25 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a day of rest and worship, a heartfelt version, a time to cease work, a weekly day of rest, accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, all the troubles of the world on our shoulders, amid the conflict, angels will attend, be careful for nothing, burdened with a load of care, can never count God's numerous blessings, Christ has promised you His wealth untold, christianity, Christians, count your blessings, count your many blessings, counting your blessinsg means being grateful, do not be discouraged, does the cross seem heavy, engage in religious practices, eternal life, every doubt will fly, faith, fellowship, for all god has done in our lives, gathering in God's sanctuary, God is over all, God rested the seventh, God's day, grumpy, help and comfort give, holy spirit, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in every thing give thanks, in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, it will surprise you what the Lord hath done, Jesus bore all our sins, Jesus Christ, Johnson Oatman Jr., keep it holy, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, let your request be made known unto God, look at others with lands and gold, LOVE, many are thy wonderful works, mercy, miserable, money cannot buy your reward in heaven, name them one by one, numbering your troubles, on the cross of Calvary, our blessings outweigh our troubles, praise, pray without ceasing, refelct, rejoice evermore, remember the Sabbath day, salvation, singing as the days go by, stop and give thanks, sucking a sour lemon, sweet sacrifices of praise, thankful for the good things in our lives, thanksgiving, the BIBLE, the gospel truth, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, the most joyful people on the planet, the peace of God which passeth all understading, the Sabbath, the Ten Commandments, they are more than can be numbered, they cannot be reckoned up, thinking all is lost, this is the will of God in Christ, thy thoughts to us-ward, to your journey's end, truth, when upon life's billows, wisdom, work everything out for our good, you are discouraged, you are tempest tossed, your home on high
1 Thessalonians 5:18. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
And another of God’s Day, the Sabbath, has rolled around, with fellowship, praise and thanksgiving the order of the day as God long ago ordained it in the Ten Commandments. ‘Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work. But the seventh is the sabbath of the Lord thy God.: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, not thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made the heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.’ (Ex. 20:8-11)
So you see that the Sabbath Day is important to God, and should also be important to us. But what exactly is the Sabbath Day? This commentary explains it thus: ‘The Sabbath is a weekly day of rest, observed by many religious groups, including Judaism and certain Christian denominations. It is traditionally observed on the seventh day of the week, from sundown Friday to nightfall Saturday in the Jewish calendar. For many Christians, Sunday is the Sabbath, a day of rest and worship commemorating the resurrection of Jesus. The Sabbath is a time to cease work, reflect, and engage in religious practices.’
And that’s exactly why we’re gathering in God’s sanctuary this Sunday morning; to reflect and engage in religious practices like prayer and worship. So let’s begin our worship with this wonderful and oh so appropriate song, especially for these trying and troubled times, we’re now experiencing. It’s simply titled, ‘Count Your Blessings!’ It was written by American born Johnson Oatman Jr. (1856-1922), a businessman as well as an ordained local preacher. He’s reputedly written over three thousand hymns, and no gospel song book is considered as being complete unless it contains some of his hymns. That ought to be true if he’s written so many.
But before we get to singing the song, let’s take a moment to explain what’s meant by counting our blessings. It’s basically being grateful, being thankful for the good things in our lives, and when we do that, it often stops us from becoming too unhappy about the bad things. Now let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise to Almighty God in an up-tempo, scintillating, truly heartfelt version of the song, leaving no doubt that we’re indeed most thankful for our many blessings, so many of them undeserved.
Singing: When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. (Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.) Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, ev’ry doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by. [Refrain]
When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings, money cannot buy Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. [Refrain] So, amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. [Refrain] 2.’
And that was an awesome rendition of the song encompassing ever so true sentiments and words my people! There could be no doubt whatsoever about out thankfulness for the many blessings our wonderful God has bestowed on us down through the years, and will continue doing, if we stay faithful and true to Him. And we cannot find a better verse in the Bible that describes this song than these words of Bruh David from Psalm 40 – Praise for God’s Deliverance. He writes: ‘Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up (recounted) in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.’ (Ps. 40:5)
Now that’s the gospel truth my brethren! We can never count the numerous blessings that our generous God has bestowed on us. But we do need to keep as many of them as possible in mind so that we can remember His faithfulness, especially in hard times. And I like what this commentary from the Godtube website says on the subject. ‘God truly gives us so many blessings each and every single day. Some may even be so small that we might overlook them. The classic hymn ‘Count Your Blessings’ truly reminds us to stop and give thanks for all God has done in our lives. This is definitely a pause we all need to take. Amen.’
And that we surely need to do every so often friends! For it’s in keeping with Bruh Paul’s wise advice to the Thessalonians: ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:16-18) And there can be no better advice than that, because Christians ought to be the most joyful people on the planet, seeing that we have Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, the giver of salvation and eternal life, the most important things in the universe!
However, too many of us supposed believers go around like we’re constantly sucking a sour lemon, like if we have all the troubles of the world on our shoulders, but Jesus has already taken care of that. He bore ALL of our sins on the cross of Calvary, so there’s nothing left for us to worry about, but to live in joy and peace for and with Him. And as this commentary so wisely advises us: ‘If you always find yourself numbering your troubles, you will never find time for counting your blessings. There is no use becoming frustrated in your difficulties while you have all opportunities hiding in them for a turnover.’
And yuh know the sad part that situation my people, is if we truly sit down and count our blessings, we’ll find that they outweigh our troubles…and by plenty too. So let’s stop being grumpy and miserable when troubles come against us nuh. The Lord’s promised to eventually work everything out for our good. (Rom. 8:28) And if truly believe that, then we can sincerely live like Bruh Paul says to the Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in EVERY THING by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to 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 that’s a marvellous scripture to go home to today, my fellow believers! Much LOVE!
