07 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a song of salvation, accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour, amazing pity, At the cross, bathed in its own blood, believers have great reason to be happy, Christ the mighty maker died, come unto the knowledge of truth, decline in the world's noise level, devote that sacred head, did my Saviour bleed, did my sovereign die, dissolve my heart in thankfulness, drops of grief can ne'er repay, eternal life, face another week of work with confidence, faith, fellowship, for crimes that i had done, for man the creature's sin, for sinners such as I, gave himself a ransom for all, God sent not his Son into the world to condemn it, God so loved the world, God's love baffles us, grace unknown, he gave his only begotten son, he groaned upon the tree, hide my blushing face, his dear cross appears, his soul in anguish stood, holy spirit, I give myself away, I received my sight, in the sight of God our Saviour, isaac watts, it was there by faith, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ securing salvation for us, Jesus sacrifice is proof of God's wish for all to be converted, LOVE, love beyond degree, man can never repay the debt of love he owes Christ, melt my heart to tears, mercy, now I'm happy all the day, one mediator between God and men, proof given at the right time, renew your soul and spirit, sacrificing of a sinless person, salvation, shut his glories in, sincerely from our hearts, sweet jesus, sweet sacrifices of praise, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the burden of my heart rolled away, the debt of love I owe, the firm mark of wrath divine, the horrific task of paying for man's sins, the Lord's Day, the man Christ Jesus, the sun in darkness hide, the world through him might be saved, there is one God, this is good and acceptable, thy body slain, tis all that I can do, to be testified in due time, truth, where I first saw the light, will have all men to be saved, wisdom, worship with other believers
1 Timothy 2:5. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
It’s got to be Sunday friends, for there’s a slight decline in the noise level of our world, and that only happens on Sundays, the Lord’s Day. (smile) That means we must get up and out to His sanctuary to worship and fellowship with other believers, so that our souls and spirits can be renewed and refreshed, thus enabling us to face another week of work with confidence and calm.
And our song of worship for today is one we all know and LOVE, and one I found myself singing a lot this week. I don’t know why, but that made me believe we should sing it today. The hymn is simply titled ‘At the Cross.’ It’s one of the many popular hymns written by the famous hymn writer Isaac Watts (1674 –1748). He became a pastor and wrote poems and hymns to go with his sermons. This one was published in 1707, and quickly became a favourite, and has been used by many evangelists during their crusades.
The song is basically about salvation, which means it ought to be very important to us. So, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a mid-tempo, heartfelt version of this great song. And to get it rocking and rolling, we’ll begin with the wonderful refrain. Singing: ‘(Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!) Alas! and did my Savior bleed And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head For sinners such as I?
(Refrain:) Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine— And bathed in its own blood— While the firm mark of wrath divine, His Soul in anguish stood. (Refrain) Was it for crimes that I had done He groaned upon the tree? Amazing pity! grace unknown! And love beyond degree! (Refrain) Well might the sun in darkness hide And shut his glories in, When Christ, the mighty Maker died, For man the creature’s sin. (Refrain) Thus might I hide my blushing face While His dear cross appears, Dissolve my heart in thankfulness, And melt my eyes to tears.
(Refrain) But drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of love I owe: Here, Lord, I give my self away ’Tis all that I can do. (Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day! Now I am happy all the day…happy all the day…happy all the day…’
That was a great rendition friends, for it came sincerely from our hearts, showing how thankful we are to Jesus Christ for securing salvation for us. It’s like Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy, re prayers for all men. ‘For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.’ (1 Tim. 2:3-6)
Yes friends, there’s only ONE God, and He desires that all men, regardless of colour, creed or race, be saved and come to know the truth. And He’s provided for that through only ONE Person, His Son Jesus Christ who gave His life on the cross of Calvary that mankind could have the option of being saved, by accepting Him as Lord and Saviour. Note that Christ gave His life a ransom for ALL, not merely some. And the scholars tell us that ‘to be testified in due time, (or, proof given at the right time) means that Jesus’ sacrifice is “proof” of God’s wish for all to be converted.’
And Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf was so great that we can hardly believe it. But when we look at the cross that’s when the light of His glory shines forth on us. As the refrain so sincerely puts it: ‘At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!)’
Oh my people, there is indeed great reason to be happy all the day, because when we accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, we receive salvation and eternal life. For as Jesus said to Nicodemus, ‘For God so LOVED world, 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)
That says it all my brethren! God desired to save His human creation, and the only way it could be done justly and righteously was through the sacrificing of some sinless person, and Jesus was the only sinless person in the universe, thus the horrific task of paying for man’s sins fell on His shoulders. And we’re proud to say, that He bore them like a man.
That’s why the song says in great wonder: ‘Alas! and did my Savior bleed And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head For sinners such as I? Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine— And bathed in its own blood— While the firm mark of wrath divine, His Soul in anguish stood. Was it for crimes that I had done He groaned upon the tree? Amazing pity! grace unknown! And love beyond degree!’
