17 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a friend beyond compare, become bitter, cast thy burden upon the Lord, cast your every care on him, cating all your care upon him, celebrate the Lord's Day, come boldly unto the throne of grace, disappointment, discouragement, don't allow the devil to steal your joy, every woe He sees and feels, faith, falter on the way, feel alone and forsaken, find grace to help in time of need, for he careth for youcloud cover, God cares without partiality, God sympathized with my situation, God understood, God's faithfulness, God's sufficiency, gospel truth, great joy filled his heart, he heals the broken heart, he shall sustain thee, he whispers comfort, He will pardon you today, hearsay, hold fast our profession, holy spirit, Jesus cares, Jesus Christ, Jesus the Son of God, Jesus will not fail, John Willard Peterson, LOVE, meet Him at the throne of mercy, mercy, Moody Bible Institute, my mind was diverted from my difficulties, negative experiences, never be discouraged, never suffer the righteous to be moved, No one is so near so dear as Jesus, no one understands like Jesus, obtain mercy, personal experience, rain, righted their ships, sailing on a godly course, salvation, self-pitying, sorrow, sympathize with our weaknesses, tenderly, the best thing we can do, the bitter experiences, the broken heart he heals, the foes of life assail, the great compassion of God, the presence of the Lord, though you fail him, touched with the feeling of our infirmities, truth, turn to Almighty god, waiting for you there, was in all points tempted like as we are, we have a great high priest, when the days are dark and grim, wisdom, without sin
1 Peter 5:7. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Well, thankfully, we finally got some rain early this Sunday morning, for that blessed commodity has been in short supply around here for a while. But though there’s some cloud cover, the sun’s out now, bright and shiny, so we have no excuses for not going to the Lord’s sanctuary to celebrate His day, where we will give thanks and praise and in return receive His strength and grace to handle the upcoming week.
And today we’ll open our worship with this amazing but rather appropriate song for these trying times. It’s titled ‘No One understands like Jesus!’ and was written by one John Willard Peterson (1921-2006), an ex-Air Force pilot, who later attended the Moody Bible Institute, and served on their radio staff for several years. He was a well known gospel music writer and musician, and penned this hymn after a very disappointing and frustrating situation.
Apparently, while working at a well-known gospel ministry, and being led to believe he would receive a promotion to a supervisory position, a great joy filled his heart by the challenge and prospect of the new position. However, as so often happens, someone from outside was brought in to fill the position. That obviously caused him much disappointment, but he fought to not become bitter. Then, after spending an evening with the new supervisor, who was unnecessarily and uncharacteristically rude and caustic to him, his hurt became even deeper.
He says: ‘Later that evening, after returning home, I was sitting in our living room thinking about the events of the past days and about the bitter experiences of that evening. I began to feel very alone and forsaken. Suddenly, I sensed the presence of the Lord in an unusual way and my mind was diverted from my difficulties to His faithfulness and sufficiency. Soon the thought occurred to me that He fully understood and sympathized with my situation–in fact, no one could ever completely understand or care as did He.
Before long, the idea for the song came and I began to write. “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you” (Ps. 55:22). And Peter, who witnessed the perfidy of Judas, echoed his words: “Casting all your care [anxiety] upon Him, for He cares [is deeply concerned] for you” (I Pet. 5:7). Discouragement gripped him. He felt alone and forsaken, and was tempted to become bitter, until he began thinking about the great compassion of the Lord. Who cares? He does!’ And that’s the gospel truth my people! The Lord cares for each and every one of His creations, without partiality!
And having heard the story behind the song, let’s offer it up with sacrifices of praise, in a soulful, sincere, heartfelt rendition. Singing: ‘No one understands like Jesus. He’s a friend beyond compare; Meet Him at the throne of mercy; He is waiting for you there. (Chorus: No one understands like Jesus When the days are dark and grim; No one is so near, so dear as Jesus– Cast your ev’ry care on Him!) No one understands like Jesus; Ev’ry woe He sees and feels; Tenderly He whispers comfort, And the broken heart He heals. (Chorus)
No one understands like Jesus When the foes of life assail; You should never be discouraged; Jesus cares and will not fail! (Chorus) No one understands like Jesus When you falter on the way; Tho’ you fail Him, sadly fail Him, He will pardon you today. (Chorus: No one understands like Jesus When the days are dark and grim; No one is so near, so dear as Jesus– Cast your ev’ry care on Him! No one understands like Jesus When the days are dark and grim; No one is so near, so dear as Jesus– Cast your ev’ry care on Him! Cast your every care on Him, Cause no one understands like Jesus.’
More gospel truth again my people, NO ONE understands like Jesus! And why is that eh? Because Jesus experienced all the emotions and negative stuff that we experience. As the author of Hebrews writes: ‘Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into (through) the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities (sympathize with our weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:14-16)
Yes my brethren, Jesus can understand our troubles better than anyone else because He also experienced them. And we know that when you experience something, you are better able to offer help and hope when someone else is going through the same thing. So when disappointment, sorrow or some negative experience occurs in our lives, let’s not allow the devil to steal our joy and make us become bitter and self-pitying, but instead, let’s turn to Jesus, who has experienced it all and truly cares to help us in whatever we’re going through.
As Bruh David say in Psalm 55: The Plea of the Fearful – ‘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 that’s for certain sure, because Bruh David was not writing from hearsay, but from personal experience. The same goes for Peter when he advises: ‘Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:7)
Yes friends, those two men of God, fell from grace at certain times in their lives, but then saw the light and repented of their sins, then the grace, mercy and LOVE of God, righted their ships and kept them sailing on a godly course. And if the Lord can do that for them, then He will certainly do the same for us if we place our sincere care and trust in Him. So let’s be wise and sincerely turn to Almighty God today nuh. It’s the best thing that can ever happen to us! Much LOVE!
…regardless of what we do…or what happens to us…God cares…please believe that…it will stand us in good stead…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a source of strength, a spiritual rebirth, according to his riches in glory, all things are become new, an intimate union between the believer and Christ, any man be in Christ, born again, created in Christ, discouragement, endure to the end, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, fill me with your peace., glad to be alive, God's handiwork, good pleasure of His will, halfway home, hands on the plough, he is a new creation, help me to see myself as you do, human frailty, I am the vine ye are the branches, I live by faith in the Son of God, I long for est, In Touch Devotional, insecurity, Jesus Christ, LOVE, my God shall supply all your needs, not looking back, old things are passed away, our identity in Christ, question descions I've made, reconciled to himself by Jesus Christ, relieve me of self doubt, replay conversations in my head, salvation, teach me to be confident, thank God, the adoption od children, the breath of life, the life which I now live in the flesh, the longing to reach out and touch, the transformative power of faith, to a glorious future with Jesus, to acknowledge weaknesses without judgement, to do good works., to know who I am in you, true security, truth, we're nothing without Jesus, wisdom, without me ye can do nothing
Galatians 2:20b. …and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of (in) the Son of God, who LOVED me, and gave himself for me.
