22 Mar 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good omen, a more rewarding prayer, bask in the light of Jesus, be filled with their own devices, be quiet from fear of evil, Bible, call upon him while he is near, call upon me, call upon meI will not answer, christianity, Christians, deepen my breath, disdained all my counsel., distress and anguish come upon you, double-minded attitude, eat the fruit of their own way, faith, fighting a valiant battle, fools hate knowledge, God will abundantly pardon, he will have mercy upon him, holy spirit, how long ye simple ones, I have called and ye refused, I love them that love me, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, I will hearken unto you, I will not answer, I will pour out my spirit unto you, in all sincerity and truth, in the opening of the gates, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, laugh at your calamity, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let him return unto the Lord, let the wicked forsake his way, LOVE, make known my words unto you, mercy, mock when your fear comes, naivety, no man regarded, pray unto me, pros and cons, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, run to the rock for rescue, salvation, seek me and find me, seek me diligently, seek ye the Lord while he may be found, seeking sincere intimacy with God, seriously contemplate the consequences of each decision, she raises her voice in the streets, slow my thoughts, stretched out my hand, thank you for this tenderness, the complacency of fools, the foes of darkness, the morally dull, the scorners delight in scorning, the turning away of the simple, the unrighteous man his thoughts, those who seek me early will find me, truth, turn you at my reproof, undivided attention, waywardness, when terror comes as desolation, whoso hearkens to me shall dwell safely, will ye love simplicity, wisdom, wisdom calls aloud in the streets, wisdom crieth without, ye shall search for me with all your heart, you are here with me, you can't be contained, your destruction comes as a whirlwind, your love surrounds and fills me
Proverbs 8:117. I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me.
And it’s another lazy-day Saturday friends, but a windy, chilly and cloudy one, until a short while ago, around mid-day, when the sun, fighting a valiant battle, finally overcame the clouds and shone forth in all its bright and manly presence. (smile) Now that’s a good omen for us believers in Christ Jesus, reassuring us that if we stand strong and fight the foes of darkness, we too can overcome and bask in the glorious light of Jesus!
And with that reassurance under our belt, 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!’
And there isn’t a more rewarding prayer than one seeking sincere intimacy with our heavenly Father, for that’s one of His heart’s greatest desires. It warms the cockles of His heart when we come sincerely seeking Him. That’s why there are several scriptures in God’s Word that specifically speak about seeking Him. Let’s check out a few of them nuh, like this one from Isaiah, where He writes: ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is. 55:6-7)
Right there my people, we see the wisdom of seeking God; He’ll pardon and have mercy on all who seek Him. But there’s one important proviso, as stated in this scripture from Jeremiah that we all know, where he declares: ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me when ye shall search for me with your whole heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13) Yes friends, there is a necessity to seeking God sincerely, or with all of your soul, body, mind and heart if you want to find Him.
Meanwhile Cousin Sol who has something to say on every subject, (smile) says it thus in Proverbs: ‘I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me.’ (Prov. 8:17) There again, more sincere and whole hearted seeking of God is necessary to find Him. We just can’t go with any wishy-washy, double-minded attitude and find Him. No! It must be with all of our being! And Cousin Sol further intimates that we must seek God as though we’re seeking for silver or gold, for hidden treasure; that’s with total undivided attention, putting all we have into it. (Prov. 2:4)
So, now that we have heard all about the benefits of sincerely seeking the Lord, let’s look at what happens if we don’t seek Him. And Cousin Sol puts it right out there when he talks in the beginning of Proverbs about ‘Wisdom Cries in the Streets.’ The scholars explain that He personifies her as a prophetess calling out in public places to everyone to come to her and learn.
He writes: ‘Wisdom crieth without (calls aloud in the street); she uttereth (raises) her voice in the streets (plazas). She crieth in the chief place of concourse (concourses), in the opening of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple (naïve) ones, will ye LOVE simplicity (naivety)? And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?’ (Prov. 1:20-22) Now those are very good questions my brethren, questions that many of us need to seriously consider today, since our world is currently so full of exactly what Cousin Sol’s talking about; naivety or lack of knowledge, the scorning of scoffers, hatred of wisdom by fools or the morally dull.
But then we have this graceful invitation that was also turned down. ‘Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought (disdained) all my counsel, and would (have) none of my reproof:’ (Prov. 1:23-25) Yes friends, that’s exactly what too many of us have done; rejected God and His awesome help, and what our foolish and mentally disturbed world is adamantly continuing to do.
But hear what’s in the works for such of us nuh! ‘I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear (terror) cometh; When your fear (terror) cometh as desolation (a storm), and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.’ (Prov. 1:26-27) Now is that what we truly desire? I doubt it. And the story is not yet finished.
Listen up: ‘Then they shall call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early (diligently), but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear (reverence) of the Lord: They would (have) none of my counsel: they despised all of my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away (waywardness) of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity (complacency) of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet (be secure or at ease) from fear of evil.’ (Prov. 1:28-33)
There you have it my fellow believers, the pros and cons for seeking God diligently and with our whole being, and also being foolish and rejecting Him. Now, it’s up to each of us to choose the path we shall tread, but first, please let’s very seriously contemplate the consequences of each decision! Much LOVE!
…the time to sincerely seek God is…NOW…for as the old song says…if you wait too late…when you run to the Rock for rescue…there’ll be no rock…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 Mar 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fallen angel, a personal relationship with God, all should come to repentance, Bible, choose life, Christ died for us, Christ sacrificed His sinless life for us, christianity, Christians, closer intimacy with God, communion with god, deepen my breath, disgrace, disobedience, eternal life, eternal separation from God, falling into Satan's trap, flowing in our souls and spirits, fraternize with Satan, free will, get the ball rolling, God commendeth his love for us, God demonstrated his LOVE for us.', God is not willing that any should perish, have it more abundantly, heartfelt prayers, holy spirit, I am come that they might have life, I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep, I may know you all the more, I place before you life and death, I praise you Lord, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus cares deeply for us, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, leaves us in the lurch, LOVE, made righteous in God's eyes, meditate on God's Word, mercy, nothing of substance to offer us, one fold one shepherd, other sheep I have, peace, putter around the house, quiet my soul, quietly interact with God, relax my muscles, repentance, rest, rolls of thunder, salvation, shame, sin, sincerity and truth, slow my thoughts, steal us away from Jesus, straight and narrow path, thank you for your tenderness, that you and yours might live, the ball's in our court, the father of lies, the good shepherd gives his life for his sheep, the greatest show of love, the Lord never leaves us in the lurch, the right perspective, the thief, the thief only comes to steal and to kill, truth, while we were yet sinners, wisdom, wrongdoing, you can't be contained, your love surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present, your unceasing nearness
John 10:11. ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’
Well, I guess in the Lord’s wisdom, He figured that everyday could not be bright, sunshiny and dry, but there must be an opposite to keep everything well balanced and in the right perspective, that’s why today is cloudy, rainy and wet. (smile) I believe I also heard a couple rolls of thunder earlier on, so it looks like a serious day. But yuh know what, it’s also a perfect lazy-day Saturday, where you simply putter around the house, rest and meditate on the Lord’s Word and quietly interact with Him. Nothing can be more refreshing and uplifting that that!
