The ONLY True Hope For Man, is found ONLY in Jesus!

27 Jul 2025 Leave a comment

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

Hebrews 12:2a.         Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith;

And after Saturday comes Sunday, which means we’re heading for the Lord’s sanctuary on the Lord’s Day, to offer up praise, worship and thanksgiving, while receiving strength, confidence, renewed faith and a fully refuelled spirit; one that’s filled to overflowing! And all we’re doing there is what Psalm 100 highly recommends: ‘Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.’  (Ps. 100:4)

Wow! What a wise and wonderful scripture passage! Now, this commentary explains that ‘This verse encourages entering God’s presence with a heart filled with gratitude and joyful worship. It highlights the importance of expressing thankfulness and praise as a way to approach God.’ And are we ever taking it to heart this Sunday morning. So, let’s prepare our vocal chords to sing forth an old but wonderful hymn titled ‘Whispering Hope,’ written by Philadelphian Septimus Winner (1827-1902), a well-known poet, composer and violinist.

Many of you old timers will remember hearing the sultry male voice of Jim Reeves singing on your parents’ radio, while some of the young ones will remember the female version done by our Canadian Songbird, Anne Murray, but today we’ll sing a more up-tempo and scintillating version done by the Statler Brothers. And let’s not forget the sweet, wonderful responses in the chorus. Oh, how could we ever forget that eh, for it makes the song even sweeter! (smile)

Therefore, with heartfelt sincerity, let’s raise our voices filled with sacrificial praise to heaven. Singing: ‘Soft as the voice of an angel, Breathing a lesson unheard, Hope with a gentle persuasion Whispers her comforting word: Wait till the darkness is over, Wait till the tempest is done, Hope for the sunshine tomorrow, After the shower is gone. (Refrain: Whispering hope, whispering hope, oh, how welcome thy voice, oh how welcome thy voice, Making my heart, making my heart, in its sorrow rejoice.) 

If, in the dusk of the twilight, Dim be the region afar, Will not the deepening darkness Brighten the glimmering star? Then when the night is upon us, Why should the heart sink away? When the dark midnight is over, Watch for the breaking of day. [Refrain] Hope, as an anchor so steadfast, Rends the dark veil for the soul, Whither the Master has entered, Robbing the grave of its goal;

Come then, oh, come, glad fruition, Come to my sad weary heart; Come, O Thou blest hope of glory, Never, oh, never depart.(Refrain: Whispering hope, whispering hope, oh, how welcome thy voice, oh how welcome thy voice, Making my heart, making my heart, in its sorrow rejoice…making my heart, making my heart, in its sorrow rejoice…’

That was certainly wonderful my fellow believers, and you didn’t let me down with the responses in the chorus. (smile) And as always, heaven was overjoyed and joined us to regale our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ in worshipful song. And what’s the song about, you ask? It’s basically about hope and faith and the reliable anchor that we have in Jesus. The Author of Hebrews puts it this way, when talking about the promise of God.

‘For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise…. Wherein God willing more abundantly (determining) to shew the heirs of promise the immutability (unchangeableness) of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath.

That by two immutable (unchangeable) things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil (in the Presence behind the veil). Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made (having become) an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.’ (Heb. 6:13-15; 17-20)

And what does all of the mean? The scholars explain it thus: ‘God’s covenant with Abraham, which involves salvation (Gal. 3:15-25), is secure, being based upon two immutable things, that is elements that cannot change. First, God’s promise is based on His own unchanging Word. He cannot lie, nor will He allow His Word to fail (Matt. 5:18; John 10:35; 17:17). Further, His Word was confirmed by an oath. And since He can swear by none greater, He swears by Himself. He rests His Word on His holy character.

Then, starting at the end of verse 18, the author uses three pictures to demonstrate the security of being in Christ. First, it is described as a safe retreat for the believer, as were the six cities of refuge in the Old Testament to those allowed their protection (Num. 35:6-32). Second, our hope is sure and steadfast as is a well-placed, unbending anchor. Our anchor is not located in the deepest sea but in the highest heaven.

