18 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man of sorrows, a profound effect, a significant turning point, a turning point in our lives, a watershed day in our lives, abuse, afflicted, all we like sheep have gone astray, as sheep before her shearers is dumb, be set free from the bondage of sin, break our hearts, bruised for our iniquities, buried in a wealthy man's tomb, can't be an Easter Sunday without a Good Friday, Christ crucified between two thieves, cut off, death of a Good Friday, Easter Sunday, even unto death, every one has turned to their own way, faith, feeling the pressure, for the transgression of my people, give us his righteousness, glorious undertones, Good Friday, he had done no violence, he made his grave with the wicked, he opened not his mouth, he was oppressed, he was stricken, he was wounded for our transgressions, holy spirit, if it be possible, immense physical suffering of jesus, improve our sinful and disobedient ways, Jesus Christ, Jesus sacrificed himself for our salvation, Jesus was in such agony, Jesus' illegitimate trials, Joseph of Arimathea, led like a lamb to the slaughter, let this cup pass from me, LOVE, mercy, my soul is exceeding sorrowful, neither was any deceit found in his mouth, not as I will but as thou wilt, oppression, out of the land of the living, pierced through, potential life, resurrection from the dead, sacrificial death, salvation, severe pain, suffering of christ, take our sins, taken from prison, tarry ye here and watch with me, the chastisement of our peace, the cross of Calvary, the crown of thorns, the desperate condition of mankind, the Father's great love for us, the Garden of Gethsemane, the iniquity of us all, the javelin in his side, the Lord has laid on him, the only sinless one Jesus, the prophecy of Isaiah, the purpose for which He was born, the saddest day of the year, the scourging, the Servant of the Lord, the severity of Christ's suffering, the sweat from His brow resembled blood, to die in our place, to pay for our sins, torture, truth, who shall declare his generation, wisdom, with his stripes we are healed, with the rich in his death, without a shepherd to guide us
Isaiah 53:6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Then it was Friday…not our regular Friday, but Good Friday; the saddest day in the world, but one with glorious undertones. For Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross of Calvary on Good Friday to pay for our sins, so that we could be set free from the bondage of sin, when He gloriously arose on Easter Sunday. So, as we’re wont to say, there can’t be an amazing resurrection on Easter Sunday without the pain and tears and death of a Good Friday!
And we all know about the actual torture, abuse and suffering that Christ went through on Good Friday from the Gospels, so we won’t go into that, instead, let’s contemplate the prophecy of Isaiah on the topic, several hundred years earlier, which tells it all so clearly but succinctly. Having called the Servant of the Lord (Jesus) a man of sorrows or severe pain, Isaiah goes on to say: ‘But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised (pierced through) for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.’ (Is. 53:5)
Now, that simple sentence encompasses a lot of what happened to Jesus on that long ago Good Friday. And the gospels do tell of the severity of Christ’s suffering; both emotionally and physically. We see the former in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before the crucifixion, where He shares His problem with the disciples. ‘My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here (stay here), and watch with me.’ (Matt. 26:38)
And three times He went forward by Himself and prayed for the Father to remove the calamity, saying: ‘O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.’ (Matt. 26:39) But three times, He received the same answer; silence. But deep down Jesus knew that this was the major purpose for which He was born, but His human side was feeling the pressure. And according to Luke, He was so agonized that the sweat falling from His brow, resembled drops of blood. Luke also says that during His prayer time, an angel came from heaven and strengthened Him. (Luke 22:43-44)
And we know of the immense physical suffering, from the scourging, the crown of thorns, the javelin in His side, the nails in His hands and feet…all of that just fulfills the words of Isaiah; ‘wounded for our transgressions (sins), bruised (pierced through) for our iniquities (moral evils), the chastisement (discipline) of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.’ Yes friends, Jesus paid the terribly high price for the absolution of our sins with the sacrifice of His sinless life, and by the very wounds that were inflicted on His sinless body, those are the very ones by which we are today spiritually healed and forgiven.
And why were the sins of the whole world placed on Jesus’ sinless shoulders? Isaiah tells us: ‘All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.’ (Is. 53:6) And if we are truthful, we will acknowledge the desperate condition of mankind back then, where we were so lost and suffering without a Sheperd to guide us. However, the Father, in His great LOVE for us, sent the Son, the only sinless one to die in our place, to take our sins on His shoulders and give us His righteousness.
But yuh know what? Today we’re even more lawless and sinful than ever! Satan and his evil cronies are ruling the roost, and it seems that Jesus is running a far second. That’s not right my people. Not after all that Jesus suffered for us. Hear Isaiah tell it nuh. ‘He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought (was led) like a lamb to the slaughter, and as sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.’ (Is. 53:7) And that is exactly how Jesus played the scene! He didn’t complain, nor get angry and fight back, just went willingly with very few words to His sacrificial death, which was His destiny.
And Isaiah continues: ‘He was taken from prison (out of oppression) and from judgement (justice): and who shall declare his generation (consider it among His generation)? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit (guile) in his mouth.’ (Is. 53:8-9) Oh my people, you can find all that prophecy fulfilled in the New Testament, with the same words being used all through it.
And the scholars offer these explanations on those last two verses. ‘He was taken from prison and from judgement (justice) refers to the illegitimate trials to which Jesus was subjected. Who shall declare reads better “who has considered.” His generation refers to His potential life. The verb was cut off refers here to a violent death. The reference to the Servant making his grave with the wicked was certainly fulfilled in Christ’s crucifixion between two thieves. (Matt. 27:38) The additional phrase and with the rich in his death refers to Jesus’ burial in the tomb of the wealthy Joseph of Arimathea. (Matt. 27:57).’
And my fellow saints, having read all of that, and possibly having joined others in worship earlier on, I do hope that today, this Good Friday of 2025, will be a watershed day in our lives; one that marks a significant turning point, where all the suffering of Jesus has this profound effect on us and causes us to improve our sinful and disobedient ways, for that’s the only way our currently evil and ungodly world will ever become more obedient and godly! Much LOVE!