Now, although it’s hard to believe, that’s exactly what happened. God’s LOVE was so profound that it baffled us then, and still baffles us today. That’s why the song ends: ‘Thus might I hide my blushing face While His dear cross appears, Dissolve my heart in thankfulness, And melt my eyes to tears. But drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of LOVE I owe: Here, Lord, I give myself away ’Tis all that I can do.’
Oh my fellow believers, that’s oh so true! For though our tears and grief may be truly heart felt, they can NEVER repay the debt of LOVE that we owe Christ. And the only way to mitigate some of our debt is by surrendering ourselves completely to Him, thus making Him our Lord and Saviour. That’s wisdom of the highest order! So, please let’s attain to it nuh! Much LOVE!
…all Christ desires of us…is to accept the salvation He’s so sacrificially provided…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mixture of cloud and sun, a relationship with God, all should come to repentance, and live ye, breaks his heart, brings tears of joy to his eyes, brings tears of sadness to his eyes, cherished moments, christianity, come as a thief in the night, come unto the knowledge of truth, deepen my breath, desire to get intimate with God, Eli Eli lama sabachthani, eternal life, faith, for your unceasing nearness, God sent not his son into the world, God's desire for reconciliation, God's universal desire for salvation, good vibes, have I any pleasure at all, holy spirit, I have no pleasure, I may know you all the more, I want to be with you now, imminent duties, in the death of them that dieth, in the sight of God our Saviour, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, Lord I praise you, LOVE, mercy, My God my God, not willing that any should perish, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, return from his ways and live, salvation, Saturday, shall be burned up, slow my thoughts, thank you for this tenderness, that the wicked should die, the apocalyptic judgement, the BIBLE, the day of the Lord, the earth also, the earth and the works therein, the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the Great tribulation, the heavens shall pass away, the ideal day for positive thinking, the knowledge of the truth, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, the painful destiny we're creating, the peace that surpasses all understanding, the Rapture, the world through him might be saved, this is good and acceptable, to condemn the world, truth, turn yourselves, ungrateful sinners, unsettled weather, warms the cockles of God's heart, weighed down with the sins of the world, when the time was right, who will have all men to be saved, why hast thou forsaken me, wisdom, with a great noise, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
1 Timothy 2:4. Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
And though the weather seems somewhat unsettled, being a mixture a of cloud and sun, after a thunder storm in the early morning hours, nonetheless, as one friend wrote me; ‘Saturday is the ideal day for positive thinking, cherished moments, and good vibes! Glory be! Yes friends, a lazy-day Saturday is ideal for those kinds of sentiments, since you don’t have to rush out to work or have too many imminent duties, so you can relax and let the good vibes flow. (smile) And there’s no better way to begin than with offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity and truth.
As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And if our prayer was truly sincere, if the Lord checked our hearts and saw that we really wanted to get closer to Him, then we’ll soon be feeling the calm and peace that surpasses all human understanding. For, as I keep reminding us, there’s nothing our God desires more than His human creation wanting to get more intimate with Him, since that’s one of the major reasons He created us. So when we truly desire to have fellowship with Him, it titillates His Spirit, brings tears of joy to His eyes, and warms the cockles of His heart like nothing else can. (smile)
However, the reverse is also true; when we refuse to have close fellowship with Him, or any fellowship at all, as so many of us are currently doing, it breaks His heart, brings tears of sadness to His eyes, for He knows the sad and painful destiny that we’re creating for ourselves. Remember what Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy: ‘For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.’ (1 Tim. 2:3-4)
Yes my brethren, the Lord doesn’t want to lose even one of His human creation. This verse highlights God’s universal desire for salvation and the knowledge of truth. And as this commentary explains: ‘The phrase “the Lord wants all to come to salvation” is a common way to express a belief that God desires for everyone to be saved and to have a relationship with Him. This concept is rooted in biblical passages that emphasize God’s LOVE and desire for all people to be reconciled to Him.’
And you can see that in scripture after scripture of the Bible. After Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, God’s manifested desire to was to root it out and bring us back to His holy and righteous fold, by giving us salvation through forgiveness of sins, which, when the time was right, He executed through His Son, Jesus Christ!
Oh my people, there can be no doubt that the Lord wants all His human creation to come back to Him, else why would He bend over backwards, even break His own heart, by sacrificing His One Son, on the cross of Calvary? Because the price of sin had to be paid so that forgiveness could be offered, and since Christ was the ONLY sinless person in the universe, He was the ONLY One who could pay the price for our sins. And don’t you think it grieved the Lord greatly to destroy His wonderful Son for a bunch of ungrateful sinners?
