companionship in sorrow

The Importance of Christians ever Growing in Spiritual Maturity by Continually Delving Deeper into the Knowledge of Christ!

07 Nov 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a legitimate goal, a means of restoring faith in you, a personal relationship with jesus, a strong bond, afflicted hearts cling to each other, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, be found in him, because of their faith in Christ, by the example we faithful believers set, can still die more to sin and self, Christian witness not good enough, companionship in sorrow, count them but dung, crying out for help, derail our stated purpose, develops betwen those who share tragedies, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, divine commendation, divine summons, eat meat and solid foods, establishes the most intimate and lasting of ties, every Christian's goal, experience Christ's resurrection power, faith, forgetting those things which are behind, Friday chant, grow in spiritual maturity, has not arrived spiritually, help the rest of us to be responsible, holy spirit, I count all things but loss, I may win Christ, I press toward the mark, imputed to the converted sinner, intorduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, let past guilt pull him down, LOVE, made conformable unto his death, mercy, not having mine own righteousness, of the law, omnipotent help, our sinful world can wake up, plenty belly and backbone, reaching forth to what lies ahead, relaxation, rest, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, seeking the deeper things of Christ, serious problems are escalating, share in Christ's sufferings, show them the error of their ways, spiritual disaster, stay safe, stop drinking only milk, suffered the loss of all things, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that I may know him, the divinr righteousness, the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, the fellowship of his sufferings, the goal, the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, the joyful personal satisfaction, the power of his resurrection, the prize, the reward to be granted in heaven, the righteousness which is of God by faith, the simmering unrest, the throne of grace, the wise guidance, there is room for improvementcan still die more to sin and self, these ungodly times, this one thing I do, to handle these unexpected storms properly, to know christ deeply, to rest on past laurels, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, with God's help

Philippians 3:14. I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ.

And then it was Friday, a somewhat cool and cloudy day, with expectations of rain, but that did stop us from shouting out: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ Yes friends, it is Friday and the weekend’s here with the promise of some rest relaxation and partying. Let’s hope that we get more of the first two and less of the latter, you know why. (smile)

And what’s on the agenda for today? I believe it’s talking about the high calling of God, as Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Philippi. In the 3rd chapter, he says: ‘I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung (rubbish), that I may win Christ. And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is of God by faith.’ (Phil. 3:8-9)

The long and short of the story is that Bruh Paul gives up all his past heritage, education and privileges, counting them as not important in comparison to knowing Christ. And to ‘win Christ,’ the scholars tell us, he had to give up all his religious credentials, all his own efforts and accomplishments so that he could believe and be saved, so that the Lord could impute him with the divine righteousness that’s imputed to the converted sinner because of their faith in Christ. And he wants to know Christ so badly, that he declares: ‘That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;’ (Phil. 3:10)

Ah mih people, I wonder how many of us desire to know Christ so deeply, that we might both experience His resurrection power and share in His sufferings, and thus be more conformed to His death? Not too many of us, I dare say. (smile) And according to the scholars, ‘Paul wants “the righteousness …of God” (vs.9), so that he can obtain a personal relationship with Jesus in actual day-to-day experience. This knowledge of Christ is obtained by experiencing in daily problems, needs, ministry, and so forth, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.

Knowing Christ also entails participating in His sufferings. Paul desires to share in the Lord’s sufferings because they bring him into a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Him; companionship in sorrow establishes the most intimate and lasting of ties, as afflicted hearts cling to each other.’ And that’s an awesome truth as many of us know from our personal sufferings with others. A bond much stronger and long lasting is developed between those who share tragedies.

And the important thing to note here is that Bruh Paul doesn’t believe He’s come to the point of conforming to the life he desires in Christ as yet, which is to know Christ to such an extent, experiencing His power, sharing His sufferings, being made like Him in death, and experiencing resurrection from the dead. The scholars tell us; ‘At this point in his life the apostle does know Christ, but not to the full extent possible. He has experienced His power, but not to the degree he desires. He has been made like Jesus in His death, but he can die still more to sin and self. He does “walk in newness of life,” but there is room for improvement. And unlike the perfectionists who claim to be sinless in this life, Paul admits that he is not. If the chief of the apostles does not feel he has “arrived” spiritually, then neither should we.’