…if Jesus’ suffering on our behalf…doesn’t break our hearts and incline us to His way of life…then we have no hearts…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a stranger, as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats, as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, before him shall be gathered all the nations, being confident of this very thing, Come ye blessed of my Father, conform to the example of Jesus, consider our current way of life, depart from me ye cursed, distinguish between good and bad, endure to the very end, eternal security, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, from the foundation of the world, future rewards, go away into everlasting punishment, Good Friday, hands on the plough, he which hath begun a good work in you, helping the sick and needy, holy spirit, I was hungry, I was sick and ye visited me, I was thirsty, in prison, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, into everlasting fire, Jesus Christ, Jesus was crucified, keep on keeping on, LOVE, mercy, naked, naked and ye clothed me, not turning back, our abominable sins, prepared for the devil and his angels, salvation, second wind day, separate them one from another, set the goats on the left hand, set the sheep on his right hand but the goats on the left, sick and in prison, so glad to be alive, spiritual freedom, superior and inferior quality, thank God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the hefty price Christ paid for our sins, the poor and downtrodden, the righteous into life eternal, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, until the day of Christ Jesus, weak and failing, will our lifestyle satisfy Jesus, will perform it, wisdom, ye came unto me, ye clothed me not, ye did it not to me, ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye gave me drink, ye gave me food, ye gave me no drink, ye gave me no meat, ye have done it unto me, ye took me in, ye visited me not
Matthew 25:33. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Aye friends, it’s Wednesday of Holy Week, the second wind day of our workweek! A day that helps us get up the gumption and courage to keep on keeping on for the next couple days. This week though, we only have one more day to go, as Friday, Good Friday, is a holiday for most of us. But despite the holiday, we will have a lot of sadness and sorrow because it’s the day that our Saviour Jesus Christ was abused, tortured and crucified to pay for our abominable sins.
And if we’re true believers, that ought to give us pause and make us consider if our current way of life will satisfy Jesus, and make Him consider the hefty price He paid for our spiritual freedom worthwhile. Now that’s a million dollar question, and I don’t know how many of us will answer it truthfully, but we need to. And if our lives are not up to scratch, then we need to raise them up, as it may one day cause us to be separated from the sheep and placed with the goats. That means to distinguish between good and bad individuals or those of superior and inferior ability.
It’s based on Jesus story in the gospel of Matthew, when He comes again in all His glory. ‘And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungred (hungry), and ye gave me meat (food): I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.’ (Matt. 25:32-36)
And when the righteous asks Jesus when they’d done all those things to Him? He answers: ‘Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’ (Matt. 25:40) Yes my fellow believers, that’s how we are expected to function; helping the sick and needy, the downtrodden and helpless with good hearts, and not expecting anything from them in return, knowing that any future rewards will come from the Father in His own time.
Now here’s the other side of the equation: ‘Then shall he (king Jesus) say unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred (hungry), and ye gave me no meat (food): I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.’ (Matt. 25:41-43)
And when they ask as to what time they saw Him in need and not minister on to Him? ‘Then he shall answer them, saying, Verily, verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. and these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.’ (Matt. 25:45-46)
Ah friends, that’s the kind of scenario we might have to face. And since we don’t know how much time we have left, it’s best we begin to improve our lives as soon as possible, in fact right now. Oh, we all know where we are weak and failing, and if we don’t know, then we can ask the Lord and He will gladly show us. (smile)
The truth is that though we will never be perfect, we can all improve, we can all get better at doing the things Jesus desires of us. And this verse from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Philippians, ought to encourage us to do so. He writes; ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begin a good work in you will perform (complete, finish) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6)
Yes my fellow believers, when we accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour, the Father began a good work in us, which He will undoubtedly continue until Jesus comes back. So there’s no need to worry we’ll be left out of the loop. No way! For that verse speaks to our eternal security, since God’s plan has always been to make all His children conform to the example of His first born, and that will never change. So, with such great assurance under our belt, let’s faithfully use this Easter season to improve ourselves; physically, spiritually and emotionally.
And we can begin right now by declaring (steups!!!) our Wednesday Wail with strong conviction. As one 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!’
And it’s been promised that if we endure with Jesus to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So please, let’s plan to meet at the very end and enjoy that future together nuh! Much LOVE!
…in Jesus kingdom…it’s better to be a sheep than a goat…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a conquering hero, a man of sorrows, a time to celebrate, a worldly flavour, accepting Him as Lord and Saviour, acquainted with grief, afflicted, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, all things become new, attain God's standard of righteousness, bruised, bruised for our iniquities, carried our sorrows, Christ is the main focus, Christ's massacred body, Christian faith, christianity, Christians, crying out for Christ's crucifixion, despised and rejected of men men, disicpline, don't allow Christ's suffering to go to waste, don't allow the world to control our situation, duty bound, Easter celebrations, eternal death, expansive, expensive, extravagant spending, faith, faithfully observe the important aspects, for the wages of sin is death, get back to basics, Good Friday, great influence on our behaviour, he hath borne our griefs, he is a new creation, hid our faces from him, holy spirit, Holy Week, hurry, if any man be in Christ, in god's eyes, increase the spirituality, infiltrate the celebrations, injuries, Jesus Christ, Jesus took our punishment, Jesus' work on the cross, lawless world, left to die in the hot noonday sun, let the world know to whom we belong, leverage their business, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, mercy, moral evils, nailed to the cross, not what people say about me, old things are passed away, paid our sin debt in full, Palm Sunday, pierced through, reduce the level of materialism, salvation, share His love with my neighbours, sickness, sins, smitten of God, spiritual sickness, stop mouthing platitudes, take stock, the amazing grace of God, the beloved of God, the BIBLE, the chastisement of our peace, the deadly Roman whip, the gift of God is eternal life, the greatest gift ever given to man, the horrendous situation, the icing on the cake, the seriousness of the situation, the sufferation of Jesus, the true significance of the occasion, to go out and share the love and friendship of Christ, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, utterly crushed, watered down, we did esteem him stricken, we esteemed him not, wisdom, with his stripes we are healed, worry, wounded for our transgressions
Isaiah 53:4. Surely he hath borne our griefs (spiritual sickness, injuries), and carried our sorrows (pains): yet we did esteem (reckon) him stricken, smitten (struck down) of God, and afflicted.
So it’s Tuesday of Holy Week, and I guess preparations are busily underway for the upcoming Easter celebrations. But please, this year, let’s make the effort to remember the true significance of the occasion; that Christ is the main focus and that much more attention should be paid to Him. Unfortunately, all our Christian faith celebrations, have gotten expansive and expensive (smile) and every year they take on a more worldly flavour. We’ve allowed the world and its various sectors, especially the economic one, to infiltrate the celebrations, and use the overflowing emotions of the faithful to leverage their business, making each celebration a cause for extravagant spending.
And thus, the real significance of each celebration and what ought to really matter, gets watered down with each passing year. It’s time that we believers stop, and take stock of what’s really happening, and do our best to reduce the level of the material side of the equation, and increase the spiritual side, which has now reached an all time low level. Many people don’t know the true meaning of Christmas or Easter, just that’s it a holiday and a time to celebrate with parties, gifts and lots of food.
