The Overwhelming Importance of seeking God, if One desires to live successfully in His Kingdom!

09 Nov 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

1 Chronicles 16:11.       Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.

Oh what a beautiful lazy-day Saturday! It’s a li’l on the cool side, but the sunshine mitigates the chilliness, (smile) especially when you don’t have to be anywhere at any particular time, and thus you can do whatever you want, whenever you want! Wow! Why can’t we have more days like those eh, instead of the constant rushing around like chickens with our heads cut off, that our busy society seems to demand? 

I don’t know, but when we do get days like that, it’s wise and imperative that we enjoy them to the fullest. And having said that, let’s turn to the eternal  source of our everlasting joy and give Him some thanks and praise, seek His awesome presence more deeply through our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. 

As one sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And that’s all it takes! A short, simple, sincere, heartfelt prayer to bring our heavenly Father rushing down to meet and greet us in greater intimacy, thus allowing us to enjoy His Triune presence with an intensity like never before! And that’s how we grow, how we mature my fellow believers! By getting closer and more intimate with our God, as He says, seeking Him, while He’s near… 

But yuh know what, He’s always near; as near as a prayer away! With His omnipresence, meaning His presence everywhere at all times, there’s no time He’s ever not near. But He desires us to call out to Him, to want Him enough to go out of our way to seek Him. That’s why He gave us free will, so that we could consciously choose Him above all else. Then He would really know that our interest is sincere. 

And there are so many scriptures on seeking the Lord, that today we ought to look at a few of them, beginning with the most obvious; these immortal words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount, while teaching on worry. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) Yes friends, if we keep God first place in our lives, all that we need will be given to us. But like all scripture, we first have to believe it and then put it into practice in our daily lives. 

Meanwhile, way back in time, the Lord said it thus to the Israelites as they made their way from Egyptian bondage to the Promised Land. ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’ (2 Chr. 7:14) 

Oh my people, that’s exactly what we ought to be doing in these disastrous and chaotic times; turning to the Lord our God, seeking His face through humble prayer and repentance, that He might free us from, and forgive us of the abominations that are currently enveloping our land and world. Can’t you see that a total return to the God of our forefathers is the answer, the only way our land and world will ever be peaceful and joyful again? 

Obviously not, for again and again, we allow Satan to deceive us and steal our joy in the Lord, which we know is the very source of our strength. (Neh. 8:10) For as one wise person said, Satan doesn’t want our things, he wants our joy, for once he steals that, we become weak and rudderless, out on the open stormy sea with no guide or pilot, and it’s only a matter of time before we crash on some rocky shore and perish. 

Consequently, it’s of the utmost importance that we keep seeking God, His strength, grace, mercy, goodness, LOVE and compassion. That’s why Bruh David in his Song of Thanksgiving so strongly advises: ‘Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgements of his mouth.’ (1 Chr. 16:11-12) And Cousin Sol says it like this in Proverbs: ‘I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me.’ (Prov. 8:17) Then James puts it thus: ‘Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you.’ (James 4:8a) 

It’s all so simple my brethren; we just have to call out to God for help with sincere hearts. He’s waiting for us to do so, because He wants to lose none of His human creations to eternal damnation. But if we don’t call on Him, then that’s where we’ll end up, breaking His heart with such disobedience. 

Meanwhile in Psalm 9 – Praise for God’s Judgement – Bruh David writes: ‘And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.’ (Ps. 9:10) And that’s the gospel truth! And it’s sad that so many of us don’t believe it, therefore don’t put our trust in Him, and therefore lead more miserable lives than is necessary. 

Then in Psalm 14 – Man is Corrupt – Bruh David declares (yesss!!!): ‘The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.’ (Ps. 14:2) And what did he find? ‘They are all gone aside (turned away), they are all together become filthy (corrupt): there is none that doeth good, no not one.’ (Ps. 14:3) 

Now Bruh David could have been speaking of our current world. And isn’t a sad commentary on us supposed believers, that we’ve allowed Beelzebub and his evil cronies to take so much control of our world. Whatever happened to the Great Commission that Jesus gave us, to go forth and preach the good news of His salvation and eternal life to ALL the world eh? Whatever happened to us being the salt of the earth and shining lights of the word eh? 

Obviously, our salt has lost its flavour and our lights have been burned out. But it’s not too late my fellow saints, we can still turn things around if we get up RIGHT NOW and do what we need to do, so that our descendants won’t be left drowning in such an evil and sinful world as the one we now have. Let’s do it for them nuh! Much LOVE!

…to live successfully in God’s kingdom…one must seek Him…sincerely, diligently and continuously…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Amazing Feeling One gets from being in the Awesome Presence of God!

02 Nov 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 16:11b.       in thy presence is fullness of joy;

So we’ve finally come to our lazy-day Saturday, where we can loll around as much as we want with no activities to accomplish within a certain time period. And isn’t that a good feeling? It certainly is. But before we get started, I want to point out a couple of incidents that happened in the recent Halloween celebrations. First of all, two people were killed and six injured in a celebration in Orlando, Florida, while a razor blade was found in a chocolate bar in Cochrane, Ontario. 

