The Overwhelming Importance of Believers NOT Doubting the Power and Resolve of Jesus!

30 Nov 2025 Leave a comment

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

John 15:5b.        for without me ye can do nothing.

Come on down to the Lord’s sanctuary my people, for it’s Sunday, the Lord’s Day, and though the snow is an inconvenience, we must celebrate it with fellowship and worship, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in heart, body and soul, and thus be enabled to face another week of work and whatever else comes against us in our crazy, hell bound world. 

And as always, to help us celebrate, we have a wonderful song filled with lots of truth, one written by Colbert and Joyce Croft, aptly titled, I can’t even walk without You holding my hand. And we’ll offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a soulful, heartfelt version, as that done by the African American Gospel singer, Jessy Dixon at the Gaither Homecoming Festival some years ago. 

So, let’s sing: ‘I thought, that number one, would surely be me. I thought I could be what I wanted to be. I thought I could build on life’s sinking sand. But now I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. – I thought that I, could do a lot on my own, I thought, I could make it in this big world, all alone. I thought, thought of myself as a mighty, mighty, mighty big man, But Lord I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. – 

Oh Lord, I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand, For the mountain, is too high, and the valley, is too wide, It’s down on my knees, that’s where I learned how to stand, Because I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. Glory to God! And I think I’ll make Jesus my all and all. And if I’m in trouble, on that powerful name, I’ll call. And if I didn’t trust Him, I’d be less of a man ‘Cause Lord I can’t even walk without you holding my hand. 

Ohh Lord, I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand, For the mountain is too high, and the valley is too wide, It’s down on my knees, I learned how to stand, I learned how to pray, Because Lord, I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. Lord, I’m lost without you. I don’t even know my way back home Lord unless you lead me. Yes my Saviour, I can’t even walk without you holding my hand. Thank you for teaching me that through your Word…I can’t even walk without, without holding your hand…Yes Lord, I can’t even walk without you holding my hand…’ 

And it’s all the gospel truth my brethren…we can’t even walk without Jesus holding our hands! And I believe this is a very appropriate song for so many of us who are arrogant and self-centered enough to believe we can do it all ourselves, with no help from anyone, especially from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. And we either don’t know or believe what He said when He spoke about the true vine. 

So listen up and attain some wisdom when Jesus declares: ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:4-5) 

Oh my people, what a rather poignant, definitive and oh so true statement! Without Christ we can do nothing! For whatever we do, it’s He who allows us to do it, for He is our Creator, Controller, Potter and Master! And until many more of us realize that awesome truth, we will keep wallowing in the mire that Satan desires us to wallow in. So many of us think of ourselves as mighty, mighty big men, but in reality, we’re nothing but a bunch of foolish sinners who don’t realize how desperately we need Jesus. 

That reminds us of the paralyzed man at the pool in Bethesda, who had been lying there for 38 years, because he had no one to help him get into the pool the one time a year an angel came and stirred up the water, and whosoever got into it first was then healed of their illness. When Jesus saw him, knowing how long he had lain there, even before Jesus was born, His heart was filled with compassion, and He asked him: ‘Wilt thou be made whole (do you want to get well)?’ (John 5:6) 

Then the man told him about his difficulty in getting into the pool first. Jesus then said to him: ‘Rise, take up thy bed and walk. And immediately the man was made whole (well), and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.’ (John 5:8-9) Now, that’s the way many of us are, in dire need of help, yet we refuse to turn to Jesus, the One who can, wants to, and will help us if we cry out to Him for succour! And as this commentary explains: ‘This event is a significant miracle in the New Testament that demonstrates Jesus’s healing power and his authority, even over the Sabbath.’ 

