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: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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 Overwhelming Importance of Prayer in a Believer’s Life!

17 Jan 2025 Leave a comment

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

Mark 1:35.        And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.

And finally it’s Friday! The weekend is upon us. Praise the Lord! And we send up our Friday Mantra; ‘Thank God it’s Friday!’ with loud voices, but  insincere hearts. It’s now become simply a reflex action and no longer real heartfelt thanks for the end of the work week, for too many of us only look to the weekend as a means of partying, having a good ole worldly time and not giving thought to our Creator and Provider. But friends, that’s an unwise way to live, because our God desires His time with us. He’s not against partying per se, just the debauched and licentious manner in which we do it. 

And above all, He expects us to have a reasonable amount of face time with Him. He knows that in the week we’re fairly busy and thus cannot always give Him the time He desires, but for sure on the weekend we can make whatever sacrifice might be necessary to spend more intimate time with Him. Yuh know, intimate, unhurried time with Him is all our God really desires of each of us. And when that happens on a regular basis, everything else takes care of itself.  

And there’s no better example of that than our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. When He was here on earth in human form, although He was still God, He always made time to spend with the Father. Why? Because He knew that without the Father’s awesome help He could not properly manage the human activities necessary to carry out His ministry work. And there are several instances in the Bible where it shows that Jesus got away by Himself to go and spend intimate time with the Father. My favourite is this one from the gospel of Mark, where it says: ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35) 

Wow! How many of us even consider getting up early, or even going to bed a little later so that we can spend time with our heavenly Father and Provider eh? Not enough of us! But if Jesus the Son of God, could get up early to talk to the Father and find out His instructions for that particular day, why can’t we mere, finite, mortals do the same eh?  Because we’re too proud, lazy or whatever! But then when our lives don’t run right, we wonder what’s wrong. It’s simple friends; if we don’t have good and regular communion with the Creator of the universe, our lives will never run right. 

And we can see that happening right now throughout our entire world, only strife, chaos and disaster everywhere! Why? Because we have turned away from One True and ONLY Living God and foolishly embraced the sinful ways and pleasures of Beelzebub and his evil cronies. Do we ever remember the story of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18 and 19, where the Lord announced to Abraham His intention to destroy those cities because of their overly sinful behaviour (Gen. 18:20) and then Abraham prayed that He wouldn’t destroy them if they contained any righteous people, including his nephew Lot who lived in Sodom. (Gen. 18:23-33) 

But eventually the Lord’s will prevailed, and though Lot escaped, the cities were destroyed. Now that might be a very useful anecdote for us to remember since the sinfulness of our world is out of control, and who knows if all the natural disasters that are occurring all around the globe is not simply the Hand of God wreaking retribution for our sinful behaviour, like He did with Sodom and Gomorrah so long ago. 

I believe it would do us a whole lot of good if we’d ponder on that possibility for a while and consider changing our evil ways and returning to the God of Abrahan, Isaac and Jacob, who LOVES us with a fierce LOVE, despite our rebellious behaviour, and does not want to see us end up in hellfire with Satan, so He’s prodding us, none too gently, because we don’t take kindly to interference in what we consider our own business. I like that sentence. It reminds me of some of Bruh Paul’s. (smile) 

Ah friends, we’ve drifted away from our topic of intimate or prayer time with God, talking about how Jesus always found time to do so. And we have two other good examples of that. The first is when He fed the five thousand men with the five loaves of bread and two small fishes, and after collecting twelve baskets of left overs, sent the disciples over the lake in a ship, and the crowd away, then went up into a mountain to pray. (Mark 6:37-47) 

And how can we ever forget the night before His crucifixion, when Jesus, went into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. (Matt. 26:36-46) In great agony of spirit, He said to Peter, James and John. ‘My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here (wait here), and watch with me. Then he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.’ (Matt. 26:38-39) 

Yes my fellow saints, Jesus bared His soul before the Father, and that’s exactly what many of us today also need to do, because we’re filled with all kinds of anxieties, fears, doubts and troubled minds and hearts, and the only way to relive that pressure is by going to God in prayer and asking for His divine help. And since now is as good a time as any to do so, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant baring our souls, asking for mercy. 

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!’ 

Now, let’s not forget that we’re in this unfortunate predicament because of our sinful rebellion towards God, and only a sincere change of heart and behaviour will bring divine aid. Much LOVE!

…what’s prayer…communicating with God…talking to Him…and listening to Him…

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

The Overwhelming Importance of Prayer in A Believer’s Life!

07 Dec 2024 Leave a comment

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

Mark 1:35.       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.

