20 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all these things shall be added unto you, as the heavens are higher than the earth, be ready to suffer the consequences, boggles our imagination, call ye upon him while he is near, christianity, Dr Charles Stanley, endure to the end with Christ, eternity, faith, forgiving, free will, getting you into trouble with God, God created humans for good, gospel truth, gracious, halfway home, hands on the plough, have it more abundantly, he Sermon on the Mount, he will abundantly pardon, he will have mercy upon him, hold our heads and bawl, holy spirit, humans are more enamoured with evil than good, I am come that they might have life, if only I'd thought before doing it, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the best, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, let the wicked forsake his way, LOVE, merciful, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my thoughts higher than your thoughts, my ways are not your ways, my ways higher than your ways, negative consequences, not looking back at the past, obey God and leave all the consequences to him, our finite minds, our poor decisions end up hurting innocent people, our wonderful position in Christ Jesus, return unto the Lord, risk of flooding, salvation, Satan is all about deceit and greed, Satan's machinations, satisfying the thirsty earth, second wind day, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, seek ye the Lord while he may be found, so glad to be alive, some we cannot even comprehend, thank God, the atoning lamb of God, the awesome help of Jesus, the BIBLE, the breath of life, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the cross at Calvary, the embodiment of all we can ask for or imagine, the good life, the King of Kings, the Lily of the Valley, the Lion of Judah, the Lord is Sovereign over the earth, the Lord of lords, the material things of the world, the rains fell, the resurrection and the life, the Son of God, the thief comes only to steal kill and destroy, the unrighteous man his thoughts, the Way Maker, the way the truth and the life, thieves break through and steal, thieves do not break through and steal, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, unwise decisions, we can handle whatever comes against us, Wednesday Wail, where moth and rust doth corrupt, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, where your treasure is there will be your heart also, wisdom, wisdom to the nth degree
Isaiah 55:6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.
And the rains fell; from early evening through the night, until the morning hours, finally satisfying the parched and thirsty earth! Thankfully though, it was not an onslaught of powerful showers but mostly a constant drizzle, which greatly reduced the risk of flooding. Understandably then, Wednesday, our second wind day has opened damp, cloudy and cool, and we possibly ought to brace ourselves for more rain because that warning just showed up on the computer. But let’s remember that whatever comes against us, we can certainly handle it with Jesus’ awesome help! And all God’s children said a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Jesus! You’re the Best!’
And that’s the awesome truth! For there’s none like Jesus! He’s the Son of God, and is thus godly, gracious, forgiving, merciful, the atoning lamb of God, the Way Maker, the Lion of Judah, the Way, the Life and the Truth, the Light of the World, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Lily of the Valley, the Resurrection and the Life, and a host of other names which it would take the whole day to list. (smile) But seriously though, Jesus is the embodiment of all that we can ever ask for or imagine…and even then some that we cannot even comprehend with our finite minds.
As the prophet Isaiah writes: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) That’s why we cannot understand a lot of what the Lord does, or is doing, both in our own lives and in the world. We know that He still sits as Sovereign of the world, but some of the stuff that He allows to happen when He can either prevent them or stop them just boggles our imagination.
However, the Lord has His own plans for the world He created and still rules, while giving us free will to make independent choices. He did not make robots, but human beings with minds that they could use to do what’s right or wrong, but must be prepared to suffer the consequences of each decision. And that’s exactly where we’re falling down. We rush to live like the world, like Satan desires, but when the negative consequences of those unwise decisions come rushing up against us, we hold our heads and bawl, saying, ‘if only, if only I’d thought about it before doing it.’
But then it’s usually too late my people, and unfortunately our decisions end up hurting not only ourselves but a lot of others around us. And that’s the really sad part about us making unwise decisions; it never hurts us alone, but other innocent ones in our proximity. That’s why Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) always admonished us to obey God and leave all the consequences to Him. For when we do as God desires, the consequences are usually good, and if not, then he will certainly help us to handle them.
But Satan doesn’t help us to handle the bad consequences we suffer when we follow him. Not at all. He just sits back and laughs at us and considers us stupid to be following him, when all that ever comes from his machinations are negative consequences. And that’s why the prophet Isaiah, when informing Israel of God’s abundant pardons, declared: ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is. 55:6-7)
Yes friends, that’s an international call to all people, to both Jews and Gentiles, to come to the Lord for salvation, for forgiveness and the good life throughout eternity. And He certainly made it all possible by the unselfish but heartbreaking offering of His only begotten Son Jesus as a sacrifice, the Lamb of God, on the cross at Calvary. I don’t know why we keep forgetting that God is generous and merciful, forgiving and compassionate, while Satan is all about deceit, greed, and taking whatever you have and getting you into trouble with God.
It’s as Jesus so eloquently and truthfully puts it: ‘The thief (Satan) cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) And I don’t understand why we cannot believe that and make it a part of our lives because it’s the absolute truth. All Satan wants to do is to destroy, to break down, to bring people down to damnation and hellfire with him, while Jesus wants to build, to give life, eternal life to all who are wise enough to embrace Him and what He stands for.
So, again, I don’t know why we’re so adamant at following Satan, killing ourselves to get the material things of the world, and then we don’t even have time to enjoy them. Remember the same material things Satan tempts us with, are the same material things we can get from God if we do as Jesus says: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) And believe me, if you get these things from God, rather than through Satan’s evil machinations, you will enjoy them more and they will last longer.
But it’s all about wisdom and where your hearts truly lie. For as Jesus wisely say in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: 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. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:19-21) And that’s the gospel truth friends! So please, let’s stop concentrating on storing up earthly treasures and wisely decide to store up heavenly ones instead nuh! For that’s wisdom to the nth degree!
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Now there’s an addendum to that declaration which states, whoever endures to the very end with Jesus will enjoy an even more glorious future than we can ever comprehend or imagine. So let’s plan to meet at the very end and enjoy that more than glorious future together nuh! Much LOVE!