…our world is overflowing with disaster…but in Jesus…believers have the wherewithal to handle it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great King above all Gods, angels will attend, be singing as the days go by, burdened with a load of care, Christ has promised wealth untold, come before his presence with thanksgiving, concentrate on the good things, count the negative more than the positives, count your blessings, every doubt will fly away, faith, give thanks, go to the Lord's sanctuary, God is over all, heavy the cross you are called to bear, help and comfort give, in every thing give thanks, Jesus Christ, Johnson Oatman Jr., let us sing unto the Lord, LOVE, make a joyful noise, money cannot buy your reward in heaven, name them one by one, opportunities hiding in your difficulties, overlook the small blessings, pray, rejoice evermore, sacrifices of praise, salvation, see what God hath done, shout joyfully unto him with psalms, sing up a storm, tempest tossed, thanksgiving weekend, the Lord is a great God, thinking all is lost, this is the will of God in Christ, to the rock of our salvation, to your journey's end, truth, upon life's billows, wisdom, your are discouraged, your home on high
1 Thessalonians 5:18. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
And though it’s a somewhat cloudy and chilly Sunday, this Thanksgiving weekend; it ought not to stop us from making our way joyfully to the Lord’s sanctuary to fellowship with other believers and give our wonderful God much praise and thanks for all He’s done for us down through the years.
It’s as the psalmist declares: ‘O Come, let us sing unto the Lord” let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (songs). For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all Gods.’ (Ps. 95:1-3)
And that’s the indisputable truth my people! So lets’ do as the psalmist advises and offer up sweet sacrifices of praise in a mid-tempo, scintillating, sincere, heartfelt and truthful version of this perfect Thanksgiving song, one we all know and LOVE, written by American hymn writer and pastor, Johnson Oatman Jr. (1856-1922), simply, but most appropriately titled ‘Count Your Blessings.’
But before we sing, let’s ascertain what it means. In general, it means to be grateful for the good things in our lives, while it also often means to stop ourselves from becoming too unhappy about the bad things, which we ofttimes can’t do anything about. So now that we know, let’s sing up a storm this Thanksgiving Sunday!
‘When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. (Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.)
Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, ev’ry doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by. [Refrain] When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings, money cannot buy Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. [Refrain]
So, amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. [Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done. (2).’
Ah friends, one of our bad attitudes is that regardless of how many good things we have in our lives, we choose to dwell and agitate over the few negatives more than the many positives. But that’s exactlty the kind of attitude this song is attempting to turn us away from. As the chorus so wisely advises us: ‘Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done;’ If we concentrate on the good things in life, rather than the negative ones, we will be ever so much happier and contented.
Or as this commentary rightly reminds us: ‘If you always find yourself numbering your troubles, you will never find time for counting your blessings. There is no use becoming frustrated in your difficulties while you have all opportunities hiding in them for a turnover.’ That’s more gospel truth; for in our difficulties positive opportunities are always present.
And the website www.godtube adds their two cents worth by reminding us that ‘God truly gives us so many blessings each and every single day. Some may even be so small that we might overlook them. The classic hymn ‘Count Your Blessings’ truly reminds us to stop and give thanks for all God has done in our lives. This is definitely a pause we all need to take. Amen.’
Now right in there is another serious matter on the topic of blessings. We tend to overlook the small blessings that the Lord bestows on us every day. They’re usually so small that we either don’t notice them or take them for granted, only considering the big things as blessings. But there again we’re wrong, for the Lord bestows many more small blessings on us than large ones, and if we just wait to number the large ones to be thankful, then we will be waiting a mighty long time.
So, as of today, right now, let’s stop counting only our large blessings, but look with joy on the many small ones the Lord bestows on us every day. And if we’ll just take a moment to think about it, I’m sure we’ll all be able to come up with quite a few small ones that we’ve never paid any attention to. And the song gives us so many occasions on which to count our blessings:
‘When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost… And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. – Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?… ev’ry doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by. – When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; … money cannot buy Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. – So, amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; … angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.’
Oh my fellow believers, just look at all the things we can defuse and reject by just counting our many blessings nuh! Why do we then allow life to make us so miserable and discouraged when we have the great and faithful promises of God, our Creator and Provider? That’s why Bruh Paul was able to write thus to the Thessalonians: ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:16-18)
And those are exactly the things God desires for us so that we can live the abundant life that Christ died for us to have starting right down here on earth. Much LOVE!
…count your blessings…pray…rejoice…and give thanks…that’s the Christian motto…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bountiful serving of grace mercy and love, a chaotic world, a pipe dream, a Red-Letter day, angels will attend, be careful for nothing, Bible, blameless and harmless, burdened with a load of care, children of God, Christ has promised you His wealth untold, christianity, count your blessings, counting our blessings, counting our problems, discouraged, do all things without murmurings and disputings, does the cross seem heavy, every doubt will fly, faith, fellowship, frustrated believers, frustrated in your difficulties, give you comfort, god, God is over all, guard your hearts and minds, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in every thing give thanks, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Johnson Oatman Jr., LOVE, money cannot buy your reward in heaven, name them one by one, opportunities hiding in them for a turnover, see what God has done, shine as lights in the world, singing as the days go by, sweet sacrifices of praise, tempest tossed, the great invitation, the peace of God, the will of God, thinking all is lost, to your journey's end, truth, unknown circumstances, upon life's billows, wisdom, without rebuke, your home on high
1 Thessalonians 5:18. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
And as it does every seven days, Sunday is on board, meaning it’s time to hie ourselves to the Lord’s sanctuary to fellowship with other believers, to give thanks and praise to our great God and receive a bountiful serving of His grace, mercy and LOVE as we embark on another week of unknown circumstances and actions in this chaotic world.
And the song we’re going to open with today is one that’s ever so appropriate for these vile and ungodly times. It was written by Johnson Oatman Jr. (1856-1922) an American Minister, but also a prolific hymn writer, and it’s fittingly titled ‘Count Your Blessings!’ It’s a song we know and LOVE, but obviously don’t pay sufficient attention to its words, otherwise so many of us believers would not be as miserable, anxious and frustrated as we are.
Anyway, today we’re going to work on that by offering up that song with sweet sacrifices of praise, in a heartfelt, up-tempo mode. Now, we’re going to begin with a rollicking rendition of the chorus to set the overall atmosphere, and while singing, let’s mentally count our basic blessings, like life, LOVE, friends, family, food, shelter, clothing, a job and a church to fellowship with other believers.