So let’s get the ball rolling by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity and truth. As one positive 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 the peace and calm just begin flowing in our spirits and souls, as the Lord answers our heartfelt prayers that only serve to bring us closer to Him. Yes friends, there’s nothing the Lord desires and likes more than His children seeking to have closer intimacy and communion with Him, because that’s the main purpose for which He created us. And it breaks His heart when we turn away and instead fraternize with the foolish, fallen angel Satan, who has nothing of substance to offer us, nothing but sin, shame and disgrace that will eventually lead to eternal separation from our Creator and heavenly Father.
That’s why it’s oh so important to create a personal relationship with Jehovah God, through His Son Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit that indwells us to try and keep us out of the clutches of the enemy and guide us on the straight and narrow path that leads to salvation and eternal life with Him. But because we have fair amount of free will, and are naturally imbued with a sinful nature, we tend to drift and stray away from the straight and narrow path, anxious to sample some of the seemingly awesome delights of the world held out and up to us by the deceitful and devious Satan, who’s so full of wiles and lies that he’s called the father of lies.
And Jesus spells it all out in His analogy to the thief and the shepherd, in this scripture passage from John’s gospel. ‘The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) Right there we see the answer friends, Satan is a thief and only in intent on death and destruction. However, Jesus came that we could have life, and have it in abundance! So, whom will you accept as your leader and guide under those circumstances eh? Jesus of course!
Unfortunately though, for whatever reason, too many of us are choosing Satan, or somehow or the other are falling in his devious trap, that’s why our world is so sinful, angry, strife-filled and ungodly! But it’s time many more of us wake up and listen to Jesus, when He says: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) And that is exactly what He did when He sacrificed His sinless life on the cross of Calvary so that our abominable sins could be forgiven and we be made righteous in God’s eyes.
So why this great movement, this sudden trend to turn to Satan eh, whom Jesus candidly describes in the next couple of verses? ‘But he that is an hireling (a hired man), and not the shepherd whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.’ (John 10:12) And Satan is both the thief and the hireling, for he tries to steal us away from Jesus, and when we find ourselves in trouble, he runs off and leaves us in the lurch, because he’s not really interested in our wellbeing, neither has he anything good or worthwhile to offer us.
Jesus explains it thus: ‘The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have (Gentiles), which are not of this fold: them also must I bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold (flock), and one shepherd.’ (John 10:13-16)
There you have it my fellow believers: Jesus states it in black and white. Unlike Beelzebub, He won’t run away from us when we find ourselves in trouble, but will always runs to us, because He cares deeply for us, that’s why He came to earth and died on Calvary’s cross. And if you can’t see the awesome truth in that, then you’d better get your mind examined right away.
And please note how much Jesus cares for His creation, when He declares that He has other sheep to add to His fold, meaning us, the non-Jews or Gentiles. He came first to bring salvation to the Jews, through whom God worked and distilled His message down through the ages. But God didn’t forget the rest of His creation, because He LOVES us all, so badly, that it’s as Bruh Paul writes in Romans: ‘But God commendeth his LOVE toward us (demonstrated His own LOVE for us), in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8)
Now, isn’t that the greatest show of LOVE? Of course it is! Moreover, He couldn’t stand to lose even one of us to Beelzebub, as Peter says; ‘He’s not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet. 3:9:b) Yes friends, God LOVES all of His creation and has done His best to ensure that we all have the privilege of gaining salvation and eternal life through the sacrificial death of His sinless Son, which paid for all of our disobedience and wrongdoing. The ball is now in our court; it’s up to us to either accept or reject His most gracious offering of life with Him for ever and ever. Please be wise and accept it! Much LOVE!
… I place before you life and death…please choose life…that you and yours may live… (Deut. 30:19)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
01 Mar 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a work in progress, an analogy for the Holy Spirit, ask and it shall be given to you, being confident of this very thing, Bible, but can't tell where it comes from, call unto me and I will answer thee, call upon God through prayer, casting all your care upon him, chill you to the bones, christianity, cleans eyour hands, cold, communication with God depends on us, deepen my breath, divinely continued, draw nigh to God, elementary requirements, eternal security, faith, faithful, God cares for you, God has a purpose in view, God reassures us of His favourable response, God will not abandon His purpose, God's reinvigorating presence, he may exalt you in due time, he which hath begun a good work in you, hearts and souls opened wide, heaven's 911, holy spirit, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, in every circumstance, in every time of trouble, increase my awareness of you, Jesus Christ, knock and it shall be opened, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, mercy, Nicodemus, obedient, opened like a lion, purify your hearts ye doubleminded, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, resist the devil, salvation, seek and ye shall find, shew thee great and mighty things, sincerity and truth, slow my thoughts, so is every one born of the Holy Spirit, submit yourselves to God, thank you for this tenderness, the gospel truth, the presence of God, the wind bloweth where it listeth, the work of grace, thou hearest the sound thereof, truth, until Jesus returns to earth, we want to know you, we want to see your glory, will perform it until the day of Jesus, windy, wisdom, wither it goes, you are here with me, you can't be contained, your love both fills and surrounds me, your peace and love are present
Jeremiah 33:3. Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty (inaccessible) things, which thou knowest not.
And the month of March has opened like the lion it purports to be; cold, windy and with bright sunshine! And truthfully, it’s always been the winter month that I’ve least liked because of the cold, biting, icy winds that it stirs up; winds that get into your clothing, no matter how much you have on, and still chill you to the bones.
It’s like Jesus says of the wind in the gospel of John while talking to the Jewish leader Nicodemus, when He uses it as an analogy for the Holy Spirit. ‘The wind bloweth where it listeth (wishes), and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and wither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.’ (John 3:8)
Now, that basically means, as this commentary explains: ‘You can’t see the wind directly. But you can see it move tree tops and hear it when it rustles through the leaves. It’s similar to the Spirit. You can’t see it directly either, but you can see through the way it changes people when it’s there.’ And once you’re born again, the Holy Spirit is always with you, working to bring you to the place that the Lord desires, that’s as close as possible to Jesus in both behaviour and outlook. (smile)
That reminds us of this interesting scripture, where Bruh Paul writes to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) Yes friends, in other words, we’re a work that’s always in progress, until whenever Jesus comes back.