And I’m sure those are not all the negative incidents that occurred because of the foolish celebration, but just those that reached the news media. What’s it going to take for us to cut out the pagan nonsense eh? What kind of evil society are we living in, if we can consciously put a razor blade in a chocolate bar that a child is going to eat. And I guess it won’t be banished until someone from the family of a high government official or one of the money men that profit from it suffers some negative repercussions from the unwise celebration. 

And now that I’ve had my say, (smile) let’s move on to the more pleasant aspects of the day, like offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. As one sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And that’s a perfect prayer for a lazy-day Saturday, where we have the time to foment greater intimacy with our wonderful God. To simply bask in His awesome presence and listen to whatever He has to share with us. It’s a time to just run amok, as it were, in the awesome glory and presence of Almighty God! (smile) Yes friends, being in God’s presence is as good as it gets! And we ought to enjoy it while we have the opportunity. 

And I don’t mean we should use it as a time to complain and ask for stuff, but simply to enjoy being in God’s presence, like when you’re with a friend, whose company you enjoy, and you can just sit quietly and be happy, or do simple, joyful things together. The important aspect of it being the togetherness. That’s how we ought to spend this lazy time with our God…just being together with Him, and enjoying the joy that His presence brings. 

And there are numerous scriptures that talk about being in the Lord‘s presence and how good and joyful it can be. Like this verse from Psalm 16 – God Preserves His People. Bruh David ends it thus: ‘Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’ (Ps. 16:11) 

Meanwhile the Sons of Korah put it like this in Psalm 84 – Rejoicing in God’s Tabernacle: ‘For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (Ps. 84:10-12) 

Then there’s Psalm 139, one of the grandest psalms in the psalter, where Bruh David recounts the omnipresence of our magnificent God. Now listen to these verses that speak of that presence. ‘Whither shall (can) I go from thy spirit? or whither shall (can) I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell. Behold thou art there. 

If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. yea, the darkness hideth not from thee (is not dark to thee); but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.’ (Ps. 139:7-12) 

Wow! Our God is everywhere; be it day or night, be it in heaven or in hell; in the sea or on the earth! We simply cannot hide from His presence, although many of us still foolishly try to do it. And every time I read those verses or hear them read, I always remember the first time I heard them being acted out many years ago by Dr. Robert H Schuller in an ‘Hour of Power Sermon’ in the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. His actions and the words have stuck with me down through the years.  

And we have this faithful promise from God found in Hebrews: ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake tee.’ (Heb. 13:5) Then James exhorts us: ‘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 double-minded… Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-8, 10)

Yes my fellow believers, God’s greatest desire is for His human creation to draw near to Him, not be far away, but the truth is that in these trying times we need to avidly seek His presence, not wait for Him to come to us. Anyway, He’s already done that through the earthly work of Jesus; now it’s our turn to sincerely seek Him. And we’ll close with this marvellous promise from Jesus: ‘…and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20b) 

Now we couldn’t want for a more faithful promise than that, especially since it’s been kept by the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, to remind us of all that Jesus is, and to guide us to where He desires us to go. So let’s spend some time today and just consider the awesome presence of God in our lives nuh. We can never go wrong doing that! Much LOVE!

…in God’s presence…there’s always joy…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Overwhelming Importance of LOVE in Our World!

26 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 22:37.        Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Oh, it’s another sunshiny day in my area, though somewhat blustery, with seasonal temperatures, and the leaves are now truly beginning to fall. But that’s what fall is all about; blowing wind and falling colourful leaves with some rain. And though it’s all good when the sun shines, we haven’t seen the other part of the equation, that’s rain, for almost a couple of weeks now, although it’s been promised several times by the weather people. 

And until such time as the rain decides to bless us, we’ll just have to grin and painfully bear the sunshine. (smile) And I did have a nice li’l lazy day Saturday reprieve, as I went to bed rather late this morning. But enough with the unimportant stuff, let’s get to our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer and offer it up 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!’ 

Ah friends, there’s’ nothing better than achieving more intimacy with God, of going deeper and deeper into His presence! And that’s only possible when we sincerely seek Him, as Jesus explains. ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:37-40) 

Yes my fellow believers, the abiding principle in the law of God, is LOVE! That’s His greatest attribute, and what should be the prevailing sentiments and emotions on His earth. But it certainly is not. For hate, anger, resentment, strife, greed, jealousy and all the other negative sentiments and emotions are currently ruling the world. LOVE is a forgotten word, and even when remembered, it’s merely bandied about trivially, with no real respect for it’s true meaning. 

And with the negative emotions in prominence, there’s no wonder that our world is in a state of chaos, and fading fast away as the negatives become even more prevalent, and LOVE recedes even further into the background. And the scriptures warn us about the very bad effects of those negative attitudes. 

