04 Jul 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a feeling of care and compassion, a personal relationship with Almighty God, acknowledging our desire for greater intimacy with God, an intimate relationship with Christ, be convinced once and for all, But God commendeth his love toward us, but have everlasting life, by grace ye have been saved through faith, Christ the faithful witness, Christians, climate change, deepen my breath, even when we were dead in sins, extreme heat conditions, faith, for God so loved the world, God demonstrates His love for us, God engineered the process because He loved us, God got the ball rolling, God has done all he can to prove his love, God is LOVE, God sent His only begotten Son, God sent his only begotten Son into the world, God sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins, God truly loves and cares for us, God who is rich in mercy, Happy 4th of July, he gave his only begotten son, he that loveth not knoweth not God, heartfelt prayer, heat warning, herein is love, his great love wherewith He loved us, holy spirit, I marvel to think, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, if God so loved us, if you do this I'll do that, in all sincerity and truth, in his kindness towards us through Christ, in the ages to come, in this was manifested the love of God, increase my awareness of you today, it breaks God's heart when we refuse him, it is a gift of God, Jesus always knows what's best for us, Jesus Christ, keep on believing in Jesus, lazy-day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let them sink deep into our hearts, lose anyone to eternal death, LOVE, made us alive with Christ, made us kings and priests unto God and the Father, man now needs to believe it, may know you all the more, mercy, morally dead in our sins, not of yourselves, not that we loved God but that he loved us, quickened us together with Christ, quiet my soul, raised us up together, relax my muscles, renews his faith, salvation, show the exceeding riches of his grace, sit in heavenly places, slow my thoughts, thank you for this tenderness, that we might live through Jesus, the best foundation, the BIBLE, the calming peace and love of God, the first begotten of the dead, the Lord gave us spiritual life, the prince of the kings of the earth, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever, truth, turned us away from the old life to the new one, unto him that loved us, USA's 250 year of Independence, warms the cockles of God's heart, washed us from our sins in his own blood, we ought also to love one another, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, whosoever believeth in him should not perish, wisdom, wise to review the scriptures we talked about, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 July 2026 1 John 4:10.
1 John 4:10. Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his son to be the propitiation (atonement) for our sins.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY U.S.A
And on this first lazy-day Saturday in July, where after some rain in the early morning hours, it’s cloudy and muggy, we want to wish a Happy 4th of July to all those south of the border. It’s the U.S.A’s 250 celebration of their Independence. Sadly though, it appears that the big parade held annually in the Washington DC. area has been cancelled because of extreme heat concerns.
Ah Lord eh, like the whole world is in a heat cocoon right now, with temperatures soaring to unknown heights in some places. And we won’t get into the why’s and wherefores of that unfortunate situation so affectionally termed climate change, (smile) but just remember to keep on believing in Jesus and do what He calls us to do, for He is our inestimable, priceless Lord, Saviour and Leader, who knows what is always best for us.
And before we truly get into lazy-day Saturday mode, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer in all sincerity and truth. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And as always, if our prayer was sincere and heartfelt, then we’ll soon have the best foundation for a true lazy-day Saturday; that’s a renewal or rekindling of the calming peace and LOVE of our wonderful God, acknowledging our desire for greater intimacy with Him. Something that just warms the cockles of His heart and renews His faith in His decision to create man. Yes friends, that’s what a desire to have increased intimacy with Almighty God does for Him, because it’s one of the very reasons He created us in the first place; to have a close and personal relationship with His most important creation.
Likewise, when we refuse to have a close relationship with Him, it breaks His heart, He feels rejected by the very ones He LOVES the most. It’s like Jesus said to Nicodemus, the Jewish Leader who came to Him under cover of night for answers. ‘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.’ (John 3:16)
Oh my fellow believers, that’s how much God LOVED and still LOVES His human creation! You must have a great feeling of care and compassion for someone or something to give up such a precious thing as your only Son’s life for it. And there are so many scriptures in the Bible that tell it, so I don’t understand why we have so much trouble acknowledging God’s great LOVE for us. So let’s look at a few scriptures that expound on that subject.
And the first, one of my favourite scriptures, tells it thus: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrates) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) Oh friends, why can’t we understand the importance of that scripture and see the amazing LOVE of God it shows?