And that’s a very good suggestion. (smile) But then, to add to all of that, Bruh Paul says: ‘Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended (laid hold of it): but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth (forward) unto those things which are before (ahead), I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ.’ (Phil. 3:13-14) Now there’s an interesting and very legitimate goal for us to pursue! It won’t be easy, and it will take plenty belly and backbone, but with God’s help we can certainly achieve it.

And the scholars offer these explanations. ‘In ever pursuing his goal to know Christ (vs. 10) Paul refuses to let past guilt pull him down, or to rest on past laurels. Either could spell spiritual disaster.’ And that’s something we should also pay close attention to in the attainment of our own goal of knowing Christ. Guilt and past successes can easily derail our stated purpose. Then the scholars acknowledge: ‘The mark is the objective of verses 10 and 11 (i.e., knowing Christ). The prize is the joyful personal satisfaction of having attained it, as well as the divine commendation and reward to be granted in heaven for having reached this goal on earth. The high calling of God is the divine summons extended to the believer for salvation.’

And yes, it’s heavy stuff, but if we want to grow in spiritual maturity, thereby growing in Christ, then we need to delve deep into the harder and more difficult stuff, start eating meat and solid foods, stop drinking only milk. And we can certainly do it if we make up our minds to do so. Especially with divine aid that can now be gotten directly from the throne of grace. So let’s go there right now through our Friday Chant asking for help in time of need.

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!’

Oh friends, our prayer was heartfelt, but I doubt we will receive much divine aid, if any, because our Christian witness is simply not good enough. That means we have to improve it, if we want divine aid. So please, let’s concentrate on doing that nuh. Much LOVE!

…seeking the deeper things of Christ…ought to be every Christian’s goal…

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

The Marvellous Wisdom of Believers Seeking Deep Intimacy with Christ!

14 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a more meaningful relationship with Christ, a personal relationship with Christ, a strong assurance and belief, afflicted hearts cling to each other, ask anything according to his will, being made conformable to his death, companionship in sorrow, confidence, confidence in receiving what is asked for, count them all but dung, deepen my breath, departed into a solitary place and prayed, establishes the most intimate and lasting of ties, faith, go down the wrong path, God answers prayers aligned with His will, God delights in intimacy with us, God is a just and faithful God, he hears us, holy spirit, I count all things but loss, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, if we know that God hears us, in actual day-to-day experience, in the Garden of Gethsemane, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, Jesus went out, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, leads to Christ and eternal life, leads to death and destruction, like Jesus did, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, made conformable unto his death, mercy, not having mine own righteousness, Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus, ponder our relationship with God, pour out our hearts to God, preaching Christ crucified, quiet my soul, reach for Paul's level of zeal, relax my muscles, rising up a great while before day, salvation, seeking God's desires than personal whims, singing praises to their heavenly father, slow my thoughts, thank you for this tenderness, that I may know him, that I may know you all the more, that I may win Christ, the birds are frolicking, the broad and winding way, the effectiveness of prayer, the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, the fellowship of his sufferings, the link between faith prayer and God's will, the power of his resurrection, the power that raised Jesus from the dead, the righteousness which is of God by faith, the straight and narrow path, the wind is kicking up a rumpus, this is the confidence that we have in Him, truth, we know we have the desired petitions, whatsoever we ask, wisdom, wisdom at its zenith, you can't achieve intimacy unless you seek it, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me

Philippians 3:10. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.

Oh friends, it’s a beautiful though a bit cool lazy-day Saturday in my neighbourhood. The sun’s shining, the birds are frolicking and singing their praises to their heavenly Father, but unfortunately, the wind is kicking up a rumpus, causing the poor trees to dance to its wild and crazy tune. But other than that, everything’s right in my area. (smile) Consequently, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with sincere and heartfelt desire.

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 because we know that our God is a just and faithful God who delights in having intimacy with us, if our prayer was truly sincere, we’ll soon be experiencing His awesome peace and presence in our spirits.