Of course! Just consider these hurting and heartfelt words of Christ on the cross nuh. The Bible tells us: ‘And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Matt. 27:46) Now Jesus knew that He became man to pay for the sins of mankind, but when that awful moment of separation from the Father came, He could not stop Himself from bewailing the situation, for it was the first time they were ever separated, and He knew that the Father could not look at Him with pleasure, weighed down with the sins of the world as He was.
And if you still don’t believe that the Lord wants everyone to be saved, then listen to these other verses that spell out His great desire. In the Old Testament, the prophet Ezekiel, declares: ‘Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?’ (Ezek. 18:23) And later in that same chapter, he again declares: ‘For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.’ (Ezek. 18:32)
It’s obvious the Lord doesn’t want the wicked to die, but they will, if they don’t turn from their evil ways. That’s just the law of the kingdom. And Jesus himself said it thus: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17) That was God’s whole purpose; saving mankind…that is those who wanted to be saved.
And Peter adds a l’il extra something to his verse, when He says: ‘The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet. 3:9) Yes, my fellow believers, Peter is there telling us about God’s patience and longsuffering, waiting for us to come to the salvation He so badly wants us all to have.
However, He will not wait forever, as Peter continues: ‘But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works therein shall be burned up.’ (2 Pet. 310)
Now that’s not the Rapture, which would have happened before, but the return of Christ in the final apocalyptic judgment. So even if you did not make it in the Rapture, you still have the years of the Great Tribulation to repent and receive salvation, though they will be very evil and terrible years. But after that, there are no more chances, so please, I Implore us, let’s be wise and take hold of God’s great gift of Salvation and Eternal Life right now nuh, so that we won’t miss out on it. Much LOVE!
…though mankind unwisely sinned against God…God in His great LOVE and mercy…still provided a way out through Jesus…but for only so long…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Mar 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sacrificial blood offering, abominable sinners, agony, amazing pity, as sheep going astray, At the cross, bare our sins in his body, bathed in its own blood, blaspheming his holy name, by whose stripes we were healed, Christ also suffered for us, Christ the mighty maker died, christianity, come unto the knowledge of truth, committed himself, crucifixion, devote that sacred head, did my Saviour bleed, did my sovereign die, dissolve my heart in thankfulness, divine wrath, drops of grief can ne'er repay, Eli Eli lama sabachthani, faith, fellowship, follow his steps, for crimes that i had done, for man the creature's sin, for sinners such as I, gave himself a ransom for all, gave up the ghost, give thanks and praise, good and acceptable in the sight of the Lord, grace unknown, he groaned upon the tree, he threatened not, his soul in anguish stood, holy spirit, I give myself away, I hide my blushing face, I received my sight, isaac watts, It is finished, it was there by faith, Jesus Christ, Jesus gave up his sinless life, leaving us an example, live unto righteousness, LOVE, love beyond degree, melt my eyes to tears, mercy, my god why hast thou forsaken me, neither was deceit found in his mouth, now I'm happy all the day, now returned unto, obedient to the Father's will, one mediator between God and man, physical and spiritual agony, receive his awesome grace, reviled not again, sacrifices of praise, sacrificial death of a sinless person, salty people, salvation, salvation is a free gift from God, separated from the Father, shining lights, shut his glories in, sufferation, Sunday, sweet jesus, the awesome gift of salvation, the bearer of the world's sin, the BIBLE, the burden of my heart rolled away, the day of the Lord, the debt of love I owe, the firm mark of wrath divine, the greatest gift to mankind, the main theme, the man Jesus Christ, the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls, the sun in darkness hide, there is one God, thy body slain, tis all that I can do, to him that judges righteously, to satiate the need, truth, ungrateful sinners, upgrade our spiritual lives, use your free will to choose salvation, we being dead to sins, when he suffered, when he was reviled, where I first saw the light, who did no sin, who his own self, will have all men to be saved, wisdom
1 Timothy 2:5. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ;
That blessed day of the Lord, Sunday is upon us once more my faithful brethren, so, despite the rainy weather, let’s make full use of it by joining in fellowship with other believers, wherever it’s possible, to give thanks and praise to our great and wonderful God, and receive His awesome grace, mercy and truth so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body, mind and spirit and continue to be the bright shining lights and salty, flavour filled people, He desires us to be!
Now, that’s a good sentence to begin the Bit with; long, and somewhat unwieldy, (smile) but filled with good reasons for worshipping God! And we’ll open today with an old but very popular hymn written by that master hymn writer, Isaac Watts (1674 – 1748). It’s estimated that Watts wrote over 600 hymns in his lifetime, including this one published in 1707, which has been used by many evangelists during crusades. It’s titled ‘At The Cross,’ with the main theme being salvation, the greatest gift that mankind has ever received.
So, let’s offer up real sweet sacrifices of praise in a mid to up-tempo, soulful rendition of the song, all the while considering the significant words and sentiments of the song as they very definitely apply to all of us. Singing: ‘(Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!) ‘Alas! and did my Savior bleed And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head For sinners such as I?