And it looks like another nice day in my neck of the woods. Possibly not as warm, but still beautiful for this time of year. So let’s say thanks, and enjoy it, for this might just be the last of its kind this year. (smile) Now, let’s delve into the prayer from the In Touch Devotional for October.
Please pray with me: ‘God, some days I feel unsure. I replay conversations in my head and question decisions I’ve made. I long for rest – for true security – and can’t find it. Help me to see myself as You do, to look in the mirror and see a precious creation made by a good Father. Teach me to be confident in my strengths and to acknowledge weaknesses without judgement. I pray for confidence, to know who I am in You. Relieve me of self-doubt, Lord, and fill me instead with Your Peace. In Jesus’ name, amen.’
And yuh know what friends, that prayer is very applicable to all of us at some time or other in our Christian walk, because we all face times of self-doubt, discouragement and insecurity, although deep down we know that we’re LOVED, protected and belong to a wonderful family, with a marvellous Father at its head. That’s just the human frailty in us. The uncontrollable longing to reach out and touch, touch something or someone more secure than ourselves. And we can only rebound from those insecurities by turning to God and His Word to remind us of all the good things we have though Jesus Christ.
And that’s the most important thing to realize; that we’re nothing without Jesus, and everything with Him. As He says so definitively in the gospel of John. ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) And the very basis of Christianity is found in our identity in Christ. Yes friends, this Christian life is all about who we are in Christ, for it’s only through Christ’s deeds and powers that we can become the children of God.
The scriptures tell us that when we receive Christ as Lord and Saviour, we become new people. ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given us the ministry of reconciliation.’ (2 Cor. 5:17-18) That means we become new people, born again, undergoing a spiritual rebirth. And that it was God’s deepest desire to reconcile us back to Himself through Christ Jesus, which ought to give us the confidence of LOVE and security we need.
When we accept Christ, and become spiritually born again, we are also adopted into God’s family. As the Bible says: ‘Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children (as sons) by Jesus Christ himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.’ (Eph. 1:5) Yes, from beforehand the Lord hath appointed those who would believe in Christ to become His sons, and that not through any thing we have done, but purely through His goodness and grace.
And this commentary from the biblestudytools.com website gives an interesting insight into the whole matter. ‘The concept of being “in Christ” is a recurring theme, suggesting an intimate union between the believer and Jesus. This union is often portrayed as a source of strength, security, and purpose. Christians are called to find their identity in Christ, recognizing that their worth and significance come from their relationship with Him rather than worldly standards.
Ephesians 2:10 for example, states that believers are “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” This implies a divine purpose and a sense of belonging that shapes the Christian identity. Overall, the traditional Christian understanding of identity in Christ is rooted in the transformative power of faith, emphasizing a new and purposeful life found through a personal relationship with Jesus.’
Meanwhile Galatians reinforces that all we are is through Christ. ‘For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of (in) the Son of God, who LOVED me, and gave himself for me.’ (Gal. 2:19-20)
And the scholars offer this explanation on those verses. ‘To be crucified with Christ means the believer has been freed from the law (vs. 19), and from the ruling power of sin that was aroused by the law. Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me is interpreted, “And I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Since the believer has been freed from the law and sin, the old sinful life no longer asserts itself as formerly.
Instead, “Christ liveth in me;” that is, Jesus cultivates within the believer (Paul) His own desires, virtues, character, and power, thus morally transforming him and working through him in others. Paul lives his current life by the faith of (in) the Son of God , that is by depending on Him for strength and all necessities.’
Likewise my fellow believers, we ought to live our current lives though faith in Christ, and depend on Him for all that we need. As these two well-known scriptures remind us This first one from Bruh Paul. ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Philp. 4:19) And this one from Jesus Himself. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) So, we need to realize that this Christian life is all about Jesus; nothing else! And we can get all we need from that miraculous relationship!
Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
But here’s another promise; if we endure to the end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So, let’s plan to meet up at the very end and enjoy it together nuh! Much LOVE!
…the Christian life is all about Christ…and without Him…you cannot live it successfully…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Apr 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a just man falleth seven times, above all we ask or think, all power is given unto me in heaven and earth, and riseth up again, aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, belittling the power of God, big thinking precedes great achievement, celebrate God's goodness, discouragement, dissatisfaction, exceeding abundantly, failure builds a good foundation, find out God's purpose for your life, I know the plans I have for you, learn from our mistakes, live the unfilled dreams of others, lonely in our souls despite outward success, LOVE, never give up, no success without failure, not caused by the absence of things, our friend Anselm, plans to prosper you not to harm you, someone who has sight but no vision, spread the gospel worldwide, sunshine lollipops and roses, the absence of vision, the Christian's Mantra, the Great Commission, the Holy Spirit, the only true and living God, the wicked shall fall into mischief, the wicked shall stumble into calamity, to give you a hope and a future, unto him that is able to do, wasting their God-given abilities
Matthew 28:18. All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Sunshine, lollipops and roses! Yes, my Scrip-Bit friends and family, that’s what we’re having this first Saturday morning in April: Sunshine, lollipops and roses! When last have you had that combination of God’s goodness eh? I know some of us have not had it in a long while, but Jesus is saying that today is the day for such rejoicing, in His name and the awesome power of his Holy Spirit!
Our problem is that we have all we need to celebrate God’s goodness, but we either don’t receive it, or when we do receive it, we don’t manifest it, bring it out like He desires. Today though, we’re going to receive the goodness and grace of God, and also show it to the world! And we’re going to begin by doing what we usually do on Saturdays; that’s check out the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And the first quote tells us without any reservation that ‘Big thinking precedes great achievement.’ Now there’s nothing to really doubt in that statement, because basic logic declares that our achievements line up in direct proportion to the size and quality of our thinking. That means big achievements can only come from big thinking, while small thinking will only manifest small achievements. And being a follower of Christ Jesus, it’s imperative that we think big and achieve big, for that’s our job.
Jesus described it in His Great Commission; (Matt. 28:19-20) for us to go out and spread the gospel all over the world. Now that’s a Herculean task, one which we can only accomplish if we open our minds to the power and grace of our Lord and Saviour and accept all that He’s willing to give us, while transforming our thinking (Rom. 12:2) and giving up our selfish desires, that’s taking up our cross and following Him. (Matt. 16:24-26) Remember His words that preceded the Great Commission: ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.’ (Matt. 28:18)
And we know that He never asks us to do anything without giving us the wherewithal to do it. And that’s exactly what He’s done by anointing every believer with the awesome power of His indwelling Holy Spirit, so that we can be successfully lead and guided to do the great work He desires of us! Oh friends, our God is a great and mighty Deity, the ONLY true and living One, and when we read His word, we see all the big and powerful things He’s done down through the ages. That means unless we think big, we’ll be belittling the power of our God.
Now, Bruh Paul understood this principle when, after praying for the Ephesians to be strengthened in the inner man, and rooted and grounded in LOVE, he summarily declared: ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.’ (Eph. 3:20) He knew that he was not asking God for too much, because our mighty God could do even more than that.