It’s like John declares in his first epistle: ‘And this is the confidence that we have in him (God), that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired (asked) of him.’ (1 John 5:14-15) You cannot ask for better assurance than that my brethren! Now what does it all mean?

This commentary breaks it down thus: ‘Confidence: The verse speaks of a strong assurance and belief that God hears and answers prayers that are aligned with His will. According to his will: This is a crucial part of the verse. It suggests that the effectiveness of prayer is tied to seeking God’s desires and purposes rather than personal whims. He hears us: This emphasizes that God is attentive to the prayers of those who believe in Him and seek His will. In other words, this verse highlights the link between faith, prayer, and God’s will, emphasizing that when prayers align with God’s plan, there is confidence in receiving what is asked.’

I couldn’t put it any better than that my people. And why this big thing about intimacy with God? Because that’s the essence of our relationship! Yes, He made us to have intimacy with Him; so that we can know Him and all that He is and stands for. Note how Jesus was always off somewhere praying to the Father, talking to Him, asking for guidance and strength to do His Work. And I like how Mark puts it: ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he (Jesus) went out, and departed into a solitary(deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35)

Yes, Jesus even rose up early and went out to a quiet place to have intimacy with the Father. That’s what we need to do on a more regular basis; find a quiet place and talk to the Father, pour out our hearts to Him, like Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before His crucifixion. (Matt. 26:36-46) Let’s remember that there’s nothing the Lord desires more than a close and intimate relationship with us. He desires to be involved in every aspect of our lives. That’s because of His great LOVE and compassion for us. He doesn’t want to see us go down the wrong path, the broad and winding one that leads to death and destruction, but to stay on the straight and narrow one that leads to Him and eternal life. (Matt. 7:13-14)

And when we talk about intimacy with God, I don’t know if there’s anyone who wanted it as badly as Bruh Paul, judging from what he wrote in his letter to the Philippians. He was from a good family, a well-educated and diligent and zealous Pharisee, a Pharisee of Pharisees, who sincerely believed that he was right in persecuting the church. However, in one of the Lord’s many mysterious movements, one sunny day, as Bruh Paul was travelling to Damascus to persecute more believers, the Lord accosted him with a bullet of light which knocked him off his horse and blinded him.

Subsequently, the Lord forgave him of his earlier heinous deeds against the church, and instead gave him the responsibility to spread the church. You can read the story of Bruh Paul’s amazing conversion in Acts chapter 9. Now, all of that so touched Bruh Paul, that with his characteristic diligence and zeal, he transformed it all to preaching Christ crucified and His resurrection. So much so that he wrote to the Philippians:

‘But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung (rubbish) that I may win Christ. And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.’ (Phil. 3:7-10)

Oh my fellow believers, do any of us want such deep intimacy with Christ? Yes, I know it’s difficult to come to that stage of faith, but it’s one we should all seek to reach. And here’s how the scholars explain Bruh Paul’s sentiments. They say that verse 10 ‘may also be paraphrased: “In order that I may personally know Him, that I might both experience His resurrection power and share in His sufferings, and thus I will be more and more conformed to His death.” Paul wants “the righteousness of … God” (vs. 9) so that he can obtain a personal relationship with Jesus in actual day-to-day experience.

This knowledge of Christ is obtained by experiencing in daily problems, needs, ministry, and so forth, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Knowing Christ also entails participating in His sufferings. Paul desires to share in the Lord’s sufferings because they bring him into a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Him; companionship in sorrow establishes the most intimate and lasting of ties, as afflicted hearts cling to each other.’

And that’s a fact that many of us can attest to, if we’ve been through suffering with others. But getting back to intimacy with Christ. Most of us can never hope to reach Bruh Paul’s level of zeal and LOVE for Christ, but as I said earlier on, it is the standard to which we all ought to aim for, because the closer we get to God, the better will be our lives, both earthly and heavenly. So let’s take some time on this lazy-day Saturday to ponder our relationship with our heavenly Father, and see how we can improve it. That’s wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!

