25 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a helluva thing when yuh getting old, a man of many parts, a new flock of believers, a testimony, apologize for wrong date on Bit, be a good witness for Christ, be responsible, blessed is the man that trusteth in him, by the example your faithful believers set, can only have a testimony, change the batteries in the keyboard, changed his behaviour, christianity, computer keyboard, David his ten thousands, David the king of the land, delivered me from all my fears, divine help, faith, feigned himself mad in their hands, feigned madness, fled to a cave in the wilderness, Friday chant, godly coincidence, Goliath's sword, gospel truth, grin and bear it, his praise shall continually be in my mouth, holy spirit, I sought the Lord and he heard me, I will bless the Lord at all times, if God spares life, Jesus Christ, laid up these words in his heart, let his spittle fall down upon his beard, let us exalt His name together, LOVE, mercy, my soul shall make boast in the Lord, narrowly escaping death, O fear the Lord ye his saints, o magnify the Lord with me, O taste and see that the Lord is good, omnipotent help, our chaotic world, praise of one who was redeemed, problems are escalating, psalm 34, radiant, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, saved him out of all his troubles, scrabbled on the doors of the gate, seasoned instruction, seek refuge in your enemy's camp, shrew bread, sinful world, stay safe, Sual hath slain his thousands, suffer hunger, take your own medicine, Thanks be to God, the BIBLE, the computer expert, the error of their ways, the humble shall hear thereof and be glad, the Lord heard him, the poor man cried, the throne of grace, the young lions do lack, their faces were not ashamed, there is no want to them that fear him, they looked at him and were lightened, they that seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing, took these words to heart, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffe, wary of his presence, when you've passed a test, wisdom, wise guidance, witness for Christ
Psalm 34:8. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth him.
Oh friends, please let me apologize this hot, humid and somewhat cloudy Friday morning, for the date error I made on the Bit yesterday, naming it the 23rd of July instead of the 24th. And you would not believe the number of times I usually scrutinize the headings to see if they are correct. And I distinctly remember scrutinizing them yesterday and still found nothing wrong! Ah Lord eh! The devil surely finds ways to disrupt our lives. And believe me he’s doing a very good job right now through this keyboard of mine, where I am typing letters that are either not coming out, or when I hit the space button it doesn’t work and the typing comes out all jumbled up.
Chuh! Typing that last sentence took me a few minutes because I had to go back and fix several pieces of it …hn! hn! hn! Had to fix that last phrase too. (smile) Guess I’ll just have to buy a new keyboard, and this one is barely two years old. But they don’t make them like they did before, and I’m pounding away on this one every day. And you wouldn’t believe how nicely that typed there. (smile) I’ll just have to grin and bear it, as I like to preach. Believe me, it doesn’t feel so fine when you have to take your own medicine.
Hn, hn, hn! Yes friends, I’m laughing, but it’s a laugh of shame. And it’s a good thing that our God does move in mysterious ways yes, because I took a break there just now and was about to buy a new keyboard when the Duchess suggested I first consult my young daughter, the computer expert in the family. And her wise advice was to simply change the batteries in the keyboard. Brother! Did I ever feel foolish, for only then did I remember having that same problem before and simply changing the batteries solved it. It’s a hell of a thing when yuh getting old yes!
But thanks be to God, we solved that most vexing problem! So we can move on now with some serious stuff. Yes, my fellow believers, serious stuff like Psalm 34. A psalm Bruh David wrote after narrowly escaping death at the hands of king Saul. (1 Sam. 21) He lied to the priest Abimelech about being on an important mission for the king and hadn’t had time to collect food or weapons for himself and his men. The priest gave him the shrew (hallowed) bread, the only bread he had, and also gave him Goliath’s sword, the only weapon in his possession. What a godly coincidence (smile) Bruh David using his mortal enemy’s sword. But that’s how our God works.
And having gotten those things, he fled to Gath, the city of the Philistine king Achish seeking refuge from Saul. Imagine the boldness, or stupidity, (smile) of running from your people, to seek refuge in your enemy’s camp. But that’s what you do when you have no choice. Obviously though, the Philistine king was wary of his presence, as his servants recognized Bruh David and said, ‘Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.
And David laid up these words in his heart (took these words to heart), and was sore (very much) afraid of Achish the king of Gath. And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands (feigned madness), and scrabbled (scratched) on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle (spit) fall down on upon his beard.’ (1 Sam. 21:11-13) The king believed the mad actions of Bruh David and refused him entry, so he and his men fled to a cave in the wilderness.
Ah friends, Bruh David was indeed a man of many parts, and with God’s help put on a good show. And these are some of the marvellous words that he wrote after that narrow escape. ‘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. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked at him and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him from 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 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. 34:1-10)
What gospel truth, my people! Those who put their trust in the Lord God Jehovah will not want for anything! And I like how the scholars describe the psalm. They say: ‘It bears all the marks of the testimony of one who narrowly escaped death, just as the passage in Samuel describes. As such, it contains the praise and testimony of one who was redeemed (vs. 1-10) and the seasoned instruction that can stem from such deliverance (vs. 11-22).’ Today we’ve covered the section of praise…and is it ever so encouraging and uplifting and true! Tomorrow, if God spares life, we’ll look at the section of ‘seasoned instruction’ and see what we can gain from it.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help for ourselves and our chaotic world. 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 friends, despite our supposedly sincere prayer, we also know that our witness for Christ is not good enough, that’s why our world is in such a disastrous state. So please, let’s get ourselves together and improve our witness nuh. It’s the least we can do, for all that Jesus has done for us. Much LOVE!
