The Importance of Sincerely Acknowledging Jesus, and the High Price He Paid for Our Freedom from Sin on Good Friday!

03 Apr 2026 Leave a comment

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

Luke 23:34a.        ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.’

And then it was Friday, a warm but cloudy day, that we call Good Friday. But anyone in their right frame of mind would certainly consider that a misnomer or an inaccurate name for that first Good Friday, a day on which many terrible things happened in the annals of our faith. But then, if we consider the name in the right context of the situation, we can see why it’s a good and fitting name. Why? Because on that First Good Friday Jesus Christ paid the enormous price for our sins with His selfless, sacrificial death on the cross of Calvary.

And as this commentary tells us: ‘Jesus’ death on the cross serves as a “ransom for many,” acting as the required price to liberate humanity from the bondage of sin and death. He served as a substitute, offering his life to satisfy divine justice and reconcile humanity with God.’  As He Himself says: ‘For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto (be served), but to minister (serve), and give his life a ransom for many.’ (Mark. 10:45)

And we arrived at that situation because God the Father desired to give His sinful creation a chance to come back to His fold, but as a righteous and just judge, that could only happen if our sins were paid for. And since only a sinless person could pay for sins, and since Jesus was the only sinless person in the universe, then He was obviously the only choice as the payee.

Now, having our sins paid for, is a wonderful thing, but the injustice and ‘sufferation,’ the cruel and inhumane treatment that Jesus went through to make that outcome possible, is heartbreaking and distresses the soul. We read about how He was betrayed by one of His trusted disciples, Judas Iscariot for thirty pieces of silver and arrested on the night before the Passover in the Garden of Gethsemane, taken before the chief priests and elders, where He was mocked, humiliated and sorely abused.

The scriptures say: ‘And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote (struck) him. And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who it is that smote (struck) thee? And many other things blasphemously spake they against him.’ (Luke 22:63-65) And when the council of Jewish leaders could not find good false witnesses against Jesus, they questioned Him about who He was, asking, ‘Art thou then the Son of God? and he said unto them, Ye say I am (You say rightly). And they said, what need we any further witness (testimony)? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth.’ (Luke 22:70-71)

Then they took him to Pilate, the governor, accusing Him of blasphemy and sedition, or stirring up the Jewish people against the Roman government, for apparently only the Roman Governor could pronounce a death sentence, and that is exactly what the Jewish leaders wanted. But Pilate, on hearing that Jesus was from Galilee, sent Him to Herod, who had jurisdiction over that area. And though Herod questioned Jesus extensively, Jesus answered him nothing. ‘And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. and Herod with his men of war, set him at nought (treated him with contempt), and mocked him, and arrayed (dressed) him in gorgeous robe, and sent him back to Pilate.’ (Luke 23:10-11)  

But Pilate found no fault with Jesus, no truth in what He was accused of, and told the people He would chastise and then release Him, as their tradition called for one Jewish prisoner to be released at the Passover. ‘And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: (Who for a certain sedition (insurrection) made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.’ (Luke 23:18-19) And though Pilate tried to reason with the crowd, they kept on calling loudly for Christ’s crucifixion.

‘And so, Pilate willing to content the people (wanting to gratify the crowd), released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him (flogged with a Roman scourge), to be crucified. And the soldiers led him away into the hall , called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band (a group of  Roman soldiers). And they clothed him (Jesus) with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head. And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! And they smote (struck) him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.’  (Mark 15:15-20)

Oh friends, you see the unfair and unjust abuse and mockery that Jesus took on our behalf. So how can we ever be ungrateful and treat Him without the respect and devotion He deserves eh? No way! But unfortunately many of us don’t consider Him as highly as we ought, and foolishly refuse to accept His payment for our sins, foregoing the glory of salvation and eternal life for one of eternal separation from Almighty God, thus making Jesus’ sacrificial death of no use to them.

Blessedly for Jesus though, as he was bearing His cross through the streets of Jerusalem, falling down from the weight and human tiredness, the soldiers compelled a man, Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross to a place called Golgotha, where they crucified Him, along with two thieves, one on either side of Him. Can you imagine lying on the ground on a wooden cross and have people driving nails into your hands and feet, without anything to ease the pain, although they apparently gave Jesus wine mixed with myrrh which would have dulled the pain, but Jesus refused it. Then having the cross being lifted up and placed securely in a hole, and you left to dehydrate, or if you were wounded, to bleed and eventually die in the hot sun.

