25 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a helluva thing when yuh getting old, a man of many parts, a new flock of believers, a testimony, apologize for wrong date on Bit, be a good witness for Christ, be responsible, blessed is the man that trusteth in him, by the example your faithful believers set, can only have a testimony, change the batteries in the keyboard, changed his behaviour, christianity, computer keyboard, David his ten thousands, David the king of the land, delivered me from all my fears, divine help, faith, feigned himself mad in their hands, feigned madness, fled to a cave in the wilderness, Friday chant, godly coincidence, Goliath's sword, gospel truth, grin and bear it, his praise shall continually be in my mouth, holy spirit, I sought the Lord and he heard me, I will bless the Lord at all times, if God spares life, Jesus Christ, laid up these words in his heart, let his spittle fall down upon his beard, let us exalt His name together, LOVE, mercy, my soul shall make boast in the Lord, narrowly escaping death, O fear the Lord ye his saints, o magnify the Lord with me, O taste and see that the Lord is good, omnipotent help, our chaotic world, praise of one who was redeemed, problems are escalating, psalm 34, radiant, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, saved him out of all his troubles, scrabbled on the doors of the gate, seasoned instruction, seek refuge in your enemy's camp, shrew bread, sinful world, stay safe, Sual hath slain his thousands, suffer hunger, take your own medicine, Thanks be to God, the BIBLE, the computer expert, the error of their ways, the humble shall hear thereof and be glad, the Lord heard him, the poor man cried, the throne of grace, the young lions do lack, their faces were not ashamed, there is no want to them that fear him, they looked at him and were lightened, they that seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing, took these words to heart, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffe, wary of his presence, when you've passed a test, wisdom, wise guidance, witness for Christ
Psalm 34:8. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth him.
Oh friends, please let me apologize this hot, humid and somewhat cloudy Friday morning, for the date error I made on the Bit yesterday, naming it the 23rd of July instead of the 24th. And you would not believe the number of times I usually scrutinize the headings to see if they are correct. And I distinctly remember scrutinizing them yesterday and still found nothing wrong! Ah Lord eh! The devil surely finds ways to disrupt our lives. And believe me he’s doing a very good job right now through this keyboard of mine, where I am typing letters that are either not coming out, or when I hit the space button it doesn’t work and the typing comes out all jumbled up.
Chuh! Typing that last sentence took me a few minutes because I had to go back and fix several pieces of it …hn! hn! hn! Had to fix that last phrase too. (smile) Guess I’ll just have to buy a new keyboard, and this one is barely two years old. But they don’t make them like they did before, and I’m pounding away on this one every day. And you wouldn’t believe how nicely that typed there. (smile) I’ll just have to grin and bear it, as I like to preach. Believe me, it doesn’t feel so fine when you have to take your own medicine.
Hn, hn, hn! Yes friends, I’m laughing, but it’s a laugh of shame. And it’s a good thing that our God does move in mysterious ways yes, because I took a break there just now and was about to buy a new keyboard when the Duchess suggested I first consult my young daughter, the computer expert in the family. And her wise advice was to simply change the batteries in the keyboard. Brother! Did I ever feel foolish, for only then did I remember having that same problem before and simply changing the batteries solved it. It’s a hell of a thing when yuh getting old yes!
But thanks be to God, we solved that most vexing problem! So we can move on now with some serious stuff. Yes, my fellow believers, serious stuff like Psalm 34. A psalm Bruh David wrote after narrowly escaping death at the hands of king Saul. (1 Sam. 21) He lied to the priest Abimelech about being on an important mission for the king and hadn’t had time to collect food or weapons for himself and his men. The priest gave him the shrew (hallowed) bread, the only bread he had, and also gave him Goliath’s sword, the only weapon in his possession. What a godly coincidence (smile) Bruh David using his mortal enemy’s sword. But that’s how our God works.
And having gotten those things, he fled to Gath, the city of the Philistine king Achish seeking refuge from Saul. Imagine the boldness, or stupidity, (smile) of running from your people, to seek refuge in your enemy’s camp. But that’s what you do when you have no choice. Obviously though, the Philistine king was wary of his presence, as his servants recognized Bruh David and said, ‘Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.
And David laid up these words in his heart (took these words to heart), and was sore (very much) afraid of Achish the king of Gath. And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands (feigned madness), and scrabbled (scratched) on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle (spit) fall down on upon his beard.’ (1 Sam. 21:11-13) The king believed the mad actions of Bruh David and refused him entry, so he and his men fled to a cave in the wilderness.
