The Undeniable Worthiness of Jesus to Receive Praise, Honour and Glory!

09 Aug 2026 Leave a comment

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   9 August 2026   Ephesians 1:7.

Ephesians 1:7.        In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.

A new day has dawned bright and sunshiny my people! It’s also the first day of the week, Sunday, the Lord’s Day, and thankfully we’re still alive to enjoy it. So, it’s our bounden duty then to attend the Lord’s sanctuary so we can give thanks and praise for all the good things He’s done for us, especially the offering of His Son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice to pay for our abominable sins! It’s the greatest gift ever given to mankind! And today’s song of worship is one that addresses that very fact. It’s most appropriately titled ‘Praise Him, Praise Him,’ one of the many hymns of the blind American hymn writer Fanny Crosby (1820-1915), written in 1869, with the musical tune composed by Chester G. Allen.

The hymn celebrates Jesus as our “blessed Redeemer” and praises his amazing gifts of salvation and redemption. Let’s therefore offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a heartfelt, mid-tempo version of the song, ensuring that all who hear us know that we’re truly sincere in our praise! Singing: ‘Praise him! Praise him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! Sing, O earth – his wonderful LOVE proclaim! Hail him! hail him! highest archangels in glory, Strength and honor give to his holy name! Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard his children – In his arms he carries them all day long:

(Refrain: Praise him! Praise him! tell of his excellent greatness! Praise him! Praise him! ever in joyful song!) Praise him! Praise him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! For our sins he suffered and bled and died; He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation, Hail him! hail him! Jesus the Crucified! Sound his praises – Jesus who bore our sorrows – LOVE unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong: [Refrain] Praise him! Praise him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! Heav’nly portals loud with hosannas ring! Jesus, Savior, reigneth for ever and for ever, Crown him! crown him! Prophet and Priest and King! Christ is coming, over the world victorious – Pow’r and glory unto the Lord belong: [Refrain]’

Oh my brethren, all of heaven sang along with us, because they too recognize the goodness and greatness of Jesus and also wanted to offer their own sacrifices of praise. And truthfully, there’s no praise that we can ever offer that can truly capture the awesome sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf, offering up His sinless life, taking our sins, so that we could become the righteousness of God.  As Bruh Paul says in 2 Corinthians: ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ.’ (2 Cor.5:21)

Yes friends, we’re declared righteous in God’s eyes based on the merits of Christ’s work. As the song so rightly says: ‘Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! For our sins he suffered and bled and died;’ Job said it long ago: ‘For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day (at last) upon the earth.’ (Job 19:25) Meanwhile Isaiah writes: ‘Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.’ (Is. 44:6) And again: ‘For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.’ (Is. 54:5)

And Isaiah is there prophesying about the Lord becoming both the Maker and husband of the Gentiles, the Redeemer of all men, while also being the Holy One of Israel. Therefore, He is the God of the whole earth. And after Christ’s sacrifice on the cross of Calvary, the Gentiles were indeed brought into the fold of Almighty God, starting with the amazing zeal and hard work of Bruh Paul, whom the Christ sent to preach especially to the Gentiles. That’s why in the letter to the Ephesians, he could say of God: ‘To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved (bestowed grace or favour on us). In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.’ (Eph. 1:6-7)

Yes mih bredrin, it was all the Lord’s doing through His wonderful LOVE for His human creation. He sent Jesus to die on the cross so that His blood could redeem us, set us free from the bondage of sin, and reconcile us back to himself. That’s why He’s so worthy of our praise and LOVE, and the psalmist could rightly declare: ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout hallelujah). Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power (mighty firmament). Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness…. Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord (shout hallelujah).’ (Ps. 150:1-2,6)

Then we have that beautiful imagery in the song: ‘Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard his children – In his arms he carries them all day long:’ Jesus indeed referred to Himself as a shepherd: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) Which is exactly what He did on the cross of Calvary. Then later he also declared: ‘I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.’ (John 10:14) More gospel truth again, for Jesus does indeed know all those who truly know Him as Lord and Saviour. And way back when Isaiah also referred to the Lord as a shepherd. ‘He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is. 40:11)Yes, the Lord takes good care of His people like a shepherd takes good care of his sheep.  

And there’s absolutely no doubt that ‘Jesus is our Rock, and our hope of eternal salvation.’ Bruh David says it so eloquently in Psalm 18: ‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps. 18:1-3) And that’s what he did, and the Lord saved him from His enemies. And since the Lord doesn’t change, if He did it for Bruh David, then He will also do it for all who sincerely call upon His Holy Name for help!  

