbs you… even this – all of this you may fling upon me!” But it means more than half-heartedly singing, “He will break every fetter.” It means surrendering to him completely. He knows your every need – even this.’
Ah friends, how very descriptive that is of us! We talk the talk, but can’t walk the walk. We claim such strong belief and understanding, but when the forces of adversity lash us, we cry out panic stricken, wondering, where is God, and if He doesn’t LOVE and care for us anymore. But God’s LOVE NEVER changes… and His presence NEVER strays from us. It’s our weak faith and/or unbelief that drives us crazy. If we were truly surrendered to Him, then we would know that He’s always there with us, LOVING us, like no other.
We behave like the disciples on the boat. Yes, the winds and the waves were threatening to swamp the boat, but they had been with Jesus for some time and had seen all the miracles He did, yet, they were scared out of their wits. It’s the very same way with us. We’ve seen Jesus do wonderful things in our lives, but when the next problem arises, we still become overly scared. It’s okay to be afraid when the disaster strikes unexpectedly, but soon thereafter that fear ought to be reduced to concern, because we know that the Lord is on our side and is looking out for us.
Oh my people, it’s all a matter of faith and sincere belief, of truly surrendering our souls, hearts, minds and bodies to Christ. Let’s keep remembering these memorable words of Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (1 Tim. 1:7) And that’s the bottom line on which we should always be operating, the basic foundation of our earthly walk. For fear is from the enemy; it’s one of his most useful tools. However faith is from God, and it will overcome fear any ole day. No wonder the saying: ‘When fear knocks, send faith to answer it.’
And the Bible Promise for today’s story comes from the gospel of Mark, and is a very useful one to refresh our memories. (smile) Jesus and His disciples were crossing over the Sea of Galilee along with other small boats. ‘And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full (filling with water). And he (Jesus) was in the hinder part (stern) of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master (Teacher), carest thou not that we perish?
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they (the disciples) feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this (who can this be), that even the wind and the sea obey him?’ (Mark 4:37-41)
And that friends is the same Jesus to whom we’ve supposedly surrendered our lives, the One who can do any and everything, who controls the universe, and is in our corner, and who we know much more about than the disciples did back then. So why is He still asking us even today, ‘how is it that ye have no faith?’ And that’s a question we should certainly ponder, because we will each have to answer it for ourselves. But it’s certainly not one that Christ ought to be asking after all this time.
Anyway, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, asking for divine aid to help us with our many problems. 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 for divine aid to be forthcoming, our behaviour has to improve, we must become better examples of true Christian living. Much LOVE!
…we can’t say we have faith…when fear so easily overtakes us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
07 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a free day to look forward to, a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, according to his work, as a thief in the night, be merciful as your Father is merciful, Bible, carry them in his bosom, christianity, diligence, divine aid, do good, faith, faithful believers, faithfulness, feed his flock like a shepherd, Friday chant, gather the lambs with his arm, gently lead those that are with young, god, he that cometh to God must believe that He is, his reward is with him, his work is before him, hoping for nothing again, I come quickly, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lend, living fully for Christ, LOVE, Love your enemies, mercy, my reward is with me, our sinful world, restoring faith in God, return backsliders to your fold, simmering unrest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the benefits of living for Christ, the children of the Highest, the crown of life, the error of their ways, the Lord God will come with strong hand, the Lord promised to the that love him, the rewards, the throne of grace, the weekend, tired as a dog, to give to every man, traffic jams, true disciples of Christ, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, when he is tried, wisdom, wise guidance, without faith it is impossible to please God, your reward shall be great
Revelation 22:12. And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be.
And that distinctive weekly shout has gone out all around the world: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Just let me at that weekend!’ Ah mih people, we do LOVE our weekends, because they belong to us, not to any employer, and we don’t have to get up early to go to work, nor face frustrating traffics jams to get there, then spend the whole day with people we don’t like, or who don’t like us, then face more irritating traffic jams to get back home, tired as a dog. No, the weekend is ours; sanctified as such. (smile) But we still have to get through Friday. No problem! Apparently since we have a free day to look forward to tomorrow.
How wonderful it would be if we could look forward to Christ and His salvation the same way, meaning, we’d have no problem living fully for Him today! That’s a major problem though with believers; for with Christ we can only look to today, that makes it difficult to live sincerely and fully for Him. But just imagine the rewards and benefits we’ll be having in heaven with Jesus nuh. Remember what He says in Revelation: ‘And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be.’ (Rev. 22:12)
That means Jesus can come at any time, like the proverbial thief in the night, and when He comes He will be rewarding people for their work on His behalf. So, if we want to get good rewards, then our work must be good. It’s as simple as that! And there is talk of rewards for working on Jesus’ behalf all though God’s Word. Let’s check out a few, like this one from Isaiah, where centuries before he spoke about the Lord’s coming with rewards.
‘Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand (in strength), and his arm shall rule for him: behold his reward is with him, and his work (wage) before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is. 40:10-11) What a beautiful picture my brethren of Jesus’ coming and the work He will do. Doesn’t that just lift your spirits and increase your faith? It ought to, since it was prophesied long before the actual coming of Jesus.
Now, here’s this scripture from Hebrews that speaks directly to our point.. ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb.11:6) Yes friends, it’s ever so necessary to believe that God exists and He rewards those who diligently seek Him. That’s from the famous chapter on faith, with people like Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joseph not knowing or seeing what lay ahead of them, but nonetheless placing their total trust and faith in the Lord God Almighty when He directed them to do things they knew not how to do, or to go places, not knowing exactly where they were going.
