The Importance of Understanding the Awesome Powers of Jesus; like Rebuking the Wind and Calming the Sea!

25 Oct 2026 Leave a comment

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   25 October 2026   Mark 4:39.

Mark 4:39.        And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Arise and go boldly and confidently to the Lord’s sanctuary, this bright and beautiful autumn Sunday morning my fellow believers, so you can meet and greet other believers and there praise and worship Almighty God, while encouraging each other to keep on keeping on, to keep fighting the good fight for Jesus.

And today’s song of worship is one written way back in 1874 by American songwriter Mary Anne Baker. Apparently, she was a member of the Baptist denomination, residing in Chicago, also an active worker in the temperance cause, and the author of various hymns and temperance songs. This song, ‘Master, The Tempest is Raging,’ turned out to be her most famous composition, based on the theme of ‘Christ stilling the tempest.’ Today we’re going to do a slow, soulful, heartfelt version, like that done by the Black American Gospel singer, Jessy Dixon, at the Bill and Goria Gaither Homecoming Sessions.

Singing: ‘Master, the tempest is raging, Oh, The billows are tossing high The sky is o’ershadowed with blackness Oh, No shelter, no shelter or help is nigh – Carest thou not that we perish? How canst you lie, How canst thou lie there asleep When it seems like each moment so madly is threatening, Oh A grave. a grave, a grave in the angry deep? Get up Jesus because! The winds and the waves shall obey thy will. All you got to say is, Peace, be still, Peace, be still, Peace, be still, Peace, be still.

Whether the wrath, the wrath of the storm-tossed sea, Or demons, or evil men, or whatever it be No water can swallow the ship wherein lies The Master of the ocean, the earth and sky They all shall sweetly obey thy will, If You say, Peace, peace, be still They all shall sweetly obey thy will, If You say, Peace, peace, peace, be still.

Monologue: The Lord will give you peace, He wants to give you peace, In the midnight hour, When there’s nobody else there, God will give you peace, When you feel lonely, You have someone who will give you perfect peace. He ‘ll be your friend, Yes, He will, The Lord will give you peace, If you’re looking for peace, in all of your needs, in all of your days, get down on your knees and talk to Jesus, Yes talk to Jesus. Yes, whenever the Lord says, there will be peace, there will be peace, For He knew it, Yes, He knew it, Peace, be still, Peace, be still, Peace, be still Peace, be still….’

Ah friends, what an encouraging and inspiring song! And we all know the story on which it’s based, that of Jesus and the disciples crossing over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee when a terrible storm suddenly arises, threatening to sink the boat.  Jesus was apparently unperturbed about the situation, for he slept quietly in the stern of the boat.

The disciples, however, were very agitated and woke Him up, asking, ‘Master (Teacher), carest not that we perish?  And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this (Who can this be), that even the wind and the sea obey him?  (Mark 4:38-41)

And the answer is the man who created the wind and the sea; the Prince of Peace. So, if He desires peace then there will be peace. That’s why in the song Dixon is so sure that anytime you want peace, even when you’re alone and lonely in the darkest midnight hour, all you have to do is talk to Jesus and He’ll give you peace; perfect peace. For whenever Jesus desires to let peace reign in our lives, peace will reign!

Yes, we know for a fact that the Lord will give us peace, when we come to Him sincerely and ask for it. Bruh Paul stated it very clearly in his letter to the Philippians: ‘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. 4:6-7)

And Bruh Paul was able to make that confident claim based on these wonderful words of Jesus: ‘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) You’ll notice my brethren, that Jesus’ peace is nothing like what the world calls peace. As Bruh Paul says, it’s a peace that passes all human understanding. Yes, our finite minds are too puny to comprehend it, because it comes from the infinite mind of God that’s ever so much greater than ours.

And if that verse on peace by Jesus did not grab hold of you, (smile) then listen to this one, where He further assures us: ‘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! Jesus did overcome the world by defeating, hell, death, the grave and the devil, through His sacrificial death and resurrection.

And Jesus is all about peace! That’s why the prophet Isaiah spoke of His is birth so long ago, saying: ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.’ (Is. 9:6) And while here on earth, Jesus did live up to all His many names, and still does! So, it’s no wonder that Jesus just exudes peace, (smile) and whenever we desire peace, or anything else, we just have to look to Him, for He is our Be All and End All, our Everything! Much LOVE!

