13 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heart full of thankfulness, a modicum of circumspection, a perpetual reason for gratitude, a personal attitude, a powerful expression of faith, an act of worship that glorifies God, be careful for nothing, be ye thankful, before taking action, called in one body, cautious and prudent, celebrate God's goodness, communal worship, considering all circumstances and consequences, divine aid, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, encouraging gratitude in all circumstances, enjoy the celebrations, enjoy the festivities, excellent weather, faith, firewaorks, food, for all the wonderful things He's done for us, give thanks, give thanks to God with sincere hearts, give thanks to our heavenly Father, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him, God's enduring love and faithfulness, God's gooness is constant, God's marvellous grace and mercy, Gratitude as a way of life, Happy Thanksgiving Day, his mercy endures forever, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, in all wisdom, in every situation, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in every thing give thanks, in psalms hymns and spiritual songs, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, let the peace of God rule in your hearts, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, let your requests be made known unto God, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, mercy, music as a powerful expression of our thankful hearts, negative situations, O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good, permeate every aspect of a believer's life, pray, prayers, public gatherings, reckless escapades, regardless of our circumstances, reinforcing trust in God, salvation, see god's hand and goodness, shifts our focus from our worries to God's provision, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord, song and dance, songs, strong faith in Christ, teaching each other, testimonies of God's wonderful deeds, thanksgiving, thanksgiving as worship, thanksgiving is a crucial element of prayer, the ball is in our court, the foundation for our gratitude, the God who heals, the power to solve our many problems, the recognition of God's unchanging love, the weekend, the will of God in Christ concerning you, this blessed land of Canada, ties thankfulness to the peace of Christ, times of abundance, times of trials, tis evil world, to alleviate our problems, truth, turn from our evil ways, two warnings, whatsoever ye do in word or deed, wisdom, wise guidance
1 Thessalonians 5:18. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY CANADA!
Oh friends, it’s good to be alive on this Thanksgiving Monday and be able to give thanks to our heavenly Father for all the wonderful things He’s done for us down through the years, and for what He’s promised to do in the future! What would we do or be without His marvellous grace and mercy eh? Certainly not as much as we are today. And although today looks somewhat cloudy, we also need to give thanks for the excellent weather we’ve experienced so far this important weekend, so that families could get together without too many problems and celebrate God’s goodness to this blessed land called Canada!
I certainly saw that in my area yesterday, where the roads and driveways were lined with more parked cars than normal. Today will also be the same, as the weekend culminates in public gatherings featuring fireworks, food, song and dance and whatever other pastime we choose to occupy the rest of the day. But this thanksgiving rhetoric would not be complete without two warnings; the first is to remember to actually give thanks to God, with sincere hearts, and not only enjoy the festivities like we often do.
And secondly, let’s not overdo the partying and the reckless escapades we tend to get into on these occasions, for remember tomorrow is a workday and we cannot book of sick, or go to work all dragged out and tired. In other words, as that wise man Jeeves would say, let’s totally enjoy the celebrations, but with a modicum of circumspection, that’s being somewhat cautious and prudent, carefully considering all circumstances and potential consequences before taking action. End of the sermon! (smile)
Now, today, we’ll look at some scripture verses that speak of thanksgiving. But before we do that here is some commentary on the matter from the Christianpure website. They break it down into three specific aspects: (1) ‘Gratitude as a Way of Life: The Bible teaches that thanksgiving should permeate every aspect of a believer’s life, encouraging gratitude in all circumstances, not just in times of abundance but also in trials. This perspective transforms how we view our experiences, prompting us to see God’s hand and goodness in every situation.
(2) God’s Enduring LOVE and Faithfulness: Central to the theme of thanksgiving in the Bible is the recognition of God’s unchanging LOVE and faithfulness as the foundation for our gratitude. The verses highlight God’s goodness and mercy as constant reasons for thanksgiving, inviting believers to respond to His LOVE with a heart full of thankfulness.
(3) Thanksgiving as Worship: The act of giving thanks is depicted not only as a personal attitude but also as an act of worship that glorifies God. Through prayers, songs, and testimonies of God’s wonderful deeds, thanksgiving becomes a powerful expression of faith and adoration, drawing believers closer to God and reinforcing their trust in Him.’
And now, having a more in-depth idea of thanksgiving, let’s look at a few verses that fit the bill, beginning with this verse from Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians, which sets the stage for all the others. ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:18) Now that could not be any more specific; in everything we are to give thanks, be grateful regardless of our circumstances, because that’s what the Lord desires of us through Christ Jesus.
Then we have the opening verse of Psalm 107, which is repeated several times throughout the Bible. ‘O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good: for his mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS) endureth for ever.’ (Ps. 107:1) And as the commentary from the Christianpure website tells us: ‘This Psalm highlights God’s enduring LOVE as the foundation for thanksgiving. It reminds us that God’s goodness is constant, providing a perpetual reason for gratitude, reflecting on His unchanging nature and faithful LOVE.’
And what about these verses from Colossians? ‘And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’ (Col. 3:15-17)
And the commentary reasons that ‘This passage ties thankfulness to the peace of Christ and communal worship. It suggests that gratitude is both a personal attitude and a communal practice, enriched through sharing and teaching, with music as a powerful expression of our thankful hearts.’
Unfortunately though, we have time for just one more verse, another one we ought to know quite well. This from Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.’ (Phil. 3:6) And per the commentary: ‘This verse teaches that thanksgiving is a crucial element of prayer, transforming anxiety into peace. It implies that gratitude shifts our focus from our worries to God’s provision, encouraging a trustful surrender to His care.’
Now hopefully we have a somewhat deeper and richer understanding of thanksgiving, (smile) so let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid for our strife-filled world. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as our prayer indicates, now that we’ve prayed, we must begin turning from our evil ways, and sincerely seek God’s face, if we desire to receive divine aid. That means the ball is now in our court. So please, let’s do something productive and worthwhile with it! Much LOVE!
