15 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heartrending act, a higher level of love and sacrifice, all which he hath given me, as the heavens are higher than the earth, believest thou this, Christ died for the ungodly, deepen my breath, do anything we want, everyone who sees the Son and believes on Him, faith, God commendeth his love toward us, God created us to spend communal time with Him, God demonstrated his LOVE for us.', God sent not his Son into the world to condemn it, God so loved the world, handle the ups and downs of this strife-filled world, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, he that believeth in me, hectic work week, holy spirit, I am the resurrection and the life, I came down from heaven, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I shall lose nothing, I want to be with you now, I will raise him up at the last day, if any man will come after me, in due time, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, know you all the more, laze on the couch, lazy-day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let him deny himself, LOVE, mercy, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my thoughts higher than your thoughts, my ways are not your ways, my ways higher than your ways, no doubt of God's great love for mankind, not to do my own will, our eternal destiny, perhaps for a good man, quiet my soul, raise it up again at the last day, read a good book, reconcile them back to Himself, relax my muscles, relax my musclesslow my thoughts, salvation, scarcely for a righteous man will one die, shall have everlasting life, sinful rebellion against God, some would even dare to die, spend time with the Father, take up his cross daily and follow me, thank you for this tenderness, the righteousness of God in christ, the ups and downs, the will of him that sent me, the world through him might be saved, this is the Father's will, this is the will of him that sent me, this strife-filled world, though he were dead yet shall he live, truth, warms the cockles of God's heart, when we were yet without strength, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, whosoever believeth in him should not perish, whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die, wisdom, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his own LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Oh boy, it’s Saturday; our lazy-day Saturday where we can do anything we want! Now isn’t that a wonderful feeling? It surely is! Except for those who might have young children or old parents to look after. (smile) But otherwise, we can laze the day away, in bed, on the couch in front of the TV, or just sit in our favourite chair and read a book we’ve been dying to read for ages, but could never find the time during our hectic work week. And thankfully I did get to laze away some of the morning hours in bed. But one thing we must not forget to do though, is offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, with all sincerity and truth. (smile)
So 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 it’s oh so wonderful when we spend time with or ask the Father to help us get to know Him better, because it’s only through greater knowledge of and intimacy with Him, that we’ll ever be able to handle the ups and downs of this strife-filled and angry world. And as I always remind us, our heavenly Father desires nothing more than His human creation seeking to spend intimate time with Him, for that’s one of the reasons He created us in the first place; so that we could commune deeply together. And there’s’ nothing that warms the cockles of His heart like us coming to Him seeking closeness and sincere time with Him.
And if you don’t believe that God truly LOVES us and wants to be a major part of our lives, then tell me why He’s done all that He’s done for us, when He was not required to do so, especially after our sinful rebellion against Him? But He did it because He created us to spend communal time with Him and He LOVES us more than any of His other creations. Just think on these scriptures nuh, and tell me if what I’m saying isn’t true.
Hear this first one from Bruh Paul to the church at Rome: ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his own LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:6-8) Now that’s one of my favourite scriptures, because it shows how much God really LOVES us, in that He didn’t wait for us to come to Him, like most other supposed gods would, but He came to us through the birth, death and resurrection of His only Son, Jesus Christ.
And I like how this commentary explains it. ‘The saying highlights a contrast between a “righteous” person, who follows the law, and a “good” person, who is seen as noble and selfless. The passage immediately uses this idea to explain that while it is rare for someone to die for a “good” person, God showed his LOVE by having Christ die for “ungodly” people, demonstrating a higher level of LOVE and sacrifice.’
And why not eh, since as He tells us in Isaiah: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) Therefore it’s not surprising that our magnificent and magnanimous God would do such and unheard of thing like sending His sinless Son to die for bunch of abominable sinners, placing the whole weight of their sin on His shoulders, so that He could reconcile them back to Himself as the righteousness of God in Christ, because of Christ’s payment for their sin.
Only someone who truly LOVED someone else would ever dream of doing such a heartrending act. But as Jesus said to Nicodemus when he came searching for answers: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world: but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17)
Now friends, that’s what true LOVE looks like; sacrificing one’s own heart for an undeserving other. And that’s why Jesus expects those who claim to be His disciples, His followers, to follow His example and sacrifice themselves for others, as He so expressly specifies in the gospel of Luke. ‘If any man will come after (follow) me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) That shows that following Jesus is a daily thing. We need to do just like He did, that’s follow the will of His heavenly Father.
And He said it out loud and clear: ‘For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.’ (John 6:38-40) Yes my faithful brethren, it could not be any clearer than that: The will of the Father, is that everyone who believes in Jesus receives eternal life and will be raised up on the last day.
And as Jesus said to Martha, shortly before He raised her brother Lazarus from the dead: ‘I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ (John 11:25-26)
Now that’s a question we would all do well to seriously consider and ponder on this rainy lazy-day Saturday in the middle of November 2025, because our eternal destiny hinges on it. Much LOVE!
…if one reads the scriptures…there’s no doubt of God’s great LOVE for mankind…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, all of a sudden, brought sin into the world, brought you a daisy bouquet, by the example your faithful believers set, can wake up and smell the coffee, Christ died for the ungodly, Christ died for us, crying out for God's help, defeat the enemy, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, divine help, eternal destiny, faith, for no discernible reason, Friday chant, God commendeth his own love toward us, God created us to have constant communion with Him, God is longing for our affection, God wanted a people to love, herein is love, holy spirit, hugged me, I long to hug you more often, I love you, I was puzzled, improve our witness for Christ, in due time, Jesus Christ, Jesus offered His sinless blood, LOVE, mercy, not living up to our part of the bargain, not that we loved God but that he loved us, omnipotent help, One year Book of Bible Promise, pay the Piper, positive evidence of God's love, practiced my lessons, problems escalating, put a damper on the enthusiasm, reconciliation, return backsliders to your fold, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, sinful ingrates, stand strong and steadfast for Christ, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the materialism the cares of this world, the propitiation of our sins, the sinful world, the throne of grace, the very reason for our existence, today you picked me up, too busy hugging yourself, trusting faith, truth, underperforming believers, unexpected storms, unwise actions, we love him because he first loved us, when the time was right, when we were without strength, while we were yet sinners, Who Me, wise guidance
1 John 4:19. We LOVE Him, because he first LOVED us.
And did the ‘TGIF’s! Thank God it’s Friday!’ ever go up this morning, but in a rather tired and halfhearted manner, as last weekend’s celebrations and this week’s work put a damper on the usual enthusiasm for the weekend. The great hope and expectation for this one is not to party, but to rest. (smile) Yes friends, if you want to call the tune, then you have to be able to pay the piper. And if you can’t, then you’ll simply have to suffer the consequences. Sermon done! (smile)
And today we’re going to check out a rather interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, simply titled ‘Who, Me?’ Yes, You! (smile) I don’t know if I’ve shared this poem before, but we know that they are all worth sharing over and over.
