20 Oct 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beautiful autumn day, attained the goal, be enthusiastic about the success of others, be kindly affectioned one to another, be likeminded, be of good cheer, be so strong, be too large for worry, being made conformable to his death, being of one accord, Christian D. Larson, climate change, come to know and love him like we do, crazy times we're living in, divine commendation, don't have to worry, don't have to hurry, duty bound, every man on the things of others, faith, finished my course, finished my race, for the prize of the high calling in God, for the prize of the high calling of God, forget the mistakes of the past, forgetting those things which are behind, fought a good fight, fulfil ye my joy, give every living creature you meet a smile, God's promises are certain, having the same love, holy spirit, I count not myself to be apprehended, i have overcome the world, I press toward the mark, in god's eyes, in honour preferring one another, in lowliness of mind, in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, Indian summer, Jesus Christ, keep and guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, keep us on the straight and narrow path, let each esteem the other better than themselves, let not your heart be troubled, let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock stock and barrel, look at the sunny side of everything, look not every man on his own things, LOVE, make all your friends feel there is something in them, make your optimism come true, mercy, my peace I give unto you, neither let it be afraid, not as the world giveth give I unto you, nothing can dusturb your peace of mind, of one mind, Peace i leave with you, press on to greater achievements, promise yourself, promises to ourselves can only be kept by following God's word, reaching forth unto those things which are before, rejoice with them that do rejoice, salvation, share His love with my neighbours, share Jesus' amazing love and friendship with others, sharing each other's sorrows, talk health happiness and prosperity to everyone, that I may know him, the basic foundations of our Christian faith, the beloved of God, the Christian lifestyle, the divine summons extended to the believer for salvation, the fellowship of his sufferings, the peace that passes all understanding, the personal staisfaction of attaining one's goal, the power of his resurrection, the righteous judge, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, these things I have spoken unto you, this one thing I do, too happy to permit the presence of trouble, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, unto all them that love his appearing, wear a cheerful countenance at all times, weep with them that weep, wisdom, with brotherly love
Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 October 2026 Philippians 3:14.
Philippians 3:14. I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Ah mih people, I don’t know what’s happening, and I’m not complaining, but it’s another beautiful, sunshiny, warm day in my neighbourhood! Yes, it’s a Tuesday, twenty days into the month of October and the temperature is in the high teens. Wow! I just went out side at midday, and held my head up to the sun and received a burst of it’s glorious heat. I don’t know if this is only what’s called Indian Summer, or if it’s a direct result of climate change, but I’ll take it any time over the cold weather.
And on such a autumn beautiful day, we need something interesting and uplifting to talk about, so here’s this poem from Christian D. Larson, simply titled, ‘Promise Yourself.’ And though I’ve shared it before, in these crazy times in which we’re currently living, it’s certainly worth sharing again. So please read and promise with me: ‘To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel there is something in them. To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements of the future. To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile. To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.’
And all God’s children said a loud and proud ‘Amen!’ to that! Yes, because doing those things listed above will keep us on the straight and narrow path most of the time, for they are the basic foundations of our Christian faith. And if you don’t believe me, let’s look at a few of the things the poem advocates and see how they fit into our Christian lifestyle. Right off the bat, it tells us to be so strong that nothing can disturb our peace of mind. Now that dovetails very nicely with what Jesus tells us: ‘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)
Then later on, Jesus further exhorts us by saying: ‘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) Obviously friends, Jesus wanted us to have peace in this troubled world, and the best peace there is, is the one that comes from Him. As Bruh Paul says in Philippians; ‘the peace that passes all understanding, which shall keep and guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:7)
And, as being enthusiastic about the success of others as ourselves, there are several scriptures that refer to jealousy and looking out for others. Like Bruh Paul says in Philippians. ‘Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded 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 also every man on the things (interests) of others.’ (Phil. 2:2-4)
Then there are also a couple of scriptures from Romans that deal with the topic. Bruh Paul writes: ‘Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring (giving preference to) one another… Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.’ (Rom. 12:10 &15) Those verses definitely show that we should honour each other and appreciate each other’s success as well as sharing their sorrows.