…giving thanks is what God expects from us…in every circumstance…so why are we so reluctant to do it eh…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brutish man knoweth not, a good living, as the heavens are higher than the earth, come to know and love him like we do, duty bound, finite understanding, God's infinite ways nd thoughts, holiday, holy spirit, how great are thy works, hurry, I will be glad and rejoice in thee, I will declare all all thy marvellous works, I will praise thee O Lord, I will sing praise to thy name, I will triumph in the works of thy hands, in every thing give thanks, in god's eyes, indisputable truth, internet connection, it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, Jesus Christ, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, man's most important tasks, mercy, more heat warnings, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my thoughts higher than your thoughts, my ways are not your ways, neither doth a fool understand this, O thou most High, Praise the Lord, pray without ceasing, rejoice evermore, salvation, share His love with my neighbours, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, so are my ways higher than yours, the beloved of God, the big part the internet plays in our lives, the whole wide world, this is the day the Lord has made, this is the will of God in Christ concerning you, thou hast made me glad through thy work, thy faithfulness every night, thy thoughts are very deep, to love the Lord, to show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wisdom, with my whole heart, worry, your word is spread worldwide
Psalm 9:1. I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth (tell of) all thy marvellous works.
So it’s Tuesday, the middle of the month of July, another hot day with more heat warnings, and thankfully I’ve finally gotten my internet reconnected. Yes friends, I need to apologize for not publishing a blog since last Friday. But that was because I lost my internet connection on Friday afternoon, and just got it reconnected today. It seems that that I wasn’t alone in my misery, (smile) there was a general outage in my area.
But Brother! You never realize what a big part that internet connection plays in our modern day lives until you don’t have it for some time. You simply feel lost; no phone, no television, no computer, no what’s ap messages! And you can only read so much. Although I have other things I could have done, I just was too lazy to do them, deciding instead to enjoy the holiday. (smile)
But that holiday is now over. Chuh man! Its’ back to the daily grind and common task; the everyday things that life is really about. So why don’t we do the appropriate thing in this situation, that’s give thanks to God for having our internet connection restored. For as Bruh Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:18)
And all God’s children said: ‘Thank you Lord for the restored internet connection through which your Word is spread worldwide. And we pray that it will not be interrupted again, because that means your Word will not be transmitted to those who sincerely need it. We pray it in Jesus’ Name! Amen!’ And to continue in thanksgiving mode, these words of Psalm 9 titled ‘Praise for God’s Judgement,’ seem to be very appropriate. Bruh David writes: ‘I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth (tell of) all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.’ (Ps. 9:1-2)
Oh friends, those are the exact things that we were created for! To be glad and rejoice in God, as well as give Him thanks and praise and spread abroad His marvellous works. So many scriptures point them out that we could hardly forget them, although in our busy world lifestyle, we do. And we’re talking about scriptures like this seminal verse from Psalm 118, one we all know and quote, but don’t live up to as we ought. The psalmist writes: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps. 118:24)
How many of us get up and say those words and then go out and have a most miserable day because in the busyness of the day, we have removed God from our thoughts? That’s why Bruh Paul instructed us to ‘Rejoice evermore, and to Pray without ceasing.’ (1 Thess. 5:16-17) When you have a glad heart filled with God, and you keep Him continually in your thoughts, then no matter what the world or it’s evil associates do, you won’t lose your peace and joy. For remember the joy of the Lord is your strength. (Neh. 8:10) That’s why we need to keep our joy in God as strong and continuous as possible.
Then these wonderful words of Psalm 92, titled ‘Give Thanks to the Lord’ say it all, my fellow believers. So please read with me: ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name O most High: To shew forth (declare) thy LOVING-KINDNESS in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night. Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery (lute or lyre); upon the harp with a solemn (harmonic, melodious) sound. For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish (senseless) man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.’ (Ps. 92:1-6)
What words of indisputable truth those are my brethren! We need to give thanks and praise to our great God, for it’s through Him that we have life and a good living, through His great works we enjoy all the benefits of the planet we’re living on, and it’s through His grace and mercy that we triumph in this difficult life. And it’s obvious that a senseless man or a fool cannot understand God’s greatness!
Even those of us who seek to do so will fall far short because as the prophet Isaiah declares on the Lord’s behalf: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9)
It’s as simple as that friends! The Lord God our Creator and Controller’s infinite ways and thoughts are so much higher than our puny and finite understanding. That means, as hard as we may try, we will never understand all that God does…not until we get to the other side. (smile) So it doesn’t make sense to fight what God says, just do it and say ‘Praise the Lord!’
And although all of that is much easier said than done, if we’re to be true believers and disciples of Christ, then we need to do what He says, remembering that He will never ask us to do something without giving us the wherewithal to do it. Now, for those of us who are sincerely trying to do His will, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) 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!’
Now, we’re 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!
…man’s most important tasks are…to LOVE the Lord…and give Him thanks and praise…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
25 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a day of rest and worship, a heartfelt version, a time to cease work, a weekly day of rest, accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, all the troubles of the world on our shoulders, amid the conflict, angels will attend, be careful for nothing, burdened with a load of care, can never count God's numerous blessings, Christ has promised you His wealth untold, christianity, Christians, count your blessings, count your many blessings, counting your blessinsg means being grateful, do not be discouraged, does the cross seem heavy, engage in religious practices, eternal life, every doubt will fly, faith, fellowship, for all god has done in our lives, gathering in God's sanctuary, God is over all, God rested the seventh, God's day, grumpy, help and comfort give, holy spirit, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in every thing give thanks, in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, it will surprise you what the Lord hath done, Jesus bore all our sins, Jesus Christ, Johnson Oatman Jr., keep it holy, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, let your request be made known unto God, look at others with lands and gold, LOVE, many are thy wonderful works, mercy, miserable, money cannot buy your reward in heaven, name them one by one, numbering your troubles, on the cross of Calvary, our blessings outweigh our troubles, praise, pray without ceasing, refelct, rejoice evermore, remember the Sabbath day, salvation, singing as the days go by, stop and give thanks, sucking a sour lemon, sweet sacrifices of praise, thankful for the good things in our lives, thanksgiving, the BIBLE, the gospel truth, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, the most joyful people on the planet, the peace of God which passeth all understading, the Sabbath, the Ten Commandments, they are more than can be numbered, they cannot be reckoned up, thinking all is lost, this is the will of God in Christ, thy thoughts to us-ward, to your journey's end, truth, when upon life's billows, wisdom, work everything out for our good, you are discouraged, you are tempest tossed, your home on high
1 Thessalonians 5:18. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
And another of God’s Day, the Sabbath, has rolled around, with fellowship, praise and thanksgiving the order of the day as God long ago ordained it in the Ten Commandments. ‘Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work. But the seventh is the sabbath of the Lord thy God.: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, not thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made the heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.’ (Ex. 20:8-11)
So you see that the Sabbath Day is important to God, and should also be important to us. But what exactly is the Sabbath Day? This commentary explains it thus: ‘The Sabbath is a weekly day of rest, observed by many religious groups, including Judaism and certain Christian denominations. It is traditionally observed on the seventh day of the week, from sundown Friday to nightfall Saturday in the Jewish calendar. For many Christians, Sunday is the Sabbath, a day of rest and worship commemorating the resurrection of Jesus. The Sabbath is a time to cease work, reflect, and engage in religious practices.’