So please read with me: ‘Lord All of a sudden today you picked me up And hugged me And hugged me For no discernible reason. I was puzzled. After all – I hadn’t picked up my toys Or practiced my lessons Or brought You a daisy bouquet – Hesitantly, I asked why. You smiled and said I LOVE you, that’s all. Then You added: I long to hug you more often. Why don’t You, Lord? You are too busy. Too busy, Lord? Too busy hugging yourself.’
Ah my fellow believers, can that admonishment apply to us? Are we too busy hugging ourselves, too taken up with our own cares and worries to pay any attention to our wonderful and ever-LOVING God? Somehow, I think that many of us are guilty of just such unwise actions. The cares and the materialism of this crazy world occupy too much of our time. We all feel so busy. But busy doing what?
Most of the time it’s not any earth moving circumstance, but simply something we feel we ought to do. On the other hand, how often do we feel like we should be hugging our great God eh? Certainly not enough! Meanwhile, He’s there starving, longing for our affection. Remember He created us so that we could have good and constant communion with Him. But unfortunately, we’re not living up to our part of the bargain.
And the Bible verse for the poem is a simple but very telling one: The Book uses this translation: ‘We LOVE because He first LOVED us.’ But we like our good ole King James version which says: ‘We LOVE Him, because he first LOVED us.’ (1 John 4:19) Now that is such a very poignant and important statement; one that we should know and keep uppermost in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds at all times!
Why? Because it’s the very reason for our existence, our salvation and our eternal destiny! Remember we said that God created us because he wanted a people to LOVE and have constant communication with. And then, when we disobeyed His commands and thus brought sin into the world, He was heartbroken and therefore sought a way to return us to His flock. And that way was to Have His Son, Jesus Christ come to earth and selflessly offer His sinless blood as propitiation for our sins.
Why do you think the Lord did that eh? Why did He go to such great lengths to obtain a just and righteous reconciliation eh? Because He LOVED us! Else why would He break His own heart by sacrificing His only Son for a bunch of sinful ingrates eh? There’s only one logical answer; overwhelming LOVE for His sinful creation! And John explains that earlier on in the epistle, when he writes: ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.’ (1 John 4:10)
Oh my fellow believers, that’s the greatest showing of LOVE there’s ever been, and will ever be! And I don’t understand why we don’t appreciate it so much more than we do. But that’s why the Lord gave us free will, so we could make our own choices, even though they may turn out to be the wrong ones. And how can we not appreciate and reverence these amazing words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome eh?
‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:6-8)
Oh my people, what else will it take for us to recognize and truly appreciate God’s great, undying LOVE for us eh? All through the Bible it’s said, written and actioned! So why do we still refuse to believe it and live like it mattered? Only each disbelieving individual and our all- knowing God know. Nuff said. Now it’s time to go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help for our numerous problems.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Unfortunately though friends, it’s not only the sinful world that needs to wake up and smell the coffee, but also we underperforming supposed believers. And until we improve our witness for Christ, we won’t see much, if any divine help! Much LOVE!
…with all the positive evidence available…if you can’t believe God’s great LOVE for mankind…how can you believe anything else…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
19 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lifelong relationship, Ah cyar leave Him, ah cyar live life without him, an unbreakable seal, being justified by his blood, Bible, chocked full of truth, Christ died for the ungodly, christianity, Christians, come from the darkness, Denyse Plummer, divine ownership, eternal separation from God, faith, fellowship, for God I go dead, For God man I living, from revelry to righteousness, from sin to salvation, full of life but so empty, gather in the Lord's house, gave my life to Jesus, getting to know Jesus, glee, go tell my enemies, God commendeth his own love toward us, gospel lyrics, He came to earth and died on the cross, he is my shelter, heard the word of truth, heat up the place, holy spirit, hot hot hot, I am under the rock, I found the truth, I recommend you try him, I saw the light, in due time, in his arms you'll find me there, in times of storm, in whomw I will trust, Jahovah, Jahovah hides me, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the best upgrade, Jesus is the cause, Jesus offered up his sinless life, Jesus shed blood on the cross, journey down south, justification, kept forever by the power of God, King of Kings, land of carnival and calypso, LOVE, mercy, more than gold, more than silver, my deliverer, my fortress, my god, my high tower, my strength, Na Leaving, never condemn or forsaken me, no remission of sins, on my way to a fiery end, our great high priest, reconciled to God, reverence, reworked song, righteousness, rose up just like a boss, salvation, sanctification, saved by his life, saved from wrath, sealed until the day of redemption, sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, someone told me about a Saviour, surrender our all to Jesus, the amazing transformation Jesus brings, the Christian walk, the darkness of sin, the death of his son, the gospel of salvation, the greatest decision, the horn of my salvation, the identification mark of a believer, The Lord is my rock, the reason I'm still living, the rock is higher than I, the soca hit, the twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago, to save us from eternal death, tribute, truth, wallowing deep in a pig pen, when we were yet without strength, when you see me smiling, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, why are ye so fearful, why don't you have faith, wisdom, without the shedding of blood, Yahweh, Yeshua
Romans 5:6. For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly.
Another Sunday! Another occasion to gather in the Lord’s house and fellowship with other believers. But since it’s somewhat cold and cloudy, we’ve decided to take a much-deserved break from those dreary weather conditions and for today’s worship session journey down south to the beautiful twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago, the land of calypso and carnival. And we’re going to warm up, no heat up the place, hot, hot, hot, with this beautiful meshing of African and East Indian riddims that we call chutney soca. It’s a reworked song with gospel lyrics based on the soca hit ‘Na Leaving’ by the late calypso songbird Denyse Plummer.
And just as ‘Na Leaving,’ was a big hit as it celebrated all the good things of T&T, that those who were leaving would miss, likewise the renamed song ‘Ah Cyar Leave Him!’ referring to Jesus was, still is, and will always be a mighty gospel hit! So let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise with a sincere and heartfelt, scintillating rendition of this gospel song ‘Ah Cyar Leave Him,’ one so chocked full with everlasting truth!