And that brings us to the next quote: ‘The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.’ Now there’s much truth to that quote, if we define sight as someone who knows what to do but does nothing, or has wisdom and insight but don’t action them to the benefit of humanity. In other words, like Jesus said, people who hide their lights under a bushel or basket. And all of us know folks who can do much better than they are doing, but are just wasting their God-given abilities.
That leads to this quote: ‘Dissatisfaction and discouragement are not caused by the absence of things but the absence of vision.’ I don’t know if I totally agree with that statement nuh, because sometimes our discouragement and dissatisfaction can be caused by the absence of things, but a lot of it can be caused by our lack of vision, not thinking things through properly.
And I can talk to that quote personally because I have several projects in the works, which I believe I have properly envisioned (smile) but certain practicalities like time, money and faulty equipment are holding them up. And though I am somewhat dissatisfied, I’m not discouraged because I know that they are desires placed in my heart and mind by our great God, and thus, if I don’t give up, they will eventually be fruitful and multiply.
And it’s why the following quote is oh so important in a believer’s life. ‘The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.’ Now that ought to be the Christian’s Mantra: ‘NEVER GIVE UP!’ For quitting is not in Christ’s vocabulary, He expects us to get back up, no matter how many times we fall. And the truth is that success cannot be truly accomplished or appreciated without some failure. That’s the story of most of those we consider important and world shaking; like the great inventors and power brokers, they all failed several times before they succeeded.
As they say, there is no success without failure. ‘And Success consists of getting up just one more time than you fall.’ The thing about failure is that it builds a good foundation for when we do achieve success. It teaches us how to operate in the future, we learn from our mistakes, and it builds our faith as we go through the adversity of defeat. And remember, you only fail when you stop trying! While you are trying, there’s always the possibility of success.
And Cousin Sol said it best in Proverbs. ‘For a just (righteous) man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity).’ (Prov. 24:16) And according to the scholars, that means ‘the righteous man always recovers, but the wicked man faces permanent destruction.’ Then there’s this appropriate verse from the longest chapter in the Good Book, Psalm 119. ‘It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes.’ (Ps. 119:71)
Yes friends, there’s learning and benefits in afflictions and failures, but we have to sort them out and use them to our benefit. That brings us to this last quote: ‘Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.’ And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! The Lord has a defined and definite plan for each of us and we can only make our time here on earth worthwhile by consulting Him and then living it the way He’s planned it. Now, I know plenty of us are swayed by what others desire of us, to live their unfulfilled dreams, or their social, political and economic aspirations.
But please don’t let anyone encourage or force you to live any other life than that which God has crafted for you, be they parents, teachers, preachers or someone you might consider important. If they truly LOVE you and have your best interest at heart, they will encourage you to find out God’s purpose for your life and to live it, regardless of what other circumstances or people might dictate! Too many of us have been encouraged or forced to live lives not designed for us, and thus we have been awfully miserable and lonely in our souls and spirits, despite our outward success.
In closing, let’s never forget this wonderful verse of scripture that speaks directly to that problem. The words of the prophet Jeremiah on the Lord’s behalf, taken from the NIV or New International Version. ‘For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ (Jer. 29:11)
And if we keep that verse at the forefront of our minds, then we will never go wrong. Much LOVE!
…God’s plan for our life…is the best one there is…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
21 Nov 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: cast your every care on him, come boldly to the throne of grace, commit thy way unto the Lord, discouragement, every woe He sees and feels, feed my sheep, find grace to help in time of need, for God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, he shall bring it to pass, He will pardon you today, I am the good shepherd, John Willard Peterson, no one understands like Jesus, obtain mercy, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the Lord upholdeth him with his hand, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, trust also in him, without sin
John 10:11. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
It’s that time again my brethren, Sunday morning, where we gather to worship our wonderful God, to sing His praises, hear His refreshing and enlightening Word, and give Him much thanks for His awesome LOVE and compassion towards us, His most undeserving children. But that’s the kind of God we serve and worship. And today’s opening song is a not so old hymn, (smile) as compared to some others we sing, written by John Willard Peterson (1921-2006), in the early years of his ministry, and aptly titled ‘No One understands like Jesus.’
And believe me friends, that’s the indisputable truth! And why shouldn’t it be true eh, since He is God whose thoughts and understanding are incomparable, and when you add the fact that Jesus Himself underwent all the stuff that we go through down here on earth, it certainly adds up to a wealth of understanding. That’s why Hebrews can tell us: ‘For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched (who cannot sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:15-16)
Anyway, enough talk, time to do some singing. And in our usual harmonious and soulful manner let’s offer up our sacrifices of praise to heaven and our marvellous Godhead. ‘No one understands like Jesus. He’s a friend beyond compare; Meet Him at the throne of mercy; He is waiting for you there. (Chorus: No one understands like Jesus When the days are dark and grim; No one is so near, so dear as Jesus– Cast your ev’ry care on Him!) No one understands like Jesus; Ev’ry woe He sees and feels; Tenderly He whispers comfort, And the broken heart He heals.
(Chorus) No one understands like Jesus When the foes of life assail; You should never be discouraged; Jesus cares and will not fail! (Chorus) No one understands like Jesus When you falter on the way; Tho’ you fail Him, sadly fail Him, He will pardon you today. (Chorus: No one understands like Jesus When the days are dark and grim; No one is so near, so dear as Jesus– Cast your ev’ry care on Him! Cast your every care on Him, Cause no one understands like Jesus.’
You can say that again my people: ‘No one understands like Jesus!’ (smile) And there seems to be an interesting and heart-felt story behind the writing of this song, as there usually are behind many of our favourite tunes. Mr. Peterson appears to have been quite involved in Christian music and tells the story thus: ‘”At one time I had a responsible position with a well-known gospel ministry. One day a supervisory position opened up in my department. I was led to believe that I was to be promoted to this position. I was thrilled and challenged by the prospect of a new joy. But I was by-passed, and a man from the outside was brought in to fill the position.
There followed days of agonizing heart searching. It was all I could do to keep from becoming bitter. One night I had occasion to spend an evening with the man who was brought in for “my” position. For some reason or other, though otherwise a very pleasant fellow, that night he became quite caustic in some of his remarks to me; and I was deeply hurt. Later that evening, after returning home, I was sitting in our living room thinking about the events of the past days and about the bitter experiences of that evening. I began to feel very alone and forsaken.
Suddenly, I sensed the presence of the Lord in an unusual way and my mind was diverted from my difficulties to His faithfulness and sufficiency. Soon the thought occurred to me that He fully understood and sympathized with my situation–in fact, no one could ever completely understand or care as did He. Before long, the idea for the song came and I began to write. “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you” (Ps. 55:22).
And Peter, who witnessed the perfidy of Judas, echoed his words: “Casting all your care [anxiety] upon Him, for He cares [is deeply concerned] for you” (I Pet. 5:7). Discouragement gripped him. He felt alone and forsaken, and was tempted to become bitter, until he began thinking about the great compassion of the Lord. Who cares? He does!’
