my thoughts than your thoughts

The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Placing Their Hands – Their Total Trust in Jesus!

27 Sep 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a den of thieves, a great storm of wind, a sad ending, a strong legacy of Canadian penned and recorded songs, Anne Murray, as the heavens are higher than the earth, asleep on a pillow, before I reached the age of seven, boggle our finite imagination, carest thou not that we perish, cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christians, drive the evil traders from the temple, even the sea and the wind obey him, every time I look into the holy book, faith, fellowship, forever grateful, Gene Mac Clellan, Give God the thanks and praise He deserves, good advice, got to do what you got to do, he arose and rebuked the wind, his anger rises against you, his throne in heaven, holy spirit, how is it that ye have no faith, how securely are our hands clasped in Jesus', I want to tremble, I'm close to heaven, in the hinder part of the ship, in the stern of the ship, it causes me shame, it is written, Jesus Christ, Jesus hand is the only one worth holding, Jesus healed the blind and the lame in the temple, Jesus went into the temple of God, Jesus' atonement for our sins, Jesus' disdain for the corruption of organized religion, look at others differently, LOVE, mercy, mighty acts and words of wisdom in the Bible, my daddy lived his life, my house shall be called the house of prayer, my mama taught me how to pray, my thoughts than your thoughts, no different fellas, no guilt and shame, no wiser advice, overthrew the tables of the money changers, peace be still, Put your hand in the hand, raise our voices in sweet sacrifices of praise, read about the part, said unto the sea, salvation, see those buyers and sellers, sent the multitude away, Snowbird, so are my ways higher than your ways, start looking at yourself differently, take a look at yourself, take God's goodness and faithfulness for granted, teach our children to pray from a young age, temerity or fear, the BIBLE, the carpenter cleared the temple, the creator of the world, the Great Avenger, the Lord's Day, the lowly carpenter from Galilee, the man from Galilee, the man who calmed the sea, the man who stilled the water, the Prince of Peace, the seats of them that sold doves, the waves beat into the ship, the wind ceased and there was a great calm, they awoke Jesus and said to him, they feared exceedingly, to know that man is not what he should be, truth, what manner of man is this, what you and I profess to be, when I'm down on my knees, who can this be, why are ye so fearful, wisdom, with two kids and a wife, ye have made it, you got to take a good look at yourself

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 September 2026 Mark 6:39.

Mark 6:39. And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Here it is again my fellow believers; a warm, sunshiny and beautiful Sunday, the Lord’s Day. That means gathering for fellowship in the Lord’s sanctuary to worship and give Him the thanks and praise He so obviously deserves, while gaining confidence and encouragement to get back out into the working world and continue doing good work in His name. And today’s opening song of worship is one that gives us very good advice for these unholy and troubled times, and is most appropriately titled ‘Put Your Hand In The Hand,’

The song was written by prolific Quebec born, Canadian singer, songwriter Gene Mac Clellan (1938-1995), who after teaming up with fellow Canadian Anne Murray on her first hit single, ‘Snowbird,’ in the late sixties, got together again with the 1970 tune, ‘Put Your Hand In The Hand, from her third studio album, Honey, Wheat and Laughter. Unfortunately, it seems that MacClellan died by suicide in January 1995 on Prince Edward Island in Eastern Canada. Despite the sad ending though, he left us a strong legacy of Canadian penned and recorded songs, and for that we will be forever grateful.

Now, let’s raise our voices in sweet sacrifice, in a soulful, up-tempo version of the song, a la Anne Murray, beginning with the wonderful Chorus. Singing: ‘(Chorus: Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea Take a look at yourself, and you can look at others diff’rently. Put your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee.)