Singing: ‘[Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.] When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. [Refrain] Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, ev’ry doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by.
[Refrain] When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings, money cannot buy Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. [Refrain] So, amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. [Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.] (2)’
Ah friends, what a wonderfully wise and encouraging song! But it’s ever so sad that we don’t do what it says on a regular basis. For as this commentary from the website www.godtube tells us: ‘God truly gives us so many blessings each and every single day. Some may even be so small that we might overlook them. The classic hymn ‘Count Your Blessings’ truly reminds us to stop and give thanks for all God has done in our lives. This is definitely a pause we all need to take. Amen.’
And is that ever the indisputable truth! For if we would take advantage of counting the many blessings we have, instead of counting our troubles, our lives would be way more joyful and productive, and we’d end up giving God the thanks and praise He truly deserves. As another excerpt from the Godtube website says: ‘‘If you always find yourself numbering your troubles, you will never find time for counting your blessings. There is no use becoming frustrated in your difficulties while you have all opportunities hiding in them for a turnover.’
We cannot deny that, because our difficulties are often God-given opportunities for us to explore and become more kingdom oriented, rather than moan and complain about life being so tough and God not as good as He claims. As Bruh Paul warns us in Philippians: ‘Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings (quarreling among yourselves): That ye may be blameless and harmless (innocent), the sons (children) of God, without rebuke (fault), in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation (generation), among whom ye shine as lights in the world.’ (Phil. 2:14-15)
And that’s a fact. If we believers would cut down our complaining and quarreling amongst ourselves, out witness would be ever so much improved. But we like the easy, comfortable and convenient life, without any problems or sacrifices. But in this deranged world, that’s nothing but a pipe dream, especially if you intend to live for Christ. Anyway, on a more pleasant note, (smile) the song basically is about thanksgiving and praise, and Bruh Paul has constantly drummed into our heads how important those two things are for believers.
In Philippians, he lays it out on a painter’s palette for us: ‘Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request 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. 3:5-7) What’s in that we don’t understand eh? If you want godly peace of mind, then you have to pray and give thanks, and not murmur and complain.
Then in 1 Thessalonians, Bruh Paul tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:18) What’s wrong with us that we cannot understand such simple language eh, especially if we claim to be such great believers in Christ Jesus?
And besides all of that, every verse of the song is filled with some reference to the scriptures. For example: ‘When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost…’ That reminds us that Christ is the calm in our storm. Just like He calmed the winds and the sea while on the ship with the disciples, (Mark 4:35-41) He will also calm any storm in our lives if we place it in his hands.
Then there are these words in the second verse. ‘Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?’ Now that should automatically call us to Jesus’ Great Invitation (Matt: 11:28-30) where He invites us to lay all our cares upon Him. And the other verses are the same.
Oh friends, I’m pleading with us to make this a Red-Letter day in our lives; one where we promise ourselves to stop complaining about every li’l difficulty, and instead start seriously and sincerely counting the numerous blessings we do have. That will certainly improve our quality of life and help to make our world a much better place to live in. Much LOVE!
…it’s time for Christians to stop counting their problems…and begin counting their blessings…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
09 Oct 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dispensary of spiritual food and medicine, above all these things put on charity, an outward indication of an inner condition, be grateful for the good things, count your blessings, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, exhorting one another, Happy Thanksgiving Canada, in every thing give thanks, it will surprise you what the Lord hath done, LOVE, money cannot buy your reward in heaven, name them one by one, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, pray without ceasing, reciprocal encouragement, rejoice evermore, singing with grace in your hearts, the ability and joy of sharing, this is the will of God, this is the will of God in Christ, through Jesus Christ the Son, to God the Father be the glory, turn over a new leaf, ye see the day apporaching
1 Thessalonians 5:18. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
HAPPY THANSKGIVING CANADA !
And once again we are gathered here to celebrate God’s Day, Sunday, the day He rested from His labours, after creating the world and all therein in the previous six. And on this Thanksgiving Sunday in our blessed country of Canada, we must remember that gathering in the Lord’s name is not simply a suggestion, but our bounden duty, as the author of Hebrews tells us: ‘Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.’ (Heb. 10:25)
And the scholars explain it thus. ‘The admonition “Not forsaking the assembling,” involves far more than erratic attendance. It involves the entire worship of Christ and is an outward indication of an inner condition. The assembling of God’s people provides opportunity for reciprocal encouragement, strengthening, and the stirring up that can be gained from one another (cf. Col. 3:12-16). It consists of participation in worship and fellowship. The church is a body interacting (1 Cor. 12:14-27); it is not merely a dispensary of spiritual food and medicine.’
And do I ever like that last line. The body of Christ is one that thrives on total interaction, and we gather not just for spiritual enlightenment but to exhort, to uplift each other in whatever aspect we might need it. So, having seen the many benefits of assembling, (smile) let’s get to giving thanks and praise on this Thanksgiving Sunday by opening with a most appropriate song. It’s fairly new, in comparison to some of our other hymns, and was written by one Johnson Oatman, Jr (1856-1922) an American ordained minster, a very prolific songwriter.
And the song is one we all know and LOVE, titled ‘Count Your Blessings.’ I chose it for today because I figured that we can never truly give thanks until we are fully aware of what we’re giving thanks for, and counting our blessings reminds us of all that we have to be thankful for. So, let’s open our harmonious voices, sending up sacrificial praise, in a rollicking rendition of ‘Count Your Blessings.
Singing: ‘When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. (Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.) Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, ev’ry doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by. [Refrain]
When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings, money cannot buy Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. [Refrain] So, amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. [Refrain] 2’
That was indeed a rollicking rendition my people! Heaven surely knows that we are sincerely grateful for the many blessings they have poured down on us. And what does ‘Count Your Blessings’ really mean eh? I have a note here, don’t remember where I got it from, (smile) but it defines counting your blessings as ‘to be grateful for the good things in your life, often to stop yourself becoming too unhappy about the bad things.’ And that’s all it is really: being thankful for the breath we breathe, for our friends and families, for our jobs, health, food, clothing and shelter, plus the ability and joy of sharing what we have with others.