(Refrain) Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine— And bathed in its own blood— While the firm mark of wrath divine, His Soul in anguish stood. (Refrain) Was it for crimes that I had done He groaned upon the tree? Amazing pity! grace unknown! And LOVE beyond degree! (Refrain) Well might the sun in darkness hide And shut his glories in, When Christ, the mighty Maker died, For man the creature’s sin. (Refrain) Thus might I hide my blushing face While His dear cross appears, Dissolve my heart in thankfulness, And melt my eyes to tears.
(Refrain) But drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of LOVE I owe: Here, Lord, I give my self away ’Tis all that I can do. At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day! Now I am happy all the day…happy all the day…happy all the day…’
Ah friends, what beautiful sentiments and words describing how Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary so that we abominable sinners could have the awesome gift of salvation. As the song so picturesquely describes it: ‘When Christ, the mighty Maker died, For man the creature’s sin.’ And you better believe it was a very steep price that Jesus paid for our redemption. The song puts it thus: ‘Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine— And bathed in its own blood— While the firm mark of wrath divine, His Soul in anguish stood.’
Yes my brethren, Jesus withstood ‘the firm mark of divine wrath,’ all because of ‘Amazing pity! grace unknown! And LOVE beyond degree!’ Jesus withstood the Father’s divine wrath to pay our sin debt, all because of an unbelievable degree of LOVE for us poor sinners. Remember these heart stopping words of the scriptures? ‘And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Matt. 27:46)
Yes, the Father had turned His face away from the bearer of the world’s sin. And it was the first and only time that Jesus had ever been separated from the Father. Can you imagine the agony He must have gone through, both physical and spiritual, all for a bunch of ungrateful sinners? No, we definitely cannot! But are we thankful for it? It certainly doesn’t seem so, with the manner in which so many of us have stubbornly and caustically refused to accept Him as Lord and Saviour, while blaspheming His holy name.
But Jesus’ ‘sufferation’ and crucifixion is now a done deed, as He solemnly concluded on the cross. ‘It is finished: and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost (his spirit).’ (John 19:30) And though it broke the Father’s heart to turn away from His sin filled Son, it was His yearning for us to be saved that precipitated that situation.
As Bruh Paul writes to Timothy: ‘For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.’ (1 Tim. 2:3-6)
Yes my fellow saints, the Lord wanted all men to have the option of salvation, and the only way it could be accomplished was by the sacrificial death of a sinless person, and Christ was the only person deemed sinless. But He was so obedient to the Father’s will, and wanted whatever the Father wanted, that He willingly gave up His sinless life to satiate the need for a sacrificial blood offering. And these awesome words of Peter ought to touch our hearts this Sunday morning, as he writes:
‘For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was deceit (guile) found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again (in return); when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes (wounds) ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.’ (1 Pet. 2: 21-25)
Now, friends, you cannot get a better word on our situation than that! So, I do hope that all we’ve said today will help us be better examples for Christ, for we definitely need to upgrade our spiritual lives. Much LOVE!
…salvation is a free gift from God…but it’s not automatic…you must use your free will…to choose it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 Sep 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook on life, abundance, Bible, by grace ye are saved, Christ died for us, christianity, come unto the knowledge of truth, courage, created in christ Jesus unto good works, creativity, curse, dead in sins, do foolish things, eternally separated from God, faith, foible, frail, god, God commendeth his love for us, God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, he will rejoice over thee with joy, he will rest (quiet you) in his love, he will save, herein is love, in his kindness towards us through Christ, in the ages to come, Jesus Christ, Jesus' Second Coming, joy over thee with singing, lack of love, lest any man should boast, LOVE, loved thee with everlasting love, make mistakes, manifested the love of God, mercy, negative word, not of works, prosper and succeed, quickened us together with Christ, receive clear direction for my life, reconciliation, salvation, save our bacon, shew the exceeding riches of his grace, should not perish but have everlasting life, sit together in heavenly places, success, talent, the calamitous state of our world, the cross of Calvary, the end of the church age, the fiery end of the world, the gift of God, the greatest of these is love, the Lord God in the midst of thee is mighty, the Lord hath appeared. of old, the Lord is longsuffering to us-ward, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, the propitiation for our sins, to know God on a personal level, we are his workmanship, we ought also to love one another, while we were yet sinners, who will have all men to be saved, whosoever believeth in him, with loving-kindness have I drawn thee
Jeremiah 31:3. The Lord hath appeared of old (from afar) unto me, saying, Yea, I have LOVED thee with an everlasting LOVE: therefore with LOVING-kindness have I drawn thee.
Ah friends, that’s what happens when you have a late morning and a tired body; you get up late and thus all your well-planned and thought out activities also end being late. (smile) But that’s life! We’re human, very frail and foible, thus we makes mistakes and do foolish things. The wonderful thing though is that our Lord and Creator still adores, admires us and LOVES us no end! And even sent His One Son Jesus to die on the cross at Calvary so that we wouldn’t be lost to Him for all eternity!