And that’s exactly why we’re gathering in God’s sanctuary this Sunday morning; to reflect and engage in religious practices like prayer and worship. So let’s begin our worship with this wonderful and oh so appropriate song, especially for these trying and troubled times, we’re now experiencing. It’s simply titled, ‘Count Your Blessings!’ It was written by American born Johnson Oatman Jr. (1856-1922), a businessman as well as an ordained local preacher. He’s reputedly written over three thousand hymns, and no gospel song book is considered as being complete unless it contains some of his hymns. That ought to be true if he’s written so many.
But before we get to singing the song, let’s take a moment to explain what’s meant by counting our blessings. It’s basically being grateful, being thankful for the good things in our lives, and when we do that, it often stops us from becoming too unhappy about the bad things. Now let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise to Almighty God in an up-tempo, scintillating, truly heartfelt version of the song, leaving no doubt that we’re indeed most thankful for our many blessings, so many of them undeserved.
Singing: When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. (Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.) Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, ev’ry doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by. [Refrain]
When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings, money cannot buy Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. [Refrain] So, amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. [Refrain] 2.’
And that was an awesome rendition of the song encompassing ever so true sentiments and words my people! There could be no doubt whatsoever about out thankfulness for the many blessings our wonderful God has bestowed on us down through the years, and will continue doing, if we stay faithful and true to Him. And we cannot find a better verse in the Bible that describes this song than these words of Bruh David from Psalm 40 – Praise for God’s Deliverance. He writes: ‘Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up (recounted) in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.’ (Ps. 40:5)
Now that’s the gospel truth my brethren! We can never count the numerous blessings that our generous God has bestowed on us. But we do need to keep as many of them as possible in mind so that we can remember His faithfulness, especially in hard times. And I like what this commentary from the Godtube website says on the subject. ‘God truly gives us so many blessings each and every single day. Some may even be so small that we might overlook them. The classic hymn ‘Count Your Blessings’ truly reminds us to stop and give thanks for all God has done in our lives. This is definitely a pause we all need to take. Amen.’
And that we surely need to do every so often friends! For it’s in keeping with Bruh Paul’s wise advice to the Thessalonians: ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:16-18) And there can be no better advice than that, because Christians ought to be the most joyful people on the planet, seeing that we have Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, the giver of salvation and eternal life, the most important things in the universe!
However, too many of us supposed believers go around like we’re constantly sucking a sour lemon, like if we have all the troubles of the world on our shoulders, but Jesus has already taken care of that. He bore ALL of our sins on the cross of Calvary, so there’s nothing left for us to worry about, but to live in joy and peace for and with Him. And as this commentary so wisely advises us: ‘If you always find yourself numbering your troubles, you will never find time for counting your blessings. There is no use becoming frustrated in your difficulties while you have all opportunities hiding in them for a turnover.’
And yuh know the sad part that situation my people, is if we truly sit down and count our blessings, we’ll find that they outweigh our troubles…and by plenty too. So let’s stop being grumpy and miserable when troubles come against us nuh. The Lord’s promised to eventually work everything out for our good. (Rom. 8:28) And if truly believe that, then we can sincerely live like Bruh Paul says to the Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in EVERY THING by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7)
And that’s a marvellous scripture to go home to today, my fellow believers! Much LOVE!
…our world is overflowing with disaster…but in Jesus…believers have the wherewithal to handle it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a constant attitude of prayer, alleviate our problems, anxiety, anxious, be careful for nothing, be of good cheer, be prayerful about everything, Bible, by prayer and supplication, catch your fancy, christianity, Christians, concerning you, death, divine aid, divinely bestowed peace, ease the pain, faith, faith in Christ, give thanks to god, he who has ears to hear let him hear, hear our requests, hell, holy spirit, humble servants, i have overcome the world, in every event or circumstance, in every thing give thanks, in me ye shall have peace, in the face of adversity, irresposibility, Jehovah Rapha, legitimate concern, let not your heart be troubled, let your moderation be known unto all men, let your requests be made known unto God, LOVE, maintain gratitude, mass confusion in our world, mercy, moderation, my peace I give unto you, my thoughts are higher than your thoughts, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are higher than your ways, my ways are not your ways, negative situations, neither let it be afraid, not as the world gives, obedience, passes all understanding, Peace i leave with you, pray without ceasing, propser us, protection, repentance, sacrifice, salvation, seeking God's face, the God who heals, the grave, the heavens are higher than the earth, the Lord is at hand, the peace of God, the promises of Christ, the tools of Christ, the will of God, this is the will of God in Christ, throne of grace, time of need, tranquility of mind, tribulation, truth, turn from our evil ways, wisdom, wise guidance, with thanksgiving
1 Thessalonians 5:18. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Come on down Monday, we’re ready and waiting for you! Hit us with your best shot! But it won’t work, for we have all the tools and promises of Jesus, at the ready, waiting to shoot you down. Therefore, we have taken this scripture from the pen of Bruh Paul to heart. ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:18)
Ah friends, that’s a tough scripture, but one we definitely need to know and totally embrace. And what does it mean? The scholars say that ‘In every event or circumstance (thing) the Christian is to give thanks to God for the good He can bring out of the event, even should the event be unpleasant. The constant attitude of prayer, mentioned in verse 17 – ‘Pray without ceasing,’ will help the believer to maintain gratitude in the face of adversity.’
And if that scripture doesn’t catch your fancy, (smile) then try this one from Bruh Paul’s missive to the Philippians. ‘Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:5-7)
And I must admit that one seems a tad easier than the first one, although they both basically mean the same thing. Instead of worrying about anything, we are to take every situation, be it pleasant or unpleasant and present it to God through prayer, supplication and thanksgiving.
The scholars advise: ‘The Lord’s nearness (vs. 5b) leads Paul to forbid his readers from worrying. This is no summons to irresponsibility or an invitation to dismiss legitimate concern. The solution to undue anxiety is prayer in every thing, “in any matter of life.” The way to be free of anxiety is to be prayerful about everything. While God is eager to hear our requests, they are to be accompanied by thanksgiving.’
