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
28 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bask in His love, be found unto praise honour and glory at Christ's appearing, because thou hast seen me thou hast believed, being much more precious than gold, believers must be valiant, blessed are they that have not seen yet believed, christianity, Christians, close to God, deepen my breath, do we with patience wait for it, doing God's will, eagerly wait, faith, faith is the substance of things hoped for, for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, for what a man sees why does he yet hope for ir, full of glory, gave his only begotten son as a sacrifice, he is a liar, he who loves God love his brother also, holy spirit, hope that is seen is not hope, how can he love God whom he hath not seen, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, if a man say I love God and hates his brother, if we hope for what we see not, in our chaotic world, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lightning, LOVE, love our neighbours as ourselves, making positive changes, mercy, Mother Earth, perseverance, placed our trust and lives in Jesus' faithful hands, put his hands in the nail prints of jesus' hands, quiet my soul, reach hither thy finger and behold my hnads, reach hither thy hand, relax my muscles, return his love through trust and surrender, salvation, saying we love god is easy but doing it is hard, slow my thoughts, thank you for this tenderness, that our sins could be forgiven, the BIBLE, the evidence of things not seen, the fain fell in torrents, the One who loves us more than we can imagine, the second great commandment, the sun valiantly overpowered the clouds, the trial of your faith, though it be tried with fire, though now you see him not yet believing, thrust it into my side, thunder, truth, we are saved by hope, we love him because he first loved us, we walk by faith not by sight, whom having not seen you love, wisdom, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, you can't be contained, your love brh surrounds and fills me
John 20:29b. blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
So we move on to Saturday, our lazy-day Saturday, where we try to do as little as possible, after a hard and frustrating week’s work. (smile) And it’s a beautiful day, with more sunshine than cloud, plus a brisk, cool breeze, and temps supposedly on the rise. But Mother Earth is clean, after a thorough cleansing in the midnight hour, when the thunder roared, the lightning flashed and the rain fell in torrents.
And by the way, yesterday afternoon, the sun did valiantly overpower the clouds and come out shining in all its glory, so it’s not impossible for us to be valiant and get up and do God’s will. Just a reminder that we need to get up and get a move on, if we ever hope to make any productive and positive changes in our chaotic world. (smile) And we can begin right now by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer.
As one strong and 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!’
Ah friends, how good it is to be close to our God; our Creator and Controller, the One who LOVES us more than we can ever think or imagine, so much so that He gave His only begotten Son as a sacrifice so that our sins could be forgiven! Now, if that doesn’t show true and real LOVE, I don’ know what does! And it’s ever so wise for us to get close and stay close to Him, so that He can LOVE us the way He desires, to bask in it, while returning it through our surrender to and trust in Him and His awesome Son Jesus Christ!
That brings to mind the situation after Christ rose from the dead and appeared to the disciples. Thomas though was absent, and after hearing about it, claimed that He would not believe unless he put his hands in the nail prints of Jesus’ hands and the javelin wound in His side. And you must LOVE the wit of Jesus, for He specifically chose a time when Thomas was with the other disciples to appear again.
Jesus headed straight for him, and said, ‘Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless (unbelieving), but believing. And Thomas said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.’ (John 20:27-29)
Yes friends, Jesus is there talking about people like us, who did not see Him in the living flesh while He was here on earth, but nonetheless have believed His story, and fervently placed our trust and lives in His faithful and trustworthy hands. That’s why Bruh Paul could write thus to the Corinthians: ‘(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) (1 Cor. 5:7) And to the Romans: ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) (eagerly) wait for it.’ (Rom. 8:24-25)
And that’s what our faith is all about; eagerly waiting with perseverance for Christ’s return! As the author of Hebrews writes: ‘Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb. 11:1) So faith and hope help us to understand as well as wait for those wonderful things that Jesus promised would eventually come to pass.
And I like how Peter puts it when talking about an Incorruptible Inheritance that’s laid up for us. He says: ‘That the trial (genuineness) of your faith. being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing (revelation) of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye LOVE; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.’ (1 Pet. 1:7-8)
Wow! What a manifestation of our faith! Though we haven’t seen Jesus in the flesh, like so many others did, yet we LOVE Him like no other; more than any human being, and rejoice with unspeakable joy and give Him all the glory! Now, many other beings have the power to entice others into joyfully LOVING them and basking in their glory, but NONE of them have the power to keep the promises that Jesus made and instill the marvellous and miraculous faith that He’s been able to instill down through the ages in so many humans who have never seen Him in person, and is still instilling in numerous believers.
And I believe these are some excellent words for us to go out on this lazy-day Saturday, the last one of June 2025. They come from the first epistle of John, where he confidently declares: ‘We LOVE Him, because he first LOVED us. If a man say, I LOVE God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that LOVETH not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he LOVE God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who LOVETH God LOVE his brother also.’ (1 John 4:19-21)
Oh my people it could not be any clearer than that. We cannot say we truly LOVE God while hating our brother. Remember the second great commandment is to LOVE our neighbours as ourselves, (Matt. 22:39) and our neighbours are all those we come into contact with. So, I implore us this lazy-day Saturday, to spend some time considering our faith; if we truly believe in Jesus, although we’ve not seen Him, and if so, how are we relating to our brothers and neighbours in this crazy and ungodly world. That ought to give us much pause for thought! (smile) Much LOVE!