Wow! What a wonderful God we serve my people! And just to remind and reassure us of that great LOVE of the Father, let’s look at a few Bible verses that show it in spades. Beginning with one of my favourites: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrates) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8)
Isn’t that marvellous my people! A God who shows His LOVE for His underserving and sinful creation by taking the lead in reconciliation. No other supposed God would ever do that! But our God, the One True God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is so confident and assured of Himself that He can do things like that.
Then there’s this other famous verse on the topic of God’s LOVE for mankind, spoken by none other than Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ while here on earth. ‘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)
Yes friends, if the Lord had not stepped in to save our bacon, we would all have been automatically consigned to hellfire and damnation because of our sinful and ungodly behaviour. But God’s LOVE for His awesome creation was so great, that although we certainly deserved eternal separation from Him, in all good conscience, He could not allow it to happen. As Bruh Paul says of God, to his protégé Timothy. ‘Who will (desires to) have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.’ (1 Tim. 2:4)
Meanwhile Peter puts it thus in his second epistle. ‘The Lord is not slack concerning his promise (re the end of the church age with Jesus’ second coming, and the eventual fiery destruction of the world), as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet. 3:9)
Yes my fellow believers, those words clearly signify that God desires salvation for all who will trust in Him and His Son Jesus Christ. And the scholars say that ‘Salvation here is equated with repentance.’ So we see again the high value that the Lord places on us being reconciled to Him and not being eternally separated, which is really the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul.
Even way back in the Old Testament God was forecasting salvation and healing for His people. Listen to this scripture from the prophet Zephaniah. ‘For the Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest (quiet you) in his LOVE, he will joy over thee with singing.’ (Zeph. 3:17) And what about this verse as Jeremiah reassures Israel of God’s everlasting LOVE. ‘The Lord hath appeared of old (from afar) unto me, saying, Yea, I have LOVED thee with an everlasting LOVE: therefore with LOVING-kindness have I drawn thee.’ (Jer. 31:3)
And this commentary very nicely explains that verse. ‘His LOVE for us will continue for all eternity. It never decreases or subsides. At all times, in all conditions, regardless of who we are or what we have done, God LOVES us. Moreover, the Lord is constantly drawing us to Himself that we might know Him on a personal level and experience the fullness of His LOVE for us.’ Mama Mia! How marvellous is that eh! God LOVING us so much that He’s constantly drawing us to Him on a personal level so that we can experience all that He truly is.
That brings us to this other magnificent scripture on God’s LOVE, this from the apostle John’s first epistle. ‘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 4:9-11)
And right there is the crux of our problem my fellow believers! God LOVES us and has shown it in numerous ways, but we are so hardhearted, cold and selfish, that we refuse to LOVE each other as God desires! And that’s why our world is in such a disastrous and calamitous state…the sad and sorry lack of LOVE!
Now here is the crowning glory of God’s LOVE as told by Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. ‘But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE, wherewith he LOVED us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us (made us alive) together with Christ, (by grace ye are (have been) saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace ye are (have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph. 2:4-10)
That says it all my fellow saints! All that we are from creation to the judgment day comes from the great LOVE of God towards His favourite creation. How can we not return that LOVE eh? Because we’re too full of ourselves and the nonsense that Satan and the world is filling up our heads with. And to further show God’s great LOVE for us, let’s go home now declaring (chuh man!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which He’s so generously bestowed on us to do his earthly work.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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 made that declaration, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use those blessings just as generously for the benefit of others! Much LOVE!
…and now abideth faith, hope, LOVE…but the greatest of these is…LOVE…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
01 Jul 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lazy-day Saturday, an outward miraculous manifestation, apostasy, beware of the doctrine of the Pharisees, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, come unto the knowledge of truth, esoteric quest for truth, ever learning, Happy Canada Day, hereby knoweth ye the Spirit of God, how many baskets ye took up, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, in the last days perilous times shall come, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let my muscles relax, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, men shall be lovers of their own selves, never able to come, O ye of little faith, prey upon silly women, quiet my soul, remember Almighty God, Sadducees, slow my thoughts, take heed, thank you for this tenderness, that I may know you all the more, the five loaves of the five thousand, the Pharisees, the seven loaves of the four thousand, warnings of smoke, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Matthew 16:6. Then Jesus said to them, Take heed and beware of the leaven (yeast) of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
HAPPY CANADA DAY!
Well friends, this Lazy -day Saturday has certainly opened into a bright and sparkling summer’s day, although with some warnings of smoke. But, despite that negative attachment, it promises to be a wonderful celebration of our country’s birthday! So, a Happy Canada Day to all you my Scrip-Bit friends and families! May the Lord bless us with all we need to enjoy this memorable weekend, as we remember that Canada is still one of the few countries you can move around with a fair amount of freedom and without too much provocation re racial and religious and political matters.