And then it was our favourite day; lazy-day Saturday, where we can generally do whatever we please, whenever we please. Now isn’t that a good feeling? It surely is, especially when outside looks dark and gloomy with snow on the ground, and more promised this afternoon. We’ve entered that time of year, when you don’t leave home unless you must! And that suits me just fine. (smile) 

I’m sorry for those who have to trudge around in the sludgy, dirty white stuff shopping for presents and other Christmas needs or wants. Thankfully, I’ve outgrown that kind of activity. Now, the only present I give is money, you go and do what you want with it. No more of this running around trying to figure out what to buy for whom, and then they either don’t like it, or it doesn’t fit, or some such negative occurrence. 

Anyway, enough of the Christmas foolishness, let’s turn to more serious matters, like offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. As one voice, in all sincerity and truth: ‘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!’ 

Now that ought to put us in a very peaceful and contented frame of mind. Of course! For, getting intimate with the Father, or going deeper in His presence is certainly uplifting and soul cleansing. And surprisingly, this past week I’ve read and listened to a number of things that emphasized the great importance of going deeper into the presence of God, getting to know Him more intimately, because that’s what true Christianity is about; a deeper and more intimate relationship with our Maker and Saviour. 

And the best way to do that is through prayer and quiet time with Him. Unfortunately though, not many of us realize how important time spent with God is, just sitting quietly in His presence, and letting Him flow over and into us. It’s like that Prayer of the Ages, we said a few days ago, which was attributed to Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941). 

So please pray it with me again: ‘Teach us, O God, that silent language which says all things. Teach our souls to remain silent in Your presence; that we may adore You in the depths of our being, and await all things from You, while asking of You nothing but the accomplishment of Your will. Teach us to remain quiet under Your action and produce in our souls that deep and simple prayer which says nothing and experiences everything, which specifies nothing and includes everything. Do pray in us, that our prayer may even tend to Your glory, and our desires and intentions may not be fixed on ourselves, but wholly directed to You.’ 

Yes my people, there’s nothing like being in the Lord’s presence and just experiencing His majesty and the divine aura that emanates from Him. It’s like sitting quietly with a treasured friend, looking at the glorious colours of the setting sun above the horizon, or being awakened by the brash, sparkling and invigorating light of the rising sun! It all gets to a place deep inside your soul. That’s how spending quiet time with God ought to affect us. And it’s obvious we cannot accomplish this in a room full of people or with the many raucous noises of today’s world intruding into that special time. 

It’s like Jesus advised us: ‘And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites (pretenders) are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet (inner room), and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.’ (Matt. 6:5-6) 

Oh friends, prayer can really be made anywhere at any time, although as Jesus said not simply to be seen by men and thought of as being so holy and righteous. But getting deep into the presence of God can only be accomplished in a quiet space, with little or no distractions. And technically speaking, if we are  serious about our spiritual growth, we all ought to have a quiet space where we can meet with the Father in prayer and worship, thus shutting out the evil world. And furthermore, as a believer in Christ Jesus, prayer is one of, if not the most important aspect of our faith, for it’s in prayer that we are renewed and refreshed, and release the tensions of the everyday world. 

And you cannot find a better example of a rich prayer life than that of Jesus. Although He was God Himself, nonetheless, as a man, He recognized the importance of staying in close touch with His heavenly Father and made time to do so. There are several instances throughout the gospels where it says He went away by himself to pray. But this one from the gospel of Mark, shows how truly dedicated to prayer Jesus was. ‘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) 

Yuh see that friends, even before day break, Jesus got up and went to a quiet place to commune with the Father, to get guidance and directions for the day ahead. Now, if the Son of God could need prayer so badly, who are we, his mere finite and frail creations not to need it eh? Oh my fellow saints, prayer is the Christian’s lifeline to God, and if we don’t use it, then we’ll eventually lose it. So please, this lazy-day Saturday is as good a time as any to go into our closets and ponder with God, the true state of our prayer lives. Much LOVE!

…pray always…pray without ceasing…for prayer gets us in contact with God…and also keeps us connected to Him…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   28 October 2023 Mark 1:35.

28 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

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

Mark 1:35.        And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.

And is it ever a beautiful lazy-day Saturday, with bright sunshine and blue clouds, but somewhat chilly temperatures. Unfortunately, it won’t be as warm as yesterday, when the sun wasn’t only shining brightly but also releasing intense heat, thankfully allowing me to sit on my porch in the afternoon in shirtsleeves and soak up some of the warm rays. (smile) I believe the temperature got up to around 23 yesterday, and except for the strong breeze, it was a perfect summer day. Possibly the last one we’ll also have for some time. (smile) Today, we’ve gone back to more seasonal temps, around the low double digit figures. But there’s wonderful sunshine, so everything’s right with the world! 