Yes friends, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ does care deeply about us, else why would He leave the joys and comforts of heaven and come to earth in human flesh to suffer the humiliation and abuse He did eh? These awesome words of His speak plainly of caring. ‘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.’ (Jon 3:16) There was no reason for the Father to do that, except that His LOVE and compassion for us was so great, He couldn’t just allow us to lose our souls and end up in Hades with Beelzebub.
So Jesus’ coming to earth was all about caring. And the Good Book tells us in so many instances of God’s care and concern for us. Let’s check out a few nuh. Mr. Peterson mentioned a couple. The first one being the words of Bruh David from Psalm 55 – A cry against deceitful friends – where he declares in no uncertain manner: ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit, allow) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’ (Ps. 55:22) and if you are a believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, then it’s imperative that you believe those words!
Then there was Peter, who experienced Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, as well as his own, when he thrice denied knowing Christ, having been forewarned by Christ that he would do it. And when the cock crowed and Jesus looked around at Peter, he must have wished the earth could open up and swallow him, the shame he felt. (Luke 22:55-62) But the Lord not only forgave Peter, but also encouraged him, ‘Feed my sheep.’ (John 21:15-19) And Peter rose to be one of the leaders of the church.
All of that caring and compassion of Jesus, must have compelled him to write: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:6-7) And that’s the gospel truth friends! Peter experienced it, so he could testify to it. Likewise, many of us have also experienced the Lord’s care and compassion in our normal everyday lives, but you know what, in these turbulent and dangerous times we need to seek His care and compassion even more than usual, since the world is in such turmoil.
And Psalm 37 – the true state of the wicked – has a couple of interesting verses that we should all take hold of. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass…The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.’ (Ps. 37:5, 23-24)
Oh my fellow believers there’s no doubt whatsoever that Jesus cares for us. How else can you interpret these words of His: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) My fellow saints, please ponder those words today, and see if they don’t add up to a tender and heartfelt caring on the part of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Much LOVE!
…no one understands…or cares…like Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
07 Jun 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a friend beyond compare, a lifeline, a man after God's own heart, a physical space, a powerful presence, a revolution, a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, an explosion of life, attend unto my prayer, breaks in from the future, casting all your care upon him, come unto me, comfort, darknights of rejection, discouragement, empathy, fellowship, gentle and humble, given me life, God's destiny for humanity, godly greetings, he careth for you, hear my cry, hope, hugs and kisses, humble yourselves, I am meek and lowly, I will give you rest, in a world marked by death, it changes everything, John W. Peterson, join Jesus, lead me to a rock, learn of me, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, my burden is light, my comfort in my affliction, my heart is overwhelmed, my yoke is easy, No one understand like Jesus, pain and suffering, peace, praise and worship, sacrifice of praise, saints in Christ, soulful harmony, succour, take my yoke upon you, thanksgiving, that is higher than I, the days are dark and grim, the gospel truth, the great invitation, the living truth, the throne of mercy, the ultimate revolutionary, this time of sickness and strife, thy word hath quickened me, transforms today, turn to Jesus for help, under the mighty hand of god, understanding
1 Peter 5:7. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
One more Sunday, one more day of technological fellowship and thanksgiving. Hn! And are we ever getting good at it! But it’s never ever going to be the same as worshipping our great God in a physical space together, with hugs and kisses and handshakes and godly greetings, because the Lord made us to be people of physical fellowship, not this over the airwaves stuff. (smile) But since we don’t have much choice right now, let’s enjoy what we have, because the Lord is ALWAYS pleased with praise and worship however, or wherever we perform it.
So let’s get to some praise with this awesome and oh so appropriate hymn for these turbulent times, written by John W. Peterson (1921-2006) and titled ‘No One Understands Like Jesus.’ And if that isn’t the living truth friends, then I don’t know what is nuh! Therefore, with raised voices, in heartfelt sincerity and soulful harmony let’s thank our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for His unbiased understanding and sincere empathy, because as a man, He experienced the trials and tribulation of earthly life, like we’re currently doing.
Now let’s unleash our sacrifice of praise which our God LOVES to hear. ‘No one understands like Jesus; He’s a Friend beyond com-pare. Meet Him at the throne of mercy; He is waiting for You there. (Chorus: No one under-stands like Jesus When the days are dark and grim. No one is so near, so dear as Jesus; Cast Your every care on Him.) No understands like Jesus; Every woe He sees and feels. Tenderly He whispers comfort, And the broken heart He heals.
(Chorus ….) No one understands like Jesus When the foes of life assail. You should never be discouraged; Jesus cares and will not fail. (Chorus…) No one understands like Jesus When you falter on the way. Though you fail Him, sadly fail Him, He will pardon You today. (Chorus: No one under-stands like Jesus When the days are dark and grim. No one is so near, so dear as Jesus; Cast Your every care on Him.)
Ah mih people, in this time of sickness and strife, there’s no better place to cast our care than upon Jesus, for remember He understands what we’re going through, since He also went through dark nights of rejection, discouragement and enormous pain and suffering. So our troubles are nothing new to Him. That’s why Peter tells us so emphatically: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ And that’s gospel truth or God would not have sacrificed Jesus and have Him pay for our sins.
And Jesus Himself dearly and desperately wants us to come to Him for hope, comfort and succour, peace, LOVE and joy; all the wonderful things that heaven allows. Hear Him in the Great Invitation nuh… and don’t tell me yuh tired hearing it either, because if we’d only listen and accept it, we wouldn’t have half the problems we now have. So please listen up and positively action the invitation, the greatest one that’s ever been offered! ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30)
Oh friends, I don’t understand us nuh; man is supposed to be the wisest creature in the universe, but when we find ourselves in trouble and can’t get out of it on our own accord, we still refuse to turn to Jesus for help. We prefer to suffer in our despair and tribulation. Now is that wisdom? Not in my book! And the sad part is that the scriptures have so many encouraging and comforting words, if we’d only wake up and own them. Let’s check out a couple nuh. Hear this one from the longest chapter in the Good Book, Psalm 119: ‘Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me (given me life).’ (Ps.119:49-50)
Oh my people, we were created to use the Word as a lifeline; to give us hope and comfort from our afflictions! So why aren’t we using it eh? And hear Bruh David from Psalm 61: ‘Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I; For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.’ (Ps. 61:1-3) Oh my fellow saints in Christ, if Bruh David, a man after God’s own heart, could cry unto the Lord when his heart was overwhelmed and find succour, why can’t we eh?
Now hear Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘For whatsoever things were written aforetime (beforehand) were written for our learning, that we through patience (perseverance) and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.’ (Rom.15:4) Yes mih bredrin, the scriptures were indeed authored so that we could have hope! And if in these disastrous times you don’t have hope, then turn to the scriptures, that’s simple common sense! If there’s one thing we need to live this life successfully it’s hope! Without it, we’re dead in spirit.
