23 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a free gift of God, a great rise in lawlessness, accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, apostasy, attain eternal life, be not soon shaken in mind, betrayals, blessing and cursing, choose life, choosing eternal life over eternal death, choosing Jesus over Satan, christianity, cry day and night unto him, die by the flesh, embracing evil and ungodliness, endure to the very end with Christ, eternal death, even when faced with adversity, except there come a falling away first, faith, get doing the Lord's work, get our acts together, god moves in mysterious ways, God sent not his Son into the world to condemn it, halfway home, hands on the plough, hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God, he that believeth not is condemned already, he that believeth on him is not condemned, he that shall endure to the end, he will avenge them speedily, holy spirit, I call heaven and earth, I have set before you life and death, iniquity shall abound, Jesus Christ, know the truth of God's word, LOVE, many false prophets shall rise, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, natural disasters, neither be troubled by spirit or word or letter, not looking back at the past, not turning back, our second wind day, our wonderful position in Christ Jesus, persecutions, rumours of wars, salvation, satan a toothless lion, set us free from the bondage of sin, shall God not avenge his own elect, shall he find faith on the earth, thank God, that both thou and thy seed shall live, that man of sin shall be revealed, the antichrist, the BIBLE, the big money question, the breath of life, the death of our spiritual souls, the epitome of wisdom, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, the importance of perseverance in prayer, the love of many shall wax cold, the parable of the unjust judge, the potential for faith to wane over time, the same shall be saved, the son of perdition, the wages of sin is death, the world through him might be saved, though he bear long with them, to a glorious future with Jesus, to be carnally minded is death, to be left behind, to be spiritually minded is life and peace, to record this day against you, truth, turning away from God, unwise behaviour, vindicate those who persevere in faith, walk in the flesh, walk in the Spirit, when the Son of man cometh, when the trumpet sounds up yonder, wisdom, wisdom in spades
Luke 18:8. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
And then it was Wednesday, our second wind day. But Brother, are these second wind days ever coming up quickly! (smile) The truth is that all the days are moving ahead quickly, waiting for nothing or no one, so we all had better get our acts together and get doing the Lord’s work, because it would be a serious mistake to get left behind when the trumpet sounds up yonder. (smile)
And who says our God isn’t wonderful and moves in mysterious ways eh, for as I opened the Good Library, it opened at that passage in Luke where Jesus was telling the parable of the unjust judge who refused to give justice to a wronged woman, but finally did so when she kept bothering him. What caught my eye though was this very relevant observation of Jesus. ‘Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall God not avenge (vindicate) his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge (vindicate) them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?’ (Luke 18:6-8)
Now that’s the important question in these evil and ungodly times my people! When Jesus returns to earth, how much faithful believers will there be eh? Judging by the way we’re turning away from Him and embracing evil and ungodliness, it might not be a substantial amount, although the Lord has promised to vindicate those who persevere in faith.
And this commentary offers an interesting take on the subject. It says: ‘This question, posed by Jesus, implies a potential decrease in faith among humanity. The parable of the persistent widow in the preceding verses highlights the importance of perseverance in prayer and faith, even when faced with adversity, and contrasts this with the potential for faith to wane over time.’
And there are a couple of scriptures that suggest that very thing, the waning of faith preceding Christ’s return. The first one is Jesus speaking to the disciples re signs of His coming again and the end of the world. He tells them about wars and rumours of wars, a lot of natural disasters, betrayals and persecutions for His sake. ‘And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity (lawlessness) shall abound, the LOVE of many shall wax (grow) cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’ (Matt. 24:11-13) And right now we are seeing a titanic rise in lawlessness and licentiousness, which are certainly reducing the ranks of the believers.
Then Bruh Paul warns the Thessalonians thus: ‘That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that day of Christ is at hand (had come). Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.’ (2 Thess. 2:2-3)
Now, according to the scholars the Thessalonians were anxious and deeply troubled when Bruh Paul talks about the about the Rapture (our gathering together unto him in vs.1), thinking that the day of Christ had already begun. Then the falling away is the great and final apostasy or repudiation of the Christian faith that will occur at the appearance of the son of perdition, the Antichrist. So Bruh Paul himself is insinuating that when the Antichrist appears there will be a “falling away” or apostasy that will precede the return of Christ.
How sad that will be, for so many will have to face eternal death because of their foolish and unwise behaviour and beliefs. And what makes it even worse is that so many of us know the truth of God’s Word which can set us free from the bondage of sin, but we refuse to accept it for whatever reason. Maybe the attractiveness of sinful behaviour is too powerful for us to resist, or we just LOVE it despite its terrible consequences. For remember if we walk in the flesh, we will die by the flesh, but if we walk in the Spirit of God, we will attain eternal life. ‘For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.’ (Rom. 8:6)
Yes friends, only when we follow the leading and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit will we ever enter heaven’s pearly gates and see His wonderful face. And this other scripture verse puts it quite simply but truthfully. ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.’ (Rom. 6:23) And the beauty of the whole situation is that you don’t have to work hard to get it, because it’s a free gift of God! All you have to do is simply accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and begin seriously living for Him instead of for Satan.
And Jesus said it very clearly to Nicodemus, the Jewish leader who, fearful of his fellow rulers, 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. He that believeth on him 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 3:17-18)
It could not be more explicit or straightforward than that my brethren! It’s very simple: you believe in Jesus and you live. You don’t believe in Him and you die. Please note we’re speaking of the life and death of our spiritual souls not our physical bodies, for we all shall die a physical death, but the big question is where will our souls go after our physical death? That’s the big money question my fellow believers!
And the answer is in the hands of each of God’s human creations. We each make the final decision as to where we spend eternity. But please, let’s allow wisdom to rule and do like Moses advised the Israelites way back when: ‘I call heaven and earth to record (witness) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut. 30:19) Now that’s wisdom in spades! And having wisely accepted it (smile) 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!’
And there’s an even more glorious future promised to those who endure to the very end with Jesus, one that our finite minds cannot even imagine or comprehend. So let’s endure to the end nuh, so that together, we can enjoy the glorious future with Christ! Much LOVE!