…why is the human being more enamoured with evil…than with good…when he was created by God…for good…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
19 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a case of belief versus disbelief, a heartfelt prayer, bangles, baubles, bet your bottom dollar, blistering summer heat, bright shining beads, deepen my breath, difficult for the Lord to refuse our desires, eternal life with Christ, faith, God sent not his Son into the world to condemn it, godly wisdom, having good communion with God, holy spirit, I marvel to think, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, if you're not for me then you're against me, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, Lord I want to be with you now, lose all the marvellos benefits of God, LOVE, mercy, only a facade, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, seeking greater intimacy with God, sincere belief in Christ, sincerity and truth, slow my thoughts, sweltering days, take the extreme heat over the extreme cold, thank you for this tenderness, the best decision a human being can make, the straight and narrow path, the wide and winding way, the world through him might be saved, thieves do not break through and steal, to catch your fancy with, to catch your selfish and greedy flesh, to curry favour, to their own detriment, truth, unfortunate categories, we brought nothing into the world, we carry nothing out of the world, 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, wisdom, Ye cannot serve God and mammon, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
John 3:17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Saturday, oh lazy-day Saturday! How great it is to see and experience you! Yes friends, that’s what it is; a bright and sunshiny lazy-day Saturday with temps in the mid-twenties! No more of that blistering summer heat. Thank the Lord! Those sweltering days in the past couple of weeks were certainly tough on both old and young, and makes me sometimes thankful that we don’t live in the tropics with that kind of hot weather all year round. But if I had a choice, you can bet your bottom dollar that I would take the extreme heat over the extreme cold. Any day! (smile)
And having said that, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, with all sincerity and truth. As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Oh my people, what a heartfelt prayer! That indeed makes it difficult, if not impossible for the Lord to refuse our desires. And I believe getting to know God better, seeking greater intimacy with Him, is one of the best desires we can ever have, for to have good communion with Him, is one of the major reasons He created us. And only fools and mad men don’t desire such intimacy with their omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present Creator. Thank God we don’t fall into any one of those unfortunate categories!
But sadly, too many of God’s human creation choose not to seek intimacy with Him, only to their own detriment, for as the old saying goes, if you’re not with me, then you’re against me. And if you’re against God, you’ll most certainly lose all the marvellous benefits that He has to offer those who sincerely seek Him, and most woefully you won’t experience eternal life with Him, but eternal death with the prince of darkness, Satan. And as I keep reminding us, that is the worst fate than can ever befall a human soul. However, too many of us don’t seem to care, and continue along our merry way, rejoicing along the wide and winding way with Satan, instead of along the straight and narrow path with Christ Jesus.
And why do you think Jesus left His comfortable royal living in heaven and came to earth to sacrifice His sinless life for a bunch of ungrateful sinners eh? So that we could escape the horrendous death staring us straight in the face if we continued with our sinful ways. He said it Himself to Nicodemus, the Jewish ruler who came to Him under cover of night seeking answers: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17)
There it is friends, Christ’s major purpose for coming to earth, stated as simply as possible, and certainly not difficult to understand. But the wonderful thing about being saved through Jesus Christ is that it’s so easy to accomplish; it only takes sincere belief in Him! As He says: ‘He that believeth on him, (God’s Son) is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:18) And it’s all so simple and straightforward; believe in Jesus and you are saved. Do not believe in Him, and you are immediately slated for eternal separation from Almighty God.
And I like how the scholars put it: ‘This verse answers the question, “Why do people go to hell?” It is because they do not believe in Jesus.’ It’s as simple as that my brethren! It’s a case of belief versus disbelief, with belief unfurling all the wonderful things God has in store for those who believe in His only begotten Son. And it’s true that Satan might have some half-decent material things to curry favour with, to catch your fancy with, like ‘baubles, bangles and shining beads,’ but the problem with most of Satan’s stuff is that they are not real, they’re only a façade, a trick to catch your selfish and greedy flesh, and they don’t last very long either.
And even worse, when you die, you leave it all behind, for we brought nothing into the world and we carry nothing out of it. Why do you think Jesus made these monumental pronouncements regarding treasures in the Sermon on the Mount eh? He very confidently states: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, were moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: 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. 6:19-20)
That’s such wonderful advice my people! Advice we should all heed without a moment’s thought! (smile) But the problem with too many of us though is that we’re trying to hedge our bets, seeking the material and ungodly things that Satan eschews, while also trying to keep one foot also in heavenly bound things. But Jesus nixes that idea right away, when He points out: ‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also… And Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’ (Matt. 6:21, 24b)
Yes my brethren, it’s impossible to serve God and mammon, that’s money or the material things of the world at the same time, for they are two different places, with two different sets of rules and regulations, and wherever you have the most treasure set aside, then that’s where your hearts will be focused. But both Satan and God desire your undivided attention and adoration, so neither will be happy if you try to serve them both simultaneously.
But, thankfully, true, godly wisdom dictates that serving Almighty God fully in heart, soul, mind and body is the best decision a human being can make in this earthly life. So we hope and pray that we’ll all make, and/or renew that wise decision today, on this lazy-day Saturday in mid-July 2025, so that we can rest assured of obtaining eternal life with Christ Jesus! Much LOVE!