And here’s something I believe I’ve quoted before, but it’s ever so timely right now. It comes from an article titled ‘Prisoners of Hope,’ by one Joshua Ryan Butler. And he unequivocally states: ‘Hope is a revolution, a powerful presence that breaks in from the future and transforms today. Jesus’ arrival has brought God’s destiny for humanity crashing into now – an explosion of life into a world marked by death. It changes everything.’
And that’s the kind of world we’re currently living in; one marked by death, and the only real hope for us to move from death to life, is to embrace Jesus and His wonderful revolution of hope, which ultimately fosters His LOVE Revolution. Yes friends, Jesus is, was, and always will be the ultimate revolutionary! Much LOVE
…want to be in a successful revolution… then join Jesus’…
23 May 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lark, basic downfall, comfort and guide you, cried like babies, David encouraged himself, delight thyself also in the Lord, desires of our hearts, despair, discouragement, discouraging circumstances, dregs from our fountain of hope, ebb of our determination, every demonic whim and fancy, fulfill the dreams, gracious God, has us by our manly parts, Henry Ford, holding us hostage, hopelessness, in the Lord his God, joy, lack for encouragement, lack of hope, lack of thanks prayer and praise, limitation, long and short of the story, long-suffering, loving, magnanimity, majesty, merciful, naysayers, neck of the woods, nothing is impossible, obedience to God's will, only your imagination, our friend Anselm, peace, Praise the Lord, push yourself, repentant, summer-like day, the Lord God Jehovah, the Lord investigates our hearts, the right motives, Thomas Edison, virus, Walt Disney, with God, Ziklag
1 Samuel 30b. But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
Well friends, it looks like another glorious sunshiny, summer-like day in my neck of the woods! And all God’s people declared a loud and grateful: ‘It’s about time! Praise the Lord!’ Yes my brethren, there’s nothing better we can do than to praise and thank our mighty Creator for all that He’s done for us, is currently doing, and has promised to do in the future. That’s our basic downfall; lack of thanks and prayer and praise! But He doesn’t change; He’s still the long-suffering, LOVING, merciful and gracious God He always was, and always will be.
We are the ones who change, not Him. So let’s see if we can’t do better in our appreciation of His glorious majesty and magnanimity and obedience to His will nuh, so that we can enjoy even more of His wonderful blessings. Yeh, right now we can certainly use some of His awesome blessings in our fight against the tiny virus that’s got us by our manly parts, (smile) that’s holding us hostage to its every demonic whim and fancy! Ah mih people, I’m glad to see that more and more people are turning to prayer in these troubled times.
But are we serious, are we truly repentant, or is it just a lark, to see what happens, since we can’t find any real success in our own efforts? Just remember though, that the Lord doesn’t simply listen to the words we spout out of our mouths, no matter how godly and spiritual they sound, but He investigates our hearts to see if we have the right motives, and then considers how to answer our prayer. So if you’re not sincere, don’t pray it.
And since it’s Saturday, let’s turn to our friend Anselm and see what quotes he sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And for the second week running, the quotes are negligible. Last week I got one, this week I’ve gotten two. And don’t ask me what’s wrong? It seems like he’s alive, so I don’t know if his fount of quotes has just dried up, (smile) though I doubt it. Anyway, let’s deal with what we have. And the first quote says: ‘Your limitation—it’s only your imagination.’
And that’s the gospel truth friends! The limits of our imagination are the only limitation in our lives! Wherever our imagination takes us we can go…with the Lord’s help obviously! Just think about all the wonderful inventions that we’ve enjoyed down through the years; things like the printing press that made books, including the Bible, more easily available, the telephone, telegraph and radio, which made communication so much easier, and our social media and technological revolution right now, which brings almost instant communication.
They are all products of someone’s imagination! They had the idea, then worked on it, despite many naysayers and discouragers. They might have failed often, but they never gave up, and kept refining their ideas until…Bingo! They worked. Walt Disney was ridiculed, Thomas Edison failed at his numerous inventions several times, but eventually succeeded. So did Henry Ford with his gasoline powered horseless carriage, that eventually became our modern-day motor car. So please my fellow believers, let’s not say we can’t do it, or it’s impossible. If the Lord puts it in our minds, then it’s certainly doable. And furthermore, let’s remember that with God, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!
That brings us to our second quote, which nicely resonates with the first. It tells us: ‘Push yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you.’ And to a certain extent that is quite true, but a lot of us are pushed by others, although in many of those cases it’s not in the direction we want to go. The long and short of the story though is that we need to have some basic push and determination for ourselves, especially if we have serious goals that we want to reach or there are wonderful desires that the Lord has placed in our hearts to accomplish for His name’s sake.
And we have that glorious scripture of Bruh David’s from Psalm 37 which categorically states: ‘Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.’ (Ps. 37:4) Yes friends, when we go with God, He will indeed enable us to fulfill the dreams He’s put in our hearts. And I know that it’s not always easy to find that push, that determination in ourselves, that we all need, for the enemy is always fighting against us. And ofttimes those around us are not willing to push and encourage us either, in fact they might just want to do the opposite, discourage us and pull us down, disparaging our efforts in the difficult process of bringing our dreams to reality.
But my people, even when we’re at the lowest point, the very ebb of our determination and the last dregs from our fountain of hope, let’s never forget that there’s always One person who’s always there to encourage us, especially if you’re doing His holy will; that’s the Lord God Jehovah, our Creator and wonderful Provider! We never lack for encouragement when we turn to our great God! But that last push has to come from us; we need to turn to him, to sincerely seek Him.
And the best example of that in the Good Book, I believe is when Bruh David’s men considered stoning him, after they came back from war and found their city of Ziklag burned to the ground by their enemies the Amalekites, and all their kinfolk and worldly possessions taken captive, including Bruh David’s two wives and his children. And everybody; all those brave and mighty men cried like babies. But then, something changed in Bruh David’s men. And the Good Book relates it thus: ‘And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved (bitter), every man for his sons and his daughters…’ (1 Sam. 30:6a)
So what happened there eh? Why stone their leader eh? Didn’t Bruh David lose his sons and daughters too? Of course! But that’s just the blaming nature of mankind. We always need to find someone else to blame beside ourselves, where often the blame really lies. So imagine Bruh David’s situation now nuh: he’s lost his own family, and his men are threatening to stone him. So what does he do? With everybody against him, he does what we all need to do at times. The Good Book says: ‘But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.’
Mama Yo mih bredrin! It doesn’t get any better than that! So please, today, if any of us are suffering the painful pangs of discouragement and lack of hope, let’s do the wise and sensible thing like Bruh David did nuh; let’s turn to our great God and encourage ourselves in Him, for in Him there is always hope and the prospect of peace and joy despite discouraging circumstances. Much LOVE!
