The Importance of Understanding that God is Our Help and Refuge and Deserves Thanks and Praise for It!

Today’s Scrip-Bit   23 October 2026   Psalm 34:8.

Psalm 34:8.       O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

And then it was Friday, the day we all look forward to, so we can send up our Friday Mantra to high heaven: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at last!’ Unfortunately though, today is not as bright and sunshiny as the last few days, because there are some dark clouds fighting the sunshine for supremacy, but we are not perturbed or concerned, because we all believe that the sunshine, like our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, will eventually reign supreme. (smile)

And all God’s people said a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord God Almighty for His goodness to the children of men, so generously giving us His Only Son Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Saviour!’ And my faithful brethren, that’s the best thing that’s ever happened to mankind, because it’s only through the sacrifice, strength and grace of Christ that we can endure the trials and tribulations of this evil and ungodly world, and then with salvation, enter eternal life with Him. That means Jesus deserves all the praise, honour and glory we can ever bestow on Him, for He’s definitely earned it several times over!

And that’s why these verses from various psalms encourage us to turn to God in each and every situation. Like this one from Psalm 42, when sadness fills our hearts, and the Sons of Korah question: ‘Why art thou cast (bowed) down, O my soul? why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health (help, salvation) of my countenance, and my God.’ (Ps. 42:11) Turning to God in times of sorrow, certainly lifts our spirits.

Then listen to these verses from Psalm 62, as Bruh David confidently announces: ‘In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust him at all times; ye people, pour our your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’ (Ps. 62: 7-8) And isn’t that the glorious truth? It certainly is! Therefore, Bruh David could also say in Psalm 63, when he was in the wilderness of Judah, running from his enemies: ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary (so have I looked for thee). Because thy LOVING-KINDNESS is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow (the best) and fatness (abundance); and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard (close) after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.’ (Ps. 63:1-8)

Oh my people, can we long for the Lord and sing His praises so confidently if we were hiding out in a dry and thirsty land? I doubt it. We can’t even do it when we have all the advantages of this easy life, so how will we when we don’t have them eh? Or is it because we have all these advantages that we believe there’s no need to long for God and praise Him, but when we are disadvantaged we will be quick to seek Him? Either way friends, we ought to long for God, to seek and praise Him! As Bruh David says in Psalm 65: ‘O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.’ (Ps; 65:2)

And that’s how it ought to be. As we see in Psalm 34,where Bruh David ardently declares: ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.’ (Ps. 34: 1-8)

Now that’s the living truth my people! But the problem is you’ll never know it, unless you turn to the Lord in all sincerity and truth and discover the truth of those words for yourself. And to help us do just that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant for divine aid in these tough and turbulent times. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them.

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. So please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good 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!’

And before we get too self-righteous, let’s understand that we believers also need to wake up and smell the coffee, strong and sweet, because our witness for Christ so far has been rather unsatisfactory, and it’s one of the reasons why our world is in such an angry and strife-filled state. So it’s high time we wake up and do better! Much LOVE!

…the wise man continually seeks God…while the fool says in his heart…there is no God…

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

The Unending, Unconditional, Immeasurable LOVE of Jehovah God for His Human Creation!

Today’s Scrip-Bit   18 September 2026   Isaiah 43:1b.

Isaiah 43:1b.        O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name; thou art mine.

So we’ve finally arrived at Friday, and today’s Mantra was floated up to heaven loud and clear on this warm, sunshiny day: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at long last!’ And people must be glad to see the weekend, when they have to face commuting twice a day, five days a week, in never-ending traffic jams on some of the worst roads around. Thankfully, I don’t believe it was this bad in my day, and the roads were better kept, although I complained some in my time too. (smile) But unfortunately, if you want to make a living and thus support yourself and your family, you have to go where you can get a job, and face the consequences of getting to and from there.

As I keep saying, there must be a better way to take the enormous pressure of from the disgusting spectacle that commuting has become, so we can conserve our energy for the actual work we’re supposed to do. But the powers that be don’t seem interested in doing so, because it serves their shortsighted purposes, while  keeping the plebs in their place. Apparently they don’t care that it also causes inferior work because of tired and disgruntled employees. I guess we will have to turn to our new-found miracle worker, Artificial Intelligence (AI) to come up with a solution to this world wide problem. (smile) End of Sermon!  

And to help us handle these tiresome problems, let’s look at some encouraging and uplifting Old Testament scripture, beginning with these marvellous words from the prophet Isaiah, per Israel’s redemption. ‘But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name; thou art mine. 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.

For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee (in thy place). Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable (honoured), and I have LOVED thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give (them) up; and to the south, Keep not back (keep them not): bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.’ (Is. 43:1-7)

Now everything the Lord says in that scripture is true my fellow believers. He made us, created us for his glory, and LOVES us with an unending LOVE, and He showed it all to Israel in the early days. The Lord parted the Red Sea so the Israelites could get away from the Egyptians and cross on dry land. (Ex. 14:21-31). Then He did the same when they tried to cross the Jordan River during the flood season. (Josh. 3) Then when the three Hebrew teenagers, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were cast into the fire, in Babylon because they refused to bow down to an idol, what did the Lord do eh?