…you can only have a testimony…when you’ve passed a test…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to his riches in glory, all these things shall be added unto you, Bible, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, cancelled church services, christianity, come exalt His name forever, condolences, delivered me from every fear, down on my knees, every day and night, everything perfectly executed, faith, fellowship, from the bottom of my heart, gladness, glorify the Lord with me, God hears our prayers and worship wherever we are, he answered me, He'll give you everything, heavenly hosts, holy spirit, I sought the Lord, imagine myself, Jesus Christ, joy, let us bless the Lord, let us exalt His name together, LOVE, magnifying our great God, may our incense rise, mercy, my God will supply all your needs, my hands lifted in worship, never ending praise, not in tune with God's will, o magnify the Lord with me, O taste and see that the Lord is good, obedient to God's will, picturesques scenario of white, praising the name of God, raise our voices in sacrificial praise, raising their voices in one accord, salvation, saved me from mine enemies, seek ye first, Shane Barnard, the gospel truth, the kingdom of God and his righteousness, the Lord heard me, the Sermon on the Mount, the Son of God surrounds His saints, they'll never be ashamed, this poor man cried, those who look on Him are radiant, to the King of Kings, truth, walking with God, wily like the devil, wisdom, with all the other saints, worshipping in heaven, worshipping online
Psalm 34:3. ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’
And the snow began falling on Saturday…and except for a couple of short breaks…it’s still falling on Sunday afternoon. Brother, it’s just a picturesque scenario of white silently covering everything. It’s been so bad that several churches, including mine, canceled Sunday services in the sanctuary because it would have been difficult for most people to get out. So, today’s an online and television day for worshipping and fellowshipping. But it’s all good, for our great God hears our prayers and worship wherever we are.
And today in our session of afternoon praise and worship we’re going open with one of my all-time favourite songs, taken by songwriter Shane Barnard from the marvellous words of Bruh David in Psalm 34, Praise to the Lord, and so aptly titled ‘O Taste and See that the Lord is Good.’ And no one does it as beautifully as the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. So, without further ado, let’s raise our voices in sacrificial praise to high heaven, in gratitude for all that we are and have through the amazing and selfless sacrifices of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
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…’
And that is the gospel truth if you are obedient to His holy will! He’s promised that so often in His word. Even Jesus reminded us of it, when He declared in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) And Bruh Paul reiterated it in his letter to the Philippians: ‘My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 4:19) No wonder we don’t get a lot of what we desire, because we’re not as in tune with His will as we ought to be.
But, getting back to our song, if you’ve never heard it as done by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, then I strongly suggest you do so as soon as possible. And even better yet, check out their video of it. It’s such a total picture of worship, as these commentaries on it so joyfully declare. This first one says: ‘This is how it would be like in heaven. Every voice, musicians, race, soul praising the name of God. Amen!!’ And the second is like unto it: (smile) ‘Every frame, every beat, every note, perfectly executed. THIS is musical perfection in gospel music.’ Without a doubt my people!
And the song is merely a different arrangement of Bruh David’s words found in Psalm 34, verses 3-10, that begin with ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ put to glorious music. And what catches me most about that video is the way the musicians themselves get into it. You can see the joy and gladness as they play. And believe me, that is often the most important part of any song rendition, how much the musicians themselves are motivated to play.
And to tell the truth, this late in the afternoon, I don’t know what else to say nuh, (smile) because the words of the song says it all. You can read the psalm for yourself and see how the song was ingeniously extracted from it. So, we’ll just close with a couple more interesting commentaries on the song, that say so much more than I ever can.
Please read with me: ‘I work in ER, single parent, university student, worked through the pandemic. Got really bad Covid end of January. Still on long term recovery. Got too painful last week and I found myself ‘telling’ God what He could do to fix this. Went on YouTube and this song came up. I stood up and started worshiping even though I did not know the words. Before I knew it, I was down on my knees with my hands lifted up in worship. I’m back at work in ER but I have not stopped playing this song. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this worship. My deepest condolences to everyone who lost a loved one. God bless you and keep you safe.’
Then there’s this: ‘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 what about this one? ‘The worship that the people utter after the song is like Heaven, every race, every tongue raising up their voices in one accord unto The King of Kings.’ And there’s nothing better to close with than this commentary: ‘I just imagine being in heaven worshipping with this magnificent choir, just magnifying our great God! Hallelujah!!!’ Amen, my people, Amen!
Now that’s how a song of worship ought to affect us; have us all thinking about heaven and us singing along with all the heavenly hosts. (smile) So, let’s hope that what we’ve said today has uplifted and encouraged us despite the crazy, snowy weather outside. And if you do have to go out in it, please be very careful, because it looks innocent, but it’s like the very devil himself; wily and very dangerous. And above all, please make sure that you are walking with God as your Guide, Protector and Friend! Much LOVE!