…when despair and hopelessness threaten…turn to God…for He’ll surely keep His promise…to comfort and guide you in such times…
05 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive decision, Abednego, abundantly pardon, angry God, awesome power of God, backed up the Jordan River, be in my heart, beloved of God, blue in the face, boring death, bow down, brand new day, call upon him, Colorado, come up higher, dire need, discouragement, doing miracles, dr robert h schuller, exciting life, failure, fiery furnace, friend of Jesus, from shame to glory, God is still on the throne, grace, grateful, Guatemala, Hawaii, hell on earth, hope, Hour of Power Devotional, I will be with thee, I will move, in full control, in you I come alive, Jesus, let the wicked forsake his way, LOVE, loving-kindness, magnificent and magnanimous God, Maker, Meshsach, natural disasters, new mercies, New Mexico, no need to panic, noised abroad, parted the Red Sea, pass through the waters, promises, providence, seek ye the Lord, sent His only Son, shadrach, shall not be burned, shall not overflow thee, share His love, sinners, smelling of smoke, strength, success, talk, thanks, the flame scorch thee, the Lord's help, through the rivers, to die for us, Tuesday Mantra, unmerciful, unrighteous man, volcano, walk through the fire, weakness, while he is near, wildfires, wisdom, wise
Isaiah 43:2. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee.
Well it’s a brand new day and brand new mercies are being noised abroad by our wonderful God! Give Him plenty, plenty thanks nuh people, for the grace and unadulterated LOVING-kindness He shows to us when we absolutely don’t deserve it. But that’s the kind of God He’s always been and will always be!
Look at how while we were still sinners He sent His only Son Jesus to die for us… Does that tell of an unmerciful and angry God? No way Jose! So let’s be wise and grateful and give Him thanks for ALL that He’s done, is doing and has promised to do for us in the future.
In the meanwhile let’s pray for those unfortunate people undergoing the volcano situation in Hawaii, and also in Guatemala where the Fuego volcano exploded a couple of days ago, causing much loss of life and many injuries. I tell you friends, a volcanic explosion is the closest thing we can come to hell here on earth. And remember too the people in Colorado and New Mexico where the first wild fires of the season are blazing away.
Brother! The natural disasters are beginning to pile up already. But friends, there is no need to panic, because our great and mighty God is still on the throne in full control of things!
And to help us handle whatever comes against us, here are these encouraging words from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional, titled, ‘I Will Move…’ I’ve shared them before, but I think we need to share them again.
So please pray with me. ‘Lord, I want your heart to be in my heart. For in you I come alive, moving ahead from boring death to exciting life! In your promises, I will move from discouragement to hope. In your pardon, I will move from shame to glory. In your power, I will move from weakness to strength. In your providence, I will move from failure to success! Thank you, Lord. Amen!’
Oh my people, is there any other way we can come up higher than through the Lord’s help? Absolutely not! So I implore us this morning to turn to Him for help in whatever situation or circumstance that we’re going through. Now he might not change or ease up the situation, but He will certainly give you the strength, wisdom and whatever you need to come through it successfully. That’s the magnanimous and magnificent God we serve!
Yuh see what he says in our Bit, through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah? ‘When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee.’
Oh friends and fellow believers, what marvellous promises! And did the Lord keep them? Of course He did! Just look at how He parted the Red Sea for His people to cross over on dry land, while drowning Pharaoh and His Egyptian army behind them! Then check out how He backed up the Jordan River for them to cross over into the Promised Land!
And if you say that’s only water, He can’t handle fire, then think again and see how the Hebrew lads, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, when they refused to bow down to a golden image, survived the fiery furnace that was heated seven times hotter than normal, and came out not even smelling of smoke!
Mama Yo! That’s the amazing and awesome power of our God my brethren! And He is still in the business of doing miracles and such amazing things for His people, if we turn to Him and sincerely and humbly seek Him. As He said again through Isaiah: ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.’ (Is.55:6) Are we doing that my brethren? For all our sakes, I sincerely hope so.
But just in case we aren’t, listen to the following verse, which expands on the first. ‘Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is.55:7)
Oh friends, I don’t know why it’s so difficult for us to follow the Lord’s guidelines nuh, since He spells them out so plainly and simply! Especially when we’re in dire need of mercy and pardon! But we can only talk; talk till we’re blue in the face (smile), everyone still has to come to their own decision; to accept, or not accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour in their individual lives.
Let’s hope we ALL will make a positive decision, sooner, rather than later, for a time will come when it will be too late. Now for those of us who have already made it, let’s go home positively declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the world know in no uncertain terms, who and whose we are.
Altogether now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Now let’s go out and share all of that with other unfortunate folks, as Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…if you don’t need your Maker…then who else do you need eh…Lucifer…hn, hn!…what a joke…
06 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a conscious decision, a son of Abraham, abundant life, abundant love, believed, beloved of God, boring death, born again, brand new, company of Jesus, discouragement, dr robert h schuller, evil world, exciting life, exquisite, failure, faithful brethren, forgiving, friend of Jesus, generous, glory, God sent not His Son, guiding light, hope, Hour of Power Devotional, humble, I come alive, I will move, kind, Love of Jesus, loving, merciful, might be saved, pardon, power, promised never to leave nor forsake us, ready access, saving grace, separated from God, shame, shield, spiritual mystery, strength, success, sweet, tax collector, thanks and praise, that which was lost, the best thing, the only begotten Son of God, the providence of God, the saving power of Jesus, the world through him, to condemn the world, Tuesday Mantra, unique, walking with Jesus, walks beside before behind, weakness, wherewithal to face, wise guidance, Zaccheus
John 3:17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Ah friends, on this somewhat damp and dreary looking June morning, it’s ever so important for us to have the unique and exquisite LOVE of Jesus flowing sincerely, briskly and securely in our hearts, so that we can have ready access to the wherewithal to face whatever may befall us today.
Yes my faithful brethren, only the overwhelming, the ever abiding and abundant LOVE of Jesus has the power and the spiritual mystery to carry us through each and every day of our lives.
Therefore, as we open our eyes to greet each and every new day, we ought to give Him thanks and praise and ask for his wise guidance as He accompanies us on our earthly journey.
And that He does friends! Having promised never to leave nor forsake us, He walks beside, before and behind us each and every minute of each and every day, once you accept Him as your Lord and Saviour.
As the psalmist says, He’s our shield and guiding light. NEVER forget that!
Now here is a simple but stirring and heart-moving prayer from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr, Robert H. Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional. It’s also simply titled; ‘I Will Move…’ I’m sure I’ve shared it before, but it’s one of those prayers that are certainly worth sharing again and again.
Please pray with me. ‘Lord, I want your heart to be my heart. For in you I come alive, moving ahead from boring death to exciting life! In your promises, I will move from discouragement to hope.
In your pardon, I will move from shame to glory. In your power, I will move from weakness to strength. In your providence, I will move from failure to success! Thank You Lord. Amen.’
Oh friends, that is ALL so true! It’s only with the promises, the power, the pardon and providence of Almighty God that we can truly move from death to life, abundant life that is, and have lasting success in this evil world.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’
And if you believe that with all your heart, soul, body and mind, then you’re on your way to a great life in the wonderful and unique company of Jesus!