Now, nothing is intrinsically wrong with those things, but they ought not to be the main focus of the celebrations as they are turning out to be. We have to stop allowing the world to control our situations, remember we’re supposed to be in the world, but not of the world, and therefore what the world says and does, ought not to have the great influence on our behaviour and lifestyles as it’s currently doing. It’s time to get back to basics and let the truly important aspect of the celebrations be faithfully observed, not the simple mouthing of platitudes as we’re wont to do these days.
How many of us truly consider and deeply reflect on what Christ did for us at this Eater Season eh? Remember how he was greeted on entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday like a conquering hero. Then a few days later how they were all crying to have him crucified. How many of us sit down and truly ponder the ‘sufferation’ He went through during His last days, especially on Good Friday for our benefit eh?
It was much more than mere suffering. Think about the stripes, the wounds that scarred His back from the deadly Roman whip, those same stripes by which we are healed. Think of the javelin that wounded His side, then being nailed to a cross and left to die in the hot Israel noonday sun, as the last drops of blood and water dry up and/or flow out of His massacred body.
Can you even imagine how He felt? None of us really can, because we’re not called to go through such suffering. But the prophet Isaiah perfectly described the horrendous situation hundreds of years before it happened, calling Him, “A Man of Sorrows,’ as he writes: ‘He is despised and rejected of (forsaken by) men; a man of sorrows (severe pains), and acquainted with grief (sickness, injuries): and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.’ (Is. 53:3)
And that was just the icing on the cake! Listen to the rest of it: ‘Surely he hath borne our griefs (spiritual sickness, injuries), and carried our sorrows (pains): yet we did esteem (reckon) him stricken, smitten (struck down) of God, and afflicted.’ (Is. 53:4) Yes my fellow believers, back then they did not truly appreciate what Jesus was doing for them, and unfortunately, even today, many of us don’t realize the seriousness of the situation.
But here’s the truth of it all, as Isaiah prophesied. ‘But he was wounded (pierced through) for our transgressions (sins), he was bruised (utterly crushed) for our iniquities (moral evils): the chastisement (discipline) of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes (wounds) we are healed.’ (Is. 53:5) Yes friends, that’s the long and short of the story!
All that Jesus suffered was for us. He took the punishment that was meant for us on His sinless shoulders, so that we could become the sinless children of God. Do we truly understand the great significance of that undertaking. No! Many of us do not, otherwise we would not be so complaisant and relaxed while hobnobbing with the sinful things of this world.
Remember what the Bible says: ‘For all have sinned, and come (fallen) short of the glory of God.’ (Rom. 3:23) Yes. None of us have or can ever come up to the standard of righteousness that God desires on our own. That, consequently brings us to this other eye opening scripture: ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom. 6:23)
And that’s where the everlasting importance of Jesus’ work here on earth makes the difference in the lives of us mere mortals! We can either undergo eternal death trying to pay for our own sins or simply ignoring them, or we can enjoy eternal life by understanding that the Lord accepted Jesus’ work on the cross as payment in full for our sin debt, and wisely accepting Him as our Lord and Saviour. It’s the greatest gift mankind has ever been given…and it’s free…all through the amazing grace of God !
All you have to do is confess that you’re a sinner and ask Jesus to come into life and make you whole. And if you’re sincere, it’s a done deal! The Holy Spirit comes into your life and helps you to become a new man, for once you accept Jesus, you cannot go back to your old, unashamed sinful way of living. As Bruh Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ (2 Cor. 5:17)
Yes friends, it’s high time for many of us to put aside our old ways and take up the new ones that Jesus desperately desires us to have, so that we can make positive and productive changes in our chaotic and lawless world. And for those of us who are sincerely trying to do that, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel.
As one voice: ‘In God’s eyes, 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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now, that makes us duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with those we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…please don’t allow Christ’s suffering to go to waste…instead…be wise and accept His offer of eternal life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a name above every other name, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, at the name of Jesus, be of good cheer, beside still waters, bet your bottom dollar, choose life, christianity, come unto me, curse, Easter Sunday, every knee shall bow, every tongue confess, faith, fro glory to glory, fulfillment, god, God also highly exalted him, Good Friday, good vibes, I am meek and lowly in heart, i have overcome the world, I will you rest, in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, Jesus in our hearts souls bodies and minds, Jesus is our Good Shepherd, Jesus is our Guide and Leader, King of Kings, leads us to green pastures, learn of me, let it rain, let not your heart be troubled, Lord of Lords, LOVE, my burden is light, my peace I give to you, my yoke is easy, negative word, neither let it be afraid, not as the world giveth, paid our sin debt in full, peace, Peace i leave with you, refreshes our weary souls, salvation, self-discipline, set before you life and death, success, supernatural strength, take my yoke upon you, that both thou and thy seed shall live, the awesome power of Christ's resurrection, the Easter season, turbulent times, wisdom
Matthew 11:28. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
And the good vibes of this Easter Season still percolate strongly through our faith on this wet Thursday spring morning in early April. Thankfully, the rain has let up some, and the li’l snow we got has already disappeared. However, the promise of rain is still in the forecast. But as I like to say: ‘Let it rain, let it rain! With Jesus in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, rain cannot stop us from moving forward with Him!’ No sir! For Jesus is our Guide and Leader, our Good Shepherd, who leads us to green pastures, beside still waters and restores or refreshes our burdened and weary souls.
That means, if we are wise, we will quickly take Him up on His Great Invitation. ‘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, there is absolutely no better invitation in all the world! You can bet your bottom dollar on that!
And Jesus, having died on Good Friday and paid our sin debt in full, then risen on Easter Sunday and proclaimed the awesome power of His resurrection, He now sits at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf, highly exalted for His work on the cross. As the Good Library tells it: ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee shall 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.’ (Phil. 2:9-11)
Wow mih bredrin! Jesus, for His stellar, unselfish work here on earth has been proclaimed King of Kings and Lord of Lords and the name that’s above all names! That means, if possible, He is now even more able to offer us the peace and rest that we so desperately need in these tremulous and turbulent times, than when He first offered that invitation while here with us on Mother Earth. So why are many more of us not turning to Him for the comfort, relief and solace He so readily offers eh? Why instead are so many of us leaving His church, turning away from Him and all the wonderful things He offers?
I truly don’t know why, neither can I understand why in this age of turmoil and confusion we would run away from the ONE source of true peace and comfort in this evil and ungodly world. My people, please, I plead with us to remember these most important words of Jesus on the subject of peace in this strife-filled world. He says: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
Right there you have it friends! Jesus’ peace is an entirely different kind of peace from what this ungodly world offers as peace. And furthermore, when you have the peace of Jesus, you don’t have to be worried and anxious about what’s happening in the world, or even in your particular situation, because He will keep you peaceful if you live for Him. And Jesus second quote on peace comes just after He tells the disciples about His upcoming crucifixion, acknowledging that in their fear they would scatter like rats at the presence of a cat. (smile)
Nonetheless, He comforts them with these words. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And yes, we all know that it’s hard to have peace when we’re undergoing trials and tribulations, but if we put our complete trust in Jesus, surrender our all to Him, He will give us the necessary peace to go about our business without too much worry and anxiety. That’s His absolute promise! And I’m here to testify to it.