And as the sweet, easy rocking chutney soca music starts, we hear a couple bars, then we shout out ‘Jesus…Yahweh…Yeshua… Jahovah! From revelry to righteousness…Cyar leave Him. From hell-bound to holiness…Cyar leave Him. From sin to salvation…Cyar leave him. A kingdom destination…Cyar leave Him. There I was, in my glee, wallowing deep in a pig pen, full of life, but so empty, on my way to a fiery end. But someone told me about a Saviour, who said He LOVES me and He cares. In times of storm He is my shelter, so in His arms you’ll find me there.
Yuh see ah cyar live life without Him, He is my King of Kings, He’s the reason I’m still living. Ah cyar leave Him…ah cyar leave Him. Never condemn or forsaken me dread…Ah cyar leave Him…ah cyar leave Him. For God man I living, For God I go dead. There are so few, who made it through, and come from the darkness of this world. But I saw the light, I found the truth. I have more than silver, more than gold. I gave my life over to Jesus, the greatest decision I’ve made. Boy I recommend you try Him, Jesus is the best upgrade. He came to earth and died on the cross, rose up just like a boss, when yuh see me smiling, He’s the cause.
Ah cyar leave Him…ah cyar leave Him. Never condemn or forsaken me dread…Ah cyar leave Him…ah cyar leave Him. For God man I living, For God I go dead. I am under the rock. The rock is higher than I. Jahovah hides me. I am under the rock. Go tell my enemies, that I am under the rock. Jahovah hides me, I am under the rock. I am under the rock. The rock is higher than I. Jahovah hides me. I am under the rock. Go tell my enemies, that I am under the rock. Jahovah hides me, I am under the rock.
From revelry to righteousness…Cyar leave Him. From hell-bound to holiness…Cyar leave Him. From sin to salvation…Cyar leave him. A kingdom destination…Cyar leave Him. Jesus…Yahweh…Yeshua… Jahovah! (And we shout again) Jesus…Yahweh…Yeshua… Jahovah!’
Wow mih bredrin, that sure was wonderful! And yuh better believe that all of heaven, even the Father, was rocking along and singing with us as we gave much deserved praise to our great High Priest, our Lord and Saviour, our King of Kings, the One and Only Jesus Christ! And though Jesus seemed to be a li’l embarrassed by all the praise, nonetheless, He too was tapping His feet and clapping His hands as the sweet soca chutney melody permeated heaven and raised the level of joy normally found there!
Now that’s certainly saying something, for heaven usually has a very high level of joy. But the fact is that all the song says is true, and heaven acknowledged it with us. And yuh better believe that is the kind of difference, the amazing transformation Jesus performs in our lives when we surrender our all to Him! He does bring us from ‘revelry to righteousness, hell-bound to holiness and from sin to salvation.’ For remember that the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus.’ (Rom. 6:23)
Yes friends, through His shed blood on the cross of Calvary, Jesus saved us from hellfire and damnation and brought us holiness and salvation instead. And when we were joyfully wallowing in our pig pens, clothed in the darkness of sin, but truly empty of God and heading straight for hellfire, we’d better thank the Lord that someone told us about Jesus who LOVES and cares for us, so much so that He freely offered up His sinless life to save us from our sins and eternal death, meaning eternal separation from the Father.
As Bruh Paul writes in Romans. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that, while were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.’ (Rom. 5:6-10)
Oh my people, all the good things that have happened to us, like salvation, justification, sanctification, reconciliation, righteousness, etc. etc. have all stemmed from Jesus’ shed blood on the cross, for without the shedding of blood there’s no remission of sin. (Heb. 9:22) And He not only saves us from sin, but also shelters us from the storms of life, because He can calm the seas and the winds as He did when crossing the Sea of Galilee with the disciples. And ended up saying to His terrified companions: Why are ye so fearful? How is that ye have no faith .’ (Mark 4:40)
And that word faith plays a rather big role in our walk with Jesus, for if we don’t believe, have strong faith in Him, then we will not have a successful Christian life. That’s the first step in our Christian walk, after we see the light and find the truth, which is worth so much more than silver or gold. And believe me friends, giving your life to Jesus is the best decision you can ever make, for as the song so rightly says, He is indeed ‘the best upgrade.’ (smile)
And the scriptures, especially the psalms tell us that Jehovah is indeed our rock, our shelter from the storm. Bruh David says it well in Psalm 18: ‘The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower.’ (Ps. 18:2) We couldn’t get a better description than that friends!
And most importantly, once Jesus comes into your life, you cannot get away from Him, even if you want to, as the Bible tells us: ‘In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,’ (Eph. 1:13) In other words, ‘it is the mark of identification that the believer is truly God’s own and is kept forever by the power of God. It is an unbreakable seal of divine ownership and salvation.’
Wow! But yuh know what, my fellow saints, even without that seal unto the day of redemption, (Eph. 4:30) once we truly get to know Jesus, it’s simply impossible to leave Him, for such is the great LOVE and compassion He inspires in us! So please, let’s pay Him the awesome tribute and reverence that He deserves! Much LOVE!
…getting to know Jesus…is a beautiful lifelong relationship…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 Mar 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all things are of God, better not to vow than vow and not pay, bless the Lord oh my soul, Christ died for the ungodly, defer not to pay it, disobeyed your word, eliminated the hostility between Himself and humanity, giving us His righteousness, glory to the Lamb that was slain, God commendeth his own love toward us, God hath no pleasure in fools, God on the basis of Christ's death, grace without bounds, humble servants, in due time, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus is Dynomite!, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, LOVE, made him to be sin for us, made the righteousness of God, making possible a complete and maturing fellowship, mass confusion in our world, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, reconciled us to himself by Jesus, reconciliation, sin caused the hostility, sincerely seek your face, taking our sins, the Cross eliminated it, the God who heals, the name above every other, when thou vowest a vow unto God, when we were yet without strength, while there is life there is hope, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, wisdom in spades
Romans 5:6. For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly.
Bless the Lord O my soul for life and light this last Monday morning of March 2022! The sun’s shining, though it seems somewhat chilly, but as the song is saying, ‘Lift your hands and praise the Lord despite the circumstances.’ Yes, as true believers, that’s what is expected of us. And as they are saying ‘If you want to see the glory of the Lord, Lift up your hands and praise the Lord!’ We must command our hands, feet and mouths to praise the Lord, if we want to enjoy His benefits.
Now answer me this most important question. What do you think about Jesus? And the correct answer is that ‘Jesus is DYNOMITE!’ (smile) Yes mih faithful brethren, that’s the only word to truly describe the power and glory of our wonderful and ever-precious Lord and Saviour! His power is awesome, NOTHING is impossible to him! His forgiveness, LOVE, mercy and grace are without bounds and limits, and He gives them freely to all who sincerely desire them! No wonder we praise and worship Him that highly!