After that, the poem talks about forgetting our past mistakes and pressing on to greater achievements of the future. Now, there’s no better scripture to describe that this one from Bruh Paul to the Philippians, where he excitedly declares: ‘Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended (attained his goal): but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth (forward) unto those things which are before (ahead), I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:13-14)
And according to the scholars, ‘The mark is the objective of verses 10 and 11 (i.e., knowing Christ). The prize is the joyful personal satisfaction of having attained it, as well as the divine commendation and reward granted in heaven for having reached this goal on earth. The high calling of God is the divine summons extended to the believer for salvation.’ So you see our greatest goal is knowing Christ. Or as Bruh Paul puts it: ‘That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable to his death.’ (Phil. 3:10)
And when we set our goal to know Jesus, then at the end we can say like Bruh Paul did to Timothy. ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them that LOVE His appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:7-8) Ah friends, what a blessed day it will be when the Lord, the righteous judge gives us our crown of righteousness. But right now we must concentrate on fighting the good fight and running a good race, so that it can happen when the time comes.
Now, there’s a lot of other scriptural stuff we can talk about in the poem, but it will make today’s Bit way too long, therefore we’ll leave the remainder for tomorrow, obviously if God spares life. (smile) So let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, we’re now duty bound to go out and share Jesus’ amazing LOVE and friendship with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…God’s promises to us are certain…but our promises to ourselves…can only be kept…by following God’s Word…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a continuous drizzle, a genuine and unfeigned love, a sense of shame or remorse, a shared commitment to christ, a short downpour, a volitional caring for others, abhor that which is evil, abundance, as much as it depends on you, as much as lieth in you, as your Father in heaven is perfect, associate with the lowly, avenge not yourselves, be kindly affectioned one to another, be not wise in your own conceits, be not wise in your own estimation, be of the same mind one toward another, be ye therefore perfect, bless and curse not, bless them that curse you, bless them which persecute you, brotherly LOVE, cleave to that which is good, come to know and love christ like we do, compassion, condescend to men of low estate, creating havoc, curse, disharmony, distributing to the necessity of the saints, disunity in Christ's church, don't set your mind on high things, duty bound, even the publicans the same, faith, favour, fervent in spirit, give place unto wrath, given to hospitality, giving preference to one another, God spared our lives, God's supernatural wisdom, goes agins the grain of our culture, good friends, good health, great family, greet your brethren only, grounded in humility, harmony, have regard for good things, heap coals of fire on his head, holy spirit, Hurricane Melissa, hypocrisy, hypocritical posture, if he thirst give him drink, if it be possible, if thine enemy hunger feed him, in honour preferring one another, in the sight of all men, infighting in the church, Jesus Christ, Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, kindness, lagging in diligence, let love be without dissimulation, like-minded purpose, live peaceably with all men, LOVE, love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy, Love your enemies, mercy, mind not high things, negative word, no questioning of Christ's directives, not slothful in business, patient in tribulation, persevering in tribulation, petty differences, positive outlook on life, promotion, prosper, provide things honest to all men, recompense to no man evil for evil, rejoice with them that rejoice, rejoicing in hope, salvation, self-discipline, serving the Lord, sincere love, slef-control, steadfast in prayer, succeed, talent, the originator and perfecter of our faith, truth, unity, use those blessings to help others, vengeance is mine saith the Lord, weep with them that weep, what reward have you, wisdom
Romans 12:18. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you (depends on you), live peaceably with all men.
It’s raining, it’s raining, on this Thursday morning! But it’s merely drizzling, as it’s done the last couple of times. And although a continuous drizzle can be just as bad as a short downpour, when I think of rain it evokes a sense of more than a drizzle. (smile) But unfortunately all the rain might now be centred in the Caribbean in Hurricane Melissa where she’s created untold havoc in places like Jamaica and Cuba…and might not be done just yet as she flies northward in search of more prey.
And unfortunately too, in those circumstances, all we can do is pray and offer whatever physical help we can afterwards. So please, let’s keep those unfortunate people in our prayers, and help however we can, for we never know when our circumstances might turn bad, and we’ll also need help. And since God seems to have spared our lives today, let’s turn to His Word as promised and check out some more scriptures that deal with unity, harmony and likeminded purpose. Or, as that commentary yesterday so nicely put it: ‘passages that emphasize unity in purpose, LOVE, and harmony, grounded in humility and a shared commitment to Christ.’