Most other gods would have expected us to turn to them before doing anything worthwhile for us. And it’s like we do all the time; tell someone if you do this, then I’ll do that. But the wonderful news is that Jehovah God did not wait for us to turn back to Him. No! He went ahead and set the process rolling because He LOVED us so much He didn’t want to lose anyone to eternal death.
And this is how Bruh Paul puts it to the Ephesians: ‘But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great LOVE wherewith he LOVED us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us (made us alive) together with Christ, (by grace ye are (have been) saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through (in) Christ Jesus.’ (Eph. 2:4-7)
Yes friends, when we were morally dead in our sins, the Lord gave us spiritual life, turned us away from our old life to the new one and demonstrated it by having us sit in heavenly places, or as the scholars say: ‘brought us into His presence and into an intimate relationship with Himself.’ Now why would He do something like that if He didn’t care for us a whole lot eh?
And it’s all done through God’s goodness, through His grace, or His unmerited divine favour. As Bruh Paul continues: ‘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.’ (Eph. 2:8-9) That says it in a nutshell my people; forgiveness of sins and eternal life is a gift of God. We can never earn it through our own efforts. There again it shows how much God truly cares for us.
Then John breaks it down in his first epistle: ‘He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE. In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his son to be the propitiation (atonement) for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:8-11)
Oh mih bredrin, what more do we have to say to make you believe that God truly LOVES us eh? But hopefully what John says in Revelation will help to convince you. ‘And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten (first born) of the dead, and the prince (ruler) of the kings of the earth. Unto him that LOVED us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (Rev. 1:5-6)
Ah mih people, there’s no more to say. But on this first lazy-day Saturday in July, it would be wise to review those scriptures we talked about and let them sink deep into our hearts, so that we can be convinced, once and for all,that God truly LOVES and cares for us! Much LOVE!
…God has done all He can to prove His LOVE for mankind…we now need to believe it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a horrible tragedy, a loving reaction, a merciful forgiving and loving God, a Pharisee lawyer, a resounding success, a sad injustice, a strong will, and of the son, anger, anything less, baptizing them, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Bible, christianity, christmas day, contempt, courage, creativity, curse, disciples of Jesus, divine protection, even unto the end of the world, faith, favour, fellowship, food, foundation of our faith, go ye therefore, God is LOVE, God is the fountainhead of love, God lives to give us, God sent His only begotten Son, God so loved the world, goodnes, hang all the law and the prophets, Happy Boxing day, hate, have everlasting life, he that loveth not knoweth not God, holy spirit, I am with you always, in the name of the Father, in this was manifested the love of God, into the world, Jesus Christ, joy, live the abundant life, LOVE, love is the basic law of God, Love the Lord thy God, Love thy neighbour as thyself, mercy, negative emotions, negative word, on these two commandments, only a fool breaks his own heart, overcome evil with good, peace, praise, promotion, prosper, resentment, salvation, self-discipline, should not perish, strife, succeed, such a magnanimous gift, teach all nations, teaching them, thanksgiving, the antidote, the attribute of love, the Birth of Christ, the first and great commandment, the Great Commission, the LOVE of Jesus, the second is like unto it, thoughts of Jesus, through him we might live, to observe all things, truth, war, we don't love ourselves, whatsoever I have commanded you, whosoever believeth on Jesus, wisdom, with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all thy soul, you can't give away what you don't have
Matthew 22:37. Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.
A Happy Boxing Day to you my Scrip-Bits Friends and families! I hope your Christmas Day was a resounding success, with lots of joy, peace, fellowship, food, praise, thanksgiving and wonderful thoughts of Jesus, for that’s what the celebration is about. There’s never been such a magnanimous gift in all of history; one we absolutely did not deserve, but the Lord in all His goodness, LOVE and mercy thought otherwise.
And that’s the wonderful foundation of our faith; a merciful, forgiving and LOVING God! There’s none like Him, for all the other supposed gods, only live to take from their followers, and make them live miserable lives, but our wonderful deity, Almighty God, lives to give to us, and desires us to live the abundant life that his Son, Jesus Christ died that we could have.