No One else but Him could have sacrificed His holy, sinless life for our sinful ones, taking our sins unto Himself and giving us His righteousness. As Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Corinth in his second missive. ‘For he (God, the Father) hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor. 5:21) And all God’s people shouted a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Glory to the Lamb that was slain on our behalf! Praise His holy name, that’s Jesus: the name above every other; the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!’
Oh my people, there’s never been as great a sacrifice on all the earth as Jesus dying in our place. But in heaven, there might have been the greatest sacrifice ever; that of the Father sacrificing His only Son, placing the sins of the whole world on His sinless shoulders so a bunch of ingrates could be saved, be made righteous and be reconciled to Him.
Bruh Paul says it earlier on in that chapter: ‘And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given us the ministry of reconciliation. To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.’ (2 Cor. 5:18-19)
Yes friends, it was all the work of the Father, operating through Christ! And what’s reconciliation you ask? Listen as the scholars explain it. ‘Reconciliation is the act whereby God on the basis of Christ’s death, has eliminated the cause of hostility between himself and humanity, making possible a complete and maturing fellowship. (The hostility was caused by sin, and was eliminated by the Cross.’
Oh my fellow believers, what can ever be better than that eh; sins wiped away in one fell stroke by someone else’s sacrifice? NOTHING! And we talk a lot about Jesus, and so we ought to, but I think one of the things we don’t consider enough is the great courage and LOVE it took for the Father to sacrifice Jesus on our behalf. Just consider for a moment your having to give up your only son for someone who wasn’t even truly grateful for your sacrifice. You obviously had to be very courageous and LOVE and care for that person a whole lot.
And the Lord did have that eternal, heart-rending LOVE and compassion for us, His most important and precious creation. As Bruh Paul recounts so realistically and ‘tear-jerkingly’ in his letter to the church at Rome. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God, commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:6-8)
How many of us would have done that eh, despite all the LOVE we proclaim? Very few, if any. But God the Father LOVED us so much that He was willing to put His mouth and heart to the test without any reassurances from us. But sadly, so many of us refuse to return that trust and confidence, refuse to be reconciled to Him! What a pity, what a crying shame, that we have not learned from all the mistakes of our ancestors down through the ages, and all the negative consequences they’ve suffered as a result of those rebellious and ungodly errors.
But friends, it’s not too late. In fact, it’s never too late to turn to the God of our creation and salvation, for once there is life, there is ALWAYS hope in Him. So today, let’s be wise and take a leap of faith and go confidently to the throne of the God of many chances, and through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, lay our problems before Him, all in Jesus’ name.
Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And now, the answers to those prayers depend upon our keeping the promises we’ve made, for as Cousin Sol, writing as the Preacher, puts it so clearly and bluntly in Ecclesiastes. ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it: for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl. 5:4-5)
Oh my fellow saints, that’s wisdom in spades! So please let’s take it to heart nuh, and put it into action! Much LOVE!
…God created promises to be kept…not to be broken…He made them in the Old Testament…and fulfilled them in the New Testament…all through Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
17 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blob, a new song, Christ died for the ungodly, compassionate heart, curse, faith, favour, God demonstrated his love, God so loved the world, have everlasting life, heart power, his mercy is everlasting, His only begotten Son, his truth endures, home, hovel, I cannot comprehend, innumerable things, like an eagle, LOVE one another, negative word, northern climes, One Year Book of Bible promises, palace, praises, propitiation for our sins, Ruth Harms Calkin, shall not perish, sing unto the Lord, soaring, thanksgiving, the horse's mouth, The Lord is good, Thursday Blessings, to all generations, undying LOVE, whatever happened to disturb me, whosoever believeth in him, without strength, yet sinners, You love me
Psalm 100:5. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
It’s chilly, dark and cloudy, and also wild and windy…but it’s HOME! Home sweet Home! Yes friends, the ole fella’s back in the cold northern climes. And though the tropical warmth and sunshine of J.A. would be nice, there’s something about home that just draws you in, that you greatly appreciate even if you are coming from a palace to a hovel.
That’s the power, the heart power of the word HOME. It has something else, a powerful intangible that nowhere else has for us, and that’s why it’s such a big deal in our lives. And today I want to share with us another big deal in our lives, that’s the LOVE of God, through a poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one is aptly titled ‘YOU LOVE ME!’
Please pray with me: ‘Yesterday, God, I was soaring Like a graceful eagle And You LOVED me. Today I feel like a blob And You LOVE me. Tomorrow I may ask “Whatever happened to disturb me yesterday?” And You’ll LOVE me. God, there are innumerable things I cannot begin to comprehend But the one great certainty In all my life is this: I KNOW THAT YOU LOVE ME.’
Oh my people, that is one thing we all ought to know for sure; that our heavenly Father LOVES us! And if we don’t, then our faith is not real, or strong, or whatever you want to call it, for how can we not know that God LOVES us with a fierce and undying LOVE after reading scriptures like these eh?
Listen first to Bruh Paul nuh: ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due (at the right) time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:6-8)
Now if putting out yourself for others who don’t particularly care for you isn’t a showing of strong LOVE, then I don’t know what is nuh? And John puts it thus: ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God isLOVE.
In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:7-11)
Ah mih people, what a powerful and true dissertation! But now listen to it straight from the horse’s mouth; from the Son Himself: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) Now if the only begotten Son, the One who actually died to pay the enormous price for our sins, says that’s how it was, then it must be so!
So please friends, if we don’t know anything else, let’s be sure that our heavenly Father LOVES us, because He was willing and able to pay the great price it required to wash away our abominable sins, even the price of a broken heart and forsaking His only Son for our benefit! And we’ll see, that once we accept that most pertinent fact, everything else will flow smoothly, because everything flows from His everlasting LOVE!
And thus we can sincerely sing these praiseful and adoring words of the psalmist: ‘Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all ye lands (the whole 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)
That’s the Bible Promise from our poem, and it’s the gospel truth my people! Oh friends, our God is so good and wonderful that He’s even provided those of us who want to do His bidding with miraculous blessings to enable us to do so. We call them our Thursday Blessings. But they’re not operative until we declare them, so let’s declare them now nuh, in full voice and sincere faith.
All together: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Now please remember those wonderful blessings are for us to use, to share generously, not to hoard selfishly.Much LOVE!
