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

27 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   3 December 2023 Matthew 8:26a.

03 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 8:26a.       And he saith unto them, why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?

Ah friends, these Sundays seem to come around ever so quickly, but we don’t really mind, because it gives us an opportunity to fellowship with other believers in the Lord’s house. And what greater time is to be had than there eh? None! For the singing and praising, the exalting and glorifying of our great God is ever so joyful, and that’s as it should be, for the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Neh. 8:10) Consequently, we have our souls and spirits renewed and refreshed, brimming with confidence, joy and strength to go out and face the upcoming week mano-a-man, strong and steadfast in the Lord’s name! 

And to help us get the ball rolling, today we’ll open with a wonderful fairly modern hymn, (smile) written in 1912 by the Irish immigrant to the U.S, James Rowe. And the title is ever so appropriate to the fallen state of man: ‘LOVE Lifted Me.’ One commentary tells us that: ‘The Lyrics draw from the stories of Jesus and his disciples at sea from the book of Matthew, Rowe plays upon the idea of sinking in water to sinking in sin, and that Jesus can lift us out of despair to salvation.’ And that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers! Jesus is the ONLY One that has the awesome power to do such a miraculous work. 

So, without further ado, let’s offer up sacrificial praise to heaven, in a soulful, mid tempo version of the song, sincerely exuding the joy that Jesus’ LOVE brings to our fallen human souls, as He lifts us out of the mire of sin and eternal damnation.  Singing: ‘I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore, Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more; But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry, From the waters lifted me, now safe am I. (Refrain: LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me. LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me.) 

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

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

What a glorious situation my people! Jesus lifting us from sinking in the storms of life. No one else has the capacity to do it. Only Him! That’s why we need to make Him our Lord and Saviour as soon as possible, otherwise we’ll end up drowning in the raging storms that are currently threatening to obliterate our world. As per the song, Rowe masterfully incorporates two stories of Jesus on the sea with His disciples in times of storm. The first one comes from Matthew 14, where after feeding the five thousand, Jesus sent the disciples away in a boat to the other side of the sea of Galilee, while He sent the multitude away. 

The Good Book then informs us: ‘And when he had sent the multitude away, he went up into a mountain apart (by himself) to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship (with the disciples) was now in the midst (middle) of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night (between 3-6 a.m.) Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit (ghost); and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer (take courage); it is I; be not afraid.’ (Matt. 14:23-27) 

Oh friends, can you imagine the fear that must have come over the disciples, already tired and afraid, after rowing for the whole night and not making any headway, to be suddenly approached by this spirit like being walking on the water towards them. But as always, you can count on good ole Peter to pipe up with something impulsive. Matthew writes: ‘And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thee, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous (violent), he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt.’ (Matt. 14:28-31) 

And then we all get on Peter’s case. But that is exactly how many of us behave: we talk a big talk, but when the storms of life burst around us, we get scared, lose our faith and cry out for help! So let’s not look askance at Peter. At least he had the manly parts to come out of the boat, and thus earned the sobriquet of the only human being who ever walked on water. The Good Book then continues: ‘And when they (Jesus and Peter) were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him (Jesus), saying, Of a truth, thou art the Son of God.’ (Matt. 14:32-33) 

Now, we come to the second story on which our hymn is based; that famous crossing of the sea of Galilee, this time Jesus was in the boat with the disciples. The Bible tells us: ‘And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with water, but he (Jesus) was asleep. And the disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord save us, we perish. And he saith unto them, why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!’ (Matt. 8:24-27) 

Oh friends, it is a rough life, but I’m still disappointed in the disciples. Why? Because those two stories that we just read about, regardless of which one happened first, it should have been enough for them to take Jesus’ deity seriously and not be afraid as they were. But sadly, its the same with all of us: the Lord does something big in our lives and our faith is boosted, then a short time later another storm arises, but by then we have forgotten about what the Lord did, and run scared again. 

It’s just like the Hebrew Exodus. The Lord freed them from slavery in Egypt, and had them cross the Red Sea on dry land, then once on the other side, they began complaining about comparatively lesser things like food and water. If the Lord could part the sea, could He not also provide food and water in the wilderness. Of course! But that’s the kind of people we are. Big on talk, but short on memory. Much LOVE!

…how sad it is…that Jesus so often queried our faith…while He was here on earth… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ    

Today’s Scrip-Bit   5 March 2023 Matthew 14:27.

05 Mar 2023 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 14:27.       But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer (take courage), It is I; be not afraid.

One more time around the block dear friends, and we’re right back where we started; Sunday, the Lord’s Day! And there’s no better place to be on the first day of the week than in His sanctuary worshipping Him, offering up grateful thanks and praise. And if for whatever reason you can’t make it to the sanctuary, then be sure to join fellow worshippers through some technological means or the other, because it is ever so important to begin our week with the LOVE, renewal, refreshment and confidence that comes from worshipping our heavenly Father. 