And they were all greatly rewarded by Him for their diligence and faithfulness. The same thing applies to us today, as Jesus says in the gospel of Luke. ‘But LOVE your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again (in return); and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father is merciful.’ (Luke 6:35-36)
However, at this current time in the world’s existence, rather unfortunately, the words ‘mercy and merciful’ are not well known, nor are their fruit much extended like our heavenly Father desires. What a pity! For if they and their fruit were better known and extended, then there would not be as much strife, greed, hatred and selfishness as there currently is on God’s great earth!
And James, Jesus’ brother, adds his two cents worth to the mix, when he writes in his epistle: ‘Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that LOVE him.’ (James 1:12) Ah my fellow saints, all throughout the Good Library, the Bible, the indisputable truth of God’s Word, are deeply embedded promises of rewards, righteousness and all kinds of other goodies for expending one’s time and talents on the Lord’s behalf. Let’s hope that with today’s revisiting of some of those scriptures that our hope and faith will be renewed and lead us to better fulfill God’s plan for our lives.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to help in these desperate times of need. 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!’
Lastly, let’s remember these very significant words from our prayer: ‘the example, we, your faithful believers set.’ And then go out and be very good examples, so others can see the benefits of believing in Jesus and follow our example. That’s the first step in receiving divine aid! Much LOVE!
…many more salty…light filled…true disciples of Christ…is what our world badly needs…RIGHT NOW…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
31 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciplined mind, a moral virtue, a new commandment I give unto you, a new flock of believers, a word to the wise is sufficient, abstain, as I have loved you, asceticism, backsliders, begun a good work in you, behave like Jesus, being confident of this very thing, Bible, binge, but of power love and a sound mind, by this shall all men know, christianity, courteous, error of their ways, faith, faithful believers, fly without any reservations, follow me, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, free and easy, Friday chant, from glory to glory, gentleness, god, going to the extremes, good examples., hasty decisions, if any man will come after me, indulgence, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kind, let him deny himself, let your moderation be known unto all men, like leggo beasts, LOVE, LOVE one another, moderation, omnipotent help, perform it until the day of jesus, reasonableness, self-control, simmering unrest, sinful world, take up his cross daily, temperance, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the throne of grace, the weekend, tolerant, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, wise guidance, ye are my disciples
Philippians 4:5a. Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men.
And the end of the month of May, could not fall on a better day…Friday! Thus all the glorious shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and another summer weekend is in the offing!’ We get all worked up about our weekends, especially the summer ones, because we can get out there and go where we want, and do whatever we want without the restrictions of the winter weather. We’re free and easy! But please, let’s not go wild and behave like leggo beasts, for that’s exactly how the enemy, his satanic majesty, wants us to behave; to forget God’s warnings, His rules and regulations and just fly without any reservations.
And once in a while, it is good to fly without reservations, although there is usually a price to pay when we do that. (smile) In the meanwhile, let’s remember these most memorable and oh so important words of Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) Now the most important aspect of that statement in this case is the ‘sound or disciplined mind.’ Yes friends, that means we have self-control, which is also a fruit of the Spirit, wherefore we don’t go around flying off the handle or making hasty decisions, and going to the extremes.
In other words, like Jeeves says, we need a modicum of circumspection or moderation in all things. Now, what does moderation in all things mean? And we have a couple of commentaries based on the meaning the world has of it. The first says: “Everything in moderation,” goes the old line, meaning don’t binge, and don’t abstain, but do take it easy on the bad stuff. Between the two poles of asceticism and indulgence, moderation is about never giving up or fully giving in.’
The second one gets more philosophical. (smile) ‘According to Craiutu, Aristotle considered moderation a moral virtue and Plato, in “The Republic”, described moderation as the harmony between reason, spirit, and desire. “It’s the disposition of the soul where reason, spirit, and desire are in agreement,” says Craiutu. “It’s more than just temperance.’ And strangely enough Bruh Paul wrote about it to the Philippians: ‘Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men.’ (Phil. 4:5a) Now what’s this moderation business in the Christian life you ask? Is it the same as in the world? Yes and no.
Here are a couple more commentaries on the Christian explanation of ‘moderation.’ The first tells us: ‘Let your moderation be known unto all men. Let your gentleness be evident to all. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. In any case, Paul’s idea is that don’t be so strict and extreme about the letter of the law; be fair minded, reasonable, and gentle.’ And the second says: ‘This characteristic of the Christian (moderation) must be a conspicuous one; that is, Christians must be well-known for their gentle, kind, courteous and tolerant ways with others. Put another way, behave as Jesus would because this was one thing Jesus was known for.’ Amen!
And that’s basically all that moderation means: behave like Jesus! And yes, you claim that’s not so easy to do, because He was the Son of God, deity, sinless and strong, but we have His power, His Holy Spirit dwelling within us, which gives us the ability to behave in a decent manner…remember the spirit of power, of LOVE, and of a sound or disciplined mind. No, we will never be perfect, but we don’t have to behave like the world behaves. And if we’re seriously intent on behaving like Christ, let’s not forget this scripture that Bruh Paul writes to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6)
Yes my brethren, once the Lord has begun a good work in us, meaning making us like Jesus, raising us from glory to glory, He won’t stop until He takes us home, or Jesus returns. So we don’t have to be overly worried about behaving like Jesus if we’re serious about living the Christian life…which in fact is not easy, but very worthwhile. The whole thing boils down to the true state of our hearts, and how much we truly LOVE Jesus and want to serve Him the best way we can. And I believe that if we remember and meditate on these words of His, our lives will become fuller and more satisfactory.