The scholars say that ‘Paul is convinced that the work of grace that God began in the Philippians at conversion will be divinely continued until the day of Jesus Christ. That is, the Lord will keep working in these believers until Jesus returns to earth, at which point He will finish His work, bringing it to completion. This speaks of the Christian’s eternal security. For God had a purpose in view when He began His saving work in the Philippians, and that purpose will neither be abandoned nor unrealized.’
And the same goes for all those who put their trust in Christ Jesus as Lord and Saviour. The Lord will keep working His saving grace in them through His Holy Spirit until Christ returns. So, we don’t have to worry about a thing, the Lord’s at work, just be obedient and faithful the best we can. (smile) And don’t think that I’ve forgotten our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. No, not at all! It’s just that the other stuff got in the way. (smile)
Then, let’s offer it up right now in all sincerity and truth nuh. ‘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, that prayer just brings the presence of God ever nearer, with a heightened sense of peace, calm and grace, because the Lord just cannot deny us His amazing presence when we come to Him in such sincerity and truth. In fact, that’s how He would always like us to come to Him, with hearts and souls opened wide to receive His reinvigorating and regenerating presence. But that’s entirely up to us, because He’s always there waiting for our call.
Remember the Lord’s promise to Jeremiah the second time, while he was locked up in prison. ‘Thus saith the Lord the maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, to establish it; the Lord (Jehovah) is his name; Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty (inaccessible) things, which thou knowest not.’ (Jer. 33:2-3) Oh friends, we are to call upon God through prayer, in every time of trouble, in every circumstance – knowing He hears us and will be there.
And I like how this commentary puts it. ‘One of the most profound promises in the Bible during times of crisis is Jeremiah 33:3. Some aptly refer to this verse as heaven’s 911—an emergency line to call when we are in distress. The Lord implores us to call to Him and reassures us of His favorable response when we do.’ And that’s the gospel truth my people, when we call from a sincere heart, the Lord will hear and respond. We just need to remember that most of the communication depends on us, because God is always hovering over us waiting for us to call, so that He can show us wonderful things that we don’t know.
Meanwhile, this other commentary configures verse 33 thus. ‘Shows Us the Great and Hidden Things About God. You will tell us great and hidden things we’ve not known in your word and by your spirit. God, we want to know you. We want to see your glory. Lord, we want to see great things in you.’
And do we ever my faithful brethren! But as James so rightly says: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. (James 4:7-8) And Peter admonishes: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:6-7)
Now, my fellow saints, those are the elementary requirements for being in God’s calming and peaceful presence. So please, let’s spend a part of this cold and blustery lazy-day Saturday in March, doing just that nuh; seeking God and all the good things He has to offer and tell us about! Much LOVE!
…Jesus said it very simply…ask, and it shall be given you…seek, and ye shall find…knock, and it shall be opened unto you… (Matt. 7:7)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sense of determination, a successful earthly life, a welcome sense of peace, accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, an eternal promise, be not afraid, be strong and of a good courage, be thou strong and very courageous, be with you now, Bible, christianity, deepen my breath, faith, faith without works is dead, have good success, have not I commanded thee, have success, heartfelt prayer, holy spirit, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, increase my awareness of you, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, make thy way prosperous, marvel to think, meditate on God's Word, mercy, neither be thou dismayed, not following God's faithful principle, our lack of understanding, quiet my soul, recovery mode, reinvigorating our souls, relax my muscles, salvation, shall not depart out of thy mouth, slow my thoughts, snowstorm, stay on the chosen path of God, thank you for this tenderness, the Lord thy God is with thee wherever you go, this book of the law, this mortal life, thou mayest prosper, thou shalt meditate therein day and night, to do according to all the law, truth, turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, whithersoever thou goest, wisdom, you are here with me, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Joshua 1:8a. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth (shall be constantly in thy mouth); but thou shalt meditate therein day and night,
And the much forecasted snowstorm for this lazy-day Saturday in the middle of February is here! Yes friends, at midday, it’s already falling out there with a sense of determination. (smile) And like the denizens of the area totally believed that it would come, for the duchess went to the grocery earlier on this morning and complained she’d never seen such long lines everywhere in the store. Everyone seemed to be out, stocking up on stuff for the storm, which the computer says would be at least 10 cm strong. It’s a good thing I’m in recovery mode, so I don’t have to go out there. (smile)
And it’s such a good time to have a lazy-day Saturday, although I just realized that it’s been ages since we last prayed our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, because a couple of the days we’ve missed have been Saturdays. So please, let’s rectify that now nuh, by sincerely offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer.
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 there’s something about that prayer I just LOVED from the first moment I read it! It’s simple, but contains a whole lot of emotion and longing for God. And as always, if our prayer was sincere, we’ll soon be feeling that welcome sense of peace and calm reinvigorating our souls, bodies and spirits, for the Lord cannot help but positively answer such heartfelt prayers from His people.
That’s why it’s ever so necessary, in these times of chaos and disaster to stick with the Lord God Jehovah, the One who created us and still LOVES and controls us. But to do that successfully, we have to read, and meditate on His Word, accept His Son Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and allow His Holy Spirit that indwells us to lead and guide our earthly lives. That’s the only way to successful earthly living.
The Lord Himself spelt it out to Joshua in that first chapter when He made him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses, and gave him the tough, unenviable task of leading His people into the Promised Land. And I believe that right now, it would do us a whole lot of good if we read, remembered and reminisced on these most provocative and productive words of our great God.
Please read with me. The Lord said to Joshua: ‘Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper (have success or act wisely) whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:7) Yuh see that friends, it’s of the utmost importance that we stay on the chosen path of God, and not turn either way from it, if we truly desire to be successful in this mortal life.
But that’s not all. The Lord continues to whisper in Joshua’s ear (smile) ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth (shall be constantly in thy mouth); but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh 1:8)
And our God is so good to us that He shows us how not to turn from His law; that’s by meditating on it day and night, constantly speaking, reading, and thinking on it. That way we will not stray from His chosen path and then have good success. It’s an eternal promise! And if we don’t achieve it, it’s because of our lack of understanding and following of His faithful principle: meditating on His Word and doing what it says.