But unfortunately, it doesn’t happen overnight. However, as you draw closer to Jesus; pray, read and understand more of His Word and put it into action in your own life, you find yourself being less and less worried and anxious, because little by little, you’re experiencing His faithfulness in your life. Your faith grows stronger as He slowly raises you from glory to glory! Now that my fellow believers is the least we can ask of our Saviour. But the truth of the matter is that He has a lot more to offer us, if we will only turn to Him seriously and sincerely!
As He says in His Invitation; you will find rest for your souls, an easy yoke, a light burden, plus stuff like forgiveness of sins, salvation and eternal life with Him wherever He might be. Now what can be better than that eh? Certainly not our only other option; that of sojourning in hell with Satan and his band of evil doers. But it’s all up to the individual. The Lord gave us free choice, hoping that we’d choose Him, over Satan. Thus Moses’ exhortation to the Israelites in the wilderness: ‘I call heaven and earth to record (as witnesses) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessings and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut. 30:19)
It could not be said any clearer than that my fellow saints. Now the ball is in our court. Please play it wisely. And our God is so wonderful that He even bestows on us undeserved blessings to profitably share His Word on the earth. We call them our Thursday Blessings, but there’s one proviso; a blessing is not a blessing until it’s declared (yesss!!!). So let’s declare (awright!!!) them right now nuh. 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 (yeahhh!!!) we are now duty bound to go out and use those blessings for the benefit of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…why choose sorrowful death…when there’s glorious life to be chosen…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
03 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great cloud of witnesses, as in Adam all die, be born again, believe, christianity, comfort one another with these words, despise not the chastening of the Lord, Easter, Easter Sunday, endure to the end, eternal separation from Almighty God, faith, forgive others, forgiveness of sins, god, Good Friday, halfway home, hands on the plough, hellfire and damnation, in Christ shall all be made alive, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ our Anchor, Jesus defeated hell the death and the grave, Jeus's triumphant resurrection, lest ye be wearied and faint, LOVE, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not turning back, our redeemer, our rock, ramifications of Easter, resurrection, run with patience, salvation, sealed the deal, set down at God's right hand, thank God, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the breath of life, the dead in Christ shall rise, the firstfruits of them that slept, the race set before us, the Rapture, the trump of God, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail, whom the loveth he chasteneth, wisdom
1 Corinthians 15:22. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
It’s a wet, windy and cloudy Wednesday! And it’s not just some spring showers, but the effects of a North American wide storm moving all the way from California, across the continent dropping snow and rain in its path in unusual proportions. This rain has been falling in my area since yesterday, and has attached to it the potential for some wet snow. So there’s reason to be careful, either through flooding or slipping and sliding if the snow materializes. What a good thing it is that we have our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, our Anchor, our Rock, our Redeemer, to help us in all and any situations! All praise to His holy name!
And since the Lord has spared life today, let’s keep the promise we made yesterday and turn to the second part of our discourse on the ramifications of Easter. Now, yesterday we saw the great benefit Jesus’ death on Good Friday wrought for us; that’s the forgiveness of our sin debt. However, we need to first believe, be born again, and forgive others of their trespasses against us, if we want the Father to forgive us our trespasses. And if there was any doubt, Jesus’ triumphant resurrection on Easter Sunday, sealed the deal! Yes, He defeated Satan and his negative domain, that’s hell, the death and the grave!
Wow! And because Christ rose from the dead, all those who believe in Him are promised eternal life, that’s the continued living of their soul with Christ, wherever He is. As Jesus said so clearly: ‘And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.’ (John 3:13-15) There you have it friends, because Christ was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven, so too shall those who believe in Him be raised from death into eternal life with Him!
As Bruh Paul writes to the church at Corinth: ‘But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits (the anticipated harvest) of them that slept (have died). For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.’ (1 Cor. 15:20-23) Ah my fellow believers, that’s just so wonderful! Because Christ rose from death, so shall we. And that last verse promises that when Christ comes for the church at the Rapture, believers, all those who died believing in Christ will also experience resurrection. And the scholars offer these references for that that situation: (cf. 1 Thess. 3:13: 4:14-18).
And that second reference reads thus: ‘For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep (have died). For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump (trumpet) of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever (always) be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.’ (1 Thess. 4:14-18)
Now, let’s hope we all sincerely believe that promise, find sure comfort in it, take it to heart very seriously, and consequently live the earthly life that will make it come through for us, because it’s not going happen automatically; not unless we believe and live according to Christ’s desires. And what are Jesus’ desires you ask? I believe this passage from Hebrews explains it perfectly. ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us.
Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (discouraged) in your minds (souls). Ye have not yet resisted unto blood (bloodshed), striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children (sons), My son, despise not the chastening (discipline) of the Lord, nor faint (be discouraged) when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.’ (Heb. 12:1-6)
Yes, my fellow saint. We have a whole lot of others to look to, who testified or witnessed to the benefits of our faith, but the chief one for us to emulate is our founder and finisher, Jesus Christ! And like Him, to run the race required of us, we have to drop all the stuff that weighs us down; sins, clothes, personal baggage, whatever, and endure all that comes against us, like Jesus, for the joy of spending eternity with Him! That means even enduring the Lord’s discipline without too much complaining, because if the Lord LOVES you, he will discipline you, just like we discipline our children, because we LOVE them and don’t want to see them go astray.
And with those ramifications of the Easter occurrences in mind, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus! As one 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!’
Then there’s this promise; that if we endure to the end with Jesus, then we’ll experience a future so glorious that we cannot ask or imagine it. Now that’ certainly something to look forward to eh. Hope to see you then! Much LOVE!
…without the awesome happenings of Good Friday and Easter Sunday…we’d be headed straight for hellfire and damnation…eternal separation from God…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
02 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Bible, Easter Tuesday, except a man be born again, faith, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, forgiveness, Goat races in Tobago, god, God so loved the world, Good Friday, hatred, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven, he gave his only begotten son, hurry, if ye forgive men their trespasses, in god's eyes, Jesus, Jesus Christ, LOVE, parties galore, quells the spontaneity, raucous, share His love with my neighbours, should not perish but have everlasting life, spontaneous, strife, the abundant life, the beloved of God, the exorbitant price to pay for sin, the Messiah, the ramifications of Easter, to be forgiven one needs to forgive, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, ungodly transgressions, whosoever believeth in him, wisdom, worry
Matthew 6:12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Then it was Easter Tuesday, time to get back to working for a living, therefore, most of the Easter hoopla has now been toned down. But not the celebrated Easter Tuesday Goat Races in that picturesque, seaside village of Buccoo in sweet Tobago. Ah friends, that’s gotten so big and popular now that in recent years they built a stadium to house those goat races. I remember the days when it used to be just an open field in the village betwixt some houses, with parties galore happening all around, and people standing along the side lines, shouting for their favourite goat or crab.
