The Amazing Faithfulness of God To His Promises And His People!

18 Mar 2025 Leave a comment

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

2 Thessalonians 3:3.       But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you safe from evil (the evil one).

And isn’t it wonderful to have another sun-filled, not too cold winter’s day? (smile) But of course! Now, let’s hope that spring is truly in the offing and winter isn’t playing an untimely joke on us, only to come roaring back with a vengeance in the next little while. However it turns out though, we believers will do well in handling the situation because we have an awesome protector…the Best there is…that’s the God of All Creation! And if we stick sincerely with Him, then all will be well with us. 

And on that note, I want to share this prayer on Protection from the recent Prayer Cards issued by the In Touch Organization. So please pray with me: ‘God, how grateful I am for Your protection. The evil in this world may threaten, but it’s no match for You. Truly You are sovereign over all heaven and earth. Thank You for Your promise to watch over those who LOVE You. Please keep me safe in Your care. Guide me away from danger and temptation. Destroy every attempt of the evil one to bring me harm. I praise and thank You, God, that I can rest confidently in the shelter of your hand. Amen!’ 

And indeed, we can rest confidently under the shelter of God’s omnipotent hand my fellow believers! Why? Because He’s made numerous promises in His Word to that effect, and we know that His promises are always faithful and totally kept. And if you don’t believe me, then let’s check His Word and review some of those faithful promises of protection. And our first scripture passage will be one the prayer writers referenced, to which I’ll add the two verses before it so we can get the full context of Bruh Paul’s message on the Faithfulness of our God. 

‘Finally brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course (run free), and be glorified, even as it is with you: and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you safe from evil (the evil one).’ (2 Thess. 3:1-3) And the scholars tell us that there Bruh Paul is contrasting the unfaithfulness of men to the faithfulness of God, which is a favourite topic of his. And they reference a couple of scriptures on the subject (1 Cor. 10:13, 1 Thess. 5:24, 2 Tim. 2:13) 

So let’s look at them nuh. This first one we all know and quote all the time. ‘There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear (endure) it.’ (1 Cor. 10:13) Meanwhile, the second one, with an added verse from Bruh Paul’s final exhortations to the Thessalonians is this: ‘And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it.’ (1Thess. 5:23-24) 

And the last reference with a couple of added verses for enlightenment says: ‘It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer (endure), we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.’ (2 Tim. 2:11-13) And that’s the gospel truth my people; our God cannot deny what He is. He cannot turn off His LOVE, faithfulness, compassion, holiness, or none of His other major attributes! That’s why He’s such a great, faithful and unchangeable God! 

Now, we still have space for a couple of other faithful scripture references, like this one that we all know: ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)’ (Heb. 10:23) Then there are these words from Moses to the children of Israel, as he lets them know that God had chosen them as his people. ‘Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that LOVE him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations. And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that (delay with him who) hateth him, he will repay him to his face.’ (Deut. 7:9-10) 

Yes friends, our God is faithful on either side of the coin, (smile) so it’s wise to stay on His good side. And what about these words from that great Psalm 91, which features God as our refuge and hiding place. ‘I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust… Because thou hast made the Lord which is my refuge, even the most High thy habitation (dwelling place); There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh (near) thy dwelling….

Because he hath set his LOVE upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. he shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life (length of days) will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.’ (Ps. 91:2, 9-10, 14-16) That’s how it goes when you know the Lord and consistently make Him your go to person my fellow believers. 

And we’ll end our scriptures on God’s faithfulness with these awesome and truthful words from Jeremiah in his Lamentations. ‘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…It is good that a man should both hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:22-23, 26) Truer words were never spoken my brethren! It’s only because of God’s great compassion and faithfulness that we haven’t been long ago wiped off the map for our total disobedience and abominable evildoings. Instead, we ought to be praising Him and giving much thanks for His faithfulness to us woeful ingrates. 

Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock 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, we’re now duty bound 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!

…because of God’s true, holy and unchangeable nature…He cannot be anything other than faithful to His promises and His people…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 January 2021 Romans 8:18.

31 Jan 2021 Leave a comment

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

Romans 8:18.     For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.​

One more time to celebrate the Lord’s Sabbath friends; one more time! Oh we’re going to do it thousands of times before this life is over, and we’re going to enjoy it every time, because we know it’s the Lord’s desire for us to celebrate it and be happy as we do it to praise and bless His awesome name! So, let’s begin, as always, with raising up our voices in sacrificial praise to our wonderful Creator. 