And it’s all about discipleship. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Then there are these most telling words. ‘A new commandment I give unto you. That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35) Oh my fellow saints, I do believe that if we ponder and think on those words of Jesus, we will come to a positive realization in and of our Christian walk.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking help to live up to our responsibilities in these trying and troubled times. 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 I’d be seriously amiss if I didn’t point out that one of the requirements for getting divine help is setting a good Christian example. Nuff said! Much LOVE!
…a word to the wise is sufficient…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a utopian dream, able to build you up, abound to every good work, according as he purposeth in his heart, appreciate the benefits of a job, Bible, bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, christianity, commend you to God, crying out for your help, embrace your love and compassion, entitled to the good life, escalating problems, every good and perfect gift is from above, faith, firstfruits of his creatures, four day work week, Friday chant, give not grudgingly, giving demonstrates our trust in God, god, God loveth a cheerful giver, having sufficiency in all things, he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully, he which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, homeless, hungry, if we don't work we won't eat, introduce a new flock of believers, it is more blessed to give than to receive, Jesus, Jesus Christ, living high on the hog, LOVE, make all grace abound toward you, no shadow of turning, no variableness, not enough room to receive it, open you the windows of heaven, pour you out a blessing, return backsliders to your fold, simmering unrest in our land, sinful world, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the example we faithful believers set, the isolation of self, the long and short of the story, these hands have ministered unto my necessities, to the word of his grace, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, wake up to the realities of life, wisdom, wise guidance
Acts 20:35b. It is more blessed to give than to receive.
So the short work week is over due to the Victoria Day holiday on Monday…and we’ve all joyfully shouted: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ All the while wondering why we couldn’t have a four day work week instead of a five day one. (smile) But even if that miraculously happened, we would still be grumpy and dissatisfied on the first work day of the week. Even if we had to work only one day a week, it would still seem like a big inconvenience, because we so LOVE to do what we want, when we want, and working to earn a living is not one of the things we enjoy doing. Many of us believe that because we exist, we are therefore entitled to the good life. Hn!
But the long and short of the story is that if we don’t work we won’t eat, have shelter over our heads, or clothes on our backs. So this wishing to exist in a utopian dream of living high on the hog without working for it is just that, a utopian dream. (smile) And until we’ve been truly hungry, homeless, and without clothes, many of us will never appreciate the true benefits of having a job and working diligently at it, be it the much exalted C.E.O of the company or the lowly janitor.
Now please, let’s wake up to the realities of this life which is daily getting harder and more frustrating with more people being thrown out of work every day due to no fault of theirs, just the pressures of the economic seesaw, and thus end up facing the unpalatable prospects of going hungry and possibly homeless. And it’s therefore the duty of those who have to help those who don’t. Why? Let’s remember these important words of Bruh Paul from Acts, when he was about to leave Ephesus to go to Jerusalem.
‘And now brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel. Yes, ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered unto (provided for) my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ (Acts 20:32-35)
Yes my fellow believers, giving is a big part of our discipleship, be it the giving of our time, money or material goods, we ought to be generous givers, for as Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Corinth: ‘But as I say, he which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity (compulsion): for God LOVETH a cheerful (joyful) giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.’ (2 Cor. 9:6-8)
Oh friends, our God is happy when we give generously from our hearts, and in return He then always causes us to have enough, both for ourselves and to share with others. Now having shown through scripture that giving is a large part of our duty as disciples, let’s see how it helps us emotionally. I believe these two commentaries ably explain the benefits of giving upon our own selves and souls. The first one says: ‘When we give, we demonstrate our trust in God in a tangible way. Hoarding resources demonstrates a trust in ourselves—we can take care of ourselves better than God can. Conversely, biblical generosity is an act of trust in God. We give our first and our best, trusting God will do as He says—provide for our needs.’
And the second tells us: ‘It is better to give than to receive because giving releases us from the isolation of self. To receive something is a privatized act. When we receive a gift from someone else—of money, goods, or even the gift of encouragement—we experience at minimum a sense of appreciation and often a time of great joy and comfort.’ So, giving and receiving show our trust in God, as well as lifts our spirits. And remember what God said through the prophet Malachi, about giving Him our tithes?
‘Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat (food) in mine house, and prove (test) me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.’ (Mal. 3:10) That shows we should be most generous to God, with the first fruits of our labour. And in reality NOBODY is more generous that God. As James concurs in his epistle. ‘Do not err my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.’ (James 1:16-18)
Yuh see my fellow saints, the Lord created us to be an important creation, and is ever generous to us, especially when He sent Jesus into the world to sacrifice Himself so our sins could be paid for. Thus we also have the responsibility to be generous and faithful to Him and to those around us. And yes, times are tough, and it’s not always easy to live the way we ought, but we have the resources of heaven at our command, so let’s go there right now, through our Friday Chant and ask for help in these needful times.
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 though we can go to heaven for help, let’s never forget that that help will only come with our improved behaviour and faithfulness! Much LOVE!
…to give…to give…and yet to give…that should be our Christian motto…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a caring and compassionate manner, a demanding mistress, Bible, bore us in the womb, divine help, erred from the faith, faith, Friday chant, God's omnipotent help, have rule over all my labour, heaven, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, LOVE, material wealth, money, Mother's Day, our sinful world, restoring faith in you, return backsliders to your fold, rewards for faithful service, simmering unrest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the accumulation of things, the LOVE of money, the root of all kinds of evil, the spiritual realm, thieves do not break through and steal, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, we brought nothing into this world, we can carry nothing out, where moth and rust doth corrupt, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, where thieves break through and steal, where your treasure is there will be your heart also, wine and dine, wisdom, Ye cannot serve God and mammon
Matthew 6:21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be.