Oh my friends, so much of our world right now is in such bad shape, they have nothing at all, that we should be awfully glad and thankful for whatever little we have. As one quote so rightly advises: ‘If you always find yourself numbering your troubles, you will never find time for counting your blessings. There is no use becoming frustrated in your difficulties while you have all opportunities hiding in them for a turnover.’ And that’s the gospel truth; there are always opportunities in our troubles to begin again, to turn over a new leaf, to find something useful, some blessing in those same troubles.
The problem though is that we pay more attention to our troubles than our blessings, when the fact is if we write both our blessings and troubles on a sheet of paper, we’ll most likely find that we have way more blessings than troubles. And it’s not like the scriptures doesn’t continually tell us to give thanks, to be grateful for all we have. So, let’s look at a couple of them.
And this advice from Bruh Paul the Thessalonians as he exhorts the brethren to good works, is one of the most all-encompassing, but very problematic to many of us. He says first of all: ‘Rejoice evermore.’ Then ‘Pray without ceasing.’ And finally: ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:16-18)
Now those are certainly tough scriptures to continually enact, but with proper understanding and God’s help, we can certainly do them. It’s simply keeping a good attitude regardless of our circumstances, while being in touch with the Lord throughout the day talking to Him about whatever is going on with us and giving Him thanks through Christ for all His help, because that’s what He desires of us. Please remember that the Lord created us so that He could have good fellowship with us, that we should do His will and in so doing, glorify Him. So those three things that Bruh Paul asks of us, is what we were really created for.
And here is some more advice from Bruh Paul, this time to the Colossians, on the topic of Christian virtues. He writes: ‘And above all these things put on charity (LOVE), which is the bond of perfectness (the crowning grace of Christian virtues). And let the peace of God (harmony) rule in your hearts, to the which ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’ (Col. 3:14-17)
Right there we have the basic virtues of our Christian faith, beginning with LOVE, the crowning glory, and ending with thanks, sincere appreciation for it all. Now, let’s go home this Thanksgiving Sunday with this beautiful and most useful recommendation from the website http://www.godtube. It says: ‘God truly gives us so many blessings each and every single day. Some may even be so small that we might overlook them. The classic hymn ‘Count Your Blessings’ truly reminds us to stop and give thanks for all God has done in our lives. This is definitely a pause we all need to take. Amen.’
So please my fellow saints, let’s pause today and count our many blessings, then give God our grateful and sincere thanks for them nuh. It will go so much better with us. Much LOVE!
…to God the Father be all the thanks and the glory…through Jesus Christ…the Son…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
03 May 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and all things, ask and it shall be given to you, ask in faith, believing ye shall receive, boost our spirits. surrender our all, count your blessings, deceitful work of the enemy, focus on our troubles, for my strength is made perfect in weakness, glowing like the noonday sun, I am the beloved of god, if ye have faith and doubt not, knock and it shall be opened, live peaceably with our mate, LOVE, men ought to pray and not faint, my grace is sufficient for thee, name them one by one, no excuses for failure, not praying is a sin, obey God, remove the thorn from his flesh, see what God has done, seek and ye shall find, share His love with the world, spiritually mature in Christ, take pleasure in infirmities, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, when I am weak then I am strong
Matthew 21:22. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Well, a good Tuesday morning to you my fellow believers in Christ Jesus! And may this day be an interesting and fruitful one in your life. And if you doubt it will be, then just do as that favourite song of ours declares: ‘Count your blessings, Name them one by one, Count your many blessings, and see what God has done.’ Yes friends, I think that’s a useful habit we should all cultivate: counting our blessings every day.
And why is that you ask? Because we will find that we always have more blessings than troubles, and that will boost our spirits at the beginning of each day and enable us to surrender our all much more easily to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as we ought to, if we expect to have fruitful days.
Unfortunately though, we humans, even Christian folk, seem to focus on our troubles more than our blessings, even though they are much fewer in number. And that’s the deceitful work of the enemy, as he tries to lower our faith and the sensitivity of our spirits, thus making us poor, unhappy, complaining and miserable apparitions of our true selves, which, in Jesus, are truly bright and glowing like the noonday sun!
That brings us to this amazing scripture, the words of Jesus to His disciples, after He had cursed the fig tree. ‘And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away? Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt. 21:20-22)
Oh my people that is indeed a magnificent and most powerful scripture, and if we believers would take it more seriously and practice it more often, many of us would not have the miserable and complaining lives we now have! It’s all about faith in Christ, about believing what He’s said from day one right down to now! So, let’s listen to Jesus once again as He pronounces on the awesome power of prayer.
In His Sermon on the Mount, He offers this discourse. ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?’ (Matt. 7:7-11)
And right here, let’s turn to the scholars for some very good explanations on the subject of prayer. They say: ‘The three imperatives, ask, seek, and knock are in the present tense of the original language, suggesting both perseverance and frequent prayer. Fervent and continual prayer is to be made on behalf of those for whom we are concerned. God promises to answer all genuine prayer (vs.8). Everything we need for spiritual success has been promised to us. God leaves us no excuse for failure.’
And that’s the gospel truth! We have no excuses whatsoever for failing to become spiritually mature in Christ because we already have it all implanted in us; that’s the fruit of God’s Spirit, and we only need to water it and properly tend it with prayer, goodness and meditation on God’s Word, for it to grow into a beautiful example of Jesus Christ!
And the scholars go on to further explain: ‘Both Jesus (Luke 18:1) and Paul (1 Tim. 2:1) emphasized the importance of prayer, noting that people ought always to pray. Prayer includes asking and getting answers from God. But it is more than just asking; it is confession, adoration, thanksgiving, and fellowship with God. By its nature, prayer is talking with God. It is the basis of the successful Christian life, and is so important that not praying is considered a sin (1 Sam. 12:23).