And most of all, let’s remember the One who gave us all the good things that we have; Almighty God, and give Him the proper thanks, praise and reverence that He deserves. Now, as one sincere voice, let’s say our Lazy-Day Saturday prayer. ‘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!’
Oh my faithful brethren, every time we say that prayer, it touches something deep within me. I guess it just seems to bring us closer to our heavenly Father in real time. And it seems to be ever so appropriate for a lazy-day Saturday, where we have no pressing commitments, so we can afford to relax and spend some satisfying quiet time with our Creator and Provider, our Comforter and place of Refuge. And I hope you all feel the same way, and do spend some quiet time with the One who LOVES us so much that He sacrificed His only Son Jesus for our benefit.
And do I ever LOVE the Good Library, for as always, when I don’t know what to say and I open it, it always points me to something interesting. And today it opened unto the 16th Chapter of Matthew where Jesus had just finished berating the Pharisees and Sadducees re asking for a sign from heaven, an outward miraculous manifestation, then left them standing in awe and confusion. (Matt. 16:1-4) Then He went on to warn the disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
The Good Library relates it thus: ‘And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said to them, Take heed and beware of the leaven (yeast) of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them. O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many baskets you took up?’ (Matt. 16:5-10)
And it is indeed amazing that the disciples could forget the two miracles Jesus did with little food to serve a multitude and then have plenty left over. And those miracles you can find in several of the gospels, but for easy access, I’ll just quote them from Matthew; Chapter 14:15-21 and Chapter 15:32-38. So they should have realized that it really had nothing to do with them not bringing bread, for if the situation truly warranted it, Jesus had the awesome power to provide actual bread for them, to fill all their physical needs and still have much left over.
But their young, uneducated minds never considered those things, thus Jesus had to explain it further to them. ‘How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, but that ye should beware of the leaven (yeast) of the Pharisees and Sadducees? Then understood they how he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine (teaching) of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’ (Matt. 16:11-12) And yuh know what my fellow believers, that warning of Jesus still holds true for all of us today, because there are still many out there who are teaching a false or incorrect gospel, one slanted to their own unscrupulous desires.
That leads us to these prophetic words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good,
Traitors, heady (reckless), highminded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more than (rather than) lovers of God: Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof, from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-7)
Oh my bredrin, I don’t know if these are the last days or not, because there are many arguments over the signs etc., but what I do know for sure is that all those things Bruh Paul warned Timothy about are very rampant in our current world. And if you don’t see them, then you’re living with your head in the sky or in the dirt. Lawlessness and irresponsibility are at unbelievable heights. Promises are made and broken without remorse. Pleasure is our number one activity. And we boast so much about what we don’t have that it’s shameful.
Oh friends, apostasy, that’s abandonment and renunciation of our religious beliefs is definitely alive and well. You see people all over the place turning away from God, and there’s even a foolish movement afoot to try and completely rid our society of God. Hn! That’s undoubtedly a fool’s wisdom! For it will never happen, because God will never allow it. He might allow us to do all sorts of other nonsense, but rid the society of His awesome presence…NEVER!
And we’ll close with a couple of explanations from the scholars on those verses above. They say that ‘A form of godliness is mere religion without power or spiritual life. Paul commands Timothy to turn away from those false teachers who prey upon silly women laden with sins, who are especially susceptible to false teachers. Ever learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth condemns not intense study, but some esoteric quest for truth apart from God’s word.’
And is there ever much questing for truth today my fellow saints. Never knew there could be more than one truth. But everybody seems to have their own truth in these perilous times. And those who don’t have it, are unfortunately searching for truth in all the wrong places, when it’s right in front of their very faces, in the Word of God! Much LOVE!
…hereby knoweth ye the Spirit of God…every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh…is of God… (1 John 4:2)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
14 Feb 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pain in the neck, At the cross, bathed in its own blood, Christ's sacrificial death, come unto the knowledge of truth, desires that all men be saved, gave himself a ransom for all, he groaned upon a tree, he hath made him to be sin for us, his soul in anguish stood, I received my sight, isaac watts, it was there by faith, now I'm happy all the day, sacrifice of praise, salvation, technological worshipping, thankful for small mercies, the burden of my heart rolled away, the debt of love I owe, the wages of sin is death, there is no remission, we might be made the righteousness of God in him, where I first saw the light, who knew no sin, without the shedding of blood
2 Corinthians 5:21. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Snow, snow, go away, and come back some other day! (smile) That’s what we would all like this Sunday morning my brethren, but let’s be thankful for small mercies, namely that we don’t have to journey out in it to get to church to sing praises and worship our wonderful God. Yes, this virtual and technological worshipping is a pain in the neck, but it’s certainly better than no worship at all.