Remember what James said? ‘Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.’ (James 2:17) That means you can have all the faith in the world, know the Word from cover to cover, but if you don’t put it to work, action it in your life, then it’s worthless. For good intentions are good, but they do not soothe or quiet or uplift the spirt, body or soul, only worthwhile actions do that!
But I’m chuckling here, and I do so every time I read this scripture about Joshua and the Lord. Joshua might have thought the Lord was finished after giving him those two strong verses, but he was sadly mistaken, because the Lord further reinforced them with this most beautiful encouragement. ‘Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:9)
Oh my people, what a wonderful piece of scripture; one filled with such promise that even if we knew nothing else, that would be sufficient for us to have prosperity in and with our wonderful God! But for us to do our best, we need to get the whole picture and put it into worthwhile action; That’s meditating on God’s Word, not straying from His path and having strong faith in His awesome and most faithful promises to lead and guide us in the right way.
And there’s no better time to begin doing that than right now on this lazy-day Saturday. As the snow falls in quiet peace on the land, let’s turn to God’s Word and allow it to bring that same kind of quiet peace and calm to our lives. It’s our heritage as believers in Christ Jesus! Much LOVE!
…only by knowing and putting the Lord’s Word into action…can a successful earthly life be accomplished…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a successful Christian life, according to his divine power, according to his riches in glory, add to your faith virtue, agape, all these things shall be added unto you, barren, Bible, blind, bondage, brotherly kindness, brotherly LOVE, called us to glory and virtue, calmness that flows from God, christianity, Christians, cleansed from old sins, deepen my breath, divine power, eating from the devil's hand, endurance, enjoy being lazy, fall from salvation, forgotten, frustrations of the work week, give them their in due season food, given to us all things, given to us through knowing God, giving all diligence, God gives us everything to make our lives complete, God takes care of our physical needs, God-likeness, godliness, good advice, grace and peace be multiplied unto you, great and precious promises, grow in our spiritual walk, having escaped the corruption in the world through lust, holy spirit, increase my awareness of you, information, know you all the more, knowledge, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, living a godly life, living the godly life, look expectantly to you, LOVE, mercy, my God shall supply all your needs, openest thine hand, opportunities, partakers of the divine nature, pateince, peace, perseverance, purged from old sins, quiet my soul, relationships, relax my muscles, right motives, salvation, satisfies the desire, satisfieth the desire of every living thing, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, self-control, shortsighted, sincerity, slow my thoughts, spiritual maturity, spiritual truth, temperance, tenderness, thank you for this tenderness, that pertain to life and godliness, the attributes of godliness, the knowledge of god, the Unsearchable greatness of God, to knowledge temperance, to virtue knowledge, troubled souls, truth, unfruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, useless, virtue, volitional love, what a wonderful God we serve, wisdom, you can't be contained, your love surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present, your unceasing nearness
2 Peter 1:3a. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness,
And our lazy-day Saturday has opened damp and cloudy, the worst way to begin a day. (smile) For a change though, we have temps above freezing, causing the snow to melt and give off that damp, get into your bones kind of weather. The computer is even promising light rain and snow later. But if you don’t have to go out that won’t trouble you in the least, you can simply stay inside and enjoy being lazy. Oh what a wonderful feeling, after all the rushing around and numerous frustrations of the work week! (smile)
Now, 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 if the Lord saw the right motives in our hearts, then we’ll soon be experiencing that warm, glowing peace and calmness emanating from Him into our troubled souls, through His Holy Spirit that indwells us. Ah friends, what a wonderful God we serve! One who gives us everything to make our lives complete. We just need to work it out in our individual lives.
The apostle Peter puts it thus in his second epistle: ‘Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 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.’ (2 Pet. 1:2-4)
Now that’s indeed a mouthful, but what does it mean? These commentaries explain: ‘By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.’ And the second says: ‘This Scripture reveals that all we need for our life, God has already given us. We are prepared for anything. All the opportunities, information, relationships have already been given to us through knowing Him.’
And breaking it down even further: ‘He takes care of our physical needs. God promises to provide what we need (Philippians 4:19, Matthew 6:31-32). He created the universe and gives food to every living thing — including you and me. The same God who provides food for the animals will not allow us to go without (Psalm 145:15-16, Luke 12:24-26).’
Now that just shows what an excellent, LOVING and compassionate God we serve! He’s given us everything to live a godly life and has also promised to provide for all our physical needs, if we put Him first in our lives. Jesus said it loud and clear: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) Meanwhile in his epistle to the Philippians, Bruh Paul also stated quite categorically: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19)
So it’s simple; if we faithfully obey God, then He will provide for our physical needs, though not necessarily our wants, which are oftentimes very different to our needs. As Bruh David writes in Psalm 145 – The Unsearchable Greatness of God. ‘The eyes of all wait upon thee (look expectantly to you); and thou givest them their meat (food) in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.’ (Ps. 145:15-16) And that’s the way it ought to be with an omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God who LOVES all of His wonderful creations!
Then turning back to Peter, He continues by giving us some good advice on living the godly life. He says: ‘And beside this (but also for this very reason), giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance (self-control); and to temperance patience (perseverance); and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity (LOVE).’ (2 Pet. 1: 5-7)
Oh my people, that’s not an easy row to hoe, but hoe it we must if we are to attain spiritual growth and meet a level of maturity where we can handle the devil and all his evil doings with a confident nature. That’s the basic purpose for giving us all those things after we are born again and receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We desperately need to grow in our overall faith, in particular areas like virtue or moral excellence, knowledge or spiritual truth, self-control, patience or endurance, godliness or God-likeness, brotherly kindness or brotherly LOVE, and agape or volitional LOVE, that’s doing it of our own accord.
And if we don’t try to grow in our spiritual walk, then the devil will still have us eating from his hand in dark bondage, for we can only withstand him with the powers of God that have been planted in us. So like with all seeds, we need to water and nurture those attributes so that godliness grows in us.
As Peter says: ‘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 (is shortsighted), and hath forgotten that he was purged (cleansed) from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall (stumble).’ (2 Pet. 1:8-10)
Yes friends, although we will not fall from salvation if we don’t do those things, we most certainly will not live a successful Christian life. And all I can do is plead with us to seriously ponder on all the good advice we’ve received this lazy-day Saturday, and then try to implement what we need into our lives. And the damp, cloudy weather provides a most excellent time to do so! (smile) Much LOVE!