…saying we LOVE God is easy…but doing it in real life is definitely not easy…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
21 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, acknowledge God's sovereignty, after a hard week's work, all liars, be wise and choose life, between a rock and a hard place, blaspheme His holy name, blessing and cursing, both thou and thy seed may live, choose life, crying out for help, deepen my breath, disobedient, do our won thing, draws us closer to our heavenly Father, established it upon the floods, eternal death, eternal death with Satan, eternal life, eternal life with Christ, every step of the way, faith, find ourselves in trouble, fools despise wisdom and instruction, free will, good communion, he hath founded it upon the seas, holy spirit, I call heaven and earth, I have set before you life and death, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, in the name of Jesus, increase my awareness of you, indwelling Holy Spirit, intimacy with god, intimacy with His human creation, Jesus Christ, Jesus is with us, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, mercy, more in tune with Satan than with God, no more death, no more pain, no more sorrow, nomore cruing, pray without ceasing, quiet my soul, rebellious, relax my muscles, robots, salvation, selfish, sexually immoral, slow my thoughts, stay in the good graces of God, thank you for this tenderness, the abominable, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, the fearful, the former things are passed away, the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, the world, the world and they that dwell therein, to make a living, to record this day against you, traffic jams, true wisdom is clinging sincerely to Jesus, truth, under the umbrella of His shed blood, warms the cockles of God's heart, whoremongers, wisdom, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
1 Thessalonians 5:17. Pray without ceasing.
And after Friday comes Saturday; our lazy-day Saturday, when we just laze around and try to catch ourselves after a hard week’s work, of battling the twice a day traffic jams and all the other stuff we have to contend with out there in this crazy world, as we try to make a living, all in the name of Jesus! And we only succeed because Jesus is with us every step of the way, through His indwelling Holy Spirit!
So, seeing that we don’t have to rush off anywhere today, let’s take a moment and 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!’
Now, that just quiets our souls and draws us a li’l closer to our heavenly Father, giving Him His greatest desire, more intimacy with His human creation. For, remember one of the main reasons He created us, is that we could have good communion together. The unfortunate part of that plan though, is that we’ve used the free will He gave us to become selfish, disobedient and rebellious, not desiring to have much communion with Him, preferring to do our own thing without any interference whatsoever from Him.
But that’s a fool’s wisdom, and it’s only when we find ourselves in trouble, between a rock and a hard place that we run to Him, crying out for help. And when He doesn’t answer our cries for help, we get all upset and blaspheme His holy name. What we need to remember is that He is the Sovereign ruler pf this universe; it’s Creator and Controller, and answers to NO ONE! Bruh David stated it in no uncertain terms: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness 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, He is the one that created everything and controls it all. And until we get that straight in our puny minds, we’re liable to go off on all sorts of foolish tangents in this crazy and chaotic world, that will only make our lives more difficult than necessary, and will eventually ruin us. That’s why it’s wise and necessary to stay in the good graces of Almighty God, keeping in constant touch with Him through prayer. As Bruh Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: ‘Pray without ceasing.’ (1 Thess. 5:17)
In other words, have a running communication with the Father. As you go about your day, talk to Him about everything. Oh friends, you don’t know how it warms the cockles of His heart when we bring Him into all of our affairs, be they simple or complicated. It certainly does, because He created us so that He could get involved in our everyday lives, and gave us free will so that we would not be merely robots, but have some choices in our lives, hoping that we would choose Him, and His way of life over everything else.
Sadly though, today we seem more in tune with the fallen angel, Satan, than we are with our Creator. But please remember that Satan is also a created being, and only exists by the grace of God, and when He believes the time is right, Satan will be destroyed, along with all those who have taken shelter under his evil wings. That means true wisdom is clinging sincerely to Jesus Christ, for those who are under the umbrella of His shed blood will enjoy eternal life with Him.
As Cousin Sol so wisely says in Proverbs: ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the (principal) beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov. 1:7) And he’s right on both points. The first step in gaining knowledge is by submitting to God and His revelation. And fools do indeed despise wisdom and knowledge because they think they know it all. But thankfully some of us do bow to the Lord’s sovereignty and accept His Word as wisdom and truth, the things which will give us a good life here on earth and an even better one in the life to come, where there will be no more tears, no more death, or pain or sorrow, or crying, for the former things are passed away. ( Rev. 21:4)
However, if we don’t acknowledge God’s sovereignty here’s what we have to look forward to. ‘But the fearful (cowardly), and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers (sexually immoral), and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.’ (Rev. 21:8) Now that’s the two ends we humans will eventually face; eternal life with Jesus, or eternal death with Satan; the choice is ours.
But like the Lord so strongly advised Moses to say to the children of Israel so long ago: ‘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) Oh friends, it’s the same thing the Lord’s saying to us today; be wise, choose Me, choose life and not death, because in death, it’s all over, but in life, it goes on forever.
So please, I implore us, on this bright and sunshiny lazy-day Saturday in June 2025, let’s take a moment to review all we know and have heard, then be wise and choose life nuh! Much LOVE!
…when the battle rages…it’s wisest to choose the reigning king…over the foolish, untried usurper…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
14 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a more meaningful relationship with Christ, a personal relationship with Christ, a strong assurance and belief, afflicted hearts cling to each other, ask anything according to his will, being made conformable to his death, companionship in sorrow, confidence, confidence in receiving what is asked for, count them all but dung, deepen my breath, departed into a solitary place and prayed, establishes the most intimate and lasting of ties, faith, go down the wrong path, God answers prayers aligned with His will, God delights in intimacy with us, God is a just and faithful God, he hears us, holy spirit, I count all things but loss, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, if we know that God hears us, in actual day-to-day experience, in the Garden of Gethsemane, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, Jesus went out, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, leads to Christ and eternal life, leads to death and destruction, like Jesus did, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, made conformable unto his death, mercy, not having mine own righteousness, Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus, ponder our relationship with God, pour out our hearts to God, preaching Christ crucified, quiet my soul, reach for Paul's level of zeal, relax my muscles, rising up a great while before day, salvation, seeking God's desires than personal whims, singing praises to their heavenly father, slow my thoughts, thank you for this tenderness, that I may know him, that I may know you all the more, that I may win Christ, the birds are frolicking, the broad and winding way, the effectiveness of prayer, the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, the fellowship of his sufferings, the link between faith prayer and God's will, the power of his resurrection, the power that raised Jesus from the dead, the righteousness which is of God by faith, the straight and narrow path, the wind is kicking up a rumpus, this is the confidence that we have in Him, truth, we know we have the desired petitions, whatsoever we ask, wisdom, wisdom at its zenith, you can't achieve intimacy unless you seek it, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me
Philippians 3:10. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.
Oh friends, it’s a beautiful though a bit cool lazy-day Saturday in my neighbourhood. The sun’s shining, the birds are frolicking and singing their praises to their heavenly Father, but unfortunately, the wind is kicking up a rumpus, causing the poor trees to dance to its wild and crazy tune. But other than that, everything’s right in my area. (smile) Consequently, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with sincere and heartfelt desire.
