if ye abide in me and my words abide in you

The Overwhelming Importance of Believers Abiding in Christ, while He Abides in Them!

18 May 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a foundation for faith, a prayer for God, a soulful rendition, a source of comfort and assurance, abide with me, abounding in the work of the Lord, be able to comfort those in trouble, be ye steadfast unmovable, before my closing eyes, blessed be God, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God, caring for the sick and needy, change and decay, christianity, comes down from the Father of lights, comforts flee, death is swallowed up in victory, defeat the evils of the world, do another good week's work, earth's joys grow dim, earth's vain shadows flee, every good gift, every passing hour, every perfect gift is from above, faith, farewell sermon, fast falls the eventide, fellowship, foil the tempter's power, God's immutability, God's promises and character remain constant, God's unchanging nature, grace to thwart Satan's power, great fervour, guide thee with mine eye, heaven's morning breaks, help of the helpless, Henry Francis Lyte, hold thou thy cross, I am the Lord I change not, I fear no foe, I need thy presence, I triumph still if thou abide in me, I will instruct thee, if ye abide in me and my words abide in you, ills have no weight, in death, in Jesus' name, in life, inspired, invigorated, it's glories pass away, Jesus Christ, Lord and Sovereign of the universe, Lord with me abide, LOVE, mercy, my grace is sufficient for thee, my guide and say can be, my strength is made perfect in weakness, neither shadow of turning, other helpers fail, point me to the skies, rebuilding faith, run our race of faith, salvation, sense of confidencere, shine through gloom, Sunday morning, sweet sacrifices of praise, teach thee in the way thou shall go, tears no bitterness, Thank you Jesus, thanks be to God who gives us the victory, the BIBLE, the darkness deepens, the Father of Jesus, the Father of mercies, the God of All Comfort, the great I AM, the stable nature of God, the sting of death is sin, the strength of sin is the law, the very essence of our God, thou who changest not, through cloud and sunshine, throughout life, to stay with the speaker, truth, tuberculosis, Victoria Day long weekend, what but thy grace, where grave thy victory, where is death's sting, who comforts us in our tribulation, who like thyself can be, wisdom, with thee at hand to bless, with whom is no variableness, ye shall ask what ye will, your labour is not in vain

John 15:7. ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you.’

Sunday morning, Victoria Day long weekend, celebrations in the air, though with the strong winds that are blowing again like yesterday, those celebrations may have to be mainly indoors. But first, fellowship with the Father and each other! Yes friends, that’s always the most important part of a Sunday, for without that we would not be invigorated and inspired to go out and do another good week’s work in Jesus’ name! And for that wonderful sense of confidence and faith rebuilding, we give Him much thanks and praise, of which He’s so worthy! And all God’s children said a loud and grateful, ’Thank You Jesus!’

Today we’ll open our fellowship session with a wonderful old hymn ‘Abide With Me,’ written by Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847) which captures that faith and trust we have in Almighty God. It appears that young Lyte was adopted from an orphanage at nine years old by an Irish Minister, Dr. Robert Borrows, who, although he already had five children put Lyte through school up to Trinity College in Dublin, where he won prizes and scholarships for poetry.

After graduating in 1814, he became an ordained Anglican Minister. Then it seems he threw himself into his work with great fervour, and with his wife Anna, spent his days caring for the sick and needy, which made him ill, he contracted tuberculosis and had to journey to France every winter to regain his health. But apparently in early September of 1847, he gave his farewell sermon which included the lyrics to ‘Abide With Me,’ and died shortly thereafter from his illness. So, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a soulful rendition of this marvellous hymn, one that’s basically a prayer for God to stay with the speaker throughout life and in death.

Singing: ‘Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide. When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me. Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day; earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away; change and decay in all around I see; O thou who changest not, abide with me. I need thy presence every passing hour. What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power? Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be? Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless; ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness. Where is death’s sting? Where grave thy victory? I triumph still if thou abide in me. Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes; shine through the gloom and point me to the skies. Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee; in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.’

Oh my people, what marvellous words and sentiments that catch the very essence of our God! What can be wiser than asking God to stay with you as the darkness falls, for He is the Great I Am; the Omnipotent One, the Lord and Sovereign of the Universe, and no one else can protect you better than Him! And what about these words? ‘When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me.’ Our God is indeed the Help of the helpless and the God of all comfort,’ as Bruh Paul writes to the church at Corinth.

‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4) What a great scripture that is my brethren, and every time I read it, the very idea of our heavenly Father comforting us so that we can comfort others, touches something in me, raises my appreciation of our awesome God.

Then, while the joys of the world grow dim, its glories pass away through changes and decay, whom do we call on but ‘Thou who changest not.’ And the prophet Malachi tells it like it is: ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal. 3:6) And this commentary explains that verse thus: ‘It emphasizes God’s unchanging nature and His unwavering character. This immutability serves as a source of comfort and assurance, highlighting that God’s promises and character remain constant, providing a foundation for faith.’

James, Jesus’ brother also informs us that, ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning.’ (James 1:17) There again we see the unchanging and very stable nature of our God, upon whom we can cast our complete trust. And do we ever need His presence every hour, for it’s only His grace can help us to thwart Satan’s power, and we clearly see that when Bruh Paul asks for the thorn in his flesh to be removed. The Lord simply informs him: ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.’ (2 Cor. 12:9a)

As one commentary says: ‘This implies that when we are facing challenges or weaknesses, God’s grace is available to provide us with what we need to overcome them, even if the weakness remains.’ Glory be to the Most High God Jehovah! For whom else can guide and keep us like thee eh? As Bruh David says of the Lord in Psalm 32: ‘I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.’ (Ps. 32:8)

And what confidence and trust these marvellous words and sentiments bring: ‘I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless; ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness. Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still, if thou abide with me.’ Now that’s for sure my people! We will triumph because Christ has triumphed over, hell, death and the grave. As Bruh Paul writes to the Corinthians: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave (hades), where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor. 15:54b-57)

Now aren’t those all great reasons for wanting the Lord to abide in us? Of course! But there’s also another side to the coin, as Jesus puts it: ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you.’ (John 15:7) And the best way to do that is as Bruh Paul advises. ‘Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for asmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain (futile) in the Lord.’ (1 Cor. 15:58)

And we could not get any better advice than that, so please, this Victoria Day Sunday, let’s take it and run our race of faith with it nuh! Much LOVE!

…only as we abide in Christ…and He in us…can we ever defeat the evils of this world…

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

The Main Purpose of the Christian Life is to Glorify Our heavenly Father, in ALL We Do!

07 May 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: abstain from fleshly lusts, all about glorifying God, among the Gentiles, as newborn babes, ask what you will, baptizing them, be sober minded, bring glory to God not shame, by your good works, Christ's ambassadors, christianity, Christians, desire the sincere milk of the word, endure to the very end, envies, evil speaking, faith, glorify God, glorify your father in heaven, go ye therefore and teach all nations, godly behaviour, good works, gravity, growing in spiritual maturity, guile, halfway home, hands on the plough, having your conduct honest, having your conversation honest, he that is of the contrary part, herein is my Father glorified, holy spirit, hypocrisies, I am with you always, I have commanded you, if ye abide in me and my words abide in you, immersing ourselves in the word, improve our standard of spiritual maturity, in doctrine, in living for christ, in the day of visitation, in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost, incorruptibility, it shall be done for you, Jesus Christ, laying aside all malice, Let your light so shine before men, LOVE, make disciples of all nations, making any productive headway, may be ashamed, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not turning back, perpetrating the ungodly deeds and views of this evil world, practical advice, restore our salty flavour, reverence, salvation, second wind day, showing integrity, showing thyself a pattern of good works, sincerity, so glad to be alive, so shall ye be my disciples, sound speech, speak against you as evildoers, teaching them to observe all things, thank God, that cannot be condemned, that ye may grow thereby, the BIBLE, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the Christian life, the Great Commission, the holy priesthood, the light of the world, the salt of the earth, the stranglehold evil has on the world, they may see your good works, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, turn up our lights, unto the end of the world, war against the soul, Wednesday Wail, whcih they shall behold, wisdom, ye bear much fruit, your opponent may be ashamed

John 15:8. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

And after Tuesday comes Wednesday, a bright sunshiny day with temps around the 20 degrees Celsius mark. It’s also the day we supposedly catch our second wind. Yes, we’re already halfway into the work week, which seems to be flowing by quite quickly. However, the question we must ask, is, are we making any serious and productive headway in living for Christ, growing in spiritual maturity and having a positive effect on the unbelieving majority of our world? And judging from the way it seems more people are turning away from Christ, than are turning to Him, and the stranglehold that evil has on our world, I’d venture to say that the answer to our question is a resounding NO!