That means it’s time to turn to our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. So please pray with me: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ And if that heartfelt prayer doesn’t bring us into God’s presence, and calm our souls and spirits, then I don’t know what will. 

Ah friends, prayer is such an important aspect of a believer’s life, that you can’t put a value on it. It’s the awesome way we communicate with our heavenly Father. Without prayer, we’d be lost, merely existing in an empty space. But with that amazing ability to commune with the Creator of the universe and all therein, we’re elevated to a special place; a place a little lower than the angels, but much higher than the rest of His creation. And for those of us who don’t think that prayer is important, just look at the example set by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

Although He was the Son of God, when He was here on the earth in human flesh, communing with His Father was one of the most important and regular things He did. There are so many instance in the Bible where He left the crowds, even His disciples behind and went to a deserted place to pray, to renew His spiritual strength. For, though He was fully God, in His human state, the earthly journey was indeed taxing and He couldn’t do it on His own, but every so often needed divine help to refresh and rejuvenate Him. 

And it’s the very same way with us my brethren. We cannot get through this taxing earthly journey on our own either. We too need divine help to assist us in just keeping on in these troubled times, and even more so in keeping on the straight and narrow path that leads to Jesus. And prayer is a mighty big part of the answer. But let’s look at a few of the specific times when the Bible tells us that Jesus prayed. We see one occurrence when He was baptized. Luke writes: ‘Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased.’ (Luke 3:21-22) 

Then, before Jesus chose the twelve disciples, He also enveloped Himself in prayer. The Bible says: ‘And it came to pass in those days that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom he named apostles.’ (Luke 6:12-13) He also regularly went off to pray after preaching to the crowds, as His fame spread and more people came to Him for help and healing. ‘And he withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed.’ (Luke 5:16) Meanwhile, it also seems like Jesus made it a habit to begin His day with prayer, as Mark tells us. ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35) 

Now friends, if the Son of God could make it a habit to get up early every day and begin His day with prayer to His heavenly Father, who are we, mere creations, not to do the same eh? We are foolish creations if we don’t begin our day with even a short heartfelt prayer for wisdom and guidance as we face the day ahead of us. Jesus knew He couldn’t handle the day without divine help, but so many of us consider ourselves above prayer and asking for help, that we just rush out each day into the evil and toxic world without the guarantee of the Lord’s favour and protection. That’s certainly not wise my people, for it’s the God of heaven who protects us and gives us favour and grace to do and get whatever we need in this earthly life. And until we truly realize that and begin utilizing it, we will never reach our full potential. 

And we have one of the best examples of prayer in Jesus’ life on the night before His crucifixion. When the enormity of the situation hit Him, the realization of the terrible suffering, and the loss of communication with the Father, He went into the garden of Gethsemane and prayed. He said to the three disciples with Him, Peter, James and John: ‘My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry (wait) ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.’ (Matt. 26:38-39) 

Yes friends, three times, Jesus fell on His knees and asked for the cup to be removed from him, that is, the crucifixion be cancelled. However, on each occasion, He ended by saying, ‘not my will but thine.’ Deep down He knew that it would not be cancelled, because that was the very purpose for which He was born; to die on the cross so that our sins could be paid for and thus forgiven. And it wasn’t so much the physical ‘sufferation’ that He would undergo which had His soul so sorrowful, but more the imminent separation from the Father, when He became the bearer of all the world’s sins. They had never been separated before and Jesus certainly wasn’t looking forward to it. But, like the obedient Son He was, He accepted His fate and went like a lamb to His slaughter, all for our sakes. 

Ah mih people, even in severe pain on the cross, Jesus prayed. First, he cried out to the Father: ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?, that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Matt. 27:46) That was the very thing that Jesus had been afraid of; separation from the Father because of his then sinful condition. But He bore it all like a man! Prayer was so important to Jesus, that on the cross, He even prayed for those who were crucifying Him. ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his garments and cast lots.’  (Luke 23:34) 

Then, finally, when the end was near, after crying out again in a loud voice, He said, ‘Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost (he breathed his last breath).’ (Luke 23:46) So, my fellow saints, I do hope on this lazy-day Saturday, with all the examples of Jesus’ praying, that the overwhelming importance of prayer has been brought home to us, and that from here on in, we will endeavour to improve, and increase our prayer lives, the way Jesus desires of us. Please remember, it’s all for OUR benefit, not Christ’s. Much LOVE!

…to pray, to pray…and yet to pray…that is the answer… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ     

Today’s Scrip-Bit   16 July 2023 John 6:37.