And the song we’re going to sing today is one of our all time favourites, written by popular 19thcentury blind hymn writer Fanny Crosby, with her friend Phoebe Palmer Knapp adding the music. The year was 1873, and the hymn was ‘Blessed Assurance!’ Oh yeh friends, that’s certainly going to make for a rocking good time. Why? 

Because as one web site says: ‘Each and every day we sing praises to His name. We are thankful forall of the blessings that He bestows upon us. The lyrics of the classic hymn ‘Blessed Assurance’ is the perfect way to worship. And when you hear the story behind the hymn, you will be even more in awe of His amazing grace. Thank you, Jesus, for dying for our sins!’  

We don’t have time to relate Fanny’s entire story, so a synopsis will have to do. (smile) Born in 1820 of Puritan ancestry in New York, she had an eye infection as a baby, and after a quack doctor placed hot poultices on her inflamed eyelids, she became blind. Then her father became ill and died a few months later, so her mother Mercy went to work as a maid, leaving her grandmother Eunice to raise her. And it was Eunice’s faith and direction and teaching that brought Fanny to her destiny. 

Apparently the grandmother went so far as to vividly describe the physical world to Fanny. Then at 12 she entered the New York School for the Blind, and the rest is History; she ended up teaching there for 23 years, writing numerous poems and hymns. It’s reputed that one evening Phoebe was visiting Fanny, and after playing a melody, she asked Fanny what it sounded like, and Fanny responded, “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine.” And they went on to write the song.  So who says our magnificent and magnanimous God doesn’t work in mysterious ways eh, going to great lengths to get us to worship and praise Him! 

Now let’s worship Him with sincere hearts, strong voices, and plenty emotion, meaning each word we speak – sorry, we joyfully sing. On four: one, two, three, four. ‘Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood (Chorus: This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long.) 

Perfect submission, perfect delight, Visions of rapture now burst on my sight; Angels, descending, bring from above Echoes of mercy, whispers of love. (Chorus…) Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blest, Watching and waiting, looking above, Filled with His goodness, lost in His love. (Chorus: This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long…. Praising my Savior all the day long )’ 

Oh friends, how can we not praise our wonderful Saviour Jesus Christ all day long after all that He’s done for us eh? It would be a most criminal and unforgiveable act on our part. It’s a good thing that He’s so forgiving though, and still LOVES us and thinks good thoughts towards us even when we are not obedient. And He does give us a blessed assurance of the divine glory to come with Him in eternity. Now we don’t have time nor space to go through all the neat Bible references in the hymn, so we’ll just check out a few. 

When it talks about ‘heir of salvation,’ listen to this most reassuring scripture. The words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.’ (Rom. 8:16-18) 

Yes friends, what a glorious day that will be when we are reunited with Christ as joint-heirs of the Father! Mama Yo! Will there ever be rejoicing in heaven…and we should be doing the same on earth right now too, because Jesus told us to be of good cheer down here despite our troubles, since He had conquered the world through His selfless sacrifice on the cross, His resurrection and ascension. (John 16:33) 

And re ‘born of the Spirit,’ listen to Jesus’ words to Nicodemus. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’ (John 3:5-6) And glory be, we are born of the Spirit by association with Christ my people! 

And we’ll end with this most important point, ‘Washed in His blood.’ Ah mih people, that’s perhaps the most important aspect of it all, being washed in the blood of Christ. Why, you ask? First off, Hebrews 9:22 tells us: ‘And almost all things are by the law purged (cleansed) with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.’ That’s for sure my brethren, only through the shedding of blood can sins be forgiven. That’s why Christ had to go to the cross and shed His blood in our stead. 

Then 1 John 1:7, tells us: ‘the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ Oh my fellow believers, Christ was the ONLY sinless soul around, the ONLY lamb without blemish, that’s why the Lord had no choice but to sacrifice Him if He wanted to set us free from sin. Only the best was good enough for us! Wow! 

And we’ll close with these wonderful words from Revelation. ‘And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten (born) of the dead, and the prince of (ruler over) 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) 

Yes friends, to Christ be the glory for His great sacrifice on our behalf…and also to the Father who engineered it, even to the point of breaking His own heart. If that doesn’t tell us how much He LOVES us, then I don’t know what will nuh. Much LOVE!

…if believers in Christ…are not reassured by His message…then something’s seriously wrong with their faith…