Obviously the event was much more raucous and spontaneous. But apparently, as things grow bigger, they need to be better handled and managed, thus the building of the stadium. However, to a certain extent that quells the natural spontaneity of the event, making it less colourful. But in some quarters, that’s called progress, (smile) and as it’s still a colourful event, we’ll see you later down in Buccoo at the Goat Races. Party Time!
Now let’s get serious about the real ramifications of this Easter weekend. On Good Friday, Christ sacrificed His sinless life on the cross of Calvary so that our sin debt could be paid in full. That was the exorbitant price required by the Father for that situation to be solved. And Christ paid it without any hard feelings, despite the gross ‘sufferation’ He was forced to endure. As Isaiah so rightly says: ‘All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.’ (Is. 53:6)
Yes my fellow believers, the Lord laid ALL of our abominable sins on the shoulders of Christ that Good Friday day two thousand years ago. Meaning He was totally weighed down with, and made responsible for our ungodly transgressions. That means we now have forgiveness of our sins. However, that doesn’t come automatically or naturally. No! As Jesus said to the Jewish Leader, Nicodemus: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, (or from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God. … Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.’ (John 3:3, 5)
Now, that means to be forgiven of our sins and thus be able to enter in God’s kingdom we also have to do something. And what’s that, you ask? Listen to Jesus tell it. ‘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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 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 3:16-18)
There you have it friends; what we need to do so that we can be saved. It’s simple and straightforward: Believe in Christ Jesus! Believe that He is the Son of God; the promised Messiah; be born again of the Holy Spirit and be baptized in water, as an outward show of our inner sincerity! That makes us saved and eligible to enter heaven. But within that new born again life there are a couple of things that are necessary to live the Christian life; the life Christ died for us to have. As He says: ‘The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10)
So, if we believe in Jesus and live the way He desires of us, we will have an abundant life beginning right down here on earth. But before we move on to heavenly matters, (smile) there is one earthly thing we must remember and get absolutely right, and it deals with the forgiveness of sins. Christ died so that that could be achieved, that we could renew a right relationship with the Father, but there’s one codicil to it, that regarding the sins of the individual. Jesus specifies it quite plainly in His Sermon on the Mount, when teaching His disciples to pray. It’s this simple but ever so important line of what we call the Lords’ Prayer. ‘And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’ (Matt. 6:12)
Oh my people, that is the most important thing we need to remember and do after we believe in Jesus. Otherwise, He continues: ‘For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.’ (Matt. 6:14-15) It could not get any clearer than that my brethren. Forgiveness of other’s sins against us must be meted out, if we want forgiveness from our heavenly Father. But sadly, in this strife-filled, angry and hateful world, unforgiveness is one of the major drawbacks in turning things around.
Our human selfishness is showing up ever so greatly with our refusal to forgive others the way we want the Lord to forgive us. And that’s what causing so much of the negativity in our embattled and turbulent world. Now we all know that a lot of harsh and hurting things are done each and every day to numerous people, and it’s very difficult to forgive some of those trespasses, but the fact is that we must try, through prayer and heavenly help, if we want our own sins to be forgiven and our world to therefore become a better place.
And it’s so sad to realize that much of the strife and hatred now in place began centuries ago, and some of those now involved in the negativity don’t even know what they’re really fighting and hating for. That’s how bad our inhumanity and unforgiveness has become. What more can I say eh friends, when these days, finding a country where there’s no strife or very little, is like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack. And unfortunately, things will not get better until we begin forgetting and forgiving the sins and trespasses of our individual neighbors and those worldwide.
And if God spares life, tomorrow we’ll continue with the heavenly mattes we spoke about earlier on. (smile) But for those of us who are trying to live the abundant life in these tough circumstances, let’s go home now declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, 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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, it now becomes our bounden duty to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…to be forgiven…one needs to forgive…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
29 Mar 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crying shame, a root out of a dry ground, abused, acquainted with grief, afflicted, arm of the Lord, atonement for our sins, Bible, bondage of sin, bruised for our iniquities, carried our sorrows, christianity, crucifixion of christ, debased, divine power, faith, god, Good Friday, gratitude in our hearts, he hath borne our griefs, he shall grow up as a tender plant, His message is rejected, His mission is misunderstood, humble origin, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lack of faith, like a lamb to the slaughter, LOVE, negative attributes of Satan, no beauty, no form of comeliness, salvation, sever pains, shamed, smitten of God, spiritual sickness, stumble in unbelief, sufferation, the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, the chastisement of our peace, the Davidic line, the light of the world, the man of sorrows, the Messiah, the salt of the earth, the Son of God, we did esteem him stricken, with his stripes we are healed, wounded for our transgressions
Isaiah 53:4. Surely he hath borne our griefs (spiritual sickness), and carried our sorrows (severe pains): yet we did esteem (reckon) him stricken, smitten of (struck down by) God, and afflicted.
And the loud shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ usually heard around the world on a Friday, the last day of the work week, are somewhat muted today, with a modicum of sorrow and sadness, because today we commemorate the crucifixion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on the rugged hill of Calvary. What an awful time that must have been for Him, abused, debased, and shamed to the nth degree, all for our benefit. And though we know it was the price that had to be paid so our sins could be forgiven, it’s still difficult and somewhat overwhelming the things, the unimageable ‘sufferation,’ He was forced to bear, so we could be set free from the terrible bondage of sin.
The Father didn’t deal gently with him at all, such was the high price required for our freedom. But, knowing that all our hopes and dreams were on His shoulders, our Saviour bore it all in silence, bore it like the strong man, the humble Son of God that He was. And these prophetic words of the Isaiah, spoken long before Christ’s birth and death, tell us of some of the problems He had to bear on our behalf. Isaiah speaks thus of the ‘Man of Sorrows.’
‘Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm (divine power) of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form (no stately form) nor comeliness (splendour); and when we shall see him, there is no beauty (appearance) that we should desire him. He is despised (disdained, scorned) and rejected (forsaken, abandoned) of men; a man of sorrows (severe pains), and acquainted with grief (sickness, injuries): and (because of His personal suffering) we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised (disdained, scorned), and we esteemed him not.
