The Hopelessness of living this Earthly Life without Jesus!

01 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

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

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

And we’re moving on, without missing a beat, to this somewhat cloudy Tuesday, the first day of October 2024! Yes friends, it is October! Where has September gone with all those wonderful, warm sunny days? I very much doubt that October will be as nice to us. But be assured that whatever October choses to bring against us, we have the wherewithal to handle it, through the amazing auspices of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

As Bruh Paul so rightly says: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil. 4:13) And that’s the gospel truth! When Christ is in our corner, and we in His, then nothing’s impossible to us, because nothing’s impossible to Him. And all of God’s children said a loud and grateful, ‘Thank You Jesus! Without You we’re nothing, and with You, we’re everything!’  

And that’s brought out in most excellent fashion by these words of Jesus from the gospel of John. ‘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) 

Yes friends, Jesus uses the image of the vine and it’s branches to describe His union with believers. And as the scholars explain: ‘The uniqueness of the Christian experience results from the union of Christ and the believer. This is expressed in the Scripture as Christ being in the believer and the believer in Christ. Ten times Paul uses the Greek preposition sun (together) to describe this relationship. Believers were crucified (Gal. 2:20), dead (Col. 2:20), buried (Rom. 6:4), quickened or made alive (Eph. 2:1-5; Col. 2:13), raised (Eph. 2:6; Col. 3:1) seated (Eph. 2:6), and glorified (Rom. 8:17). 

On the basis of this union with Christ, the apostle Paul showed how the successful Christian life can be opened with four key words in Romans 6: know (vs. 6), reckon (vs.11) yield (vs. 13), and obey (vs. 17). The Christian can conquer sin because Christ lives in him (Gal. 2:20) First Ref. – John 7:37-38; Primary Ref. -John 15:1-5; cf. 1 John 5:13).’ 

Wow! What a whole heap of Scriptures for us to check out my fellow believers. (smile) And if we want to truly understand our relationship with Jesus we ought to make the effort to do so, for it’s only when we truly understand what the Lord’s Word says that we can understand the real depths and uniqueness of our relationship with our Creator and heavenly Father. And the basic purpose of being in relationship with Jesus is for us to conquer sin. His major purpose for coming to earth was to help us do just that. 

And here’s the scripture passage that the scholars quoted in reference to believers conquering sin through Christ living in them. ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of (in) the Son of God, who LOVED me, and gave himself for me.’ (Gal. 2:20) Now that’s a scripture we ought to write indelibly in our hearts, souls and minds, for it is the basis of our renewed life in Christ. 

Now, let’s look to that First scripture Reference that the scholars gave. ‘In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly (heart) shall flow rivers of living water.’ (John 7:37-38) Jesus was there speaking of the Holy Spirit, which was to eventually come to all those who believed in Him. And it finally came on that great day of Pentecost, when all the then believers were seated together. 

The scripture says: ‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were siting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues (in other languages), as the Spirit gave them utterance (enabled them to do).’ (Acts 2:2-4) And since that auspicious moment in time, the Holy Spirit has been indwelling every believer, though not with the same panache (flamboyant manner). 

And here’s the last of those references by the scholars; a verse from the first epistle of John that we ought also to hold dear to our hearts. ‘These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.’ (1 John 5:13) Yes my brethren, we can have eternal life if we believe in Christ!

And please note, that’s the ONLY way to access it! Don’t be fooled by anything different that the enemy and his evil cronies try to tell you. It’s as Jesus says: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) And I strongly advise us to believe that, and furthermore, live it, otherwise we might just end up with the devil and his people in Hades, eternally separated from Almighty God. 

So, as always, I’ve spoon fed us some of the salient scriptures, (smile) the remainder is for you to look up yourself. And I plead with us to do that, because it’s all for our benefit. As I said before the more time we invest in the Lord’s Word, the better we will be able to understand our relationship with Him. Now, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) 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!’ 

And having said that, we are now committed to going out and sharing Jesus’ amazing LOVE and friendship with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like  we do! Much LOVE!

…there’s ONLY one way to get to heaven…and that’s through Jesus…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   20 March 2022 Hebrews 4:16.

20 Mar 2022 Leave a comment

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

Hebrews 4:16.     Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Ah chuh! It looks like another wet and cloudy day is in the offing…but it’s better than a white and snowy one though! (smile) Anyway it’s Sunday, so we are celebrating the Lord’s Day with praise and thanksgiving in His gates and courts and physically gathering in His sanctuaries to encourage and rejoice with other believers, like we haven’t been able to do for two long years because of the Covid 19 virus! And all God’s people gave a loud and thankful shout of Glory Hallelujah! 