16 Jul 2023 Leave a comment

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   16 July 2023   John 6:37.

John 6:37.       All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise (certainly not) cast out.

It’s Sunday friends, the day we gather in the Lord’s Sanctuary to give Him all the glory that He so rightly deserves! There’s no better time to be had than when believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob get together to praise and worship our Triune God! The gathering just resounds with joy and fine fellowship as we thank God for abundant life and Jesus Christ. 

So, let’s get the festivities rolling with a song we haven’t sung for a while. I was lying in bed thinking what we should sing today when this beautiful song just floated into my mind, one that I LOVE everlasting. (smile) It was written and recorded by Fernando Ortega in 1999, as well as by several other artists, my favourite version being the live, soulful one by Christian vocalist Danny Gokey with an amazing choir in the background, the haunting piano and strings. Now, let’s give it up for Jesus, as we offer up our soulful, harmonious sacrifices of praise through the song, ‘Give Me Jesus!’  

Singing: ‘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. You can have all this world, Just give me Jesus. Give me Jesus, 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 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!’ 

And that’s the indisputable truth of the matter my people: Jesus is all we ever need in this life, for He is our Lord and Saviour, who provides for all our needs! He gave His sinless life so that our sins could be forgiven and now sits at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf. What more can one ask eh? Absolutely nothing! 

And this song is the epitome of the need for seeking Jesus? Why? Listen to this commentary: ‘Have you felt like you’re getting weak and losing hope? Are there situations in your life that you would like to give up? Then bear your ears for a moment, this song “Give Me Jesus” will strengthen your faith in God. A song that will change your beliefs and will help you have a greater relationship with God.’ 

And they give this testimonial to prove it. ‘Moreover, this is the song sang by the old soul Mo Pitney. “Give Me Jesus” actually strengthened his faith in God. It helped his marriage become stronger and made him a responsible father.’ Mo Pitney was a troubled country music star when he recorded this song and things turned around dramatically for him. And if it can do it for him, it can do it for any and all of us. 

And why should we seek God early each day? This other insightful commentary tells us: ‘Every morning, let’s be mindful that the day is a gift from God, and we are alive on this earth for a reason. At the start of every day, we should re-submit our will to His in order to fulfill our purpose.’ Mama oh Mama! That’s the gospel truth! Every day we ought to renew our relationship with God, giving Him thanks and praise for allowing us to see another glorious day on planet earth, and finding out His will for us that day. 

And furthermore, that’s what Jesus did. The gospel of Mark relates it thus: ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he (Jesus) went out, and departed into a solitary (secluded) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35) Yes friends, Jesus rose early every morning to have time to talk to His Father, and if the first-born Son of God needed to talk to God every day, then his adopted sons ought to do likewise. 

And here’s another reason why calling for Jesus is important. “We sing “Give Me Jesus” because we want what He wants. He is the One who prayed that we would be with Him and see His glory (John 17:24).” And what does that verse say? ‘Father, I will (desire) that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou LOVEDST me before the foundation of the world.’ 

‘We sing “Give Me Jesus” because we trust we have been given to Him, and we believe His promise that we will never be cast out (John 6:37). And that says: ‘All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise (certainly not) cast out.’ There you have it my fellow saints, Jesus’ faithful promise that whoever comes to Him will be with Him forever! You can’t get a more faithful promise than that. 

And if you’re worried about Jesus taking care of you, then please don’t, for Psalm 55 tells us quite plainly: ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’ (Ps. 55:22) And you can bet your bottom dollar on that my fellow believers, because our great God is ever faithful! 

And we’ll cement that with two other translations of Psalm 55:22. The first is from the New Living Translation (NLT) that says: ‘Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.’ Then there’s this from the Message translation: “Pile your troubles on God’s shoulders – he’ll carry your load, he’ll help you out. He’ll never let good people topple into ruin.” 

In other words: ‘God LOVES us with unconditional LOVE, He forgives our transgressions, and He takes care of us. By faith and with prayer, give up your worries, burdens, and fears to God. During trials and temptation, He sustains and strengthens the faithful. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.’ 

Now, if after hearing all that faithful stuff, you still have doubts about putting your trust in Jesus, then I really don’t know what to say, except to keep on trying. Much LOVE!

…Jesus is the answer…but you’ll never know it…until you put your trust in Him… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ       

Today’s Scrip-Bit   14 November 2021 Luke 18:1.

14 Nov 2021 Leave a comment

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

Luke 18:1.      And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).