Surely he hath borne our griefs (spiritual sickness), and carried our sorrows (severe pains): yet we did esteem (reckon) him stricken, smitten of (struck down by) God, and afflicted. But he was wounded (pierced through) for our transgressions (sins), he was bruised (utterly crushed) for our iniquities: the chastisement (correction, discipline) of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes (blows that cut into His body) we are healed. (Is. 53:1-5)
Wow friends! What an accurate prophecy of Jesus, His life and sufferings on our behalf. And the scholars explain thus: ‘In these verses we see the personal Messiah, the Son of God, who alone can atone for sin. His message is rejected (vs.1); His person is refused (vs.2); and His mission is misunderstood (vs.3). Nevertheless His vicarious (second hand) suffering provides atonement for our sins (vs. 4-6); and though He suffers (vs.7) death (vs.8) and burial (vs. 9, He will ultimately be exalted (vs. 10-12). To miss the fact that Jesus Christ is the central figure in this passage is to stumble in unbelief over the cornerstone and foundation of all the gospel.’
And sadly many in Jesus’ time, and many today, still miss that central fact that Jesus is the foundation, the cornerstone of our faith. Now let’s get some broken down explanations from the scholars. ‘They say: ‘The rhetorical question Who hath believed our report? is more of an exclamation than an interrogation. Speaking for all the prophets, Isaiah calls attention to the world’s lack of faith in general. The arm of the Lord is the emblem of divine power (cf. 51:9; 52:10). The Servant is described as a tender plant (suckling or shoot) and a root out of a dry ground, which has already been described as springing from the stump of Jesse (hence the Davidic line).
No form or comeliness denotes His humble origin rather than His personal appearance. Beauty may be read “elegance.” This description does not mean that He will be homely or ugly, but that He will not appear on the scene in the regalia of a king. He will come as one who is common. Nothing could better describe the humble appearance of Jesus as a common rabbi.’
Ah mih people, Jesus suffered so much on our behalf, that’s it’s a crying shame that so many of us have rejected Him down through the ages, and are still rejecting Him, at a crucial time when we need Him the most, when our world is overrun by evil, ungodliness and all the other negative attributes of Satan.
And as the scholars further explain: ‘The description of Christ’s suffering in the New Testament Gospels clearly indicates the severity of His physical suffering: the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, His battered face, the severe scourging (beating), and the torture of the crucifixion itself. His substitutionary atonement is clearly taught by the words, ‘he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: stricken, smitten of God and afflicted, wounded for our transgressions, bruised (struck down) for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him; the Lord disciplined Jesus so that we could be at peace with Him.’
That’s how much our Saviour paid for us to have the right of forgiveness of sin and eternal life. And yuh know the best part of it all friends, is by his stripes (his terribles wounds, injuries) we are healed! Just imagine that nuh. Although we have all turned away from God, in a totality of sinful humanity, the Lord laid all of our sins, our transgressions on Christ, struck Him down violently, because that was the only way our sins could be paid for. And to the acclamation of Jesus, He opened not His mouth throughout all the ‘sufferation,’ but went quietly, like a lamb to the slaughter on our behalf!
Please friends, let’s wake up and acknowledge that Jesus bore a lot for us, and we can only partially repay Him, by living sincerely for Him; being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, spreading His good news gospel all over the earth, so that others can come to know and LOVE Him like do. Let’s wake up this Good Friday and realize what a magnanimous gesture both the Father and Christ made on our behalf, and find the gratitude in our hearts to do the best we can, and not merely abuse the privileges granted us, as so many supposed believers are doing. Much LOVE!
…Good Friday…a day to contemplate…the extent of sin in our lives…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
28 Mar 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as it is written of him, Bible, but woe unto that man, by whom the Son of man is betrayed, Christ's Last Supper, communion, courage, creativity, curse, drink ye all of it, eat, faith, for the remission of sins, God's supernatural wisdom, Good Friday, he brake it and gave to the disicples, he that dippeth his hand with me, he took the cup and gave thanks, Holy Week, I have given you an example, if I wash thee not thou hast no part of me, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus took bread and blessed it, Jesus washed the disciples' feet, Judas Iscariot, LOVE, Maundy Thursday, negative word, one of you shall betray me, resurrection, take, take eat this is my body, the blood of the new testament, the feast of unleavened bread, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Passover, the practice of communion, the same shall betray me, the servant is not greater than his lord, the Son of man goeth, Thursday Blessings, which is shed for many, ye also ought to wash one another's feet, ye are not all clean
Matthew 26:28. For this is the blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission (forgiveness) of sins.
And it’s a bright and sunshiny Maundy Thursday friends, the day in Holy Week before Christ was crucified. It’s when we commemorate Christ’s Last Supper, the Passover, with His disciples where He established the practice of communion and also gave us His most servant-like example; His washing of their feet. Now that was a most interesting, contemplative and memorable day in the annals of our faith. So let’s recount some of it to refresh our memories and uplift our faith. (smile) And though all four synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) have some information on the day, none of them seem to have it in its entirety, so this first portion comes from the gospel of Luke.
He writes: ‘Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh (near), which is called the Passover. (The God-sent plague during Israel’s bondage in Egypt, when the death angel passed over the land and killed all the first born of the houses that did not have lamb’s blood above their door. (Ex. 12). And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him (Jesus); for they feared the people. Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve (disciples). And he went his way, and communed (conferred) with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. And they were glad, and covenanted (agreed) to give him money. And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absences of the multitude.’ (Luke 22:1-6)
Now, Judas Iscariot’s upcoming betrayal set the stage for this next part. Luke continues: ‘Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the Passover must be killed (sacrificed). And he (Jesus) sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the Passover, that we may eat. And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water, follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the goodman (master) of the house, The Master (Teacher) saith unto thee, where is the guestchamber where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.’ (Luke 22:7-13)
That reminds us of the previous Sunday, Palm Sunday, the same kind of positive direction, when Jesus sent His disciples into the village to locate the donkey and her colt for Him to ride into Jerusalem. (Matt. 21:1-7) And we pick up the story from Matthew. ‘Now when the even (evening) was come, he (Jesus) sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master (Rabbi), is it I? He said unto hm, Thou hast said (it).’ (Matt. 26:20-25)
That further enlightens us on the betrayal story, which was an important part of the whole scenario. Matthew then continues: ‘And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it (drink from it all of you); For this is the blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission (forgiveness) of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until the day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.’ (Matt. 26:26-29) And that’s basically where we’ve gotten our present communion ceremony from.