Now, that seems easier said than done, but like all things we need to get good at, it requires continuous practice until it becomes a habit. And what’s the benefit of that exercise, you ask? ‘The peace of God which passes all understanding.’ Wow! Isn’t that important enough to make the effort worthwhile? It surely is!
Because as the scholars tell us, ‘The peace of God is that tranquility of mind freeing the believer from fear and worry. “Peace” which passeth all understanding means (1) peace divinely bestowed in times of anxiety, so wonderful that it exceeds one’s ability to understand it; (2) God’s peace far surpasses one’s own understanding of the problem, and his ability to cope with and solve it.’
That brings to mind this most important scripture from the prophet Isaiah, where he speaks on God’s behalf. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) That says it all my people. And so it should be, if He is God!
Therefore, when we take our problems to Him in prayer, with thanksgiving, He gives us His unsurpassable peace that guards our hearts and minds from the enemies attempts to cause us worry and anxiety. And that dovetails very nicely with Jesus words on the subject to the disciples, and consequently to us. ‘Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
Oh my people, what a marvellous gift is the peace of Jesus! It’s unlike any other that the world knows, and surpasses any other kind. It’s the amazing kind of peace that causes us not to worry or be afraid. Where else can you find that kind of peace eh? Only in and from Jesus! Then later on, He tells us again about the kind of peace we can have if we accept Him as Lord and Saviour. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Wow! What can we say to that most expressive statement eh? Not much really, but accept it for what it is: Jesus’ faithful promise! There’s no doubt whatsoever that in the world we will have trials and tribulations, but since Jesus has already overcome the world, that’s hell, death and the grave, if we stay entwined with Jesus, then we will have His awesome protection against the world and it’s ungodly masses. You can’t ask for anything more than that friends.
However, Jesus has already done His work, it’s now our turn to live up to our promise when we accepted Him as Lord and Saviour. That’s take up our cross daily and follow Him, even if it calls for personal sacrifice. And sometimes that’s difficult to do, but through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving we can do it. So let’s go to the throne of grace right now, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help us in this our great time of need.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
In closing though, please remember that divine aid is not doled out willy-nilly, but for obedience, repentance, sincerely seeking God’s face and a change in our evil ways. Much LOVE!
…He who has ears to hear…let Him hear…otherwise…He will feel…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great King above all Gods, angels will attend, be singing as the days go by, burdened with a load of care, Christ has promised wealth untold, come before his presence with thanksgiving, concentrate on the good things, count the negative more than the positives, count your blessings, every doubt will fly away, faith, give thanks, go to the Lord's sanctuary, God is over all, heavy the cross you are called to bear, help and comfort give, in every thing give thanks, Jesus Christ, Johnson Oatman Jr., let us sing unto the Lord, LOVE, make a joyful noise, money cannot buy your reward in heaven, name them one by one, opportunities hiding in your difficulties, overlook the small blessings, pray, rejoice evermore, sacrifices of praise, salvation, see what God hath done, shout joyfully unto him with psalms, sing up a storm, tempest tossed, thanksgiving weekend, the Lord is a great God, thinking all is lost, this is the will of God in Christ, to the rock of our salvation, to your journey's end, truth, upon life's billows, wisdom, your are discouraged, your home on high
1 Thessalonians 5:18. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
And though it’s a somewhat cloudy and chilly Sunday, this Thanksgiving weekend; it ought not to stop us from making our way joyfully to the Lord’s sanctuary to fellowship with other believers and give our wonderful God much praise and thanks for all He’s done for us down through the years.
It’s as the psalmist declares: ‘O Come, let us sing unto the Lord” let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (songs). For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all Gods.’ (Ps. 95:1-3)
And that’s the indisputable truth my people! So lets’ do as the psalmist advises and offer up sweet sacrifices of praise in a mid-tempo, scintillating, sincere, heartfelt and truthful version of this perfect Thanksgiving song, one we all know and LOVE, written by American hymn writer and pastor, Johnson Oatman Jr. (1856-1922), simply, but most appropriately titled ‘Count Your Blessings.’
But before we sing, let’s ascertain what it means. In general, it means to be grateful for the good things in our lives, while it also often means to stop ourselves from becoming too unhappy about the bad things, which we ofttimes can’t do anything about. So now that we know, let’s sing up a storm this Thanksgiving Sunday!
‘When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. (Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.)
Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, ev’ry doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by. [Refrain] When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings, money cannot buy Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. [Refrain]
So, amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. [Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done. (2).’
Ah friends, one of our bad attitudes is that regardless of how many good things we have in our lives, we choose to dwell and agitate over the few negatives more than the many positives. But that’s exactlty the kind of attitude this song is attempting to turn us away from. As the chorus so wisely advises us: ‘Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done;’ If we concentrate on the good things in life, rather than the negative ones, we will be ever so much happier and contented.
Or as this commentary rightly reminds us: ‘If you always find yourself numbering your troubles, you will never find time for counting your blessings. There is no use becoming frustrated in your difficulties while you have all opportunities hiding in them for a turnover.’ That’s more gospel truth; for in our difficulties positive opportunities are always present.
And the website www.godtube adds their two cents worth by reminding us that ‘God truly gives us so many blessings each and every single day. Some may even be so small that we might overlook them. The classic hymn ‘Count Your Blessings’ truly reminds us to stop and give thanks for all God has done in our lives. This is definitely a pause we all need to take. Amen.’
Now right in there is another serious matter on the topic of blessings. We tend to overlook the small blessings that the Lord bestows on us every day. They’re usually so small that we either don’t notice them or take them for granted, only considering the big things as blessings. But there again we’re wrong, for the Lord bestows many more small blessings on us than large ones, and if we just wait to number the large ones to be thankful, then we will be waiting a mighty long time.
So, as of today, right now, let’s stop counting only our large blessings, but look with joy on the many small ones the Lord bestows on us every day. And if we’ll just take a moment to think about it, I’m sure we’ll all be able to come up with quite a few small ones that we’ve never paid any attention to. And the song gives us so many occasions on which to count our blessings:
‘When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost… And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. – Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?… ev’ry doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by. – When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; … money cannot buy Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. – So, amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; … angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.’