Therefore, it’s only wise and sensible, grateful and pragmatic to worship and serve Him with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds. Anything less would be a sad injustice to Him, and a horrible tragedy to us. And I believe today is a very good day to remember those very authoritative words of Jesus, re the Great Commandment; the basis of all that we do in this world.
On one occasion, a foolish Pharisee lawyer, who was trying to make a name for himself by tempting Jesus into an argument, or to give a wrong answer, asked Him: “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:36-40)
In other words friends, those two commandments are the very basis of the law of God, and what all the prophets have been trying to teach us down through the years. And it’s oh so simple that it’s laughable. LOVE God, and LOVE your neighbour as you LOVE yourself! The problem though lies in the fact that so many of us have no real or serious LOVE for ourselves, but mostly an unreasonable contempt. Therefore, we show our neighbours more hate, anger and resentment, than a LOVING reaction. As they say, you cannot give away what you don’t have.
And as John says in his first epistle: ‘He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE.’ (1 John 4:8) That means if we truly know God, then we will know LOVE, for LOVE emanates ONLY from God! He is the fountainhead of that most wonderful attribute, so you can only feel and/or acquire LOVE if you get it from the Lord God Almighty. That means you must know Him to even get a sniff of the attribute of LOVE. (smile)
And John proves God’s great LOVE for us in the next verse. ‘In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.’ (1 John 4:9) Wow! What an awesome God we serve and worship! He gave His only Son that through him we might live! And this Christmas season we’re now celebrating, the birth of Christ, was the beginning of that most meaningful and important occasion.
And Jesus puts it thus in His ministry to Nicodemus, the Jewish ruler who came to him under cover of night to find answers to his troubling questions. ‘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.’ (John 3:16) It’s a simple but oh so profound and heartbreaking statement. And it does show the great LOVE the Father had for His human creations, for why else does one break their own heart by sacrificing their only Son eh?
The song says, ‘Only a fool breaks their own heart.’ So does that make God a fool because He broke His own heart by sacrificing Jesus to pay for our abominable sins? Unfortunately, sometimes, like right now, it does seem so, what with all the war and strife and all the negative emotions that are running rampant over our world, with the antidote LOVE running a far second behind Satan’s wiles and lies.
Ah friends, our world is in a very bad state, and sadly, it seems to be getting worse every day, with more strife and anger-filled emotions coming on board, rather that LOVE. So what are we going to do about it eh? Remember when we became disciples of Jesus, it was with the expectation that like Jesus says in the Great Commission: ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and earth. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:18-20)
Oh my people, down through the years we have made some headway, but obviously not enough, otherwise Satan and his evil-doing hooligans wouldn’t be running the world to such a great extent right now. Obviously, we have lost our way, we’re no longer the salt of the earth and the light of the world that Jesus expects to be. We’ve become too afraid of what man can do to us, and too comfortable in the comforts that the world can provide. But all is not lost, we just need to reignite our faith and put to good use all the tools that our generous God has bestowed on us; tools that we call our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh.
As one 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 activated those heavenly blessings, it’s now our duty to go out and use them on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…it’s all about LOVE friends…we overcome evil with good…with the LOVE of Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child that will grow up, a forgiving God, a loving god, a ray of hope, a rosy hue, a silent wish, a tiny star lights up, Advent, alight with joy, all a dream, all across the land, an illusion, Angel's candle, Bible, came to save us, change our evil ways, Christ died for us, Christ's birth, Christ's Second Coming, Christian, christianity, Ciro Dammicco, contrary, counterproductive, dawns a brand new morn, everyone to everyone's neighbour, faith, feel you're on solid ground, Festivalbar, flickers in the sky, for our children's children, fourth Sunday in advent, Fred Jay, give up our desires, God commendeth his own love toward us, God faithfully keeps his promises, God is LOVE, God sent His only begotten Son, hate to love, he that loveth not knoweth not God, heaven singing along with us, holy spirit, how to practice love each day, in spite of our many sins, indisputable truth, it must come true, Jesus Christ, largesse of heart, LOVE, love is only found in God, love is paradoxical, love is sacrificial, make this world a better place, mercy, misery, no one seems forlorn, prayer of gratitude, sails the seven seas, salvation, settles all around, showed us how to love, Soleado, somehow, sometime soon, suffering, sunny, teach us, the candle of love, the immaculate conception, the walls of doubt crumble, the winds of change, the world is waiting, then love of God toward us, this comes to pass, torn, tossed, truth, turn tears to laughter, waiting for one child, war to peace, way up high, we might live through Him, we serve a compassionate God, what it is to love, When a child is born, while we were yet sinners, whisper in the trees, wisdom, words to be forgotten, you still loved us
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
And today’s the fourth Sunday in advent my fellow believers, that season when we wait with great expectations for the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, first for His immaculate conception and birth, then His Second Coming to take over the world. So on this most auspicious Sunday, the one right before Christmas Day, let’s light the candle of LOVE, or Angel’s Candle signifying the great LOVE that God showed for us by sending His Only Son to earth to be our Lord and Saviour.