…you can’t achieve intimacy with God…unless you actively seek it…

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

The Necessity for Believers to Know Jesus and Become Like Him!

14 Apr 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a battle between the forces of good and evil, a crown of righteousness, a tough nut to crack, a true believer, be glad also with exceeding joy, be reproached for the name of Christ, being constant in prayer, blasphemed, blessed are you, Christian fellowship, companionship in sorrow, depressing times, discomfort, disobeyed your word, divine aid, ease the pain, endure tough times, establishes the most intimate and lasting of ties, ethical death, exceeding joy, experience Christ's resurrection power, faith, finished my course, finished my race, for the prize of the high calling in God, fortunate to have a job, fought a good fight, getting to know Christ better, give thanks to Jesus, happy are ye, heavenly Father, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, I press toward the mark, in times of need, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep pressing forward, keep your promise to prosper us, kept the faith, laid up for me, living for Jesus, LOVE, made more comformable to his death, make things right, mass confusion in our world, meditating on the scriptures, mercy, no sunday afternoon stroll, now ready to be offered, obtain a personal relationship with Christ, of the many suffering from negative situations, on their part he is evil spoken of, on your part he is glorified, one more day of life, physical death, Praise the Lord, pray, provide solace and comfort, rejoice, salvation, shall give me at that day, share in Christ's sufferings, show them your awesome grace and mercy, show this evil world, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek your face, smarten up, standing up for Jesus, stay close to Jesus, strong faith in Christ, suffer injustice for Christ's sake, suffer insults for Christ's sake, that I may know him, the fellowship of his sufferings, the fiery trial, the God who heals, the most intimate of ties, the only one, the power of his resurrection, the power that raised Christ from the dead, the power to solve our problems, the powers that be, the rewards are worth ipain, the righteous judge, the righteousness of God, the spirit of glory rests on you, the stormy winds of life howl around us, the throne of grace, the time of my departure is at hand, think it not strange, to alleviate our problems, truth, turn from our evil ways, unashamedly taking place, unnecessary purge, unto all them that love his appearing, walking with Jesus, we have all sinned, when his glory shall be revealed, wisdom, wise guidance, with each passing day, ye are partakers of Christ's suffering

Philippians 3:10. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.

One more Monday, one more day of life! And those of us who are fortunate enough to have jobs to go to in these distressing and depressing times have better say ‘Praise the Lord!’ instead of complaining about the dreariness and frustration that the job might cause, for there are many who would take your jobs in a jiffy, as they have recently lost theirs in the current unnecessary purge that’s so unashamedly taking place. And it’s only going to get worse if the powers that be don’t smarten up and make things right.

That’s why we always have to give thanks to Jesus and stay close to Him, for He’s the ONLY ONE who can provide solace and comfort when the stormy winds of life howl around us. Yes, we ought to be saying like Bruh Paul did to the Philippians: ‘That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.’ (Phil.3:10)

And the scholars give this explanation of that verse. ‘This verse may also be paraphrased : “In order that I may personally know Him, that I might both experience His resurrection power and share in His sufferings, and thus I will be more conformed to His death.” Paul wants “the righteousness … of God (vs. 9) so that he can obtain a personal relationship with Jesus in actual day-to-day experience. This knowledge of Christ is obtained by experiencing in daily problems, needs, ministry, and so forth, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.

The result of participating in Christ’s suffering is that Paul is being made like Him in death. This word “death” has double meaning here, including inward and outward, ethical and physical death. As Jesus died in regard to sin on the cross, so Paul is doing more and more in his daily life. As Jesus was bodily slain, so the apostle, should Caesar’s verdict go against him, is prepared to be slain.’

Now, that is truly wanting to know Jesus! And thankfully, not all of us will be called to suffer on His behalf as Bruh Paul was. However, we all will have to endure some tough times if we are serious about living for Jesus. That’s just the way it is! There’s no other name in the world that can cause as much commotion and arguments than the name of Jesus.