…the epitome of wisdom is…choosing Jesus over Satan…eternal life over eternal death…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a trade war, a trade was benefits no one, basic building blocks for building on the Rock, be ye angry and sin not, believers in Christ, blessed are the meek, bring forth thy righteousness as the light., built on the sinking sand of Satan, cease from anger, choose life, christianity, Christians, commit thy way unto the Lord, delight themselves in the abundance of peace, delight thyself also in the Lord, do good, Donald Trump's policies, endure to the end, every dog has his day, evil only causes harm, evildoers shall be cut off, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, feed on his faithfulness, for yet a little while, forsake wrath, fret not thyself because of evildoers, fret not thyself because of him who prospers, give thee the desires of thine heaert, glad to be alive, God's truth, halfway home, hands on the plough, have their day in the sun, he shall bring it to pass, holy spirit, in any wise to do evil, Jesus Christ, keep Satan at bay, let not the sun go down on your wrath, LOVE, mercy, neither be thou envious against, neither give place to the devil, new age thinking, not built on the Rock that's Jesus, not looking back at the past, raising tariffs, reducing people to poverty, Rest in the Lord, righteous indignation, salvation, sinful anger, so shalt thou dwell in the land, thank God, that thou and thy seed might live, the abundance of peace, the BIBLE, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the evil edifice will come tumbling down, the Good Library, the man who brings wicked devices to pass, the meek shall inherit the earth, the perfect shall remain in it, the sure foundation that's Jesus, the upright shall dwell in the land, the wicked shall not be, the workers of iniquity, they shall inherit the earth, they shall soon be cut down like grass, those that wait upon the Lord, thou shalt be fed, thy judgement as the noonday, to a glorious future with Jesus, transgressors shall be rooted out, trust also in him, trust in the Lord, truth, unwise cronies, wait patiently for him, wannabe dictator, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, wisdom in spades, with them up as grass at midday, wither as the green herb, you shall look diligently for him
Psalm 37:1-2. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb.
Well friends, we don’t know what’s going to happen as yet, per that snow that was previously forecasted, but Liberation Day, as per that unwise, wannabe dictator, Donald Trump, has turned out to be rather cloudy, windy and cold. I don’t know who he’s liberating with his foolish policies nuh, possibly the money that will now accrue to those in power. (smile)
He should have called it Back to Poverty Day, and Stupidity Day, because that’s all his policies are doing, reducing a large proportion of his people, as well as others around the world to poverty status. How could firing thousands of people for no good reason, especially from essential ministries like health and education, stopping International Aid and raising tariffs on numerous products be liberating eh? The wise people know that trade wars benefit no one. But I guess that’s the new age thinking being developed by Trump and his other greedy, unwise cronies.
But as the Good Library so purposefully and steadfastly proclaims from Psalm 37: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb.’ (Ps. 37:1-2) And that’s God’s truth my people!
The wicked will have their day in the sun, but eventually, that same sun will dry and wither them up as the grass at midday. And as the old people would say, every dog has his day. Now is Trump and his foolish cronies time, but that whole evil edifice will eventually come crumbling down, because it was not built on the Rock that’s Jesus, but on the sinking and shifting sand that is Satan.
And how do we build on the Rock that’s Jesus, you ask? Bruh David states it loud and clear in the following verses of the psalm, when he wisely advises: ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noon day.’ (Ps. 37:3-6)
Yes my fellow believers, those are some of the basic building blocks for building on the Rock, the sure foundation that’s Jesus! Very simple, but oh so wise doings. Trust in the Lord, do good, delight thyself in Him, Commit thy way unto Him, and He shall bring you righteousness and justice as bright as the noonday sun.
Now, those are all things that we can do fairly easily if we are serious about building our house on the Rock that’s Jesus. And though Satan will do his very best to try and turn us away from Jesus, we have the powerful comforter and intercessor, the Holy Spirit of Jesus to help us keep Satan at bay… if we sincerely listen to Him.
But that’s not all there is to building our houses on the Rock that’s Jesus, for Bruh David continues: ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm).’ (Ps. 37:7-8) Yuh see friends, some more important building blocks; resting in the Lord and waiting patiently on him, as well as curtailing our anger, and not pursuing evil, for evil only causes harm to both ourselves and others.
And Bruh Paul also advised the Ephesians against unnecessary anger when he said: ‘Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.’ (Eph. 4:26-27) Why is that eh? The scholars tell us that ‘Sinful anger is to be replaced by (briefly held) righteous indignation, that the devil may not be given an opportunity to gain a foothold in our souls.’ And also, when you go to bed angry, your sleep is disturbed by the anger, there’s no sense of peace or rejuvenation, which is the purpose of sleep, and you wake up as angry and miserable as you went to bed.
And all of that is wisdom in spades my people, because as Bruh David says in the next couple of verses: ‘For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place (look diligently for him), and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.’ (Ps. 37:9-11)
And Cousin Sol in his wisdom in Proverbs agrees with his father, when he says: ‘For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect (blameless) shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off (destroyed) from the earth (land), and transgressors shall be rooted out.’ (Prov. 2:21-22) Then that was all reiterated by Jesus in the Beatitudes, from the Sermon on the Mount, when He declared: ‘Blessed are the meek (the strong, but lowly and humble): for they shall inherit the earth (land).’ (Matt. 5:5)
Oh my fellow saints we could not get it any plainer than that! In this life the wicked will eventually be destroyed, but those that stand strong in the Lord will be fed with goodness and mercy and enjoy the land of abundance. Now, will we rather be destroyed with the wicked, or inherit the land with the meek? That’s a no brainer! For we will all choose the latter. As Moses wisely advised the Israelites: ‘therefore choose life, that thou and thy children may live.’ (Deut. 30:19b) And so we have, as this declaration (wow!!!) of our Wednesday Wail indicates.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And if you didn’t know, there’s a promise that says whoever endures to the very end with Jesus will enjoy a future even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So, let’s be wise and plan to meet at the very end and enjoy that future together nuh! Much LOVE!
…the necessary things for building on the Rock…trust…do good…delight thyself in…commit thy way to…rest in…cease from anger…forsake wrath…don’t do evil…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
14 Sep 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: after that ye have suffered a while, all that glistens is not gold, and forget not all his benefits, as a roaring lion, as far as the east is from the west, baubles and bangles, be sober, be vigilant, Bible, bless the LOrd o my soul, blessing, both thou and thy seed may live, called us unto his eternal glory, callous and cruel world, casting all your care upon him, choose life, christianity, crowns thee with loving-kindness, cursing, death, deepen my breath, don't save earthly treasures, faith, forget not all his benefits, forgives thine iniquities, God's awesome presence, God's benefits, heals all thy diseases, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, I may know you all the more, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, keep God first place in our lives, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, life, LOVE, make you perfect, mercy, moth and rust doth corrupt, quiet my soul, redeems thy life from destruction, relax my muscles, relax my musclesslow my thoughts, satisfies thy mouth with good things, save up treasures in heaven, seeking whom he may devour, showers us with undeserved blessings, so far has God removed our transgressions, steadfast resit in the faith, tender mercies, thank you for this tenderness, the God of all grace, the real McCoy, the sinful pleasures of Satan, thieves break through and steal, thy youth is renewed like the eagle's, to him be glory and dominion, trust, truth, walking on air, walks about, wisdom, wisdom in spades, your adversary the devil, your love both surrounds and fills me, your unceasing nearness
Psalm 103:2. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
At last it’s our lazy-day Saturday, where we can do as we please; laze about or work hard about the house… Hn! Work hard… Not likely! It’s a day to just take things easy; to contemplate life; to consider our future in terms of our present. Although even that sounds too difficult to do today. (smile) One thing we’re going to do for sure though, is to send up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer to heaven.