But that wasn’t the only memorable thing that happened that Maundy Thursday evening. Listen as John tells this most compelling story. ‘And supper being ended, the devil having now (already) put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him (not Simon Peter’s son); Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went (was going) to God: He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
Then cometh he to Simon Peter, and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest (understandeth) not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith unto Him, he that is washed (bathed) needed not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit (completely clean): and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should (would) betray him; therefore he said, Ye are not all clean.’ (John 13:2-11)
And that’s where we get our Maundy Thursday ritual of washing each other’s feet. But that story is not complete until we hear these words of Jesus. John writes: ‘So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master (Teacher) and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, Your Lord and Master (Teacher), have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord (master); neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.’ (John 13:12-17)
There we have it my fellow believers, Jesus makes it very plain that none of us is greater than the other, and that we’re supposed to be servant and service oriented, rather than expect to be waited on hand and foot. And since time and space are against us, we cannot tell the other momentous tale of Jesus going to the Garden of Gethsemane after the Passover supper and being very despondent and agonised about the upcoming crucifixion, prayed to the Father: ‘If thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will but thine be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.’ Luke 22:42-43) Yes friends, both Jesus and the Father knew that His crucifixion could not be retracted if sinners were to be saved, and so the Father sent his angel to strengthen His Son, in the midst of His agony.
Then Judas came into the garden with a band of soldiers, kissed Jesus, an agreed sign, and they arrested Him and took Him before the high priests, where His fate was sealed. But likewise, the Lord has not left us in a lurch in our tough times, being the ever-faithful God, He’s also given us strength and blessings, to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare them so they can be activated.
Altogether: ‘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 activated those undeserved blessings, we now need to go out and share them with others just as generously as the Lord shared them us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…holy communion reminds us of Christ’s sinless sacrifice…on Good Friday…and His triumphant resurrection on Easter Sunday…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
18 Mar 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man lay down his life for his friends, a merciful forgiving gracious God, climate change, eternal life, eternal separation from God, faith, go astray, God commendeth his love for us, God so loved the world, Good Friday, greater love hath no man than this, he gave his only begotten son, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life, hellfire and damnation, humble ourselves, Jesus Christ, lose hope, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, nothing shall separate us from the love of God, on easy street, rain and wet snow, salvation, sincerely seek your face, something good is going to happen through me, something good is going to happen to me, strong faith in Christ, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the cross, the road to heaven, the world through him might be saved, this is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, wisdom
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Then it was Monday, and who knows what kind of day it will turn out to be, weather wise or personal circumstances wise. But let’s hope that the weather is somewhat like yesterday afternoon, with the bright sunshine just pouring forth, after a touch of rain and some wet snow in the morning. Yes, the sunshine won the weather battle yesterday, in this contrary month of March 2024, where thanks to climate change, you don’t know from one moment to the next whether it’s going to be hot or cold, dry or wet. (smile)
And, as per personal circumstances, regardless of what happens, we’ve all made the pronouncement: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it! (Ps. 118:24) And along with that positive statement, we’ve also declared (yesss!!!): ‘Something good is going to happen to me today. Something good is going to happen through me today!’ Wow! And with Jesus behind the wicket, or behind the baseball mound, guiding our trajectory, NOTHING can cause us to go astray or lose hope and faith in our wonderful Lord and Saviour!
Give Him much sincere praise and thanks my faithful believers, for He certainly deserves it, after all that He’s done on our behalf, especially the ‘sufferation’ of the cross on Good Friday, and the awesome resurrection three days later on Easter Sunday, momentous calendar occasions of our faith that are just two weeks away! And are those two splendiferous occasions, along with Christ’s immaculate conception and virgin birth at Christmas, ever important! That’s for certain sure, for without them we’d have no Christian faith, nothing on which to base all our hopes and dreams of salvation and eternal life. We’d be automatically doomed for hellfire and damnation.
But because of God’s great LOVE for His amazing creation, He sent His only Son, to die on our behalf and thus pay our sin debt in full. What a great LOVE the Father must have had for us, and still has, to give up His One Son, for a bunch of ungrateful sinners. And I just adore this scripture from Bruh Paul to the Roman church, which soundly endorses that amazing LOVE! He writes: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8)
Mama oh Mama! What a scripture! It just exposes the big heart of our majestic and sovereign God Jehovah! And that’s not all. Listen to how Bruh Paul further describes the amazing strength of that LOVE in his missive to the Romans. ‘For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nr depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus.’ (Rom. 8:38-39)
Now, that certainly deserves another, ‘Mama oh Mama!’ (smile) Yes friends, for Bruh Paul is saying that NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING, can ever separate us from the AWESOME LOVE of our heavenly Father! And if you don’t believe Bruh Paul, then listen to the sacrificial Son, Jesus Christ, as He explains it. ‘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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17) More amazing scripture proving God’s great LOVE friends!
And later on, Jesus bookended those statements with this one. ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ (John 15:30) And that’s exactly what He went out and did on Good Friday; lay down His sinless life for us! Yes my brethren, the Lord desired to save His creation from hellfire and damnation, so He gave up His most valuable possession, His Son to do it! But please note there is one very important proviso in the whole thing: To be saved, one needs to believe in the Son! And that’s about the only requirement the Lord set out in His heart-breaking sacrifice for us to be saved: we must believe in His Son!
The gift of salvation itself is totally free; we need to do nothing else but BELIEVE! And Jesus highlights that ever so clearly in the next verse. ‘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) Oh my people, it could not be any easier or clearer than that! All we need to do is sincerely believe in Jesus, and we’re on easy street – well not quite easy street, because belief brings a lot of testing, but we are indeed heaven bound. However, if we hear about Him and don’t believe, then it’s cleaners for us, eternal separation from God with Satan in the depths of hell.
And that fact is something that Jesus kept repeating at every instance. Listen to a few of them nuh. In talking about His submissiveness to the Father, He says: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation (judgement); but is passed from death into life.’ (John 5:24) Then after saying that He was the bread of life, (John 6:35) Jesus made this other statement re belief. ‘For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me… And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.’ (John 6:38, 40)
And when the Jews murmured about Him claiming to be the bread of life, Jesus told them again, in no uncertain terms. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.’ (John 6:47) Oh my fellow saints, how many times does Jesus have to stress the overriding need for belief in Him, before we actually do it eh? But it’s all up to individual choice, the free will that the Lord gave each of us. All I can do is try to pound it into our hard hearts and stubborn minds! End of sermon! (smile)
Now let’s go to the Father in prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, asking for His divine help to fix our many earthly problems. As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And it will stand us in very good stead, if we remember these important words of our prayer: ‘if we turn from our evil ways.’ For then, and only then will divine help be forthcoming! Much LOVE!