…thou wilt keep him in perfect peace…whose mind is stayed on thee…because he trusteth in thee…  (Is. 26:3)

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

The Amazing LOVE of God – the ONLY Thing that Saves Mankind from Perdition – Eternal Punishment in the Fires of Hell

04 Jan 2026 Leave a comment

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

Romans 5:8.         But God commendeth (demonstrated) His LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Well friends, it’s the first Sunday of the New Year, and a most fitting place to be today is in the Lord’s sanctuary to celebrate His day, as well as give thanks for seeing 2026 and all the faithful promises He’s kept, and the awesome blessings He’s so generously bestowed on us. What a faithful and wonderful God we serve my fellow believers! And as always, we begin our time together in God’s house with a song of praise and worship. 

Today’s song is aptly titled: ‘LOVE LIFTED ME.’ And isn’t that the glorious truth? It certainly is! For the unconditional, amazing, everlasting LOVE of God is what’s lifted us up out of the mire of sin, when we were irrevocably hell bound. So, in grateful appreciation, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a soulful, heartfelt, mid-tempo version of this beautiful song written by James Rowe in 1912. 

Singing: ‘I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore, Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more; But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry, From the waters lifted me, now safe am I. (Refrain: LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me. LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me.) All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I’ll cling, In his blessed presence live, ever his praises sing. LOVE so mighty and so true merits my soul’s best songs; Faithful LOVING service, too, to Him belongs. 

[Refrain] Souls in danger, look above, Jesus completely saves; He will lift you by His LOVE out of the angry waves; He’s the master of the sea, billows His will obey; He your Savior wants to be, be saved today. [Refrain: LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me. LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me…. Yes, When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me….’ 

And that’s a concrete fact my brethren, for the only thing in this whole wide world that could have ever lifted us from the abominable sinful state in which were in, was God’s amazing LOVE for His most disobedient and rebellious human creation. As Bruh Paul puts it in one of my favourite scripture verses, in his letter to the church at Rome: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) His LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) 

Now that says a whole lot about God’s LOVE for us; that while we were yet sinners, He was willing to take a chance on us. No other supposed god would ever dream of taking such drastic action! But our God, Jehovah, Immanuel, was willing to risk it. And that’s why we should be everlastingly grateful to Him and His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jeus Christ. But I’m not telling you anything that you don’t know, (smile) so let me tell you some stuff you might not know, like some background to our wonderful song. 

As we said before, the song was written in 1912 by James Rowe (1865-1933), a British born son of a copper miner, who immigrated to the United States from Ireland in 1889. He was a railroad worker for ten years in New York before becoming an inspector for the Hudson River Humane Society. The song itself is based on two stories in the Bible about the disciples’ tough experiences on the sea of Galilee. Both stories come from the book of Matthew. 

The first tells us about the time when Jesus having fed five thousand men, beside women and children, sent the disciples in a ship to go to the other side of the lake, while he went up into a mountain to pray. (Matt. 14:13-23) Matthew then tells us: ‘and when the evening was come, he was there all alone. But the ship (with the disciples) was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night (between 3 and 6 a.m.) Jesus went unto them walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 

But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer (take courage); it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him, and said, Lord it be thou, bid me come unto thee in the water. And he (Jesus) said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when He saw the wind boisterous (violent), he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And Jesus immediately stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?’ (Matt. 14:23-31) 

And that my fellow believers is a question that Jesus would like to put to many of us today? Why do we doubt Him when, time and time again He’s shown His LOVE and compassion for us, saving us from ending up in the drink? It’s the same thing with the second story which comes from Matthew 8. This time though Jesus is with them in the boat as they cross the sea of Galilee, when a violent storm rises up, such that the ship was covered with the waves, but Jesus Himself was asleep in the stern of the boat. 

‘And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye so fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying what manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!’ (Matt. 8:25-27) And why shouldn’t the sea and the wind obey him, when He is also their Creator and Controller eh? 