Oh my fellow believers, just look at all the things we can defuse and reject by just counting our many blessings nuh! Why do we then allow life to make us so miserable and discouraged when we have the great and faithful promises of God, our Creator and Provider? That’s why Bruh Paul was able to write thus to the Thessalonians: ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:16-18)
And those are exactly the things God desires for us so that we can live the abundant life that Christ died for us to have starting right down here on earth. Much LOVE!
…count your blessings…pray…rejoice…and give thanks…that’s the Christian motto…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bountiful serving of grace mercy and love, a chaotic world, a pipe dream, a Red-Letter day, angels will attend, be careful for nothing, Bible, blameless and harmless, burdened with a load of care, children of God, Christ has promised you His wealth untold, christianity, count your blessings, counting our blessings, counting our problems, discouraged, do all things without murmurings and disputings, does the cross seem heavy, every doubt will fly, faith, fellowship, frustrated believers, frustrated in your difficulties, give you comfort, god, God is over all, guard your hearts and minds, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in every thing give thanks, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Johnson Oatman Jr., LOVE, money cannot buy your reward in heaven, name them one by one, opportunities hiding in them for a turnover, see what God has done, shine as lights in the world, singing as the days go by, sweet sacrifices of praise, tempest tossed, the great invitation, the peace of God, the will of God, thinking all is lost, to your journey's end, truth, unknown circumstances, upon life's billows, wisdom, without rebuke, your home on high
1 Thessalonians 5:18. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
And as it does every seven days, Sunday is on board, meaning it’s time to hie ourselves to the Lord’s sanctuary to fellowship with other believers, to give thanks and praise to our great God and receive a bountiful serving of His grace, mercy and LOVE as we embark on another week of unknown circumstances and actions in this chaotic world.
And the song we’re going to open with today is one that’s ever so appropriate for these vile and ungodly times. It was written by Johnson Oatman Jr. (1856-1922) an American Minister, but also a prolific hymn writer, and it’s fittingly titled ‘Count Your Blessings!’ It’s a song we know and LOVE, but obviously don’t pay sufficient attention to its words, otherwise so many of us believers would not be as miserable, anxious and frustrated as we are.
Anyway, today we’re going to work on that by offering up that song with sweet sacrifices of praise, in a heartfelt, up-tempo mode. Now, we’re going to begin with a rollicking rendition of the chorus to set the overall atmosphere, and while singing, let’s mentally count our basic blessings, like life, LOVE, friends, family, food, shelter, clothing, a job and a church to fellowship with other believers.
Singing: ‘[Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.] When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. [Refrain] Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, ev’ry doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by.
[Refrain] When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings, money cannot buy Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. [Refrain] So, amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. [Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.] (2)’
Ah friends, what a wonderfully wise and encouraging song! But it’s ever so sad that we don’t do what it says on a regular basis. For as this commentary from the website www.godtube tells us: ‘God truly gives us so many blessings each and every single day. Some may even be so small that we might overlook them. The classic hymn ‘Count Your Blessings’ truly reminds us to stop and give thanks for all God has done in our lives. This is definitely a pause we all need to take. Amen.’
And is that ever the indisputable truth! For if we would take advantage of counting the many blessings we have, instead of counting our troubles, our lives would be way more joyful and productive, and we’d end up giving God the thanks and praise He truly deserves. As another excerpt from the Godtube website says: ‘‘If you always find yourself numbering your troubles, you will never find time for counting your blessings. There is no use becoming frustrated in your difficulties while you have all opportunities hiding in them for a turnover.’
We cannot deny that, because our difficulties are often God-given opportunities for us to explore and become more kingdom oriented, rather than moan and complain about life being so tough and God not as good as He claims. As Bruh Paul warns us in Philippians: ‘Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings (quarreling among yourselves): That ye may be blameless and harmless (innocent), the sons (children) of God, without rebuke (fault), in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation (generation), among whom ye shine as lights in the world.’ (Phil. 2:14-15)
And that’s a fact. If we believers would cut down our complaining and quarreling amongst ourselves, out witness would be ever so much improved. But we like the easy, comfortable and convenient life, without any problems or sacrifices. But in this deranged world, that’s nothing but a pipe dream, especially if you intend to live for Christ. Anyway, on a more pleasant note, (smile) the song basically is about thanksgiving and praise, and Bruh Paul has constantly drummed into our heads how important those two things are for believers.
In Philippians, he lays it out on a painter’s palette for us: ‘Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:5-7) What’s in that we don’t understand eh? If you want godly peace of mind, then you have to pray and give thanks, and not murmur and complain.
Then in 1 Thessalonians, Bruh Paul tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:18) What’s wrong with us that we cannot understand such simple language eh, especially if we claim to be such great believers in Christ Jesus?
And besides all of that, every verse of the song is filled with some reference to the scriptures. For example: ‘When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost…’ That reminds us that Christ is the calm in our storm. Just like He calmed the winds and the sea while on the ship with the disciples, (Mark 4:35-41) He will also calm any storm in our lives if we place it in his hands.
Then there are these words in the second verse. ‘Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?’ Now that should automatically call us to Jesus’ Great Invitation (Matt: 11:28-30) where He invites us to lay all our cares upon Him. And the other verses are the same.
Oh friends, I’m pleading with us to make this a Red-Letter day in our lives; one where we promise ourselves to stop complaining about every li’l difficulty, and instead start seriously and sincerely counting the numerous blessings we do have. That will certainly improve our quality of life and help to make our world a much better place to live in. Much LOVE!
…it’s time for Christians to stop counting their problems…and begin counting their blessings…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a strong anointing, Bible, blessed is he who hides in him, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, come exalt His name forever, delivered me from every fear, faith, fear the Lord all ye saints, fellowship, glorify the Lord with me, god, He will deliver them, He'll give you everything, his praise shall continually be in my mouth, holy spirit, I sought the Lord and He answered me, I was glad when they said unto me, I will bless the Lord at all times, in Christ Jesus concerning you, in every thing give thanks, in the Lord's sanctuary there is joy, Jesus, Jesus Christ, let us exalt His name together, let us go into the house of the Lord, LOVE, magnify the Lord with me, musical perfection in gospel music, no want to them that fear him, O taste and see that the Lord is good, on which side his bread was buttered, peace, psalm 34, psalms, saved me from my enemies, shall not want any good thing, Shane Bernard, the Lord heard me, the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, the Son of God surrounds His saints, the will of God, the y that seek the Lord, they'll never be ashamed, this poor man cried, those who look on Him are radiant, wisdom
Psalm 34:3. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
Another day on God’s great earth…alive and kicking, and able to visit His sanctuary to worship His holy name and fellowship with other believers! Oh what a joy and privilege that is my people! As Bruh David says in Psalm 122: ‘I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.’ (Ps. 122:1) And that’s how we ought to feel whenever we enter into God’s house my brethren! Because in the Lord’s sanctuary there is joy, LOVE, peace and all the other good things that emanate from Him. So why wouldn’t we be happy to go there eh?