… like children grow in to more knowledgeable adults…so must believers grow in spiritual maturity and godliness…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
11 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a chain reaction of problems, a culture of lies, a perfect lazy-day Saturday, agreed to tempt the Spirit of the Lord, Ananias And Sapphira, Ananias hearing these words fell down, better is it that thou shouldest not vow, Bible, breathed his last, bright sunshine reflecting off new snow, broken promises, carried out and buried him, Christian, christianity, communal living, deceitful purposes, deepen my breath, delay not to pay it, dishonesty, downfall of a society, evil behaviour, evil deeds, faith, gave up the ghost, get out of control, God has no pleasure in fools, great fear came on all them that heard these things, great fear came upon all the church, holy spirit, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, kept back part of the price, laid it at the apostles' feet, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, making insincere promises, mercy, negative consequences of lying, pay that which thou hast vowed, poetic justice, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, scheming world, she fell down instantly, sincerity and truth, Sir Walter Scott, slow my thoughts, snow looks beautiful but can be very treacherous, sold a possession, suffer that kind of fate, than thou shouldest vow and not pay, thank you for this tenderness, the gospel truth, the Lord's calming presence, to lie to the Holy Ghost, to manifest the peace He's promised, truth, ungodliness, upon as many as heard these things, wake us up to reality, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive, when thou vowest a vow unto God, why hath Satan filled thine heart, wisdom, yielded up the ghost, you can't be contained, you have not lied unto men but unto the Holy Ghost, your love both surrounds and fills me
Acts 5:11. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
And it’s a perfect lazy-day Saturday friends! A dry day, with bright sunshine reflecting off of new snow. What could be more beautiful? Excellent staying home and being lazy weather too. However, if you must go out, please remember that though the snow looks beautiful, it can be very treacherous once you get involved in it. Just like a … I was about to use a comparative example, but took it back, because our women readers would definitely not be pleased with it. (smile)
Anyway, let’s get down to business, and 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 as always, if our prayer was sincere and heartfelt, we can soon feel the Lord’s calming presence flowing in and through us to manifest the peace that He’s so faithfully promised. And talking about promises, I want to revisit our Bit from yesterday where Cousin Sol, as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes warned us about making insincere promises both to God and man. ‘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)
And that’s the gospel truth friends! It’s so much better if we don’t make promises, than make them and break them. And it’s something that our fraudulent and scheming world ought to pay attention to. However, that would not serve their deceitful and cunning purposes. But for us who believe, there’s a story in the bible that proves just how frightful and deadly broken promises and lies can be. It was in the early days of the church when the believers were living communally, and some were selling their valuables and contributing to the upkeep of the community.
The Bible, the Book of Acts, recounts it thus: ‘But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to (aware of) it, and brought a certain part of it, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.’ (Acts 5:1-2) They behaved like, or implied that what they’d given was the full price of the land. But little did they know that the Holy Spirit was working.
And the Bible continues: ‘But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power (control)? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto the Holy Ghost.’ (Acts 5:3-4) In other words, Peter was saying, it was your money, and it wasn’t stipulated that you give all of it, you could have given how much ever you wanted. You didn’t have to lie.
Oh friends, yuh see, when we lie unto men, we are also lying unto God, for He sees, knows and controls all from His high heaven. And if you don’t believe me, then listen to the remainder of this story. ‘And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost (breathed his last): and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound (wrapped) him up, and carried him out, and buried him.’ (Acts 5:5-6)
Ah mih people, our omnipotent God can certainly move in mysterious and mighty ways! I hope that will be a lesson to many of us who have become caught up in the lying and deceitful ways of this evil and ungodly world. But the best part of the story is yet to come. The Bible says: ‘And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.
Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt (test) the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway (instantly) at his feet, and yielded up the ghost (breathed her last): and the young men came in, and found her dead, and carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.’ (Acts 5:7-11)
Now that’s what we’d call poetic justice! Oh, how I wish many more of us would suffer that kind of fate when we do the evil deeds we do, so that it could be a lesson to others. It brings to mind this quote from Marmion, a play by Sir Walter Scott, written in 1808, which says: “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive” It’s often used to describe the negative consequences of lying and how it affects people’s lives.
And this commentary further explains: ‘The quote’s meaning is that when someone acts dishonestly, they start a chain reaction of problems that can eventually get out of control. The “tangled web” metaphor compares the act of lying to a spider spinning its web. If the web gets tangled, the points don’t line up properly, and the web becomes a mess.’
And so does our lying and deceitfulness! Remember, our actions don’t only affect us, but also many of the people around us. So please allow the story of Ananias and Sapphira to wake us up to the reality of what our ungodliness and evil behaviour can do to those around us. Much LOVE!
…a culture of lies and broken promises…will eventually cause the downfall of a society…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a name above every name, a welcome sight, above all nations of the earth, all these blessings shall come on thee, an obedient heart, at the name of Jesus, attempt to remove God from our society, be obedient to God's commands, became obedient unto death, behaviour that's respectful of rules and laws, Bible, blessings, bright sunshine, burdensome, by the things he suffered, Christ is the best example of obedience, christianity, compliance with an order, deepen my breath, do all God's commandments, eternal death, eternal life, even the death of the cross, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, faith, fear of punishment, formed out of habit, found in fashion as a man, gain greater intimacy with God, God hath highly exalted him, grow in spiritual maturity, his commandments are not grievous, holy spirit, humbled himself, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, in sincerity and truth, increase my awareness of you today, it's all for our benefit, Jesus Christ, Jesus christ is Lord, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, learned obedience, let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, living for Christ is about obedience, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, made himself of no reputation, man spoils and destroys everything he touches, man's negative touch, mercy, obedience for blessings, obedience is the key to unlocking God's promises, obedience unto righteousness, obey god rather than men, peace of god, quiet my soul, reflecting off beautiful snow, relax my muscles, repented, responsibility of duty, rewards for obedience, sacrifice more, salvation, sinful and prideful nature, slow my thoughts, snow is beautiful untouched by humans, submission to authority, suffered terrible misfortune, take umbrage, thank you for this tenderness, the awesome power of sincere prayer, the Israelites veered from the commandments, the Lord will set thee on high, the Ten Commandments, this is the love of God, though he were a Son, to our own detriment, to the glory of God the Father, transactional obedience, truth, turned back to God, we keep His commandments, wisdom, yet learned he obedience, you can't be contained, your peace and love are present
1 John 5:3. For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome).
Well friends, it’s a sunshiny, chilly, windy and white lazy-day Saturday! The snow’s not an awful lot, but enough to make life difficult if you choose to venture out. So, it’s as good a time as any to stay home…unless you really have to go out. Stay home, look out your window, and admire the bright sunshine reflecting off of the beautiful snow. And snow is definitely beautiful… that’s before it comes into contact with man. But that’s no surprise, since man spoils and destroys everything he touches.