That’s the difference between us and Peter, highlighted by the time Jesus came walking on the water to the disciples in their boat. At first they cried out in fear, believing it was a ghost, but Jesus quickly reassured 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.’ (Matt. 14:27-29) 

And why was that possible? Because Peter responded to Jesus’ command with faith. He believed that if Jesus called him to do something, he could do it. However, his faith was not strong enough to withstand the strong winds and he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out to Jesus to save him. ‘And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?’ (Matt. 14:31) 

And that’s the basic problem with so many of us supposed believers today; our faith is not strong enough to withstand the strong winds and waves that occasionally batter us, because deep down, despite all the evidence to the contrary, we still doubt the strength, power and resolve of Jesus. Anyway friends, I implore us to make this last Sunday in November 2025 a red-letter day by promising ourselves and each other to raise our faith to substantial levels, because that’s the only way we will ever achieve godly success in this evil world that’s getting worse every day! Much LOVE!

…remember…that it’s down our knees praying…that we learn how to stand…how to stand strong… 

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

Mankind is NOTHING without Jesus!

21 Jul 2024 Leave a comment

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

John 15:5b.       for without me ye can do nothing.

Oh friends, for the umpteenth time past, and the umpteenth time to come – it’s Sunday! That means fellowshipping in the Lord’s sanctuary with other believers; sharing praise and thanks to our great and wonderful God, encouraging and exhorting each other to stand strong in the faith, regardless of our circumstances, and receiving the Lord’s blessings as we head out into the world for another week of work, which can ofttimes be frustrating and difficult. 

Now, today’s song of worship is one that truly shows how weak and ineffective we are without God’s strength and help. It’s a song written by Joyce and Colbert Croft and titled: ‘I can’t even walk without You holding my hand.’ And is that ever the gospel truth my brethren! Without God’s help, we’d be incapable of doing much of anything at all. But right now, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a real, sincere, soulful, tear-jerking rendition of the song. (smile) 

Singing: ‘I thought, that number one, would surely be me. I thought I could be what I wanted to be. I thought I could build on life’s sinking sand. But now I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. – I thought that I, could do a lot on my own, I thought, I could make it in this big world, all alone. I thought, thought of myself as a mighty, mighty, mighty big man, But Lord I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. – 

Oh Lord, I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand, For the mountain, is too high, and the valley, is too wide, It’s down on my knees, that’s where I learned how to stand, Because I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. Glory to God! And I think I’ll make Jesus my all and all. And if I’m in trouble, on that powerful name, I’ll call. And if I didn’t trust Him, I’d be less of a man ‘Cause Lord I can’t even walk without you holding my hand. 

Ohhhh Lord, I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand, For the mountain is too high, and the valley is too wide, It’s down on my knees, I learned how to stand, I learned how to pray, Because Lord, I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. I can’t even walk, without you holding my hand. Lord I’m lost without you. I don’t even know my way back home Lord unless you lead me. Yes, my Saviour, I can’t even walk without you holding my hand. Thank you for teaching me that through your Word…I can’t even walk without, without holding your hand…Yes Lord, I can’t even walk without you holding my hand…’ 

And anyone who thinks differently needs their mental faculties thoroughly checked, for those words are the indisputable truth! For we have all been through times when we were simply unable to help ourselves in our own strength and had to turn to God. All of us believe we can go it alone, be big, mighty men, until the world throws us for a loop. And then what? We are forced to turn to God. Because as the song so rightfully says: ‘the mountain is too high, and the valley is too wide, and it’s down on my knees where I learned how to stand.’ 

And that’s also the God awesome truth my people! It’s in the deepest and darkest hours of our lives when we were down our knees in prayer, that we learned how to stand strong in faith in Almighty God. It’s when we finally saw the light and decided to call on the powerful name of Jesus and would be rather foolish if we didn’t. Yes friends, without the God who made us and still guides and protects us, where would we be eh? 