That’s what Jesus endured for us my fellow believers. But you know He was ever so obedient to the will of the Father, obedient even unto death on the cross. And even in the throes of death, stabbed in the side with a javelin, given sour wine to quench His thirst, while the soldiers cast lots for His garments, as prophesied by Bruh David in Psalm 22:18, and the Jewish leaders continually  mocking Him, Jesus still found the goodness and mercy to declare: ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.’ (Luke 23:34a)

Yes my fellow believers, that’s the ultimate in forgiveness! And it will do us well to take a few moments of this Good Friday and contemplate what Jesus suffered for us ungrateful sinners, and see if we cannot come up higher in our appreciation for Him! Much LOVE!

…Jesus…the Son of God…sacrificed His sinless life…so that we sinners could live and be free from the bondage of sin…

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

The Overwhelming Importance Of Believers Understanding And Accepting God’s Great LOVE For His Creation!

15 Mar 2025 Leave a comment

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

John 10:11.       ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’

Well, I guess in the Lord’s wisdom, He figured that everyday could not be bright, sunshiny and dry, but there must be an opposite to keep everything well balanced and in the right perspective, that’s why today is cloudy, rainy and wet. (smile) I believe I also heard a couple rolls of thunder earlier on, so it looks like a serious day. But yuh know what, it’s also a perfect lazy-day Saturday, where you simply putter around the house, rest and meditate on the Lord’s Word and quietly interact with Him. Nothing can be more refreshing and uplifting that that! 

So let’s get the ball rolling by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity and truth. As one positive voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And the peace and calm just begin flowing in our spirits and souls, as the Lord answers our heartfelt prayers that only serve to bring us closer to Him. Yes friends, there’s nothing the Lord desires and likes more than His children seeking to have closer intimacy and communion with Him, because that’s the main purpose for which He created us. And it breaks His heart when we turn away and instead fraternize with the foolish, fallen angel Satan, who has nothing of substance to offer us, nothing but sin, shame and disgrace that will eventually lead to eternal separation from our Creator and heavenly Father. 

That’s why it’s oh so important to create a personal relationship with Jehovah God, through His Son Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit that indwells us to try and keep us out of the clutches of the enemy and guide us on the straight and narrow path that leads to salvation and eternal life with Him. But because we have fair amount of free will, and are naturally imbued with a sinful nature, we tend to drift and stray away from the straight and narrow path, anxious to sample some of the seemingly awesome delights of the world held out and up to us by the deceitful and devious Satan, who’s so full of wiles and lies that he’s called the father of lies. 

And Jesus spells it all out in His analogy to the thief and the shepherd, in this scripture passage from John’s gospel. ‘The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) Right there we see the answer friends, Satan is a thief and only in intent on death and destruction. However, Jesus came that we could have life, and have it in abundance! So, whom will you accept as your leader and guide under those circumstances eh? Jesus of course!

 Unfortunately though, for whatever reason, too many of us are choosing Satan, or somehow or the other are falling in his devious trap, that’s why our world is so sinful, angry, strife-filled and ungodly! But it’s time many more of us wake up and listen to Jesus, when He says: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) And that is exactly what He did when He sacrificed His sinless life on the cross of Calvary so that our abominable sins could be forgiven and we be made righteous in God’s eyes. 

So why this great movement, this sudden trend to turn to Satan eh, whom Jesus candidly describes in the next couple of verses? ‘But he that is an hireling (a hired man), and not the shepherd whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.’ (John 10:12) And Satan is both the thief and the hireling, for he tries to steal us away from Jesus, and when we find ourselves in trouble, he runs off and leaves us in the lurch, because he’s not really interested in our wellbeing, neither has he anything good or worthwhile to offer us. 

Jesus explains it thus: ‘The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have (Gentiles), which are not of this fold: them also must I bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold (flock), and one shepherd.’ (John 10:13-16) 

There you have it my fellow believers: Jesus states it in black and white. Unlike Beelzebub, He won’t run away from us when we find ourselves in trouble, but will always runs to us, because He cares deeply for us, that’s why He came to earth and died on Calvary’s cross. And if you can’t see the awesome truth in that, then you’d better get your mind examined right away. 

And please note how much Jesus cares for His creation, when He declares that He has other sheep to add to His fold, meaning us, the non-Jews or Gentiles. He came first to bring salvation to the Jews, through whom God worked and distilled His message down through the ages. But God didn’t forget the rest of His creation, because He LOVES us all, so badly, that it’s as Bruh Paul writes in Romans: ‘But God commendeth his LOVE toward us (demonstrated His own LOVE for us), in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) 

Now, isn’t that the greatest show of LOVE? Of course it is! Moreover, He couldn’t stand to lose even one of us to Beelzebub, as Peter says; ‘He’s not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet. 3:9:b) Yes friends, God LOVES all of His creation and has done His best to ensure that we all have the privilege of gaining salvation and eternal life through the sacrificial death of His sinless Son, which paid for all of our disobedience and wrongdoing. The ball is now in our court; it’s up to us to either accept or reject His most gracious offering of life with Him for ever and ever. Please be wise and accept it! Much LOVE!