Then the next question will be, what are we waiting for to go out into the world and fulfill Christ’s Great Commission? That was the last thing He desired of us: ‘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. 28:19-20)

Oh my people, Jesus’ desire for us on the earth could not be made any plainer and clearer than that! We’re supposed to go out and teach others what He taught us, as well as living a life that resonates with the things we teach. Like being the salt of the earth and the light of the world. As Jesus, so simply but very astutely puts it: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven,’ (Matt. 5:16) And we need to remember that everything we do down here on earth ought to bring glory to God and not shame, as so many of us are doing, perpetrating the ungodly deeds and views of this evil and ungodly world.

And later on Jesus, when talking about the vine and the branches, said to the disciples: ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.’ (John 15:7-8) Ah friends, it’s made very clear there again, that we’re supposed to be doing good works, bearing good fruit so that the Father can be glorified. But the only way to do that is by abiding in Christ and have His words abide in us. And obviously we are not doing that to any sufficient degree, otherwise our world would not be in such a chaotic and lawless state.

And Peter also said the same thing, when he wrote to the Christian diaspora, spread all over the world. ‘Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere (pure) milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.’ (1 Pet. 2:1-3) Yes friends, we need to lay aside all that negative, ungodly stuff that’s so prevalent in our world today. And we can only do that by immersing ourselves in the pure milk of God’s Word, the ONLY thing that can keep us safe and secure from the evils of the world, so that we can become the Holy Priesthood we are meant to be.

And here’s some practical advice from Peter on how to do that. ‘Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation (conduct) honest (honourable) among the Gentiles: that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.’ (1 Pet. 2:11-12) There again my fellow believers we’re entreated to live a life that’s worthy of Christ and do works that will glorify our heavenly Father! How much more do we need to hear for us to get out there and live a Christ-worthy life eh?

Titus also specified the great need for good behaviour from believers, when he wrote: ‘Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness (integrity), gravity (reverence), sincerity (incorruptibility), Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part (an opponent) may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say to you.’ (Titus 2:6-8)

What more can I say eh friends? And those aren’t all the scriptures that speak of good conduct and good behaviour. There are many more throughout the Bible, which shows how important the subject is, for it’s only with our good behaviour and kind words will the unbeliever even consider turning to Christ. And it’s obvious we’re not doing such a good job, or, as we said earlier, our world would not be in such a disastrous state. That’s also why it’s ever so important, that RIGHT NOW, we need to make some changes, some improvements to our standard of spiritual maturity and living, so that the heathen can see the goodness and godliness in us, and want what we have.

Otherwise, our world will keep on sliding down the steep and slippery slope to hell fire and damnation. And I know we don’t want that happen, for it will show that we didn’t do such a good job as Christ’s disciples and ambassadors. So, let’s turn up our lights nuh mih people, make them shine as bright as ever, and restore the salty flavour to our lives, so that many others will desire to come to know and LOVE Jesus like we do. Now, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!

As one strong voice, in all sincerity and truth. ‘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 the good news is that if we endure to the very end with Jesus, the future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So, let’s be wise and endure to the very end nuh, that we can enjoy that glorious future together! Much LOVE!

…the Christian life is all about glorifying God…through good works…and godly behaviour…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 May 2022 Matthew 21:22.

04 May 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a state of spiritual perception, April showers bring May flowers, believing ye shall receive it, bow to the Father's will, climate change, confess your faults one to another, endure to the end, for God's greater good, fraught with all kinds of pitfalls, halfway home, hands on the plough, he shall guide thy paths, hits the nail on the head, if ye abide in me and my words abide in you, in all thy ways acknowledge him, is any among you afflicted let him pray, is any merry, lest ye fall into temptation, let him sing psalms, looking straight ahead, LOVE, not turning back, not what I will but what thou wilt, pray for one another, pray without ceasing, raise our maturity level, resist the enemy's wiles and schemes, right living, sufferation, take this cup away from me, the future will be even more glorious, the prayer of faith shall save the sick, this is the confidence that we have in Him, to a glorious future with Jesus, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, watch ye and pray, Wednesday Wail, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer

Matthew 21:22. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Oh, it’s been a very persistent drizzle; right from yesterday afternoon, through the night…and believe it or not, (smile) it’s still happening in my neighbourhood! So, this middle day of the week, Wednesday is wet and cloudy. It’s the kind of day we expected in April, you know, April showers that bring May flowers. But it hasn’t worked out that way. It’s May, and we still haven’t seen any flowers. What’s with that eh? But after a somewhat colder than normal April, the trees are now venturing to bud.