Lost and floundering like a battered ship in a storm, which Jesus pointed out very clearly when He spoke these words of awesome truth. ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) I doubt any sensible and mentally intact person could contest those words. But Bruh Paul corroborates Jesus’ statement with his own words to the church at Corinth. ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor. 3:5) 

And to tell the truth, we don’t even need Bruh Paul’s corroboration nuh, for if Jesus could calm the howling winds and raging sea by simply saying, ‘Peace, be still,’ (Mark 4:39) then why would we not believe when He says we can’t do anything without Him eh? And furthermore, if He could raise Lazarus from the dead with a cry of ‘Lazarus, come forth,’ (John 11:43) why would we question anything He says? And if He can heal the lame, make the blind to see, cleanse the leper, as He proved while down here on earth, why would we doubt anything He says?

 Now, some would dare to say that the prophets and the apostles did the same things, and some did, but NONE, No One, could ever do His most noteworthy deed; that’s paying the price for our abominable sins with His sinless life on the cross of Calvary! For that alone we need to bow down and worship Him, show Him obeisance from now till next never, because it’s only through His heroic efforts and unjust ‘sufferation’ that we can talk about salvation and all the other good things His crucifixion did for us. 

Oh my people, there’s absolutely no doubt that Jesus is the answer! The answer to our every problem and our every need! And it hurts my heart to hear people bad talk Him, blaspheme His holy name and mock His perfect character. But that’s what comes from the Lord giving us free choice. Some of us just don’t listen and/or use the brains God gave us, so we end up making fools of ourselves by trying to do things by ourselves, or with other weak and selfish humans. 

And it’s only when we’re going under for the third and last time, that we wake up and cry out to God for help, when we could easily have avoided most of our negative circumstances by calling on our Creator much earlier, for He’s always there, ever willing and ready to help and guide us on our earthly journey. We only have to call out sincerely for His help, and He will provide it. And I do hope that any of us who are going through tough times right now, will wake up and cry out to God for help, because that’s the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!

…only in Jesus…are we anything at all…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   31 July 2022 John 15:5b.

31 Jul 2022 Leave a comment

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

John 15:5b.      …for without me ye can do nothing. 

Wow friends! I can’t believe another Sunday has come around so quickly! And to make matters worse, today is also the last day of July, meaning that the summer of 2022 is almost over, only August left to go. And at the rate time seems to be travelling these days, that will soon be over too, and we’ll be back into the harsh reality of winter. But that’s okay, (smile) we’re true and staunch believers in Christ Jesus, that means we can handle anything that comes against, be it heat or cold, fire or flood, hell or highwater. 

Seriously though, with all the problems our world is currently facing, like the pandemic of Covid 19, which isn’t going away, but seems to be coming back again strong, the new virus of monkeypox, aided by all the strife and dissension, plus the many natural and man-made disasters, we don’t even have time to think about the speed with which the days are passing. 

But that’s one of the reasons why we gather every Sunday, either physically in God’s sanctuary, or by technological means, so that we can pray and give thanks and ask for divine help to deal with what’s going on around us. Also to encourage each other in the joy of the Lord, and be comforted and encouraged by our omnipotent God, so that we can go back out into the world and face it mano-a-mano, without fear or worry. 

Therefore, as we always do, let’s open with some worship, with a song aptly titled, ‘I can’t even walk without You holding my hand.’ And believe me friends that’s the gospel truth! Without Christ, we can’t’ do much of anything. But we’ll talk about that later, right now let’s raise our voices in sacrificial praise, sincerely singing the wonderful words that Joyce and Colbert Croft apparently penned. In a heartfelt, medium tempo, soulful, harmonious version, let’s do it justice! 