…our God LOVES to hear us worship Him sincerely…so why don’t we worship Him more with our hearts…and not merely our mouths eh…
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
11 Sep 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a word to the wise is sufficent, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, come exalt His name forever, fear the Lord ye his saints, get with the programme, heartfelt sincerity, let us bless the Lord, let us exalt His name together, LOVE, may our incense rise, musical perfection in gospel music, my soul shall make her boast in the Lord, no day like a sunday, o magnify the Lord with me, O taste and see that the Lord is good, psalm 34, sacrificial praise, Shane Bernard, shirking our bounden duty, the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, the Son of God surrounds His saints, they that seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing, those who look on Him are radiant
Psalm 34:3. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
Oh my fellow believers, it’s Sunday, it’s Sunday! Time to gather and sing, praise and worship our Lord God Jehovah, for that’s one of the major reasons He created us! Yes, there’s no day like a Sunday, when our world sees a li’l bit of peace, quiet, LOVE and godliness, as believers extricate themselves from the busyness of the world and gather to worship our wonderful God. So let’s ‘begin the beguine’ with my favourite worship song as today’s song of praise and thanksgiving.
Yuh know, yesterday when I asked the Lord what song we should sing today, He answered me immediately – Psalm 34. O Taste and See that the Lord is Good. And there was definitely no hesitation in my acknowledging the Lord’s request. I just jumped for joy, because I simply LOVE that piece of music as sung by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. There isn’t a more appropriate song of praise and worship. (smile) If you’ve never seen the video, then I strongly recommend that you check it out on You Tube.
Oh friends, every time I see it, a wonderful spirit of joy just rises up within me, making me want to sing and dance and praise our amazing God! (smile) And what I believe makes it such an extraordinary recording, is that the musicians are into the song as much as the choir and the congregation. And when musicians truly feel a song, it just raises their level of playing and thus the level of the song. So, enough talk, I know like me, you’re dying to sing. Let’s offer up our voices then in sweet sacrificial praise, harmonious, melodious, full of joy and heartfelt sincerity.
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…’
Oh beautiful mih people, beautiful! That’s certainly one of those times when there can be no doubt whatsoever in heaven that we sang truly from our hearts! Wow! Now listen to a few comments on the video nuh. ‘This is how it would be like in heaven. Every voice, musician, race, soul praising the name of God. Amen!!’ Another comment says: ‘Every frame, every beat, every note, perfectly executed. THIS is musical perfection in gospel music.’ And it certainly is!
Then hear this one: ‘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.’ For sure! And this last one takes the cake: ‘I just imagine being in heaven worshipping with this magnificent choir, just magnifying our great God! Hallelujah!!’ And if that’ how it’s done in heaven, then you can most definitely count me in! (smile)
And we do need to give thanks to Shane Barnard for taking those words of Bruh David in Psalm 34, subtitled – The Lord hears the righteous – and turning them into such a wonderful worship song. Also, it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t read the parts of the psalm itself that was inculcated into such a marvellous song. So please read these inspiring and encouraging words of Bruh David with me, because inspiration and encouragement are a couple of things we come to church to receive.
Reading: ‘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. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. 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. 34:1-10)
Mama Mia! That says it all my fellow saints! If you LOVE and trust the Lord, you will not want for anything! And we cannot forget that Bruh David said it so eloquently in Psalm 23: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.’ (Ps, 23:1) That’s a big statement, highlighting total trust and surrender to our great God. And if you don’t believe it with every breath of your being, then you’re doing yourself a terrible injustice! Why? Because good shepherds never allow their flocks to want, and our great God Jehovah is indeed a good shepherd!
And believe me friends, when Bruh David wrote Psalm 34, it was a personal testimony because he had just escaped death from the hands of his arch enemy, King Saul and had to run to the king of Gath, seeking succour, playing the role of a madman. You can read it all in 1 Samuel 21:10-15. Bruh David was surely a man of many parts! (smile) But let’s read a few more verses of Psalm 34, because it’s filled with lots more encouragement and good advice.
Reading: ‘Come ye children, hearken unto (listen to) me: I will teach you the fear (reverence) of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life, and LOVETH many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit). Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.’ (Ps. 34: 11-15) And that’s the gospel truth my faithful brethren!
So please, let’s wake up and realize that time is swiftly passing us by, meanwhile, the evil and ungodliness of the world is increasing by leaps and bounds, and we’re not doing enough to bring others to Christ so that His kingdom could be magnified and glorified and exalted. In other words, we are shirking our bounden duty as His ambassadors on this planet earth. And that’s not a very good thing to do, because we’ll eventually pay the price for it. So please, let’s get with the programme nuh! Much LOVE!
…a word of warning to the wise…is sufficient…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
01 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: blow our own horn, closer to spring, cnetral ingredients of spiritual life, come from different sources, covenant relationship, depressing times, end up in different places, everlasting covenant, exercise loving-kindness judgement and righteousness, God's ever-faithful help, his praise shall continually be in my mouth, hurry, I am the beloved of god, I am the Lord, I will bless the Lord at all times, In God we boast all day long, in god's eyes, in these things I delight, knowledge of God is man's glory, let him that glorieth glory in this, let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let us exalt His name together, LOVE, loving kindness, my soul shall make her boast in the Lord, o magnify the Lord with me, praise thy name for ever, resultant consequences, Selah, share His love with the world, that he understandeth and knoweth me, the goodness and love of God, the true source of wisdom - the Lord Himself, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, worry
Psalm 44:8. In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.