And though it’s a cloudy kind of a sunny day, we don’t care because we’ve gotten to shout, ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Yes friends, the weekend’s here, work’s done for another week and we’re joyful as we set out to celebrate another eventful Mother’s Day, where we’ll wine and dine those wonderful women who bore us in their wombs for nine tough months, and then showed us what LOVE and life are all about, as they raised us in a caring and compassionate manner. And that’s a good Bruh Paulian sentence! (smile)
Today, we’re going to talk about something near and very dear to all of our hearts; that’s treasure, material wealth of the world, which all of us need to live, but too many of us live to get, to accumulate it, and will do anything necessary to get it. However friends, that’s not a good way to live at all. For running down material wealth is fraught with all kinds of problems, some even life threatening. Remember Bruh Paul’s serious warning to Timothy? ‘For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds) of evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith (for which some in their greediness have strayed from the faith), and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (ruined themselves).’ (2 Tim. 6:10)
And that’s the gospel truth my people! When we run down money and all it’s inherent trials, we lose track of life, of our families, of ourselves, because the accumulation of money is a very demanding mistress. It can spoil everything around us, and even drive us from faith in God. And that’s the devil’s greatest hope. That’s why Jesus gave this very intentional warning: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal:’ (Matt. 6:19)
Now we all know that to be true, because we hear and see it every day, where someone with lots of money is either defrauded out of it, or it’s physically stolen. And if your treasure happens to be in things like clothes, art, books or some mechanical device, then, with the passing of time, moth and rust will certainly attack them and thus drive down their value, or even make them completely worthless. So what’s the answer to that conundrum, that difficult problem of storing up our treasures?
Jesus answers it thus: ‘But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through nor steal.’ (Matt. 6:20) More gospel truth my people! For heaven is such a secure place where there’s no moth, rust nor thieves. No, none of those negative things exist in God’s, and our soon to be home. So it’s obviously the best place to lay up your treasures. Then Jesus makes this oh so important statement: ‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be.’ (Matt. 6:21)
And there’s absolutely no doubt about that, for wherever your treasure is laid up there you will concentrate your focus. Thus, if you have an accumulation of earthly treasures, you will focus on them down here on earth more than on anything else. That means God will most likely not be an important aspect of your life. However, if your treasures are in heaven, in the spiritual realm, then there will your heart be also, and God will be the focus of your life. What Jesus is saying my brethren, is that the spiritual things of life are more important than the material things. And therefore one must concentrate on building up one’s spiritual maturity and life.
That brings up Bruh Paul’s words to Timothy shortly before he told him about the destruction the LOVE of money can cause. ‘For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.’ (2 Tim. 6:7) More indisputable truth, since we didn’t bring anything when we were born, and we certainly cannot carry all, or any of the material wealth we’ve accumulated here on earth. So why kill our selves to accumulate it eh? Only to leave it for others to enjoy and waste.
As Cousin Sol so wisely says in Ecclesiastes about leaving one’s wealth to others. ‘And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity (futility).’ (Eccl. 2:19) That’s another problem with leaving behind too much material possessions; people either waste it, or fight over it and the lawyers end up getting most of it. That’s why it’s so important to lay up treasures in heaven where you will be spending eternity.
And the scholars offer these explanations on the subject. ‘The attention of the believer is directed toward treasures in heaven. The term ‘treasures’ implies the addition or accumulation of things. The two kinds of treasures are conditioned by their place (either on earth or in heaven). The concept of laying up treasures in heaven is not pictured as one of meritorious benefits but rather of rewards for faithful service, as is illustrated elsewhere in the teaching of Jesus.’ And since treasures in heaven come from faithful service to God, that means we cannot both focus on earthly treasure and heavenly rewards at the same time. As Jesus puts it: ‘Ye cannot serve God and mammon (money, riches).’ (Matt. 6:25b)
More gospel truth! So we therefore have to decide which one we’re going to serve, and for all the reasons listed above, serving God is obviously the wisest decision. And to help us make that crucial decision today and stick to it, in light of all wiles and lies of the devil, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, for divine help. Altogether now: ‘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 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 to get that divine aid rolling, as our prayer directs, we first need to show ourselves as true and faithful believers. Much LOVE!
…since earthly life is short and heavenly life lasts forever…wisdom dictates storing up more heavenly treasures than earthly ones…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
26 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, above all these things put on charity, above all things, anger flares in people's eyes, be ye angry and sin not, Bible, charity envieth not, charity is not puffed up, charity suffereth long and is kind, charity vaunteth not itself, christianity, convert the sinner, cover a multitude of sins, crying our for help, err from the truth, evil will continue to rule, faith, Father Time, Friday chant, from the error of his way, god, good examples of Christian living, hatred stirreth up strifes, have fervent charity among yourselves, Jesus, Jesus Christ, let not the sun go down upon your wrath, like there's no tomorrow, LOVE, Love - god's most important attribute, love awakens in the breasts of men, love covereth all sins, love does not brag on itself, Love is kind, love is not jealous, love is patient, loves is not arrogant, neither give place to the devil, omnipotent help, our sinful world can wake up, pull up our bootstraps, return backsliders to your fold, running his race, salvation, save a soul from death, set the ball rolling, simmering unrest, tempres start to rise, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the bond of perfectness, the one who enables us to get wealth, trusting faith, turning from our evil ways, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom
Colossians 3:14. And above all these things put on charity (LOVE), which is the bond of perfectness.
It’s another bright, sunshiny day, this last Friday in April! But just imagine that nuh; April is almost finished. Father Time is certainly waiting on no one, he’s running his race like there’s no tomorrow. And it would be wise if we copied his example and ran our own race as if there’s no tomorrow, for who knows how many, if any of us will be alive to see tomorrow. But be that as it may, the worldwide shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ have been heard around the world, and thus the weekend, plans and promises for it, has become our focus.