‘I thought number one would surely be me I thought I could be what I wanted to be I thought I could build on life’s sinking sand But now I can’t even walk without you holding my hand – I thought I could do a lot on my own I thought I could make it all alone I thought of myself as a mighty big man But Lord I can’t even walk without you holding my hand – Oh Lord, I can’t even walk without you holding my hand The mountains are too high and the valleys too wide Down on my knees that’s where I learned to stand Oh Lord, I can’t even walk without you holding my hand – 

I think I’ll make Jesus my all and all And if I’m in trouble on his name I’ll call If I didn’t trust him I’d be less of a man ‘Cause Lord I can’t even walk without you holding my hand – Oh Lord, I can’t even walk without you holding my hand The mountains are too high and the valleys too wide Down on my knees that’s where I learned to stand ‘Cause Lord I can’t even walk without you holding my hand Oh Lord, I can’t even walk without you holding my hand Yes my Saviour, I can’t walk without you holding my hand. Thank You for teaching me that through your Word…I can’t even walk, without holding your hand.’ 

And if you don’t believe that’s the God-awesome truth, then something’s wrong with your mind! (smile) Now, it’s not like we’re fishing and/or floundering for that truth, because Jesus said it with a straight face, a long time ago, when He told the disciples: ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:4-5) 

That should make it very clear friends. Without Jesus, we’re nothing and can do nothing. But with Him…Mama oh Mama! We can do any and everything, even moving mountains with faith only as big as a grain of mustard seed! Yes friends, as Bruh Paul faithfully proclaimed to the church at Philippi: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ (Phil. 4:13) And the same thing applies to us; we can live under any conditions, adapt to any circumstances, be they good, bad or in-between, through Christ’s help and strength, most ably led and guided by the third member of the Trinity, the indwelling Holy Spirit. 

Meanwhile, in his second letter to the church at Corinth, Bruh Paul wrote these stirring words to them. ‘And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor. 3:4-5) And it’s not like we don’t know that the words of the song and the Good Book are very true, that we can’t do anything of value without Christ. But it’s just that we are so stubborn and pig-headed, we refuse to acknowledge it because of foolish pride. 

And please remember my people, one of the things the Lord dislikes with a burning passion is pride, because it detracts from His glory. It makes us feel He’s not important in our scheme of things, we don’t need Him, we are sufficient in and of ourselves. And that’s exactly how the world is feeling today, and why we have such a busload of unsolvable problems. I don’t know what more it will take to make us acknowledge that we can’t help ourselves, and without God we’re nothing; nothing but flimsy, flaking pottery spinning on the potter’s wheel. 

Now let’s look at a couple of statements from the song and see how they play out in real life. Right from the very beginning we get it wrong: ‘I thought number one would surely be me…I could be what I wanted to be…I could build on life’s sinking sand.’ But Jesus refutes every one of those ideas. To be number one in his kingdom, one must first learn to serve, as He told the disciples. ‘…but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister (servant). And whosoever will be chief (first) among you, let him be your servant (slave). Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto (to be served), but to minister (to serve), and to give his life a ransom for many.’ (Matt. 20:26-28) 

And, as per building life on sinking sand, Jesus also addressed that problem, when he preached about the two foundations for building in this life, the Rock: that’s Himself, His example and His words. And everything else, which is sinking sand, that will be washed away when the rains fall and the floods come. But those who keep His words, build on Him, their foundation will stand the test of time and nature, because it was built on solid rock. (Matt. 7:24-27) 

The same thing goes for these foolish and egotistic words: I thought I could do a lot on my own…could make it all alone…thought of myself as a mighty big man…’ No friends, those are all self-serving and untruthful words, which Cousin Sol warned us about very long ago, when he wrote: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6) Now, those are really the only words we need to live by yes, my fellow saints! We satisfy all the requirements when we do those things. 

And I’ll close with my favourite line of the song: ‘Down on my knees, that’s where I learned to stand.’ And that’s the glorious truth friends! When we get down on our knees before Almighty God and declare our sincere LOVE for Him and great desire for His fellowship…that’s when we truly begin standing; standing strong in His awesome name and glorious majesty! As Luciano’s song so rightly says: Man was made to serve Jah…and to live together forever! Much LOVE!

…only safe and secure in Christ Jesus…are we anything or anybody… 

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