Yes friends, it’s oh so good to be able to go into God’s sanctuary again, reminiscent of the opening words of Psalm 122 titled – Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem – where Bruh David declares: ‘I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go up into the house of the Lord.’ (Ps. 122:1) Oh there’s nothing better than gathering in God’s house to sing and praise His holy name, to give thanks and receive in return His refreshing renewal of all our energy; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual! 

And that’s why this Sunday morning, the first day of spring, we are going to take a leap of faith and sing this re-energizing song “Come Boldly to the Throne of Grace” written by Daniel Herbert (1751 – 1833), a congregational minister who served at Sudbury in Suffolk, England. Why? Because, as one commentator wisely opines: ‘It is a passionate and comforting call to all who feel the weight of their sin to come and find mercy at the feet of Christ.’ Oh my people, I couldn’t put it any better! 

So, with sincere hearts and voices let’s go boldly to the throne of grace, offering up our sacrifices of praise in a mid-tempo but ever so soulful and heartfelt version of this marvellous song. ‘Come boldly to the throne of grace, Ye wretched sinners come, and lay your load at Jesus feet, And plead what He has done. How can I come? Some soul may say, I’m lame and cannot walk; My guilt and sin have stopped my mouth, I sigh, but dare not talk. 

Come boldly to the throne of grace, Though lost, and blind, and lame; Jehovah is the sinner’s friend, And ever was the same. He makes the dead to hear His voice; He makes the blind to see, The sinner lost, He came to save, And set the prisoner free. Come boldly to the throne of grace, For Jesus fills the throne; and those He kills, He makes alive; He hears the sigh or groan; Poor bankrupt souls, Who feel and know, the hell of sin within; 

Come Boldly to the throne of grace; The Lord will take you in. Come Boldly to the throne of grace; The Lord will take you in…the Lord will take you in…Yes the Lord will take you in…take you in’ 

Yes my faithful brethren, of that fact you can be totally assured; the Lord will NEVER turn away anyone who comes to Him in sincerity and truth! He sent His only begotten Son to earth to save us miserable sinners, so why then would He turn away any of that ilk who come to Him for rescue eh? No reason whatsoever! Remember He doesn’t want to lose even one soul to the enemy, so He will not refuse the sinner’s plea for mercy and grace. And there’s this magnificent and reassuring passage of scripture which tells it all, all about the sympathetic Christ. 

The author of Hebrews explains it thus: ‘Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into (through) the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our profession (confession of faith). For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched (sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:14-16) 

Oh my fellow saints, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the best thing that’s ever happened to us! Wow! In His earthly sojourn He suffered all the temptation that we are currently experiencing, but without committing any sin, thus, He can now empathize with what we are going through and doesn’t have to point fingers at us in condemnation, but instead offers us reconciliation and righteousness. As Bruh Paul says in the opening verse of that marvellous Chapter 8 of Romans: ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’ (Rom. 8:1) 

So, once we recognize our frailties, our weaknesses and sins and come to Christ for forgiveness, He doesn’t condemn us, but cleanses us and clothes us in His Holy Spirit to enable us to walk a better walk with Him as our steadfast focus. And please remember that it’s only through Christ’s death and resurrection, and in His holy name that we are even able to go to God’s throne, because God cannot stand sin. And Bruh Paul says it in Ephesians: ‘According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of (in) him.’ (Eph. 3:11-12) 

Yes, it was God’s eternal purpose to redeem our sinful souls through Christ Jesus and thus give us bold and confident access to His holy presence. But please, let’s not forget that it’s only through Christ, and in His name that we can enter God’s throne room. That reminds us of Jesus words to Thomas, the doubting disciple: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father but by me.’ (John 14:6) And Hebrews corroborates it: ‘But Christ as a son over his own house, whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of hope firm unto the end.’ (Heb. 3:6) 

Oh my people, all we are talking about is only possible if we hold on tightly to the hope and faith we profess, that we boast of in Christ Jesus. For as they say, Faith doesn’t make it easy, faith makes it possible. Yes, it’s only with sure faith that we can ever hold firm and endure unto the end. And there is no better way to end today’s proceedings than with this wonderful verse of scripture from Hebrews. ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb. 11:6) 

That’s it my fellow saints! There’s no use talking about God unless we sincerely and strongly believe that He exists and also bountifully rewards those who actively seek Him. And hopefully, that’s why we are gathered here today…in faith, to seek His awesome presence! Much LOVE!