The third figure is that of a forerunner. Though the figure changes, the location does not. Our forerunner is likewise positioned in the sanctuary of heaven. As our forerunner is far different from the Old Testament priests. In the sanctuary they could intercede for the people, but they could not lead the people in themselves. As our forerunner, Jesus has opened the way before us, that eventually (and certainly) we might enter in with Him.’

Oh friends, I know that is a lot of meat and potatoes, but as Bruh Paul said to the Corinthians, we’ve been in the Word for so long, it’s time we stop drinking milk, just dealing with the basics of Christianity, and start eating heavy, solid food or diving deeper into the Word. It’s time we grew up, matured spiritually. (smile) And we’ll close with these wise words from Hebrews which corroborate all we’ve said.

‘Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (be discouraged) in your minds (souls). (Heb. 12:2-3)

Yes my faithful brethren, it’s to Jesus whom we ought to look for everything, each and every day! Much LOVE!

…at the foot of the cross…that’s the wisest place to lay all our burdens…

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

The essence of man’s purpose: praise and service to Almighty God!

03 Jul 2024 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 100:2.       Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

So it’s our mid-week work day, Wednesday, where we usually catch our second wind, but after all that partying this past long weekend, it will take more than a couple of days for us to catch our breath. We might need a whole week off to do that properly. (smile) But unless you take a week’s vacation, I’m afraid that won’t happen, so we’ve got to get it together under these tough circumstances. We should have thought about the tiredness and lack of sleep before we partied so heartily, and now we just have to stand our bounce. That’s what comes from not thinking ahead. (smile) 

Anyway, the Good Library just opened unto the Book of Psalms, and the first thing that came to my eyes was Psalm 100, a psalm talking about hearty service to the Lord, serving Him with gladness, with a voice of thanksgiving and praise. And that’s just what we need right now, so let’s read it with a sense of joy and gladness. 

‘Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all ye lands (all the earth). Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.’ (Ps. 100: 1-5) 

Yes friends, that’s a very interesting psalm, and is reminiscent of Psalm 145, where Bruh David talks about ‘God’s Unsearchable Greatness.’ But the scholars do have an interesting explanation for this psalm. They say: ‘The word praise in the superscription is actually the word thanksgiving or, more specifically, thank-offering. It was one psalm that accompanied a “thank-offering” (Lev. 7:12) that one presented when God had especially answered a prayer or given a great deliverance. The psalm contains a command to serve (vs. 1-3) and a command to praise (vs. 4-5). 

Each section is in turn divided into three calls and three causes. There are three calls to serve, make a joyful noise (vs. 1), serve the Lord (vs. 2), and come before (vs. 2); and three causes for serving, the Lord is God, he hath made us, we are his people (vs. 3). Likewise,  there are three calls to praise, enter his gates, be thankful, bless his name (vs. 4), followed by three causes for praise, the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, his truth endureth (vs.5).’ 

So you see my brethren, what we might previously have thought of as a short simple psalm, one to just read and pass over, is truly filled with great scriptural advice, with commands to both serve and praise the Lord. That’s why we cannot simply pass over anything found in the Lord’s word, for everything in there was placed there with a reason, and serves a particular purpose. We ignore stuff from the Bible at our own expense. 

And what I like about this psalm is its simple truths, simply put: praise the Lord and serve Him. And when we look at it in the real light of day, those are the only two things we’re truly required to do; praise the Lord and serve him. So, though the Bible is chocked full of all sorts of stuff, the true basics of it is mainly serving God and giving Him thanks for His goodness and mercy towards us underserving children of men. And sometimes we just need to break things down to their basic nature to really get at what they’re trying to tell us. 