Meanwhile because of Jesus’ sacrifice, the Lord ‘Hath also highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phill. 2:9-11) And then, when Jesus comes as the righteous Judge, the Bible says: ‘And he hath on his vesture (robe) and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’ (Rev. 19:16)

And there’s also joy and singing in heaven, ‘Heav’nly portals loud with hosannas ring!’ when ‘ John says in Revelation: ‘And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts (living creatures) and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessings, and honour, and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts (living creatures) said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. ’ (Rev. 5:11-14)

Yes my people, that’s only a foretaste of how it will really be. Much LOVE!

…our great Godhead…Father, Son and Holy Ghost…are indeed worthy of all our praise…and even more…

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

The Remarkable Benefits Believers have Received from the Death and Resurrection of Jesus! Part 2.

26 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

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

John 11:25.         I am the resurrection, and the life he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live:

Ah friends, it’s Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week, and it looks like we’ve gotten through the recent heat wave without too much damage! Thank the Lord! And with a li’l rain falling in the early morning hours, and some falling outside right now, it’s helped to give us a cool, but somewhat cloudy day. And as we promised yesterday if God spared our lives, we would continue looking at some of the numerous benefits that His death and resurrection brought us.

Remember, yesterday we read this commentary that gave us a brief insight into some of those things: ‘‘Christ’s death and resurrection offer believers forgiveness of sins, new life, and the hope of eternal life, among other benefits. His sacrifice on the cross atones for our sins, while his resurrection conquers death, granting believers new life and the promise of eternal life.’ And we went through some of the relevant benefits and scriptures.

Today, as time and space permit, we’ll do a few more starting with one we touched on briefly yesterday. That’s reconciliation, or reconnection to God. That’s a major benefit, because our sins had separated us from our heavenly Father, and Christ’s dying and taking them, brought us back into communion with Him. And this passage of scripture touches on several of the things Christ’s sacrifice did for us. And one thing we should note is that it all happened because of God’s great LOVE for us.

Bruh Paul writes: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more, being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom. 5:8-11)

Yes friends, in that passage we see God reaching out to us, although we were enemies, to provide reconciliation, salvation and justification through the death and the shed blood of His son. And what is salvation? Salvation is the saving grace of God, as Bruh Paul writes to the Ephesians. ‘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 them.’  (Eph. 2:8-10)

And the gist of all that is simply that we are saved by the grace or undeserved divine favour of God, it is a gift of God, and we cannot earn it, no matter how hard we try. The fact is, we do good works because we’re expected to once we’re saved. We don’t do good works to be saved. And that’s something we all ought to understand, because many of us still believe doing good works will get us into heaven! Unfortunately it will not. Only faith, or belief in Christ Jesus will do so.

As Jesus said to Martha, the sister of Lazarus, before He raised him from the dead. ‘I am the resurrection, and the life he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ (John 11:25-26) Now that’s a very crucial question! For belief and faith in Christ is the only way we will ever experience eternal life. His death paid the atoning price for our sins. ‘For he (God) hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ.’ (1 Cor. 5:21)

And ‘the righteousness of God’ is another benefit we received from Christ’s death and resurrection. Earlier on we talked about being ‘justified by his blood” that’s another benefit. So what’s justification, and what’s the righteousness of God? They are both intertwined, as this commentary explains: ‘Justification is God’s declaration that a person is righteous, not because they are inherently righteous, but because Christ’s righteousness is imputed to them through faith.’ Yes friends, all that we are, all that we have is because of Christ and applied to us because of Him. We have been made righteous, justified, reconciled and sanctified because of His work on the cross.

And sanctified simply means been set apart to do God’s work for a sacred purpose. It’s the process of being made more like Jesus Christ in character and conduct. And it’s a lifelong journey, not a one time event. It calls to mind this verse: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus.’ (Phil.1:6) Meaning that once God begins changing you into the image of Christ, He will not stop until Christ returns, or He takes you home.

Ah mih people I know it’s difficult to take in and understand all that Christ has done for us, but as the Lord changes us into His image, and we work with Him to do so, we will grow in spiritual maturity and understand more and more, as He raises us from glory to glory. So there’s no need to worry, once we keep God first place and follow the guidance of His Holy Spirit.  And to show His goodness and mercy, God has bestowed on us what we call our Thursday Blessings. Undeserved blessings  to do His earthly work. So, let’s declare and thus activate them right now!

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!

I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And having made that declaration, it’s now our bounden duty to use those blessings to help others, just as generously as God shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…unless we have Christ…we have nothing at all…

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