Listen to this one from that famous Psalm 37 – Trust in the Lord. Bruh David spells it out loud and clear. ‘Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps. 37:8-9) 

And Jesus said it thus in the Sermon on the Mount, as He taught the Beatitudes: ‘Blessed are the meek, for thy shall inherit the earth.’ (Matt. 5:5) Yes, my brethren, the meek are those that have humbled themselves before God, have strength and power, but don’t abuse it, they can control their sinful urges, and instead wait on God’s direction to use His gifts for the good purposes He desires. 

Meanwhile, Bruh Paul had this to say to the Colossians. ‘If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection (mind) on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore (put to death) your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection (passion), evil concupiscence (desire), and covetousness, which is idolatry: 

For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:’ (Col. 3:1-10) 

And that’s how it ought to be when we receive Christ as Saviour! We put away the sinful things of our old life and take up the new and LOVING things of God! Looking more unto the incorruptible things of heaven, than the corruptible things of the earth. Unfortunately though, too many supposed Christians are still indulging too much in the things of the world and not enough in the things of heaven. We are allowing the things of the world to influence us too much. 

Remember what Jesus said in His prayer for the disciples? ‘They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart) 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 17:16-19) 

Yes my fellow believers, Jesus sent us into the world to continue His task of bringing sinners to repentance, and like Him, we are NOT supposed to allow the world to instill their worldly thoughts into us, because we know the truth, which is God’s Word. We do have to dwell IN the world to be able to do His work, but we don’t have to be OF the world. And that’s where many of us are falling down in our Christian walk. We’re allowing the ungodly and sinful things of the world to seep into our souls and spirits, thus negating the work we should be doing for Christ. 

Thus Satan is winning the battle over us, as John says in his first epistle. ‘For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interests), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.’ (1 John 2:16-17) 

Oh my fellow  saints, our world is going through a very rough time right now, and consequently we are suffering more than is necessary, but we only have ourselves to blame for the terrible state of God’s great earth. For, if all the supposed Christians would get up and live more of the true Christian life, we would not be in such a dire state of tremendous trials and tribulations. And, only as we seriously stand up and fight the good fight for Christ, will things ever improve. Let’s go home considering that today nuh, in light of what it will mean for our children’s children and their children. Much LOVE!

…only as true LOVE comes back into our world…will it ever improve…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Overwhelming Importance of the Believer being continuously in God’s Presence!

19 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 145:18.       The Lord is nigh (near) unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

Oh, how wonderful it is to wake up to a nice sunshiny and warm lazy-day Saturday! Just the thought of not having to get up early and rush off to work is oh so comforting. And being able to simply loll around in bed or on the couch or wherever you choose, just makes it all the nicer. And I did enjoy some of that lazy-day Saturday bliss, but unfortunately, for some of us the bliss cannot last all day, as we have God’s work to do. So here we are writing the Bit. (smile) And our first activity is to offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity and truth. Please pray with me: 

‘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 by the time we’ve finished the prayer, we can feel our spirits lightened and calmed through God’s awesome presence, because that is one prayer the Lord always rushes to answer. There is nothing that warms the cockles of His heart more than us sincerely seeking His presence and greater intimacy with Him. And doing that is so important, that the Bible contains many scriptures which encourage us to seek the Lord’s presence. 

So let’s look at a few of them today nuh, starting with this wonderful wake up call from Isaiah, where he advises his people Israel thus: ‘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) 

Now friends, that’s exactly what so many of us in this ungodly and sinful world need to do; return to God, seek Him sincerely so that He can pardon us, and make our lives so much better than they currently are. Meanwhile in Psalm 16 – God Preserves His People, Bruh David poignantly writes: ‘Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.’ (Ps. 16:11) 

And there’s no denying that my fellow believers! In God’s awesome presence there’s abundant joy, and that joy rises up, simply because we know that He will take care of us. As the author of Hebrews so assuredly tells us: ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he (God) hath said I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Heb. 13:5) And we know that our faithful God keeps all His promises. So there’s no need to worry when we’re in His presence. 

There’s also this interesting prayer from Moses for God’s presence to go with him and the children of Israel on their journey to the Promised Land. He offered up to God: ‘Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. And he (God) said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he (Moses) said unto Him (God), If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.’ (Ex. 33:13-15) 

Oh friends, yuh see how important God’s presence was to Moses, that if He wasn’t going to be with them along the way, he’d prefer to stay right where he was. And that’s exactly how important God’s presence ought to be in each believer’s life! If He’s not with us, then we’re not moving from where ever we are! 

Then there are these encouraging words from the sons of Korah in Psalm 46: God is our Refuge and Strength. ‘Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.’ (Ps. 46:10-11)  And until we truly believe that my brethren, we will never be able to fully enter into the Lord’s presence, we will always feel as though we’re on the outside looking in at a joyful scene. 