But that’s another instance of small faith, my people. The disciples had been with Jesus for almost three years and had seen Him do all sorts of miracles, yet their faith was still small. But we cannot be too harsh with them, because today, even with greater knowledge and experience, many of us would most likely behave the same way. (smile) 

And what better way to close than with the wise and truthful words of this commentary: ‘Rowe’s hymn masterfully incorporates both stories, using sinking or being swamped into the sea as an illustration for “sinking deep in sin… sinking to rise no more.”  But Jesus, “Master of the sea,” hears our pleas for help, reaches out to us in LOVE, and lifts us up into the well-being of grace.’ 

Wow! Again, all I can say is, what a wonderful God we serve my people! Please show Him His much-deserved reverence and adoration! Much LOVE!

…if it wasn’t for God’s great LOVE…we’d all be headed for hellfire and damnation… 

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

The Amazing Ability of Christ’s LOVE to lift Christians out of Negative Situations!

27 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 14:31.       And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Another Sunday, another Lord’s Day on God’s good earth! So let’s hie hither to His sanctuary, there to praise, worship and give Him thanks, while also fellowshipping with other believers, encouraging and uplifting each other, so that our faith and confidence can be refreshed and renewed, and we can continue doing the Lord’s work with all diligence and sincerity in the upcoming week. 

And after that mouthful, (smile) let’s get right into our song of the day, one most appropriately titled, ‘LOVE LIFTED ME.’ It’s a popular hymn written in 1912 by James Rowe (1865-1933), an English born, Irish immigrant to the U.S. And as this commentary tells us; ‘The lyrics draw from the stories of Jesus and His disciples at sea from the book of Matthew (and Mark). Rowe plays upon the idea of sinking in water to sinking in sin and that Jesus can lift us out of despair to salvation.’ 

And He certainly can! So let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a mid-tempo, soulful and sincere version, allowing the awesome truth of the words of the song to both echo in our hearts and our voices. Singing: ‘I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore, Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more; But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry, From the waters lifted me, now safe am I. (Refrain: LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me. LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me.) 

All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I’ll cling, In his blessed presence live, ever his praises sing. LOVE so mighty and so true merits my soul’s best songs; Faithful LOVING service, too, to Him belongs. [Refrain] I was a mess, lost in my sin. Your LOVE has lifted me from the pit. Thank you God, your LOVE has lifted me. Not by my strength but by your grace sins are not my master anymore, Hallelujah! Your LOVE has lifted me. (Refrain): 

Souls in danger, look above, Jesus completely saves; He will lift you by His LOVE out of the angry waves; He’s the master of the sea, billows His will obey He your Saviour wants to be, be saved today. [Refrain] LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me. LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me. When I thought my sin was too much, when I say I’m not good enough, when I think it will not be restored. Jesus will lift me. When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me.’ 

And believe me friends, if you want to be a successful Christian, you have to totally believe that Christ can lift you from the murky mire, and place you safe on dry land. Otherwise you have no hope of ever living the abundant life He died for us to have. And we all know that the song is based on two biblical stories that deal with Jesus and His disciples on the Sea of Galilee. The first one comes after Jesus fed the five thousand men, beside women and children, with the five loaves of bread and two fishes. (Matt. 14:13-21) 

However, right after the miraculous feeding, Jesus compelled the disciples to get into a boat and go over to the other side of the sea. Then He sent the multitudes away and went up into a mountain by Himself to pray. But by the time the evening came, the boat was in the midst of a raging storm, being tossed to and from on the waves from a strong wind. The Bible tells it thus: ‘And in the fourth watch of the night (3-6 a,m.) Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 

And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit (ghost); and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer (take courage), it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he (Jesus) said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 

But when he saw the wind boisterous (violent), he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?’ And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.’ (Matt. 14:25-33) Yes friends, Jesus will indeed lift us out of any billows we find ourselves in, and deposit us on safe ground. 

Meanwhile the other scriptural inspiration for the song is one we know oh so well. Jesus and the disciples are in a boat out on the Sea of Galilee when suddenly a raging storm crops up and threatens to overturn the boat, filling the boat with water. However, through all of this drama, Jesus is asleep. Mark relates it thus: ‘And he (Jesus) was in the hinder part of the ship (the stern), asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, why are ye so fearful? How is that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this (who can this be), that even the wind and the sea obey him?’ (Mark. 4:38-41) It’s obvious why the wind and the sea obeyed Jesus…He is their Creator and Controller, just like He is ours! 