They threw three men in, but then they saw four walking loose unhurt in the fire, and ‘the form of the fourth is like the Son of God (a son of the gods).’ (Dan. 3:25) And most likely it was the Son of God, Jesus Christ in one of His several appearances in the Old Testament, called a Theophany – a visible appearance of a divine being.  And furthermore when the teenagers came out of the oven, the fire had not had any power over them, not a hair of their head was singed, nor their coats affected, and they didn’t even smell of smoke. (Dan. 3:27)

Wow! Such was the protection of our great God! But the greatest news though friends is that the Lord didn’t do it only for the Israelites, but for everybody, by sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross of Calvary for us. Why? It’s as Jesus said: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’(John 3:16) Just like the Jews were offered salvation in the early days, we Gentiles were also offered it with the coming of Jesus.

And the Lord is calling all those who are called by His name and thus belong to Him, to come unto Him and be saved. As Bruh Paul says: ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in.’ (Eph. 2:8-10)

And one last New Testament Scripture friends to show our indebtedness to God. Bruh Paul declares to the Corinthians: ‘What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.’ (1 Cor. 6:19-20) So let’s concentrate on doing just that nuh. And to help us do so, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid.

Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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. So please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. 

And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good 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!’

And it’s not only the sinful world that needs to wake up and smell the coffee, but also we Christians, for our current witness for Christ is most definitely insufficient. We need to do better, if we’re to make a productive impact on our world! So let’s get with it nuh! Much LOVE!

…God LOVES all His creation…be they sinners or saints…and wants all to come to salvation…

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

The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Understanding the Their First and Foremost Duty is to Fear God and Keep His Commandments!

Today’s Scrip-Bit   21 August 2026   Ecclesiastes 12:13.

Ecclesiastes 12:13.        Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

And I can just imagine the joyful shouts of our Friday Mantra that went up to heaven this beautiful Friday morning: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at long last!’ Yes, the weekend is one of the few promising things we have to look forward to throughout our long years of labouring under the sun. As Cousin Sol, writing as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes puts it: ‘What profit hath a man of (from) all his labour which he taketh (toils or labours) under the sun?’ (Eccl. 1:3) And that’s a very good question, which he proceeded to find an answer to by using his wealth and wisdom to build and plant and have all the nicest things possible.

As he says later on: ‘So I was great, and increased (excelled) more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy (pleasure); for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of (reward from) all my labour.’ (Eccl. 2:9-10) Wow! Can you imagine the things Cousin Sol did in search of enjoyment and pleasure and finding out the destiny of man!

And what did all of that seeking prove? Cousin Sol says in great disappointment: ‘Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured (toiled) to do: and behold all was vanity (futility) and vexation of spirit (a grasping for the wind), and there was no profit under the sun.’ (Eccl. 2:11) Ah friends how sorrowful that must be, doing all those things and in the end finding no real satisfaction. It’s as the scholars say: ‘Solomon pursued fulfillment through pleasure, wine, great works, wealth, aesthetic and artistic pleasures and fame. (Eccl. 2:1-9) All of these failed to bring lasting satisfaction to the wisest man of all time, yet people three thousand years later are still trying them in search of enduring fulfillment.’

And so we foolishly are! But the important word in it all my brethren is ‘enduring.’ No pleasure of this world can satisfy us forever. The only thing that can bring true and lasting satisfaction is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ because that lasts forever and provides salvation and eternal life! Now those are the two most important things our human soul requires, because when our bodies die, we leave everything of the world behind, except Jesus Christ. And that’s guaranteed in this promise Jesus made to John in Revelation.

‘And he (Jesus) said unto me, It is done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst (thirsty) of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.’ (Rev. 21:6-7) And what does all of the mean? Per the scholars: ‘It is done: The eternal purpose of God to gather a holy, devoted people for Himself has now been accomplished.’

And as per Alpha and Omega, this overview explains it thus: ‘The phrase “alpha and omega” means the beginning and the end. Alpha is the first letter and omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet. Used together, they describe the whole of something, meaning the complete package, the entirety, or “from A to Z”. Therefore the Lord is the Beginning and End of everything.

As the scholars declare: ‘Beginning means God is the origin and source of all things (cf. Is. 41:4; 44:6; 48:12). End means He is also the goal or aim of all things (cf. Rom. 10:4) The water of life represents eternal sustenance and provision (cf. Rev. 22:1; Ps. 36:9; Is. 55:1; Jer. 2:13; John 4:14) available freely by faith (Rev. 22:17). He that overcometh is the one who has genuine, saving, persevering faith (cf. Rev. 2:11; 3:5; 1 John 5:4-5) He will inherit all that belongs to the him as a son of God (cf. John 1:12; Rom. 8:16-17; Gal. 3:29; 4:7).’

Now that’s certainly a lot of scriptures to look up, but if you truly want to understand what we’ve read, then I strongly advise you take the time and look them up. I just did, making the Bit even later than it already was, (smile) and I was surprised at how they dovetailed nicely with what is said in Revelation. But getting back to Cousin Sol and his search for fulfillment in earthly pleasures, we find him showing why he was considered the wisest man ever, that is before he turned away from the God of his forefathers, married numerous foreign wives and began worshipping their foreign gods.

His wise and poignant testimony still stands, as he says; ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl. 12:13-14) No wiser words can be spoken than those my people! And for our information, Deuteronomy 6:2; 10:12, and Micah 6:8, also detail that our bounden duty is to serve the Lord. So in our somewhat unsuccessful efforts to do our duty, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to help us do better..

Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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. So please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. 

And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good 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 my fellow believers, let’s not get too carried away with our supposed holiness and righteousness, because we also need to wake up and smell the coffee, since our witness for Christ is not as good as it ought to be! Much LOVE!

…life’s earthly pleasures leave us unfulfilled…but those of heaven endure forever…

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