And we all know these words of assurance from Jeremiah to the Israelites re their captivity in Babylon. After seventy years the Lord would cause them to return to their homeland ‘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) 

That’s it friends, our God only has good thoughts toward us, but we have to seek Him sincerely and be obedient to His will, if we desire to get into the fullness of His presence. And that is totally borne out by these words of Bruh David from Psalm 145 – God’s Unsearchable Greatness. ‘The Lord is nigh (near) unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear (reverence) him: he will also hear their cry, and will save them.’ (Ps. 145:18-19) 

Oh my fellow saints, it could not be more explicit than that…except possibly with these words of Jesus. ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things (that you need) shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) That’s another faithful promise. But we’ll close with this marvellous and soul strengthening promise from Jesus at the end of the Great Commission. He left the disciples, and consequently all future believers, with these simple but oh so true words: ‘and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20b) 

Now if that doesn’t hit you right in the heart, then I don’t know what will! But it’s ever so important that we believe that Jesus is always with is, through the Holy Spirit, and is doing His best to lead us along the straight and narrow way that ends in eternal life at His side. Much LOVE!

… if we’re not in God’s presence…then we’re missing the whole purpose of life…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Only in God’s Presence can One enjoy the fullness of Life!

27 Jul 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Proverbs 8:17.        I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me.

Oh friends, can you believe that this is already the last weekend in July? Didn’t we just celebrate Canada Day on the first day of the month? How can we be seeing the end so soon eh? Next week we’ll be talking about August… and you know what that means – the end of summer! Brother! The days are running away from us, and in a li’l while, we’ll be sadly asking, where have all the flowers gone, as the cold weather steps in and the flora and fauna hibernate for another winter. 

Thankfully though, all of that’s in the future. We’ve still got time to enjoy the lazy, hazy days of summer. But we have to be quick about it. And there are lots of summer festivities still to come, like Caribana, the EX; that big Canadian Fair at the Exhibition grounds, and every weekend there’s some cultural group celebrating their old homeland with food, drink and other cultural activities. So although the summer’s moving along fast, it’s still far from over. 

But before we get out there and enjoy it all, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with sincere, heartfelt emotions. 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 we can now feel God’s awesome presence permeating our souls and spirits even more than before, because that’s the kind of prayer the Lord just LOVES to answer. You can’t ask for anything dearer to His heart, than more of His presence in your life. And there are numerous scriptures that advise us to do just that. So let’s look at some of those scriptures about seeking God, about seeking His face. 

And this verse from Jeremiah is probably the best one to start with, where the Lord says through the prophet: ‘And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:13) That says it all my brethren! To find God, to come into His holy presence, we must seek Him with all of our heart. Nothing less will do. But that’s why many of us seek God and can’t find Him; we don’t do it sincerely, or with all of our hearts, but for selfish, lustful purposes. Obviously He won’t show up under such circumstances. 

Then Psalm 105 tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore.’ (Ps. 105:4) Yes friends, we’re to continually seek God’s face, seek His presence continually, every day, all day! And we see it in action when Moses prays for the Lord’s presence. 

‘And Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight, and consider that this nation is thy people. And he (the Lord) said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. 

And he (Moses) said unto him (the Lord), If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.’ (Ex. 33:12-17) 

Oh my fellow believers, you see how important the Lord’s presence was in the eyes of Moses. If He wasn’t with him and the Israelite people, he didn’t want to go any further, because the Lord’s presence showed that they were safe, separated  and protected from other people. It’s the same with us today. If we don’t have God’s presence in our lives, we stand a greater chance of being hurt or destroyed, physically, spiritually or emotionally. And we’ll never feel truly safe while journeying though this strife-filled and evil world. 

Meanwhile, in Psalm 16 – God Preserves His People, Bruh David writes: ‘I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins (heart) also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest (dwell securely) in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (the abode of the dead); neither wilt thou suffer (allow) thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.’ (Ps. 16:7-11) 

Yes friends, as this commentary explains: Bruh David is speaking of ‘the divine presence as the place that is most desired, that gives “fullness of joy” (verse 11). From beginning to end Psalm 16 testifies to a life that finds its ultimate rest in God’s protective presence.’ You cannot find any fault whatsoever with that statement, because it’s the gospel truth! Then Psalm 95 wisely advises: ‘Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (songs). For the Lord is a great God, and great King above all gods.’ (Ps. 95:2-3) No disputing that either! 

And no scriptures will ever be complete without a word of wisdom from Cousin Sol. On this particular subject, he conclusively states: ‘I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me.’ (Prov. 8:17) Now that’s simply more gospel truth! And there are no better verses to end with than these two from Jesus. The first is the greatest advice going: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) If we’re wise, we’ll do exactly that. And this last one just ramps up our level of assurance in God: ‘and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20b) 

Now there’s no better reassurance that that my fellow believers! Jesus promised to be with us right down to the very end, and since we know that He keeps all His promise, we can go home today, unafraid, totally reassured, rejoicing in His awesome holy presence. Much LOVE!