…there is no fear in LOVE…perfect LOVE casteth out fear… (1 John 4:18)
14 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to thy word, aura of love, Christ died for the ungodly, deal treacherously, deceit, drunk or sober, further your glorious kingdom, grace, Granny's warning, granted life, have respect, hope maketh not ashamed, humble servants, I may live, I shall be safe, invincible, jobs, let me not be ashamed, lies, magnanimous god, mercy, mind yuh business, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, new work week, of my hope, rejuvenation of spirit, see another day, shed abroad in our hearts, steadfast faith, sunshine, taunts, Thanksgiving Day, the LOVE of God, University of the West Indies, unto thy statutes, uphold me, wait in faith, warm weather, wiles
Psalm 119:116. Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope.
And yes friends, we’ve been granted life and breath to see another day on God’s great earth! What a joy and a pleasure, that’s why we ought to give great thanks and enjoy it! And we’re doing just that today in Canada on our official Thanksgiving Day; giving lots of thanks for the numerous blessings we enjoy up there in that wonderful country and enjoying the fruits of our labour as the Lord would have us do. Sorry I’m not up there to share it with you my Canadian Scrip-Bit family, but I’m down in J.A. giving plenty thanks too, especially for the sunshine and warm weather, (smile) although some rain fell earlier this morning.
Oh, yes, today is also Monday, that means the start of a new work week for most people, except we Canadians, (smile) who mostly have the day off to give thanks and praise and celebrate. But just remember Granny’s warning: drunk or sober mind yuh business, and don’t give the devil an opportunity to get into yuh business, because yuh know how he destructive and deceitful, and just wants to muck up our lives and get us off the path of righteousness as set by Jesus.
Now I believe it’s just a holiday in Canada, which means lots of others still have to go to work, and many might just be jealous of us having the day off, so their spirits are low, (smile) but we’re here to assure them of our encouragement with that wonder-working prayer we call our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, which is designed to get us up and moving. So let’s declare it together now nuh, let’s call upon our mighty and magnanimous God for His awesome help, wonderful grace and mercy, which enable us to do His work.
All together now: ‘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!’
Oh mih people, don’t you just LOVE how those sincere words of prayer automatically raises our spirits and strengthens our entrails, causing us to get the gumption to go out and do Jesus’ work! That’s the endearing work of the Holy Spirit that indwells us for that very purpose! Give our wonderful God some thanks for the way He looks after us, how He has provided for our every need!
And that’s what some of us, the Graduating Class of 1969, have been doing for the last few days; giving thanks and praise, reminiscing, fellowshipping, partying, and making new memories to add to the old ones we made some fifty years ago on the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies, that august institution that spawned so many leaders in so many fields all around the world!
Sadly, that good time is now over, it ended yesterday with a church service and a brunch in Mary Seacole Hall of Residence for some of us, but some of the medical fraternity continued it up in the hills above Kingston by one of their colleagues. The Saturday night events were good too. It reminded the Economic Students especially, of the wonderful days in the Students Union where the parties happened back then. And the old tunes brought back vivid memories of those fun-filled times. And I LOVED the D.J because whatever old tune you asked for, he just dialled it up, and the music never stopped…
Oh by the way, we had the famed Jamaican musician Boris Gardiner with us that evening, and he crooned a few of his old hits, which we also danced to – especially the rent-a tile ones. (smile) And I’m reaping the consequences of so much partying because my ole hip is aching like crazy. (smile) But it was worth it! All in all it was a most entertaining and worthwhile time; the camaraderie and togetherness were exceptional…just hope we can do it another fifty years from now. (smile)
That brings us to today’s scripture taken from the great Psalm 119. ‘Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope. Hold thou me up (uphold me), and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto (observe) thy statutes continually.’ (Ps.119:116-117) Ah friends, without the Lord’s mighty hands holding us up and looking after us, we’d be lost, adrift in this evil and ungodly world, merely playthings for the evil one!
No wonder Bruh David, in Psalm 25, his prayer for guidance and protection, sincerely cried out: ‘O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies’ triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait (in faith) on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress (deal treacherously) without cause. Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.’ (Ps.25:3-5)
Oh people, with sincere words like those reaching up to heaven, yuh think the Lord would ever turn them down? NEVER! Because that’s how He wants us to be; ever trusting and faithful to Him and His Word! And furthermore, no one who believes in the Most High God shall be ashamed of or disappointed in that trust and belief and hope.
Hear Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘And hope maketh not ashamed (does not disappoint); because the LOVE of God is shed abroad (has been poured out) in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly.’ (Rom.5:5-6) Oh friends, what more can we ask or expect eh? Nothing really, because everything has already been provided for us by our wonderful heavenly Father! Give Him much thanks and praise for His grace and mercy to the ungrateful children of men! Much LOVE!
…there’s nothing in this world…as satisfying…as gratifying…as giving thanks and praise to our Creator…
10 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, a glorious future with Christ, a substitutionary sacrifice, and not of evil, at the right time, atone for our sins, by the Holy Ghost, calamity, can't give up, Christ died for the ungodly, Christ died for us, coming or going, confusion, damnation, despair, destroying the world, disappointments, disasters, dissension, divisions, does not disappoint, fallen world, forgiveness, glad to be alive, God has generously granted us, grace, hands on the plough, hellfire, hope, hope in Almighty God, hope maketh not ashamed, human frailty, I know the thoughts, I think toward you, in due time, Jesus Christ, John Wesley, keep on fighting, kindness, looking forward to, LOVE, mercy, no sense of darkness, not a wishy-washy God, not looking back, one more day of life, only begotten Son, only light, rulers of darkness, saints of Christ, shed abroad in our hearts, sincerity, sinless, sonsistency, strength, strife-filled times, the breath of life, the Lord offers the best hope, the LOVE of God, the price of sin is death, the straight and narrow path, the world hopes for the best, thoughts of peace, till Jesus comes back, to die on the cross, to give you an expected end, to pay our sin debt, troubled, truth, uncoditional love, ungrateful sinners, walk with the Lord, war-like tendencies, Wednesday Wail, while we were yet sinners, woe-be-gone world
Jeremiah 29:11. 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).
One more day friends, the Good Lord has generously granted us one more day of life on His great planet earth, so let’s live it the way He intended us to nuh. That’s with forgiveness, mercy, kindness, grace, mercy, LOVE and joy; all to the max, in abundance and overflowing! It’s the reason Christ gave His life selflessly and sacrificially on the cross of Calvary for us. So as His supposed followers, it behooves us to live as He desires, not as the world dictates.