When we pray, we should follow the model prayer Jesus gave His disciples and address it to our heavenly Father – beginning with adoration, including thanksgiving and confession of sins, making reconciliation with others, praying for our needs and the needs of others, and concluding in Jesus’ name (Matt. 6:9-15; John 14:14). Illustration: Jesus pointed out that God heard the prayer of a humble publican rather than that of a proud Pharisee (Luke 18:14). Application: God will answer our prayer when we obey Him (1 John 3:22), ask in faith (Mark 11:24), have pure motives (James 4:3), and live peaceably with our mate (1 Pet. 3:7). (First ref. Gen. 3:8-13; Primary ref. Matt. 7:7; cf. 1 John 5:14-15 ).’
Yes my brethren, prayer is very important in our Christian walk, and it must not be taken lightly, as so many of us do. And merely asking God for stuff does not constitute prayer. It calls for all the other things that the scholars mention above there. And most important of all, it calls for obedience to God, and then asking for things that fall within His will for our lives. And we have the perfect example of the latter when Bruh Paul asked the Lord three times to remove the thorn from his flesh, and what answer did that great man of faith receive?
The Good Book tells it thus: ‘And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.’ (2 Cor, 12:9a) So God did not answer Bruh Paul’s prayer there because it served His purpose more to leave him as he was. His awesome power would be even more noticeable in Bruh Paul’s weakness. And though Bruh Paul was obviously disappointed, listen to his response nuh. ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then I am strong.’ (2 Cor. 12:9b-10)
And who says our God doesn’t have sense of humour? I note that with a chuckle, because the Lord might have purposely led me to that scripture this morning, when I’m experiencing some serious joint problems and pain, and man’s medication and prayer don’t seem to be helping much. So, I guess I’ll just have to take pleasure in my infirmities and let God’s superior power shine through in my weaknesses. (smile) And there are many more scriptures we can note to show the power and importance of prayer, but that would take forever (smile), so let’s go home now declaring (steups!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
In strong and confident 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!’
Now, let’s go out and do just that nuh, share Christ’s amazing LOVE and friendship with others, so they too can come to LOVE and worship Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…and Jesus spake a parable unto them…to this end…that men ought always to pray…and not to faint…not to lose heart… (Luke 18:1)
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14 Mar 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be grateful for the good things, cannot be reckoned up, check out the small stuff, Christ has promised wealth untold, count your blessings, Daylight Savings Time, do not be discouraged, does the cross seem heavy, God is over all, he that cometh to God, if I would declare and speak them, in everything give thanks, many are thy wonderful works, must believe that he is a rewarder, name them one by one, pause and give thanks to god, physical in church worship, stop counting troubles, they are more than can be numbered, this the will of God concerning you, thy thoughts which are to us-ward, virtual worship, without faith it is impossible to please God, your reward in heaven
Psalm 40:5. Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward they cannot be reckoned (recounted) up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
Well my people, on this Sunday morning in mid-March, when the clock has just gone forward an hour in the controversial Daylight Savings Time situation, there is some news leaning towards the good side, but whether it is sensible to enact it, that’s something else. (smile)
And the good news is that physical in church worship has been eased, but still under the last protocol; masks, cleaning, physical distancing, no actual choir singing, etc. etc. Now it’s debatable whether all the effort need to do that for the small crowd that might come is worth it. Then we would still have to do some virtual worship for those who won’t come. That puts a great strain on the priest and the few people who usually do all the hard and dirty work. And with the many variants prevalent these days, my recommendation would be to leave it as it is; just do the virtual worship.
But since no decision has been made on that as yet, let’s get on with our virtual worship. (smile) And today we’re opening with a marvelous semi-old song written by New Jersey born Johnson Oatman Jr. (1856-1922) And it’s such a realistic and providential song, that if we had been singing and doing what it says all along, feasting on thanksgiving and praise, we might not be ensnared in the Corona pandemic right now. So let’s open our hearts and give voice to the wonderful hymn, ‘Count Your Blessings!’Raise those voices to heaven in a sweet, scintillating, harmonious, up tempo version as the beautiful music leads us in worship!
‘When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. (Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.) Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, ev’ry doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by. [Refrain]
When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings, money cannot buy Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. [Refrain] So, amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
So Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done. (Now let’s sing that chorus again so we’ll remember it.) Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.’
Oh my faithful saints in Christ, that message is ever so important to all of us! Why, you ask? First of all, let’s check out what counting your blessings means. It basically means to be grateful for the good things in our lives, as well as to stop ourselves from becoming too unhappy about the bad things we must all go through at some times in this earthly life.
And the website www.godtube gives us this interesting explanation. ‘God truly gives us so many blessings each and every single day. Some may even be so small that we might overlook them. The classic hymn ‘Count Your Blessings’ truly reminds us to stop and give thanks for all God has done in our lives. This is definitely a pause we all need to take. Amen.’ And if that isn’t the indisputable truth, I don’t know what is!
Yes friends, in this busy world, where we’re so busy going nowhere fast, we all need to take time every so often and count the good things we have, instead of labouring on and bewailing the bad things, or the things we don’t have. That’s the only way to keep our stress, greed and envy level down. Let’s stop looking at what we don’t have and concentrate on what we do have, especially since many of us are living better than most of our fellow human beings.
As www.godtube continues to tell us: ‘‘If you always find yourself numbering your troubles, you will never find time counting your blessings. There is no use becoming frustrated in your difficulties while you have all opportunities hiding in them for a turnover.’ That’s wisdom in spades my brethren! If you concentrate on counting your troubles, you’ll never find the time to count your blessings and the many opportunities that are hiding in those troubles.
And Bruh David puts it ever so nicely for us in Psalm 40 – Praise for answered prayer. ‘Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward they cannot be reckoned (recounted) up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.’ (Ps. 40:5)
That’s more indisputable truth my people. We can never count the many blessings that God has given to us during our lifetime…and is still giving to us every day! The problem is that we consider blessings as big, bright baubles and bangles, whereas God takes pleasure in meeting our smallest needs when we least expect it. It’s time for us to stop looking for big blessings, and check out the small stuff. We’d all be amazed at the number of small but wonderful blessings that the Lord has bestowed on us down through the years. So many, that we would be unable to count them.