And the song we’re going to sing today is still my favourite song of worship, because it gives me that joyful feeling, like being in the Lord’s sanctuary and just opening up my heart, mind and soul to the Lord. Shane Bernard built the song around the first ten verses of Bruh David’s words in Palm 34, and titled it ‘Psalm 34 – O Taste and See that the Lord is Good,’ and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir has done a miraculous job in bringing it to life.
Sometimes a month or two goes by and I don’t hear it, and then it pops up, and I figure it won’t affect me the same way. But am I ever so wrong, for every time I hear it, it just thrills me one more time. And I heard it this week, and just knew that we had to sing it today. (smile) So without further ado, let’s raise our voices in sweet sacrifices of praise, singing this wonderful reworking of Bruh David’s words from Psalm 34 – ‘O Taste and See that the Lord is Good.’
Singing: ‘I sought the Lord And He answered me And delivered me From every fear. Those who look on Him Are radiant They’ll never be ashamed They’ll never be ashamed. This poor man cried, And the Lord heard me And saved me from My enemies. The Son of God Surrounds His saints He will deliver them He will deliver them. Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good Oh blessed is he Who hides in Him. Oh fear the Lord Oh all you saints He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything.
(Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Repeat) (Let us bless the Lord Every day and night Never ending praise May our incense rise. Repeat 4 times) Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. {Repeat} Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. …He’ll give you everything…’
Now that’s no lie friends, if what you want is in His will and plan for you! And what truly excites me about the song is the way the musicians get into it. You can see that they are feeling it just like the choir, and that’s what lifts up a song above the ordinary level. And this commentary on the song certainly agrees with me. It says: ‘Every frame, every beat, every note, perfectly executed. THIS is musical perfection in gospel music.’
Meanwhile, these two go even further. The first one says: ‘Every time I listen to this song I imagine myself along with all the other saints in heaven worshipping. This song carries a strong anointing. You can feel the presence of the heavenly hosts.’ And the next one calmly informs us: ‘This is how it would be like in heaven. Every voice, musician, race, soul praising the name of God. Amen!!’ Now, if you’ve heard the song, then you can’t argue with any of those comments, for it’s truly an awe-inspiring rendition.
And how does Bruh David put it in the psalm, written after narrowly escaping death at the hands of Saul and his cohorts and having to run to his enemy, the Philistine king Achish for shelter? (1 Sam. 21:10-15) He opens thus: ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof and be glad.’ (Ps. 34:1-2) That recalls Bruh Paul’s directives to the Thessalonians, and also to us latter day believers: ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:18)
Then Bruh David invites us: ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps. 34: 3) Why does he do that? Because, as he writes: ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing.’ (Ps. 34:4-10)
And that’s gospel truth, for we all know Bruh David’s story; he talks from personal experience not hearsay. He knew on which side His bread was buttered. And all I can say in closing is that we take Bruh David’s words seriously; magnify and exalt the Lord together…stay close to Him and He will stay close to us, and call on His name in times of trouble and He will hear our cry and alleviate our situation in one way or the other. That’s His faithful promise. And our God does not make empty promises. Much LOVE!
…the Lord is my shepherd…I shall not want… (Ps. 23:1)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heart glowing with praise, a positive outlook on life, be careful for nothing, Bible, christianity, compassionate heart, courage, creativity, devotional, faith, favour curse, great is our God and of great power, great is our Lord, great is thy faithfulness, he healeth the broken in heart, his compassions fail not, his understanding is limitless, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in every thing give thanks, in the morning, it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, it is good to sing praises unto God, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, it is pleasant, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, more love and joy, negative word, praise is comely, Praise ye the Lord, pray without ceasing, psalms, rejoice evermore, success, supernatural strength, the believer's best freind, they are new every morning, this is the will of God in Christ, Thursday Blessings, thy faithfulness every night, to shew forth thy lovingkindness, to sing praises unto thy name O Most High, to warm our cold hearts, upon an instrument of ten strings, upon the harp, with a solemn sound, worship
Psalm 92:1. ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:
Oh friends, at long last, warm and sunny days seem to be here again! Thank the Lord! It’s about time we felt some of the sun’s awesome heat to warm our cold hearts, souls, bodies and minds after this long winter season. Granted, it wasn’t that cold, but still the chilly, damp weather is what really gets into the bones and causes all sorts of illnesses and emotional downturns. But with summer seemingly on the way, there is a li’l more LOVE and joy in the society, although not as much as we so badly need.
And today we’ll take a look at a couple of scriptures about giving thanks to our great God, for all that He’s done on our behalf. And the first scriptures come from Psalm 92, aptly titled ‘Give Thanks to the Lord.’ So please read with me: ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth (declare) (steups!!!) thy LOVING-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery (lyre or lute); upon the harp with a solemn (harmonious or melodic) sound. For thou Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.’ (Ps. 92:1-4)
Oh my fellow saints, it’s so obvious that the Lord deserves our thanks, both morning and evening, and even during the daytime because of His unfailing goodness and mercy to us each and every day! And if, as the psalmist says he has made us glad through His work, then there’s even more reason to give Him praise and thanks!
And Psalm 147, titled ‘Sing Praise to the Lord,’ gives the same message. ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah): for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely (beautiful). (It surely is!) The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds (sorrows). He telleth (counts) the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite (limitless).’ (Ps. 147:1-5)
More indisputable truth my brethren! Our God is both great and good, therefore He necessitates praise from His people! Unfortunately though, His people don’t thank him as much as they ought to. Some of us only give thanks on Sundays when we go to church, others don’t even remember to give thanks at all. But please remember as Jeremiah says: ‘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.’ (Lam. 3:22-23)
Oh friends, our wonderful God deserves amazing praise and thanks for the simple reason that we are still alive today, through His great mercies and faithfulness. You know how many people didn’t wake up this Thursday morning? Many! Why? I don’t know. But I’m sure some of them did not waken today because they were not in the habit of giving the Lord the thanks and praise He so richly deserves. It’s mind boggling that we can call on the Lord for all the stuff we want, but when we get it, we forget to give Him thanks and praise.