… I place before you life and death…please choose life…that you and yours may live… (Deut. 30:19)

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   3 March 2022 Matthew 11:28.

03 Mar 2022 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 11:28.     Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

And a good morning to all you my wonderful Scrip-Bit friends and family out there in the many parts of this crazy and turbulent world! I do hope that your day is going well, that you are filled with the joy, peace and LOVE of Christ Jesus, for that is the ultimate way to live. But I know that’s not always easy because of our constantly changing circumstances, which tend to confuse and muddy the waters of this earthly life. (smile) However, if we want to stay sane and unruffled in the midst of the unprecedented confusion that’s going on around us, we have to get as close to Jesus as possible, and more importantly, stay as close to Him as possible, like white on rice. (smile) 

Why is that you ask? Because it’s only when we are closely aligned with Him that we can successfully handle the trials and tribulations that surround us. Nothing, or no one else but Jesus can give us the confidence and the faithful promises of always walking beside us, of never leaving nor forsaking us, of their indwelling Holy Spirit leading and guiding and comforting us through all the hardships of our earthly journey. 

Jesus Christ is the ONLY ONE who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross to pay for our sins, and who rose again from the grave, thus defeating death and its allies, and thereby giving us the magnificent opportunity to be reconciled with God the Father and rise also from the dead and live forever with Him! No one else can lay claim to such a miraculous feat! Now to me, that means Jesus is someone very worthy to be associated with, to live for…and even to die for! 

And living for Christ is not that difficult if we truly consider it. Listen to how He puts it in His Great Invitation to all who would put their sincere trust in Him. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) 

Mama Mia! Can you find a better invitation than that anywhere in this world my brethren? Obviously not! And the good thing about it is that we know Jesus has the parts and the power to keep all the promises He makes! So why do we refuse to accept His marvellous invitation eh? Especially when we don’t have any better to turn to. Would you consider what Satan offers, better than Christ’s? Not on your life! Because all Satan has to offer is a bunch of lies, deceit, and fraud, with worldly stuff that rots and grows old. 

Listen again, to how Jesus makes His case for hanging out with Him. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:19-21) Yes friends, the treasures of this world are not worth losing our souls over, for they eventually rot and turn to dust, even when thieves steal them. (smile) 

Furthermore, as Bruh Paul said to Timothy: ‘For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.’ (1 Tim. 6:7) Now that’s the gospel truth! We came with nothing and will leave with nothing!  Even if they embalm you and put all your worldly wealth in a tomb like the Egyptian Pharaohs did, your spirit will float away to the next life and leave it all behind. So what’s the point of running down earthly wealth. 

And the scholars provide a rather interesting explanation of that verse. They say: ‘Man enters the world at birth possessing nothing, in order to teach him that he will exit the world in the same manner – taking nothing with him. This is a divine means of showing man that since material wealth is relatively insignificant, he should pursue the important things mentioned in verse 11.’ 

Now what are those things you ask? Hear Bruh Paul spell them out. ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things (the LOVE of money, the root of all kinds of evil, the striving for material wealth and the resultant woes they bring); and follow after (pursue) righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness.’ (1 Tim. 6:11) And those are the things which will cause us to store up treasures in heaven, as well as live a good and godly life down here on earth. 

And the scholars explain those things as follows: ‘Righteousness is practical correctness, conforming to God’s will in one’s thinking and acting. Godliness is proper reverence for, and obedience to God. Faith is a trust in God that grows stronger. LOVE is a maturing affection for God and man. Patience is perseverance or steadfastness in life and service. Meekness is gentleness.’ And that’s the way we live for Jesus, in simple, practical and understandable terms! 

Now tell me, is living for Satan in hate, sin, anger, evil, fraud, lies and deceit better than living for Jesus? No way! Especially when Jesus can also give you the worldly wealth without you having to sell your soul, like Satan requires. And whatever Jesus gives you will not diminish or disappear like whatever comes from his Satanic majesty! 

And furthermore, does the evil enemy bestow on you any of these things we call our Thursday Blessings? That’s blessings we don’t deserve, but which Jesus oh so generously bestows on us so we can do His earthly work. Absolutely not! Now let’s declare them in strong voice so that they can take hold in our souls, bodies and spirits, and thus be manifested in our daily lives. 

‘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 every day! Amen!’ 

And having said that, it’s now time for us to go out and let those blessings bear good fruit…some sixty, some a hundred-fold. Much LOVE!

…living for Jesus…is the only wise way to live life… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8