Now reading that just makes me feel so sad about the state of Christ’s church with all the disunity and infighting. And we’ll begin today with more words on Christian unity and compassion from Bruh Paul’s epistle to the church at Rome. He writes: ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring one another (giving preference to another). Not slothful in business (lagging in diligence); fervent (boiling over) in spirit; serving the Lord;
Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer; Distributing to the necessity (needs) of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not (do not set your mind on) high things, but condescend to men of low estate (associate with the lowly). Be not wise in your own conceits (estimation). Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil.
Provide things honest in the sight of all men (have regard for good things). If it be possible, as much as lieth in you (depends on you), live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head (a sense of shame or remorse). Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12:9-21)
Ah mih people, Bruh Paul just laid out the basics of our Christian faith. To LOVE each other with a sincere LOVE, not a hypocritical posture, treat others with kindness and compassion, don’t resort to evil, but to replace it with good, and even when wronged, don’t resort to your own vengeance for the Lord says that is His prerogative. Also to feed your enemies, which might cause them to be ashamed and turn to Christ through your kindness. And as per the scholars: ‘The Christian’s conduct in the local church toward fellow believers is to be a volitional caring for others (done of one’s own free will), LOVING faithfully in spite of the response received. The LOVE is to be genuine and unfeigned.’
Now, if we could only have more of that in the church than the hypocrisy and strife that’s currently deep seated in it, our lives and that of the world would be so much better. I don’t think we fully realize that it’s we Christians who are expected to make the world a better place, for the evil doers will not. It’s not on their agenda, but it’s on ours. And it’s like Jesus said: ‘Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye LOVE them which LOVE you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) the same? And if ye salute (greet) your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) do so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’ (Matt. 5:43-48)
And if Christ, the originator and perfector of our faith says that’s how it should be, then that’s what we ought to do. So, if you consider yourself His true disciple and follower, then there’s to be no questioning of His directives. But because some of the things Jesus desires us to do seem difficult and run against the grain of our culture and religious denomination, we tend to question and shy away from doing His bidding. And that’s why His church is in such a mess; awfully divided, in disharmony, with many petty differences keeping it from being united.
Ah friends, it’s a sad day when you look at our world and see the turmoil it’s in, and know that with a little effort on our part we could help to make it better. But for whatever reason(s) we refuse to make that effort. Even with the amazing, undeserved blessings that we call our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. But nonetheless, with great hope and faith in our hearts, let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, (yesss!!!) we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they can also come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…unless there’s first sincere LOVE and unity in Christ’s church…our world will never see peace…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
25 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new theatre of strife, a sad state of affairs, abhor that which is evil, and share His love with the world, as your Father is merciful, avenge not yourselves, be kindly affectioned one to another, be not overcome of evil, be ye therefore merciful, bear your part of the bargain, Bible, bless and curse not, bless them which persecute you, bounden duty, brotherly LOVE, christianity, civil unrest, cleave to that which is good, continuing instant in prayer, distributing to the necessity of the saints, do good to them which hate you, faith, fervent in spirit, give place unto wrath, god, heap coals of fire on his head, hurry, I will repay, if thine enemy hunger feed him, in god's eyes, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kind unto the unthankful and evil, let love be without dissimulation, live peaceably with all men, LOVE, Love your enemies, not slothful in business, old angst resurface, overcome evil with good, patient in tribulation, practial steps for Christian living, pray for them which spitefully use you, pray that strife will end, recompense to no man evil for evil, rejoice with them that rejoice, rejoicing in hope, rough rows to hoe, serving the Lord, share His love with my neighbour, Sunday afternoon stroll in the park, taken centre stage, the beloved of God, the children of the Highest, the repayment of vengeance, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, vengeance is mine, weep with them that weep, willingly sacrificing, wisdom, worry
Romans 12:9. Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good.
Oh friends, can you believe that we’re already in the last week of June, which seems to have only just begun? (smile) By next week we’ll be talking about July and not June. That means six months of this crazy year of 2024 would have been in the books, and we’re no way nearer to peace, or even less strife in our world. In fact, with each passing day, a new theatre of strife seems to open up without any others closing.