Now that’s especially true in this modern information age, where so much information is available, and where social media, Artificial Intelligence and Satan are noising about so much stuff, filled with lies and deceptions. That’s why we need to stick to the truth. And what helps us to define and see the truth? The word of the Lord. For as Jesus said when praying 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.’ (John 17:16-17) 

And what does that mean? This excerpt from an article on the subject on the gotquestions.org website explains it thus: ‘In Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, (John 17) Jesus prays to His Father, saying, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth”. In this verse, Jesus communicates two important facts: God’s Word is truth—God’s Word equals truth—and it’s by that truth that God sanctifies us, or sets us apart for holy service to Himself.’ 

Therefore, if we want to know truth, then we have to look to God’s Word, for as Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy: ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.’ (2 Tim. 3:16-17) 

Yes my people, in these very deceptive, fraudulent, and days of outright lying, there are only two places we can look to for the truth; that’s God’s Word and to His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, who made it very clear when He proclaimed: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father but by me.’ (John 14:6) 

So let’s see what we’ve learned today nuh, or merely refreshed our memories on. (smile) Our basic purpose is to serve and praise the Lord, and His Word is truth, as put forth by His Son Jesus who ought to know. But most important of all is that we can only get to the Father through the Son. Let’s never forget that, even as we go home today declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus! 

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And having said all of that, here’s another truth: if we endure right to very end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So, in all wisdom and truth, let’s plan to meet right at the very end nuh! Much LOVE!

…the Lord created mankind to communicate with Him…through, praise, service and thanksgiving…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 February 2017 Psalm 100:4.

13 Feb 2017 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 100:4.   Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Oh, friends, I’m getting better! Yes I’m getting better! Yeh mih breddren that’s the living truth! The ole fella is getting better; the only problem is that I’m still a long way from being better. (smile)  

But as sister Joyce, (Joyce Meyer) likes to say, I haven’t arrived as yet, but I’ve surely come a long way from where I was. Glory Hallelujah! 

Sorry for the lateness of the Bit, but I had another early morning foray into the big city for more doctor’s visits and tests. 

Chuh! I had to be up at an abnormal hour to get in the city for seven a.m on a Monday morning. But the good news is that everything seems to be progressing as it should – just a little too slowly for my liking though. 

Now for the bad news – I can’t travel anywhere until my heart problems are resolved. Ah Lord eh! That means no sweet Tobago for this winter season! 

Steups! But from the time all these medical problems began, I’d resigned myself to that possibility, so it comes as no great surprise, though it is somewhat disappointing. 

Anyway, enough about me, it’s time to sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with all the chutzpah we can manage. 

‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. 

We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. 

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. 

Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ 

Now that wasn’t bad at all my people, Jesus, our choirmaster was smiling, but I guess that’s because we’ve been up and about for quite some time now. (smile) The important thing though is that at whatever time we sing it, it raises our faith level, gets the adrenaline pumping for Jesus! And that’s what we’re all about! 

Consequently, these verses of Psalm 100, which come before our Bit, are therefore very much in line with our general purpose of exalting our most wonderful God! 

Listen to the psalmist as he delightedly gushes: ‘Make joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all ye lands (all the earth). Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 

Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves, we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.’ (Ps.100:1-3) 

Wow friends! What a stirring acknowledgement of our God’s greatness and the central part we play in His entire operation! Hence our Bit: ‘Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.’ 

Yes my fellow believers, that is exactly how we ought to come into the presence of our magnificent and magnanimous God; with much praise and thanks and glory and exaltation – for He is most worthy to be praised! 

Just think about all that He’s done for us down through the ages nuh, undeserving though we are, and is still doing, though we are still undeserving! And in our finite, comparatively puny lives, how else can we truly honour Him eh, but with exceedingly abundant thanks and praise?  

Now hear the psalmist from Psalm 116 – Praise for deliverance from death – as he exudes his heartfelt thanks and praise. ‘O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thy handmaid (maid servant): thou hast loosed my bonds. 

I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people. In the courts of the Lord’s house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah!).(Ps.116:16-19) 

Oh friends, oh friends, those are the very words and emotions we ought also to exude! Note how the psalmist says twice, that he is the Lord’s servant? Can we sincerely say that even once and mean it? I certainly hope so for all our sakes. 