As Job said when he acknowledged God’s justice: ‘I know it’s so of a truth: but how should a man be just with God (how can a man be righteous with God)?…Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.’ (Job 9:1,10) And yes, Job and Bruh David are two men who ought to know of God’s goodness and faithfulness, because they experienced hardship but never gave up on Him. That’s why Hebrews declares: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb. 11:6) Now, I think that’s a very fitting note to end on. (smile)
So let’s go forth and start counting our blessings nuh, instead of our troubles. It will make our lives so much more interesting and fulfilling. Much LOVE!
…in every thing give thanks…for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus…concerning you… (1 Thess. 5:18)
29 Aug 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bright and sunshiny day, all things, an added sparkle to the morning, attitude of prayer, be grateful for life, breathe. let go, come calling so suddenly, contributed to your advancement, count your blessings, counting my blessings, counting our blessings, cultivate the habit of being grateful, different like night and day, entitlement, give thanks continuously, gospel truth, immoral society, immortal words, in Christ Jesus concerning you, in everything give thanks, in the face of adversity, in the fear of God, it is even a vapour, look forward to life, maintain gratitude, my life is a wind, my whole life turned around, name them one by one, one to another, our friend Anselm, positive vibes, pray without ceasing, remind yourself, see what God has done, sink in, submitting yourselves, take active root, thank you, the grim reaper, this is the will of God, this might be your last moment, use not vain repetitions, vibes become positive, washed by divine showers of blessings, what is your life, when ye pray, wisdom is the principal thing
1 Thessalonians 5:17-18. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Oh friends there’s nothing better to awaken to than a clean earth that’s been well washed by divine showers of blessings during the night, and then opens as a bright and sunshiny day. Everything smells fresh and clean and there’s an added sparkle to the morning, as when silver is polished to a heightened state. (smile) Well that’s the kind of day with which we’ve been blessed in my area on this lazy, late summer Saturday. And since it’s Saturday, I guess I should turn my attention to the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And this first one is certainly interesting: ‘Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.’ Now that’s what you call gospel truth, because none of us ever knows if our next breath may be our last. The Grim reaper can come calling so suddenly, that we need to continually remember the vapour that life is. As James puts it: ‘Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.’ (James 4:14) And Job, when he remonstrates with God, solemnly declares (yeah!): ‘O remember that my life is wind…’ (Job 7:7)
That just goes to show how frail and uncertain our lives can be. Consequently, this next quote can certainly help us in that regard. ‘If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.’ Ah mih people, those two words, ‘thank you,’ are possibly the best two we can ever say to God or man. Now I’m assuming that the author of that quote doesn’t mean the one single prayer you’ve ever said in your entire life, and that you’ve never said another, (smile) but that ‘thank you’ is the prayer you say continually, and nothing else.
Under those circumstance I believe that God will be extremely pleased, because all He asks of us is to be thankful and grateful for the life and blessings He’s so generously bestowed on us, especially the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. And as Jesus says, we don’t need to prayer long prayers. ‘But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.’ (Matt. 6:7) Now that doesn’t mean that our every prayer should be only a few words, but generally speaking, babbling on like the heathen are accused of doing, doesn’t mean our prayers will be heard or answered any quicker.
That leads to the following quote, which does a marvellous job of explaining how our lives ought to be ordered. Listen up carefully. ‘It is necessary, then, to cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.’ Oh friends, oh friends, what wonderful truth is contained in those words, and if we were to ever follow it, our lives would be different like night and day!
And it’s so sad to realize that the habits of gratefulness and thankfulness are fading fast away from our greedy, selfish, godless and immoral society. For some of us, saying thank you, or showing gratefulness is like pulling teeth without the use of anesthetic! Being grateful for all that we have, or have done, which makes us who we are, has become anathema to our society, and has been replaced by the cult of entitlement. Yes, entitlement now rules the roost my brethren! We are now entitled to everything!
But let’s remember the immortal words of Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians nuh: ‘Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:17-18) That means, as the scholars explain: ‘5:17. A believer ought to remain in the attitude of prayer though not always praying audibly.’ ‘5:18. In every event or circumstance (thing) the Christian is to give thanks to God for the good He can bring out of the event, even should the event be unpleasant. The constant attitude of prayer, mentioned in verse 17, will help the believer to maintain gratitude in the face of adversity.’
And to the Ephesians, re the ways of the believer, Bruh Paul said it thus: ‘Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to another in the fear (reverence) of God.’ (Eph. 5:20-21). Meanwhile to the Colossians, he said: ‘And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’ (Col. 3:17) How much more do we need to hear for it to sink in and take active root in our lives eh my people?
And this last quote covers, or encapsulates all the others. ‘When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.’ And is that the living truth! My precious people of God, when we begin counting our blessings, instead of our adversity, then the whole mood, mode and tempo of our lives change for the better. Our vibes then become positive and not negative and we look forward to life each and every day, although we know that it won’t always run as smoothly as we desire.
But that’s the Spirit of God then working in us to lighten and brighten our days. As the song ‘Count Your Blessings’ so wonderfully puts it: ‘Count your blessings, name them one by one; count your blessings, see what God hath done…’ Why don’t we try doing that today my fellow saints in Christ, rather than dwelling on the negatives in our lives eh? That’s wisdom to the nth degree. And we all know that wisdom is the principal thing. Much LOVE!
…nothing beats a grateful and thankful heart…
04 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a load of care, a sun and sheild, all is lost, angels, because of Jesus, believers in Christ, blessed, burdened, Christ has promised, comfort, confidence, conflict, constant prayer, count your blessings, courage, discouraged, enjoy the good things, everything belongs to God, face the world, fear, generosity, give thanks, God's sanctuary, grace, he who has an ear, help, hymn of praise, I can do all things, in everything give thanks, in heavenly places, in my mouth, in the face of adversity, indisputable truth, Johnson Oatman, journey's end, life's billows, lord of hosts, LOVE, maintian gratitude, makes the Lord his trust, mercy, name them one by one, plentiful, praise unto our God, put a new song, put us through our paces, respects not the proud, rise up in our hearts, sacrificial praise, song of praise, sons of Korah, spirits low on fuel, spiritual blessings, spiritual tanks, take for granted, tempest tossed, through Christ, tough times, trust in the Lord, turn aside to lies, walk uprightly withhold, wealth untold, weekly refuelling, who strengthens me, your cross seems heavy
Psalm 40:3. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
Oh my faithful believers in Christ, it’s time once again for the weekly refuelling of our spirits at God’s fuelling station, His sanctuary! Praise the Lord! We all can use that refuelling as the world and the enemy have certainly put us through our paces this past week and thus our spirits are low on fuel. That’s why we are coming in droves to church; to hear His word, sing praises to His holy name, fellowship with each other, and consequently refill our spiritual tanks, so that we can face the world with confidence and courage this upcoming week.