Anyway, enough with man’s negative touch, let’s get positive and 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 as always, if we’re sincere in our prayer, then the peace and calmness of God soon begins filling our hearts, minds, bodies and souls. That’s the awesome power of sincere prayer! And hopefully, in this new year of 2025, we will all rise to a new level of sincerity in our prayer, since we’ve made it our New Year’s resolution to grow in spiritual maturity and gain a greater intimacy with our most wonderful God! And it all begins with sincerity of prayer and a faithful, willing and obedient heart.
Yes friends, living for Christ is all about obedience! And what’s obedience eh? It’s basically compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another’s authority. Or, as another definition puts it: ‘Obedience is behavior that’s respectful and mindful of rules and laws.’ And that’s it; obedience is doing the appropriate thing in the appropriate manner, at the appropriate time. (smile)
And according to one commentary, there are four basic kinds of obedience: ‘Obedience done out of fear of punishment. Learned obedience, formed out of habit taught by parents or society. Transactional obedience for the blessings, benefits, and rewards. Obedience performed as a responsibility of duty, obligation, and faith.’ And I guess our obedience to God can be a combination of the last three, because we are taught it by our parents, we do it to receive rewards and blessings, and it’s a responsibility of our faith.
But enough with definitions, let’s see what the Lord’s Word says about obedience. And brother, there are indeed so many scriptures that speak about the subject, that we can only consider a few. However, let’s first note this important point; obedience is the key to unlocking the promises of God. Let’s never forget that! Unless we are obedient to God’s will, we will never unlock the promises and blessings He has in store for us.
And it all begins very early on, as the children of Israel journeyed through the wilderness to the Promised land, with Moses informing them thus: ‘And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.’ (Deut. 28:1-2)
Oh my people, it could not be any clearer than that! And Moses goes on to list blessings from verse 3 to verse 14. However, he listed curses and misfortunes for disobedience from verse 15 to verse 68. Now that surely tells us how important obedience is in the Lord’s sight. And the basic commandments were given to them at the foot of Mt. Sinai when Moses came down with the two tablets of stone written on by the Lord, containing what we call The Ten Commandments, which we can find in Exodus 20:1-17.
And if you look at them, they are not really hard to obey, as John tells us in his first epistle: ‘For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome).’ (1 John 5:3) But with our sinful and prideful nature, we take umbrage at obeying some of them. But that’s only to our own detriment. And if our society were to follow those same Ten Commandments today, it would be such a wonderful place.
And please note that every time the Israelites veered from those commandments, they suffered terrible misfortune; wars, captivity, plagues, etc. etc. And when they came to their senses, repented and turned back to God, He blessed them again. This is just to say, that maybe, if we repent and turn back to God, He will bless us, and our world would not be as strife and disaster filled as it is. For there is absolutely no doubt that we have turned away from God, so far away, that we are attempting to totally remove Him for our society. Which anyone of faith knows is impossible!
And Jesus also said it loud and clear to the disciples, and consequently to us: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) It’s as simple as that! And it’s obvious by our lack of obedience that we don’t LOVE Him! Meanwhile, Bruh Paul admonishes us in Romans 6, when he writes: ‘Know ye not, that to whom ye yield (present) yourselves servants to obey, his servants (slaves) ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.’ (Rom. 6:16) Yes, we’re either slaves to Satan which leads to eternal death, or obedient to the Lord, which leads to eternal life.
And remember when Peter and the other apostles were imprisoned and beaten by the Jewish leaders and severely warned to stop preaching Christ crucified, what was their answer? ‘Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.’ (Acts 5:29) Now that would be such a welcome sight in this society, if more of us would begin obeying God more than men.
And there’s no better example of obedience that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Listen to Bruh Paul as he writes to the Philippians. ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made of himself no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men (emptied himself of all his privileges):
And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:5-11)
Oh my fellow saints, Christ was the very example of obedience! Do you think He really wanted to go to the cross and experience that terrible ‘sufferation’ for our abominable sins? No! But because the Father desired it, He became obedient and did it. And yuh see the rewards He received for that obedience? A name higher than any other name, at which every knee must someday bow! In light of all that, why can’t we sacrifice a little more and be obedient to God’s commands eh? Remember, it’s all for our benefit, not His! Much LOVE!
…though he were a son…yet learned he obedience…by the things he suffered… (Heb. 5:8)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a double minded man is unstable in all his ways, a future and a hope, a great high priest, a proud heart, according to his riches in glory, acknowledge God's sovereignty, an aura of peace, an high look, as little faith as a mustard seed, ask in faith, ask of God, Bible, calamity, call upon me, chaos, Christ's birth, christianity, Christmas week, come boldly unto the throne of grace, comfort, deepen my breath, double minded, driven with the wind, extricated from, faith, find grace to help, gives to all men liberally, go and pray to me, God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, God will meet all your needs, God will work everything out for our own good, He gives liberally and without reproach, he that wavers, heightened sense of peace, hold fast our profession, holy spirit, humility, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I will hearken unto you, if any of you lack wisdom, in time of need, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, like a wave of the sea, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, man-made strife, mercy, natural disasters, New Year's celebrations, no respite, not doubting, nothing wavering, obtain mercy, on God's great earth, one of the most powerful forces, our godly responsibility, prayer, prayer can move mountains, praying for others, pride is an abomination to God, puts the icing on the cake, quiet my soul, relax, relax my muscles, salvation, sincere and heartfelt prayer, slow my thoughts, sympathize with our weaknesses, take a moment to remember, thank you for this tenderness, the amazing power of prayer, the joyful time, the plowing of the wicked is sin, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end, touched wit the feeling of our infirmities, truth, untenable situations, when ye search for me, wind down, wisdom, wishy-washy, with all your heart, without faith it is impossible to please God, without reproach, ye shall seek me and find me, you can't be contained, your love surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Jeremiah 29:13. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye search for me with all your heart.
So, at long last, through all the carryings ons of Christmas week, we’ve finally come to our lazy-day Saturday, where we can take a break, relax and catch our breath, wind down, until it’s time to wind back up for the New Year’s celebrations next week. Wow! What a crazy time the Christmas and New Year seasons are, with little or no respite from the joyful celebrations.
But please, let’s take a moment to remember that a great portion of our world is either surrounded by man-made strife and chaos, or they have recently been inflicted by natural disaster, so they are in no position to engage in the celebrations that we take for granted. It’s so sad, when so much of the earth’s population are not able to enjoy the joyful time that Christ’s birth brings.