And yes, the weekend is ours to enjoy, but during it, let’s not forget the most important One in our entire lives; Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, for He’s the One who enables us to get health, wealth strength, salvation and eternal life! And all God’s children said a loud and grateful ‘Thank You Jesus!’ Now, since the Lord spared our lives, meaning his mercies and compassions were new this morning, (smile) let’s keep our promise to continue talking about some of the things that the prayer yesterday from the In Touch Devotional triggered.
And the main thing we found was LOVE, which is God’s most important attribute and has so many appealing and intriguing aspects to it. And above all it was God’s LOVE for us that caused Him to send His only begotten Son Jesus to die for us on the cross of Calvary so that our sins could be forgiven, making reconciliation possible with Him. And, as we saw yesterday, that means we need to reciprocate that LOVE as much as we can. But here are a few other things that that magnificent attribute can and does do.
On the basic nature of LOVE, Bruh Paul writes in 1 Corinthians: ‘Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.’ (1 Cor. 13:4) In other words, ‘LOVE is patient, LOVE is kind, it is not jealous; LOVE does not brag, it is not arrogant.’ In light of that he writes thus to the Colossians: ‘And above all these things put on charity (LOVE), which is the bond of perfectness.’ (Col. 3:14) And the scholars explain that ‘LOVE is the crowning grace completing the list of virtues required for perfectness or spiritual maturity,. As a “bond” it binds all other virtues together in harmony and unity.’
Meanwhile, Peter says it this way: ‘And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover a multitude of sins.’ (1 Pet. 4:8) Now that’s how strong LOVE is my people, when we have it amongst each other, it can help eliminate many sins. Such as James, Jesus’ brother explains. ‘Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth (wander), and one convert him (turns him back); Let him know, that he which converteth (turns) the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide (cover) a multitude of sins.’ (James 5:19-20)
And don’t for one moment think that the wisest one, Cousin Sol didn’t have that covered long before James and Peter came on the scene. (smile) He most certainly did, as he so rightfully warned in Proverbs: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’ (Prov. 10:12) And it most certainly can when it prospers among us my fellow saints. But the problem though is that LOVE, sadly is not as plentiful and prosperous, neither amongst believers, or the world in general, for it to make the big difference it needs to make to set us straight and right with each other and with Almighty God. Thus the heavy price we’re currently paying as hatred, strife, anger and all the negative emotions control our world instead of LOVE.
That brings us to this last scripture, awakened by the words of the prayer: ‘when tempers start to rise…when anger flares in people’s eyes.’ And unfortunately those words so appropriately describe the current state of our world. Ah friends, this noteworthy scripture from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians warns us: ‘Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil.’ (Eph. 4:26-27) Yes my fellow believers, we can get angry, but not do anything to give the devil an opportunity to get into our souls, and don’t let that anger last until we go to bed, because most likely it will disturb our sleep and we’ll awaken with it still plaguing our souls and spirts.
And let’s not fool ourselves, it’s going to take a real uphill battle, one of much sacrifice and suffering for us to replace the hatred and anger now enveloping our world with the sincere LOVE of God. But with God on our side friends, we all know we can do it. We just have to make up our minds and pull up our bootstraps and move as one body in Christ Jesus! And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace in the prayerful words of our Friday Chant.
Altogether now: ‘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!’
But please remember friends, that to gain divine help, WE must set the ball rolling by doing the things the Lord desires, like being good examples of Christian living, and turning from our evil ways. Much LOVE!
…until…and unless the LOVE for God and man…truly awakens in the breasts of men…evil will continue ruling the roost…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
19 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, a new flock of believers, against the knowledge of God, anathema to our souls, anything of good report, anything praiseworthy, backsliders, bringing in to captivity every thought, Casting down imaginations, christianity, control of the mind, deceitful arguments, divine assistance, error of their ways, every high thing, faith, Friday chant, god, Jesus, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mighty through God, powers, pricipalities, rulers, sharper than a two-edged sword, simmering unrest, spiritual armour, spiritual warfare, spiritual wickedness, surrender our lives to Jesus, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that exalteth itself, the battlefield of our mind, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the God of peace, the helmet of slavation, the shield of faith, the shoes of peace, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, the Word of god, think on these things, though we walk in the flesh, to the obedience of Christ, to the pulling down of strongholds, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, we do not war after the flesh, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are true, wisdom, wise guidance
2 Corinthains 10:3. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after (according to) the flesh:
And the rain has returned…but we’re still going to shout ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ because regardless of the weather, it’s still the last day of our work week and the start of our short weekend, and for that we’re always grateful! (smile) Ah friends, what wonders a Friday can work for and on us eh! Meanwhile, Mondays are anathema to our souls! But unfortunately that’s the way we are, and if we want to be better, we need to put our trust, surrender our entire selves to Jesus, so that we can get His peace, LOVE, grace and mercy working for us, instead of the evil and ungodly doings Satan tempts us with.
But as Bruh Paul warns us in his second letter to the Corinthians, that we should not walk according to Satan’s ways, but according to Jesus’ ways. ‘For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after (according to) the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (of the flesh), but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations (arguments), and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.’ (2 Cor. 10:3-5)
Ah friends, though we live in a body, we don’t fight a physical war, or one by human standards. Instead our warfare is spiritual, ‘against principalities (rulers), against powers (authorities), against the rulers of the darkness of this world (world rulers), against spiritual wickedness in high places (wicked spiritual beings), that is fallen angels, demons and Satan himself.’ (Eph. 6:12) And they try to take hold of us through our minds, our thoughts and other ingenious and deceitful arguments. Remember the battlefield is our mind, and whoever wins the battle of our minds is the victor.