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!’ And because we know that our God is a just and faithful God who delights in having intimacy with us, if our prayer was truly sincere, we’ll soon be experiencing His awesome peace and presence in our spirits.
It’s like John declares in his first epistle: ‘And this is the confidence that we have in him (God), that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired (asked) of him.’ (1 John 5:14-15) You cannot ask for better assurance than that my brethren! Now what does it all mean?
This commentary breaks it down thus: ‘Confidence: The verse speaks of a strong assurance and belief that God hears and answers prayers that are aligned with His will. According to his will: This is a crucial part of the verse. It suggests that the effectiveness of prayer is tied to seeking God’s desires and purposes rather than personal whims. He hears us: This emphasizes that God is attentive to the prayers of those who believe in Him and seek His will. In other words, this verse highlights the link between faith, prayer, and God’s will, emphasizing that when prayers align with God’s plan, there is confidence in receiving what is asked.’
I couldn’t put it any better than that my people. And why this big thing about intimacy with God? Because that’s the essence of our relationship! Yes, He made us to have intimacy with Him; so that we can know Him and all that He is and stands for. Note how Jesus was always off somewhere praying to the Father, talking to Him, asking for guidance and strength to do His Work. And I like how Mark puts it: ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he (Jesus) went out, and departed into a solitary(deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35)
Yes, Jesus even rose up early and went out to a quiet place to have intimacy with the Father. That’s what we need to do on a more regular basis; find a quiet place and talk to the Father, pour out our hearts to Him, like Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before His crucifixion. (Matt. 26:36-46) Let’s remember that there’s nothing the Lord desires more than a close and intimate relationship with us. He desires to be involved in every aspect of our lives. That’s because of His great LOVE and compassion for us. He doesn’t want to see us go down the wrong path, the broad and winding one that leads to death and destruction, but to stay on the straight and narrow one that leads to Him and eternal life. (Matt. 7:13-14)
And when we talk about intimacy with God, I don’t know if there’s anyone who wanted it as badly as Bruh Paul, judging from what he wrote in his letter to the Philippians. He was from a good family, a well-educated and diligent and zealous Pharisee, a Pharisee of Pharisees, who sincerely believed that he was right in persecuting the church. However, in one of the Lord’s many mysterious movements, one sunny day, as Bruh Paul was travelling to Damascus to persecute more believers, the Lord accosted him with a bullet of light which knocked him off his horse and blinded him.
Subsequently, the Lord forgave him of his earlier heinous deeds against the church, and instead gave him the responsibility to spread the church. You can read the story of Bruh Paul’s amazing conversion in Acts chapter 9. Now, all of that so touched Bruh Paul, that with his characteristic diligence and zeal, he transformed it all to preaching Christ crucified and His resurrection. So much so that he wrote to the Philippians:
‘But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung (rubbish) that I may win Christ. And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.’ (Phil. 3:7-10)
Oh my fellow believers, do any of us want such deep intimacy with Christ? Yes, I know it’s difficult to come to that stage of faith, but it’s one we should all seek to reach. And here’s how the scholars explain Bruh Paul’s sentiments. They say that verse 10 ‘may also be paraphrased: “In order that I may personally know Him, that I might both experience His resurrection power and share in His sufferings, and thus I will be more and more conformed to His death.” Paul wants “the righteousness of … God” (vs. 9) so that he can obtain a personal relationship with Jesus in actual day-to-day experience.
This knowledge of Christ is obtained by experiencing in daily problems, needs, ministry, and so forth, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Knowing Christ also entails participating in His sufferings. Paul desires to share in the Lord’s sufferings because they bring him into a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Him; companionship in sorrow establishes the most intimate and lasting of ties, as afflicted hearts cling to each other.’
And that’s a fact that many of us can attest to, if we’ve been through suffering with others. But getting back to intimacy with Christ. Most of us can never hope to reach Bruh Paul’s level of zeal and LOVE for Christ, but as I said earlier on, it is the standard to which we all ought to aim for, because the closer we get to God, the better will be our lives, both earthly and heavenly. So let’s take some time on this lazy-day Saturday to ponder our relationship with our heavenly Father, and see how we can improve it. That’s wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…you can’t achieve intimacy with God…unless you actively seek it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
07 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a godly promise, a growing relationship with God, a lover of intimacy, a sincere heart, a spiritual man, as a dream, Bishop Riscylla Shaw, brought into desolation, Christian Residence Schools, deepen my breath, destroyed those who are unfaithful to you, destruction of the wicked, envious of the wicked's prosperity, essential to keeping our faith strong, face doubts and fears, faith, find the answer to the problem, God doesn't make idle promises, God is the strength of my heart, guide me with counsel, he won't ever defeat us, holy spirit, I am continually with thee, I have put my trust in the Lord, I marvel to think, I may declare all thy works, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I was as a beast before thee, increase my awareness of you today, Indigenous people, it is good for me to draw near to God, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, Lord I want to be with you now, lost his faith, LOVE, mercy, Metis heritage, my flesh and my heart faileth, my flesh and my heart fails, my heart was grieved, my portion for ever, Pentecost Prayer Breakfast, pierced in my mind, pricked in my reins, put on the armour of god, quiet my soul, receive me to glory, received a divine perspective, relax my muscles, reprehensible act of colonialism, salvation, sentiments, slow my thoughts, so foolish was I, stand firm for God, stripped of their culture, stumbled spiritually, Suffragan Bishop of Toronto, thank you for this tenderness, the destiny of the wicked, the enemy can take his best shot, the enemy shoots his fiery darts at us, the spiritually mature, then I understood their end, there is none upon earth I desire beside thee, they that are far from thee shall perish, thou didst set them in slippery places, thou hast held me by thy right hand, truth, Truth and Reconciliation, until I went into the sanctuary of God, utterly consumed with terrors, walk in god's will, warnings of smoke from wildfires, whom have I in heaven but thee, wisdom, with God's protection, write deeply in our hearts souls bodies and minds, you are here with me, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Psalm 73:26. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever.