…only in fully serving Christ…can we expect to receive all the wonderful benefits He has to offer…both here on earth…as well as in heaven above…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a disgusting weed, a dramatic effect, a positive outlook on life, abundance, between Satan and God, blinded him, both feet must be in one kingdom, christianity, Christians, come and follow me, courage, creativity, curse, dandelions, divine protection, early bloomers, faith, favour, give to the poor, go and sell that thou hast, God's supernatural wisdom, holy spirit, if thou wilt be perfect, indebted to share blessings with others, inward nature, Jesus Christ, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, losing our earthly treasure, LOVE, loved himself more than he loved God, loved himself more than he loved his neighbour, mercy, meritorious benefits, minimal dress, more people walking dogs than children, negative word, not necessary to sell possessions to become a Christian, outward demands, outward duties, promotion, prosper and succeed, rewards for faithful service, salvation, see nature being reborn, self-righteousness, sitting on my front porch, stick dancers, straddle the fence, success, such a beautiful flower, talent, the accumulation of things, the BIBLE, the dandelions turning from yellow to white, the lilies of the field, the season of spring, the seriousness of true discipleship, the weeds are sprouting too, thieves break through and steal, thieves do not break through and steal, thou shalt have treasure in heaven, to his real weakness, truth, valuable advice, vibrant with new life, where moth and rust doth corrupt, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, wisdom
Matthew 6:19a & 20a. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth… But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…
Oh friends, what a joy it is these days to finally look out my bedroom window and see life; see nature being reborn in the green, yellow or cherry coloured leaves of the trees, instead of the dark and dreary lifeless branches I’ve been seeing for the last six months. But surprisingly, there are some trees that still look like stick dancers, with nary a leaf, not even a bud on them. I don’t understand that, when so many others quite close to them are beautifully blooming. And don’t think that it’s only the trees that are vibrant with new life… not at all!
The grass looks as green as ever with the rain over the last couple of days, the weeds are sprouting too, including the gloriously yellow dandelion. And every time I see those dandelions spread out so beautifully in the grass, I remember the first time I saw them some fifty something years ago, and thought they were such a beautiful flower, only to learn later that they were a very disgusting weed. And brother when they turn from yellow to white, the effect is certainly dramatic.
Oh, let’s not forget those other early bloomers, the lilies of the field, dressed even more gloriously than Cousin Sol at his best, as Jesus so effectively characterized them in Matthew 6:28-29. And the Duchess has a couple at both the front and side of her garden that are indeed rich in colour. The only problem with the lilies though is that they don’t last as long as we would like then to. So, in other words, I guess I’m saying that spring is finally here, with a bit of summer weather thrown in for good measure, as I got to sit on my front porch yesterday in minimal dress.
I can’t’ wait for the time when I can sit there every afternoon and watch the folks of the neighbourhood go by, walking and running. There’s a serious disappointment in that though, for these days, many more people are walking dogs than children. Chuh man! I just get disgusted seeing so many dogs, with only a handful of children out enjoying the good weather. For whatever reason, this generation seems to be more interested in dogs than children! I wonder who’s going to walk those dogs, or live in those fancy houses when the old folks die? But who am I to tell others whether to have children or dogs eh? (smile)
And that brings us to an interesting scripture where Jesus warns us about our treasures and where we secure them. Unfortunately, many of us know it, but like so many other scriptures, simply ignore it. So, one more time, please listen closely to Jesus’ most valuable advice. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through and steal.’ (Matt. 6:19-20)
Now we cannot find any fault with that advice, because many of us have experienced or know of someone who has experienced the loss of their earthly treasure though rust and earthly decay, as well as through others stealing it, but none have ever complained about losing their heavenly treasure, since there are no moths or decay or thieves in heaven. (smile) Seriously though, Jesus is trying to say that the accumulation of earthly things can be lost quite easily, but whatever you have stored up in heaven will never be lost.
And the scholars further enlighten us when they say: ‘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 we have a very good example of that when later on a rich young man approaches Jesus and asks what he should do to have eternal life? Jesus basically told him to keep the Ten Commandments. To which he answered, ‘All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.’ (Matt. 19:20-21) Unfortunately the young man went away quite sorrowful because he had much wealth.
But as the scholars explain, ‘The list of commands that Jesus gave him in verses 18 and 19, centres on outward duties, rather than inward nature, which was the young man’s real problem. He protests that he’s kept these outward demands. His luxurious wealth and self-righteousness blinded him to his real weakness. To expose this, Jesus tells him to go and sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor, then come back and follow Him. But he refused to do it.
Jesus thus shows him that he had not kept the commandments at all. He LOVED himself more than he LOVED his neighbour (the poor), and he LOVED his possessions more than he LOVED God (refusing to follow Jesus). This passage teaches the seriousness of true discipleship, but it in no way teaches that the average man must sell his possessions in order to be a Christian.’
And that can never be true, otherwise why would the Lord bestow our undeserved Thursday Blessings on us eh? Blessings that can make us healthy, wealthy and wise. (smile) Because He LOVES us and knows that we need tools to do His earthly work. So 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 are now indebted to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…you cannot straddle the fence between Satan and God…have one foot in both kingdoms…you must have both feet…in one or the other…preferably God’s…
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
04 Mar 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bad rap, a material centred world, Bible, christianity, divine help, faith, focus on the Lord God Jehovah, grace, heaven, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, keep it holy, lay not up for yourselves, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, positive influence, remember the Sabbath day, sincere follower of Christ, sincere repentance, six days shalt thou labour, the earth is the Lord's, the fullness thereof, the God who heals, the sinless shoulders of Jesus, to get ahead, treasures in heaven, treasures on earth, turn from our evil ways, where moth and rust doth corrupt, wisdom
Exodus 20:8-9. Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work:
Here it is again friends, Monday, the first day of our work week! The day that so many of us so wrongly blaspheme, putting all our problems on it, like the Father placed all our sins on the sinless shoulders of Jesus. But poor Monday gets a bad rap just because it’s the day we return to work after a short and pleasurable weekend. Unfortunately, whatever we call the first day of the work week, it would no doubt come in for some sort of abuse. (smile) But as we’ve said before Monday ought to be our biggest and best day, because we’re fresh and confident after a couple days of rest, including fellowship with other believers in the Lord’s sanctuary on Sundays.
That ought to just have us bopping, on our toes, rearing to get out into the crazy world and do our thing for Jesus. But sadly it doesn’t happen that way very often. No. Too many of us are too tired from the overzealous partying on the weekend, and thus our spirits are at a rather low ebb, with work the last thing on our minds. Consequently we get out there on a Monday morning, late, tired, grumpy and in no mood to do a good and full days work, so our work and attitude are not up to scratch, which only reflects poorly on our claim to be this big Christian, this sincere follower of Jesus Christ. And Christianity takes another unnecessary hit!