Ah friends, Jesus is indeed the Real Mccoy! For our own sakes, let’s believe it nuh. He can lift us out of anything, save us from any situation, if we only have the faith to believe. And this interesting commentary is a fitting conclusion to our Bit today. It says: ‘Rowe’s hymn masterfully incorporates both stories, using sinking or being swamped into the sea as an illustration for “sinking deep in sin…sinking to rise no more.” Jesus, “Master of the sea,” hears our pleas for help, reaches out to us in LOVE, and lifts us up into the well-being of grace.’ 

Now isn’t that just a beautiful situation to behold! (smile) Much LOVE!

…crying out to Jesus for help…is the wisest decision we can ever make…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 November 2018 Matthew 8:26.

04 Nov 2018 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 8:26:   And he saith unto them, why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

Well here we are again on a Sunday morning, hopefully getting ready to visit, or having already visited the Lord’s sanctuary to get our reassurance and strengthening for the upcoming week, through praise, worship, fellowship and hearing the Lord’s word.

And I like Bruh Paul’s reasoning in Romans 10, re those calling on the name of the Lord shall be saved, especially when he asks: ‘how can they hear without a preacher?’ (Rom.10:14) That’s why we have preachers! (smile) 

But before we hear the word, let’s get into some hearty praise and worship to soften our stony hearts and make them more receptive to the Lord’s dialogue. And today’s song of praise is one we all know and LOVE, titled, ‘Put Your Hand in the Hand.’

According to Wikipedia, it ‘is a gospel pop song composed by Gene MacLellan and first recorded by Canadian singer Anne Murray from her third studio album ‘Honey, Wheat and Laughter.’ 

Wow! I knew that our very own Canadian Songbird from down the East coast had sung it, but I never knew she was the first to record it. And since then it’s been recorded numerous times by all kinds of singers and musicians.

Today, we’re going to send up a blazing, brilliant, harmonious and magnificent rendition to our heavenly Father, showing our sincere gratitude for all that He’s done for us through His Son, and our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

Now let’s bring tears of joy to the eyes and hearts of those in heaven as we sing: (Chorus: ‘Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water. Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea. Take a look at yourself, and you can look at others differently. Put your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee.) 

Every time I look into the Holy Book, I wanna tremble. When I read the part where the carpenter cleared the temple See those buyers and the sellers were no different fellas Than what you and I profess to be. And it causes me shame to know that man is not what he should be. (Chorus: Put your hand in the hand…) 

Hey, my mama taught me how to pray, before I reached the age of seven When I’m down on my knees, hey, I’m close to heaven. My daddy lived his life with two kids and a wife and you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do But he showed me enough of what it takes to see you through 

This is what he used to tell me… Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea Ya got’a take a good look at yourself, then you can look at others differently Put your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee.’ 

Magnifico my brethren, Magnifico! The eyes in heaven are all filled with tears of joy! Glory be! And believe you me, that rendition was so sweet that the Father was singing along with us, not to mention that He is also grateful for the Son’s unwavering obedience in His plan to save our undeserving souls.  

Now hear the word. The story goes like this: ‘And when he (Jesus) was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And behold there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he (Jesus) was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us, we perish. 

And he saith unto them, why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!’ (Matt.8:23-27) 

The answer to that question is not rocket science friends, but is quite simple: the winds and the sea obey Him because He made them and still controls them! And if you don’t believe me, then listen to the words of the psalmist:

‘They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. 

They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end (don’t know what to do)

Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.’ (Ps.107:23-30) 

 Yes friends the seafarers know the Lord’s power, His all-around control of the wind and the sea, so they know to look to Him for succour in time of need. My brethren, we too should realize and acknowledge the Lord’s omnipotence and majesty and revere Him, surrender our lives, put our sincere trust in Him and His awesome Son, the man from Galilee, who rebuked the winds and the waves and caused them to be calm.

So let’s wise up and take His hand nuh; and hold it very tightly too, don’t ever let go!  It’s a no-brainer my people; the height of wisdom! Much LOVE!

..whose hand would you prefer to hold over Jesus’ eh…NOBODY’S…