And the words of John’s first epistle bear out all we need to know about LOVE, especially the LOVE of God, as he writes: ‘He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE. In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.’ (1 John 4:8-9)
Wow! What a compassionate and forgiving God we serve! Only a Deity with the utmost largesse of heart could have done such a wonderful thing for undeserving subjects. Consequently, let’s offer up this prayer of gratitude and LOVE for the fourth week in Advent. Please pray with me. ‘Oh Lord, Thank you that in spite of our many sins, you still LOVED us and came to save us. You came and showed us how to LOVE. Teach us what it is to LOVE, and how to practice it each day. Remind us that LOVE is paradoxical, sacrificial, and only found in you. Amen!’
And isn’t all of that the indisputable truth? It surely is! And I especially like that part where we implore Christ to teach us what it is to LOVE, and even more importantly, how to practice it each and every day. For that’s the ONLY way that LOVE will ever become a real and true part of our lives, for it’s both paradoxical, seems contrary and counterproductive, and oh so sacrificial. Yes, that’s the part that turns most of us off of LOVE; having to give up our desires and pursuits for those of others. But if you truly want to show LOVE, then that’s what you need to do.
And the other interesting thing is that LOVE can ONLY be found in Christ; He is the fountain head of the emotion! And having said all of that, let’s turn our hearts to worship, to offering up sweet sacrifices of praise through this beautiful Christmas song, simply titled, ‘When a Child is Born.’
It’s reputed that the melody comes from a Spanish instrumental piece of music called ‘Soleado or Sunny’ written by Ciro Dammicco under the alias “Zacar”, based on his earlier composition “Le rose blu” (1972). The song was recorded in 1974 by Dammicco’s band, the Daniel Sentacruz Ensemble, and presented at that year’s edition of Festivalbar, an Italian summer singing competition that begun some time in the 1960’s in the important Italian squares.
The song became an instant hit, selling millions of copies in Europe. It was then used as a melody for several other songs in other languages, and reputedly the English lyrics were written by Austrian composer Fred Jay as a Christmas song (although the song does not actually make any specific reference to Christmas). And since around 1974, numerous artists have recorded it, possibly the sweetest and most soulful being that by Johnny Mathis, whose version we’re going to do today.
So, Singing: ‘A ray of hope flickers in the sky A tiny star lights up way up high All across the land, dawns a brand new morn This comes to pass when a child is born – A silent wish sails the seven seas The winds of change whisper in the trees And the walls of doubt crumble, tossed and torn This comes to pass when a child is born – A rosy hue settles all around You’ve got the feel you’re on solid ground For a spell or two, no one seems forlorn This comes to pass when a child is born –
( Talk – And all of this happens because the world is waiting, Waiting for one child Black, white, yellow, no one knows But a child that will grow up and turn tears to laughter, Hate to love, war to peace and everyone to everyone’s neighbor And misery and suffering will be words to be forgotten, forever) – (It’s all a dream, an illusion now It must come true, sometime soon somehow All across the land, dawns a brand new morn This comes to pass when a child is born.) (Repeat.)’
Now wasn’t that wonderful! All heaven was singing along with us, and it even brought tears to the Father’s eyes as He remembered that glorious night when His Son was born. Yes friends, that’s exactly what we’re waiting for; the birth of the child Jesus; the one who ‘will grow up and turn tears to laughter, Hate to love, war to peace and everyone to everyone’s neighbor And misery and suffering will be words to be forgotten, forever.’