Well, well mih bredrin, can you believe it’s Sunday already? The last seven days have indeed passed quickly, but it’s all to the good, because we get another chance to gather on the Lord’s Day to praise, worship and give Him thanks, while He refreshes our souls and spirits, rebuilds our faith, and strengthens us to go back out and face the evil, ungodly world in the upcoming week. All praise and honour be to His holy name my people, for He richly deserves it! 

So let’s get the show on the road with our opening song, one most appropriately titled ‘God Answers Prayer,’ and sung by the Washington born young lady of Jamaican heritage, who originally went by the name of Lady Flame, but is now known as Da Flame. And as always, in scintillating, harmonious, heartfelt, soulful voice let’s raise our sacrificial praise to high heaven. 

‘Oh, If you’re ever feeling down and like you have nowhere to go. If you’re feeling like an outcast as your problems overflow, just remember there is someone, and all it takes is for you to know, is that God is the answer, and God answers prayer. (Chorus: He sees every weakness, every trial, every mountain and sea, and He sees every tear drop, and He wipes them for me. I get down on my knees, and I say Saviour help me please. Because one thing is for certain, is my God answers prayer) 

You may be broken and feel battered, but your strength will surely come, in the midst of all your heartache. Your battles are already won. Just remember in the hard times, don’t give up, don’t say you’re done, because God is the answer, and God answers prayer. (He sees every weakness, every trial, every mountain and sea, and He sees every tear drop, and He wipes them for me. I get down on my knees, and I say Saviour help me please. Because one thing is for certain, is my God answers prayer. 

Oh, He sees every weakness, every trial, every mountain and sea, and He sees every tear drop, and He wipes them for me. So let’s get down on our knees, and say, Saviour, help us please. Because one thing is for certain…our God answers prayer. Yes, let’s get down on our knees, and say, Saviour, help us please. Because one thing is for certain…our God answers prayer.’ And of that we are very sure my faithful brethren! Our great and good God answers prayer all the time, otherwise so many of us wouldn’t still be believers. 

And all God’s people said a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’ Now, if we are wise, we will do exactly as the song says, take all our problems, needs and wants to God in prayer. Hopefully, He will answer most of those that fall within His will and plan for our lives, but we will never know until we try. And there are so many scriptures that extol the power of prayer that I don’t know which ones to choose. So, let’s turn to the Lord in prayer and ask Him which ones He favours today. (smile) 

And the first one He directed me came from His wonderful Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The Good Book tells us: ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1) And that’s something Jesus did daily. Although He was the Son of God, He did not do anything without first consulting the Father. He still needed the Father’s help and guidance down here on earth. Jesus began His day with prayer. The scriptures record it thus. ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35) 

So let me ask us this nuh mih people, if the Son of God made prayer an important part of His life, who are we, a sinful creation to do otherwise eh? Nothing but a bunch of proud, arrogant and foolish men! Jesus Himself preached in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8) 

And the scholars wisely inform us that ‘Prayer includes asking and getting answers from God. But it is more than just asking; it is confession, adoration, thanksgiving, and fellowship with God. By its nature, prayer is talking with God. It is the basis of the successful Christian life, and is so important that not praying is considered a sin (1 Sam. 12:23). When we pray, we should follow the model prayer Jesus gave His disciples and address it to our heavenly Father – beginning with adoration, including thanksgiving and confession of sins, making reconciliation with others, praying for our needs and the needs of others, and concluding in Jesus’ name.’ 

Yes friends, that’s how we ought to pray. And the model prayer referred to above is obviously what we now call the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ found in Matt. 6:9-15) And the part about ending in Jesus’ name comes from John 14:13-14, where He told the disciples: ‘And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.’ That means acting as Jesus’ agent or ambassador, doing stuff to uplift His name and church, not merely for our selfish worldly desires. 

And by the way, here’s that verse from Samuel which the scholars claim that not praying is sin. In asking Israel to serve God, Samuel said to them: ‘Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way.’ (1 Sam. 12:23) And the scholars explain: ‘12:23. Despite Israel’s sin, Samuel LOVED Israel and Saul and pledged his continued help, especially in praying for them and teaching them the Lord’s standards.’ So friends, you see that not praying is not a good thing. (smile) 

Now let’s wrap up with a couple of popular scriptures on prayer that we all know but don’t practice enough. Jeremiah said on the Lord’s behalf: ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13) Now that’s a very important condition of prayer friends, seeking the Lord with all our heart, sincerely calling upon Him. For remember He checks our hearts before He makes any response to see if our motives are right. 

And we’ll end with this popular and all-inclusive scripture from Bruh Paul’s epistle to the church at Philippi. ‘Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7) And that’s my prayer for all of this Sunday morning my faithful brethren. Much LOVE!

…pray…without ceasing… (1 Thess. 5:17)                                                                                                                         

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