Ah friends, Bruh David was indeed a man of many parts, and with God’s help put on a good show. And these are some of the marvellous words that he wrote after that narrow escape. ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked at him and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him from out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing.’ (Ps. 34:1-10)
What gospel truth, my people! Those who put their trust in the Lord God Jehovah will not want for anything! And I like how the scholars describe the psalm. They say: ‘It bears all the marks of the testimony of one who narrowly escaped death, just as the passage in Samuel describes. As such, it contains the praise and testimony of one who was redeemed (vs. 1-10) and the seasoned instruction that can stem from such deliverance (vs. 11-22).’ Today we’ve covered the section of praise…and is it ever so encouraging and uplifting and true! Tomorrow, if God spares life, we’ll look at the section of ‘seasoned instruction’ and see what we can gain from it.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help for ourselves and our chaotic world. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And friends, despite our supposedly sincere prayer, we also know that our witness for Christ is not good enough, that’s why our world is in such a disastrous state. So please, let’s get ourselves together and improve our witness nuh. It’s the least we can do, for all that Jesus has done for us. Much LOVE!
…you can only have a testimony…when you’ve passed a test…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a strong anointing, Bible, blessed is he who hides in him, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, come exalt His name forever, delivered me from every fear, faith, fear the Lord all ye saints, fellowship, glorify the Lord with me, god, He will deliver them, He'll give you everything, his praise shall continually be in my mouth, holy spirit, I sought the Lord and He answered me, I was glad when they said unto me, I will bless the Lord at all times, in Christ Jesus concerning you, in every thing give thanks, in the Lord's sanctuary there is joy, Jesus, Jesus Christ, let us exalt His name together, let us go into the house of the Lord, LOVE, magnify the Lord with me, musical perfection in gospel music, no want to them that fear him, O taste and see that the Lord is good, on which side his bread was buttered, peace, psalm 34, psalms, saved me from my enemies, shall not want any good thing, Shane Bernard, the Lord heard me, the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, the Son of God surrounds His saints, the will of God, the y that seek the Lord, they'll never be ashamed, this poor man cried, those who look on Him are radiant, wisdom
Psalm 34:3. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
Another day on God’s great earth…alive and kicking, and able to visit His sanctuary to worship His holy name and fellowship with other believers! Oh what a joy and privilege that is my people! As Bruh David says in Psalm 122: ‘I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.’ (Ps. 122:1) And that’s how we ought to feel whenever we enter into God’s house my brethren! Because in the Lord’s sanctuary there is joy, LOVE, peace and all the other good things that emanate from Him. So why wouldn’t we be happy to go there eh?
And the song we’re going to sing today is still my favourite song of worship, because it gives me that joyful feeling, like being in the Lord’s sanctuary and just opening up my heart, mind and soul to the Lord. Shane Bernard built the song around the first ten verses of Bruh David’s words in Palm 34, and titled it ‘Psalm 34 – O Taste and See that the Lord is Good,’ and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir has done a miraculous job in bringing it to life.
Sometimes a month or two goes by and I don’t hear it, and then it pops up, and I figure it won’t affect me the same way. But am I ever so wrong, for every time I hear it, it just thrills me one more time. And I heard it this week, and just knew that we had to sing it today. (smile) So without further ado, let’s raise our voices in sweet sacrifices of praise, singing this wonderful reworking of Bruh David’s words from Psalm 34 – ‘O Taste and See that the Lord is Good.’
Singing: ‘I sought the Lord And He answered me And delivered me From every fear. Those who look on Him Are radiant They’ll never be ashamed They’ll never be ashamed. This poor man cried, And the Lord heard me And saved me from My enemies. The Son of God Surrounds His saints He will deliver them He will deliver them. Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good Oh blessed is he Who hides in Him. Oh fear the Lord Oh all you saints He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything.
(Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Repeat) (Let us bless the Lord Every day and night Never ending praise May our incense rise. Repeat 4 times) Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. {Repeat} Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. …He’ll give you everything…’
Now that’s no lie friends, if what you want is in His will and plan for you! And what truly excites me about the song is the way the musicians get into it. You can see that they are feeling it just like the choir, and that’s what lifts up a song above the ordinary level. And this commentary on the song certainly agrees with me. It says: ‘Every frame, every beat, every note, perfectly executed. THIS is musical perfection in gospel music.’