In conclusion, I want to implore us to work towards acquiring the mindset of the psalmist, for there, and only therein lies the true wisdom of Almighty God and the true secret of finding Him. Much LOVE!

…seek me with a right heart…and you shall find me…says the Lord our God…

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 February 2017 Psalm 100:4.

12 Feb 2017 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 100:4.   Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Well friends, another Day of the Lord, Sunday, is upon us, which means it’s time to gather in the sanctuary, even though the snow is falling, (smile) and rejoice and give thanks and praise for the past week, and ask for blessings and guidance and strength for the one to come. 

So let’s offer up some sacrifices of praise with our lips to our heavenly Father nuh, let Him know that we truly appreciate his wonderful grace and mercy bestowed anew, each and every day. Let’s raise our voices high by singing this favourite hymn, ‘All Creatures of our God and King.’ 

In perfect harmony now: ‘All creatures of our God and King Lift up your voice and with us sing, Alleluia! Alleluia! Thou burning sun with golden beam, Thou silver moon with softer gleam! (Refrain) 

(O praise Him! O praise Him! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!)  Thou rushing wind that art so strong Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along, O praise Him! Alleluia! Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice, Ye lights of evening, find a voice! (Refrain:) 

Thou flowing water, pure and clear, Make music for thy Lord to hear, O praise Him! Alleluia! Thou fire so masterful and bright, That givest man both warmth and light. (Refrain)  

Dear mother earth, who day by day Unfoldest blessings on our way, O praise Him! Alleluia! The flowers and fruits that in thee grow, Let them His glory also show. (Refrain) 

And all ye men of tender heart, Forgiving others, take your part, O sing ye! Alleluia! Ye who long pain and sorrow bear, Praise God and on Him cast your care! (Refrain) 

And thou most kind and gentle Death, Waiting to hush our latest breath, O praise Him! Alleluia! Thou leadest home the child of God, And Christ our Lord the way hath trod. (Refrain) 

Let all things their Creator bless, And worship Him in humbleness, O praise Him! Alleluia! Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son, And praise the Spirit, Three in One! (Refrain) O praise Him! O praise Him! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!’ 

Oh my fellow believers that was wonderful! And that’s exactly what ought to go on on ALL the earth, ALL the time – God’s creations giving Him thanks and praise for His everlasting goodness and mercy! 

And that segues very smoothly into our Bit for today. ‘Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.’ 

And why should we do that eh? ‘For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.’ (Ps.110:5) 

Ah mih people, we couldn’t want a better reason than that to give our omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present, magnanimous and magnificent God praise and thanks! 

Unfortunately though, most of the world today has either forgotten, never known, or don’t want to know His heavenly Majesty, their Creator, Provider, and the One who causes them to open their eyes each morning and breathe His breath of life. What a sad state of affairs! 

But we believers will stand up and face the music, give Him His due deserts of exaltation and glory! We will fight the enemy, mano-a mano, and we will be victorious, in Jesus’ Name! 

How can we not be victorious if Jesus is fighting with us eh? For as the Good Book assures us: ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (Rom.8:31) 

And the overwhelming answer to that my people is ‘NOBODY!’ For NOBODY can stand against our triumphant God! 

Now listen to the psalmist from Psalm 66, as he declares the great works of our mighty God, and corroborates our Bit. ‘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. 

I will go into thy house, with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows (promised deeds), Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble. I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams: I will offer bullocks with goats.  Selah.’ (Ps.66:12-16) 

Yes friends, those verses should be familiar as we read them recently when talking about keeping promises. Today though we look at them in the light of giving God thanks and praise for His succour in times of trouble. That’s the beauty of His Word: the same stuff can be used for different aspects of life! 

Now let’s take a moment, as the psalmist suggested, and ponder all that we’ve said today, and see how it reflects in our personal lives, and vow, yes vow, to improve them, for it’s only in that way can we ever truly improve our walk of faith. Much LOVE!

…believers must step up to the plate…if Jesus’ LOVE Revolution  is to be victorious…