…if you’re not in God’s presence…then you’re not enjoying the fullness of life…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Testing of a Believer’s Faith

22 Jun 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Job 23:10.       But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

And on this lazy-day Saturday, the second official day of summer, the weather is sunny and fairly cool, compared with earlier this week, when summer came in like a mighty lion with temperatures in the constant thirties. Let’s hope that it will stay in the mid-twenties for a while now. The heat’s nice, much preferable to the cold, but we do need a modicum of circumspection, for too much of anything is no good. (smile) 

Now, let’s get serious and offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Morning Prayer in all 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 because the motives of our hearts were right, we can now feel the Lord’s presence, His LOVE and peace truly hovering around us in even more abundance than before. And I like this prayer because it’s one of those that touch the cockles of God’s heart. You’re sincerely asking for more of Him, and He will never refuse such a prayer, since it’s His greatest desire for His human creation to sincerely seek Him with all their hearts, minds, souls and bodies. 

So, as we promised yesterday, if the Lord spared life today, we would continue looking at some scriptures that speak to the testing of our faith. And all God’s children said a grateful: ‘Thank You Lord for allowing us to see another day on your great earth!’ 

Let’s begin then with this interesting scripture from Isaiah re God’s deferred anger. ‘For my name’s sake, will I defer (delay) my anger, and for my praise will I refrain (restrain) for thee, that I cut thee not off (destroy you). Behold, I have refined thee, but not with (as) silver; I have chosen (tested) thee in the furnace of affliction. For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted (profaned)? and I will not give my glory unto another.’ (Is. 48:9-11) 

Yes friends, for the Lord’s own sake, that we do not profane His holy name, He refines us in the fires of affliction. And those fires are never very nice, but they do serve to refine us, grow us in spiritual maturity, and keep us on the right path. Now, hear these awesome words of the psalmist. 

‘O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: Which holdeth our soul in life (among the living), and suffereth not our feet to be moved (slip). For thou, O God, hast proved (tested) us: thou hast tried (refined) us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy (an abundant) place.’ (Ps. 66:8-12) 

Yuh see that mih bredrin, though the Lord tries and afflicts us, it’s always for our own good, for our benefit. He brings us out of the afflictions in a better place than when we went in. Then there’s this interesting scripture from Bruh Paul in 1 Corinthians. ‘According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 

Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble (straw); Every man’s work shall be made manifest (become evident); for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try (test) every man’s work of what sort it is. If a man’s work abide (endures) which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved: yet so as by (through) fire.’ (1 Cor. 3:10-15) 

Oh my people, come the judgement day, even our works will be tested to see how they held up to Christ’s service. And if they don’t survive the fire, because they are built on hay, wood or straw, then we will lose rewards, but not our salvation. For as the scholars explain: ‘The stress in this entire passage is not on a person’s relationship to Christ, but on service to Christ.’ 

Meanwhile, Job in his great trial said it thus: ‘Behold, I go forward, but he (God) is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him. On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself (turns) on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.’ (Job 23:8-10) 

Job’s friends thought that his sins caused his downfall, that he was filled with rubbish, but he maintained that God knew when He tested him, pure gold would come out of the fires of his affliction. Can we be that sure of our situations? Who knows? But we’ve got to do our best to pass through the fires refined as pure gold. 

Now here’s this last scripture, another famous one, this from Peter, where, writing about the incorruptible inheritance reserved in heaven for us, says: ‘Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness (distressed) through manifold temptations: 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: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.’ (1 Pet. 1:6-9) 

And the scholars offer these explanations on those verses: ‘The problem of salvation looks to the present. Earthly trials constitute  a problem of our salvation, but they are only for a season, or temporary. Manifold temptations means diversified trials. True faith cannot be destroyed though God is in the process of refining faith through our trials.’ 

Oh my fellow saints, living for Christ seems like a tough life, and it sometimes truly is, but let’s remember that the rewards of putting Christ first are well worth the trials and testings we go through in this evil and ungodly world. The long and short of the story is we know our salvation is assured through God’s gift of grace, and if we live the way Christ desires, great will be our rewards in heaven! Much LOVE!

…building on the solid foundation of Christ…is the wise earthly way to go…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   8 June 2024 Jeremiah 29:13.

08 Jun 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jeremiah 29:13.       And ye shall seek me, and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

And it’s another lazy-day Saturday friends, but a rather windy one in my area. Well what’s new about that eh? Nothing! For this will be the third straight windy day we’ve had this week. And according to my theory, it’s blown away most of the rain we were supposed to have. (smile) So we’ve had a miniscule amount of heavenly blessings, compared to what the weather forecasters had predicted. Yesterday was also pretty chilly, as far as I was concerned. But who knows what’s going on in this crazy times of climate change and inconsistent weather patterns? Only the Good Lord…and He’s not telling. So we just have to grin and bear whatever comes against us, of course with His compassionate help! 

And to accentuate that divine aid, let’s go to Him right now, offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer in 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!’ 