The news media simply stops paying attention to the old areas of strife, so they can concentrate on the new ones. Does anybody remember that there’s sill civil unrest in places like Syria, and Libya, like in the Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, and several other parts of the world, because the strife between Russia and the Ukraine, and Israel and Hamas, are now the main talking points, have taken centre stage in the worldwide conflicts.
What a sad state of affairs my people! Affairs that most of us, as ordinary people, cannot do anything about except to pray for the lessening, or better yet, the ending of the strife that currently engulfs our world. And furthermore, in our daily lives, let’s remember these simple but life changing words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome.
‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good. Be kindly affecctioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring (giving preference to) one another. Not slothful in business (lagging in diligence); fervent in spirit; serving the Lord: Rejoicing in hope; Patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly continuing) in prayer; Distributing to the necessity (needs) of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.’ (Rom. 12:9-14)
Now those might be some tough rules to live by, especially with all the animosity, deceit and fraudulent behaviour that’s currently in ascendance. But it is the way that Jesus desires His followers to live. As He plainly says in the gospel of Luke. ‘But I say unto you which hear, LOVE your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully) use you.’ (Luke 6:27-28)
Yes my brethren, those are indeed rough rows to hoe, but if you are a sincere follower of Christ, He gives you the general wherewithal to do it, but you also have to bear your part of the bargain, willingly sacrificing whatever you need to keep His commandments. That’s what we signed up for. And Bruh Paul’s not done with us as yet. (smile) So let’s go back to his memorable words from Romans, as he continues his practical steps for Christian living.
‘Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not (do not set your mind) on high things, but condescend to men of low estate (associate with the humble). Be not wise in your own conceits (estimation). Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men (have regard for good things). If it be possible, as much as lieth in you (depends on you), live peaceably with all men.’ (Rom. 12:15-18)
Now that last verse is especially difficult to do in these times of widespread hatred and animosity, where very few of us are willing to turn our backs on others getting up in our faces with abuse and even personal violence. But we do need to try, as Bruh Paul says: ‘as much as depends on us.’ Unfortunately though, too many of us are prone to doing what he says not to do in this next verse. ‘Dearly beloved avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.’ (Rom. 12:19)
Bruh Paul is there quoting Deuteronomy 32:35, to show that only God has the power to avenge, and He will most certainly do so. However, the repayment of vengeance for either imagined or actual wrongs is exactly what’s causing all the strife in our world today. But as we can see that only leads to further violence and strife. And sadly, we’re seeing those old hatreds moving from the old countries to the new ones as refugees and migrants move away from the areas of strife. All the old angst resurfaces when they meet their old enemies in the new countries, so that the feuds never stop.
That means to end that sort of continued hatred, we have to do like Bruh Paul says: ‘Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.’ (Rom. 12:20) And that’s not literal coals of fire, (smile) but rather a kind of shaming or remorse caused when we treat an evil doer kindly. And that leads to this momentous verse: ‘Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12:21)
Now that ought to be the basic motto of a true Christian! And it’s just a reiteration of Jesus’ own sentiments: ‘But LOVE ye 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 also is merciful.’ (Luke 6:35-36)
Yes friends, living for Jesus is no Sunday afternoon stroll in the park, but it is doable when with the grace He gives us, we put our minds to it. So for those of us who are sincerely trying to live for Christ, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now my fellow saints, it’s our bounden duty to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…returning evil for evil…only furthers the cause of evil…which is the essence of foolishness…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Mar 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: antidote, be glad, be kindly affectioned, bless and curse not, brotherly LOVE, Covid-19, depression, diligent, direction, excellent, faith, fearful, fervent in spirit, find a positive solution, for our good, forgive us, god is still on his throne, handle this scourge, heal our land, hear our prayer, hope, hope deferred, humble ourselves, humble servants, it is a tree of life, Jehovah Rapha, keep His promise, lockdown, maketh the heart sick, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, our Father who art in heaven, patient in tribulation, plaguing the earth, pleading, praise Your Holy Name, prisoners of hope, rejoice in his salvation, rejoicing in hope, repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek your face, the God who heals, the greatest of these three is love, the redeemed, the song of praise, to work everything out, turn from our evil ways, turn you to the stronghold, virus, wait on the Lord, weep with them that weep, when the desire comes, wise guidance, work habits
Proverbs 13:12. Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
Arise people, it’s Monday, the start of another week of work, even for those of us who are working from home. Let’s not abuse the privilege and try to be just as diligent and excellent in our work habits as when we had to physically venture out into the evil world. Nothing much has changed; confusion, uncertainty and panic still abound, but more importantly, our great and wonderful God is still on His heavenly throne overseeing things! And in that everlasting fact, we can put our sincere hope, faith and trust, knowing that He will keep His promise and work everything out for our good eventually. But we still have to do our part in the partnership, and at this moment, that’s prayer.