And to support that doctrine, (smile) here are some meaningful words of John Wesley (1703-1791) one of the founders of the Methodist church. He reputedly said that ‘The world hopes for the best, but the Lord offers the best hope!’ Wow! What words of truth and wisdom my faithful saints of Christ! It was true in Wesley’s day, and it’s even truer in these mystifying, troubled and strife-filled times!
For as Bruh Paul told the Romans: ‘And hope maketh not ashamed (does not disappoint); because the LOVE of God is shed abroad (has been poured out) in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.’ (Rom.5:5) And is that ever so true! Without a doubt, we, as believers in Christ, have the Holy Spirit abiding within us to lead and guide us in all truth and sincerity.
On the other hand though, right now the world doesn’t know whether it’s coming or going; there’s so much despair in it, with so many divisions, dissensions, directions and disappointments that the natural outcome is simply confusion and war-like tendencies.
The one still strong, solid and sure option left is that of Christ, of hope in Almighty God because He doesn’t change, there’s no sense of darkness in Him, only light and unconditional LOVE! His direction has been the same from day one, and will be the same until eternity! He’s not a wishy-washy God, unlike the rulers of darkness of this woe-be-gone world. With Him there is strength, consistency, and a known path; the straight and narrow one.
With Him, you know exactly what you’re supposed to do and where you’re going. And I just LOVE how He lays it out through the prophet 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).’
Yes friends, when you walk with the Lord, you know you’ll be getting the best, because there’s no evil in Him. He created us and He still LOVES us dearly. So much so that He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to pay our sin debt! Hn! Why would He do such a crazy thing eh, if He didn’t hold us in very high regard?
Bruh Paul puts it in the right perspective in his letter to the church at Rome. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly…But God commendeth his LOVE (demonstrates His own LOVE) toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5: 6,8)
Oh mercy, mercy me! What a validation of the Father’s LOVE that is my brethren! And the great thing about Christ’s death on the cross is that He didn’t die merely for our benefit, but in our place, as a substitutionary sacrifice! Yeh people, the price of sin is death. It can only be atoned for by the shedding of blood.
And whereas all through the Old Testament the Lord was prepared to accept the sacrifice of animal blood to keep sin death at bay, because that’s all the animals did. They themselves could not truly atone for our sins, just give us a li’l leeway. However, come the New Testament, the Lord decided it was time to get the sin problem over and done with once and for all.
The problem though was it needed a pure and unblemished, sinless sacrifice, and since all men were the output of sin, no man however holy could accomplish that task. And I’m sure when the Lord looked at His options and saw the only one possible, He shuddered in distaste. How could He not eh?
Being a living and LOVING Father, He must have felt some trepidation at committing His Son, His ONLY Son to boot, to die for a bunch of ungrateful and disgusting sinners. But that just goes to show how much He really cared for us. How much He wanted to give us another option beside death, hellfire and damnation in the arms of the evil one, that He broke His own heart and sacrificed His Son for us.
And how are we repaying that awesome LOVE eh? By trying to drive Him out of our society and our lives. Taking His Word, His commandments out of our schools and public places, replacing them with the evil, incestuous, sinful, ungodly acts and attitudes of this fallen world.
Ah friends, unfortunately there are consequences for all of our actions, be they godly or ungodly, and believe me, the chickens will soon come home to roost for our current ungodly behaviour. The Lord is getting tired of our sinful attitudes. Just look around and you’ll see it emblazoned in the natural and man-made disasters and changes that are destroying the world as we know it.
The end might be nigh friends, but we still can’t afford to give up, we have to keep on fighting valiantly until our Lord and Saviour comes back for us. Therefore, in the fighting spirit we possess as followers of Jesus Christ, let’s vociferously and sincerely declare (yeh!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the evil world know our certain position in Christ.
As one now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And believe me friends, it will indeed be a glorious future if we just hold on in faith, hope and LOVE! Much LOVE!
…only in Christ…can you find the answers…to the world’s problems…
P.S. For those of you who noticed (smile) I apologize for the discrepancy in the dates on the headings of yesterday’s Bit. . One said 9 July and the other said 8 July. The first one was the right one. Just goes to show my human frailty. (smile) Much LOVE!
21 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a righteous man, appointed unto men, Beelzebub, believe in Jesus, blaspheme His holy name, broken right now, bruised and battered, Christ died for the ungodly, Christ died for us, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, cried out in anguish, curse, embodiment of evil, eternal hell fire and damnation, eternal life, eternal souls, fallen angel, favour, filled with, finite minds, for a good man, forsake his only son, free offer of grace, God commendeth his love, God so loved the world, good health, grace, guidebook, hanging helplessly, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, heartbreaking deed, in the name of Jesus, LOVE, Lucifer, My God my God, my soul is still, negative word, once to die, our earthly lives, peaceful, positive outlook on life, prosper, salvation, satanic majesty, self-control, self-discipline, share the blessings, should not perish, sinful creation, sinful exploits, sins, some would dare to die, spins on only one thing, succeed, the BIBLE, the Good Book, the heart of God, the heart of his universe, the wonderful love of God, then the judgement, Thursday Blessings, ultimate destination, unconditional LOVE, ungrateful sinners, while we were yet sinners, whosoever believeth on Jesus, why hast thou forsaken me, without strength, wooden cross
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth his (demonstrates his own) LOVE towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Ah mih people, the ole fella doesn’t have a jump out at you, in your face intro for this morning! (smile) Neither does he have anything explosive to talk about today. His soul is still and peaceful, filled with the wonderful LOVE of God! So I guess that’s what we’ll talk about then…the wonderful LOVE OF GOD! (smile)
And I guess there’s nothing better to talk about in these evil and trying times than God’s amazing, awesome and unconditional LOVE for His sinful creation. Sorry Lord, you did not create anything sinful, you created mankind very holy like yourself, it’s just that the creation turned sinful when it came into contact with Beelzebub, so we can’t blame you for that.
But you were so enamoured of that creation that even though it turned against you, you couldn’t leave it to die and suffer eternal hellfire and damnation on account of it’s unholy and sinful exploits. Bless Your holy name our heavenly Father! But what’s truly amazing and incomprehensible about God’s LOVE, are the unbelievable facts noted in these immortal words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome.
‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his (demonstrates his own) LOVE towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:6-8)
How can you beat that show of LOVE eh friends? NO WAY! Can you imagine the size God’s heart had to be to be able to do that overreaching deed? To put the sins of the whole world on the shoulders of His wonderful Son; to commit such a heartbreaking deed to forsake His only Son!
Can you imagine the state of the Father’s heart when His Son, hanging helplessly from that wooden cross, all bruised and battered, cried out in anguish: ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Matt.27:46b) It’s the only time that Jesus ever really cried out to the Father in true despair, because it’s the ONLY time that the Father had ever turned away from Him!