Now, I just LOVE that prayer, because it’s one the Father cannot refuse to answer if our motives are sincere, since it’s one where we are actively seeking His person, His presence, offering up praise and thanksgiving, asking Him to come more deeply into our lives, our souls, bodies and minds. How could He ever refuse our sincere pleas to know and LOVE Him more eh? Never! Otherwise He’d be denying His own word. Remember what He says in Jeremiah. ‘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 shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:11-13) 

Yes friends, when we seek the Lord with all of our hearts, we will find Him, and He will listen to our pleas. But the operative words there are ‘with all of our hearts,’ or in true sincerity. That’s the number one requirement for activating heaven’s help – a true and sincere heart. For as Cousin Sol so wisely tells us in Proverbs: ‘Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth (weighs) the hearts. To do justice and judgement (righteousness and justice) is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.’ (Prov. 21: 2-3) 

So though we may think that everything we do is right, remember the Lord judges us by the motives of our hearts, by what is in our hearts, by our earnest and sincere efforts; rather than by what we can accomplish through our actions. And a long time ago, the Lord pointed out this very salient fact to Samuel when he sent him to choose the new king of Israel from amongst the sons of Jesse. When Samuel saw the fine physical attributes of the eldest son, Eliab, he at once thought that he would be the new king. But the Lord immediately stopped him by saying:  ‘Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused  (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (1 Sam. 17:7) It could not get any clearer than that my brethren. 

And later on when Bruh David became king, ‘a man after God’s own heart’ (1 Sam. 13:14) on handing over the building of God’s temple to Cousin Sol, he tells him. ‘And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. Take heed now; for the Lord hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.’ (1 Chr. 28:9-10) Oh my people wiser words were never spoken from a father to a son. And those are the kind of words we ought to be speaking to our children in these ungodly and lawless days. 

Now, Jesus also mentions God judging our hearts when He says to the Pharisees: ‘Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.’ (Luke 16:15) And we all know that some things considered acceptable to men are disliked by God to such an extent, that they become abominations to Him; obscene, totally revolting, and hated. 

Then, there are Bruh Paul’s words on the subject of God trying our hearts. In recalling his conduct to the Thessalonians, he says: ‘For our exhortation was not of deceit (error), nor of uncleanness, nor in guile (deceit): But as we were allowed of  (approved by) God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth (tests) our hearts.’ (1 Thess. 2:3-4) 

And I like how the scholars explain that verse. They say: “Allowed” means that God had carefully examined Paul and found him to be fit for the ministry, thus entrusting the apostle with this responsibility. “Trieth” means that the Lord examines him daily to see whether he remains fit and can continue in the ministry. This habitual divine scrutiny is the reason Paul seeks to please God rather than men. God, then, is the ultimate cause and motive of Paul’s ministry, not impurity (vs.3), or of covetousness (vs.5).’ 

And there is no better note to end on today than on that my people; the utmost importance of pleasing God and not man, if we expect our witness to be worth anything! Much LOVE!

…the outward appearance of man is deceitful…for it’s in the heart of man…that his true motives lie…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   1 June 2024 Philippians 4:5b.

01 Jun 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Philippians 4:5b.       The Lord is at hand.

And this first day of June 2024, a lazy-day Saturday, has opened bright, sunshiny and warm! All thanks be to God for letting us see another day on this earth with the wondrous help of His Son Jesus Christ looking out for us in heaven, and His Holy Spirit dwelling within us down here to lead, guide and comfort us in all our troubles! What a wonderful God we worship my brethren! And am I ever so sorry and heart-broken for those who don’t feel the same way, because His is the only real truth, LOVE and peace we’ll ever experience in this currently ungodly and evil world. 

Now, let’s show our heavenly Father how much we LOVE and need Him by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity of heart. 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 hearts were sincere, then we know that He heard us and will respond positively to our prayer. For as John says in his first epistle. ‘And this is the confidence that we have in him, 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 we desired (asked) of him.’ (1 John 5:14-15) Again I say, what a wonderful God we serve! For we know that there is no prayer He likes to hear more than that we LOVE and need Him and desire to spend time with Him. So, by now, if our prayer was sincere, it was answered, and we should be all feeling a sense of peace, rest and joy in the Lord’s LOVING presence. (smile) 

Now yesterday we dealt with the first part of Philippians 4:5 – ‘Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men.’ Today we’ll look at the second half of that verse: ‘The Lord is at hand.’ (Phil. 4:5b) And we all wonder what that means to us in these turbulent times. Well, the scholars, after telling us that Moderation means “graciousness” or “sweet reasonableness.” And that the believer who is at peace with his fellow Christian (vs. 2) and who rejoices always (vs. 4) is indeed a gracious, reasonable person. 