So right now, in this turbulent time, let’s come before the Lord and ask for His help, as we pray our Covid-19 Monday Morning Battle Hymn, in strong voice, with sincere hearts. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive, and hopefully haven’t contracted the virus that’s causing havoc around our world. Despite the crucial lockdown, those of us considered essential, still have go to work, and we’re somewhat fearful, because we have no idea, how, when and where the virus might strike.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction. Please show us how to successfully handle this scourge that’s plaguing the earth, and help the scientists to find a positive solution, a sure antidote to it as quickly as possible.
And for those who have already contracted the virus, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them Father. Show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’
Now we just have to do like Bruh David says: ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27:14) And when we have faithfully waited on the Lord, you know what will eventually happen? We will sing the song of praise of the redeemed, like Isaiah writes: ‘And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’ (Is. 25:9)
Oh friends, there is no better feeling than having waited faithfully, eagerly and expectantly for God’s promise, to be fulfilled in His time, and then having it come to pass. And all God’s children declared a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord! Bless His holy name; now and forever!’ And do we ever need to do that as often as possible, since He is indeed very worthy to be praised! Now hear these words of further encouragement from Cousin Sol: ‘Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth friends! For as the scholars explain: ‘13:12. Hope deferred depresses, but its fulfillment revitalizes.’ That’s an indisputable fact! When our dreams and hopes don’t come true, we tend to fall into bouts of depression. But when they come to pass…oh boy…the joy that they bring is overwhelming. That’s why friends, we need to do like Zechariah advises: ‘Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render (restore) double unto thee.’ (Zech. 9:12) And you know who is the stronghold He speaks of? Zion’s future King; Jesus Christ!
Oh my people, our ONLY true help in this time of crisis is the Creator and Controller of our Universe, the Lord God Almighty, in conjunction with His Son, Jesus Christ, the name above all names, who redeemed us by His sacrificial death on the cross at Calvary, and His Holy Spirit, who works His miracles in our souls and spirits! So please, this Monday morning, in this time of pandemic, let’s not lose hope in our great God and His faithful promises. Instead, let’s ramp up our hope, and do like Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Rome:
‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good. Be ye kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring (giving preference to) one another; Not slothful in business (lagging in diligence); fervent (boiling over) in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer; Distributing to the necessity (needs) of saints; given to hospitality. Bless (speak well of) them which persecute you: bless and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.’ (Rom. 12:9-15)
And don’t tell me we can’t do those things friends, because they are all a part of basic Christianity, a part of the foundation, the example Jesus laid down for His church to follow! And believe me, we, the church of Christ, need to do them more than ever in these cruel and trying times, if we desire and expect to have any hope of survival. Much LOVE!
…and now abideth faith, hope, LOVE…but the greatest of these three is…LOVE… (1 Cor. 13:13)
08 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Acts, adoration. confession, affectionate, associate with the humble, be honest, bless, bondage, bound to such a lifestyle, brotherly LOVE, brush fires, calamities, change their ways, charles stanley, Christian, climate change, compassionate heart, courage, creativity, curse not, deaths, disasters, don't repay evil for evil, earthquakes, effective elements of prayer, extensive damage, favour, fervent in spirit, flooding, full of themselves, giving preference, havoc, heat, heavenly warning, high winds, hospitality, human turmoil, hurricanes, in honour, jehovah god, lagging in diligence, less fortunate, light, most sinful country, needs of the saints, negative word, overcome evil with good, patient, positive outlook, pray, prayer, precious people, prosper, rejoicing in hope, repentance, return to God, safety, selfish parts, serving the Lord, share blessings, sincere believers, sinful ways, slothful in business, smarten up, snakes, snow, steadfast in prayer, succeed, supplication, suppose we supposing, thanksgiving, the golden rule, the law and the prophets, Thursday Blessings, treat others good, tribulation, warning, weep with them that weep, winter storm
Hebrews 13:1. Let brotherly LOVE continue.