Oh my people, one of the reasons we so highly recommend church on Sundays is because of the positive influence it has on our Mondays, and thus on our Christian behaviour. Why do you think the Lord stipulated in the Ten Commandments: ‘Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work…. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.’ (Ex. 20:8-11)
Yes friends, the Lord in His eternal wisdom knew that our frail human bodies would need rest after working for a whole week, else both our work and our bodies would suffer irreparable damage. But obviously we don’t pay close attention to what the Lord says, figuring that we know best, so we work long unwise hours and days, just to get ahead in this material centred world, then wonder why there’s so much stress and sickness in our lives. And yes, it’s good to have nice things and live a good life, but at what cost?
Remember NONE of the material things we accumulate will go with us when we depart his earthly life, so why kill ourselves to accumulate them eh? That’s why it’s so much wiser to adhere to Jesus’ timely advice: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: 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. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:19-21)
And we all know that that’s the gospel truth! Wherever our treasures are stored, there will our hearts be focused. That means if we concentrate on storing up earthly treasures, then our focus will be on earthly things, but if we concentrate on storing up heavenly treasures, then our focus will be heavenward, where in all wisdom it ought to be, since you cannot carry any earthly treasures there with you, and neither do moth and rust corrupt, or thieves break through and steal. And what most of us don’t seem to realize is that when you focus on the Lord God Jehovah, He is also able to enrich you with earthly treasures, as well as heavenly ones.
Remember what Bruh David declares (chuh!!!) in the opening verse of Psalm 24: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.’ (Ps. 24:1) That means He made the world and thus everything in it belongs to Him and only Him. Thus anything He wants to give to His people He can do it. Yuh see how He enriched Cousin Sol when he ascended the throne of Israel after his father, Bruh David died. Cousin Sol asked for wisdom and understanding to rule his people, but because the Lord was so impressed with his decisions, He also gave Him wealth and wisdom untold, more than any man before or after him! (1 Kin. 3:6-15)
That just goes to show we don’t have to sell our souls to Satan to get earthly wealth and wisdom, we can also get them from Jehovah God. But even then, we cannot carry the earthly stuff when we depart this earth, that’s why it’s oh so necessary to store up heavenly treasures, so when we get there we’ll have stuff to our name. And with all those words of wisdom under our belts, the most sensible thing to do right now, is to go to the Lord in prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, asking for His divine help to do and live like we ought to on this His great earth.
As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And lest we forget, or didn’t pay serious attention to our prayer; the Lord promised to prosper us if we turned from our evil ways. That means if we expect divine assistance, then we have to get the ball rolling by doing just that! Much LOVE!
…a Christian’s best day should be Monday…not Friday…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
15 Jun 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all these things shall be added unto you, curse, divine protection, easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, if thou wilt be perfect, is not life more than meat, it is he that giveth thee the power to get wealth, it's hard for a rich man to enter heaven, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up treasures for yourselves in heaven, let them have dominion, LOVE, money can't buy heavenly things, more beautiful than Cousin Sol in all his glory, negative word, no man can serve two masters, promotion, prosper, remember the Lord thy god, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, self-control, sell that thou hast and give to the poor, succeed, surrender everything to God, take no thought for your life, the birds don't sow or reap, the body more than raiment, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the lilies of the field neither toil nor spin, the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth, thieves break through and steal, thou say in thine heart, Thursday Blessings, we are managers and stewards not owners, where moth and rust doth corrupt, Ye cannot serve God and mammon
Matthew 6:24b. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (riches, money).
Well, we’ve moved on to Thursday, the second to last day of the work week, and in my area it’s slated to be mostly cloudy, somewhat cool and windy. And I must say the last few days have been more spring-like, with cooler temps and some cloudy periods with rain, than it was earlier in the month with all that sunshine and warmth. But that’s how it is with life; what you don’t get now, you’ll get later, and vice versa. (smile) And no, I haven’t forgotten that we are supposed to continue talking about the value and importance of learning how to handle money, as prescribed in the Good Library.
Now I don’t know if this is true, but someone once said that Jesus talked about money more than anything else in His earthly ministry. But He did talk some about money, so let’s see what He had to say on the subject. And the first and possibly the most important of Jesus’ sayings about money is this: ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to (be loyal) to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (riches, money).’ (Matt. 6:24)
And that’s the gospel truth friends! We cannot serve God and run down material wealth too, although many of us are trying to do just that. God wants to be involved in EVERYTHING we do, so we can’t leave Him out to pursue money, then come back to Him when we feel like.
And here are possibly the two most important quotes in the whole Bible about money and material wealth. The first are the opening words of Psalm 24, as Bruh David says it loud and clear. ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps. 24:1-2) Yes friends, that tells us in no uncertain terms that the earth and all therein belongs to God Almighty, who created it and still controls it. So whatever we have doesn’t really belong to us, we are just stewards, managers of it on this earth.
And maybe this verse from right at the beginning of creation might help us to remember who’s the real BOSS! ‘And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ (Gen 1:26) Please note that God made it all and gave us dominion, or charge over it, He did not say it was ours.
And the next verses we should hallow or think on, when we consider getting earthly riches, are these two spoken by Moses to the children of Israel. He warns them about getting swell headed when they get prosperous. ‘And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish (confirm) his covenant which he sware unto thy father, as it is this day.’ (Deut. 8:18) So there we have it, we don’t get wealth by our power, but through the Lord’s, because it all belongs to Him anyway.