They go on to tell us that  ‘The Lord is at hand means two things. First, His (Jesus’) return to earth is near. His imminent coming as judge encourages the Christian to be “gracious” unto all men, for He will judge the believer for all of his actions toward all people, and will avenge all wrongs committed by others against Him. Second the “Lord is at hand” spiritually. The Lord, being presently near should free the Christian from fear and anxiety. Hence the command of verse 6: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil. 4:6) 

So friends, with the Lord’s coming to judge the earth being imminent, and His powerful presence spiritually abiding with us, we should not be afraid or worried about whatever circumstances we encounter. And as we said in an earlier session, that’s not always easy to do when your whole world seems to be tumbling down around you, but if you constantly pray and give thanks, and study the Word, while saving it deep in your hearts for those troublesome times, then it will help you to find that ‘Peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:7) 

And God’s peace is what gets us through those tough times. We probably won’t understand it, but if we are sincere in our devotions and discipleship, we will feel it. Now, I can vouch for that from personal experience, for I felt it very powerfully some years ago when I was vacationing in California. That morning I was in the process of writing the Bit, when they told me I had a phone call from my mother’s helper back in Canada. It was an unexpected call, but deep down I knew that something disastrous had happened. And when she told me that my mother had died, like all the air just went out of my body, and I was like a deflated balloon. 

But shortly thereafter, don’t ask me how, I was suddenly filled with a sense of peace and calm and went on about my business. My friends and family were concerned that I wasn’t crying and grieving, and so was I. And it’s not that I wasn’t sad and disappointed, but that peace that emanates from our good God, had put me in a different space, helping me to understand that there was nothing I could do about it, and therefore should keep my wits about me. But I did grieve and mourn and cry later on. (smile) So, it’s not always easy to put the Lord’s words into action, but if we’re serious about it, with His awesome help it is very possible. 

And I’m chuckling here because I had not intended to go down that path. What I had planned on doing was to share a couple of other scriptures re the ‘Lord is at hand.’ Like this one from James’ epistle. ‘Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman (farmer) waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish (establish) your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh (is near). Grudge (grumble) not one against another brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold the judge standeth before the door.’ (James 5:7-9)  

Those are excellent words of warning my people, especially for these unruly and lawless times, when everybody’s doing their own thing, and godliness is sadly lacking in the land. And what better note to close on than these words of Jesus to John in the Book of Revelation. ‘Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.’ (Rev. 22:7) Ah friends, I plead with us to heed Jesus’ warning, for we know not when He comes, but He can come at any time, like a thief in the night, and if we’re not ready, if we’re found wanting, then crapaud smoke we pipe! Much LOVE!

…a wise believer is always ready…

Hear our podcast at  https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   25 May 2024 Ephesians 5:19.

25 May 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ephesians 5:19.       Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

Oh friends, I’m truly sorry that the Bit is this late, but there is good reason for it. Unlike many of you, I was not able to have a lazy-day Saturday morning because I had to attend our annual Pentecost Prayer Breakfast at church, which necessitated me being up and out at an early hour, and by the time I got back home after twelve, having first run a couple errands in the rain, I was too tired and bloated to make a good go at the Bit, so I enjoyed a nap first, and here I am at two o’clock finally beginning the Bit. 

Now that’s good Bruh Paulian sentence, as I like to call those long, involved ones! (smile) And yes, the rain finally fell today, as we knew it would in God’s good time. But it was all worth it friends. As usual, it was a good diverse crowd, from different faiths, different cultures and plenty of different kinds of food.  And our priest, Father Jeff was in his element, much charged up by the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately though, the guest speaker, an Anglican Bishop fell sick and so was unable to grace us with her company and encouraging words. 

But not to worry, a fine time was still had by all, as is always the case when the people of St. Francis of Assisi Anglican church get together, even more so, as we are celebrating our 50th anniversary as a parish in this neighbourhood. (smile) We prayed and sang, danced and worshipped, ate good food, and had wonderful fellowship together, under the encouraging presence of the Holy Spirit. What more can one ask for of a lazy-day Saturday eh? Not much! And hopefully, because of the late hour, we will end up with a short Bit. Hn! Hn! Hn! But I won’t count on it, for brevity has never been one of my many attributes. (smile) 

Anyway, let’s get started 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!’ 

And as we like to say, if your prayer was offered up from a sincere heart, then it was immediately being answered, because there’s no prayer that our wonderful God likes to hear more than one calling to be in His faithful and ever-LOVING presence. Now, with all of our activity earlier today, this scripture popped up as being a rather appropriate one for the Bit. Please read with me, these educating and encouraging exhortations of Bruh Paul to the church at Ephesus. 

‘See then that ye walk circumspectly (carefully), not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time (making the most of every opportunity to expose sin), because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph. 5:15-21) 

Oh my people, that is exactly what we did this morning at our Pentecost Prayer Breakfast! We were filled with the Holy Spirit…and not wine…and gave thanks to the Father through Christ Jesus, as we sang songs and hymns, making melody in our hearts and voices to the Lord God Almighty! Nothing could be sweeter than that, my brethren! That’s why I keep advising us to fellowship with each other, for in numbers there’s a greater potential for encouragement and education. And we’ll end with this prayer we offered up this morning, titled ‘The Holy Spirit.’ 

