The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Understanding and Believing that God’s Grace will NEVER Fail Them!

01 Oct 2026 Leave a comment

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   1 October 2026   2 Corinthians 12:9a.

2 Corinthians 12:9a.        He said to me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.

It’s Thursday friends, the penultimate day of our work week and are we ever glad that tomorrow is Friday and the weekend will be here! Today is also the first day of October, somewhat cloudy with a promise of rain, which we’ve seen very little of in the past few weeks. Let’s hope this month will be a little better in the rain department. (smile)  And what a way September has finished rather quickly. In fact all the months of the year, especially the summer months, seemed to have rushed by very quickly, as though they are running some race or the other.

But that, most likely, is only a figment of our imagination; (smile) for deep down we don’t want to face the ultimate winter season that’s quickly approaching. But there’s no need for fear, because we have the Creator and Controller of the universe, Jesus Christ on our side, and if He could calm the sea and still the wind way back then, He can still do it today, because He’s simply the Greatest! And all God’s people gave a loud, grateful and sincere cheer of ‘Yes! Jesus is the greatest! Praise and bless His holy name! Amen!’  

Anyway, let’s get on with the programme, which is based today on the ‘Consider This’ Column of the September In Touch Devotional. So please read with me: ‘Have you ever reached the end of yourself – exhausted, broken, with nothing left to give? Maybe you cried out to the Lord, certain he would change your situation. That didn’t happen when the apostle Paul reached his breaking point. God didn’t remove his pain. Instead the Lord said, ‘My grace is sufficient for you.’ (2 Cor. 12:9) – which might sound like a non-answer. But that word grace – charis in Greek – isn’t just kindness or favor. It refers to divine strength that works through human weakness, not by eliminating it. God’s grace isn’t standing by. It’s empowering you now, right where you need it most.’

Now that’s a wonderful situation to consider my people. And you know what, I just realized that it is indeed true; because for the last couple of weeks I’ve been weak and tired without any apparent reason, and all the asking for health and strength did not change my situation. But yuh know what, I still went ahead and did what I had to do, like doing the Bit, the Blog and the Podcast, despite the low-down energy feeling. Possibly not as enthusiastically and passionately as  I would have liked, but I did whatever it was to the best of my capability right then.

And looking back on the situation, I can now see God’s hand working, His grace flowing through me to enable me to do whatever I needed to do. It’s as they say, you live life forward, but understand it backward. And though I’m still not as strong and energetic as I would like, I now have a new and better perspective on the situation. I don’t need to always be physically strong and energetic to do God’s will, His grace will enable me to do it, despite my shortcomings.

Ah friends, as I look at Bruh Paul’s situation, where he says: ‘And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet (beat) me, lest I should be exalted above measure.’ (2 Cor. 12:7) I can now see why the Lord refused, even after Bruh Paul asked three times to have whatever the thorn was removed from his body. It was to keep him humble, because of the revelations of the times and things to come that he’d been given.

But I haven’t had any of those, at least as far as I know (smile) so I don’t see why He refused to heal and strengthen me. But nonetheless, the Lord intimated to me, what He said to Bruh Paul. ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.’ (2 Cor. 12:9a) And that I can accept, because I’ve experienced God’s strength empowering me in times of weakness. But I don’t know if I have the parts that Bruh Paul had to then say: ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.’ (2 Cor. 12:9b-10)

Yes my people, it’s easy to make all of those strong statements, but actually living up to them is indeed a different story. For who truly wishes to take pleasure in all those negative things? I can tell you that I surely don’t take pleasure in sickness, although now I’ve developed a fairly decent attitude when I go through it. (smile) I believe though that the important part of Bruh Paul’s statement is that in our weaknesses, we can rely and depend on God’s strength to enable and pull us through, because He’s promised to always be with us and never fail us.

It’s as Bruh Paul says earlier on: ‘For all the promises of God in him (Christ) are yea, and in him, Amen, unto the glory of God by us.’ (2 Cor. 1:20) In other words, all the promises God made are fulfilled and guaranteed through Christ (Yea) for God does not change His mind or break promises. And ‘Amen’ refers to us agreeing in faith and giving God the glory. And God is so good to us, that He’s also most generously bestowed on us what we call our Thursday Blessings; undeserved blessings to help us do His earthly work. So let’s declare and activate them right now nuh, for a blessing is not a blessing until it’s activated.