Now let’s get back to some of Jesus’ teaching on money. And just before He spoke about not being able to serve God and mammon or money, He warned. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through and steal.’ (Matt. 6:19-20)
Now there’s wisdom for the ages! When you accumulate earthly wealth a lot of it deteriorates with age, or the possibilities are great for thieves to steal it, but in heaven there’s neither moth nor rust nor thieves, so if you desire to accumulate treasure, the best place to do so is in heaven! And in His teachings on worry right after that, Jesus also declares (yesss!!!): ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not life more than meat (food), and the body more than raiment (clothing)?’ (Matt. 6:25)
Now that’s a good question. If we don’t worry about food and clothes how will we survive, and we need money to provide those things for ourselves and our families. And to further make His point, Jesus points out how the birds fly around without sowing or reaping, but they eat and live well because God looks after them. Likewise, the lilies of the field, they don’t toil or spin, but they’re even more beautiful than Cousin Sol in all his glory. and Cousin Sol was sure a sight to behold! (smile)
Then Jesus reasons that if the Lord looks after those things of His universe that are not as important as us, why wouldn’t He also take good care of us, since He knows all that we need. Then He comes to the proviso, the thing necessary for that to happen. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt, 6:33) Now that’s the big one friends. If we want all that God has to offer, then we need to seek Him and his righteousness first, and keep it first place always. And it isn’t that we ought not to work, we should, as 2 Thess. 3:10, and 1 Tim. 5:8 tell us, but that we should stop worrying and learn to trust God.
Now, we only have space and time left for one more of Jesus’ pronouncements on money. And this is indeed a hard one, where He says to the rich young ruler who had everything and kept the law as best he could, but was seeking eternal life. ‘Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.’ (Matt. 19:21) It’s obvious that the young man went away sad because he had a lot of wealth. Then Jesus went on to tell the disciples how it was hard for a rich man to enter heaven and it was easier for a camel to pass through the eyes of a needle, and with God all things are possible. etc. (Matt. 19:23-30)
But what we’re concerned with here is why Jesus said those tough words to the young man. And this commentary explains it well. ‘These words of Jesus were not given as a general command to all His followers. Rather, they were spoken to a certain rich young ruler who wanted to inherit eternal life. But that doesn’t mean they don’t apply to us today. Jesus’ concern had to do with the grip the man’s wealth had on His heart. If He couldn’t let it go, then He could never really surrender everything to God. What about you? If Jesus asked you to give up everything, would you be able to do so?’
And isn’t that a marvellous question, which all of us are hoping that Jesus never asks us to do, since we all have a fair amount of earthly stuff, to which we’ve become fairly attached. (smile) But that’s a thought for another day, right now, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Thursday Blessings which have been given to us to do Christ’s earthly work.
Altogether now: ‘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 it’s now our bounden duty to get out into the evil and ungodly world and share those blessings just as generously with others as Christ shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…money can buy earthly things…but it cannot buy the things of heaven…let’s remember that…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
21 Oct 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all these things shall be added unto you, an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, be responsible, bring backsliders back to your fold, climate change Indian summer, confusion and havoc, divine wisdom, faithful believers, Friday chant, God's abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, introduce a new flock, kept by the power of God, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, make God the Number One priority, politically correct, practical living, reserved in heaven for you, rewards for faithful service, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, simmering unrest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example we set, the weekend, thieves break through and steal, through faith unto salvation, viruses, wake up and smell the coffee, where moth and rust doth corrupt, where your treasure is there will be your heart also
Matthew 6:21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Ah, at last some bright sunshine today and not the cloudy times we’ve had the last few days. But it’s still somewhat chilly, although the temperatures for today and the next week are going to soar into the mid-teens, and possibly above, after being below ten for the last little while. I don’t know if that’s because of our latest phenomenon called climate change, or it’s what used to be called ‘Indian summer,’ but which is now a politically incorrect term.
However, you won’t hear me complain anytime the temperature is in the mid-teens, I will gladly declare…ah Lord eh, I even spelled the simple form of the word wrong. What’s the problem with me and it eh? Anyhow, to prevent further provocation, let’s proclaim (smile) ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps, 118:24) And since it’s Friday, let’s also proclaim: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is finally here!’
So we have those two interesting proclamations, but we need to balance them out properly, making sure that the Lord’s will comes first and not allow our pleasure mode to ruin our witness, because we can be real party animals when we’re ready, and if we’re not careful, put God completely out of our minds. And that’s definitely not a good position in which to find oneself. Remember Jesus’ admonition in His Sermon on the Mount. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33).
Yes friends, if we make Almighty God our Number One priority, everything else will fall into proper place in our lives. We’ll have all that we need to live comfortably as well as time to party – in moderation that is. So why do we still insist on running down the things of this world and spend our lives unwisely and anxiously accumulating them?
Jesus also had something important to say on that. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin),and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:19-21)
And who says Jesus didn’t dispense divine wisdom for practical living here on earth eh? Just look at the ridiculous amount of protection we need nowadays to protect our earthly stuff, and we not even talking about real expensive stuff, just our everyday belongings. And yet still thieves break through and steal. What’s the point then of accumulating all that earthly wealth eh? Remember Granny said that anything a man builds, another man can also invade, or break into.
So there’s good wisdom in Jesus’ teaching to store our treasures in heaven and not here on earth. And that last part about where your treasure is, there will your heart be, it’s gospel truth my people. Another reason to store our treasures in heaven, for when we do that, our heart will be with God up there, focusing on Him and His righteousness, not with evil mankind down here.
And the scholars offer these explanations on those verses. ‘6:19-21. 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.’
That means we’re not laying up stuff in heaven, as we lay it up down here on earth. Our stuff up there are rewards for the righteousness we exhibit down here, not things like silver and gold. That’s why they don’t rust, or thieves can’t steal them. Or as Peter so wisely puts it. ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.’ (1 Pet. 1:3-5)
Ah mih people, whatever is stored up for us in heaven through the power of God on the basis of Jesus’s work, especially salvation, is incorruptible and undefiled and cannot fade away. Now isn’t that good news? It certainly is, and it ought to encourage us to store up our treasures in heaven rather than down here on earth, where even the most expensive clothes are eventually consumed by moths and age, and the most precious things like silver and gold fade away, lose their lustre, and thieves break into even the most impregnable bank vaults and steal.