My people, we should be thanking our God all through the day: for every good and positive move we make; for every scrape or negative situation that He gets us out of. Praise should be a continual thing in the hearts and lives of the true believer. Why do you think Bruh Paul highly advised us through his letter to the Philippians to ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God.’ (Phil. 4:6) And to the Thessalonians, he said: ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5: 16-18)
Yes my fellow believers, giving thanks and praise to Almighty God is essential in our daily lives, it’s His will for us. One of the reasons He created us is that we could praise and worship Him, and reciprocate his wonderful LOVE like all the other heavenly hosts. He didn’t just make us to beg and badger Him for lustful, ungodly stuff, as some of us seem to think from our ungrateful and rebellious attitudes. Heartfelt thanks is essential for the believer if he or she expects to receive all that God has in store for them. And I don’t know how else to say it but like that.
Anyway, enough preaching for today. And the Bit is already late because I had to go down to the hospital for some tests this morning, so let’s keep it short and sweet. (smile) And since it’s Thursday, it means declaring (chuh man!!!) our Thursday Blessings very generously given to us by the Lord to do His earthly work. So as one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (awright!!!) it’s now our duty to go out and generously use those blessings, so that others can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…a heart glowing with praise and thanksgiving…is the believers best friend…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
10 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adversity, an attitude of the heart, be patient toward all men, comfort the feebleminded, divine help, don't render evil for evil, faith, faithful is He that calls you, Friday chant, holy spirit, in every thing give thanks, Jesus Christ, joy, LOVE, obedience to God's will, pray without ceasing, quench not the Spirit, reconciled back to the Father, rejoice evermore, return backsliders to your fold, sacrifices, salvation, sanctify you wholly, separated by the throes of sin, simmering discontent, support the weak, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thanksgiving, the error of their ways, the God of peace, this is the will of God in Christ, trials and tribulations, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, warn them that are unruly, wisdom, wise guidance
1 Thessalonians 5:24. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
And as always, the usual worldwide shout of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ reverberated far and wide this Friday morning. And I can’t complain too much because I’m feeling a tad better, on the way to a full recovery, and the sun’s shining brightly out there amongst the clouds with a decent temperature! So there is cause for joy and thanksgiving! And talking about joy and thanksgiving, I just got the zeppo (smile) to turn to Bruh Paul’s warning to the Thessalonians, where he writes these remarkable words of Christian faith. So let’s pay attention, as he admonishes the church, both then and now.
‘Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly (insubordinate), comfort the feebleminded (faint-hearted), support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:14-18) Yes friends, those are some good words for us to meditate on this Friday morning as we end our workweek and begin our weekend of rest and rejuvenation. (smile)
And we all know those words are not easy to follow, especially in the evil and hateful climate that currently exists in our world. But Jesus told us from the very beginning that the Christian life would not be easy, but be full of trials and tribulations, requiring sacrifices and adversity. However, with His Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we would be well able to carry out whatever duties were required of us, provided we obeyed the leading and prompting of said Holy Spirit, for our God NEVER asks us to do anything without giving us the wherewithal to do it. Whatever He asks us to do, He conveniently anoints us to do it.
So, the onus is upon us when things don’t get done. And over the last couple of generations we have become a very disobedient and ungodly people thus the sorry state of our world. But despite our lack of obedience, the Lord doesn’t ever give up on us. He’s always there, encouraging us through the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we can repent and come back into His fold. Yes, it’s hard to rejoice and give thanks in all things, but that’s the plan the Lord has mapped out for each of us.
Yuh think Jesus wanted to go to the cross for a bunch of ungrateful sinners? Definitely not! But the Father asked it of Him, and being the obedient and LOVING Son that He was, He sacrificed his sinless self on the cross at Calvary so that we could be reconciled back to the Father, from whom we’d been so long separated by the throes of sin. And since the Father’s eventual plan is for each believer to be a facsimile or copy of the Son, then we have to learn to conform to some things that seem difficult and even unfair, knowing that in the end, the Lord will work it all out for our good!
Another thing, this prayer without ceasing, simply means that the Lord is always in our thoughts as we go through the day, and we’re either asking Him for help to handle what ever is before us, or giving Him thanks for helping us. It’s more an attitude of the heart than constant words coming out of our mouths. Furthermore, that attitude of prayer will help us to maintain gratitude in the face of adversity.
And the next few verses of Bruh Paul’s admonishment are just as important, as he writes: ‘Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good. Abstain from all appearance (every form) of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly (set you apart for His holy purpose); 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 also will do it.’ (1 Thess. 5:19-24)
Ah mih people, it’s not an easy life, but overall it’s an excellent life, the best one we can possibly live on this earth. And the scholars offer these explanations on that verse, ‘Quench not the Spirit.’ They say: ‘Quench means putting out fire in Matthew 12:20, Ephesians 6:16, and Hebrews 11:34. Here it is employed metaphorically to mean “stifle” or “suppress.” The Christian can stifle the Holy Spirit’s workings by hindering Him from leading the believer to rejoice (vs. 16), to pray (vs. 17), to give thanks in adversity (vs. 18), and by despising prophetic utterances (vs. 20) inspired by the Spirit.’
So you see my fellow saints, everything is wrapped up in one big parcel, but we have the awesome help of the Holy Spirit to unravel anything we don’t understand. Remember the Holy Spirit is our Helper, our Comforter, our Guide, Jesus Christ, the Spirit of salvation in us! And let’s not forget that last verse we read: ‘Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.’ (1 Thess. 5:24) We need to truly believe that if we’re going succeed and enjoy the abundant life that Christ died for us to have, both here on earth, and in heaven above.
Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant asking for divine help in this dire time of need. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And having said that, we now need to do the obvious; turn from our evil ways and sincerely seek the Lord! Much LOVE!