Right now, rays of hope are flickering in all our hearts, and our souls are alight with joy at the very thought of His coming. And yuh better believe that the winds of change are whispering in the world, while walls of doubt are crumbling at the good news He’s coming to bring. And truly, many of us are forlorn by the state of our world, but we know we’re standing on solid ground, because what seems like a dream to most will eventually come true, because the Lord God, our Creator and Provider has promised it in His Word, and He always faithfully keeps His promises!
And to wrap it all up tightly, here’s one of my favourite scriptures; Bruh Paul’s words to the church at Rome. ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) Wow mih bredrin! Isn’t that a most glorious and LOVING God? He most certainly is! Most other deities would have expected us to change our evil ways first, but our great God LOVED us so much that He didn’t want to wait any longer than He had already done!
So, please, today, let’s open our hearts, souls, bodies and minds to the wonderful LOVE that He’s offering nuh, so that our world can become a much better place for our children’s children! Much LOVE!
…only through…the HOPE, PEACE, LOVE and JOY of Christ…can our world ever become…what it was created to be…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a LOVING Father, a pleasure to know God intimately, and now abideth faith hope love, assurance of God's love, Bible, born of God, Christ died for us, christianity, damnation, deepen my breath, dissenters, eternal separation, faith, give men for thee, God commendeth his own love toward us, God is LOVE, God so loved the world, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, he that loveth not knoweth not God, heal broken bones, heaven, hell, hellfire, herein is love, holy spirit, increase my awareness of you, infinite patience, intimacy with god, Jesus Christ, know you all the more, lazing around, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lead you to the abundant life, LOVE, LOVE is of God, loved thee with an everlasting love, mercy, no force more powerful than God's love, not reciprocated the Lord's love, not that we loved God but that he loved us, people for thy life, precious in my sight, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, set free those held captive by sin, sleeping in, slow my thoughts, stop the roaring seas, thank you for this tenderness, the depth of God's love, the faith journey starts, the greatest of these is love, the Holy One of Israel, the Lord's love song, the propitiation for our sins, truth, unceasing neareness, walk in faith, while we were yet sinners, whosoever beleives in him should not persih, wisdom
1 John 4:8. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE.
And now we’ve come to Saturday; our lazy-day Saturday, where most of us can do as we please, with little or no restrictions on time or effort. (smile) And it’s another damp and cloudy day, so that makes it even better for sleeping in and lazing around. I can’t complain either, because I did manage to get in a li’l lazy time despite the aches and pains crying out to get up and get some movement going in the ole body. But what else is new eh? (smile)
Anyway, let’s get to our most important matter right now, our Lazy-Day Saturday prayer. Please pray with me: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And what a pleasure it is to know our Creator and Provider more intimately! There’s nothing like it in this world! Why? Because God created us for the express purpose of having intimacy with Him; a creation for Him to LOVE, and who would LOVE Him in return. And we see God’s LOVE highlighted all the way through His Word, with explicit scriptures like this: ‘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.’ (John 3:16)
Then there’s this: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrates) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) Yes, instead of waiting for us to change, God’s LOVE was so great towards us that He just couldn’t wait any longer for us to turn ourselves around. And what about this scripture from the prophet Jeremiah? ‘The Lord hath appeared of old (from afar) unto me, saying, Yea, I have LOVED thee with an everlasting LOVE: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.’ (Jer. 31:3) And as the scholars explain: ‘God’s LOVE for His people is accompanied by infinite patience.’
Yes, my fellow believers, God’s LOVE for His most important creation is unconditional, unending and unmistakable! And what about these most endearing words from the prophet Isaiah? ‘For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee (in thy place). Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable (honoured), and I have LOVED thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.’ (Is. 43:3-4)
That’s how much the Lord LOVED the people of Israel, and consequently all those who believe, trust and have faith in His Son Jesus Christ. Oh friends, the Bible is in fact the Lord’s LOVE song to us! All through it we see His LOVE rearing up on behalf of His people, especially in tough times. And John got it ever so right in his epistle. Just listen to this treatise on God’s LOVE nuh!
‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE. In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:7-11)
Oh my people, it could not be put any clearer or more straightforward than that! Unfortunately though, we have not reciprocated the Lord’s LOVE like we ought to. Instead, we’ve turned away from Him to other gods and man-made idols. Made Him so unimportant in our lives, that we’re even trying to eradicate Him from our society. But we know that will NEVER happen, for our God is the ONLY omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present Being in existence, and we cannot even make one move unless He allows it. And He will definitely not allow anyone else to take over the universe He so LOVINGLY created.
And because of His great LOVE for us and our stubborn, foolish and hardhearted, behaviour towards Him, He’s created a sanctuary for those who are wise and desire to have sincere communion with Him. It’s a place called heaven, where those who put their trust in His Son Jesus Christ will spend eternity enjoying the good and abundant life. However, for those who do not desire sincere communication with God, there’s another place called HELL, where those dissenters will spend eternity separated from Him. And if we’re wise, we’ll choose the first option, because the second is going to be pure hellfire and damnation!
Oh friends, God LOVES us because He simply LOVES us. As John says, God is LOVE, and thus can do nothing else but LOVE! And we’ll close today with this excerpt from an article on the subject of God’s LOVE found on the bible studytools.com website, which I believe very nicely explains it.
It says: ‘God absolutely LOVES you. It’s hard to get our minds around, but it is true. This is where the faith journey starts: understanding that God LOVES you. If you do not have an assurance of God’s LOVE, your faith journey will not last long. Fortunately, reading the Bible can help to strengthen your faith in God’s LOVE. There is no force more powerful than the LOVE our heavenly Father has for us, His children. His LOVE can move mountains, stop the roaring seas, heal broken bones and wounded hearts, transform lives, and set free those held captive by sin and shame. So great is his LOVE for you and me that he sent his only Son to die that we might live through him.
God is not an angry taskmaster who shows affection only when you succeed. He is a LOVING Father who will always LOVE you no matter what. Take time to receive the depth of his LOVE for you today. Allow his LOVE to heal you, transform you, free you, and lead you to the abundant life he has always longed to give. Read, meditate, and pray over these Bible verses about God’s LOVE as you walk in faith today.’
Oh my fellow saints, I certainly could not put it any better than that! So please, let’s do what it says nuh, get deep into God’s Word and understand just how much He really LOVES us! That’s wisdom to the nth degree! Much LOVE!
…and now abideth faith, hope and LOVE…but the greatest of these is…LOVE… (1 Cor, 13:13)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a genuine desire for the well being of another, Bible, christianity, closer to God, deepen my breath, drift away from God, every one that loveth is born of God, faith, fellowship, god, God sent His only begotten Son, great is thy faithfulness, greedy, hang all the law and the prophets, he that loveth not knoweth not God, herein is love, his compassions fail not, hold your head and bawl, hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord, howl like a hyena, I may know you all the more, if God so loved us, increase my awareness of you today, it is good that a man, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lazy, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let us love one another, LOVE, love is God's greatest attribute, LOVE is of God, love is the greatest emotion, Love thy neighbour as thyself, mercy, negative news, not that we loved God but that he loved us, on these two commandments, power hungry, quiet my soul, reciprocated love, relax my muscles, run to God, s wisdom, sacrifice, sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins, slow my thoughts, strife-filled, Thank you Jesus, that we might live through Jesus, the Lord is good unto them that wait for him, the Lord is my portion saith my soul, the love of god manifested toward us, the sinsful pleasures of Satan, therefore will I hope in him, thou shalt love the Lord thy God, to the soul that seeketh him, True LOVE, truth, we ought also to love one another, wisdom, with all thy heart soul and mind, you're the Best
1 John 4:7a. Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God;
And what a perfect lazy-day Saturday this is turning out to be; wet and cloudy, though somewhat humid, an excellent chance to just laze around and do nothing but laze around. (smile) I was able to enjoy some of it by staying in bed a li’l longer, only because I went to bed at a fairly late hour of the morning, so the ole bones didn’t have a chance to get creaky and cranky.
What a life! But it’s a good life, despite the many problems that do crop up, because we have our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to help us deal with them. And all God’s people said a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Jesus! You’re the BEST! We LOVE You and praise your Holy Name!’ And that’s exactly how it ought to be! Therefore, in conjunction with that statement, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, in a sincere and heartfelt manner.