My fellow believers, I don’t think our puny and finite minds can really comprehend it nuh! That’s why we don’t appreciate and don’t pay as much attention to it like we should. It must be a godlike thing to sacrifice one’s sinless Son to pay for the debts of ungrateful sinners! But He did it!
And wonder of wonders too many of His creation are not thankful or grateful for it, because they blaspheme His holy name and totally reject His salvation through His free offer of grace. And the sad part is that all it takes to receive eternal life is to believe in and on His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
And Jesus proclaimed this fact so strenuously Himself: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) But unfortunately, a large portion of God’s creation prefers to believe on the fallen angel Lucifer; his satanic majesty, the embodiment of all evil and sin!
How sad my brethren! We take the Lord’s words for a joke when He says that those who believe on His Son will have everlasting life, while those who reject Him will be cast out into hell fire and eternal damnation! It’s amazing how foolish we can be, believing the parts of the Good Book that serve our purposes and not believing the rest!
Friends, I’m here to tell you that the Good Book is ALL TRUTH! So you either believe ALL of it, or NONE of it! You can’t be like so many of us, just sitting on the fence hoping that our number will play sometime and we can fall either which way the wind blows. Friends, our number’s been played already!
Two thousand years ago Jesus died to pay for our sins! Nothing else is needed! And furthermore, the Lord wrote the Bible for us, as a guidebook for our earthly lives, not for His benefit. He knows it all already! So those of us who choose to ignore Him, His Word, His Son and His Holy Spirit are playing a real dangerous game with the ultimate destination of their eternal souls.
For as the Good Book so rightly proclaims: ‘And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement.’ (Heb.9:27) Yes friends, mankind dies once, please note that, ONLY ONCE, and after that he will be judged by God Almighty! And even more importantly, if you don’t make your peace here on earth before you die with Jesus, then all bets are off, unfortunately crapaud smoke yuh pipe, then it’s TOO LATE!
So please, please, I implore us to be wise and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour RIGHT NOW nuh, because you never know when you’ll be called home, it can happen at anytime. And even if you don’t want to believe, then be wise and hedge your bets nuh; accept Him just in case it’s all true. And if it happens that it isn’t, then you haven’t lost anything.
However, if it all turns out to be true, then you’d have won and be on the inside looking in! Glory to God!
Now for those of us who truly believe, let’s go home declaring (steups – wrong again- going to have to stop using it yes (smile)) our Thursday Blessings, wonderful benefits that our great, merciful, forgiving, generous and ever-LOVING God has magnanimously bestowed on us.
In strong voice and full belief now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Now don’t forget that those wonderful blessings weren’t given to us to hoard, but to share with the less fortunate of this sorry world, so please let’s go out and do the now nuh! Much LOVE!
…the heart of God…and thus the heart of His universe…spins on one and only ONE thing…LOVE…
27 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of glory, a good man, a loving man, a name, a righteous man, abominations, above every other name, accept it, All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name, appearance, as a aman, at his feet faal, at the name of Jesus, became obedient, blot out our sins, bring forth, by his grace, Christ died for the ungodly, come to Him, communication with Almighty God, crown him, dare to die, Edward Perronet, every kindred, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, every tribe, finite minds, found in fashion, given him a name, glory hallelujah, glory to the Lamb, God demonstrates his love, God hath highly exalted him, hail him, he humbled himself, hear Jesus say, in due time, in heaven, Jesus, Jesus christ is Lord, join the everlasting song, let angels prostrate fall, Lord and Saviour, Lord of all, LOVE, merciful God, missionary in India, obedience, obeisance, omnipotent, on a silver platter, paid the penealty, paid the price, puny, ransomed of the fall, repent, sacrifice, saves you, seed of Israel, selfless works, shotgun rider, slain, sweeter words, terrestial ball, the cross at Calvary, the royal diadem, thou good and faithful servant, to the glory of God the Father, unselfish, unto death, we owed, welcome, wisdom, without strength, yet sinners
Philippians 2:9. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Well friends, it’s Sunday and there’s snow on the ground. But I’m not going to let it stop me from going to church for two Sundays in a row. And anyway I don’t think it’s all that much, although you never know how much it really is until you step out in it.
But between my trusty chariot ‘Blue’, my most amazing shotgun rider, Jesus, and myself, we ought to make it there and back safely. If we don’t, then something’s terribly wrong with this picture! (smile)
But let’s get to matters nuh, some softening up of our hearts to receive His holy word, by singing some awesome praise and thanksgiving to our heavenly Father, that He so obviously deserves.
And today’s hymn is a very popular one, sung by many Christian denominations. It’s titled ‘All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.’ Glory to God! And so in fact should His Name be lifted up because of His great, unselfish, selfless works.
They also say that this hymn is often called the “National Anthem of Christendom.’ And it very fittingly deserves that title too. Apparently one Edward Perronet wrote the lyrics while he was a missionary in India, some where in the mid 18th century, and there have been several tunes associated with it. But let’s sing the one we know and LOVE!
So in unison, powerfully, in warmth of heart and true sincerity, let’s sing. (smile) ‘All hail the power of Jesus’ Name! Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all. Ye seed of Israel’s chosen race, Ye ransomed of the fall, Hail him who saves you by his grace, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all.
Let ev’ry kindred, ev’ry tribe, On this terrestrial ball, To him all majesty ascribe, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all. O that with yonder sacred throng We at his feet may fall; We’ll join the everlasting song, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all.’
Yes mih people! What a fitting name and position for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ – LORD OF ALL! And He’s definitely earned it! As mere mortals, we can’t offer up any more fitting praise because our minds are so puny and finite, thus our vocabulary is small.
But we all know and greatly appreciate the fact that He died on the cross at Calvary to save us, to blot out our awful sins and pay the penalty we owed, thus allowing us to once again have serious and sincere communication with Almighty God!
What a mighty and LOVING man He was…and still is…and ALWAYS will be! NO ONE ELSE could have borne our sins…and please note, He didn’t have to, but because the Father, who LOVED us so much, asked Him to, He did!
Fellow believers, I don’t know if we truly realize how much our heavenly Father, our Creator really LOVES us nuh, or the awesome act that Jesus performed on our behalf. Here how Bruh Paul puts it to the Roman church nuh: ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his LOVE (demonstrates His own LOVE) toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:6-8)
Ah friends, that ought to drive home to us just how much our Creator and His wonderful Son LOVE and want us to spend eternity with them! Most of the other supposed deities would expect us to repent and come to them first…but not our great, omnipotent and merciful God! He paid the price for our sins first, before asking us to repent and come to Him! What a wonderful God we serve and worship my faithful brethren!