And we’re laying it all at the feet of climate change. Now isn’t it strange that we always find something or someone else to blame for our problems rather than the usual cause, that’s ourselves? For sure! We don’t like to accept blame, even when it’s staring us full in the face. And our society is daily getting worse in that respect. But I’m not going to go any further into that topic, because it’s one fraught with all kinds of pitfalls. (smile) But rather, I’m going to revisit our Bit of yesterday, the reassuring and uplifting words of Jesus on prayer. ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt. 21:22)

And why is that you ask? Simply because some of the scriptures I had planned to share yesterday never got shared, and I believe they are important enough for us to consider on the subject of prayer. And the first scripture we want to address is this one that Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion, when His heart was heavy and His spirit pretty low. ‘And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.’ (Mark 14:36)

Yes friends, we need to note there, that although Jesus would have liked to be spared the ‘sufferation’ of the cross, He was willing to bow to the Father’s will. We saw the same thing with Bruh Paul yesterday, when the Lord refused to remove the thorn from his flesh because it showed the Lord’s power more in his weakness. And that’s the same thing we must understand. God will not always answer our prayers, the way we want them, when our problems serve for His greater good. You can see that instead of taking away the ‘sufferation’ of the cross, He gave Jesus the wherewithal to handle it, and likewise with Bruh Paul, He gave him the strength to handle whatever was the annoying thorn in his flesh.

So please don’t be dismayed if we ask for relief in some way and the Lord provides it in a different way. Remember, whatever we ask for, must be in line with the Lord’s will, and there will be times, when we truly believe we need genuine relief from problems, but facing those problems will accentuate His glory and raise our maturity level, so He might just give us the strength to face them, instead of removing them completely.

Then there is this very interesting and true statement from Jesus to the disciples, after He came and found them sleeping, instead of watching and praying with Him. He said to them: ‘Watch ye and pray, lest ye fall into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.’ (Mark 14:38) And that’s the indisputable truth my people! Our flesh is easily ruled by our sinful nature, and we need to be in a state of spiritual perception to be able to resist the wiles and evil schemes which the enemy constantly throws at us.

And the best way to do that is through prayer. For when we are praying, temptation cannot overcome us. Now listen to Jesus again to the disciples after telling them that He was the vine and they the branches. (John 15:5) ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you.’ (John 15:8) And that relates directly to the fact that we ask for whatever in Jesus’ name, because it’s only through His work on the cross and His name, that we have access to the Father. So only if we are His true agents and ambassadors, living His Word, will using His name work.

And these words of James, Jesus’ brother, on the topic of prayer, really tell us how important it is in the believer’s life. He says: ‘Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.’ (James 5:13-16)

Yes my fellow saints, prayer should be our number ONE response to everything! As Bruh Paul said to the Thessalonians: ‘Pray without ceasing.’ (2 Thess. 5:17) The Lord our God ought to be the first person we tell about any problem. Then He will direct us to the best road to take. As Cousin Sol so wisely and rightly says in Proverbs. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make straight) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6)

Truer words were never spoken or written my friends! That’s why we can turn to the first epistle of John to read and hopefully learn these most valuable lessons. ‘Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.’ (1 John 3:21-22)

Now the scholars give us a very good warning about those passages of scripture. ‘We have confidence toward God if our lives are in line with the standard of Christian living set forth by John in the earlier passages. John is not saying that whether a person is right or wrong is simply a matter of how he subjectively feels about himself. That is why John has given so many indicators and commands for Christians to take note of and assess themselves by. And one of the great results of a life lived in purity before God is a life where there is effective prayer. Right living is an important part of successful praying.’

And that hits the nail right on the head my brethren! Prayer is non-functional unless we are living right. In other words, right living determines the successfulness of our prayers! And for those of us who are endeavouring to live right, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our most wonderful position in Christ Jesus!

Altogether now: ‘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 the corollary to that is this: if we endure to the very end, then the future will be even more glorious and marvellous than we can ever ask or imagine! Now doesn’t that give us good reason to endure right down to the very end? It surely does! Much LOVE!

…and this is the confidence that we have in him…that if we ask anything…according to his will…he heareth us… (1 John 5:14)

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8

SCRIP-BITS

The Overwhelming Importance of Believers Abiding in Christ, while He Abides in Them!

The Main Purpose of the Christian Life is to Glorify Our heavenly Father, in ALL We Do!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 May 2022 Matthew 21:22.

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