And as we’re wont to do, let’s open with a hymn of praise, an old favourite, ‘Count Your Blessings.’ It was written by one Johnson Oatman (1856-1922), born near Medford, New Jersey. And it’s said that he wrote over three thousand hymns, which means that ‘no gospel song book is considered as being complete unless it contains some of his hymns.’
Glory be mih people! Three thousand hymns are a lot of hymns yes! Wonder where he found time to write them all, especially when he was apparently a local preacher, a businessman with his father and an Insurance Agent? The important thing though is that he penned this one that we know and LOVE so much. Let’s belt it our now with sacrificial praise from our lips, and while doing that, see how many blessings we can also count. (smile)
As one harmonic choir now: ‘When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. (Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God has done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your many blessings, *see what God has done. {*And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.)
Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly, And you will keep singing as the days go by. (Refrain) When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings—*money cannot buy [*wealth can never buy] Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. (Refrain)
So, amid the conflict whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. (Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God has done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your many blessings, *see what God has done. {* And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.)’
Oh faithful followers of Christ, if we truly sit down and count the blessings that the Lord has poured down on us because of Jesus, will we ever be surprised! Why? Because they are so plentiful. Some of them we don’t even notice, they’ve been around for so long, that we now take them for granted. But please remember that everything in this world belongs to God, and it’s only through His wonderful generosity, mercy and grace that we can enjoy the good things that we do enjoy.
That brings us to our Bit: ‘And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.’ Yes friends, it is an appropriate scripture for this morning. Having counted our blessings and finding so many, it’s only natural that a new song of praise to our heavenly Father will rise up in our hearts and souls!
And Bruh David follows up our Bit with this other momentous verse: ‘Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. (Ps.40:4) What an awesome statement of indisputable truth! That’s the best way to receive blessings from Almighty God, both down here on earth and put aside some in heaven for eternal life.
As Bruh Paul said to the Ephesians: ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.’ (Eph.1:3) Ah mih people, the Lord has blessings stored up for us in heaven, all done through the work of Christ. That’s why Bruh Paul also advised us: ‘In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess.5:18)
And the scholars add this explanation. ‘5:18. In every event or circumstance (thing) the Christian is to give thanks to God for the good He can bring out of the event, even should the event be unpleasant. The constant attitude of prayer, mentioned in verse 17, will help the believer to maintain gratitude in the face of adversity.’
Yeh friends, we know it’s not always easy to look up in the tough times and give thanks, but please remember what Jesus has done for us, and that it’s only through and because of him, the Father is showering so many wonderful blessings on us. And with His help, we can do ALL things. As Bruh Paul so succinctly put it: ‘I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil.4:13)
And we’ll close with these words from the sons of Korah in Psalm 84 – Blessed are they that dwell in thy house. ‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (Ps.84:11-12) That says it all friends! Much LOVE!
…he who has an ear…let him hear what the scripture says…
09 Oct 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a load of care, a solemn sound, amid the conflict, angels will attend, anointed with fresh oil, bear fruit, burdened, busy society, cedars of Lebanon, count our blessings, demise of their enemies, do not be discouraged, doth a fool understand, enemies shall perish, every doubt will fly, flourish in the courts of God, frivolous stuff, glory to God, God is over all, God's goodness, grateful, help and comfort give, I will triumph, in their old age, it is a good thing, journey's end, joy, loves us unconditionally, made me glad, magnificent and magnanimous God, mighty words, money cannot buy, name them one by one, peace, planted in the house of the Lord, psalmist's praise, see what God has done, sing praises unto thy name, spring up as grass, stop complaining, thankful, Thanksgiving Sunday, the cross, the sheep of his pasture, the wicked, thy thoughts are very deep, to give thanks unto the Lord, trust in jesus, undeserving children, warm the cockles of God's heart, wisdom, workers of iniquity, you will keep singing, your home on high, your reward in heaven
Psalm 92:1. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:
Okay friends, it’s Thanksgiving Sunday in this great and good land of Canada, so let’s open with something rather appropriate nuh, something that would make life much more interesting if we did it as often as we should.
Oh my fellow believers, let’s count our blessings, as we raise our voices heavenward in a sacrifice of praise, worship and thanksgiving. Please sing with me enthusiastically and sincerely because we have a lot of blessings to be thankful for.
‘When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God has done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your many blessings, see what God has done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly, And you will keep singing as the days go by. Refrain:
When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings, money cannot buy Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. Refrain:
So, amid the conflict whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God has done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.’
Oh friends, if we truly count our blessings, I’m sure that we’d all be surprised by what God has done in our lives. So please let’s stop complaining about petty stuff and instead give thanks for every little thing that we enjoy.
And we do enjoy a lot of things that most of the world doesn’t, so let’s start being grateful for what we have rather than complain about the frivolous stuff we don’t have.
And our Bit for today tells us exactly that. ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:’
Yes friends, it is indeed right and mete to sing praises for the Lord’s goodness to us, the undeserving children of men. He has done so much for us that we can never ever dream of repaying any of it.
And He doesn’t do it for repayment, but because He made us, we are the sheep of His pasture and He LOVES us unconditionally. Oh my people, just His unconditional LOVE alone is worth more than we can ever ask or imagine.
And if we add all the other things our wonderful God has done, is doing and will do for us, there is no doubt that we should be mucho mucho thankful and grateful, since we truly don’t deserve any of it.
Now let’s continue singing the praises of our magnificent and magnanimous God from Psalm 92. ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High: To show forth (declare) thy LOVING-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.
Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery (lute or lyre); upon the harp with a solemn (harmonious or melodic) sound. For thou Lord hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.’ (Ps.92: 1-4)
Ah mih breddren, can you imagine those long ago days when our great God was praised both morning and evening? Hn!
Today, because of our busy society, we’d be lucky to praise Him once, much less twice. But that’s what He deserves, and if we truly put our minds to it, we can raise our voices at least twice a day in praise and prayer.
So let’s promise ourselves to faithfully offer up praise both morning and evening nuh my fellow believers, for that will surely warm the cockles of God’s heart and give us a peace and joy that only those who trust in Jesus will ever know.
Now let’s continue with the psalmist’s praise. ‘O Lord, how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish (senseless) man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this. When the wicked spring (up) as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:
But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore. For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. But my horn (strength) shalt thou exalt like a unicorn (wild ox):
I shall be anointed with fresh oil. Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat (plump) and flourishing (green); To show that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.’ (Ps.92:5-15)
Yes friends, that is what can be expected of those who place their trust in and surrender their lives to Almighty God! They will grow and flourish like the tall and stately cedars trees in Lebanon, see the demise of their enemies, and even more, will continue to bear fruit and flourish in their old age!
Wow! Glory to God my people for His goodness to the undeserving children of men! How can we not give Him much thanks and praise for all His mighty works in our lives eh?
So please, as we fill His sanctuary this Thanksgiving Sunday morning, let’s remember to count our many blessings and give Him the appropriate thanks and praise nuh, for that’s the wisdom of the ages. Much LOVE!
…if you’re alive today…you’re blessed…and thus owe the Lord many thanks…
Visit the Scrip-Bit Blog at https://randyobrien50.wordpress.com
13 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a glorious future, a load of care, alive and kicking, all is lost, angels, believers in Jesus Christ, blessed shalt thou be, blessings, burdened, cattle, Charels Stanley, comfort, commandments, consequences, count your blessings, day and night, discouraged, enthusiasm, every doubt will fly, every sphere of life, everyday actions, eyes fixed straight ahead, focusing, fractious, glad to be alive, glory, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God is over all, God's will, great or small, halfway home, hands on the plough, hearken to God's voice, heavenly Father, help, home on high, honour, in the city, in the field, insignificant thnings, journey's end, joyful time, keep singing, kine, life's billows, LOVE, LOVE of God, loving kindness, magnanimous, magnificent, mea culpa, miracles, miserable, money cannot buy, name them one by one, new mercies, not turning back, obedient, obey God, offspring, overtake thee, praise, praise and worship, reward in heaven, see what God has done, Selah, sense of purpose, set thee on high, sincere, stipulated condition, take for granted, tempest tossed, thankful, the breath of God, the breath of life, the conflict, the cross, the fruit of thy body, truth, watches over us, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, zenith
Deuteronomy 28:3. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
Welcome to another brand new day with brand new mercies and LOVING-kindness my fellow believers in Jesus Christ!
Now I’ve been guided to open today’s proceedings with this li’l ditty that we all know and LOVE, but don’t, or very seldom practice. Otherwise we wouldn’t be so fractious and miserable, and there’d be much more of the LOVE of God in us, shown through our everyday actions.
So let’s all sing now in joyful but serious and sincere enthusiasm, truth and belief, ‘Count Your Blessings.’ And let each of us count the blessings in our own lives as we sing, so that it will be more real to each of us.
‘When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God has done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your many blessings, see what God has done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly, And you will keep singing as the days go by. Refrain: Count your blessings…
When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings—money cannot buy Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. Refrain: Count your blessings…
So, amid the conflict whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.’
Yes friends, if we have counted our many blessings as we sang that wonderful hymn of praise and worship, I am sure that we all have been surprised and amazed at all the wonderful things our magnificent and magnanimous God has done in our lives.
The problem though is many of those things might be small and somewhat insignificant, so we just roll along taking them for granted. But just stop for a moment and consider what our lives would be like if all those blessings we’ve named were absent from our lives eh. Selah!
Yes my brethren, our lives would be nowhere near as happy and comfortable as they now are. So the lesson is to never take those small, insignificant things for granted, because that’s where God works most of His miracles in our lives.
And all God’s children loudly and gratefully declare: ‘All praise, honour and glory be to our heavenly Father, who watches over us day and night. Guides and protects us, And never lets us out of His sight!’
Ah mih people, I can’t help but be amazed at the greatness and wonder of the awesome God we serve! Now, since it’s Wednesday, let’s declare our Wednesday Wail with enthusiasm, truth and a strong sense of purpose.
Wailing: ‘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!’
Oh my fellow faithful believers, this world might not be the greatest, but every morning we awake, we should be exceedingly thankful for that breath of God that’s still flowing through our bodies, because it means we’re alive and kicking and have so much to look forward to as we make our pilgrim’s journey with the Lord on our side.
We just have to put our hands strong and steadfast to the plough and keep looking ahead to the promise of a great and glorious future with Jesus! Believe me friends, it will be such a joyful time! Glory Hallelujah!
That brings us to our Bit; such a glorious promise! ‘Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.’
Yes my precious people of God, like the scholars inform us: ’28:3-6. These verses contain six blessings that extend to every sphere of life.’
Now let’s check out the other five. ‘Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body (offspring), and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine (cattle), and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store (kneading bowl). Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.’ (Deut.28:4-6)
Now what could be better than that eh mih breddren? Nothing really! But unfortunately there’s a stipulated condition of God’s before all of that can happen.
Listen up: ‘And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.’ (Deut.28:1-2)
Yes Friends, for the blessings to flow, we need to be obedient to God’s will and purpose! But the beautiful part is that when we’re obedient, the blessings shall overtake us! We don’t have to go chasing them, they will chase us, and eventually overtake us! Glory to God my people!
So please, let’s be wise today, be obedient and sincere, and dwell on God’s word, so that the promised blessings can run us down and overtake us. Now that is indeed wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…as Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) so rightly says…the best way to live this life…is to simply obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…
P.S. Sincere mea culpas. The computer and I were both slow this morning. (smile) Much LOVE!
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