Can you believe it friends, we are already into the exciting month of February! And you ask what’s so exciting about February? Well, there’s Valentine’s Day in a couple of weeks, but it also means we are one month closer to spring and getting away from these cold winter temperatures and the depressing times that they can bring. We have enough other depressants; we don’t need winter too. (smile)
And yes, we know that we must go through winter to get to spring and summer, but some days it just gets to us more than others. And as you get older it becomes more difficult to navigate all the obstacles that winter throws up in our paths. But with God’s miraculous and ever-faithful help we can overcome most of them though. As the sons of Korah declare in Psalm 44: ‘In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.’ (Ps. 44:8)
Yes friends, in all our doings, the Lord’s name should be uppermost in our mouths. Bruh David said it so well in Psalm 34. ‘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. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps. 34:1-3) And I can’t think of anything better for believers to do in these sad and perilous times than to praise and magnify our wonderful God, Jehovah! That’s because knowledge of God is man’s glory!
Listen to how the prophet Jeremiah put it long ago. ‘Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise LOVING-kindness, judgement (justice), and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.’ (Jer. 9:23-24) Oh my people, what a wonderful God we serve! And it’s not for us to blow our own horn in whatever area or field that we might be uplifted, because that very upliftment comes from God Himself.
But hear this explanation of those verses from the scholars. ‘9:23-24. Having lamented the folly of his faithless people, Jeremiah turns their attention to the true source of wisdom – the Lord Himself (9:23-10:25). True wisdom was to be found in the consistent following of the three central qualities of spiritual life. LOVING-kindness (the exercise of true covenant loyalty;)’ And here they refer to a note in 1 Sam. 20, where Jonathan and Bruh David made their sensational pact.
The note says: ‘Kindness and LOVE are essential ingredients in the covenant stipulations of the ancient Near East. They speak of a relationship whereby each party treats the other as a full family member with loyalty, dignity, and devotion. Jonathan continues with recognition of David’s divinely established pre-eminence. The everlasting covenant between Jonathan and David will be remembered by David when he becomes king (2 Sam. 9).’
Now that’s what true loyalty and covenant relationship means my brethren. Because Jonathan knew that Bruh David was divinely chosen to be Israel’s next king, instead of him, he did not get worried and annoyed over the divine slight. Instead, he did his best to keep Bruh David from the maniacal and murderous hands of his father king Saul. And later on when David became king, He kept that covenant by returning to Jonathan’s crippled son, Mephibosheth, all the lands and wealth of his father and grandfather, and had him continually eating at his table.
How often do we see that kind of covenant relationship lived out in these modern times eh? Not very often. And I’m chuckling here, because I’ve wondered away from the original explanation that I was writing about on verses 23-24. But it seemed important to describe the true workings of a covenant relationship, and please remember that’s what we have with Almighty God. But getting back to the explanation of the three central qualities of spiritual life. The first was LOVING-kindness, the second is ‘judgement (the consistent application of true justice for all), and righteousness (the maintenance of what was right in the sight of the Lord in all of life).’
Unfortunately though my people, none of those three central ingredients exist to any worthwhile degree in our current society, no wonder our troubled and disaster-prone state. We glory in our own doings instead of the Lord’s, corruption is rampant and justice seems non-existent, while righteousness, or simply doing right has been replaced by evildoing.
Yes my fellow saints, all the things of God have been replaced by the things of the evil enemy, and have become so firmly entrenched as ways of life in our current society, that the Lord no longer looks down on us with the favour He once did. He’s left us on our own, to do our own thing, like we so presumptuously desired, and thus to suffer the resultant consequences, like we’re now doing.
Oh friends, when are going to realize that the enemy doesn’t like kindness, compassion, goodness, and those godly things, but rather, prefers hate, evil, chaos and those ungodly attributes. And it’s obvious that if we follow him, those are the things we will get. The opposite is also true; if we follow the goodness and LOVE of God, then we will have that kind of society. But it all comes down to the choice or choices we make. And please remember that each choice has a resultant consequence, therefore wisdom dictates that we check the consequences first before making a choice.
And for those of us who have already checked the consequences and made the wise decision to follow Christ, let’s go home declaring (nooo!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. Altogether now: ‘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 the world. Amen!’
Now let’s go out and do just that; 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!
…there can be no relationship between good and evil…because they come from different sources…and end up in different places…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
29 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, delivered me from every fear, evil shall slay the wicked., firsthand experience, He'll give you everything, his praise shall continually be in my mouth, I sought the Lord, I will bless the Lord at all times, let us exalt His name together, lovr, many are the afflictions of the righteous, musical perfection in gospel music, my mouth shall make her boast in the Lord, o magnify the Lord with me, Oh taste and see that the Lord is good, psalm 34, saved him out of all his troubles, saveth such as be of a contrite spirit, the circle has come full circle, the Lord delivereth him out of them all, the Lord heard him, the Lord hears the righteous, the Lord is nigh, the Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants, there is no distance in prayer, there is no want to them that fear the Lord, this poor man cried, to them that are of a broken heart
Psalm 34:3. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
Well, the circle has come full circle friends; (smile) it’s Sunday once again, time to give thanks and praise to our Lord God Jehovah as a corporate body, be it in actual physical contact, or by technological means. There is no distance in prayer, once we are all on the same page. And our song of praise and worship today is one of my favourite gospel songs, it’s based on the first nine verses of Bruh David’s words in Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous – and is aptly titled ‘Psalm 34.’
Apparently the person who put this together is named Shane Bernard, and the version we are going to do today is based on the live performance made popular by that marvellous group of singers, the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir… yes, I am biased. (smile) So in sweet, rich, soulful harmony, let’s wake all heaven with our voices of sacrificial praise… and please don’t forget all the bells and whistles, harmonies and background vocals, clapping and whatever, cause we putting on a most wonderful performance this morning.