So what’s the point of accumulating much earthly treasure eh? None whatsoever, because the more you have, the more headaches you experience, just to keep it safe. Anyway, enough sermonizing for today. (smile) Let’s go to the Lord in prayer, through our Friday Chant and ask for His divine help in our strife-filled world.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the several viruses and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the viruses and the simmering unrest in our land. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the threatening to boil over discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And if we truly desire to receive a positive reaction from heaven, then we need to become the faithful believers we just mentioned, and set the good example needed for others to come to Jesus. Much LOVE!
…true wisdom…to balance your treasure chest according to your life span…so store more treasures in heaven than on earth…since heavenly life is forever
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ
10 Nov 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: character traits, endure to the end, faith, flee these things, follow after righteousness, for we brought nothing into this world, for where your treasure is, godliness, having food and raiment, I am halfway home, I'm not turning back, in the trenches of life, it is certain we can carry nothing out, lay up not for yourselves treasures on earth, lay up treasures for yourselves in heaven, let us therewith be content, LOVE, make changes, meekness, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, O man of God, our second wind, patience, ramp up our faith, salvation, take stock, talking the talk, tend to go astray, thank God, the accumulation of things, the best laid plans of mice and men., the breath of life is still flowing through me, the future will be even more glorious, there will your heart be also, thieves do not break through and steal, to a glorious future with Jesus, walk by faith, we can ask or imagine, Wednesday Wail, where moth and rust doth corrupt, with fear and trembling, work out your own salvation
Matthew 6:21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
And then it was Wednesday…and we have our second wind…we pushing on relentlessly in the name and the power of Jesus, knowing that Friday and the weekend are just around the corner, and we’ll soon have another opportunity to gather, worship and praise our great and wonderful God, while He refreshes us for another fateful week in the trenches of life!
Brother! Is that a great sentence or what? Reminds me of some of the convoluted ones Bruh Paul writes. So I’m not in such bad company then. (smile) But seriously though, Wednesday, the mid-week workday, is one where we should take a moment to take stock of how our week is going and if we need to make any changes or even ramp up our faith. It’s a suitable time to consider if we are actually doing what we planned, or still just talking the talk, without any, or enough of the walk that’s necessary.
Remember, we are merely human beings with all kinds of frailties and weaknesses and we can easily get sidetracked by the enemy and the ungodly world. That’s why we need to keep a steady check on how we are progressing, if we are truly storing up heavenly treasures though living this earthly life. Jesus said it quite plainly, as He is wont to do. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:19-21)
And that’s the gospel truth friends! Wherever our treasure is hidden or laid up, there also will be our heart, because our treasure is ever so important to us. That’s why so many of us think of the banks so often. (smile) And why not eh, if all our money is in there, hopefully readily available to us when we need or want it.
Now let’s check the explanation the scholars offer of those verses. ‘6:19-21. The attention of the believer is directed toward treasures in heaven. The term ‘treasures’ implies the accumulation of things. The two kinds of treasures are conditioned by their place (either on earth or in heaven). The concept of laying up treasure 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 truly, earthly treasures are not bad in and of themselves, it is when we concentrate all our efforts on accumulating them and don’t have time for God in the unwise pursuit of what Cousin Sol calls ‘vanity’ or futile stuff. Furthermore, if we focus on earthly wealth, we stand a good chance of losing it to moth, rust and thieves. And yet furthermore, (smile) when your earthly days are over, you can’t take any of it with you. As Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy: ‘For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment (clothes) let us therewith be content.’ (1 Tim. 6:7-8)
The scholars explain. ‘6:7. And it is certain we can carry nothing out (or, “because we are unable to carry anything out”). Man enters the world at birth possessing nothing. In order to teach him that he will exit the world in the same manner – taking nothing with him. This is a divine means of showing man that since material wealth is relatively insignificant, he should pursue the important things mentioned in verse 11.’ And as per ‘6:8. This verse prevents the wrong understanding of verse 7, that material possessions have no place in the Christian’s life. By figure of speech food and raiment stand for all of life’s basic necessities. These are all the believer needs, and having these he can be content.’
And my fellow saints, I would certainly be amiss if I did not point out the important things mentioned in verse 11. (smile) Bruh Paul writes: ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things (the LOVE of money and striving for other earthly wealth – vs. 9-10): and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness.’ (1 Tim. 6:11)
Oh, and will I ever be my sweet self and throw in verse 12 for good measure, (smile) because it so desperately applies to us in these very dangerous and desperate times. Bruh Paul continues to Timothy: ‘Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim. 6:12) Now that’s exactly what we need to do in these perilous times my faithful brethren.
And if you don’t understand it all, let’s allow the scholars to explain. ‘6:12. The good fight concerns the daily struggle with sin in the Christian life, and the hardships and adversities in the ministry. A genuine believer demonstrates the reality of his faith by being engaged in this warfare. Lay hold on eternal life does not negate the fact that a believer now possesses spiritual life (John 3:36); rather, it speaks of fully realizing or appropriating salvation as the believer matures.’
And I so like to spoil us, that I’ll quote John 3:36. (smile) John the Baptist, not John the disciple, is testifying of Jesus: ‘He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth (remains) on him.’ Yes friends, we have salvation and are going to heaven, through God’s free gift of grace, but in the meanwhile we have to make use of all the opportunities, benefits and blessings that that salvation brings to us here on earth. We have to live out our faith. As Bruh Paul said to the Philippians: ‘…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.’ (Phil. 2:12b)
And these two paragraphs from an article on the subject by Ed Elliot on the medium.com website explains that verse much better than I can. Ed writes: ‘Working out our salvation is very different from working for our salvation. When Paul tells believers they need to work out their salvation, he is simply explaining that the wonderful gift they freely received from God is inside of them. We bring out those beautiful attributes and character traits by faith. Faith is a rest, but it is faith that works, not us. So working out what is on the inside of us happens by faith.