Meanwhile, these two go even further. The first one says: ‘Every time I listen to this song I imagine myself along with all the other saints in heaven worshipping. This song carries a strong anointing. You can feel the presence of the heavenly hosts.’ And the next one calmly informs us: ‘This is how it would be like in heaven. Every voice, musician, race, soul praising the name of God. Amen!!’ Now, if you’ve heard the song, then you can’t argue with any of those comments, for it’s truly an awe-inspiring rendition.
And how does Bruh David put it in the psalm, written after narrowly escaping death at the hands of Saul and his cohorts and having to run to his enemy, the Philistine king Achish for shelter? (1 Sam. 21:10-15) He opens thus: ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof and be glad.’ (Ps. 34:1-2) That recalls Bruh Paul’s directives to the Thessalonians, and also to us latter day believers: ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:18)
Then Bruh David invites us: ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps. 34: 3) Why does he do that? Because, as he writes: ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing.’ (Ps. 34:4-10)
And that’s gospel truth, for we all know Bruh David’s story; he talks from personal experience not hearsay. He knew on which side His bread was buttered. And all I can say in closing is that we take Bruh David’s words seriously; magnify and exalt the Lord together…stay close to Him and He will stay close to us, and call on His name in times of trouble and He will hear our cry and alleviate our situation in one way or the other. That’s His faithful promise. And our God does not make empty promises. Much LOVE!
…the Lord is my shepherd…I shall not want… (Ps. 23:1)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Jun 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: blessed is he who hides in him, bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, come exalt His name forever, develop a taste for the things of God, even when he is old, everyday and night, fathers provoke not your children to wrath, good at talking the talk, Happy Father's day, he will not depart from it, He'll give you everything, I sought the Lord and He answered me, let us bless the Lord, magnify the Lord with me, may our incense rise, musical perfection in gospel music, never ending praise, not good at walking the talk, O taste and see that the Lord is good, parental trainng, parents do not rear children alone, psalm 34, sacrificial praise, Scrip-Bit land, Shan Barnard, the Son of God surrounds His saints, train up a child in how he should go
Proverbs 22:6. Train up a child in the way he should go: and (even) when he is old, he will not depart from it.
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY
Well, a Happy Father’s Day to all you Father’s out there in Scrip-Bit Land. (smile) I do hope that you all will have an enjoyable day as you are feted by your families. And no, this one day of the year is not sufficient to show fathers how much we LOVE and treasure them, it should be a year-round thing, but I guess one day is better than none at all. (smile)
Anyway, to celebrate Father’s Day Sunday we’re going to open our fellowship and worship in the Lord’s sanctuary with one of my favourite, if not my favourite Contemporary Christian song, ‘Psalm 34: O Taste and See that the Lord is Good,’ Shane Barnard’s reworking of the first ten verses of Psalm 34 to contemporary music, as done by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. I heard it this week and obviously my heart was so moved that I knew right away, we had to sing it today. And by the way, if you’re checking out the video on YouTube, please make sure you get the live version, because that’s the real kicker. (smile)
And I tend to agree with these comments on the song. ‘Every time I listen to this song, I imagine myself along with all the other saints in heaven worshipping. This song carries a strong anointing. You can feel the presence of the heavenly hosts.’ ‘Every frame, every beat, every note, perfectly executed. THIS is musical perfection in gospel music.’ That’s for sure! (smile) Now, without further ado, let’s raise our voices to heaven in sincere and hearty sacrificial praise to our heavenly Father in a rousing rendition of Psalm 34: O Taste and See that the Lord is Good.
Singing: ‘I sought the Lord And He answered me And delivered me From every fear. Those who look on Him Are radiant They’ll never be ashamed They’ll never be ashamed. This poor man cried And the Lord heard me And saved me from My enemies. The Son of God Surrounds His saints He will deliver them He will deliver them. Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever.
Oh taste and see That the Lord is good Oh blessed is he Who hides in Him. Oh fear the Lord Oh all you saints He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. (Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Repeat) (Let us bless the Lord Every day and night Never ending praise May our incense rise. Repeat 4 times)
Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. {Repeat} Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. …He’ll give you everything…’
And that’s the gospel truth; our great and generous God will give you everything if you glorify and magnify Him! Now many of us claim to believe that, but sadly we don’t tend to put it into action, otherwise so many of our lives would not be as miserable and lonely as they are. And that’s the thing about believers, we are very good at talking the talk, but not so hot at walking that talk. Meanwhile the evil unbelievers are steadfastly walking their talk and doing untold evil and ungodliness. Can you imagine if we were walking our talk as much as them, how good and godly our world would be.