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…’
Oh friends, that was truly marvellous! We did almost as good as the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir (smile) and heaven just lapped it up! Wow! And some of you might think I’m overreacting, but if you’ve never listened to the choir sing it, please check it out on You Tube, make sure it’s the live version. And what I LOVE most about it, is the way the musicians get involved. You can see that they are feeling the music too, and it’s when the musicians are also into it, that music sounds real good.
Now, usually I don’t pay attention to the comments at the bottom, but this time I was certainly led by the Holy Spirit to do so, and was I ever amazed by the number of accolades for the song, by the amount of people who felt the same way I did. And this is just during the last few months. I just had to share some with you. These are all self-explanatory. ‘This is how it would be like in heaven. Every voice, musician, race, soul praising the name of God. Amen!!’ – ‘Every frame, every beat, every note, perfectly executed. THIS is musical perfection in gospel music.’ –
‘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.’ – ‘The worship that the people utter after the song is like Heaven, every race, every tongue raising up their voices in one accord unto The King of Kings.’ – ‘I just imagine being in heaven worshipping with this magnificent choir, just magnifying our great God! Hallelujah!!’
And I’ve saved the best for last, because this one truly shows the power of God working in a believer’s life. ‘I work in ER, single parent, uni student, worked through the pandemic. Got really bad Covid end of January. Still on long term recovery. Got too painful last week and I found myself ‘telling’ God what He could do to fix this. Went on YouTube and this song came up. I stood up and started worshiping even though I did not know the words. Before I knew it, I was down on my knees with my hands lifted up in worship. I’m back at work in ER but I have not stopped playing this song. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this worship. My deepest condolences to everyone who lost a loved one. God bless you and keep you safe.’
Yes friends, that’s what your faith and the amazing power of God can do! And Bruh David knew it from firsthand experience, that’s why he could pen these marvellous words, advocating the beauty and wisdom of worshipping Jehovah God. ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My mouth shall make her boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. 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 to them that fear (reverence) him.’ (Ps. 34:1-9)
Ah mih people, I don’t see how we can get any better or truer sentiments than those nuh! For that’s exactly what our God does on behalf of those who sincerely seek, reverence and worship Him! That means we need to surrender our lives to Almighty God, put our trust and faith solely in Him, and then wait for Him to move in our lives. And if you don’t believe the first part of the psalm, then listen to the last part. (smile)
‘The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh (near) unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite (crushed) spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate (condemned). The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate (condemned).’ (Ps. 34:17-22)
And that’s the living truth friends! So please, let’s get wise and begin seriously living for God nuh. It’s what this life is all about! Much LOVE!
…God created us to worship Him…not Satan…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
02 Feb 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new set of mercies and compassions, a strong breath of life, a world of iniquity, an unruly evil, average minds discuss events, blessed and favoured, blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, but you can't take back your words, children of the Most High God, death and life are in the power of the tongue, do His divine bidding, encampeth round about them that fear him, false teaching, forgiven, full of deadly poison, gossip, great minds discuss ideas, have good success, have on the yoke of Christ, in god's eyes, indisputable truth, justified, let us exalt His name together, make thy way prosperous, meditate day and night, never say in anger what you don't mean, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, o magnify the Lord with me, O taste and see that the Lord is good, out of the same mouth, proceedeth blessing and cursing, reconciled, Rev. Marcia Martin, reverence the Lord God Jehovah, sanctified, set on fire of hell, shall eat the fruit thereof, share His love with the world, small minds discuss people, the angel of the Lord, the beloved of God, the tongue can no man tame, the tongues is a fire, the tongues is slall but boasts a lot of power, they that love it, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, you can say you're sorry
Proverbs 18:21. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Oh friends, come join with me this cold but bright and sunny winter morning to magnify the Lord nuh, for He is ever so good to us! Yes, He woke us up this morning with a new set of mercies and compassions and a strong breath of life so we can do His divine bidding. That’s more than enough to give Him much thanks and praise.
So as the Good Book decrees: ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together….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.’ (Ps. 34: 3,7-10)
Yes my people, that is the indisputable truth! Those who reverence the Lord God Jehovah are protected and want for nothing that’s necessary to live this life. But the onus is upon us to reverence Him. It just doesn’t happen on its own; energy and effort have to be put into it.
And one of the most important things for believers to do, especially in these uncertain and disastrous times is to speak God’s Word, to be positive and constantly remind ourselves that we are children of the Most High God and thus blessed and favoured, sanctified, justified, reconciled, forgiven and the host of other blessings we receive when we honour Him.
Remember the Lord spoke the world into existence. The only thing He made manually or physically was man. That means there is lots of power in our words. Remember Cousin Sol’s warning? ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.’ (Prov. 18:21)
Oh mih bredrin that is something we should try and remember all the time because it’s the absolute truth. Our words can either speak life or death. And these words from Rev. Marcia Martin of the Vian United Methodist Church explain the situation very well.
‘My dad gave me a piece of advice when I was a know-it-all teenager. He said, “Never say in anger what you don’t mean, because you can say you’re sorry, but you can’t take it back.” Satan can use our tongue to cause division, putting others down, bragging, false teaching, exaggeration, complaining, or just flat out lying.
It only takes a few words to hurt someone. Wounds heal but they leave scars that never disappear…Your words can either speak life, or your words can speak death. Our tongues can build others up, or they can tear them down.
An unchecked fire doubles in size every minute. Gossip and false teaching are no different. It’s been said that great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, and small minds discuss people.’