That’s why it’s absolutely necessary to be careful of what we think and talk about, for Satan and his evil cronies are very disciplined and ingenious and can come at you from all sides with all different kinds of arguments that sound right and will eventually wear you down. But as children of the Most High God, we need to stand strong and fight these evil doers with the spiritual armour and weapons that God has given us, namely: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word, all of that bound together with prayer are the spiritual weapons we have to use against the enemy. (Eph. 6:14-18)
And let me point out one thing here, it’s about the Word of God, our spiritual sword. As the author of Hebrews so kindly informs us: ‘The word of God is quick (alive), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.’ (Heb. 4:12) Now that just goes to show how powerful the Word of God is, and the powerful weapon we have at our disposal.
But there’s also a drawback to that power of the Word, because God is constantly scrutinizing our lives through it, and we ought also to carefully scrutinize our own lives with it, to ensure that we’re living the way we ought to. As the scholars say: ‘God’s eyes sees man as though he were naked, unable to hide behind excuse or pretense.’ But yet, so many of us try to do just that; hide from God behind some flimsy excuse or pretense. When are we going to learn eh, that our lives are like open books before our Creator and Controller.
Anyway, we now know that through deceit and lies, the enemy tries to get strongholds in our minds, but we have to ignore those evil and untrue desires, with good and proper thoughts, while fighting the spiritual battle with the armour and weapons of war provided us by God. And what are those good and proper thoughts upon which ought to dwell? As always, Bruh Paul doesn’t give us any theory without giving us some practical examples. Listen as he writes to the Philippians on the general kind of thoughts we ought to have.
‘Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things honest (noble), whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are LOVELY, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise (anything praiseworthy), think (meditate) on these things. Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.’ (Phil. 4:8-9) So there we have the whole picture my fellow believers, and to help us put it into practice, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine assistance.
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 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!’
Now, if we truly want divine help, then we have to start the ball rolling by improving ourselves, by being better examples of Christian faith and discipleship! That’s the long and short of the story, my people! Much LOVE!
…the mind…the mind…it’s all about control of the mind…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
05 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, because I love you, Bible, christianity, crying out for help, despising the shame, divine help, do as I have done unto you, Easter celebrations, endured the cross, faith, foolish pride, for the joy that was set before him, frightened, give the Lord thanks, god, his goodness to the children of men, I choose to obey, I have given you an example, ill at ease, incompetent, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus gave up his sinless life, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, obedient to god, our sins forgiven, our souls washed clean, return backsliders to your fold, sacrifice, selflessness, set down at the right hand of God, Spiritual Tug-of-War, stand strong and steadfast, teach me thy statutes, Thank God it's Friday, the author and finisher of our faith, the error of their ways, the indisputable truth, the simmering unrest, thou art good and doest good, traffic congestion, ungrateful sinners, wake up and smell the coffee, washing of feet, wisdom, wouldn't do this for anyone else -but you
Psalm 119:68. Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.
And then it was Friday, with all the shouts of ‘Thank God it’s Friday!’ Yes friends, we’re all glad to see the weekend, so we can rest from our hard week’s work. Hn! Or rather rest from our excessive Easter celebrations. (smile) But Easter is nothing to laugh about, because it’s when we were guaranteed resurrection from the dead and eternal life if we believe in Jesus Christ. So don’t overdo the celebrations, but don’t make light of the situation either.
Now, my sincere apologies for the Bit being so late today, but I had an early appointment in Toronto for my cataract surgery one week check up. And the highways were fairly decent, both ways, but it’s the streets in the city itself that are bustling with a mix of traffic and construction, causing lanes to be closed and traffic backed up. But as they say, you have to do what you have to do, and my trip was successful, both in terms of the report on my eye and getting back home safely. Give the Lord thanks for His goodness to the children of men!
And today we’re going to look at a rather interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promise with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled ‘Spiritual Tug-of-War.’ It’s something that all of us have experienced at some time or other in our Christian lives. So please read with me: ‘Lord. I’ve waited long enough No longer can I withstand This spiritual tug-of-war between us. Today I will do what You asked me to do. I still don’t want to, Lord – Surely You know that. I’m frightened and ill-at-ease. I feel foolish and uncomfortable. I almost feel put-upon. What You’ve asked of me slaps at my pride. Nevertheless, I choose to obey You Simply because I LOVE You. Do You understand, dear Lord? I wouldn’t do this For anyone in the world – but You.’
Ah friends, many are the times when we engage in a tug-of-war with the Lord, because He asks us to do something that we feel is inappropriate, too low brow for our high esteem of ourselves, and it just dusts up our pride. And yuh know what? Ofttimes the Lord asks us to do certain things just for that reason; to kill our foolish pride. For if there’s one thing He totally dislikes is human pride, because that makes us believe and behave like we don’t need Him. Furthermore, do you think that Jesus really wanted to go to the cross and sacrifice Himself for a bunch of ungrateful sinners? Of course not! But He did it because the Father asked it of Him, and He LOVED the Father that much to give up His sinless life so that our sins could be forgiven and our souls washed clean.