Every time I look into the Holy Book, I wanna tremble When I read about the part where a carpenter cleared the temple, See those buyers and the sellers were no diff’rent fellas Than what you and I profess to be And it causes me shame to know that man is not what he should be (Chorus)

Hey, my mama taught me how to pray, before I reached the age of seven When I’m down on my knees, hey, I’m close to heaven. My daddy lived his life with 2 kids and a wife, and you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. But he showed me enough of what it takes to see you through This is what he used to tell me…

Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea Ya gotta take a good look at yourself, and you can look at others diff’rently Put your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee. Yes, Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea…and you’ll start looking at yourself differently. So Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea…’

Oh friends, there is no better or wiser advice in this evil and scary world than putting your hands in those of Jesus, that wonderful man, the lowly carpenter from Galilee, who stopped the wind and calmed the sea, and also had the parts to drive the evil traders from the temple, His Father’s house. And the good thing about the song is that it’s all scripture based. The chorus itself is based on the story we all know, where Jesus and the disciples are going over to the other side of the lake to get a much-needed break from the multitudes.

Mark puts it thus: ‘And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full (already filling). And he (Jesus) was in the hinder part (stern) of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him,

Master (Teacher) 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 to one another, What manner of man is this (who can this be), that even the wind and the sea obey him?’ (Mark 4:36-41)

Now that’s a very good question, but the answer is very simple. The wind and the sea obeyed Jesus because He was the one who originally created them. And that’s exactly why we should all place our hands in the hand of that lowly carpenter from Galilee, who was in fact the Creator of the world, and is still controlling it from His throne in heaven! And yuh better believe every time you read the Bible, you ought to tremble, because there are so many mighty acts and awesome words of wisdom contained therein to boggle our finite imagination.

Remember what the Lord said through the prophet Isaiah? ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:9) Yes friends, the Lord created us with a much lower mind frame than His, so we cannot understand all His ways or His words, and sometimes we just have to take His goodness and faithfulness for granted. And who would have thought that that lowly carpenter from Galilee would have the parts to cleanse the temple eh?

The Bible tells us that on the day He made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, (Palm Sunday) after all the excitement had died down, ‘Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast (drove) out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew (overturned) the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves. And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.’ (Matt. 21:12-14)

Yes mih people, though our Saviour is called the Prince of Peace, He is also known as the Great Avenger, so please don’t take His peaceful outlook for one of temerity or fear, for you will be very disappointed when His anger rises against you, as those who were using the temple as a marketplace for buying and selling, experienced His disdain for the corruption of organized religion.

Oh my people, there is such glorious truth in the song, like we ought to teach our children to pray from a very young age, for when we are down on our knees in prayer, we seem to be close to heaven, and when we put our hands in the hands of Jesus, then there’s no guilt and shame like those in the temple, because He’s removed it all by His atonement for our sins, and therefore we can look at ourselves in a very different manner than before. So, let’s take time today to ponder if our hands are in the hands of Jesus, and if they are, how securely are they clasped in them! Much LOVE!

…the only hand truly worth holding…is that of Jesus…

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

The Overwhelming Importance of Christians having a Heart that’s Sincerely Right and True with God!

05 Aug 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a wind that passeth away, a winter storm, all God's children, another good summer's day, as the heavens are higher than the earth, as the rain cometh down, as the rain waters the earth, behaving like the Israelites, Bless His Holy Name, bread to the eater, Christ who strengthens us, christianity, cometh not again, cross that bridge when we come to it, destroyed them not, did not stir up all his wrath, downhill to the cold months, endure to the end with Christ, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, flatter him with their tongues, fool each other with external looks and talk, For I am the Lord I change not, forgave their iniquity, forgotten what the Lord did for us, give seed to the sower, God being full of compassion, God is our Creator, God knows everything about us, God's been good to us, God's compassion to his sinful creation, great is thy faithfulness, grieve him in the desert, handle any situation, hands on the plough, he remembered that they were but flesh, hearts rampaging after the things of Satan, his compassions fail not, holy spirit, how oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, I have refused him, I'm halfway home, in these comfortable and wealthy times, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, it shall accomplish that which I please, it shall not return unto me void, Jesus Christ, lessons that we need to learn, look not on his countenance, LOVE, maketh it bring forth and bud, man looketh on the outward appearance, many a time turned he his anger away, many supposed believers are not ture to God, mercy, Mother Nature, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my thoughts than your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, neither were they steadfast in his covenant, not turning back, only remember God in times of trouble, our wonderful position in Christ Jesus, pay lip service to God, Praise the Lord, prosper in the thing whereto I sent it, reason to destroy us, remembered not his hand, returned and enquired early after God, salvation, so are my ways higher than your ways, so glad to be alive, so shall my word be that goeth out of my mouth, sought diligently after God, take God for granted, thank God, the BIBLE, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the day when he delivered them from the enemy, the grace and mercy of Christ, the height of his stature, the high god their redeemer, the Lord looketh on the heart, the Lord seeth not as man seeth, the snow from heaven, the truth in spades, the undeserving children of men, their heart was not right with him, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed, they are new every morning, they remembered that God was their rock, this is the day the Lord has made, this odious world, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, turned back and tempted the Holy One of Israel, we cannot fool God, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Wednesday Wail, wisdom