This process can be frightening in the beginning as a new believer discovers how to live and walk by faith. Some strong trepidation may be present at first when a person decides to trust God as his or her source and peace. I remember how scary it was for me to stop trusting in my natural abilities and trust in God’s Word. This is what Paul is referring to when he mentions “fear and trembling.” He isn’t talking about being afraid of God. Rather, he is helping the new believer to know that in the beginning, it will seem scary to walk by faith. However, it is the only way to see our inner salvation manifest on the outside through our character.’
But to do that successfully my brethren, means we have to spend serious time in the Word and with the Lord, as well as with other believers, encouraging and teaching each other. Now, for those of us who are sincerely trying to do that very thing, let’s go home now declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
As one strong voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And don’t forget that if we endure to the very end that the future will indeed be even more glorious that we ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…why seek finite earthly treasures…when heavenly ones last till infinity…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit, but I had some important errands to run and as always, the best laid plans of mice and men do tend to go astray. (smile) Much LOVE!
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
06 Sep 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: alleviate our problems, awesome grace and mercy, cast into the lake of fire, earth's treasures are temporary, eat your flesh as it were fire, eternal separation from God, Everything is grace, fall on deaf ears, for where your treasure is, forgive us and heal our land, from everlasting to everlasting, go to ye rich men, God's unmerited favour, grace and peace be multiplied unto you, heaped treasure together for the last days, hear our prayer, heaven's treasures are eternal, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ - the only way to the Father, keep our promises, lay not up for yourselves, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, on the cross of Calvary, rewards for faithful service, sacrificed His sinless life, Saint Therese of Lisieux, Satan, shall be a witness against you, sincere belief in the Son of God, sincere repentance, the breath of life, the fiery halls of hell, the God who heals, the rust of them, the Sermon on the Mount, the vicissitudes of life, there will your heart be also, thieves break through and steal, through the knowledge of God, to pay our sin debt in full, treasures upon earth, turn from our evil ways, two precious commodities, weep and howl, where moth and rust doth corrupt, wise guidance and direction, your garments are moth-eaten, your gold and silver is cankered, your miseries that will come upon you, your riches are corrupted
Matthew 6:21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Oh my fellow saints in Christ, on this Labour Day Monday, may ‘Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord (and Saviour).’ (2 Pet. 1:2) Yes friends, we do need a lot of grace and peace in these trying times, times when everyone seems to be angry, displeased and dissatisfied over some thing or the other. And the only way to get those two precious commodities is through sincere belief in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross of Calvary to pay our sin debt in full!
All praise and glory be to that wonderful Saviour of ours! He’s promised that despite our circumstances, if we believe in Him, the Father will grant us His divine grace, and thus peace, through all the vicissitudes of life. And let’s remember that it’s by God’s divine grace that we are saved, through faith; and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.’ (Eph. 2:8-9) Or as Saint Therese of Lisieux so wisely put it a while back: ‘Everything is grace!’
And it certainly is friends, for all that we are and do, all that we have and will ever have, from the breath of life flowing through our bodies, to the eternal life we receive through believing in Christ, is based on the divine grace of our heavenly Father. That’s God’s unmerited favour, that nothing we can ever do will be good enough to deserve it. And all God’s people gave a loud and grateful shout of ‘Thank You Lord for Your awesome gift of grace!’
Sadly though, too many of the earth’s inhabitants don’t know of Jehovah God and His wonderful goodness to the children of men. And even worse yet, too many of those who do know of Him, refuse to accept that divine grace He offers, through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. Now that’s to their detriment, for it will only lead to eternal separation from God, which is the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul.
Oh my people, how many times do I have to reiterate that eh, before you all believe me? Eternal separation from God means not being in heaven with Him till eternity, but with Satan, the Devil, Beelzebub, or whatever name you choose to call him, facing damnation in the fiery halls of hell, and eventually being cast into the lake of fire with all the other unbelievers. Now tell me, are the sinful pleasures of this world truly worth such a terrible end? I don’t think so friends. And if you stop for a moment and really consider the situation, you will also realize that the pleasures of this world are not worth such a disastrous end, and can never be better than those found in heaven.
That’s why in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus adamantly warned: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:19-21)
And we all know that’s the gospel truth friends, for wherever we store whatever we treasure, we will always be thinking of and contemplating on it. So, it’s much better if we store up treasure in heaven, that is, rewards for faithful service, where moth and rust nor any negative thing can destroy them, than store up earthly stuff, that’s useful today and old and rusty or stolen tomorrow. Yes my brethren, earthly things don’t last. Just look at any junkyard nuh. Everything in there was once brand new, shiny and useful, but like the shine on all earthly things it soon wore off and they became old and rusty, of no further use to anyone.
And to further illuminate us, please listen to the warning James gave to the rich, those who stored up earthly treasures. ‘Go to ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted (have rotted), and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered (corroded); and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.’ (James 5:1-3)
Sadly my brethren, that same earthly treasure that the rich have laid up for their retirement, is what the Lord will use against them in the last days, for a lot of it was treacherously and deceitfully gained; robbing the poor and not paying the labourer a fair wage. That’s the basic story friends; don’t store up too much useless earthly stuff, which you will die and leave here anyway. But try and store up as many rewards for faithful service as you can in heaven, where you will eventually go and enjoy them – providing you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, because He is the ONLY Way to the Father in heaven!
Now, let’s talk to the Father, pour out our troubles and problems to Him, the ONLY One who can help us to put a lasting fix on them. So as one strong voice, let’s invoke our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now let’s remember that all our prayers will fall on deaf ears, if we don’t keep the promises we just made. Much LOVE!