And I don’t need to tell you that it’s all gospel truth, because you already know it. And that’s one of the reasons why our world is in such a dreadful mess these days; we use words without thinking about their effect, sling hurtful words without thinking twice about what’s coming out of our mouths. And just like Cousin Sol says we’re now enjoying the negative fruit of our negative words.
Remember what James said in Chapter 3 about the dangers of the tongue. He likened it to the rudder of a ship, the small thing that guides the big ship in the direction that the pilot wants it to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small thing that boasts a lot of power.
‘Even as the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold how great a matter (forest) a little fire kindleth (sets on fire). And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members (the tongue is so set), that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature (our existence); and it is set on fire of hell.’ (James 3:5-6)
Yes friends, as the scholars put it. ‘3:6. The tongue is a system (world) of iniquity that sets on fire the whole course of life, and is even set on fire by Satan (cf. 3:15).’ And that’s the living truth, for it’s the tongue, our words, that mainly cause wars and divisions, disunity, resentment, hate, anger and all the other negative stuff that’s so prevalent in our world today.
And not only in the world itself, but also in the church of Christ. James must have thought that he was writing to our current church which is filled with so much negative, petty stuff, like slander, gossip, false teaching, etc. etc.
James continues: ‘But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude (image) of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be.’ (James 3: 8-10)
Oh my people, blessing and cursing out of the same mouth is certainly inconsistent, and should not be mentioned amongst our attributes. And how do we solve the negativity of the tongue? The Lord said it quite clearly to Joshua when He appointed him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses.
‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall be constantly in) thy mouth:’ Josh. 1:8a) That’s it right there friends! We need to keep speaking God’s word; positive, proactive words, thinking before we speak. If we do that, then our tongues won’t do as much damage to our lives.
But how do we accomplish that, you ask? The Lord also spells it out for us in the same verse: ‘but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein.’ (Josh, 1:8b) It’s not rocket science my people. To constantly speak God’s word, we must constantly read and study God’s word. Simple as that!
But here is the best part of the Lord’s advice: ‘for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8c) Oh fellow saints of Christ, that is the panacea for ALL of our ills! Read and study the word, then speak it, and voila! Success will be ours. Yes friends, true success only comes from sincerely meditating on God’s word and then putting it into action. Nothing less will do!
So for those of us who are engaged in that wonderful course, let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole wide world know who and whose we are!
In one strong 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 the world. Amen!’
The next step is easy; we go out and share Christ’s LOVE and friendship! (smile) Much LOVE!
…to tame our tongues…we must have on the yoke of Christ…
03 Jan 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: acknowledgement of His holy word, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, continued grace mercy and forgiveness, delivered me from all my fears, depart from evil and do good, encourage and edify each other, every day and night, glorify the Lord with me, he heard me, He'll give you everything, I sought the Lord, I will teach you the fear of the Lord, keep thy tongue from evil, let us bless the Lord, let us exalt His name together, may our incense rise, never ending praise, o magnify the Lord with me, O taste and see that the Lord is good, our appointed destiny, personal testimony, psalm 34, seek peace and pursue it, Shane Barnard, the Lord's anointed, their faces were not ashamed, they looked unto him and were lightened, thy lips from speaking guile
Psalm 34:3. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
Well here we are, the first Sunday in this new year of 2021, and as always, we are gathering to give Almighty God thanks and praise for His wonderful blessings this past week and to ask for His continued grace, mercy and forgiveness throughout the upcoming one. But unfortunately, we’re still doing it through technological means, but as they say, better through technology, than not at all. (smile) And the Lord doesn’t really care how we gather either, once we gather in His name, to support, uplift, encourage and edify each other through the acknowledgment of His holy word. So let’s get underway without further unnecessary talk nuh. (smile)
And today’s song is a real favourite of mine, ever since I heard the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir sing it last year. It’s titled ‘Psalm 34: O Taste and See that the Lord is good.’It’s a reworking of Bruh David’s words, when he changed his ways before Abimelech, the priest, who drove him away, and he departed to seek refuge amongst the Philistines, running from his nemesis, king Saul. The reworking was done by one Shane Barnard, and I absolutely LOVE how the BTC perform it. Nuff talk though, time for some sweet singing, sincere praising and worshipping, in rich, scintillating, harmonious voices. (smile) Let’s do it!
‘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…’
Oh Mama, Mama, Mama! Every time I hear that song, I…I can’t really describe my reaction nuh, like my spirits just rise, I get a high from it. (smile) It does touch me deep down inside, and I can’t play it just once – it’s so nice I have to play it at least twice, if not thrice. And that was a great rendition we just did there my people, heaven most definitely approved since they were singing along with us. And what I especially like about the psalm is the amount of truth it contains, the personal testimony of Bruh David.
As he says: ‘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 (reverence) him, and delivereth them.’ (Ps. 34:4) Oh friends, the same goes for all of us who call upon the Lord in sincerity. He will answer us and deliver us from our fears, from our enemies, keep us radiant and not ashamed.
Yuh notice how Bruh David managed to keep escaping from Saul, and even had chances to kill Saul, but refused to touch the Lord’s anointed. That was the Lord’s doing. Just look at the first time Saul tried to kill him, in a fit of jealous rage with a javelin as Bruh David was making music for him. (1 Sam. 19:8-10) Yuh think an accomplished soldier like Saul would have missed at such close range. Not likely. But Bruh David was also the Lord’s anointed and couldn’t be touched by Saul since the Lord had other plans for him.