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 August 2026 Psalm 78:37.

Psalm 78:37. For their heart was not right (steadfast) with him, neither were they steadfast (faithful) in his covenant.

Oh boy! Another bright, sunshiny, cool summer’s day in my neighbourhood! August so far has just been marvellous, except for the one rainy day on Sunday. Let’s hope and pray that it stays this nice for all of the month, because you know after this, it’s all downhill to the cold months. But as children of the Most High God Jehovah, those minor things like cold months and winter weather don’t bother us, for we can handle any situation that comes against us, through the outstanding grace and mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who strengthens and directs us! Therefore, like the psalmist, we will say every day: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps;118:24)

And I’m chuckling here, as I think how bold and brave we’ll be until Mother nature blasts us with a winter storm and we get caught in the middle of it, struggling to get home or to work. But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, until then let’s be brave and bold and confident in our wonderful God. And all God’s children said a loud and grateful, ‘Praise the Lord! Bless His Holy Name, for He has certainly been good to us, the undeserving children of men!’

And that’s for sure my faithful brethren, Almighty God has been good to us when all He had was reason to destroy us, and we should be ever so thankful for His grace and mercy, His compassions to us His sinful creation, which like Jeremiah says in his Lamentations: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:22-23) And Jeremiah’s statement is corroborated by the prophet Malachi, when he declares on the Lord’s behalf. ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal. 3:6)

And that faithful compassion of our God is seen even more in this passage from Psalm 78, where the psalmist Asaph describes his people’s sinful behaviour in the wilderness and God’s response. He says: ‘But he (God), being full of compassion forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. How oft did they provoke (rebel against) him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! Yea, they turned back and tempted the Holy One of Israel. They remembered not his hand (his delivering power), nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.’ (Ps. 78:38-42)

And yuh know what my people, sadly, in these comfortable and wealthy times, we are behaving the same way the Israelites did back in the wilderness. We’ve either forgotten what the Lord did for us, or simply take Him for granted, and only seem to remember Him when troubles come against us, then we’re quick to cry: ‘O God, help me!’ But other than that we only pay lip service to Him. We again behave like the Israelites did.

‘When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early (sought diligently) after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right (steadfast) with him, neither were they steadfast (faithful) in his covenant.’ (Ps. 78:34-37) And when we look around today’s world that is exactly what we’re seeing too much of; supposed believers not being faithful and true to Almighty God, only paying lip service, while their hearts are rampaging after the things of Satan and this odious world.

And foolishly, many of us think that the Lord doesn’t know what we’re truly about when we come to Him with insincere pleas and requests, forgetting what he said to Samuel so long ago, when He sent him to anoint Bruh David to be the future king of Israel. Samuel saw the eldest of Jesse’s son, Eliab, looking strong and handsome and thought that he must be the one. ‘But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused (rejected) him; for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (1 Sam. 16:7)

Yes my people, the Lord looks at the state of our hearts before He does anything else, so although we can fool each other with our external looks and talk, we cannot fool Almighty God. And the sooner some of us recognize that colossal fact, the better off we will all be. That reminds us of this other difference between us and the Lord, as He says through Isaiah. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void (empty, without fruit), but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.’ (Is. 55:8-11)

That’s the truth in spades my fellow believers: the Lord’s thoughts and ways are so much higher than ours, and His word will never return to him fruitless, but will do whatever He desires it to. Those are a couple more lessons that we either need to learn or remember in these lawless and deceitful times. Now, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’

And if we endure to the end with Christ, then it’s been promised that the future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So let’s be wise and endure to the very end, so that we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!