So to show our thanks let’s begin by belting out this marvelous old hymn with lyrics by Isaac Watts (1674 – 1748) and the chorus by Ralph E. Hudson (1843-1901) Yes friends, we talking about ‘At the Cross.’ What a wonderful hymn, for it speaks to our most wonderful gift; SALVATION! Glory be!
Let’s celebrate in song, our two blessed occasions nuh; when Christ was crucified for our sake and when we found Him and made Him our Lord and Saviour. Now, in an easy rocking tempo, with joy resounding from every note and word, let’s allow our sincere sacrifice of praise to be heard all over the world, and also in high heaven.
(Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!) ‘Alas! and did my Savior bleed And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head For sinners such as I? (Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!)
Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine— And bathed in its own blood— While the firm mark of wrath divine, His Soul in anguish stood. (Refrain) Was it for crimes that I had done He groaned upon the tree? Amazing pity! grace unknown! And love beyond degree! (Refrain) Well might the sun in darkness hide And shut his glories in, When Christ, the mighty Maker died, For man the creature’s sin.
(Refrain) Thus might I hide my blushing face While His dear cross appears, Dissolve my heart in thankfulness, And melt my eyes to tears. (Refrain) But drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of LOVE I owe: Here, Lord, I give my self away ’Tis all that I can do. At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day! Now I am happy all the day…happy all the day…happy all the day…’
Oh my people, if you’re not happy all the day, then you don’t truly believe! Why you ask? Simply becauseour salvation was certainly earned at the Cross, for as the Good Book says: ‘For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God’ (Rom. 3:23) And what’s the consequence of sin? The Good Book also spells it out quite clearly. ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom. 6:23)
And how is death changed into life? The Good Book also has the answer for that. ‘And almost all things are by the law purged (cleansed) with blood; and without (the) shedding of blood (there) is no remission (forgiveness). (Heb. 9:22) That means friends, that all sinners were condemned to death from the very beginning of their lives because no animal or human blood was able to pay for us to have life anew. That could only be attained by the shedding of the blood of a sinless soul, and Jesus was the ONLY One around who could lay claim to that characteristic.
So what did Almighty God in His divine wisdom and incalculable LOVE do? ‘For he 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) Yes my people, God placed ALL of our sin on Jesus, so that He could pay the price for ALL sin for ALL time! Christ was guiltless and sinless, but the Father LOVED us so much that He was willing to sacrifice His only Son for us. Oh my bredrin, which one of us would have given up our only son to be a sacrifice for a bunch of ingrates eh? None of us would have willingly done it, like the Father did!
So we should just be thankful and jump for joy and just fall all over ourselves to do Jesus’ bidding! Can you imagine the ‘sufferation’ He underwent on our behalf; the flogging, the crown of thorns on his head, the nails in His hands and feet, the spear in His side, crucified naked, the mocking, the shame, the resentment and hate that was thrown His way…all on our behalf? As the hymn says about Jesus bruised and battered body ‘bathed in its own blood…His soul in anguish stood…for crimes that I had done…’ Steups! Then we get up and spout a whole lot of foolishness and don’t take the whole thing as seriously as we ought.
And simple eyes-water is not good enough. Why? ‘But drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of LOVE I owe. Here, Lord, I give myself away ‘Tis all that I can do.’ Yes friends, we can never repay Jesus’ sacrifice, the best that we can do is surrender our lives to Him and worship Him as our Lord and Saviour, LOVE Him with all our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, being ever so thankful for His saving grace. And John puts it thus in his first epistle. ‘And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.’ (1 John 2:2)
That means Christ’s sacrificial death satisfied the Father’s requirement, the justice needed to pay for sin, now and for all time. What more can we ask eh? And some of us might be wondering why the Lord did all of that? Bruh Paul explained it to Timothy. ‘Who will (desires to) have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.’ (1 Tim. 2:4-6)
Yes my fellow saints in Christ, Jesus’ sacrifice was proof that the Father wanted ALL to be converted. So he’s done His part, the rest is now up to us. Much LOVE!
…the foot of the cross…the best place to find Jesus…and lay your burdens down…
01 Mar 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dip in the salt, a group of believers fellowshipping, any pleasure, At the cross, be set free, blessed, by faith, can ne'er repay, come unto the knowledge of truth, drops of grief, eternal death, exotic cocktails, eyesight, forgiveness, free will, give thanks, glory in his riches, glory in his wisdom, grace unknown, gratitude, groaned upon the tree, happen to a human soul, I am happy all the day, I first saw the light, I received my sight, in the death of him that dieth, jerk pork, Jesus Christ, Jesus' selfless sacrifice, judgement, justice, justification, knowledge of God, life eternal, LOVE, loving kindness, man's glory, new era in man's story, no pleasure, on the outside looking in, pity, praise, redemption, right standing with God, righteousness., sanctification, sinful lives, Sunday morning, thanksgiving, that the wicked should die, the breath of life, the Lord's Day, the only true God, the worst thing, turn yourselves and live, understand and know God, will have all men to be saved
1 Timothy 2:4. Who will have (desires) all men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of truth.
Well a fine Sunday morning to you my friends and neighbours! I do hope the Lord has blessed you mightily….and you better believe He has if you are reading this missive! (smile) He has indeed blessed us with the wonderful breath of life and clear eyesight to see the words I write. So for just that we ought to be eternally grateful. And if you add all the other blessings, then I don’t think we have the capacity for enough gratitude, (smile) but we’ll certainly try.