So, as one sincere 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!’
And what more can you ask on a lazy-day than the Lord’s awesome presence in abundance eh? Nothing! Because it makes us feel light and refreshed, like we’re walking on air, we can’t do any wrong! (smile) But how can we with the Lord’s presence so strong in us eh? No way! And it’s sad that more of us don’t seek the Lord and a greater showing of His presence in our lives. Oh, how that would alleviate much of the pain and suffering that so many of us experience in this cold, callous and cruel world. But for whatever reason, too many of God’s creation shy away from Him, and thus lose the many benefits of His LOVING presence.
And we see a handful of those benefits from Bruh David’s writings in Psalm 103: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgives all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:1-5)
Oh my people, just look at the many benefits we get from associating with, from staying close to Almighty God! Why then would we ever want to go astray from His wonderful fold eh, when there’s no one, or nothing else that can offer us those marvellous and miraculous benefits? Let’s look a li’l closer at those wonderful benefits nuh. And the first one is indeed a major benefit, one that no one else can provide: ‘Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;’
Yes friends, can you imagine any other supposed God, even Satan doing that? No way! But the Lord Jehovah sent His One Son down to earth to die on our behalf, so that our sins could be forgiven. And furthermore, as Bruh David says later on in the psalm: ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.’ (Ps. 103:12)
And for that mighty deliverance, done from an heart of everlasting, unconditional LOVE, all the world should be shouting a loud and grateful ‘Praise God for His undeserving goodness to the sinful children of men!’ But, unfortunately, only a small portion of us are doing that wise and godly thing.
Then there’s this other marvellous benefit from knowing and being in close contact with God; ‘who healeth all thy diseases;’ Wow! What more can we ask eh my brethren; a kind, LOVING and compassionate God who forgives our sins, heals us and showers down undeserved blessings on us? And don’t forget that He satisfies our mouths and stomachs with good things that renew our strength like the eagles do!
Why then are we so stupid and foolish to fall for the deceptive, sinful pleasures of the evil one eh? Pleasures that only last a short while and which gets us into trouble with God. Satan does NOTHING good for us, because his total purpose is to keep us on the outs with Almighty God. And the sad part is that the stuff he offers is not even good stuff, not even the real thing, but ofttimes faked. Remember, all that glistens is not gold, and that’s where Satan exceeds; in the glittering gold-like or gold plated stuff. But with Jehovah God, we get the real stuff.
And remember what Jesus said about laying up earthly treasures; because moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin) them, and where thieves break through and steal:’ (Matt. 6:19) But the wise plan is to lay up treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through and steal.’ (Matt. 6:20) And we do that by keeping God first place in our lives and ignoring Satan and his evil deeds and pleasures as much as possible.
But it’s not easy, however, as Peter so wisely instructs us, we ought to: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt thee in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom steadfast resist in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.’ (2 Pet. 5:6-9)
Yes my people, Satan likes to play games with our lives, but if we hold steadfast to our faith in Christ Jesus, we will defeat him most of the time. And as Peter assures us: ‘But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (2 Pet. 5:10-11)
Oh my fellow saints, being a true Christian in this corrupt and evil world was never, and will never be easy, but if we put our trust and faith in Jesus Christ, then we will have all the tools necessary to defeat the devil and his evil cronies and live the good and abundant life down here on God’s great earth, that Jesus died for us to have. It’s all up to us, whether we take Almighty God seriously or not. However, please let’s be wise and do as Moses asked the Israelites long ago, when he placed life and death before them, as well as blessing and cursing, and then advised them ‘therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut. 30:19)
Yes my brethren….that’s wisdom in spades! Please, let’s follow it for the sake of our children’s children! Much LOVE!
…Satan’s baubles and bangles are all fake…but God’s are the real thing…the real McCoy…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 Apr 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, according to his divine power, add to your faith vortue, ambassadors for Christ, brotherly LOVE, ebdurance, endure to the end, faithfulness, gentleness, give diligence to make your calling and election sure, given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, godliness, grace and peace be multiplied unto you, halfway home, hands on the plough, hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, having escaped the corruption in the world through lust, joy, kindness, knowledge, LOVE, moral excellence, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, neither be barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of Christ, not turning back, paid for with a price, patience, peace, perseverance, self-control, so glad to be alive, spiritual maturity, spiritual truth, store your treasures in heaven, temperance, the fruit of the spirit, the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, them who have obtained like precious faith, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail, wisdom in spades, ye might be partakers of the divine nature
1 Peter 1:2.Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.
A good Wednesday morning to you, my fellow believers in Christ Jesus! The weather’s not great, and I can hear the rain falling outside, on what’s supposed to be a rainy day. And there couldn’t be a more fitting opening on this Wednesday of Holy Week, than this one by Peter at the beginning of his first epistle. He writes: ‘Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like (the same kind of) precious faith with us through the righteousness of (our) God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.’ (1 Pet. 1:1-2)
Yes friends, grace and peace to all you who have sincerely received Christ Jesus! It’s a great honour and privilege to be invited to receive Him. Why? Listen to how Peter explains it. ‘According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to (by) glory and virtue. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.’ (1 Pet. 1:3-4)
Oh my fellow saints, yuh see the immense benefits we enjoy when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour! We are thoroughly blessed through numerous promises and acts of God, so that we can partake of His divine nature, and be able to fight the evil and corruption that’s in the world. What a great and caring God we serve my people! No other supposed god does that for His followers. ONLY the great I AM!
So, when we receive Christ, we receive salvation and all the other good things that believers get, like the indwelling of the Holy Ghost and the seeds of the fruit of the Spirit. But that’s not the end, in fact it’s just the beginning, because Christ expects us to follow the leading and guidance of His Holy Spirit as we live this earthly life, and also to nurture and grow those seeds of the Spirit which have been planted in us. That’s LOVE, joy, peace, patience, good ness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23)
In other words, after receiving Christ, believers are expected to grow, to mature in the Christian faith, in the same way that newborn babies start out by drinking milk, but gradually progress to eating solid food. It’s not good enough to just keep eating baby food for the rest of your lives, although that will not stop you from getting into heaven, but it will certainly cut down drastically on your heavenly rewards, since you will not be able to witness and have strong testimony for Christ, through which others, the unbelievers and the heathen are encouraged to come to Him.