…belief is all it takes to get on the road to heaven…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
07 Apr 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be made the righteousness of God in Him, bear the sufferation, Christ selflessly sacrificed His sinless life, die a spiritual death, eternal life through Jesus Christ, eternal separation from God, even unto death, fear of God's wrath, Good Friday, he hath made him to be sin for us, Hematidrosis, his sweat was as great drops of blood, Jesus our Saviour and Redeemer, let this cup pass from me, LOVE, love Jesus with all our hearts, my soul is exceeding sorrowful, not my will but thine be done, pay for our iniquity, salvation, Simon the Cyrene, the cup of his wrath, the gift of God, the righteous judge
2 Corinthians 5:21. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Well, a blessed Good Friday to all you my Scrip-Bit friends and family! I know it’s a sad day, the saddest in our Christian calendar, but it’s one that has a glorious ending. As we say, after the rain, comes the sunshine, with the world looking bright and clean as ever. Or as Job would say, you can’t get the good without the bad. And that’s exactly what happened some two thousand years ago today, when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ selflessly sacrificed His sinless life on the cross of Calvary to pay for our sins, as required by His heavenly Father, a just and righteous judge.
Oh yes, the Lord in all of His omnipotent power could have simply snapped His fingers and our sins would have been forgiven and paid for, but as the righteous judge that He is, our sins had to be paid for, since, as Bruh Paul wrote to the Roman church: ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom. 6:23) That technically means that when we sin, we die a spiritual not physical death, a death that moves us away from our heavenly Father, unto the point of eternal separation from Him, which is the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul.
However, the Lord didn’t want this most heartbreaking thing to occur to His most precious creation, so He devised a plan whereby it could be prevented. He knew that with our inherent sin nature, we could not give up sin entirely and thus save ourselves, and if He was to retain His attribute of being a just and righteous judge, someone or something had to pay for our iniquity. It had to be a blameless, sinless, unblemished being, and unfortunately, the ONLY such person in existence was His only Son Jesus Christ.
Now, we talk about being so sad and heartbroken today with the crucifixion of Jesus, but have we ever stopped to consider what the Lord went through, the enormous heartache He suffered watching His Son hang from a wooden cross as Hs lifeblood slowly drain out of Him, for a bunch of ungrateful sinners made in His image? I don’t know if He could even watch it, as all the sins of this sinful world were placed on His Son’s sinless shoulders. Do you think He took pleasure in seeing Him manhandled and mercilessly abused? Flogged, scorned, jeered, a crown of thorns put on His kingly head and made fun of, then forced to carry His own heavy cross in such a mutilated state?
I doubt it very much. But He had made the decision to save His frail, unworthy creation called mankind, and that was the only way He could do it in a just and righteous manner, so He had to bear the fatherly sorrow when it actually happened. Unless He abandoned the whole scheme of salvation, the only thing He could do right then was to ease the pressure on Jesus, by benevolently placing Simon the Cyrene in the picture to help Him bear the cross. Many of us have lost children, and I know it wasn’t easy to handle, and although the pain might eventually subside, the hurt and disappointment never really go away. And I keep telling my children that is one pain I never want to undergo, so please be careful how you live this life.
Now, can you imagine how our heavenly Father felt when Jesus cried out to Him last night in the Garden of Gethsemane for a reprieve, when He said to His followers: ‘My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye (wait) here, and watch with me. (Matt. 26:38) Then He went further into the garden, fell on His face, and sorrowfully asked: ‘O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.’ (Matt. 26:39) Three times Jesus prayed for the cup to pass from him, but got silence as an answer on every occasion, which meant that there was no way to avoid the humiliation and sacrifice, since from the beginning of time, the Father had promised to save sinners.
But Luke tells us in his gospel while Jesus was praying and undergoing the great agony in the Garden: ‘And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.’ (Luke 22:43) His Father didn’t totally ignore Him, but sent Him strength for His tortuous journey. Luke even says: ‘And being in agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.’ (Luke 22:44) That tells us how agonized Jesus was that night in the Garden of Gethsemane. How fully His humanity manifested itself.
Now did He really sweat blood? It’s doubtful because the Greek text uses a word that is translated ‘like’ or a comparison. However, there is a rare medical condition called ‘Hematidrosis’ which can affect people in severe distress that way. And it’s interesting that Luke, the physician, is the only one who mentions it in his gospel. It’s explained thus: “Around the sweat glands, there are multiple blood vessels in a net-like form.’ Under the pressure of great stress, the vessels constrict. Then as the anxiety passes ‘the blood vessels dilate to the point of rupture. The blood goes into the sweat glands.’ As the sweat glands are producing a lot of sweat, it pushes the blood to the surface – coming out as droplets of blood mixed with sweat.”
But why was Jesus in such agony? Was it fear of death? We don’t think so. Most scholars believe that it was the fear of God’s wrath that had Jesus in such agony, the great burden of sin that was going to be placed on His shoulders. ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor. 5:21) That was a mighty big burden to bear, and Jesus had to bear the ‘sufferation’ that came with it in His human form.
Now here is an interesting explanation re the agony Jesus experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane, taken from an article by Mike Leake, on the Biblestudytools.com website. He writes: ‘It would not have been unusual for Jesus to be praying in the garden. Luke tells us “as was his custom.” What was different, though, is the vigor with which Jesus is praying. He is asking for a cup to be removed from him. What is this cup? In the Old Testament we can see that this “cup” is the pouring out of God’s wrath.
Isaiah 51:17 says, “Wake yourself, wake yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl, the cup of staggering.” Again, in Psalm 75:8, “In the hand of the Lord is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs.” This is the same figure of speech that is used in Revelation of the pouring out the seven bowls of God’s wrath. What is this cup that is causing Jesus to stagger? It is none other than the wrath of God poured out against the sinfulness of mankind.’
Then commentator Leake goes on to ask why is Jesus so overcome at that moment. And answers that he thinks Jonathan Edwards captures it very well in his explanation. “Christ was going to be cast into a dreadful furnace of wrath, and it was not proper that he should plunge himself into it blindfolded, as not knowing how dreadful the furnace was. Therefore that he might not do so, God first brought him and set him at the mouth of the furnace, that he might look in, and stand and view its fierce and raging flames, and might see where he was going, and might voluntarily enter into it and bear it for sinners, as knowing what it was. This view Christ had in his agony. Then God brought the cup that he was to drink, and set it down before him, that he might have a full view of it, and see what it was before he took it and drank it.”
Oh friends, it was an awful potion for Jesus to drink from that cup, especially in His humanity, but He showed His belly and backbone and drank it for His Father and our sakes without complaint. So today, I plead with us to consider all that He went through on our behalf on this sad, sacrificial day, and come to the only decision we can come to with a truly LOVING and grateful heart beating within us; that’s to follow, worship and LOVE Jesus with all of our hearts, minds, bodies and souls. Under the prevailing circumstances, it’s the ONLY wise decision possible! Much LOVE!
…in Jesus…we have a Saviour, a Redeemer…like no other…the best there is…or ever will be…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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