So, if you intend to be a true believer, then you’d better prepare yourself to go through some stuff you won’t like. But the good thing about standing up for Jesus, is that the rewards are wonderful and certainly worth the pain and discomfort we might have to endure. Remember walking with Jesus is no Sunday evening stroll in the park, but a serious battle between the forces of evil and those of good.

Thus Peter wrote to the Jewish diaspora: ‘Beloved , think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as (to the extent that) ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached (insulted) for the name of Christ, happy (blessed) are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of (blasphemed), but on your part he is glorified.’ (1 Pet. 4:12-14)

Yes friends, we will all suffer insults and injustices for Christ’s sake, and it’s not always easy to overlook them, but we have to, with the thought that we are suffering for His sake, and therefore glorifying Him. Consequently we need to do as Bruh Paul later said to the Philippians: ‘I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:14) That means we have to keep pressing forward, getting to know Christ better with each passing day, by meditating on the scriptures, being constant in prayer and Christian fellowship.

So that at the end we can say like Bruh Paul said to Timothy. ‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:6-8)

Yes my faithful brethren, being a good and true disciple of Jesus is a tough nut to crack, but we can certainly do it, especially when we have the help of His Holy Spirit that indwells us. So, let’s do as we are commanded to in times of need; confidently but humbly go to the throne of grace in prayer. And we’ll do that through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.

Altogether: ‘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. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.

Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.

Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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 we can see from our prayer itself, that there are some things we need to do to receive divine aid, like humbling ourselves, praying and sincerely seeking God’s face. So please, let’s be wise and get to doing them nuh, so that we will be blessed with God’s awesome grace and mercy and forgiveness! Much LOVE!

…only as we sincerely seek to be more like Jesus…will we ever become more like Him…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 October 2021 Romans 8:35a.

17 Oct 2021 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: afflicted hearts cling to each other, and the power of his resurrection, believers in Christ Jesus, companionship in sorrow, Danny Gokey, establishes the most intimate and lasting of ties, Fernando Ortega, for the prize of the high calling in God, forgetting those things which are behind, give me Jesus, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, I only want Jesus, I press toward the mark, in the morning when I rise, it is the power of god unto salvation, LOVE, nothing shall separate us from the love of God, sacrificial praise, that I may know him, the calm in the storm, this one thing I do, thou shalt be His witness unto all men, well done thou good and faithful servant, when I am alone, when I come to die, when I wake up, who shall separate us from the Love of Christ, you can have all this world

Romans 8:35a. Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ?

A good Sunday morning to you my fellow believers in Christ Jesus! And am I ever so glad that you joined me for some praise, worship and thanksgiving on this the Lord’s Day. Now that is a must, as the Lord decreed to the Israelites when He handed down the Ten Commandments to them. Prominent amongst the directives was this: ‘Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.’ (Ex. 20:8) And that’s what we are endeavouring to do this Sabbath Day.

And as always, let’s begin with a song, a song of praise. Today’s song is a Contemporary Christian number ‘Give Me Jesus’ written by Fernando Ortega, but his version is too slow, (smile) whereas the live, more up-tempo version by Danny Gokey suits our purposes admirably. So let’s sing that song which shows how desperately we need Jesus, that it has us crying out to heaven for Him. And we better had be sincere, because He’s not only going to listen to our pleas and praise, but also check our hearts to see if what we’re singing is really true.

Therefore, in soulful harmony, let sacrificial praise flow from our hearts and mouths …and don’t forget the sweet background vocals from the choir, and the majestic sound of the orchestra, for those are what raise the song to a higher level. (smile) ‘Ohhh ohhh, Give me Jesus… In the morning, when I rise In the morning, when I rise In the morning, when I rise Give me Jesus. (Chorus: Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus. You can have all this world, Just give me Jesus.) When I am alone, Oh When I am alone, When I am alone, Give me Jesus. (Give me Jesus. Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus. You can have all this world, Just give me Jesus. For He is all that I need. Just give me Jesus)

When I come to die, Oh, When I come to die, When I come to die, Give me Jesus. (Ohhhh Give me Jesus. Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus. You can have all this world, Just give me Jesus. Oh it’s all I need, all I need is Jesus. So Give me Jesus. Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus. You can have all this world, You can have all this world, You can have all this world, Just give me Jesus. Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus, He’s all I need. He’s all I need.