As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Yes friends, that’s a prayer the Lord cannot refuse, simply because He LOVES it when we desire close communion with Him. It’s the reciprocated LOVE that He desires of us, of which we spoke yesterday. And it’s one of the major reasons He created us; to want to know Him as deeply as possible, and have His awesome presence constantly present in an overwhelming manner in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds. That’s why right now we’re feeling an increase of His godly presence moving in our receptive spirits. And thus, we ought to continue looking at scriptures that show the LOVE of Jesus, as well as LOVE for Him. (smile)
And I like this commentary that asks ‘What is true LOVE in Jesus?’ Then gives this reply: ‘True LOVE is a genuine desire for the well-being of another. It is holy, sacrificial, and other-oriented. A LOVE that we can only know through the One who is LOVE Himself. God commands His people to LOVE Him with all their heart, soul, and strength.’
So when the pretentious lawyer asked Jesus what was the great commandment, He obviously replied thus: ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:36-40)
Yuh see people, God’s plan is all about LOVE; LOVE for Him, for ourselves and each other! That’s all He asks of us. That’s because LOVE is the greatest emotion there is, and God’s greatest attribute is LOVE! As John so wisely and rightly declares in his first epistle. ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and every one that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE!’ (1 John 4:7-8) And you simply cannot get away from the indisputable truth of that statement: God is LOVE; and LOVE is of God!!!
Then John continues: ‘In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:9-11)
Now that’s perfect logic my brethren! God showed His amazing LOVE for us by sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross at Calvary to pay for our sins. You simply cannot get any deeper or greater LOVE than that! So why is it so difficult for us to reciprocate that LOVE to God, and to also show it to our fellow humans eh?
It should not be that difficult if we take into account the great sacrifice that both the Father and Jesus made on our behalf. But being the whole set of negative adjectives we’ve become; lazy, greedy, sinful, entitled, ungodly, strife-filled, power-hungry, etc. etc. it’s no wonder we find it difficult to give LOVE to God, ourselves, and other humans. The sinful pleasures of Satan have become more important than the everlasting goodness of God.
And then we wonder why our world is in such a terrible state. The answer is very simple: there’s no real LOVE in our hearts, so how can there be any in our world? And it’s interesting, but also heart-rending, that we all watch the great amount of negative news with which we are bombarded every day, and we decry it, but do we do anything about it, even in our little sphere of the world, of our family, of our neighbourhood?
No! Because that would take too much energy and sacrifice on our part, and disrupt our comfortable, cozy, amenity-filled lives. But friends, the first thing to know about LOVE is that it calls for sacrifice! You cannot truly show LOVE until and unless you’re willing to sacrifice something for someone, which includes, God, yourself and your neighbours.
And please don’t think that you’re LOVING yourself when you buy up on credit all the bright and fancy baubles and bangles that the world offers, but which you cannot really afford. No, because when the time comes to pay for them, then you’ll hold your head and bawl, howl like a hyena, especially if they come and repossess the stuff. You LOVE yourself by taking your time, doing and buying what you can afford.
And these words on the amazing LOVE of God by the prophet Jeremiah in his Lamentations, are most excellent words for us to go home to. Please read with me: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:22-26)
Please my fellow saints, let’s spend a few moments on this lazy-day Saturday pondering those words of awesome truth, so that they can bring us where we ought to be; closer to God! Much LOVE!
…it’s a fool’s wisdom…to drift away from God…rather than run to Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Jun 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, above all things have fervent charityamong yourselves, bring backsliders back to your fold, fear hath torment, for God is Love, Friday chant, give thanks to the Father, God's love is unconditional, hatred stirreth up strifes, he that loveth not knoweth not God, introduce a whole new flock, LOVE, love covereth all sins, LOVE is the greatest, love shall cover a multitude of sins, no bond as strong as the bond of love, omnipotent help, perfect love casteth out fear, rewarded us according to our iniquities, shall we sin because we are under grace, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the throne of grace, the unwillingness to violate God's trust, there is no fear in love, trusting faith, wait in expectant faith, wake up and smell the coffee, wise guidance
1 John 4:8. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE.
Well check out the bright, sunshiny, cool Friday morning nuh mih people and shout ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! ‘ Yes, let’s give thanks to the Father for allowing us to see another blessed day on this great earth of His. It’s only right and proper to give our Creator His just due for creating us and then when we had gone astray, for LOVING us so much that He sacrificed His only Son, Jesus Christ that we could find our way safely back to Him!