And today’s song of worship is a beautiful hymn with heartfelt lyrics, written by James Rowe (1865-1933) most aptly titled ‘LOVE Lifted Me.’  Rowe was born in England, the son of a copper miner, but immigrated to the United States from Ireland in 1889. ‘LOVE Lifted Me’ was written and published in 1912, quickly gaining popularity among United Methodists as one of the frequently sung songs in The Cokesbury Hymnal. The lyrics they say, are drawn from the stories of Jesus and his disciples at sea from the Book of Matthew. Rowe plays upon the idea of sinking in water to sinking in sin and that Jesus can lift us out of despair to salvation. 

But before we get into the whys and wherefores of the hymn, let’s sing it nuh, with heartfelt sincerity, in a scintillating mid-tempo version, because it’s a joyful song, so let’s sing it like our souls are truly joyful, and we’re not just mouthing the words. (smile) Singing: ‘I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore, Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more; But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry, From the waters lifted me, now safe am I. (Refrain: LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me. LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me.) 

All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I’ll cling, In his blessed presence live, ever his praises sing. LOVE so mighty and so true merits my soul’s best songs; Faithful LOVING service, too, to Him belongs. [Refrain] Souls in danger, look above, Jesus completely saves; He will lift you by His LOVE out of the angry waves; He’s the master of the sea, billows His will obey He your Saviour wants to be, be saved today. (Refrain: LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me. LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me.) 

Oh my people, is that ever so true! The LOVE of Jesus is the ONLY thing that can really lift us from the depths of sin, darkness, sorrow, depression, or whatever other negative situations we may face! Wow! There’s NOTHING as precious and soul satisfying in this world like the awesome LOVE of Jesus! And let me tell you people, if you don’t know the LOVE of Jesus from firsthand experience, then you’re missing the best times(s) of your life! For when you know His LOVE, EVERYTHING changes in your life; you’re peaceful, confident, filled with faith, hope and joy, bubbling over with the excitement that comes from knowing you’re saved, salvation has come, and a wonderful sense of anticipation of eternal life envelops your soul! 

Wow! It couldn’t get any better than that my brethren! But enough philosophical discourse, let’s turn to the reality of the situations, that the song was apparently based on. The first story comes after Jesus fed the five thousand men, beside women and children, with five loaves of bread and two fishes. (Matt. 14:13-21) He then enjoined the disciples to get into a boat and go over to the other side while He sent away the crowd, then went up into the mountain for some quiet prayer time with His Father. 

Later on that night, the disciples found themselves in a difficult position in the middle of the sea, tossed with waves and a contrary wind. ‘And in the fourth watch of the night (between 3and 6 a.m.) Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer (take courage), It is I; be not afraid.’ (Matt. 14:25-27) Oh my fellow believers, that’s one of the winning characteristics of Jesus; He never leaves His people in the lurch. He will always come to you at your lowest moment, when all your hope and faith seems to have evaporated. 

Then, as was so often the case, Peter spoke up, saying: ‘Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee in the water. And He (Jesus) said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.’ (Matt. 14:28-29) Good ole Peter, always in the forefront, willing to try anything. This time though he met his match.  The gospel says: ‘But when he saw the wind boisterous (violent), he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?’ (Matt. 14:30 31) 

Ah friends, unfortunately doubt is also our downfall. We claim to believe, but when the rubber really hits the road, all our doubts surface and we get scared despite our good intentions and faith in Christ. No, it’s not always easy to face those fearful situations, but we need to come up over our fears, if our witness is to amount to anything. Now listen to this last part of the story. ‘And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth, thou art the Son of God.’ (Matt. 14:32-33) Yes, when the living is easy, we have all sorts of fancy, faithful talk, until the next time our world crumbles around us. (smile) 

And the next incident is one we looked at just a couple of days ago, when Jesus was on the boat with the disciples and a terrible storm arose so that the boat began taking in water. But Jesus was comfortably asleep in the stern of the boat without a care. Mark tells us that the disciples awoke Jesus, saying: ‘Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, (who is this) that even the wind and the sea obey him?’ (Mark 4:38-41) 

Oh my fellow saints, that is the man who created both the wind and the sea and all therein on planet earth! That’s why His creations obey Him…all that is except His most wonderful and the dearest to His heart. That’s mankind. And here’s an interesting comment to end our Bit today. It says: ‘Rowe’s hymn masterfully incorporates both stories, using sinking or being swamped into the sea as an illustration for “sinking deep in sin…sinking to rise no more.” Jesus, “Master of the sea,” hears our pleas for help, reaches out to us in LOVE, and lifts us up into the well-being of grace.’ 

And that’s certainly the gospel truth! Jesus is always reaching out to us when we lose our way, lifting us back up to a place of care and comfort in His merciful arms. So, if we feel lost today, let’s seek out Jesus nuh, call out to Him for help, and believe that He will offer it! Much LOVE!

… clinging to Jesus is undoubtedly…a win, win situation…  

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