It’s a hot and hazy lazy-day Saturday friends, like it was yesterday, with more warnings of smoke from the wildfires. Thankfully, though I saw the haziness of the smoke in the area, I could not smell it because my allergies were acting up, just as they are today. But that did not stop us from going to the annual Pentecost Prayer Breakfast at my church this morning, where everyone had a good time…as always, (smile) led by our indomitable, courageous and joyful pastor Fr. Jeff Brown. And that’s why we’re somewhat late with the Bit.
We also had an interesting and informative Guest Peaker, Bishop Riscylla Shaw, the Suffragan Bishop of Toronto, giving us some insights into her Indigenous (Metis) Heritage and her work with the Truth and Reconciliation Committee. Unfortunately, that Committee was brought about by another disgusting and reprehensible act of the Colonial Era, the Christian Residence Schools, where the Indigenous people were stripped of their language, culture, history and self-confidence so that they could become good Christian children.
Oh, the abominable things we’ve done, supposedly in the name of the Lord! But slowly, things are changing, and though it may take a long time to come to rights, we have to keep working and praying to finally see that day, although most of us currently alive, probably will not see it. In the meantime, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, with heartfelt sincerity.
As one 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 as we full well know; intimacy is one thing the Lord will not, in fact, cannot refuse, if we come to Him with a sincere heart, because that’s who He is: a LOVER of intimacy, and one of His purposes for creating us. And speaking of intimacy, there’s no better revelation of that fact than in the psalmist Asaph’s situation, as he states in Psalm 73, the first part of which we looked at yesterday. He was jealous and envious of the wicked and their seeming prosperity here on earth, while the righteous were suffering, and he almost stumbled spiritually and lost his faith…’Until I went into the sanctuary of God: then I understood their end.’ (Ps. 73:17)
As the scholars explain: ‘Not until the psalmist entered God’s sanctuary and received a divine perspective on the wicked’s prosperity did he find his answer to the problem.’ Yes, then and only then did he truly realize how our God looks at wickedness, as he says: ‘Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. How they are brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.’ (Ps. 73:18-20)
And that’s for certain sure! The Lord has made many promises to destroy the wicked and their seed when He is good and ready. And since we know He doesn’t make idle promises, that destruction of the wicked is definitely in the cards. However, as we said yesterday, for those of us who are having problems envying the wicked and their earthly prosperity, it might also be a good thing for us to go into the house of the Lord and try to find greater intimacy and understanding with Him.
For as Asaph further confesses: ‘Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins (pierced in my mind). So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden (held) me by thy right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.’ (Ps. 73: 22-24) Now those are also faithful promises made by our God to the righteous, so if we walk in His will, then we can be assured that He will keep them.
And I like how he concludes the psalm. ‘Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee (those who are unfaithful to thee). But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.’ (Ps. 73:25-28) Now my fellow believers, those are words and sentiments that we should all have and write deeply in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, for they are essential in keeping our faith strong and growing.
And we’ll close with this overall explanation of the psalm from the scholars. ‘He saw (Asaph) the destiny of the wicked (vs. 17-20); therefore, he repented of his foolishness (vs. 21-22) and found his happiness solely in a warm and growing relationship with God (vs. 23-28). The point of the psalm is driven home even more dramatically when remembering that Asaph, the author, was a spiritual man who grew up with deeply religious training. (1 Chr. 15:16-19; 16:4-7; 2 Chr. 5:12; 29:30).’Those are references to where Asaph is mentioned in the Bible as an important musician and seer under Bruh David and other kings.
Now, Asaph’s problem just goes to show that even the spiritually mature amongst us can face doubts and fears when the enemy shoots his fiery darts at us. So, it is incumbent on us to always put on the armour of God for protection, and when we do…then we stand…stand firm for God! Much LOVE!
…the enemy can take his best shot…but with God’s protection…he won’t ever defeat us…that’s a godly promise…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a free for all, a hard task master, a heart full of love, a man's enemies are the men of his own house, a more godly being, according to the fruit of his doings, adulteries, arrogance, be careful what we allow in our hearts, blasphemy, blustery winds, christianity, closer intimacy with God, compassion, created in the image of God, deceitful hearts, deepen my breath, desperately wicked, every man did that which was right in his own eyes, faith, filled with hope, for out of it flow the issues of life, fornications, fraud, from her that lieth in thy bosom, God tests the hearts and minds of the righteous, God's greatest attribute is love, goodness, great sinfulness, greed, hardship, heartfelt sincerity, holy spirit, I marvel to think, I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, if there be any wicked way in me, increase my awareness of you today, incurably sick, intimacy, Jesus Christ, keep the doors of thy mouth, keep thy heart with all diligence, know my anxious thoughts, know my heart, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lead me in the way everlasting, Lord I praise you, Lord I want o be with you now, LOVE, mercy, no honour in a man's' word, nothing from without a man can defile him, obedience, out of the heart of men, out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, pride, put ye not confidence in a guide, quiet my soul, receive God's help, relax my muscles, salvation, Satan, search me O God, self-aggrandizement, slow my thoughts, strife, test the mind, tests our faith and love, thank you for this tenderness, that I may know you all the more, the BIBLE, the daughter rises up against her mother, the heart is deceitful above all things, the Master Deceiver, the motives of our hearts, the son dishonours the father, the things which come out of a man defile him, there was no king in Israel, to give every man according to his ways, trust ye not in a friend, truth, try me, unwise to trust others, waiting in the wings, who can know it, wickedness come naturally to man's sinful nature, wisdom, you are here with me, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present, your unceasing nearness
Jeremiah 17:9. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?
Awright friends, our lazy-day Saturday is here, sunny with a touch of cloudiness and a little warmer than yesterday, but it opened with the same blustery winds that created havoc yesterday. Right now it seems to have settled down somewhat, but who knows what later will bring. But we won’t worry, just hope that if it does restart, it won’t do any serious damage. In the meantime, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, seeking closer intimacy with our wonderful God.
As one strong and 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 with the heartfelt sincerity in which we offered up that prayer, the Lord simply cannot refuse our request, because His greatest attribute is LOVE, which includes closeness, caring, compassion and intimacy, and from day one He’s been asking us to LOVE Him more. So how can He refuse when we come to Him with a heart full of LOVE eh? No way!