And it’s unfortunate that most of us cannot do more than pray for them to be soon extricated from their untenable situations. But let’s not forget that prayer is one of the most powerful forces on God’s great earth, and therefore can move mountains if we truly believe, have even as little faith as a mustard seed. That means we cannot stop praying for those who are not as fortunate as us. It’s our godly responsibility.
Now, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer in 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 friends, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly after saying that prayer, something like a veil… or aura of peace comes down and settles in my soul. Not that I didn’t have peace before, but now it’s somewhat heightened, and my soul and spirit seem much lighter than before. And if your prayer was sincere, then I know that you also feel that heightened sense of peace and comfort.
Why? Because that’s the amazing power of sincere and heartfelt prayer! It just speaks to the great communication we can have with our wonderful God Jehovah, if we are obedient to His will and regularly seek His face. What did He say to the people of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah, when they were in captivity in Babylon?
After promising to return them to Jerusalem seventy years later, Jeremiah announced: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:11-13)
Oh my people, right there is one of the most provocative and thought provoking promises of the Bible! If we seek the Lord with all of our heart, we will certainly find Him! It could not be any simpler than that. So why are so many of us still wishy-washy, uncertain, vague, unsure in seeking God eh? That’s obviously not in our best interest, because God doesn’t like double- minded or doubtful people.
As James tells us in his epistle: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:5-8)
Yes my brethren, when we become the sons and daughters of God, we ought not to have too many doubts about Him, or our circumstances, for He’s promised to meet all of our needs to according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19) And also that He will work everything out for our good eventually. (Rom. 8:28) That means acknowledging and believing His faithfulness in His promises.
What does Hebrews tell us on the subject of faith? ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb. 11:6) There again we have the premise of diligently seeking God. And I believe Hebrews also puts the icing on the cake of doubt, wisdom, believe and faith with these marvellous words, regarding our great High Priest, Jesus.
‘Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into (through) the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession (confession). For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched (sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (our weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need.’ (Heb. 4:14-16)
Oh my fellow saints, nothing can be better than that! We have an high priest, an advocate, one seeking our best interests before the throne of God, and the best part is that He understands and appreciates our weaknesses and frailties because He too was buffeted by sin while on earth, but He remained sinless. And there’s no one better to go to for help than one who’s already experienced your misfortune and thus can personally understand what you’re going through.
However, before we close, there’s one proviso to all of our conversation, that is, though we can go boldly or confidently to the throne of grace, we cannot go arrogantly or haughtily, for if there’s anything the Lord dislikes it’s pride. As Cousin Sol says so rightly in Proverbs, a proud look is an abomination to Him. (Prov. 6:16-17) And furthermore: ‘An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing (lamp) of the wicked, is sin.’ (Prov. 21:4)
So in all our doings with the Lord, we must ensure that our humility is in place, and we respect His sovereignty. Now that doesn’t mean we have to cower and be afraid. No, it just means that we must know our place. (smile) And we if we do, while seeking Him diligently and confidently, then our lives will be filled with the abundance that Christ died for us to have! Much LOVE!
…if you truly desire to have God in your life…then you need to…diligently search for Him…with all of your heart…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
21 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mere mortal, as I am not of the world, baking, Bible, christianity, cooking, deepen my breath, everything that glistens is not gold, excitement, faith, fellowship, free will, given them thy word, going to hell in a bucket., goodness and mercy, goodwill to men, greater intimacy with God, heaven is our real home, here to do Christ's bidding, holy spirit, hoopla, hullabaloo, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, join in the merriment, joyful worship, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, love towards neighbours, make their own decisions, mercy, never finished in time, not getting entangled in the worlds business, on our way to heaven, peace, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, sanctify them through thy truth, seeking fellowship, shopping, slow my thoughts, spending eternity in heaven, spreading the good news of the gospel, sufferation, thank you for this tenderness, thanksgiving, the benfits of believing in Jesus, the Love for Jesus is imbued in all we do, the presence of the Lord, the world hated them, the world tries to fool us, they are not of the world, this is not our home, thy word is truth, true brotherhood, truth, warms our hearts with joy, we are in the world but not of the world, we are pilgrims passing through, wisdom, with a lot of glistening stuff, wrapping presents, you can't be contained, your love surrounds and fills me
John 17:16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
And it’s a sunshiny, but cold lazy-day Saturday with clean streets and a modicum of the white snow on the banks and roof tops. What more can we ask for in this winter and Christmas season eh? Only the arrival of Jesus, which is only four days away…and then…Wow! The whole world will go crazy with excitement, celebrations, joyful worship and thanksgiving, peace, LOVE and goodwill to all men! Even the non-believers will join in the merriment and have a modicum of LOVE towards their neighbours.
That’s the beauty and power of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Even the unbeliever is affected by His glorious coming to earth, through our celebrations. Our task is then to take that receptiveness of the unbeliever and show them the benefits of truly believing in Jesus, the One and Only Saviour of the World, and without whom they don’t stand a chance of spending eternity in the wonderful realm of heaven with Him.
Ah my fellow believers, this Christmas season where so much LOVE and true brotherhood abounds, is the time when we need to up our witness for Christ, because our world is fast going to hell in a bucket and that’s not why He underwent so much ‘sufferation,’ to see it lamely fall into the hands of Beelzebub!
No! Jesus sacrificed His sinless life so that we could take it back from the devil through our spreading of the good news of His gospel and living the life that it mandates. So, while we are celebrating Christ’s birth, please, let’s throw in some comments, some remarks, some examples of His goodness and mercy, that will hopefully touch someone’s heart and make them give it to Him, as they ought to. (smile)
Now, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer in 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!’
Yes friends, I can feel the peace and presence of the Lord increasing, and there’s a big smile on His face as He welcomes our desire for greater intimacy with Him. As I keep telling us, there’s nothing that warms the cockles of God’s heart more than the desire of His people for greater intimacy with Him, because that’s exactly why He created us in the first place! It’s like when our young children come and desire to sit in our laps, to cuddle up there and just fall asleep in our warm, LOVING embrace and presence. It warms our hearts with joy.
Well, it’s the same way the Lord feels when we go to Him seeking fellowship and greater intimacy. And I can’t understand why many more of us don’t do it, because it brings such joy and peace to all parties. But then again, I’m just a mere mortal and my mind is not attuned to the whys and wherefores of other mortals. I can just do what I believe I ought to do, and offer simple advice to others, who will have to make their own decisions, with their own free will.
Ah friends, I’m chuckling here because I don’t know how we got to this point, the words just kept flowing. (smile) The important thing though, is that the sentiments are wise and true, and surely worth following. And with only four more days to go to Christmas Day, I hope we are all ready for it, with all the shopping, the wrapping of presents, the baking, the cooking, and all the other things we seem to do at Christmas time completed and just waiting to explode at the given time.