Wow mih breddren! It couldn’t get any better than that! Hanging out with Jesus is the BEST THING that can ever happen to a human being! And if you already know Jesus, you’ll know that what I’m saying is absolutely true!
Oh, I’ve just got to say it again: ‘Wow, mih breddren! Walking with Jesus is the BEST THING that can ever happen to a human being!’ (smile)
He’s so sweet, and kind, humble, LOVING, generous, forgiving, merciful and gracious…etc…etc! And once you truly get to know Him, every so often, you’ll sit down and ask yourself, ‘how ever did I live before He came into my life eh?’
Well you simply weren’t living before that, just existing. But once Jesus entered your life, He made you a brand new person, regenerated you, made you to be born again spiritually…and everything changed…your mindset, your view of life, your habits and behaviour, all began to change for the better. That’s the saving power of Jesus friends!
As our Bit says, He didn’t come to condemn but to save. However, it doesn’t happen automatically; we need to accept His saving grace, that free gift of God.
As Jesus says after our Bit: ‘He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:18)
So you see friends, it’s a conscious decision that every one of us has to make; to either believe or not believe in Jesus, the only begotten Son of God!
And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘3:18. This verse answers the question, “Why do people go to hell?” It is because they do not believe in Jesus.’
That’s straight and to the point people! It couldn’t be any simpler. Believe and you’re saved; don’t believe, and you spend eternity separated from God, the worst thing that could ever happen to a human soul.
And we’ll give one more example of the saving grace of Jesus, His words after He had lunch with the tax collector Zaccheus.
After Zaccheus repented of his sins, ‘Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ (Luke 19:9-10)
And the scholars tell us: ’19:10. The words seek, save, and lost all appear elsewhere in Scripture in a shepherd context. This verse may be taken as the kernel statement of the central theme of Luke: Jesus is the compassionate, searching Herdsman who seeks to save those who can by no means save themselves.’
Truer words were never written friends! And since we believe it all, we can go home joyfully and sincerely declaring our Tuesday Mantra.
All together now, in strong voice and confident humility: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
All glory and honour to our most kind and LOVING Saviour! Now let’s go out and share His LOVE and friendship as He desires of us. Much LOVE!
…when Jesus comes into our hearts…His light and LOVE…will faithfully lead and safely guide us…
05 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affirmation of faith, angels, anger, as for me and mine, at his feet, blameless, cease from anger, Christendom, come alive, commit thy way, confidently trust the Lord, consequences, crown him Lord of all, cut off, death, delight, destroyed, discouragement, do good, dwell in the land, encouraging, envious, ever-faithful, everlasting song, evil men, evildoers, exciting life, failure, faith, formula, forsake wrath, fret not, glory, Glory be, God's sanctuary, grace, hope, Hour of Power Devotional, I will move, immoral, inherit the earth, iniquity, Israelite, life boring death, majesty ascribe, move forward, National Anthem of Christendom, omnipotent god, pardon, peace of mind, pious, power, praise, prayer, prostrate, providence, raised the roof, ransomed, recipe, responsive, rest, reversal of fortunes, righteousness, robert h schuller, rooted out, sacred throng, saves you by his grace, seed of Israel, shame, short-lived, strange women, strength, success, Sunday, the Lord's Day, the Lord's presence, the perfect, the power of Jesus name, the Promised Land, the royal diadem, the upright, the wicked, tongue, transgressors, tribe, uplifting, wait patiently, wait upon the Lord, we will follow the Lord, weakness, wickedness, wisdom, worship, wrath
Proverbs 2:21. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect (blameless) shall remain in it.
Welcome my fellow believers to this blessed and glorious day called Sunday – the best day of the week! And so it should be since its’ the Lord’s Day. And what better way to begin our proceedings than with some praise and worship, so please sing with me this popular old hymn, which is sometimes called the ‘National Anthem of Christendom.’
As one now my people, let’s raise the roof of God’s sanctuary with the passion of our praise and worship. ‘All hail the power of Jesus’ name! Let angels prostrate fall. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all!
O seed of Israel’s chosen race now ransomed from the fall, hail him who saves you by his grace, and crown him Lord of all. Hail him who saves you by his grace, and crown him Lord of all! Let every tongue and every tribe responsive to his call, to him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all. To him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all!
Oh, that with all the sacred throng we at his feet may fall! We’ll join the everlasting song and crown him Lord of all. We’ll join the everlasting song and crown him Lord of all. Amen!’
And having raised the roof not only of our sanctuary, but also of heaven, let’s tone it down a little with some heartfelt prayer as devised by Gramps Schuller (Robert H Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional, titled ‘I Will Move…’ I’m fairly sure that we’ve prayed it before, but as we keep on saying, once it’s nice, it’s okay to pray it twice. (smile)
So please pray with me. ‘Lord, I want your heart to be in my heart. For in you I come alive, moving ahead from boring death to exciting life! In your promises, I will move from discouragement to hope. In your pardon, I will move from shame to glory. In your power, I will move from weakness to strength. In your providence, I will move from failure to success! Thank you, Lord. Amen.’
Oh friends, what an awesome prayer! It highlights all we can do and become, how we’ll move positively forward when we acknowledge and sincerely maintain the Lord’s presence in our lives! Glory be!
And all of that just nicely and naturally segues into our Bit; wise words from Cousin Sol, as he talks about staying away from evil men and strange (immoral) women. ‘For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect (blameless) shall remain in it.’
And that’s a fact my brethren, as Cousin Sol explains in the next verse. ‘But the wicked shall be cut off (destroyed) from the earth (land), and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.’ (Prov.2:22)
Precious people, it couldn’t get any plainer than that. Righteousness will undoubtedly overcome wickedness. That’s the promise of our ever-faithful and omnipotent God, so I wouldn’t go doubting His Word in favour of Lucifer’s lies.
And if you don’t believe Cousin Sol, then listen to his father, Bruh David, from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon (look diligently for) the Lord, shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:1-9)
Ah mih breddren, what wonderful words of wisdom…and from a man who lived them! Now let’s hear some interesting explanations from the scholars on those verses.
‘Psalm 37. The psalm is written in the form of an acrostic, although our numbering is out of step with the Hebrew. There is no logical outline to the psalm, so it is best studied according to its topics. The major point of the psalm seems to be that the wicked’s prosperity is short-lived.
Though David was troubled by the prosperity of the unrighteous, he knew by faith that their undeserved bounty would be cut off. His underlying belief is that God will intervene in His time. Then the present, temporary reversal of fortunes will be set right and the righteous “shall inherit the earth” (vv.9, 11, 22, 29, 34).
The mention of inheriting the earth would be encouraging and uplifting to the pious Israelite since all of God’s blessing was connected with the Promised Land. In contrast to this blessed destiny the wicked “shall be cut off,” an expression used often in the Old Testament of a violent death.