And what does our Christian faith teach us? That we ought to behave like Jesus: use His life as an example for our own. Remember what Jesus told the disciples at the Last Supper, after He had washed their feet. ‘For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord (master); neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.’ (John 13:15-17)
Oh my fellow believers that’s one of the many truths Jesus passed on to us during His earthly sojourn. And it’s a big one too, especially after He had just finished doing a servant’s job; one of the lowliest and nastiest jobs in those times, washing someone’s dirty feet. And believe me, feet could get very dirty in those days as they wore sandals without socks on the dusty dirt streets of the land. This scripture from Hebrews also warns us: ‘Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Heb. 12:2)
Likewise friends, we ought to put aside our worldly shame and foolish pride and do what the Lord asks of us, because of the joy that emanates from doing His will, and the wonderful rewards we will eventually get if we obey without much complaining. And here’s one other reminder. The growth in our Christian maturity and faith will cease until we have done His will. Neither is God very likely to change His mind on whatever He’s asked of us. So yes, sometimes stuff God asks of us is difficult; we feel incompetent, or it’s shameful and pride killing, but don’t forget the Lord never asks us to do something without a very good reason – in His eyes (smile) and always gives us the wherewithal to do it.
So let’s try to be more obedient to God’s will nuh, and sincerely reduce our tug-of-war bouts because we truly LOVE Him, and anyway, all that He asks is really for our benefit. And I got so carried away that I forgot to mention the Bible Promise for our poem. It comes from Psalm 119, and says in the King James Version: ‘Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statute’ (Ps. 119:68) Meanwhile the NIV (New International Version) says: ‘You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.’
And my fellow saints, whichever version you choose, it’s still the indisputable truth. Therefore, if we truly LOVE the Lord, then we desperately need to improve our maturity level, using Christ as our shining example. Now let’s go to the throne of grace seeking divine aid for all that ails our turbulent world.
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 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 also fervently pray 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 let’s not forget that divine help will only be forthcoming when we begin being better examples of Christianity than we currently are! Much LOVE!
…LOVE means selflessness and sacrifice…like Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
15 Mar 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, agitate a complaining spirit, Bible, blameless and harmless, bless your Holy Name, climate change, compassion, complaining, crying our for help, do all things without murmurings and disputings, do not allow discontentment to fester, faith, Friday chant, give you thanks, god, grace, great is thy faithfulness, handle the unexpected storms, his compassions fail not, I may prove them, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lack of meat, LOVE, mercy, omnipotent help, problems escalating, rain bread from heaven, rain from the skies, restoring faith in you, return backsliders to your fold, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example we faithful believers set, the right attitude, the simmering unrest, the sin of complaining, the sons of God, they are new every morning, wake up and smell the coffee, walk in my law, wisdom, wise guidance, without me ye can do nothing, without rebuke, ye shine as lights in the world
Philippians 2:14. Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings:
Well, we were disappointed in the sun yesterday because it never won the battle with the dark clouds, and instead of blinding sunshine, those dark clouds poured down rain from late afternoon to late night. Now, today, when everyone’s shouting ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ it appears to be another cloudy day, with li’l hope of the sun’s appearance. But as the ole people would say, ‘be thankful for small mercies,’ since it could have been snow and not rain pouring down from the heavenly skies. In fact, without the startling effects of climate change, at this time of the year, it ought to be snow and not rain.
And we’re not really complaining nuh, (smile) we’re saying, ‘Thank You Lord for life and LOVE this Friday morning, be it cloudy, sunshiny, rainy or snowy! As always, we give You Thanks and bless your holy name! Amen’ Now, that’s the proper attitude to display, regardless of our circumstances, although it’s much easier said than done, and we do need the Lord’s help to do it. As Jesus so rightly said, ‘For without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) At least nothing worthwhile or substantial. And as Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Corinth: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor. 3:5)
And isn’t that the gospel truth my people! It surely is, for without the mercy and grace of God we cannot do anything, and without His awesome breath of life, we won’t even be alive! That just goes to show how much we owe to our wonderful God Jehovah! As Jeremiah so wisely said in his Lamentations: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:22-23) Yes friends, every day we get a new batch of grace, mercy and compassion! It’s like how Jesus taught us to pray: ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ (Matt. 6:11)
And that’s how the Lord dishes out His largesse, just enough for every day. It’s like when the Israelites were complaining about food in the wilderness and the Lord, angered by their complaining, said unto Moses: ‘Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day (only eneough for one day), that I may prove (test) them, whether they will walk in my law. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.’ (Ex. 16:4-5)
In other words, every day, they would collect just enough for that day, except on the day before the sabbath, when they would collect twice as much, so they wouldn’t have to go and gather any on the sabbath. And for forty long years the Lord provided the Israelites with manna which they abhorred. But although it might not have tasted or looked as good as the food they had back in their bondage in Egypt, that manna kept them going strong and healthy in the wilderness, because it was food from Almighty God. And sadly, it’s the same way so many of us complain today about what we don’t have, forgetting all that we do have.
We could have ninety nine good things, but we’d rather complain about the hundredth thing that we’re lacking, instead of enjoying the ninety and nine that we already have. But I guess that’s the nature of the beast, especially in these selfish and greedy times, where it’s all about ‘Me, Myself, and I.’ And one of Israel’s greatest sins was complaining. Remember what we spoke of yesterday when they complained about the lack of meat, being tired of the tasteless manna. The Lord rained down so much quail flesh on them, that they got sick of it, then He smote them with a great plague. (Num. 11:18-33)
Oh friends, the Lord knows that sometimes things are difficult, and what we’d like, we don’t have, or are not getting, but He expects us to always have a good attitude and not complain as though life were so tough and He wasn’t looking after us. And it’s not that He doesn’t want us to come to Him with our problems, real or perceived, but it’s how we come to Him; not in anger and defiance, casting blame, where it doesn’t belong. Technically speaking, it’s not wrong to complain, but it’s how we do it, and if there’s really something to complain about.
Nowadays, most of what we complain about are either petty or nonsensical. As this commentary so wisely advises: ‘The sin of complaining is a sin that God deals with swiftly and severely. The example recorded for us in Numbers 11 reminds us of the awful, wicked sin of complaining in our own lives. Don’t minimize what God has provided for you, and do not allow discontentment to fester and agitate a complaining spirit.’