Oh my faithful brethren in Christ, there’s no bond as strong as that of the bond we term LOVE! And it’s only when we’re directly connected to the Father through the Son and the Holy Spirit that we can ever fully understand and experience the awesome power, majesty and strength that makes up the godly attribute called LOVE! Remember yesterday we saw where Bruh Paul called it the greatest, and regardless of what else we have, if we don’t have LOVE, in essence, we don’t have anything at all!
And today we’re going to look at a few other scriptures that show us how important LOVE is to the God’s universe and all therein. And there’s no better verse to begin with than this one from the wisdom of Cousin Sol in Proverbs. ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but LOVE covereth all sins.’ (Prov. 10:12) Wow! How truly powerful must that thing called LOVE be eh, if it can cover up all sins! And that’s not only talk because we saw it at work in Christ’s death on the cross for us, where through His awesome LOVE, He took all our sins on His sinless shoulders, so that we could be cleansed, washed white as snow and made righteous with the Father.
And what did Bruh David say about the Father’s LOVE in Psalm 103: ‘He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.’ (Ps. 103:10-12) Oh my people, what a wonderful God we serve! And how can we not sincerely revere and worship Him when He casts aways our sins, as far as the east is from the west, forgets them and never brings them up when we come to Him for help and succour?
God’s LOVE is unconditional. There are no strings attached to it. He might not like what we do, but He will always LOVE and welcome us when we come to Him, for that’s just who He is; a God of LOVE! Listen to how John puts it in his first epistle. ‘He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE.’ (1 John 4:8) It’s as simple as that friends: God is LOVE! And if you don’t know Him, then you don’t know true LOVE, and if you don’t have LOVE, then it’s impossible for you to truly know Him!
And I like how John describes LOVE later on. ‘There is no fear in LOVE; but perfect LOVE casteth out fear: because fear hath (involves) torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in LOVE.’ (1 John 4:18) And the scholars explain that verse thus. Fear hath torment: Abject fear of God is based on dread of punishment. But God’s LOVE, for us renders such dread obsolete. Fear is still part of the Christian walk in the sense of profound reverence, the unwillingness to violate God’s trust in us. (Acts 10:35: 2 Cor. 7:1). Believers need not fear eternal rejection as a result of God’s judgement (John 5:24), but this does not mean a Christian’s approach to God is to be casual and flippant.’
Definitely not my fellow saints! We might not need to be afraid of the Lord, but that doesn’t mean we can just behave as obnoxious and irreverent as we want to. As Bruh Paul wrote to the Roman church about being under grace, not the law. ‘For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law but under grace? God forbid.’ (Rom. 6:14-15) Certainly not my people. The powerful Spirit of grace that we’re living under, the great LOVE we feel for out heavenly Father, ought to make us be very sensitive to sin and what displeases Him.
Then Peter gives us his two cents worth on the subject of LOVE. ‘And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover a multitude of sins.’ (1 Pet. 4:8) Yes, he quotes Cousin Sol, from Proverbs. And so too does James, Jesus’ brother, when he writes to the Jewish diaspora. ‘Brethren, if any of you do err (wander) from the truth, and one convert him (turns him back). Let him know, that he which converteth (turns) the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide (cover) a multitude of sins.’ (James 5:20)
Yes friends, that powerful thing called LOVE can do amazing things! That’s why we say it’s what makes the world go round. And that’s the awesome truth, for without some amount of LOVE in it, our world would be even more chaotic than it currently is, but we do need much much more to improve the situation, to turn it around. And when we need something, what’s the first thing we ought to do? Pray! So, let’s do that right now nuh, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, asking for divine help, because it’s only the Lord’s omnipotence can help us in these terrible times.
As one sincere voice then. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets.
So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways.
And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And after praying, what ought we to do? Keep the promises we made in our prayer and wait in expectant faith for God’s positive answer. So, let’s do just that nuh. Much LOVE!
…if only we had more LOVE…more of God…our world would be such a wonderful place…
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