Give me Jesus…in the morning when I rise…when I lay my head down… when I wake up, when I lay my head down, said I need him, said I need you… said I only want Jesus…when I wake up… Just give me Jesus. All I need is him. We worship you, we worship you, say we worship you Lord. You’re the answer to my prayers, you’re the calm in the storm, you’re my rest and my refuge…oh yeahhh… Just give me Jesus…’

Ah mih people, that was beautiful…and made even more so when the heavenly host joined us in offering sacrificial praise to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Wow! What a magnificent person He is, when we call for Him in any and every situation. When we rise up, when we lie down, when we are alone, when we die… The only name we’re calling out is Jesus!

Bruh Paul learned that lesson the hard way when Jesus accosted him on the road to Damascus to persecute the believers. He tells the story thus: ‘And it came to pass, that as I made my journey, and was come nigh (near) unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth whom thou persecutest.’ (Acts 22:6-8)

And we all know how he was blinded by the light of Jesus and had to be led to Damascus where the Lord commanded one Ananias, a devout believer to go and heal his blindness. And despite the Lord’s command, even Ananias was afraid to go and confront Saul, such was his reputation for persecuting the brethren. But he perked up his courage and went and confronted him and returned his sight. And it’s interesting to hear some of the words that Ananias said to him. ‘And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.’ (Acts 22: 14-15)

Two thousand years later, we are still relating that story, as Ananias promised. Bruh Paul also turned out to be a mighty witness for Christ, journeying all over the known world with the single-minded purpose of spreading the gospel, which seems to have been burned or branded into his psyche, into his soul and spirit. You can’t consider anything else when he says stuff like: ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.’ (Rom. 1:16)

And later on in the letter to the church at Rome, he confidently proclaims: ‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?…For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life; nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, not things present, not things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:35, 38-39)

Can you imagine all that from a man who encouraged the demise of Christians, even supposedly stood by and watched them being killed? And he eventually became so engrossed in Christ that he considered all his earlier accomplishments of no account. ‘But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ…That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.’ (Phil. 3:7-8, 10)

Yes friends, Bruh Paul was very much into Christ. His zeal for Christ was amazing, more flaming that any of the other apostles. The scholars offer this explanation. ‘3:10. This verse may also be paraphrased: “In order that I may personally know Him, that I might both experience His resurrection power and share in His sufferings, and thus I will be more conformed to His death.” Paul wants “the righteousness…of God (vs.9) so that he can obtain a personal relationship with Jesus in actual day to day experiences. This knowledge of Christ is obtained by experiencing in daily problems, needs, ministry, and so forth, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.

Knowing Christ also entails participating in His sufferings. Paul desires to share in the Lord’s sufferings because they bring him into a deeper and more meaningful relation with Him: companionship in sorrow establishes the most intimate and lasting of ties, as afflicted hearts cling to each other. The result of participating in Christ’s sufferings is that Paul is being made like Him in death. The word “death” has a double meaning here, including inward and outward, ethical and physical death. As Jesus died in regard to sin on the cross, so Paul is doing more and more in his daily life. As Jesus was bodily slain, so the apostle, should Caesar’s verdict go against him, is prepared to be slain.’

Awright, that was long, but I thought it necessary for us to get a better understanding of the scripture and Bruh Paul’s desires. Now we don’t need to become that zealous, though we must remember that suffering is a part of the Christian’s lot. But we do need to heed what he says later on: ‘this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:13-14)

Oh my fellow saints, we do need to put all our past glory and credentials aside and move forward to new ground, that of knowing Christ deeper with each passing day, so when we get to heaven, we will be greeted by Jesus with ‘Well done, oh thou good and faithful servant!’ Much LOVE!

…you can’t really know and appreciate Christ…without undergoing some pain and suffering…

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

SCRIP-BITS

The Marvellous Wisdom of Believers Seeking Deep Intimacy with Christ!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 October 2021 Romans 8:35a.

Pages

Categories

Archives