Remember, we are the eyes, ears, hands, feet and mouths of Christ here on earth. The only chance some may have to see Christ is through you, through your witness and testimony. That’s why Peter continues in his writings to encourage believers to grow in spiritual maturity. ‘And beside this (but for this very reason), giving all diligence, (after salvation) add to your faith virtue (moral excellence); and to virtue knowledge (spiritual truth); And to knowledge temperance (self-control); and to temperance patience (endurance, perseverance); and to patience godliness (God-likeness);
And to godliness brotherly kindness (brotherly LOVE – Gr. philadelphian); and to brotherly kindness charity (volitional LOVE- Gr. agape – a decision to LOVE, not an emotional feeling). For if these things be in you (are yours), and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren (useless) nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off (short-sighted), and hath forgotten that he was purged (cleansed) from his old sins.’ (1 Pet. 1:5-9)
Yes my faithful brethren, those are areas in which we all need to grow in spiritual maturity. We are not all at the same level, but for all of us it’s a lifelong cycle. Yes, spiritual growth never ends for the Christian believer. Not until Christ takes them home. And in his epistle to the Philippians, Bruh Paul confirms that, when he says: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) Once God begins a good work in us, He won’t ever stop until Jesus comes for us.
And if we don’t aspire to spiritual maturity, we’re forgetting that we were cleansed of our sin by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, that we were bought with a price…and a very high one at that. And the least we can do is to improve our knowledge and spirituality as befits believers, so that we can be good ambassadors for Christ here on earth. And Peter continues to explain. ‘Wherefore the rather, brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall (stumble): For so an entrance shall be ministered (supplied) unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’ (1 Pet. 1:10-11)
And the scholars explain those last two verses thus. ‘Ye shall never fall: The author is not referring to falling from salvation but to failure in Christian living. The everlasting kingdom refers to the eternal realm of God where Jesus is the undisputed Ruler. It is synonymous with heaven. Thus the one who acquires the virtues of verses 5-7 will have a rich inheritance in heaven.’
And I know that all of us desire to have a rich inheritance in heaven, but we have to begin by working for it down here on earth. As Christ said, store up your treasures in heaven where they are well protected, rather than on earth where they can rot and rust and be stolen. That’s wisdom in spades friends! And for those of us who have sincerely taken those words to heart, let’s go home now declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our marvellous position in Christ Jesus.
Altogether now: ‘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 having said all of that, let’s remember that if we endure until the very end, then the future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. Wow! I can’t wait to experience it! I hope you can’t too! Much LOVE!
…growing in spiritual maturity isn’t easy…but it’s surely interesting and worthwhile…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
22 Sep 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, all such rejoicing is evil, and doeth it not to him it is sin, boast not thyself of tomorrow, buy and sell and get gain, courage, creativity, curse, have life more abundantly, I am come that they might have life, in a partnership with God, LOVE, negative word, new mercies and compassions, sufficent unto the day is the evil thereof, take therefore no thought for tomorrow, that appeareth for a little time than vanisheth away, the morrow shall take thought for itself, the mountain of sins, the penultimate day of the work week, this is the day the Lord has made, thou knowest not what a day may bring forth, Thursday Blessings, to him that knoweth to do good, unchristian conduct, unto whom much is given much is required, we will rejoice and be glad in it, what is your life, wisdom in spades, ye know not what shall be on the morrow, your life is even a vapour
Psalm 118:24. This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.
And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of the workweek, with many of us anxiously, hopefully looking forward to that last day tomorrow. But please remember Jesus’ wise advice: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow (do not worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34).
Now that’s the overwhelming truth my people! We need to look after, to concentrate on today, which is all we have right now. Tomorrow will look after itself. We don’t know if we’ll even be around to see tomorrow, so why spend so much time concentrating on it eh? Instead, let’s do as the psalmist so wisely proclaimed: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps. 118:24)
And that’s wisdom in spades. Today is what we have, so let’s enjoy it, otherwise we’re wasting God’s precious time and blessings, especially the new mercies and compassions that He’s prepared new for us this special day. Yes mih bredrin, every day we spend on this planet earth is a special day which the Lord made so that we can enjoy it and do His will. That’s why He blesses us anew every day.
Jesus said it very clearly: ‘I am come that they (His flock, His followers) might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10b) Now how can we enjoy a more abundant life if we’re always thinking of tomorrow and not focusing on today, as we ought to eh? That’s defeating Jesus’ very plan for our lives. And I like how James admonishes his readers, and consequently us on the subject of tomorrow.
Describing unchristian conduct, he writes: ‘Go to now (come now), ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain (make a profit): Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings (boast in your arrogance): all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’ ((James 4:13-17)
Oh my people, James covers a whole lot in those few verses. So let’s see what the scholars have to say on them. Re 13-14: ‘This one is a fool, for he thinks he knows something that he doesn’t. He presumes he has the resources to control his destiny. (cf. Prov. 27:1; Luke 12:13-21).’ And those scriptures are excellent references of our unfortunate concentration on tomorrow. In the verse from Proverbs, Cousin Sol does declare very forcefully. ‘Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.’ (Prov. 27:1)
Meanwhile the passage from Luke is where Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool, who had so much that he had no room to store it. So, in his wisdom, decides to tear down everything and build anew, that he might have space to store all his wealth, and then take things easy: ‘eat, drink and be merry.’ But in his frail and finite wisdom he missed one important thing, he did not factor in God’s will.
Consequently, when God came along, He said to him. ‘Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:20-21) Yes friends, we are in a partnership with Almighty God and partners are supposed to talk with and cooperate with each other. That means we cannot make plans without including God.
And going back to the verses from James, the scholars tell us in vs.15: Re ‘This or that. This verse teaches that God does have something for Christians to do and that they should plan accordingly. James only condemns elaborate planning that omits God. (cf. Prov. 16:9)’ Now, since I delight in spoon feeding us, (smile) here is that verse from Proverbs. ‘A man’s heart deviseth (plans) his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.’ (Prov. 16:9) Yes my people, our God is indeed sovereign over our scheming and planning. So it’s His will that usually wins out.
And moving back once more to James, we discover that in vs. 17: ‘To do good here requires including God in one’s plans. Omitting God is not merely bad planning; it is sin.’ And that’s not rocket science, but simple common sense. If you know what is right to do, and don’t do it, then you’re wrong, and it can therefore be construed as sin. And Jesus, in His telling of the parable of the unfaithful servant, (Luke 12:41-48) says as much.
‘And that servant, which knew his lord’s (master’s) will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.’ (Luke 12:47-48)
Oh friends, right there, Jesus is indirectly talking about us. Servants bear a great responsibility to their masters, and if Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, we as His followers, or His servants, also bear a huge responsibility to Him and His will. We need to remember that at all times. Yes, life is good, is better with Jesus than with anybody else, but that good life doesn’t come gratis or free. There is indeed a price to pay, a responsibility to be shouldered, and if we don’t shoulder our responsibilities, then there are consequences to be suffered for our irresponsibility.
But our God is so good that He doesn’t just send us out to do His bidding without the necessary tools to accomplish it. That’s why we’ve been endowed with what we call our Thursday Blessings, tools to perform His awesome will. So, let’s activate them right now by declaring (steups!!!) them nuh.
Altogether now, in 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 activated those marvellous blessings, let’s go out now and put them to use in Jesus’ name, as is our bounden duty. Much LOVE!