…divine help occurs in direct proportion…to obedience to God’s will…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
10 Oct 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great King above all Gods, being thankful keeps us spiritually healthy, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, every good and perfect gift, giving thanks gets easier the more you do it, giving thanks is a daily occurrence, giving thanks to God the Father, good manners, his mercy endureth for ever, in every thing give thanks, in god's eyes, it's good manners to say thanks, Jesus Christ, keep our priorities straight, let us make a joyful noise, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, lustful desires, mercy, O come let us sing unto the lord, O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good, our one word ought to be thanks, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, share His love with my neighbours, Thank You Lord, thanksgiving magnifies God, thanksgiving reorients us, thanksgiving weekend, the beloved of God, the Lord is a great God, the rock of our salvation, the source of every good thing, the sun's shining, the thankfulness muscles respond to exercise, they sang together by course, this is the will of God in Christ, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, whatsoever ye do in word or deed, with the help of our great God, worry
Psalm 107:1. O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
And though this Tuesday morning, post the Thanksgiving weekend, has opened somewhat cool and windy, there is at least one redeeming feature; the sun’s shining! And that’s a lot to be thankful for, as the days grow cold and cloudy, and eventually snowy. Look at it nuh, just last week we were enjoying exceptional summer-like weather, now we’ve been suddenly thrown into the throes of fall (smile) that has winter as its final dance partner. And try as you want, regardless of how long you spend in this land, unless you’re an outdoor sports enthusiast, you never seem to get accustomed to that season of darkness and dreary cold weather.
But, like all the other unpleasant and tough aspects of life, with the help of our great God, we handle it superbly whenever it raises its ugly head! Give much thanks to our gracious and merciful God for all that He’s done, is doing and has promised to do for us! And all God’s people said a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’ And just in case we’ve forgotten or gotten too busy to remember, now that the Thanksgiving weekend is over, it doesn’t mean we should stop giving thanks. No! The giving of thanks to our most wonderful God Jehovah, must be a daily occurrence, not just once a year, or when you’re pleading with him for something to satisfy your lustful desires.
And that’s one of the major reasons why our lives are so sad and miserable; we boldly ask for a whole lot from our heavenly Father, but don’t give sufficient thanks for what we already have. Somehow or the other, it just slips our minds that, as our parents taught us, it’s good manners to say thanks for whatever you’re given. Or, we simply don’t think or believe that such a great God as ours, needs or desires thanks from His puny human creation. But that’s a thoroughly incorrect supposition my fellow believers, for the Good Library, God’s inerrant and infallible word, says otherwise, and says it very often too.
But before we get into some of those many scriptures, let’s check out this commentary that tells us why it’s so important for us to give thanks to our God. It says: ‘What is the power of giving thanks to God? Thanksgiving reorients us to the center of all things. So, thanksgiving magnifies God: it makes him great in the sense of declaring his greatness. Here is the most foundational truth about biblical thanksgiving: it gives him the glory he deserves. It exalts him as the source of every good thing we enjoy.’
And that’s the indisputable truth friends! Giving thanks to Almighty God honours and exalts Him, for that was one of the reasons why He created us in the first place; to commune with Him and give Him honour and glory! Now here’s another commentary that adds further reason for being thankful. It reads: ‘But being thankful also has significant spiritual benefits. For starters, it keeps us spiritually healthy. When we live gratefully, we keep our priorities straight—focusing on God as the one who gives us “every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17)—and we don’t accidentally put ourselves in God’s place.’
Yes friends, giving sincere and constant thanks keep us spiritually healthy and on the straight and narrow path. Now let’s hear some of those scriptures on the importance of being thankful. First up is this mighty one from Psalm 107: ‘O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.’ (Ps. 107:1) And in all truth, there’s no better reason than that. The Lord’s good and merciful, and therefore our thanks is necessary. It’s as simple as that. There’s no better reason for giving thanks than to someone who’s good and merciful to you.
I just wish there was much more mercy and goodness amongst us believers, and the world in general, and therefore much more thanks, for then that would make it something we’d do naturally with our good and merciful God. But unfortunately, goodness and mercy don’t exist in our world as much as they ought to, so it doesn’t naturally rub off on our dealing with the Lord. Then there’s this Scripture from the Book of Ezra, when the Israelites returned from captivity in Babylon and began rebuilding the temple.
‘And they sang together by course (responsively) in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.’ (Ezra 3:11) And yes, our God does like great shouts of praise from His people, but He’s also contented with a simple ‘Thank You Lord,’ because it shows that we are thinking of Him and gratefully acknowledging the fact that He is working in our lives. And that’s all He truly desires; a grateful acknowledgement of His presence.
Then there’s the song of thankfulness from Psalm 95. In fact, the Psalms is where the most thankfulness can be found in the Lord’s word. And just for our information here’s how many times the Bible mentions gratitude. ‘The Bible mentions the word “gratitude” 157 times. It does not appear as frequently as “fear not” (which is said 365 times), but it appears more than “thanks” or “thanksgiving” (mentioned 72 times).’ That ought to show us how important gratitude is to our God. (smile)
But back to the thankfulness of Psalm 95, which opens thus: ‘O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.’ (Ps. 95:1-3) And there’s definitely no denying those sentiments my fellow believers. Our God is GREAT! That says it all! (smile)
And don’t think that there aren’t thankful scriptures in the New Testament too, because they are, and some that tend to drive us crazy, especially this one from Bruh Paul’s first missive to the Thessalonians. ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:18) In ‘every thing’ you ask in disbelief? Yes friends…in every thing .That means whether the situation is good, bad or indifferent, we ought to give thanks. As this commentary tells it: ‘For this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.’
Then in his letter to the Colossian, Bruh Paul tells us: ‘And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’ (Col. 3:17) That’s another tough scripture, but one which we should all adhere to if we want to please our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as true followers. For remember, when He was here on earth, giving thanks was also one of His strongpoints. He never did anything without giving the Father thanks.
And we don’t have time nor space to go into it all, but you can read these instances for yourself. Jesus thanked the Father ‘for providing food (Luke 24:30), for listening to him (John 11:41), and for the opportunity to minister to others (Matthew 14:19, 15:36). Jesus began and ended his prayers with words of thanks and praise to his father and in the Lord’s Prayer he taught his followers to do the same (Matthew 6:9-13).’ And as always, if our Leader can do it, then we also ought to be doing it.
And this a most appropriate comment with which to close our li’l talk on the giving of thanks. ‘One of the best things about thankfulness is that the more you choose it, the easier it gets. The more you profess gratitude, the more you notice things to be grateful for. The thankfulness muscles respond to exercise!’ Yes, my brethren! Just try it and you’ll see it’s oh so true. (smile)
Now let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. In 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 all that, it now behooves us to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…if there’s only one word to fall from our lips…it ought to be THANKS!…
P.S. Yes, it’s long, but oh so good, and so reenergizing! (smile)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
Previous Older Entries
SCRIP-BITS 