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 taken hold of those blessings, we’re now duty bound to go out and use them to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…human strength may fail…but God’s grace never does…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   8 January 2023   2 Corinthians 5:7.

08 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

2 Corinthians 5:7.        We walk by faith, not by sight.

Another Sunday is upon us friends, which means it’s time to get together to fellowship in the presence of our Lord God Jehovah. For those who can make it to the Lord’s sanctuary, that’s the best place, but if you can’t, one of the wonders of today’s technological world is online worship, and you are advised to do that, rather than not fellowship at all. (smile) There are simply no excuses these day for not joining in some worship service or the other. 

Anyway, to open our proceedings today, we’ve chosen a favourite song that very appropriately describes what we hope to accomplish for this new year of 2023, that’s to live more keenly for Christ. And the name of the song is ‘Just a Closer Walk with Thee.’ Yes, it’s the often recorded traditional gospel song, who’s author remains unknown, despite several stories as per its origin and public attention. 

Needless to say, it’s become a big hit over the years, and today we’ll do it justice by singing an up-tempo version, a la Anne Murray, because it’s a song of praise, pleas and gratitude, and such a song ought to be sung in rousing fashion to show the joy in our hearts. So, with sweet harmony, let’s raise our voices in sacrificial praise to high heaven. 

Singing: ‘I am weak but Thou art strong; Jesus, keep me from all wrong; I’ll be satisfied as long As I walk, let me walk close to Thee. (Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.) Thro’ this world of toil and snares, If I falter, Lord, who cares? Who with me my burden shares? None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee. [Refrain] When my feeble life is o’er, Time for me will be no more; Guide me gently, safely o’er To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore. [Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.)’ 

Oh friends, that was a great version of a very uplifting song. The scholars say: ‘The title and lyrics of the song allude to the Biblical passage from 2 Corinthians 5:7 which states, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” and James 4:8, “Come near to God and He will come near to you.” Or, as the King James version puts it: ‘Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.’ 

And there is great truth to those statements, for we can only walk close to Jesus by first getting to know Him, then sticking with Him through faith, as Romans 8:24-25 so wisely and graciously inform us. ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) (eagerly) wait for it.’ 

Yes my fellow saints, without hope there can be no faith, for hope is the forerunner to faith, and you can only walk with Christ through faith, which is strong trust for the positive expectations of things to come, things that you have not seen, but know deep down that they will eventually come to pass because Jesus promised it. 

There’s also this interesting scripture from 2 Chronicles which puts our walk with God in right perspective. It’s the prophet Azariah’s warning to King Asa. ‘And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. And he went out to meet (before) Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.’ (2 Chr. 15:1-2) 

And that’s the living truth my people! If we seek Christ sincerely, we will find Him, but if we forsake Him, He’ll just leave us to do our own thing. And we all know the serious ramifications involved in doing our own thing without God’s divine and omnipotent help: the rate of success is few to none. (smile) 

Meanwhile, the website Hymnary.org offers this commentary on the tune. ‘In this song, we acknowledge our human inability to live righteously, but we also express awareness of the grace and strength that God gives us in our daily walk. Even such an esteemed saint as the apostle Paul acknowledged his need for this grace.’ 

Remember Bruh Paul pleading three times with the Lord to remove the thorn from his side. ‘And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then I am strong.’ (2 Cor.12:9-10) 

And that’s a fact friends, when our weaknesses come against us, that’s when we’re truly strong, because it’s then that God’s amazing grace rises up to help and protect us. And there are so many useful and encouraging scriptures in the God’s Library on faith and walking with God, that we can spend the whole day talking about them and never exhaust them, (smile) that’s because walking with God in faith is what we’re all about, what God made us to do. 

Unfortunately though, too many of us refuse to get right with God and walk faithfully with Him. Instead in this evil and ungodly world the trend is to walk away from Christ right into the open, deceitful and destructive arms of Beelzebub. How can that ever be a wise decision eh my people, when all Beelzebub has to offer is death and destruction in the fiery halls of hell? 

That’s why this year of 2023 is so important to Christ’s church. We have to turn this exodus from it around, and can only do so by we faithful believers sincerely living for Him, truthfully showing it in our lifestyles and boldly telling it in our speech. That’s the only way to right this ship called the church of Christ! Much LOVE!