…earth’s treasures are temporary…short lived…but heaven’s treasures are eternal…run from everlasting to everlasting…
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12 Sep 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a well-spring of growth, achievement, almighty god, an inheritance incorrptible, aspires to inspire us, clouded veil of thinking, evil, expect a different result, face them squarely in the face, fess up to our problems, for a better tomorrow, forgiveness, God is in control, godly attitudes, going round the same mountain, hate and strife, improvement, influencers, inimitable style, Jesus the Son of God, lay not up earthly treasures, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, LOVE, negative enemy traits, not enough peace, not rich towards God, our friend Anselm, our number one priority, phenomenal understanding, reserved in heaven, social media, success, that faded not away, the Grim Reaper came calling, the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, the necessities of life, the parable of the rich fool, the power of social media, the status quo, the whys and wherefores of life, undefiled, violence, what's new with the world, where moth and rust doth corrupt, where thieves break through and steal, wisdom to the nth degree, you can't do the same thing
Matthew 6:19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal:
So it’s Saturday! What’s new with the world eh? Nothing nuh! Just more of the same old, same old; overwhelming evil, violence, hate and strife, with not enough peace, LOVE, forgiveness and godly attitudes to quell those negative enemy traits. But if there’s one thing we believers know, is that there’s a righteous, graceful and merciful God sitting on His throne in the high heavens watching down on us, and contrary to popular opinion He IS in control of ALL things, and in His time, in His own inimitable style, will right ALL that’s wrong with this world, working ALL things out for good to those who LOVE Him!
And that’s the gospel truth friends, so let’s just hang in there in strong faith and blessed assurance, knowing that ALL promises will be fulfilled in due course of time. Now let’s see what goodies our friend Anselm sent us this week nuh, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us to a better tomorrow. Hear this first one, which is simple logic. ‘If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.’ Now that’s obvious isn’t it. As Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say, ‘You can’t do the same thing all the time and expect to get a different result.’
But that’s exactly what a lot of us do. We keep going round the same mountain with the same attitudes, but expect things to change. That’s impossible friends! And it leads us nicely into this next quote: ‘Most people spend more time and energy going around problems than in trying to solve them.’ And isn’t that the unfortunate truth! That’s why we keep going around the same old mountain, with the same old results. Things will only change when we fess up to our problems, face them squarely in the face and get to work on them!
Good example is the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for forty years because they were afraid to go into the Promised Land when the Lord told them to. And when they said they were ready, He said no, it’s not your timing but mine. So He let them continue wandering, allowing the old ones to die, while He built up the courage and strength of the younger ones. So that only Joshua and Caleb of those who came out of Egypt ever set foot in the Promised Land. But please note that during all that time, their clothes nor shoes never wore out, and He fed them continually with manna! Such is the magnanimity of our God, even when He’s trying to teach us a lesson.
Then there’s this: ‘If you don’t ask the right questions, you don’t get the right answers. A question asked the right way often points to its own answer. Asking questions is the ABC of diagnosis.’ Again, that’s simple logic. But sadly, logic is something that’s being constantly levered out of our society. We’re now been barraged by things and people called ‘influencers’ paid to influence us with their lifestyle, regardless of how foolish or distasteful and useless it is. And too many of us don’t ask questions as to why these things are being done. We just follow them blindly!
Ah the pull, the power of social media to dictate our lives! Steups! What a foolish, gutless, monkey see, monkey do society we’ve become. Yes friends, we can’t see or understand what’s happening unless we ask questions, and the right ones at that! Let’s wake up and start doing that nuh, instead of merely accepting whatever social media and the supposed experts say nuh! Let’s start charting our own God-led paths, instead of those the world is setting out for us. And here’s one way to do that: ‘A relentless barrage of “why’s” is the best way to prepare your mind to pierce the clouded veil of thinking caused by the status quo. Use it often.’
Not foolishly though. Don’t just ask questions for the sake of asking questions, but develop a strategy of asking sensible and to the point questions on matters that interest you. Nobody likes a body who just keeps pestering them, asking questions willy nilly, without any good or apparent reason. Questions though, wisely asked and with proper timing can lead to a well-spring of growth and phenomenal understanding of the ‘whys’ and ‘wherefores’ of this world and our earthly existence.
That brings us to the last quote: ‘Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.’ Well how could they eh, when they inherently pertain to growth and progress? The problem though is what we consider growth and progress. Is it the world’s version, or God’s version? I suggest that God’s version is the much better one! Here’s why in a nutshell. This from Jesus, the Son of God, and if He doesn’t know the truth, then who knows it eh? (smile)
‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal.’ (Matt. 6:19-20)
Wow! What wonderful advice my brethren! So if that’s a fact – and if Jesus says so, then it is so – why would I want to have the worldly version of growth and progress eh? Then all my treasures would be liable to theft and ruin by rust and moth. But when I desire the godly version of growth and progress, then all that I achieve is safely stored in heaven. As Peter says so awesomely: ‘To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that faded not away, reserved in heaven for you.’ (1 Pet. 1:4)
Oh my people, nothing bad or evil can touch anything we store away in heaven, there is never any loss or lessening of our treasures stored there. However, to be able to store away stuff in heaven we need to follow this golden rule – from Jesus again, which means it must be true. ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) That means we need to have Almighty God as our Number ONE priority!And just like He looked after the Israelites for forty years in the wilderness, He will look after us, granting us ALL the necessities we need for earthly living and also storing up some for us in heaven!
Now how does the world’s version of growth and progress compare to that eh? Not very well, because all the wealth and power you may amass under the world’s evil prince, can be lost in the bat of an eye, like the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21, where the rich, greedy man decided to break down and build bigger storehouses for his wealth, but that same night the Grim Reaper came calling as he generally does rather unexpectedly. And what did the rich fool leave with eh? Nothing!
And neither did he have anything stored in heaven, because in his earthly life, he was not rich towards God. So all his earthly work, progress, growth and possessions turned out to be of absolutely no use to him. My people, please let’s learn from his story nuh, and be wise and be rich towards God in our earthly lives. That’s wisdom to the nth degree!Much LOVE!
…earthly things are nice…but heavenly ones look better and last longer…
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