…can you imagine the mountain of sins…we believers pile up each day…by knowing the good and right things to do…and not doing them…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
14 Sep 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fairy tale, bore the weight of all our sins, choosing heaven over hell is a no brainer, diabolical deceit, endure to the very end, find pasture on which to feed, gospel truth, have life more abundantly, hellfire and damnation, his satanic majesty, I am come that they might have life, I am the door of the sheep, I am the good shepherd, I'm not turning back, imbued with His righteousness, in honour and glory of God the Father, Jesus sacrificed His sinless life, joy shall be in heaven over one repentant sinner, LOVE, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, Praise the Lord, reconciled back to God, revenge against God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the good shepherd gives his life for his sheep, the parables of the lost, the thief coes only to steal and kill, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail, wisdom in spades
John 10:11. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
So friends, another day has dawned, one we call Wednesday, and we’re still around – no mention of us in the obits – and for that we give much thanks and praise! That’s why we are just bursting with vim and vigour to do the Lord’s work in an excellent and diligently manner, so that His name can be exalted and glorified in all the earth! And all God’s children said a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord for His goodness and mercy to the unworthy children of men! Amen!’
Yes friends, we’re not worthy, do not deserve the Lord’s blessings and LOVING-kindness, but He gives it to us anyway, because He LOVES us. He created us for communion and fellowship with Him, and though, down through the ages, we’ve turned away from him, been disobedient and prideful, He still LOVES us with a passion that can never be replicated, and desires that we all come home to Him, so that we can spend eternity in His amazing presence.
Oh, I know that the idea of God’s unconditional and undying LOVE for us His disobedient and unfaithful children can sound like a fairy tale, but it’s the gospel truth. Our God has no choice but to LOVE us since His greatest attribute is LOVE! And it’s not just a talk of LOVE like so many of us do, but He’s shown that awesome LOVE by actually sending His Son Jesus Christ in the flesh, as a man, like other men, to die on the cross of Calvary so that our sins could be forgiven, and we could be reconciled back to His LOVING arms and tender mercies.
Now why wouldn’t we accept such amazing kindness eh? I really don’t know. Perhaps, because we’re just foolish, selfish, prideful and filled with a false sense of our own importance. But please understand that whatever is keeping us away from accepting Almighty God as our heavenly Father and His awesome Son, Jesus, as our Lord and Saviour, consists of nothing but terrible lies and diabolical deceit. And if you knew and understood these true and faithful words of Jesus, the whole situation would suddenly become clear to you.
Listen as He explains. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and he shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to (except to) steal, and kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:7-11)
And that’s exactly what He did friends; sacrificed His sinless life, bore all the weight of our sins on His shoulders, so that we could be imbued with His righteousness! Now, does an ordinary or not caring man do something as radical and emotional as that? Obviously not! There has to be a very good reason for such unselfish and redeeming behaviour.
And Jesus’ reason was to open the door to his sheepcote so that sinners like you and I could enter in and find life, life abundant and eternal, protection and good pasture on which to feed and grow in all goodness and honour to the glory of God the Father, who was the originator of the whole process, because of His great LOVE and compassion for us, not wanting to lose even one creation to the enemy.
Wow! It all comes right back, full circle to the Father’s unexplainable grace and mercy towards us, His sinful, disobedient children. And if you’re a parent, you ought to understand that apparent contradiction, because ofttimes our children go astray, their decisions and behaviour anger and disappoint us, but we don’t throw them away, simply put them out – at least not the first few times. (smile) We make an effort to turn them around to the right way of thinking and behaving, so that they don’t get into deeper waters, into greater trouble.
Now that’s exactly what our heavenly Father is trying to do; keep us away from the lies and deceits of Satan, who doesn’t LOVE us one iota, but only wants to get our souls for revenge against God, for kicking him out of heaven when he foolishly tried to overthrow Him. How foolish can one be eh? How can the created overthrow the Creator eh? But you know what, we’ve listened to so many of Satan’s lies that we now believe like he did, that it’s possible to remove Almighty God, the Creator of the universe and all therein, from His creation! What fallacy, what foolishness!
My fellow believers, if we believe those fairy tales, then just like Satan we will suffer the ignominy, the humiliation and great disappointment of never entering the pearly gates of heaven, but being entrapped forever in the ungodly fires of hell, with his satanic majesty, suffering whatever retribution he suffers.
And what’s truly wonderful about our great God is that He never puts us out or turns us away even when we are going down into the sorry pits of hellfire and damnation! No! Instead, that’s when He makes His most valiant effort to take us up out of the deadly mire in which Satan has us engulfed. As the true saying goes: ‘when we are at our lowest, that’s when God is at His best!’ Glory be my people!
And just to show how sincere and desperate the Lord is for sinners to come back to Him, listen to this synopsis of three parable Jesus told when the Pharisees criticized Him for eating with sinners. Those were the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. In each case, He said the owners of that which was lost left the rest of what they had; sheep, coins and sons, and went searching diligently, high and low until they found what was missing. And they rejoiced greatly with their neighbours over the finding of what and who were lost. (Luke 15:1-32)
Mama oh Mama! And here’s the great reason behind those parables, as Jesus explains: ‘I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just (upright) persons, which need no repentance.’ (Luke 15:7) Remember Jesus came to save the lost, the sick, those in bondage to sin, to bring light to those living in darkness, not for the upright who need no saving. That means the Lord is on our side, and He’s done and still doing His best to bring us onside, but He won’t do it against our will. That’s why He gave us free will, so we could make the choice between life and death.
And for those of us who have already chosen life, let’s go home declaring…chuh man!!! I spelt it right in my mind, but my fingers let me down. (smile) But be that as it may, let’s go home declaring (yayyy!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
Altogether now: ‘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!’
Yes my brethren, that’s wisdom in spades! And just a li’l extra encouragement; if we endure right to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask for or imagine. So please let that strengthen our resolve to live for Jesus to the very end! Much LOVE!
…choosing heaven over hell…is what we call a no brainer…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
06 Jul 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Christian life begins with total commitment, be not conformed to this world, be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, by the mercies of God, disobedient to parents, dissension within Christ's church, endure to the end, hands on the plough, holy acceptable unto god, I am halfway home, I beseech you therefore brethren, I can settle for that, I don't let God be God, I will die victoriously, I'm looking straight ahead, in the last days perilous times shall come, inherent sinful nature, it is better to walk over the billows than to go under them, leap up like wild animals, LOVE, men shall be lovers of their own selves, not looking back, nothing worthwhile is ever easy, One Year Book of Bible promises, present your bodies a living sacrifice, Ruth Harms Calkin, shall he find faith on the earth, show love to a desperately needy world, step out of my rocking boat, stop using our bodies for sinful purposes, tempestuous waves of change, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the perfect will of God, the word rebellion frightens me, time is flying by, to a glorious future with Jesus, walk the waves with you, Wednesday Wail, when the Son of man cometh, which is your reasonable service, wisdom in spades
Luke 18:8. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Wow mih bredrin! Another week is quickly passing by; it’s already Wednesday…what’s happening with the days eh, why is time flying by so quickly? One would think that with the numerous problems we have in our world that time would at least seem to stand still, but like everything else, it is behaving in a most contrary manner. (smile) It’s a good thing we have Jesus to keep us steadfast and focused yes, otherwise we’d be jumping all over the place like jackrabbits.