No my people. That is one of the worst things we can ever do. Instead, let’s remember this memorable advice from Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless (innocent), the sons (children) of God, without rebuke (fault), in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation (generation), among whom ye shine as lights in the world.’ (Phil. 2:14-15) Yes my fellow saints, if we heed that wise advice, we will never go wrong…at least where complaining is concerned. (smile)
Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant with confidence and humility, to ask for the divine help we so badly need to handle our earthly problems. 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 right there in our prayer, we have the beginning of the answer to it; ‘by the example, we, your faithful believers set.’
Yes friends, we need to set a good example for the unbelievers to see, if we expect God to help us. Much LOVE!
…be careful how you complain…and what you complain about…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
08 Mar 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a form of godliness, a lack of total allegiance to God, a new flock of believers, backsliders, but denying the power thereof, come to the knowledge of the truth, error of their ways, faith, faithful believers, false teaachers, for thy good, Friday chant, has the Lord great delight in burnt offerings and scrifices, Jannes and Jambres, Jesus Christ, keep the commnamdnets of the Lord, LOVE, men of corrupt minds, mercy, omnipotent help, prey upon silly women, rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, religious ritual devoid of spiritual reality, simmering unrest, stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the weekend, to do justly and to love mercy, to fear the Lord thy God, to hearken than the fat of rams, to obey is better than sacrifice, to sacrifice un the Lord, to serve the Lord with all thy heart and soul, to walk humbly with thy God, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, what doth the Lord require of thee, wickedness flourished, wisdom
1 Samuel 22:b. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
Now, this Friday March morning looks like another beautiful day in my area. And I’m sure when the folks cried out ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ they were overjoyed at the prospect of a sunshiny day and weekend. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case, for there’s been some warnings of bad weather for the next couple of days. But it‘s Friday, and nothing can spoil the weekend’s magnetic appeal! (smile)
And today we’re going to talk about a significant scripture from the prophet Micah, which has tremendous bearings on the kind of lives we live today, just like it had back in the days of old, when it was first spoken. When the children of Israel were involved in a controversy with God about sacrifices and no true heart spirit, Micah said unto them: ‘He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy (LOVING-kindness), and to walk humbly with thy God.’ (Mic. 6:8)
Israel was in a state of unjust dealings with both man and God, and wickedness flourished all over the land…just like it is today. And all Micah really did there was remind the Israelites of Moses’ words earlier on. ‘And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear (reverence) the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to LOVE him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good (benefit, welfare).’ (Deut. 10:12-13)
Oh my people, please pay particular attention to the last words of Moses; ‘for thy good.’ Yes, all the Lord tells us to do and expects of us is for our good, our benefit, not for His! He already owns and rules the world, He doesn’t need anything from us but our reverence and obedience. And we see this played out in God’s rejection of Saul from being king of Israel after he refused to obey God’s word to the letter. He had been instructed to totally destroy the Amalekites and all their possessions, but he fell short of total obedience and saved Agag the king of the Amalekites, and also allowed the people to take of the spoil.
And when confronted by the prophet Samuel, he confidently declared (yes!!!): ‘Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil (plunder), sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed , to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.’ (1 Sam. 15:20-21) Oh friends, that is exactly how many of us feel today when we only do half of God’s bidding. God said to Saul destroy EVERYONE and EVERYTHING belonging to the Amalekites, but he saved their king and their animals, ostensibly to sacrifice to God later on.
But this led to Samuel’s famous chastisement. ‘And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (divination), and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.’ (1 Sam. 15:22-23) And though Saul repented and asked for forgiveness, the deed was done, and the Lord had already rejected him in favour of Bruh David.
Now, the scholars have an excellent explanation of those last two verses. ‘These verses reinforce the Old Testament viewpoint that religious ritual devoid of spiritual reality and of a life of total allegiance to a sovereign Lord is worthless. (cf. Ps. 40:6-8; Is. 1:10-20; Mic. 6:8).’ And sadly, that is exactly what many of us supposed believers are doing today. We’re full of plenty religious talk, but the walk, the true spiritual connection is lacking, and we only obey the parts of the Lord’s word that are convenient to us.
It also reminds us of Bruh Paul’s words to Timothy about the state of man in the last days. ‘Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate (disapproved) concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.’ (2 Tim. 3:5-9)
And the scholars explain thus: ‘A form of godliness is mere religion without power or spiritual life. Paul commands Timothy to turn away from these false teachers who prey upon silly women laden with sins, who are especially susceptible to false teachers. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth condemns not intense study but some esoteric quest for truth apart from God’s Word.’ And that sort of quest is ever so popular today, with everybody searching for their own truth, as though there could ever be more than one truth! ‘Jannes and Jambres, according to Jewish tradition were the two magicians in Pharaoh’s court who attempted to duplicate Moses’ miracles. (cf. Ex. 7:11; 9:11)’
So friends, you see that life hasn’t changed all that much from olden times. We’re still short-changing the Lord and His Word; looking for any excuse to get out of doing His will. But please remember that partial obedience is still disobedience, and thus sin. And instead of taking His Word as perfect truth, we searching all over for what we consider to be truth. How foolish is that eh? No wonder our world is in such a chaotic state. But thankfully there’s a way to turn things around, that’s by going to the Lord in prayer and asking for divine help. So let’s do that right now, through our Friday Chant.
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!’
Remember now friends, we have to set a truly good example if we expect to see any divine help. Much LOVE!
…to do justice and judgement (righteousness and justice)…is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice… (Prov. 21:3)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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