The same thing applies to us friends; no one, or nothing can keep us from our appointed destiny if we sincerely reverence the Lord. That’s why Bruh David could further declare in all sincerity: ‘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. 34:8-10) And that’s the gospel truth my brethren, to which many of us can testify.
Obviously we don’t get everything we want, especially if it’s out of God’s will, but whatever is in God’s will, we will get. That’s why in accordance with Bruh David’s words, we too can say: ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps. 34:3) Yes, that’s one of my favourite parts of the song: ‘Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever.’
Oh mih bredrin, I don’t know what else to say nuh. (smile) So I’ll just give us some more of Bruh David’s magnificent words. ‘Come ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life, and LOVETH many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit). Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.’ (Ps. 34:11-14)
And the best way to ensure that kind of behaviour in our lives my fellow saints in Christ is to ‘Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever.’ Yes, if we keep singing His praises, we won’t get into too much trouble.
So let’s go home doing just that nuh: ‘Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever… Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever.’ Let’s not stop doing that this year of 2021. Much LOVE!
…let us bless the Lord…every day and night…never ending praise…may our incense rise…
17 Dec 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, a word to the wise, all these things will be added unto you, calamity and darkness, curse, encampeth round about them that fear him, fade away quietly into the sunset, faithfulness, forgive us and heal our land, forgiveness, give much thanks and praise, Goliath's sword, good friends, great family, his soul which is lifted up, I know the thoughts that I think toward you, I will bless the Lord at all times, is not upright in him, let us exalt His name together, my soul shall make her boast in the Lord, negative word, new mercies and compassions, no time nor space for God, not of evil, opportunities to fullfill God's paln for our lives, rejoice and be glad in it, righteousness., seek ye first the kingdom of God, self-control, self-discipline, shewbread, some semblance of sanity, something good is going to happen through me, something good is going to happen to me, the angel of the Lord, the humble shall hear, the just shall live by faith, the prince of darkness, thoughts of peace, Thursday's Blessings, to give you an expected end, turned away from God, unlimited possibilities
Habakkuk 2:4. Behold his soul which is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him, but the just shall live by faith.
So what we going to do with this new day called Thursday eh? What we going to do with this snowy morn of Thursday eh my people? Nothing different than what we do with each and every other day. We going to LOVE it, rejoice and be glad in it, give much thanks and praise for it, because it’s a brand new day granted us by our wonderful heavenly Father, a day filled with His wonderful new mercies, compassions, faithfulness and forgiveness! Glory to God my fellow saints in Christ! It’s a brand new day with unlimited possibilities, oodles of opportunities for us to fulfill God’s great plan and purpose for our lives.
Yes, let’s never forget that the Lord has a plan and purpose for every one of our lives and that’s why we’ve been so greatly gifted with the opportunity to see another day. In the immortal words of the prophet Jeremiah, on the Lord’s behalf: ‘I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) So let’s keep that uppermost in our minds today as seek to do God’s work, to continue building our earthly lives on the good purpose that He’s placed in our hearts.
And thus we can confidently say: ‘Something good is going to happen to me today! Oh yeah! And something good is also going to happen through me today! Bless the Lord’s holy name my brethren, for He is indeed a good God, full of mercy and compassion, with only the best thoughts toward us, but we spoil it by shrinking and shirking away from Him, because we seem to prefer the lustful and evil pleasures of this evil world above the heavenly treasures He has to offer. So what else can we expect when we neglect to follow His path eh? Nothing but calamity and darkness! Which is exactly what we’re suffering now, simply because we’ve turned away from God and has allowed the prince of darkness to control our lives.
But friends, if there’s one thing about our great God is that He’s full of forgiveness and mercy, and we need only to repent, sincerely now, and come back into His fold and He will forgive us and heal our land. That’s His awesome promise! And yes, we do need a worldwide Revival; a worldwide LOVE Revolution, if our world is to return to some semblance of sanity. It’s written bold and clear like the tables, the tablets on which God told the prophet Habakkuk to write His vision so that even those running will see it. (Hab.2:2)
But yuh know what friends, we’re so immersed in our own li’l selfish and greedy, earthly oriented world that we run by the tablets and don’t even see them, much less read the vision. Remember though these words of the Lord to Habakkuk: ‘Behold his soul which is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him, but the just shall live by faith.’ (Hab. 2:4) And truer words were never spoken concerning this generation, our souls are so full of pride and selfishness that we have no time nor space for God! And that can only lead to calamity like so many other ages and societies have discovered.
And as I always say, the fledgling nation of Israel might have been foolish to turn away from the God of their forefathers, but whenever they did and then experienced calamity for their disobedience, they were wise enough to turn back to Him and receive His forgiveness and mercy. But we, in this supposed modern, enlightened and knowledgeable age, don’t seem to be wise enough to know on which side our bread is buttered.
That brings us to Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous – written by Bruh David when he was running from Saul, hungry and unarmed and he went into the temple and ate the shewbread that was meant for priests, then took Goliath’s sword, the one he used to cut off the giant’s head some years before and fled to the land of the Philistines. (1 Sam. 21)
And I like the superscription at the head of the psalm. ‘A psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech (the priest in the temple), who drove him away, and he departed.’ The psalm says it all friends. When one has narrowly escaped death and is on the run from serious enemies, changes will be forced into your life, either for good or bad. Thankfully in Bruh David’s life they were for good.