And to help handle the uncertain situation which our world currently faces, we are going to look at a poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin aptly titled ‘I Can Settle for That.’ So, please read with me. ‘The word rebellion frightens me. I always associate it with Revolt…terrorism…riots…death… with economic and social issues… With the drug scene That promotes life without purpose. I associate it with tempestuous waves of change That leap up like wild animals.
Like the disciples in the storm I want to awaken You, Lord. I wonder why You seem to be sleeping. But, Lord, maybe I don’t Really know You very well. Maybe I don’t let God be God. After all, You are not frightened. You do not hold your hands up in despair. You never say, “You should have come yesterday.” Nor do You say, “You’re the wrong age and colour.” You never say “You’re too timid, too slow.”
You simply tell me to step out Of my rocking boat. You tell me to walk the waves with You. You assure me you are not asleep. You tell me to show genuine LOVE To a desperately needy world. You insist it is far better To walk over the billows than to go under them. You tell me if I die in the attempt At least I will die victoriously. Then, facing me directly, You ask “Can you settle for that?” Lord, if You are with me I can settle for that.’
Mama Mia! Isn’t that the living truth my people? If God is with us, we can indeed settle for anything, because He controls it all! And the reason why we are so uncertain, afraid and worried is simply because we do not have sufficient trust and faith in our great God, in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit that dwells within us and is supposed to lead and guide us to all truth. In fact, we have not given ourselves completely to Almighty God, therefore we don’t let God be God. How can He be, if we don’t surrender our all to Him eh?
That’s why the Bible verse for that poem is Bruh Paul’s plea to the church at Rome. ‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable (rational) service.’ (Rom. 12:1) Yes friends, we are supposed to surrender our entire bodies and souls to Christ, if we want to truly benefit from all that He has to offer.
Now listen to how the scholars explain that verse. ‘12:1. By the mercies of God summarizes all that God has accomplished for the believer in Romans chapters 1-11: in justifying the believer (chps. 1-5), enabling the believer to live a righteous life (chps. 6-8), and being faithful to Israel (chps. 9-11). That ye present refers to a definite act of presentation. The verb is used of offering a sacrifice that became “holy” under the Levitical system (cf. Ex. 29:37). This shows that the Christian life begins with total commitment and irrevocable presentation. Your bodies: The body has been an instrument of sin (chp. 6). Now it is to be presented to God as a channel through which the righteousness of God is manifested.’
Yes, that all sounds like a big mouthful, but it simply means that we stop using our bodies for sinful purposes and instead use them for righteous ones. And we’d all be foolishly fooling ourselves to pretend that we don’t know the sinful things we use our bodies for. (smile) That’s why this next verse is so important in our transformation. Bruh Paul then declares in his usual practical way. ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’ (Rom. 12:2)
Ah mih bredrin, to truly live for Christ we have to shun, to shuck off the things of this evil world that find no place, are not welcome in God’s kingdom. And no, it’s not always easy to do, because of our inherent sinful nature and the rampaging evil and evil doers that are currently controlling our world. But with Christ’s help and our perseverance, we can do a good job of it.
We must just want it badly enough. But like we said yesterday, too many of us don’t want it badly enough to put out the necessary effort to live sincerely for Christ, that’s why Christianity is in such a shambles, why Christ’s church is filled with so much evil and ungodly doings, why there’s so much dissension within Christ’s church, and instead of getting better, it seems to be getting worse.
Oh my fellow believers, we need to remember that Christ is depending on us to keep His church going strong and sincere. We are all He has down here to do His bidding, and if we are not doing it properly then His church will obviously suffer serious setbacks. This leads me to consider the question Jesus asked at the end of the parable of the persistent widow. He says: ‘Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?’ (Luke 18:8)
Now that’s a very interesting question with the great number of former believers turning away from God, the apostasy that Bruh Paul warned Timothy of. ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy…’ (2 Tim. 3:1-2) And he goes on to list a host of other ungodly activities which we are currently seeing at a high level in our society.
However, my brethren, because we are sincere, faithful, and strong, we will do our best to stand up for Christ and continue to tell others about Him and the marvellous benefits living for Him bring. So, for those of us in that camp, let’s go home now declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. Wow!
Altogether now: ‘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 believe me friends, if we endure to the end, that future will indeed be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So, let’s be with Christ for the long haul nuh; that’s wisdom in spades! Much LOVE!
…nothing worthwhile is ever easy…and that definitely goes for living for Christ…but the rewards will certainly outweigh the difficulties…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
28 Mar 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all things are of God, better not to vow than vow and not pay, bless the Lord oh my soul, Christ died for the ungodly, defer not to pay it, disobeyed your word, eliminated the hostility between Himself and humanity, giving us His righteousness, glory to the Lamb that was slain, God commendeth his own love toward us, God hath no pleasure in fools, God on the basis of Christ's death, grace without bounds, humble servants, in due time, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus is Dynomite!, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, LOVE, made him to be sin for us, made the righteousness of God, making possible a complete and maturing fellowship, mass confusion in our world, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, reconciled us to himself by Jesus, reconciliation, sin caused the hostility, sincerely seek your face, taking our sins, the Cross eliminated it, the God who heals, the name above every other, when thou vowest a vow unto God, when we were yet without strength, while there is life there is hope, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, wisdom in spades
Romans 5:6. For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly.
Bless the Lord O my soul for life and light this last Monday morning of March 2022! The sun’s shining, though it seems somewhat chilly, but as the song is saying, ‘Lift your hands and praise the Lord despite the circumstances.’ Yes, as true believers, that’s what is expected of us. And as they are saying ‘If you want to see the glory of the Lord, Lift up your hands and praise the Lord!’ We must command our hands, feet and mouths to praise the Lord, if we want to enjoy His benefits.
Now answer me this most important question. What do you think about Jesus? And the correct answer is that ‘Jesus is DYNOMITE!’ (smile) Yes mih faithful brethren, that’s the only word to truly describe the power and glory of our wonderful and ever-precious Lord and Saviour! His power is awesome, NOTHING is impossible to him! His forgiveness, LOVE, mercy and grace are without bounds and limits, and He gives them freely to all who sincerely desire them! No wonder we praise and worship Him that highly!
No One else but Him could have sacrificed His holy, sinless life for our sinful ones, taking our sins unto Himself and giving us His righteousness. As Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Corinth in his second missive. ‘For he (God, the Father) hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor. 5:21) And all God’s people shouted a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Glory to the Lamb that was slain on our behalf! Praise His holy name, that’s Jesus: the name above every other; the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!’