However, church is calling now, I’ve got to go and do a li’l worshipping myself (smile) so I’ll have to leave you for a spell. Soon come…
We back! The troika made it safely there and back. Some of the roads weren’t clean when we left, but most were by the time we returned. And most importantly, a good time was had at church; we raised up Jesus’ name, just like we’re doing in the Bit today. Yes friends, there’s nothing more refreshing and worthwhile than thanking and praising Jesus for all He’s done for us, is still doing, and has promised to continue doing.
Here is this awesome scripture from Bruh Paul to the Philippians explaining the Father’s response to the Son’s selfless sacrifice. ‘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 the 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.2:8-11)
And all God’s people shouted a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Glory to the Lamb that was slain for our abominations! All praise and honour to His gracious Name that is now exalted above every other name, in heaven on earth, and even beneath the earth! And also that every knee should bow to Him and call Him Lord!’
Oh friends, yuh see how the Father lifted up Jesus for being obedient to His will? Well, He will do the same for each and everyone of us who shows Him obeisance and obedience. We don’t have to sacrifice our lives, because Jesus has done that once and for all. We just have to believe in His Son, read His holy word and be obedient to it. And a crown of glory will eventually be in the offing for us.
It’s all laid out there for us on a silver platter; we just have to make the decision to receive it. Let’s show some wisdom and accept it today nuh! Much LOVE!
…there are no sweeter words to the ear…than on entering heaven…to hear Jesus say…Welcome, thou good and faithful servant…
16 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a day in the life, a righteous man, arch-enemy, cease, Christ died for the ungodly, Christ died for us, cover a multitude of sins, down and dirty, dr robert h schuller, envieth not, fail, fantastic lesson, flaws, focusing on the future, foibles, fulfilling the law, God commendeth his love, God loves us, good news, graceful truth, halfway home, hands securely on the plough, happy report, hatred stirreth up strifes, holy sentence, hope, however I am, incomprehensible, is kind, isn't eaily provoked, isn't rude, knowledge, LOVE, LOVE is the greatest, LOVE Walk, my faith is dim, never fails, not looking back, on Calvary's hill, prophecies, restores the sinner, Satan, saves a soul from death, sinful, suffers long, thank you, the breath of life, the call of duty, the error of his ways, the old wooden cross, the Way of LOVE, tongues, vaunteth not itself, Wednesday Wail, while we were yet sinners, withouth strength, works no ill
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrates) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Ah mih breddren, welcome to another day in the life! It might be hard, soft, or in between, but I want to remind us of the ONE constant that’s always there, regardless of the kind of day or the circumstances therein…
And it’s the magnificent and ever so true statement that God LOVES You! That’s an indisputable fact since He sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die on an old wooden cross on Calvary’s hill to pay for your sins. What would you call that eh? I call it LOVE; undying, above and beyond the call of duty LOVE!
Now let’s check out this li’l poem from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional, where he reminds us of that most salient and important fact: ‘GOD LOVES ME!’
Please pray with me: ‘Thank you, Lord, for this holy sentence, this good news, this happy report, this exciting thought, this graceful truth, this fantastic lesson. God LOVES me! Even when I’m at my worst – God LOVES me. Even when my faith is dim – God LOVES me anyway! It’s incomprehensible and fantastic! Thank you, Father. Amen!’
Yeh friends, it’s really incomprehensible that a holy and just and powerful God could LOVE me in whatever state I am, even when I am down and dirty and truly sinful, He still LOVES me! Glory be! And even if it’s incomprehensible, it’s also fantastic, because it gives me hope, makes me feel that all’s not lost; it builds my faith when such a magnificent Being can appreciate me and want me to come Him however I am.
Wow! Who else makes me feel like that eh? Not a single soul but Jesus! That’s why I try my best to sincerely LOVE Him back and do His will, be grateful and thankful for ALL that He’s done for me! That’s the ONLY appropriate response there is!
And please, please, don’t ever forget these scripture verses, because they are the very foundation of our hope and faith and belief. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrates) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:6-8)
Imagine that nuh friends? While we were still sorrowful and sinful the Father sent Jesus to die for us. Now why would He do such an unlikely thing eh? One simple reason my believing brethren; He created us, and despite of our flaws and foibles, He still cared for us and didn’t want to lose us to His arch-enemy Satan, because He knew the disastrous fate we’d suffer under his hands.
Oh friends, LOVE is indeed the motor that makes the world go round! It is the greatest emotion, feeling, and attribute that we can ever have or aspire to. Remember Jesus said that the two greatest commandments were to LOVE God and LOVE your neighbour as yourself. And Bruh Paul assures us that ‘LOVE worketh no ill (does no harm) to his neighbour: therefore LOVE is the fulfilling of the law.’ (Rom.13:10) That means when we walk in LOVE, we’re fulfilling the law of Christ!
And hear how important this walking in LOVE is nuh mih breddren: James says it thus: ‘Let him know, that he which converteth (saves, restores) the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide (cover) a multitude of sins.’ (James 5:20) And Peter declares (spelled it wrong): ‘And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover a multitude of sins.’ (1 Pet.4:8)
Oh my people, LOVE is so wonderful, I’m amazed that we don’t use it more! It’s the only thing that covers sins, like Jesus’ LOVE covered ours! And Cousin Sol said it so marvellously so long ago: ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’ (Prov.10:12) And nothing has happened to change that since then, Jesus’ dying for us only made LOVE even stronger and more important!
And Bruh Paul, in his famous chapter to the Corinthians, re ‘The way of LOVE’ describes it thus: ‘Charity (LOVE) suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself (does not brag on itself), is not puffed up (arrogant). Doth not behave itself unseemly (rudely), seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil (keeps no account of evil):
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail (cease); whether there be tongues, they shall cease, whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away (cease).’ (1 Cor.13: 4-8)
That’s how great LOVE is my people: it NEVER FAILS! All else fails, but NEVER LOVE! That’s why I implore us today get our LOVE walk under control, work on it, like never before, because right now we need LOVE in this world also like we’ve never done before.
And while we’re pondering how to improve our LOVE walk, let’s go home declaring (Chuh! Spelled it wrong again…) our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our wonderful position in Jesus and inviting them to join us.
As one loud and sincere voice now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And that future will indeed be glorious, you can count on it! Much LOVE!
…and now abideth faith…hope…LOVE…these three…but the greatest of these is…LOVE… (1 Cor.13:13)
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