Hear these memorable words he writes nuh. ‘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. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. 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. 34:1-9)
O yes, we supposed saints of Christ, if we sincerely trust in the Lord our God, reverence and worship Him sincerely we’ll lack nothing. Remember Jesus’ words: ‘But seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) And it is certainly because Bruh David had a heart for God, that he was able to escape Saul’s wrath. And does our world currently have a heart for God?
Hn! Absolutely not! We don’t even acknowledge His existence, much less consider Him of any importance! We’re more concerned with kicking Him out of our society than reverencing or magnifying or exalting Him! That just shows how foolish we are to think that the Almighty and Everlasting God, who created the universe and all therein, will just fade away quietly into the sunset because a bunch of evil ingrates He created desires it? Not on your life!
Oh friends, let’s wake up and see reality nuh. Remember the last time we got so evil the Lord destroyed the world by water. So it means that He won’t allow us to continue our evil doings for ever. At some stage He will get fed up with our evil shenanigans and will intervene and bring us to heel in a very turbulent manner. Who knows if this is the time eh? But whether this is the time or not, it’s high time that we turn our lives and our world around and run back to the protective and comforting arms of Almighty God! Wisdom dictates it.
Now, for those of us who are sincerely trying to do His will in this evil and calamitous world, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh) our Thursday Blessings that He’s so magnanimously granted us to do His earthly work. As one strong 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 everyday! Amen!’
And having said all of that, let’s get to sharing those blessings just as generously and magnanimously with others nuh. Much LOVE!
…a word to the wise…should be sufficient…
01 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
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Psalm 33:1. Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.
Well another week has passed my people, and we’re right back at Sunday! Imagine that nuh! And we still alive and going strong, thanks to our wonderful God! And it means that one more time we have to gather in fellowship to give Him thanks and praise for His outstanding mercy and grace this past week, as well as for Him to strengthen our faith, renew our confidence and raise the levels of our joy, so we can do the important work of His salvation ministry in the upcoming week. And all of that is just to say, that today is Sunday, and we ought to find ourselves in church sometime today to celebrate the Lord’s Day with other believers. (smile)
So without further ado, let’s get our proceedings underway nuh, as usual with a song of praise and worship, exalting the Lord in the highest, just like all the heavenly host constantly do. And today we’re going to sing a contemporary Christian tune by Mat Redman (Matthew James Redman (1974 -) an English Christian worship leader, singer-songwriter and author. And today’s song is his best-known composition, the two-time Grammy Award-winning single, “10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)”. It’s a wonderful song, with great lyrics and melody, so let’s raise our voices in prayerful, sincere song and let our great God know how much we LOVE and appreciate Him. In rich, sweet and perfect harmony now:
‘(Chorus) Bless the Lord oh my soul Oh my soul, Worship His Holy name. Sing like never before Oh my soul, I’ll worship Your Holy name.) The sun comes up It’s a new day dawning It’s time to sing Your song again Whatever may pass And whatever lies before me Let me be singing When the evening comes (Chorus) Bless the Lord oh my soul……I’ll worship your holy name) You’re rich in love And You’re slow to anger Your name is great And Your heart is kind For all Your goodness I will keep on singing Ten thousand reasons For my heart to find. (Chorus: Bless the Lord oh my soul…I’ll worship your holy name)
And on that day When my strength is failing The end draws near And my time has come Still my soul will sing your praise unending Ten thousand years and then forevermore… forevermore. (Chorus: Bless the Lord oh my soul Oh my soul, Worship His Holy name. Sing like never before Oh my soul, I’ll worship Your Holy name. Bless the Lord oh my soul Oh my soul Worship His Holy name Sing like never before Oh my soul, Jesus, I’ll worship Your Holy name, worship your holy name…worship your holy name.’
Oh mih people, such sweet exaltation to Almighty God, that the four beasts that surround the heavenly throne joined us in worship, as well as the elders up there; they fell down before the Lord on His throne, cast their crowns before the throne and lustily sang along with us. (Rev.4:8-10) Wow! Who says that there isn’t spontaneous joy in heaven when the Lord is sincerely praised down here on earth eh? And yuh know the Lord just swallowed up all the praise, because there’s nothing He likes more than praise. And He very well deserves every bit of it too.
And nobody knew that better than Bruh David and the other psalmists, that’s why they could write praiseful words like: ‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever; with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations…Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn (strength) shall be exalted. For the Lord is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.’ (Ps.89:1,15-18) That’s Ethan the Ezrahite expounding there on God’s sure promises to Bruh David.
Then you have Bruh David himself declaring, (steups!) in thanksgiving for God’s mercy: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps.103:1-5)
And if all that isn’t reason enough to thank the Lord and praise and exalt His glorious name, then I really don’t know what is nuh! That’s why we ought to keep doing what the writer of Psalm 33 so wisely advises: ‘Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.’ And is it ever my people! And that’s one of the reasons the Lord created us, to sing His praise and glory!
As the psalmist continues: ‘Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery(lute) and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise (shout of joy). For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth.’ (Ps.33:2-4) Oh friends, what more can I say eh? Except to quote some more of Bruh David’s words for you. (smile)
‘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. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps.34:1-3)
And that’s exactly what we did this morning friends, magnified the Lord, exalted his name together…and there is joy in heaven…as well as down here on earth! Let’s keep that awesome joy going nuh people, as we continually praise and magnify God’s holy name. That’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!
…rejoice in the Lord always…and again I say…rejoice… (Phil.4:4)
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