…we cannot fool the Lord…for He is our Creator…thus He knows everything about us…

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

The Importance of Christians Understanding that God, like a Potter, is Remodelling Them Every Day into the Image of Christ!

07 Apr 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a long and arduous process, amidst much pain and sorrow, arise and go down to the potter's house, as the clay is in the potter's hand, as the heavens are higher than the earth, being confident of this very thing, cast our minds forward to the end product, christianity, Christians are tough people, come to know and love christ like we do, cry out for help, don't like God's timing, Easter Tuesday, encouragement to stand the pain, enjoy the tough times, every tough step is wothwhile, everyday we're in the potter's hands, faith, faith grows stronger with each misfortune, faith only grows in tough times, feel god's presence hovering over me, from sinner to saint, Goat races in Tobago, God is always just in time, God is faithful, God is never late, god moves in mysterious ways, God will change us into the image of Christ, God will not suffer you to be tempted more than you can bear, God will provide a way for us to endure the negative situation, God's imminent rescue, God's incomparable goodness and mercy, God's main purpose, growing our faith, he which hath begun a good work in you, holy spirit, how much aggravation our faith can stand, hurry, in god's eyes, Jesus Christ, lacks spontaneity, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, make a way of escape, mercy, more flabbergasted than normal, my thoughts than your thoughts, no Sunday afternoon stroll in the park, O house of Israel, personal experience, salvation, see the Lord's hand guiding and protecting, share His love with my neighbours, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, so are my ways higher than your ways, so are ye in mine hand, such as is common to man, testing our faith, the beautiful replica of Christ, the beloved of God, the BIBLE, the eventual rewards are incomparable, the potter made a different vessel from the same clay, the potter wrought a work on the wheels, the right time for intervention, the vessel of clay was ruined in the potter's hand, there hath no temptation taken you, to have His children resemble Jesus, tough like Jesus, tough times, tough times don't last but tough people do, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, will perform it until the day of Jesus, wisdom, wit with bated breath, with the temptation, worry, ye may be able to bear it

Jeremiah 18:6b. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

And not because it’s Easter Tuesday and we gone back out to work means that the Easter celebrations over …Not by a long shot! For they are continuing in full swing at the Goat Races down in the seaside town of Buccoo in sweet Tobago! And oh, do I ever have some fond memories of Goat Race Tuesday‘s in Buccoo, but that was before it got so big that they built a stadium to house it.

Back then it was held in a field between some houses, and in several of those houses loud parties would be happening, while the goats and crabs ran. Yes, crabs did run in those days too! (smile) Back then it was a more inclusive and personal occasion, as opposed to the new situation of paying customers sitting down watching an event. It’s still a great time, though it lacks the spontaneity and vivacity of the earlier, less controlled era.

Ah friends, the ole fella’s lived a fairly long life, and though it’s been pretty tough many times along the way, when I look back at those tough times, I can definitely see the Lord’s hand guiding and protecting me through them. And believe me, there are still tough times today, but now I look to the Lord and cry out for help, when they come around. And He might not help me exactly when I need it, or in the way I desire, but I can always feel His presence hovering over me, waiting for the right time for His intervention.

And although I don’t like His timing, (smile) He’s never really late, but always just in time. Just before you go over the cliff, He reaches down and rescues you. Now, that’s not always easy to endure, but once you experience it a few times, your faith grows stronger with each occurrence, and you wait with bated breath amidst much pain and sorrow for His imminent rescue. (smile) And we wonder why it sometimes takes so long for Him to rescue us, when He has the power to do it right away.

But He’s the Creator and Controller and has His own reasons for His varied actions, many of which we can’t and don’t want to understand, for we will be even more flabbergasted than normal. And, as He long ago said through the prophet Isaiah: ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8) Now, that’s putting it in a very mannerly and decent way. (smile) But with our small and finite minds we can never hope to understand the reasons for Him doing what He does.