Oh my people, there’s never been as great a sacrifice on all the earth as Jesus dying in our place. But in heaven, there might have been the greatest sacrifice ever; that of the Father sacrificing His only Son, placing the sins of the whole world on His sinless shoulders so a bunch of ingrates could be saved, be made righteous and be reconciled to Him.
Bruh Paul says it earlier on in that chapter: ‘And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given us the ministry of reconciliation. To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.’ (2 Cor. 5:18-19)
Yes friends, it was all the work of the Father, operating through Christ! And what’s reconciliation you ask? Listen as the scholars explain it. ‘Reconciliation is the act whereby God on the basis of Christ’s death, has eliminated the cause of hostility between himself and humanity, making possible a complete and maturing fellowship. (The hostility was caused by sin, and was eliminated by the Cross.’
Oh my fellow believers, what can ever be better than that eh; sins wiped away in one fell stroke by someone else’s sacrifice? NOTHING! And we talk a lot about Jesus, and so we ought to, but I think one of the things we don’t consider enough is the great courage and LOVE it took for the Father to sacrifice Jesus on our behalf. Just consider for a moment your having to give up your only son for someone who wasn’t even truly grateful for your sacrifice. You obviously had to be very courageous and LOVE and care for that person a whole lot.
And the Lord did have that eternal, heart-rending LOVE and compassion for us, His most important and precious creation. As Bruh Paul recounts so realistically and ‘tear-jerkingly’ in his letter to the church at Rome. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God, commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:6-8)
How many of us would have done that eh, despite all the LOVE we proclaim? Very few, if any. But God the Father LOVED us so much that He was willing to put His mouth and heart to the test without any reassurances from us. But sadly, so many of us refuse to return that trust and confidence, refuse to be reconciled to Him! What a pity, what a crying shame, that we have not learned from all the mistakes of our ancestors down through the ages, and all the negative consequences they’ve suffered as a result of those rebellious and ungodly errors.
But friends, it’s not too late. In fact, it’s never too late to turn to the God of our creation and salvation, for once there is life, there is ALWAYS hope in Him. So today, let’s be wise and take a leap of faith and go confidently to the throne of the God of many chances, and through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, lay our problems before Him, all in Jesus’ name.
Altogether now: ‘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!’
And now, the answers to those prayers depend upon our keeping the promises we’ve made, for as Cousin Sol, writing as the Preacher, puts it so clearly and bluntly in Ecclesiastes. ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it: for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl. 5:4-5)
Oh my fellow saints, that’s wisdom in spades! So please let’s take it to heart nuh, and put it into action! Much LOVE!
…God created promises to be kept…not to be broken…He made them in the Old Testament…and fulfilled them in the New Testament…all through Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
14 Dec 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bind them about thy neck, despise not God's chastening, disobedience, do not depend on your native instincts, endure chastening, evil ways, fellowship and intimacy with God, find favour and good understanding, God is standing by, grace and peace of God, he shall direct thy paths, honour the Lord with thy substance, I am the beloved of god, I don't have to hurry, I don't have to worry, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in subjection unto the Father of spirits, in the sight of God and man, it yieldeth the peaceful fruit of righteousness, lean not unto thine own understanding, length of days long life and peace, let not mercy and truth forsake thee, let thine heart keep my commandments, LOVE, my son forget not my law, no chastening for the present seems joyful, ride out any storm, share His love with the world, thy barns be filled with plenty, thy presses burst out with new wine, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, wisdom in spades, with all thy heart soul and mind, worldwide misfortune and calamity, write them upon the table of thine heart
Proverbs 3:1. My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.
The grace and peace of Almighty God to you my faithful brethren, this Tuesday morning in the Advent Season of this crazy year of 2021! And though the waters are troubled and there’s danger all around, I just want to remind us that our great God is standing by, and He’s faithfully promised that if we hold on to His marvellous Son, Jesus, the One who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross at Calvary so unselfishly for us, we will be able to ride out any storm that threatens to overwhelm us.
That’s why Cousin Sol wrote these wise words in Proverbs, under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit. ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments. For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck (like a necklace); and write them upon the table of thine heart (thy mind). So shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov. 3:1-4)
Ah mih people, it couldn’t get any clearer than that. Just look at the wonderful benefits that will accrue to us if we are obedient to God’s will and purpose and let mercy and truth guide our lives. We talking about seeing things like prosperous days in a long and productive life, with favour and high esteem from both God and man. Now it couldn’t get any better than that, could it? Certainly not!
And if you don’t believe Cousin Sol, then listen to Moses as he instructed the Hebrew children long before that. ‘All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe (be careful to observe) to do, that ye may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto (promised) your fathers.’ (Deut. 8:1) Yes friends, the blessings of God will always fall on the obedient, faithful, truthful and merciful!
So, I wonder why our world is in such an angry uproar and consumed by so much violence and strife? Could it be because we have not kept those traits above there that please our Creator and heavenly Father? I would tend to say that our disobedience and evil ways have played, and are still playing a big part in our current worldwide misfortune and calamity. Now the Lord knows that living for Him will not always be easy, but He expects us to make a sincere effort and even went to the awesome length of sacrificing His only Son Jesus so that those who believe in Him will have divine help to live the way He desires.
And yuh know what, Cousin Sol was so conscientious and interested in our welfare that he broke down the rules for us into their most basic form. Listen as he admonishes and guides us in his wisdom. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6) That’s wisdom in spades my people.
And if you still don’t understand it all, then listen as scholars explain. ‘3:5-6. Three commands are given: trust, meaning “rely on, depend on”; lean not, meaning do not depend on your own native instincts; and acknowledge him, meaning have fellowship and intimacy with God in all of life. The result of such devotion is that God will make the paths of your life straight before you.’ Now that doesn’t mean you won’t have problems, but you can be assured that He will guide you through them, eventually working it all out for your benefit.
And Cousin Sol didn’t stop there. He continued with his wise advice. ‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength or refreshment) to thy bones. Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruit of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov. 3:7-10)
Oh friends, the whole duty and wisdom of man is laid out in those verses from 1-10. If you follow them sincerely you will be so blessed and productive and prosperous that you won’t know what to do with yourself! (smile) As we said, it’s not easy to live that life in this world, but that’s why God gave us all the help He did. But we need to grasp that help and hold on to it tightly, if we want to receive the blessings that flow from living for Jesus.
And please excuse me, there’s one more important thing that Cousin Sol mentions. And this is probably the most difficult one to accept. (smile) He says: ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of (detest) his correction. For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:11-12)
Ah mih bredrin, that’s a hard one, for none of us likes to be chastened or corrected, even when we do wrong. But our God knows that in our frailty and weakness we will make mistakes and since He is our heavenly father, it is His bounden duty to correct us, like our earthly fathers do. And He only corrects us because He LOVES us so deeply and doesn’t want to see us go astray and be lost from His fold.