However, please note that the Lord doesn’t fall for our outward manifestations, but first checks the motives of our hearts before He makes a move. Remember what He says in Jeremiah? The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try (test) the reins (mind), even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.’ (Jer. 17:9-10)
And how does the Lord test our hearts? This commentary tells us: ‘God tests the hearts and minds of the righteous. He tests our faith and LOVE by means of obedience and hardship. He sometimes withdraws to test us. The Messiah refines His people by fire.’ So being a true believer is no Sunday afternoon walk in the park., for it takes guts and discipline. That’s why Bruh David could offer up these heartfelt words: ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my (anxious) thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ (Ps. 139:23-24)
Now that’s an interesting prayer that we can all offer up, for we know from personal experience as well as worldwide knowledge, that the heart of man is the most deceitful thing in God’s great universe! Just look around at our world today and you’ll see that all the strife, all the greed, all the fraud, arrogance and self-aggrandizement come from deceitful hearts. We blatantly make promises with no intention of keeping them. There’s no longer any honour in a man’s word. Everything’s become lawless, a free for all. We’re daily becoming more like old time Israel, when the Bible tells us: ‘In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.’ (Judg. 21:25)
Unfortunately, that’s the way we seem to be travelling my brethren, for even with an abundance of dictators and despotic leaders, man’s natural gravitation to lawlessness, to doing what He himself desires, is very strong. And don’t forget that the Master Deceiver, Satan, is always waiting in the wings with a deceitful word and smile to encourage us to go our own way. That’s why these days it’s so unwise to trust others. We have to be so wary, even with our own family.
The prophet Micah said it a long time ago, revealing the deep societal decay within Israel, and it’s the same today. ‘Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide (companion): keep (guard) the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.’ (Mic. 7:5-6) And sadly my brethren we can see that taking place all over our world right now. For wickedness comes naturally to man’s sinful nature.
Remember what Jesus said about that? ‘There is nothing from without (outside) a man that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile a man. …That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye (licentiousness), blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.’ (Mark 7:15; 20-23)
And if you’re alive today, and of sane mind, you will see that all those evil things are currently very prevalent in our society, in fact ruling the roost. No wonder, Cousin Sol, the wisest man ever, could write a long time ago: ‘Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.’ (Prov. 4:23) And this commentary explains that verse thus: “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” Our heart is our mind—it’s what we think and believe with, feel with, choose with, and judge with. Solomon warns us to be careful what we allow into our hearts.’
And there’s no better time to start doing that than right now my faithful believers, when our world is in such chaos and disarray! It’s so sad, that at the height of our evolution, we seem to be returning to our warlike, animalistic roots, and not moving upwards to a more godly, peaceful and LOVING being, created in the wonderful image of our great God. It must break His heart every day, when He looks down upon His creation and see what a mess they are making of His universe.
But don’t worry, one thing we, His true disciples are filled with is HOPE; a hope for a brighter day, a brighter future which we are slowly and painstakingly working towards. So let’s stay strong, look up, and receive God’s help and encouragement to turn things around. For that’s why we’re here at this particular time! And we pray it all in Jesus name! Amen! Much LOVE my brethren!
…sinfulness comes easily to us…but goodness is a hard task master…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mixture of cloud and sun, a relationship with God, all should come to repentance, and live ye, breaks his heart, brings tears of joy to his eyes, brings tears of sadness to his eyes, cherished moments, christianity, come as a thief in the night, come unto the knowledge of truth, deepen my breath, desire to get intimate with God, Eli Eli lama sabachthani, eternal life, faith, for your unceasing nearness, God sent not his son into the world, God's desire for reconciliation, God's universal desire for salvation, good vibes, have I any pleasure at all, holy spirit, I have no pleasure, I may know you all the more, I want to be with you now, imminent duties, in the death of them that dieth, in the sight of God our Saviour, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, Lord I praise you, LOVE, mercy, My God my God, not willing that any should perish, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, return from his ways and live, salvation, Saturday, shall be burned up, slow my thoughts, thank you for this tenderness, that the wicked should die, the apocalyptic judgement, the BIBLE, the day of the Lord, the earth also, the earth and the works therein, the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the Great tribulation, the heavens shall pass away, the ideal day for positive thinking, the knowledge of the truth, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, the painful destiny we're creating, the peace that surpasses all understanding, the Rapture, the world through him might be saved, this is good and acceptable, to condemn the world, truth, turn yourselves, ungrateful sinners, unsettled weather, warms the cockles of God's heart, weighed down with the sins of the world, when the time was right, who will have all men to be saved, why hast thou forsaken me, wisdom, with a great noise, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
1 Timothy 2:4. Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
And though the weather seems somewhat unsettled, being a mixture a of cloud and sun, after a thunder storm in the early morning hours, nonetheless, as one friend wrote me; ‘Saturday is the ideal day for positive thinking, cherished moments, and good vibes! Glory be! Yes friends, a lazy-day Saturday is ideal for those kinds of sentiments, since you don’t have to rush out to work or have too many imminent duties, so you can relax and let the good vibes flow. (smile) And there’s no better way to begin than with offering 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!’
And if our prayer was truly sincere, if the Lord checked our hearts and saw that we really wanted to get closer to Him, then we’ll soon be feeling the calm and peace that surpasses all human understanding. For, as I keep reminding us, there’s nothing our God desires more than His human creation wanting to get more intimate with Him, since that’s one of the major reasons He created us. So when we truly desire to have fellowship with Him, it titillates His Spirit, brings tears of joy to His eyes, and warms the cockles of His heart like nothing else can. (smile)
However, the reverse is also true; when we refuse to have close fellowship with Him, or any fellowship at all, as so many of us are currently doing, it breaks His heart, brings tears of sadness to His eyes, for He knows the sad and painful destiny that we’re creating for ourselves. Remember what Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy: ‘For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.’ (1 Tim. 2:3-4)
Yes my brethren, the Lord doesn’t want to lose even one of His human creation. This verse highlights God’s universal desire for salvation and the knowledge of truth. And as this commentary explains: ‘The phrase “the Lord wants all to come to salvation” is a common way to express a belief that God desires for everyone to be saved and to have a relationship with Him. This concept is rooted in biblical passages that emphasize God’s LOVE and desire for all people to be reconciled to Him.’