However, in His incomparable goodness and mercy, He does promise, as Bruh Paul writes to the Corinthians: ‘There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear (endure) it.’ (1 Cor. 10:13) Now that doesn’t mean He will always recuse us, but if He doesn’t, then He will provide a way for us to endure the negative situation.

And why is that you ask? Well, it could be for several reasons, like growing our faith, for our faith doesn’t grow in good, easy times, but in rough, tough ones. And also for testing said faith; seeing how strong it is, how much aggravation it can bear up under. (smile) For remember God’s main purpose is to have us become strong and faithful like His Son Jesus Christ, which means breaking us and building us like a potter does a piece of clay.

It’s like how the Lord said to the prophet Jeremiah: ‘Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potters house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels (the Potter’s wheel). And the vessel he made (was making) of clay was marred (ruined) in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.’ (Jer. 18:2-6)

Yes my fellow believers, we are like clay in the Lord’s hands. He created us and He can recreate us into any shape or image He desires. Although His preferred image to turn us into is that of His wonderful Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It’s like Bruh Paul wrote to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) Meaning that once we come to God seeking salvation and eternal life, He will begin to change us into the image of Christ, and will do so, everyday we’re alive, or until Christ returns to earth.

So, as believers, we cannot get away from the potter’s work of God’s hands. And it’s not easy being formed or marred on the potter’s wheel, or being placed in the oven to harden, but in going though it all, we have to cast our minds forward to the end product; the beautiful, glowing replica of Christ that we will all eventually become, using it as encouragement and reassurance to stand the pain of becoming like Jesus.

And mih bredrin, I know of which I speak, not from hearsay, but from personal experience, for sometimes when I write certain stuff here, before it can even reach you, the Lord is already working it out in me. And when I eventually realize that fact, despite the painful situation I might be in, I just have to chuckle at how our great God moves in very mysterious ways.

So, as we keep saying, living for Jesus is by no means a Sunday afternoon stroll in the park, but by the same token, we can still enjoy the tough times we go through living for Him, as the eventual rewards are marvellous and incomparable. It’s as Dr. Schuller says: ‘Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.’ And we are indeed tough people, tough like our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel! As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’

Now, it behooves us to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…from sinner to saint…the process can be long and arduous…but every tough step is worthwhile…

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

Christians have ALL the Tools to Fight the Evil in the World, but apparently NO Heart to do It!

23 Sep 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a disciplined mind, a profound inner calm, a spiritual guard for the heart and mind, abide in me and I in you, all the necessary tools, as the heavens are higher than the earth, ask what ye will and it shall be done, be careful for nothing, beyond human logic or comprehension, bring all things to your remembrance, but of power love and a sound mind, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, cast forth as a branch, cast them into the fire, Chrisitans ought to hate evil so much, come to know and love him like we do, divinely provided assurance, duty bound, evil and cruelty being perpetrated in our world, except it abide in the vine, except ye abide in me, external circumstances, faith, for without me ye can do nothing, foundational scriptures, God has not given us the spirit of fear, He shall teach you all things, he that abides in meand I in him, herein is my Father glorified, hold on to, holy spirit, hurry, I am the vine ye are the branches, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, in difficult or frightening circumstances, in everything by prayer and supplication, in god's eyes, in these trying and uncertain times, Jesus Christ, let not your heart be troubled, let your requests be made known unto God, LOVE, make a Christ-like difference, mercy, my peace I give unto you, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my thoughts than your thoughts, my ways are not your ways, neither let it be afraid, no more can ye, not as the world giveth, Peace i leave with you, protecting believers from fear and anxiety, relying on God's promises, rooted in a relationship with Christ, salvation, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ, share His love with my neighbours, so are my ways higher than yours, so ye shall be my disciples, souls, spread the amazing love and friendship of christ, supernatural peace, the awesome help of Jesus, the beloved of God, the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, the Comforter, the leading and guidance of His Holy Spirit, the peace of God, the same brings forth much fruit, the testimony of Christ, these things I have spoken unto you, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, want to have good success, we can handle whatever comes against us, which passeth all understanding, willing to sacrifice themselves to stop it, wisdom, with all our hearts souls bodies and minds, worry