The psalm also contains the simple formula for achieving peace of mind in the face of the wicked’s prosperity: fret not…neither be thou envious (v.1), trust…do good(v.3), delight thyself also in the Lord (v.4), commit thy way…trust (v.5), rest…wait patiently…fret not (v.7), cease from anger…forsake wrath…fret not (v.8).
All of those exhortations urge the believer to confidently trust the Lord with all of life’s problems. The psalm concludes appropriately with an undying affirmation of faith and trust in the unchanging character of God.’
What more can I say eh friends? Right there you have the perfect recipe for the best life here on planet earth. It’s now up to you to choose whom to follow. But as for me and mine, without a doubt, we will follow the Lord. Much LOVE!
…it all boils down to…trust, faith and belief in Almighty God…you either do…or you don’t…but remember to consider the consequences of each option before making your choice…
09 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a matter of faith, a true believer, almighty god, an easy row to hoe, and the body than raiment, anxious, automatic action, be careful for nothing, boring death, but seek ye first the kingdom of God, comfort, comprehend, discouragement, don't worry, exciting life, failure, faith, finite minds, glory, glory to God, God is still on the throne, God's plan, God's ways are higher than ours, gospel truth, Gramps Schuller, his goodness to the children of men, hope, Hour of Power Devotional, I will move, in everything by prayer and supplication, in you I come alive, inner mental stability, insecure, insecurity, irresponsibility, is not life more than food, jehovah god, Jehovah-Jireh, legitimate concerns, let your requests be made known unto God, level of faith, Lord I want your heart to be in my heart, loving kindness, material needs, material things of life, outward physical provisions, pardon, personal example, power, powerless, promises, providence, reassurance, reverence, rightousness, rudderless, Sermon on the Mount, shame, sin, sinfulness, spiritual blessings of God, strength, success, take no thought for your life, Thank You Lord, thanksgiving, the Holy Spirit, the Lord is at hand, the Lord our Provider, the spirit of a man, the straight and narrow path, trust, walk in worry, weakness, wisdom, worry free
Philippians 4:6. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Aye Friends, welcome to another day in the unfolding of God’s great universe! It is unfolding as it should. We might not think it logical or understand it, but all we need to know is that God is still on the throne, and still in control of what He made. His thoughts and abilities are way higher than ours, so our small, finite minds won’t be able to comprehend all that’s going on.
Be not afraid though, for everything is working to plan; God’s plan that is. Just rest in the comfort and reassurance of His tender, forgiving and merciful embrace and allow the Holy Spirit that dwells within you to lead and guide you on the straight and narrow path that leads to our heavenly Father. End of sermon. (smile)
And now, on this wet and cloudy Tuesday morning in my area, here’s a simple but powerful prayer from Gramps Schuller’s (Robert H. Shuller) Hour of Power Devotional titled ‘I WILL MOVE…’ I don’t know if I’ve ever shared it before, because it doesn’t even look familiar to me. Hn! And I’ve been reading the book for several years now.
Anyway, please pray with me: ‘Lord, I want your heart to be in my heart. For in you I come alive, moving ahead from boring death to exciting life! In your promises, I will move from discouragement to hope. In your pardon, I will move from shame to glory. In your power, I will move from weakness to strength. In your providence, I will move from failure to success! Thank you, Lord. Amen.’
Oh my people, what true and wonderful sentiments! That’s just what I was saying earlier; putting your hope and trust in Almighty God is the only wise and sensible way to proceed in this mish-mash thing we call life. Without His involvement in our lives we are simply powerless and rudderless, aimlessly drifting on a tossing sea of sin and sinfulness, which augurs no good whatsoever to anybody.
But with Jehovah God in our lives, as Gramps Schuller so rightfully declares, we keep moving ahead in an exciting life, filled with hope, glory, strength and success!
And all God’s people said a loud and grateful: ‘Glory to God! Praise Him for His wonderful LOVING-kindness to the children of men!’ Yes Friends, that we certainly ought to do, for our God does deserve much reverence and thanksgiving!
And talking about reverence and thanksgiving, listen to our Bit, which details it marvellously for us. ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’
Without a doubt my brethren, the wise way is always to bring everything to God in prayer with much thanks for all that He’s done and still doing for us.
And the scholars offer this information on our Bit. ‘4:6. Be careful for nothing means “don’t worry about anything.” The Lord’s nearness (v.5b) (‘The Lord is at hand’) leads Paul to forbid his readers from worrying. This no summons to irresponsibility or an invitation to dismiss legitimate concern.
The solution to undue anxiety is prayer in everything, “in every matter of life.” The way to be free of anxiety is to be prayerful about everything. While God is eager to hear our requests, they are to be accompanied with thanksgiving.’
Ah Friends, unfortunately too many of us don’t put that advice in to action, therefore we are worried and anxious about all sorts of things. I guess it depends on the level of faith to which we have attained; meaning the greater our faith, the more we submit or adhere to the programme.
Consequently we need to build our faith so that going to God with EVERYTHING in prayer with thanksgiving becomes an automatic action in our lives. And I can tell you from personal example, it works my brethren, it truly works!
You might not always get the answer you want, or even deserve, but if you follow the leading of God’s Spirit that dwells within you, you will seldom go wrong. It won’t always be an easy row to hoe, but it will be definitely interesting and worthwhile.
And in support of our Bit, let’s look at some defining scriptures. First up is Jesus’ profound pronouncement from the Sermon on the Mount. ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body than raiment (clothing)?’ (Matt.6:25)
And the scholars offer this splendid explanation of that verse. ‘6:25. Jesus now deals with the equally dangerous tendency of those who have few possessions: worry! Take no thought (Gr. me merimnao) means “Do not be anxious.” This word means to be so disturbed about material needs that we distrust God and are distracted from faithfully doing His will.
Anxious care is the direct opposite of faith. Therefore, even the poor are not to worry needlessly about what they should eat, drink, or wear. The question Is not life more than meat, and the body more than raiment? indicates that inner mental stability must come from the spirit of a man and not from outward physical provisions.
To set one’s heart on material possessions or to worry about the lack of them is to live in perpetual insecurity and to deprive oneself of the spiritual blessings of God.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my people. That’s why so many of us are so insecure. We place too much emphasis on the material things of life; worry too much about them, and work too hard to acquire them. We do need them, but listen to Jesus further on the issue.
‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt.6:33) And if you are a person of faith, a true believer in Christ, then you will understand that if you do the will of God, Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our Provider, will indeed provide for all our material wants and needs.
It’s all a matter of faith, my brethren. Believe and you will not worry, and will be amply provided for. Do not believe, then you will worry, be anxious and stress yourself out, and still not be sure of having all your needs met. And on that most important note, we’ll end today’s message.
Oh Friends, I implore us to have faith, or to raise the level of our faith, so that we won’t have the unnecessary worry and concern that comes with lack of faith. That is the wisdom of both heaven and earth. Much LOVE!
…why walk in worry…when one can walk worry free in faith…
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