But that would indeed be a miracle, for many of us are never finished with all the stuff we need to do even on Christmas morning. Anyway, let’s hope that the LOVE for Jesus is imbued in everything we do, and it’s not simply a matter of lust for worldly things. For remember Jesus’ fateful words about our association with this world, in His prayer to the Father.
‘And now I come to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from evil (the evil one). They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.’ (John 17:13-19)
Yes my fellow saints, Jesus went out of His way to ensure the Father would keep us in the world, but not as a part of the world! To sanctify or set us apart to do His mission, like Christ came to do the Father’s mission. We are here to do Christ’s bidding, of spreading the truth of His word, not getting ourselves entangled with the evil and ungodliness of this world. And as this Christmas season progresses, with all the hoopla and hullabaloo it brings, I believe it would do many of us some good to remember those words. We are in the world, but not a part of the world. This is not our home. We are merely pilgrims passing through, on our way to heaven…our real home.
So, on this lazy-day Saturday before Christmas, please, let’s take a moment and ponder, compare our actual lives to those words, and with the Lord’s help, make any necessary adjustments! That’s my prayer for us today! Much LOVE!
…everything that glistens is not gold…but the world tries to fool us…with a lot of glistening stuff…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
07 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adore you, asking nothing of yoy, await all things from you, be not as the hypocrites are, Bible, christianity, commune with the Father, contented in the Lord, deep inside your soul, deepen my breath, departed into a solitary place and prayed, distractions, divine aura, enter into thy closet, frail creations, holy spirit, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, if you don't use it you'll lose it, in the depths of our being, in the morning, increase my awareness of you, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, mercy, not fixed on ourselves, on street corners, our prayer may tend to your glory, peaceul frame of mind, pray always, pray to thy Father in secret, pray without ceasing, prayer, prayer gets us in contact with God, prayer keeps us connected to God, praying in the synagogues, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, release the tensions, salvation, shutting out this evil world, sincerity, slow my thoughts, spending quiet time with God, teach our souls to remain silent, Teach us O God, thank you or this tenderness, that deep and simple prayer, that I may know you all the more, that silent language that says all things, that they may be seen of men, the accomplishment of your will, the Christian's lifeline to God, the everyday world, the invigorating light of the rising sun, the presence of God, the true state of our prayer lives, through prayer and quiet time, thy Father shall reward thee openly, truth, which says nothing and experiences everything, which specifies nothing and includes everything, wholly directed to you, wisdom, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Mark 1:35. 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.
And then it was our favourite day; lazy-day Saturday, where we can generally do whatever we please, whenever we please. Now isn’t that a good feeling? It surely is, especially when outside looks dark and gloomy with snow on the ground, and more promised this afternoon. We’ve entered that time of year, when you don’t leave home unless you must! And that suits me just fine. (smile)
I’m sorry for those who have to trudge around in the sludgy, dirty white stuff shopping for presents and other Christmas needs or wants. Thankfully, I’ve outgrown that kind of activity. Now, the only present I give is money, you go and do what you want with it. No more of this running around trying to figure out what to buy for whom, and then they either don’t like it, or it doesn’t fit, or some such negative occurrence.
Anyway, enough of the Christmas foolishness, let’s turn to more serious matters, like offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. As one voice, in all sincerity and truth: ‘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 ought to put us in a very peaceful and contented frame of mind. Of course! For, getting intimate with the Father, or going deeper in His presence is certainly uplifting and soul cleansing. And surprisingly, this past week I’ve read and listened to a number of things that emphasized the great importance of going deeper into the presence of God, getting to know Him more intimately, because that’s what true Christianity is about; a deeper and more intimate relationship with our Maker and Saviour.
And the best way to do that is through prayer and quiet time with Him. Unfortunately though, not many of us realize how important time spent with God is, just sitting quietly in His presence, and letting Him flow over and into us. It’s like that Prayer of the Ages, we said a few days ago, which was attributed to Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941).
So please pray it with me again: ‘Teach us, O God, that silent language which says all things. Teach our souls to remain silent in Your presence; that we may adore You in the depths of our being, and await all things from You, while asking of You nothing but the accomplishment of Your will. Teach us to remain quiet under Your action and produce in our souls that deep and simple prayer which says nothing and experiences everything, which specifies nothing and includes everything. Do pray in us, that our prayer may even tend to Your glory, and our desires and intentions may not be fixed on ourselves, but wholly directed to You.’
Yes my people, there’s nothing like being in the Lord’s presence and just experiencing His majesty and the divine aura that emanates from Him. It’s like sitting quietly with a treasured friend, looking at the glorious colours of the setting sun above the horizon, or being awakened by the brash, sparkling and invigorating light of the rising sun! It all gets to a place deep inside your soul. That’s how spending quiet time with God ought to affect us. And it’s obvious we cannot accomplish this in a room full of people or with the many raucous noises of today’s world intruding into that special time.
It’s like Jesus advised us: ‘And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites (pretenders) are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet (inner room), and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.’ (Matt. 6:5-6)
Oh friends, prayer can really be made anywhere at any time, although as Jesus said not simply to be seen by men and thought of as being so holy and righteous. But getting deep into the presence of God can only be accomplished in a quiet space, with little or no distractions. And technically speaking, if we are serious about our spiritual growth, we all ought to have a quiet space where we can meet with the Father in prayer and worship, thus shutting out the evil world. And furthermore, as a believer in Christ Jesus, prayer is one of, if not the most important aspect of our faith, for it’s in prayer that we are renewed and refreshed, and release the tensions of the everyday world.
And you cannot find a better example of a rich prayer life than that of Jesus. Although He was God Himself, nonetheless, as a man, He recognized the importance of staying in close touch with His heavenly Father and made time to do so. There are several instances throughout the gospels where it says He went away by himself to pray. But this one from the gospel of Mark, shows how truly dedicated to prayer Jesus was. ‘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)
Yuh see that friends, even before day break, Jesus got up and went to a quiet place to commune with the Father, to get guidance and directions for the day ahead. Now, if the Son of God could need prayer so badly, who are we, his mere finite and frail creations not to need it eh? Oh my fellow saints, prayer is the Christian’s lifeline to God, and if we don’t use it, then we’ll eventually lose it. So please, this lazy-day Saturday is as good a time as any to go into our closets and ponder with God, the true state of our prayer lives. Much LOVE!
…pray always…pray without ceasing…for prayer gets us in contact with God…and also keeps us connected to Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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