And you can see that in scripture after scripture of the Bible. After Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, God’s manifested desire to was to root it out and bring us back to His holy and righteous fold, by giving us salvation through forgiveness of sins, which, when the time was right, He executed through His Son, Jesus Christ!
Oh my people, there can be no doubt that the Lord wants all His human creation to come back to Him, else why would He bend over backwards, even break His own heart, by sacrificing His One Son, on the cross of Calvary? Because the price of sin had to be paid so that forgiveness could be offered, and since Christ was the ONLY sinless person in the universe, He was the ONLY One who could pay the price for our sins. And don’t you think it grieved the Lord greatly to destroy His wonderful Son for a bunch of ungrateful sinners?
Of course! Just consider these hurting and heartfelt words of Christ on the cross nuh. The Bible tells us: ‘And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Matt. 27:46) Now Jesus knew that He became man to pay for the sins of mankind, but when that awful moment of separation from the Father came, He could not stop Himself from bewailing the situation, for it was the first time they were ever separated, and He knew that the Father could not look at Him with pleasure, weighed down with the sins of the world as He was.
And if you still don’t believe that the Lord wants everyone to be saved, then listen to these other verses that spell out His great desire. In the Old Testament, the prophet Ezekiel, declares: ‘Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?’ (Ezek. 18:23) And later in that same chapter, he again declares: ‘For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.’ (Ezek. 18:32)
It’s obvious the Lord doesn’t want the wicked to die, but they will, if they don’t turn from their evil ways. That’s just the law of the kingdom. And Jesus himself said it thus: ‘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) That was God’s whole purpose; saving mankind…that is those who wanted to be saved.
And Peter adds a l’il extra something to his verse, when He says: ‘The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet. 3:9) Yes, my fellow believers, Peter is there telling us about God’s patience and longsuffering, waiting for us to come to the salvation He so badly wants us all to have.
However, He will not wait forever, as Peter continues: ‘But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works therein shall be burned up.’ (2 Pet. 310)
Now that’s not the Rapture, which would have happened before, but the return of Christ in the final apocalyptic judgment. So even if you did not make it in the Rapture, you still have the years of the Great Tribulation to repent and receive salvation, though they will be very evil and terrible years. But after that, there are no more chances, so please, I Implore us, let’s be wise and take hold of God’s great gift of Salvation and Eternal Life right now nuh, so that we won’t miss out on it. Much LOVE!
…though mankind unwisely sinned against God…God in His great LOVE and mercy…still provided a way out through Jesus…but for only so long…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, ambassadors for Christ, and again I say rejoice, be careful for nothing, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, cannot stop our drive to victory, christianity, Christians, deepen my breath, divide and conquer, doing what we want when we want, don't walk the walk, drop our petty differences, faith, fight the good fight for Jesus, filled with the peace of God, galvanize us into action, get serious about living for Christ, glorify your father in heaven, good for nothing, heading straight to hell, holy spirit, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, if the salt has lost it s flavour, in everything by prayer and supplication, in the back of our minds, in the name of Jesus, in the proverbial handbasket, in word and deed, increase my awareness of you today, intimacy with god, it gives light to all in the house, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lead miserable and lacking lives, Let your light so shine before men, let your moderation be known unto all men, let your requests be made known unto God, light blazing, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, make a substantial difference, mercy, neither do men light a candle, peace that passes all human understanding, put it under a bushel, put our faith to work in our daily lives, quiet my soul, Rejoice in the Lord always, relax my muscles, saltiness overflowing, salvation, see your good works, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ, slow my thoughts, start our day with prayer, talk the talk, tasteless like the world, thank you for this tenderness, the BIBLE, the current chaotic state of our world, the enemy, the forefront of our minds, the gutter of hell, the Lord is at hand, the murky abyss of hell, the peace of God which passeth all understading, the terrible consequences of inaction, to be cast out, trodden under foot of men, truth, wisdom, with all sincerity and truth, Ye are the light of the world, ye are the salt of the earth, you are here with me, you can't be contained, your love surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Matthew 5:13a & 16a. Ye are the salt of the earth: Let your light so shine before men,
And finally our lazy-day Saturday is on board! It’s somewhat cloudy and windy and not as warm as we might like, but it’s nonetheless our lazy-day Saturday, where we can do what we want, when we want, and how we want! (smile) Now isn’t that a joy, after having to do the wishes of others all the live long week? It certainly is! And as always, it’s best to start our day with prayer; that’s salutations, greetings and thanks to our wonderful God for allowing us to see another day on this great though confused and chaotic earth.
So let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity and truth. As one 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 without a doubt, if our prayer was truly heartfelt, our bodies and souls will soon be filled with the calm and peace of God, that passes all human understanding. Because there’s nothing that our God likes more than His people wanting greater intimacy with Him, for that’s one of the major reasons He created us. And that’s why, when talking about the God of Peace, Bruh Paul could write these marvellous words to the Philippians.
‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation (graciousness, reasonableness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all human understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:4-7)
Oh friends, what wonderful advice! The trouble however, is that though we know the advice, too many of us keep it somewhere in the back of our minds, instead of in the forefront, and consequently not enough of us put it into practice. No wonder so many of us have somewhat miserable and lacking lives, when with simply following Bruh Paul’s advice we could be doing so much better.
That brings us to the realization that too many of us talk the talk but don’t actually walk it. We all talk about faith and all the things it can do, but how many of us truly put our faith to work in our daily lives eh? Certainly not enough of us, otherwise our world would not be in its current chaotic, ungodly state. That means we’re not doing as Jesus desires. Remember these poignant words of His? ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.’ (Matt. 5:13)
Sadly my people, it seems like way too many of us have lost our salty flavour and now are tasteless just like the rest of the world, which could never be a good thing and work in Jesus’ favour. Remember, we are His ambassadors here on earth and are supposed to be telling others, both in word and deed about His wonderful kingdom, and causing them to want to join us. But unfortunately we’re not doing it well enough. And how can we be good representatives of Jesus when we don’t adhere to these words of His either eh?
‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp) and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:14-16)
And right there my fellow believers is one of our biggest problems and why our world is in such an ungodly mess. God’s people are not shining their lights as brightly as they ought to! Too many of our lights have either been dimmed or simply gone out, for us to be able to make a substantial difference in our evil world that’s sadly heading straight to hell in the proverbial handbasket!
But my brethren it’s not too late for us to stop the slimy slide down to the gutter of hell. No! If we would only get serious about living for Christ, then drop all our petty Christian differences and get together as ONE, and boldly and confidently restore our salty flavour and turn up the level of our lights, so that the world can see what true Christianity is all about, then we can retake most of the world for Christ, and stop that slimy and sorry slide to hell fire and damnation.
But unfortunately it first depends on us being willing to individually stand up and fight against the evil around us, then, more importantly for us to get together and fight as ONE! For we cannot defeat the enemy in our present divided and distrustful state. That’s why the enemy has concentrated on keeping us apart, using the old but wise theory of divide and conquer. And once he keeps us divided, his evil plans will meet with much success, as they are now doing so very blatantly.
So it’s up to us to decide if we’re going to fight the good fight for Jesus, or just let our world slide down into the dark and murky abyss of hell. I’d suggest we all take a few moments today and consider the question and the sure, terrible consequences of our inaction, and let them galvanize us into powerful action, in the strong and mighty name of Jesus! Much LOVE!
…with saltiness overflowing…and light blazing…the enemy cannot stop our drive to victory…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a personal intimate relationship with Christ, a positive attitude, according to thy word, all thy commandments are righteousness, at the height of our civilization, bare our sins in his own body, bear our sins, being dead to sins, by whose stripes ye were healed, come to save that which was lost, deceit, deepen my breath, deliver me according to thy word, every lost sheep is important, follow in his steps, forgotten their resting place, give me understanding, gone astray, gospel truth, he threatened not, heartfelt sincerity, holy spirit, I do not forget thy commandments, I have chosen thy precepts, I have longed for thy salvation, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, leave the ninety and nine, leaving us an example, let my cry come near before thee O Lord, let my soul live, let my supplication come before thee, let thine hand help me, let thy judgements help me, like a lost sheep, like chickens with our heads cut off, live unto righteousness, LOVE, mercy, mind boggling, my lips shall utter praise, my tongue shall speak of thy word, neither was guile found in his mouth, now returned unto the shepherd, quiet my soul, quieting our anxieties and fears, relax my muscles, reviled not again, rushing around, salvation, seek that which was gone astray, seek thy servant, slow my thoughts, spending time with god, spiritual suicide, taught me thy statutes, thank you for this tenderness, the bishop of your souls, the evil and ungodliness in our world, the One True God Jehovah, the parable of the lost sheep, the sinless Lamb of God, the Son of man, the soothing peace of God, their shepherds have caused them to go astray, thy law is my delight, to him that judgeth righteously, truth, ungodly leaders, who did no sin, who his own self, wisdom, you can't be contained, your love surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Psalm 119:176. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.
And it’s another lazy-day Saturday, one that’s dry, with a mixture of cloud and sun. But once we don’t have to go out, the weather’s not important, we can just sit around and do nothing, take a break from the running around that we do during the work week, or take our time and do a few chores that we think need doing. The important thing here is that we don’t need to rush around like chickens with our heads cut off.
I would also suggest spending some time with the Lord, since there’s no hurry to get out and go to work. (smile) And there’s no better time to turn to our wonderful heavenly Father than right now! So let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with heartfelt sincerity and truth.
As one 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, as always, if our prayer was sincere, we will soon feel the calming, soothing peace of our God flowing through us, quieting our anxieties and fears, so that we can handle whatever is coming against us with a positive attitude. And I believe that the last section of Psalm 119 is a fitting continuation to our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer.
So please pray with me: ‘Let my cry come near before thee, O Lord: give me understanding according to thy word. Let my (prayer of) supplication come before thee: deliver me according to thy word.. My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes. My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness. let thine hand help me; for I have chosen thy precepts. I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord; and thy law is my delight. Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgements help me. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.’ (Ps. 119:169-176)
And do we ever need God’s powerful help in these ungodly and evil times, for as the psalmist so rightly declares, we have gone astray like lost sheep. And if you take a moment to ponder the existing situation in our world, you’d see that’s’ the gospel truth! It’s mind boggling the evil and ungodliness that’s happening in our world today, especially when we’re at the height of our civilization! We definitely need the Lord to fervently seek us and bring us to His fold, for it doesn’t seem as if we’re going to do it on our own.
And the prophet Isaiah said it long ago of his people Israel: ‘All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.’ (Is. 53:6) Yes friends, that’s why it was ever so necessary for Jesus to come to earth and die for our sins. Too many of us had strayed so far and become so rebellious, just like we are right now, that it wasn’t possible to save us one by one, (smile) we needed a complete covering for our multitude of sins, and Jesus; the sinless Lamb of God, was the only answer to our desperate situation.
The prophet Jeremiah also had the same message for the children of Israel who were in captivity in Babylon. He said: ‘My people hath been like lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray (led them astray), they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place.’ (Jer. 50:6) Now that’s no different to us today. Our leaders have led us astray from our resting place, the One True God, Jehovah!
Our leaders have become so evil and ungodly that more people are turning away from God than are coming to Him, which doesn’t hold out a good hope for our faith. That’s why it’s ever so necessary for us to return to the Lord as individuals, to have a personal, intimate relationship with Him, because every lost sheep is important. Remember what Jesus said: ‘For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.’ (Matt. 18:11)
Then He emphasized it with the parable of the lost sheep. ‘How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which was gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth much more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones shall perish.’ (Matt. 18:12-14)
Yes friends, the Lord doesn’t want any of His creation, especially the new believers going astray because of poor leadership. And Peter wraps it up so beautifully in His first epistle, when he writes: ‘For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow in his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile (deceit) found in his mouth:
Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again (in return); when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bear our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes (wounds) ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop (Overseer) of your souls.’ (1 Pet. 2:21-25)
It could not be said any better than that my fellow saints. For we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s standard, (Rom. 3:23) but now we have the opportunity to renew our relationship with Almighty God, through Jesus Christ our Shepherd and Caretaker of our souls. Please, I implore us to not let this opportunity pass us by, for it will be to our detriment in the long run! Much LOVE!