And the wicked winter storm in the U.S. North East continues unabated. It caused havoc yesterday and apparently will cause more of the same today, as the plentiful snow (2 feet in some areas) and high winds, gusting up to 55 miles per hour, continue to pound states like New York, Maine, Pennsylvania, New England and Massachusetts, leaving many thousands without heat and light.
And all of that just after a terrible rainstorm and serious flooding caused some deaths and extensive damage only last week. Oh friends, could it be some sort of heavenly warning?
I don’t doubt that it could be a combination of climate change and a warning from the Father, letting people know that He’s tired and fed up with their rather evil and sinful ways, and if we don’t smarten up, we will suffer more disasters and calamities than we can handle.
Yuh see how He handled His people, Israel, way back when they became too full of themselves; numerous enemies coming against them and being taken into bondage, with earthquakes simply swallowing them up and snakes biting them to death in the wilderness.
And just check out the numerous natural disasters that have been bombarding the U.S over the last couple of years; several hurricanes, and storms in different parts of the country; severe brush fires, earthquakes, bad mudslides, tornadoes, and snow in places that’s never seen it before, and all the other human turmoil that’s going on in the land that was at one time supposedly close to God’s heart.
And it certainly doesn’t help that the U.S. has acquired the reputation of being one of the most, if not the most, sinful country in the world today. Remember though, is only suppose we supposing, we don’t know anything for a fact.
Anyway friends, let’s hope that a lot of the people will take it as a warning and move to change their ways and turn back to God. It couldn’t do anything but help. And in the meanwhile we can pray for them, for their safety and their repentance and God’s renewed blessing on them and their land. End of supposing. (smile)
And before we turn to our Bit, here is some info, I believe it’s from Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley), on the ‘effective elements of prayer’ found in the word ‘ACTS.’ They include, ‘Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication.’ So now when you read the Book of Acts, you know what you’re doing. (smile)
And our Bit is simple but oh so important and far-reaching. ‘Let brotherly LOVE continue.’ And what does it all mean eh? In the simplest terms, it basically means treat others good.
As Jesus said in the golden rule; ‘Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.’ (Matt.7:12) And that simply means to treat others the way we want to be treated.
Oh my people, if we’d only do that, our world would be so much better, such a wonderful place! But I guess the evil, sinful and selfish parts of us refuse to go along with such a simple formula. But my brethren, as precious people of Jehovah God, we are by His command bound to such a lifestyle.
Hear how Bruh Paul puts it to the church at Rome. ‘Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring (giving preference to) another; Not slothful in business (lagging in diligence); fervent (boiling over) in spirit; serving the Lord;
Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer; Distributing to the necessity (needs) of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless (speak well of), and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not (do not set your mind on) high things, but condescend to men of low estate (associate with the humble). Be not wise in your own conceits (estimation).
Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest (have regard for good things) in the sight of all men….Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom.12:10-17, 21)
Yes friends, that’s basically what it means to live in brotherly LOVE as a Christian. I left out a few verses because of space, but included the last one in the section which sort of encompasses the whole brotherly LOVE scenario; never repay evil for evil, but overcome evil with good. And if we truly strive to do that, then we’ll be showered with blessings.
Now let’s declare our Thursday Blessings, highlighting some of the many blessings that our magnanimous God has showered down on us. In loud voice and sincere truth: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life!
I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection!
I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Yeh mih people, that’s the kind of life sincere believers live! So now let’s go out and share it with others, because that’s one of the reasons the Lord blessed us; to share them with the less fortunate in brotherly LOVE. Much LOVE!
…do unto others…as you want them to do unto you…that’s the golden rule…