Philippians 4:13. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’

And after Monday comes Tuesday; another bright and sunshiny day in this awesome month of September! I must admit though, that with all these beautiful summer days, most likely fostered by climate change, I am somewhat concerned about what’s going to happen later on, and when. But with Christ’s help and our strong faith, we will successfully overcome whatever comes against us. That reminds us of two invaluable scriptures: The first one comes from Bruh Paul’s marvellously encouraging letter to the Philippians while residing in a Roman jail. He assures them: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil. 4:13)

And there’s absolutely no doubt about that, for whatever Christ desires us to accomplish, we can and will accomplish it through His amazing strength! And the second marvellous scripture comes from Bruh Paul’s second letter to Timothy, where he reassures him, and consequently us, of this immense fact: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7)

Yes friends, those are two foundational scriptures that we ought to hold on to with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, if we want to have good success in these very trying and uncertain times. We cannot afford to be afraid, and we must believe that we can handle whatever comes against us with the awesome help of Jesus, through the leading and guidance of His Holy Spirit that indwells us for that self-same reason!

And we have the testimony of Christ to attest to those two scriptures, when He tells the disciples of the coming of the Holy Spirit. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter (Helper), which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:25-27)

Ah mih people, right there Jesus assures of His heavenly peace and the power through His Holy Spirit of not being afraid. And please notice how He’s very particular to differentiate His peace from that of the world. Because His peace is indeed not of this world. For as Bruh Paul says in his missive to the Phillipians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7)

And what is this peace that passes all understanding? This commentary explains it thus: “Peace that surpasses all understanding” describes a profound inner calm and assurance that is divinely provided, beyond human logic or comprehension, even in difficult or frightening circumstances. This supernatural peace, often called the peace of God and rooted in a relationship with Christ, acts as a spiritual guard for the heart and mind, protecting believers from anxiety and fear by relying on God’s promises rather than external circumstances.’

And the scholars add that the peace of God is so wonderful that it exceeds our ability to understand it. And that ought to come as no surprise to us, since the Lord tells us very clearly in Isaiah: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) And that’s why He is God. If His ways and thoughts were not higher than ours, we would not have any cause to look up to Him, to worship and deify Him, for He would be just like us.

And if you are still not satisfied that we can do all things through the strength of Jesus that He equips us with, then listen to His words, when He calmly informs the disciples, and therefore us: ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:4-5)

Now what can be more provocative and poignant than that eh my people? Nothing! Like the branch of a tree, we can only bear fruit if we stay attached to Christ, for like the tree, He is the one that enables us to bear fruit. And furthermore, if we don’t abide in Him, here’s what happens. ‘If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my word abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.’ (John 15:6-8)

Yuh see that my brethren? If we don’t abide in Jesus and His word in us, then we’re cast out into hellfire and damnation! But if we abide in Him, and His Word in us, then we can ask whatever we want, (within God’s will obviously) and it will be granted unto us, and we will bear good fruit and be His disciples. Unfortunately though, it’s not working out as smoothly as it ought to, for too many of us are not abiding in Jesus, neither is His Word abiding in us. Therefore we cannot be His disciples and bear good fruit to glorify the Father. And that’s why our world is in such a terrible mess, with evil and ungodliness ruling the roost.

But, it’s not too late to turn things around, for as we said at the very beginning, we can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us, we just have to be willing to get up and do the necessary work, for we already have all the necessary tools. So, let’s get up today and decide to make a Christ-like difference nuh! Aren’t you tired of seeing all the evil and cruelty that’s been perpetrated in our world? As supposed Christians we ought to be, and that ought to inspire us to get up and make a positive difference.

Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’

And now, we’re duty bound to go out and spread 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!

…Christians ought to hate evil so much…that they are willing to sacrifice themselves to stop it…

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

SCRIP-BITS

The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Placing Their Hands – Their Total Trust in Jesus!

The Overwhelming Importance of Christians having a Heart that’s Sincerely Right and True with God!

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