And the author of Hebrews, in talking about God’s discipline, quotes those verses of Cousin Sol, then adds his two cents worth. ‘If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards (illegitimate), and not sons.
Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence (respect): shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure (as seemed best to them); but he (God) for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening (discipline) for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised (trained) thereby.’ (Heb. 12:7-11)
Yeh friends, living a disciplined life is tough, and when we make mistakes and get punished, we are never happy right then and there, but later on we realize that it was really for our good and it helped make us better people. And the purpose of all that we’ve said today is simply to have us use wisdom, the divine kind to live this earthly life, because when we do, it improves our entire life and existence and even flows down to the generations that come after us.
So, for those of us who are sincerely trying to live right, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and confident 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 the world. Amen!’
And having proclaimed that proclamation (smile), we now must go out and share the awesome LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know, LOVE and serve him like we do. Much LOVE!
…man was made to serve…to revere…and to LOVE God…with all his heart, body and soul…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
14 Apr 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all these things will be added unto you, corruption, do whatever sutis their evil and ungodly purposes, every evil thing, God's bar of justice, halfway home, hands on the plough, heaven is more appealing than hell, inept cowards, Johnny yuh too bad, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not turning back, persevere to the end, run to the rock for rescue, seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, so entrenched in power, take away the right from the poor, tarnished with greed, that write grievousness, the blatant manner in which it's now perpetrated, the breath of life, the LOVE of money, the Mighty One of Israel, the morally empty, the root of all evil, the season of dictators, there'll be no rock, they may rob the fatherless, to a glorious future with Jesus, turn aside the needy from judgement, Wednesday Wail, where yuh gonna run, which they have prescribed, widows may be their prey, wisdom in spades, woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees
Isaiah 10:1. Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness (misfortune) which they have prescribed;
Morning mih bredrin. Yuh know, I was just thinking of how to begin today’s sermon, (smile) that’s what a friend of mine calls it, and for a moment I was lost in thought, thinking in my own strength, when suddenly it occurred to me, ‘Why not check the Good Book and see what it says eh?’ Yes friends, wisdom in spades! So I turned to the Lord’s Word, to check what it says at the place where I had opened it. And, lo, and behold, it had opened at this very appropriate scripture in Isaiah.
Listen up closely please. ‘Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness (misfortune) which they have prescribed; To turn aside (deprive) the needy from judgement (of justice), and to take away the right (what is right) from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!’ (Is. 10:1-2)
And yuh better believe that Isaiah could be writing to our very society right now, because it is so tarnished with greed, corruption and every evil thing in the corridors of power that those words written so long ago about the evils in Israel, also apply most appropriately to this current time. But what saddens me ever so much, is not the evil itself, but the blatant manner in which it is now perpetrated.
Oh, there’s always been greed and corruption and all the other negative stuff in leadership circles, but it’s never been as blunt, blatant and doh-care as it is now! Our current leaders simply don’t care about anything or anybody else but themselves and their evil cronies and just do whatever suits their evil and ungodly purposes, and who don’t like it, tough! They feel they are so entrenched in power, that the ordinary man in the street, the ones to whom they owe allegiance, fidelity and good governance, can’t touch them, so they’ve become bold faced enough to be thinking about dictatorship.
Yes friends, another era of strongmen, of dictators, is currently blossoming all over our world, and it doesn’t augur well for the lowly and downtrodden, because that’s where dictators, the morally empty and inept cowards usually plant their heavy yoke. But my people, those fools who crave earthly power so badly that they are willing to sell their souls to Satan and his evil dominion for it, unfortunately don’t realize that there is a power greater than all of us, including the evil one, and when that august personage, the Lord of hosts is his name, is ready to wreak vengeance on the perpetrators of evil, they don’t stand a chance of escape, like a snowball in the fiery chambers of hell!
Hear how the prophet describes that time of awakening nuh. ‘And what will ye do in the day of visitation (punishment), and in the desolation which shall come from far? To whom will ye flee for help? And where will ye leave your glory? Without me they shall bow down under (among) the prisoners, and they shall fall under (among) the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still (in judgement)’ (Is. 10:3-4) Oh my faithful believers in Christ, what a sad day it will be for the evil ones, when the Lord of hosts unfurls His awesome plan of justice for the poor and downtrodden! As the prophet queries: ‘To whom will ye flee for help?’
That reminds me of an old reggae song ‘Johnny yuh too bad,’ by the Slickers, featured in the Jimmy Cliff movie, ‘The Harder They Come.’ And the lyrics say: ‘Walking down the road With your pistol in your waist, Johnny yuh too bad. Walking down the road With your ratchet in your waist, Johnny yuh too bad. Yuh just robbing and yuh stabbing and yuh looting and yuh shooting And yuh too bad.
Yuh just robbing and yuh stabbing and yuh looting and yuh shooting, And yuh too bad. One of these days When you hear a voice say come, Where you gonna run to? One of these days When you hear a voice say come Where you gonna run to? Yuh gonna run to the rock for rescue There will be no rock, Yuh gonna run to the rock for rescue There will be no rock.’
Oh my fellow believers, in the day of judgement, that fateful day, when the Lord of hosts comes seeking justice for His people, the wicked will run to their rock, the evil one, for protection, but he will not be around, because the Mighty One of Israel will have already tethered him, securely imprisoned him in the fiery realms of hell!
For the life of me, I just can’t fathom what’s so grand and enthralling about a lot of power nuh, because the more power you have the more responsibility comes with it. And likewise money: the more you have, the more you have to take care of. But mankind just seems fascinated by the aura of power and prestige and money. But please remember what Bruh Paul told Timothy about the LOVE of money: ‘For the LOVE of money is the root of all evil (all kinds of evil): which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’ (1 Tim. 7:10)
Yes my brethren, whenever we covet something, it leads us astray, and often to ruin, because the inherent power of the word means we will do anything to get what we covet. And sadly, that’s what happens to so many of us, we covet the wrong things in life, like power, money, social status, and the things the world considers so important and must have.
But in the truthful words of Jesus, what we need to do is seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all those things shall be added unto us. (Matt. 6:33) And the beauty of getting those things from Jesus is that once we get them from Him, the probability of losing them is very low, unlike when we get them through selling our souls to Satan.
As the scholars explain: ‘10:1-4. A prophetic Woe is pronounced against those administrators who pervert justice. These government officials have abused their power and are now called to God’s bar of justice.’ And my Scrip-Bit friends and family, I sincerely hope that none of us will be amongst the sad and sorry lot that will eventually be called to God’s bar of justice, because it will be a sad day of reckoning. So for those of us who sincerely try to keep evil out of our souls, let’s go home now declaring (awright!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our most wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
Altogether now: ‘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 there’s indeed no better place for us to be focused my fellow saints, because if we persevere to the end, that promised future will be even more glorious and amazing than we can either think or imagine. Much LOVE!
…the option of heaven…is definitely more appealing…than that of hell…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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