Please pray with me, in a call and answer fashion. ‘Come Holy Spirit, creator, and renew the face of the earth. Come Holy Spirit, come. Come, Holy spirit, counsellor, and touch our lips that we may proclaim your word. Come Holy Spirit, come. Come Holy Spirit, power from on High: make us agents of peace and ministers of wholeness. Come Holy Spirit, come. Come Holy Spirit, breath of God, give life to the dry bones of this exiled age, and make us a living people, holy and free. Come Holy Spirit, come. Come Holy spirit, wisdom and truth: strengthen us in the risk of faith. Come Holy Spirit, come. Amen’ 

Yes friends, we desperately need the power of the Holy Spirit to help us do all those things which we’re supposed to be doing, but which we are not doing to the extent that we should. So as I implore us every day, let’s get serious and get together, forget our petty differences, only remembering our common faith in Christ Jesus and begin working towards our goal of true and sincere witness for Christ. That’s the only way we will ever make a positive difference! 

 And wonder of wonders, the Bit is shorter than normal. Strange things do happen in this world my bredrin. (smile) Much LOVE!

…in unity…there’s strength and power of purpose…just waiting for us to harness them…

Hear our podcast at  https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   18 May 2024 Ephesians 4:30.

18 May 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ephesians 4:30.       And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Well, it’s a somewhat cloudy but warm lazy-day Saturday, on this first long weekend of the summer. And it’s a holiday in honour of the powerful Queen Victoria, who in her long reign (1837-1901) saw Britain through its ‘great age of industrial expansion, economic progress and, especially, empire building. At her death, it was said, Britain had a worldwide empire on which the sun never set.’ And although comparatively few people know of her, or why there’s a holiday named in her honour, I can guarantee that many of us will be aggressively celebrating her holiday this weekend. (smile) 

But before we get to the celebrations, let’s show a li’l wisdom, a modicum of circumspection if you will,, and offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer to help quiet and refresh our tired souls. 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 know that we will receive our requests, because our wonderful God never turns down those kinds of requests. Yes friends, whenever we ask God for more of Himself, for greater intimacy with Him, He’s only too glad to give it to us, because it’s what He created us for; constant communication and intimacy. And it saddens His heart, grieves the Holy Spirit when we turn away from that communication and intimacy. Remember Bruh Paul’s words on the subject to the Ephesians? ‘And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.’ ((Eph. 4:30) 

Now we do that quite easily when we allow the devil to get into our hearts and minds and cause us to do things we know are wrong. That’s why Bruh Paul, in speaking about putting on the new man, was giving the Ephesians practical steps to avoid that kind of behaviour. And I like how this commentary explains it in simple, practical everyday terms. ‘When we, deliberately or inadvertently, behave in a way that is inimical to our spiritual improvement it grieves the Holy Spirit; in the same way that a LOVING parent is grieved when his or her child behaves in a self-destructive manner.’ 

Yes, it’s the same way our heavenly Father is saddened when we stray from His will and word. And I guess while we’re here, we might as well check out those practical applications that Bruh Paul talks about in the putting on of that new man. Just to remind us of some inappropriate behaviour on this long weekend. (smile) So He writes: ‘That ye put off concerning the former conversation (conduct) the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind. And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members of one another. 

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:22-32) 

Now there’s very good practical advice for living the Christian life, and thus not grieving the Holy Spirit. But it’s not always easy to do, especially when faced with all the temptations and trials of this evil and ungodly world. That’s why we need to remind ourselves of them every so often. And if you find it all a bit much to comprehend, (smile) then the scholars have broken it down very nicely for us. They say: ‘This section gives practical guidelines as to how “the old man” (vs. 22) can be laid aside and how the “new man” (vs. 24) can be assumed in daily living. 

The passage specifies five sins to be discarded, the virtues that are to replace them, and the motive for such exchange: (1) Lying is to be replaced by truth-telling, since Christians are fellow members (vs.25). (2)Sinful anger is to be replaced by (briefly held) righteous indignation, that the Devil may not be given an opportunity (vs. 26-27). (3) Theft is to be replaced by honest work, in order that one may have the means to meet the needs of others (vs.28). (4) Foul language is to be replaced by gracious speech, that it may edify others and not grieve the Spirit (vs. 29-30). (5) Resentment and wrath are to give way to kindness and forgiveness, since God has forgiven us (vs. 31-32). 

So there we have it friends, both in the very words of Bruh Paul, and in the simplified explanations of the scholars. (smile) That means we have no excuses for not putting those practical suggestions into action in our own lives. And why won’t we do it eh? We all know that it most definitely makes for a better life, but because the greed and envy, the jealousy and selfishness innate in our spirits, with the encouragement of the world system, too many of us still insist on living like the “old man”, refusing to put on the new one that characterizes Christ and His true followers. 

Ah friends, we’re only hurting ourselves and those we LOVE, for our beliefs and actions don’t only reverberate or boomerang back on us, but also on those around us. So please, let’s wake up and see the light nuh, smell the sweet perfume of the roses that exists in the beautiful garden of Christ! Much LOVE!

…as Christians…we should be IN the world…but not OF the world…

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