And one of the ways we’ll do it is by gathering today, on His special day, in His holy sanctuary, or wherever we can, to praise and give thanks and hear His mighty Word. Oh my people, there’s nothing more moving and momentous that a group of believers fellowshipping with sincere praise and thanksgiving!
So as always, let’s begin our proceedings with this old favourite by Isaac Watts, titled ‘At the Cross.’ And was that ever a turning point in the annals of man! So let’s convince heaven of our heartfelt thanks for Jesus’ death on the cross, and all that it accomplished in our sinful lives.
As one, in strong, soulful and harmonious voice: ‘Alas! and did my Savior bleed And did my Sov’reign die? Would He devote that sacred head For such a worm as I? (Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!) Was it for crimes that I had done He groaned upon the tree? Amazing pity! grace unknown! And love beyond degree!
(Refrain) Well might the sun in darkness hide And shut his glories in, When Christ, the mighty Maker died, For man the creature’s sin. (Refrain) Thus might I hide my blushing face While His dear cross appears, Dissolve my heart in thankfulness, And melt my eyes to tears. (Refrain) But drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of LOVE I owe: Here, Lord, I give myself away, ’Tis all that I can do.
(Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day! At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!’
Oh my people, my people, the wonder of the cross…words cannot truly describe it. Because it was there that the whole world was turned upside down and a new era in mankind’s story began! The story of salvation, of reconciliation, of total forgiveness, of redemption, justification, sanctification…and all the other good things that flowed…and are still flowing from Jesus’ selfless sacrifice on the cross at Calvary!
And as the song so rightly says: ‘Drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of LOVE I owe.’ And is that ever the gospel truth friends! No amount of tears, of heartfelt eyes water can ever repay the debt of LOVE that we owe our heavenly Father. I’m sure our puny and finite minds can’t even begin to understand the heartbreak He felt in having to crucify His one and only, so amazing Son, so that a bunch of stubborn, hard-hearted sinners could have the option to be set free.
But such was His LOVE for us, that He took the one holy, just and righteous avenue open to Him. And it wasn’t by chance He did that either nuh, but by conscious design. Why yuh think? Listen to Bruh Paul in his first letter to Timothy, as he exhorts him to constant prayer. ‘For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have (desires) all men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of truth.’ (1 Tim. 2:3-4)
Yes friends, that has been the Lord’s desire ever since the day He kicked Adam and Eve out of the Garden. He doesn’t want to lose even one single soul of His most precious creation to the evil fool Satan. That’s why He went to such awesome lengths to get us back into right standing with Him. And He’s been saying it all the time.
Listen to Him speak through the prophet Ezekiel: ‘Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God; and not that he should return from his ways, and live?… For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.’ (Ezek. 18:23; 32)
Yes my breddren, our magnanimous and magnificent God doesn’t want even those who want eternal death to die! How much more does He have to so to convince us to change from our wicked ways and live eh? I really don’t know if there’s any more He can do, except strip us of our free will and make us come to Him automatically. But He’s not going to do that, because He promised us free will and He doesn’t renege on His promises.
And yuh know the second part of our Bit which talks about coming to the knowledge of the truth? Well here is what the Lord said through Jeremiah on the subject. ‘Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercises LOVING-kindness, judgement (justice) and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.’ (Jer. 9:23-24)
For sure, my fellow believers, the KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS MAN’S GLORY! And until we know that, accept it, and live it we’ll keep on being lost! And it’s only fitting to close with the words of Jesus on the topic. He said this when He prayed for His own. ‘And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.’ (John 17:3)
Yeh friends, knowing the ONE true God, through His Son Jesus Christ, is the ONLY WAY to eternal life! So let’s get smart and get to know Him nuh, so that come the last day, we will not find ourselves on the outside looking in, for that’s the worst thing that can happen to a human soul. Much LOVE!
…to know God…is to know the glorious truth…and be set free…
P.S. Didn’t do anything yesterday because of the stormy weather. They wouldn’t even allow to me get a dip in the salt since it was so rough. I did get a burger and some jerk pork over at the beach hut though, and washed it down with two nameless exotic pink cocktails. (smile) Today is sunny, so let’s see what the Lord will bring to pass in my life. Much LOVE!
SCRIP-BITS 