…if you know of Christ…and don’t sincerely LOVE Him…then something’s seriously wrong with you… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 April 2021 Matthew 11:28.

29 Apr 2021 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 11:28.     Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Moving on to Thursday friends, another wonderful day on God’s earth! Oh yes, despite our many problems, it’s going to be a good day, because we know that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, is alive and kicking butt on our behalf! Now isn’t that cause for celebration and encouragement? It certainly is! 

When we have the Creator of the universe in our corner, there’s nothing more we need, except to accept Him with pride and gratitude and live the way He desires of us. And the wonderful thing is that His dominion is not tough, onerous or embarrassing as so many of us believe. 

Just listen to what He says nuh. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) Where else can you get such a marvellous invitation eh? Nowhere! That’s why we call it the Great Invitation! 

No one else has the parts or the power to offer such an invite, only Jesus! So why aren’t more people flocking to Him and His cross eh? Because they mistakenly think that His yoke is a heavy burden, and has too many restrictions. But that’s not true my people, as we who sincerely follow Him know. There must be rules and regulations in every organization, otherwise anarchy will prevail, and the organization will soon crumble. Even our sinful, anything goes world, has rules and regulations, but many of us consider them less restrictive and contentious than those of Jesus. 

However, that’s a very short-sighted outlook friends. The easy way is often the worst way. That’s why the old people taught us that a short cut is often the wrong cut. And Jesus is trying to teach us the same thing: the easy way is not the best way. Consequently, He taught us to ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt. 7:13-14) 

Yes friends, there are only two paths to life, the strait and narrow one to eternal life with Jesus, which requires more self-discipline and self-control, with plenty LOVE, kindness, mercy and forgiveness involved. Meanwhile the other path, that of the wide-open road that leads to destruction and eternal separation from God, that’s what our evil world is offering, and unfortunately a whole lotta people seem to be following that one, because generally speaking, it lets them do whatever they want to do. 

The rules and regulations are much looser than those of Jesus, but His are not a strait-jacket as so many of us feel. They are just more humanitarian and don’t condone evil like the world does. And I like how this article by Billy Graham, titled ‘Which Road are You on?’ puts the situation. It can be found on the decisionmagazine website. 

Billy writes: ‘You cannot be neutral about eternal life, but a lot of people try to be. They try to ride the middle road—but there is no middle road. Jesus said it’s one or the other. He said if you’re not on the narrow road that leads to eternal life, then you must be on the broad road that leads to destruction. Every person is on one or the other. Which road are you on? The broad road or the narrow road? One leads to destruction and hell; the other leads to a full life here and now and eventually life to come in Heaven. Which is it? It’s one or the other. 

And I want to tell you, if I did not know which road I was on, I would make sure, no matter what it cost. Notice that the broad road is a wide road. In other words, you can enter the wide gate and carry with you all your sins. You can carry your selfishness, your prejudice, your hate, your lust, your intolerance, your bigotry. There are no restrictions, no inhibitions, no rules. The extremes of humanity are on this broad road. There are the immoral, the dictators, the murderers. But there are also some moral people and even church people on this road. 

The Bible says, “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me’” (Matthew 7:22-23). They were on the broad road all along. “Jesus said it’s one or the other. He said if you’re not on the narrow road that leads to eternal life, then you must be on the broad road that leads to destruction.” 

And all those people who tried to keep one foot in the world and one foot in Heaven, those who tried to ride both roads—all of those people are on the broad road, in the sight of Christ. This broad road is also a crowded road. Jesus said there are many who go in by it. I think one of the greatest sins is conformity. We always hear, “Everybody else is doing it.” No other reason except everybody else is doing it. Conformity. Nobody has the moral courage anymore to stand alone.’ 

And is that ever the awesome truth! The proverbial motto nowadays is ‘Everybody’s doing it! So why not me?’ Good question? But sadly you’ll end up like everybody else, in eternal damnation, if you don’t take the way that Jesus recommends. And remember you can’t get to heaven and the Father, unless you go through Him, because, as He so plainly points out: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) That’s it in spades friends, no strait and narrow way, no Jesus, then no heaven, no eternal life with our Triune God! It’s as simple as that! 

So let’s wake up and show some wisdom nuh. And for those of us who have found Him, let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Thursday Blessings which He’s bestowed on us to do His earthly work, to help lead others to Him, so that they too can be saved from the life-destroying fire of Hades. So as one strong voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! 

I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And the natural consequence now is for us to go out and share those blessings, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…there are only two options in life…heaven with Jesus…hell with Satan…please choose wisely…  

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