…there’ll be no excuses in heaven…when your earthly sojourn…shows a lack of pride, passion and purpose… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ  

Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 September 2020 2 Corinthians 12:9a.

21 Sep 2020 Leave a comment

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

2 Corinthians 12:9a.     ​And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness (weaknesses).

Oh friends, the old fella is feeling somewhat ‘achy, breaky’ this Monday morning in soul, body and mind. Hn! That means his mental acuity is not up to scratch and thus he is devoid of any wise and encouraging words at this present time. (smile) But don’t despair, for the Lord our wonderful God is near – He always is – and in His time, He will fill me with guidance and direction as to what wonderful, LOVING sentiments He desires me to convey to you all today. (smile) 

Yeh mih people, the ole fella shaking it a tad rough this morning, lack of enough rest I believe, but we not giving up, we soldiering on because we have Christ with us to enable us with His strength and grace…. Oh mih bredrin ah just got the zeppo I was waiting for…Glory be! 

Yuh see I wasn’t lying when I said that the Lord would eventually tell me what He wanted me to talk about today. And He just did that – today’s topic mirrors my present predicament; tiredness, a kind of weakness of body, soul and spirit that causes unavoidable dependence on God’s grace and mercy. And one of the best examples of that in the scripture is Bruh Paul’s conversation with the Lord about removing ‘the thorn in his flesh.’ 

As he puts it in his first letter to the Corinthians. ‘And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet (beat) me, lest I should be exalted above measure.’ (2 Cor. 12:7) 

Yeh friends, Bruh Paul had some bodily or mental problem, no one knows for sure what it was, but it was painful (a thorn) and somewhat embarrassing, and he believed it was the devil’s doing, and it also prevented him from exalting himself, from glorying in his own strength and power, because of the amazing revelations that the Lord had showed him. 

And he further explains: ‘For this thing I besought (pleaded with) the Lord thrice (three times), that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness (weaknesses).’ (2 Cor. 12:8-9a) 

What a bam-bam mih people! But it’s the same thing that the Lord is saying to us today, and what He just demonstrated in my life, and has done so often over the thirteen years that I’ve been writing the Bit. I’m trying to do His work, I didn’t ask Him for it, He offered it to me, against my wish (smile), so He keeps on showing His faithfulness, never leaves me in the lurch. 

But that doesn’t mean to say it’s always easy. No sir! Sometimes he makes me work very hard to find out what I need or want to say. But in the end, He always comes through. That’s why I can testify to His awesome faithfulness and the fact that He never gives you something to do without giving you the wherewithal, the anointing to do it. 

But getting back to Bruh Paul, as a result of God’s proclamation, about His ‘strength is made perfect in weakness,’ he then declares (yehhh!) ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then I am strong.’ (2 Cor. 12:9b-10) 

Oh friends, ah sorry, but I haven’t reached Bruh Paul’s level yet nuh! I can’t say I take pleasure in those things – don’t know if I’ll ever say so – but I know that I can stand strong and handle them with God’s help because I’ve been doing it, the pleasure part though, that’s a different story. (smile) So all it means is that when we are weak, not up to scratch, it’s the opportune time for God to show up and demonstrate His might on our behalf. Look how often He did it for Bruh Paul, through all the trials and tribulations He allowed Him to go through. So He’ll do it for all His people, if we’ll just believe and have faith in His word and His promises. 

And Peter offers an interesting statement, re being good stewards of God’s grace. ‘If ye be so reproached (insulted) for the name of Christ, happy (blessed) are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of (blasphemed), but on your part he is glorified.’ (1 Pet. 4:14) Yeh friends, when you suffer for Christ, you are blessed. 

As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, in the Beatitudes: ‘Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ (Matt. 5:11-12) Yeh precious people, I know that’s easier said than done, but with Jesus’ strength, power and authority, we can do it. 

So let’s go home now offering up our Monday Battle Hymn to Almighty God, asking for His divine help to do what needs to be done. All together now, in confident voice, but humble heart. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. 

We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control. 

And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land 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 as always, sincerity ought to lead to action. So what we waiting for eh? Much LOVE!

…the weakness of God…is stronger than men… (1 (Cor. 1:25a)