…passing up the opportunity to have a personal relationship with Jesus…is nothing less than committing spiritual suicide…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a chosen generation, a kindom of priests, a people set apart to proclaim God's praises, a royal priesthood, above all peapole, an holy nation, be a peculiar treasure unto me, believers are distinct from the world, believers have access to god, bring us back to God, brought you unto myself, christianity, church attendance is declining, contemplating God, deepen my breath, do all to the glory of God, established it upon the floods, every beast of the forest is mine, faith, for your unceasing nearness, God's sovereignty over creation, grace, greater communion and intimacy, he hath founded it upon the seas, holy spirit, I bare you on eagles' wings, I may know you all the more, I praise you, I want to be with you now, If I were hungry, if I were hunry I would not tell thee, in time past, increase my awareness of you today, into his marvellous light, Jesus Christ, keep my covenant, keeping us close to God, lazy-day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lifting our spirits, live a life of holiness, LOVE, many are turning away from God, meditiating on God's word, mercy, now have obtained mercy, now the people of God, obey my voice, our Controller, our Creator, our earthly purpose, our Provider, our Saviour, proclaim God's greatness, quiet my soul, reflecting God's character, relax my muscles, salvation, seek Him with a sincere heart, seen what I did to the Egyptians, share the light of the gospel, show forth the praises, sincerity and truth, slow my thoguhts, thank you for this tenderness, the BIBLE, the cattle upon a thousand hills, the earth is mine, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the Lord enjoys sincere communion with man, the Lord revels in it, the ultimate owner and ruler of the earth, the unique status of believers, the wild beasts of the field are mine, the world and they that dwell therein, the world is mine and the fullness thereof, tied to wickedness and evil, too busy seeking the wealth of the world, truth, were not a people, whatsoever you do, when ye search for me with all your heart, who called you out of darkness, wisdom, with everything we have, with our heavenly father, ye shall seek me and find me, you can't be contained, your love surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Psalm 24:1. The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
And the first Saturday in April has turned out to be wet, cloudy and chilly, but that only makes it an excellent lazy-day Saturday, one made for lazing around, especially if you don’t have to go out in the dreary weather. (smile) Or, here’s an even better alternative; spending time contemplating God, and meditating on His Word. What could be better than that eh? Nothing! For it serves the wonderful purpose of lifting our spirits and keeping us close to Him.
And if you haven’t been doing that as yet, let’s begin right now nuh, by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity and truth! As one 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!’
Now, that’s certainly a start toward greater communion and intimacy with our heavenly Father, something that He simply revels in. I can’t tell how you much the Lord enjoys sincere communion with His creation, especially when they come seeking Him with a sincere heart. Remember what He says in the Book of Jeremiah? ‘And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:13) Oh my faithful brethren, it could not be said any plainer or clearer than that! The Lord greatly desires us to come seeking Him with all of our hearts. minds, bodies and souls; with everything we have!
But, unfortunately, too many of us have not been doing that in this last generation because we’ve been too busy seeking instead the ways and wealth of this evil and ungodly world. No wonder church attendance is declining, and numerous people are foolishly turning away from God, from our Creator and Controller, our Provider and Saviour! That’s not very wise eh, when He still controls the whole universe that He created. Remember how Bruh David puts in Psalm 24: ‘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)
That says it all friends! It’s a declaration of God’s sovereignty over creation, and signifies that Jehovah God is the ultimate owner and ruler of the earth and everything in and on it. The psalmist Asaph, also makes that definitive statement in Psalm 50 – God Will Judge – when talking about the Lord not needing sacrifices. He writes of God, saying: ‘For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls (birds) of the mountains:; and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.’ (Ps. 50:10-12)
Now, Bruh Paul also reiterated that truth in his first letter to the church at Corinth. In talking about what one should eat or drink, he says: ‘For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.’ (1 Cor. 10:26) Then concludes by saying: ‘Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.’ (1 Cor. 10:31) Now that’s excellent advice. And how I hope and pray that we would take it, because it would turn us and our world right around in such an amazing manner and bring us back to God where we belong.
And although I’ll keep on praying for that, I won’t hold my breath waiting for it to happen, because so many of us are so tied to wickedness and evil that it would take all the power of God to pry us lose. (smile) Anyway, getting back to the Lord owning the earth and all that’s in it, that statement was first made long, long ago by Moses to the Israelites in the third month of their freedom from slavery in Egypt, when they came into the wilderness of Mt. Sinai. Moses went up the mountain and the Lord spoke to him.
‘Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare (sustained) you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar (special) treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.’ (Ex.19:3-6)
And with the coming of Jesus and His sacrificial death on the cross, that now includes us Gentiles, or anybody who chooses to believe that Christ is their Lord and Saviour, as Peter says in his first epistle. ‘But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar (special) people; that ye should shew forth praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.’ (1 Pet. 2:9-10)
Oh friends, how wonderful it is to now be one of God’s chosen, receiving mercy and grace and all the other good things that comes to us because of Christ’s sacrifice! And this commentary further explains: ‘In 1 Peter 2:9, the New Testament describes believers as “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people”. This phrase, rooted in the Old Testament concept of Israel as a holy nation, emphasizes believers’ unique status and purpose as a people set apart to proclaim God’s praises.’
Then it gives a more detailed explanation of the various terms. “A chosen generation”: This refers to believers being selected by God, distinct from the world. “A royal priesthood”: This signifies that believers are not just ordinary people, but have access to God and can serve as mediators between Him and others. “A holy nation”: This phrase, originating in the Old Testament (Exodus 19:6), emphasizes that believers are to be set apart and live a life of holiness, reflecting God’s character.
“A peculiar people”: This term, while sometimes misunderstood, means “a people belonging to God,” emphasizing their unique identity and purpose. “That ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”: This phrase underscores the purpose of believers: to proclaim God’s greatness and share the light of the Gospel with the world.’
Now, we can’t say that we don’t know our purpose here on earth. (smile) So please, let’s begin to fully live up to it nuh, as the Lord desires and our world desperately needs! Much LOVE!
…the Lord created everything and everybody…He controls everything and everybody…and eventually He’ll do as He pleases…with everything and everybody…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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