Take for instance if our men would stop siring so many illegitimate children with different women and afterwards have no concern for the mothers or the children. How do they expect them to live and have a healthy life eh? But no, instead they pound their egotistic chests and boast about how many baby mamas they have. And lack of that solid father figure is one of the reasons why so many young men are rudderless, and aimlessly adrift on the billowing sea of life, involved in all sorts of evil and ungodly stuff.
Unfortunately too, there are also fathers who live in the home but are either working away from home, or are working so much to provide a living for the children, that they don’t have time to pay sufficient attention to the children’s upbringing. And the poor, burdened mothers cannot do everything on their own. Please remember these monumental words of Cousin Sol from Proverbs regarding raising children: ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and (even) when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ (Prov. 22:6)
And there’s much truth to that, for the training a child gets in his or her formative stages is what usually sticks with them for their whole lives. And the scholars tell us that ‘Train up a child refers to the total process of molding a child’s life. Thus, parental training should help children develop a taste for the things of God. The biblical pattern of effective parental training emphasizes a balance of instruction and discipline (cf. Eph. 6:1-4) The verse stresses the simple principle that education in the home forms the man throughout his lifetime.’
And we all know what that reference to Eph. 6:1-4 says, since we hear it every year at this time. It says: ‘Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (training) and admonition of the Lord.’ Yes friends, the scholars say ‘the ideal parent is to be neither overly authoritarian nor overly permissive. Rather he must balance LOVE and discipline so as not to provoke his child to rebellion.’
And they further tell us that ‘Fathers can provoke their children to wrath by injustice, loss of temper, undue severity, cruelty, favouritism, suppression, sarcasm, ridicule, and misuse or abuse of authority. Nurture basically means “training,” here denoting spiritual education. Admonition is instruction that points out one’s responsibilities and duties. Of the Lord means behind the parents’ rearing and instruction of their children stands the Lord as the chief teacher in child education. Parents do not rear their children alone.’
That’s for sure, either the Lord will have hand in it or the devil. And it hurts me to say this, but it’s the truth: God didn’t have much of a hand in rearing this current generation, since we, the parents did not invite Him in to lend a hand, because we were either too busy making ends meet, we thought it best to give our children soft, easy, entitled lives since ours was so tough, or we just didn’t care. Whatever the reason, we failed our children by not rearing them in a godlier fashion, that’s why they are failing us now. Much LOVE!
…there are consequences for every ungodly action…whether you are a parent or a child…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
11 Sep 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a word to the wise is sufficent, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, come exalt His name forever, fear the Lord ye his saints, get with the programme, heartfelt sincerity, let us bless the Lord, let us exalt His name together, LOVE, may our incense rise, musical perfection in gospel music, my soul shall make her boast in the Lord, no day like a sunday, o magnify the Lord with me, O taste and see that the Lord is good, psalm 34, sacrificial praise, Shane Bernard, shirking our bounden duty, the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, the Son of God surrounds His saints, they that seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing, those who look on Him are radiant
Psalm 34:3. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
Oh my fellow believers, it’s Sunday, it’s Sunday! Time to gather and sing, praise and worship our Lord God Jehovah, for that’s one of the major reasons He created us! Yes, there’s no day like a Sunday, when our world sees a li’l bit of peace, quiet, LOVE and godliness, as believers extricate themselves from the busyness of the world and gather to worship our wonderful God. So let’s ‘begin the beguine’ with my favourite worship song as today’s song of praise and thanksgiving.
Yuh know, yesterday when I asked the Lord what song we should sing today, He answered me immediately – Psalm 34. O Taste and See that the Lord is Good. And there was definitely no hesitation in my acknowledging the Lord’s request. I just jumped for joy, because I simply LOVE that piece of music as sung by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. There isn’t a more appropriate song of praise and worship. (smile) If you’ve never seen the video, then I strongly recommend that you check it out on You Tube.
Oh friends, every time I see it, a wonderful spirit of joy just rises up within me, making me want to sing and dance and praise our amazing God! (smile) And what I believe makes it such an extraordinary recording, is that the musicians are into the song as much as the choir and the congregation. And when musicians truly feel a song, it just raises their level of playing and thus the level of the song. So, enough talk, I know like me, you’re dying to sing. Let’s offer up our voices then in sweet sacrificial praise, harmonious, melodious, full of joy and heartfelt sincerity.
Singing: ‘I sought the Lord And He answered me And delivered me From every fear. Those who look on Him Are radiant They’ll never be ashamed They’ll never be ashamed. This poor man cried And the Lord heard me And saved me from My enemies. The Son of God Surrounds His saints He will deliver them He will deliver them. Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good Oh blessed is he Who hides in Him. Oh fear the Lord Oh all you saints He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything.
(Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Repeat) (Let us bless the Lord Every day and night Never ending praise May our incense rise. Repeat 4 times) Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. {Repeat} Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. …He’ll give you everything…’
Oh beautiful mih people, beautiful! That’s certainly one of those times when there can be no doubt whatsoever in heaven that we sang truly from our hearts! Wow! Now listen to a few comments on the video nuh. ‘This is how it would be like in heaven. Every voice, musician, race, soul praising the name of God. Amen!!’ Another comment says: ‘Every frame, every beat, every note, perfectly executed. THIS is musical perfection in gospel music.’ And it certainly is!
Then hear this one: ‘Every time I listen to this song, I imagine myself along with all the other saints in heaven worshipping. This song carries a strong anointing. You can feel the presence of the heavenly hosts.’ For sure! And this last one takes the cake: ‘I just imagine being in heaven worshipping with this magnificent choir, just magnifying our great God! Hallelujah!!’ And if that’ how it’s done in heaven, then you can most definitely count me in! (smile)
And we do need to give thanks to Shane Barnard for taking those words of Bruh David in Psalm 34, subtitled – The Lord hears the righteous – and turning them into such a wonderful worship song. Also, it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t read the parts of the psalm itself that was inculcated into such a marvellous song. So please read these inspiring and encouraging words of Bruh David with me, because inspiration and encouragement are a couple of things we come to church to receive.
Reading: ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing.’ (Ps. 34:1-10)
Mama Mia! That says it all my fellow saints! If you LOVE and trust the Lord, you will not want for anything! And we cannot forget that Bruh David said it so eloquently in Psalm 23: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.’ (Ps, 23:1) That’s a big statement, highlighting total trust and surrender to our great God. And if you don’t believe it with every breath of your being, then you’re doing yourself a terrible injustice! Why? Because good shepherds never allow their flocks to want, and our great God Jehovah is indeed a good shepherd!
And believe me friends, when Bruh David wrote Psalm 34, it was a personal testimony because he had just escaped death from the hands of his arch enemy, King Saul and had to run to the king of Gath, seeking succour, playing the role of a madman. You can read it all in 1 Samuel 21:10-15. Bruh David was surely a man of many parts! (smile) But let’s read a few more verses of Psalm 34, because it’s filled with lots more encouragement and good advice.
Reading: ‘Come ye children, hearken unto (listen to) me: I will teach you the fear (reverence) of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life, and LOVETH many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit). Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.’ (Ps. 34: 11-15) And that’s the gospel truth my faithful brethren!
So please, let’s wake up and realize that time is swiftly passing us by, meanwhile, the evil and ungodliness of the world is increasing by leaps and bounds, and we’re not doing enough to bring others to Christ so that His kingdom could be magnified and glorified and exalted. In other words, we are shirking our bounden duty as His ambassadors on this planet earth. And that’s not a very good thing to do, because we’ll eventually pay the price for it. So please, let’s get with the programme nuh! Much LOVE!
…a word of warning to the wise…is sufficient…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
02 Jan 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: ask and it shall be given to you, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, come exalt His name forever, Covid regulated groups, delivered me from all my fears, feel the presence of the heavenly hosts, glorify the Lord with me, he will be found of you, He'll give you everything, I sought the Lord and he heard me, if ye forsake him he will forsake you, if ye seek him, knock and it shall be opened, magnify the Lord with me, Oh taste and see that the Lord is good, psalm 34, raising up their voices in one accord, saved me from mine enemies, seek and you shall find, Shane Barnard, the first Sunday of 2022, the Lord hears the righteous, The Lord is with you while you be with Him, The Lord will be a refuge for the oppressed, the Son of God surrounds His saints, they that know thy name will trust thee, those who look on Him are radiant, thou Lord hast not forsaken them that seek thee, to Christ be the honour, to the King of Kings
Psalm 34:4. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Here it is friends, the first Sunday of this new year of 2022! And although we still can’t worship with the freedom and gay abandon that we once did, with the Lord’s help, we’ve found technological ways to keep on worshipping individually, while gathering in small Covid regulated groups for corporate worship. But regardless of how we do it, the important thing is that we are still worshipping despite the many constraints and restrictions placed upon us.
And today, this first Sunday of the new year, we are going to open with a most appropriate song, one of the most remarkable and beautiful songs of this century. We are talking about the reworking by Shane Barnard of the first ten verses of Bruh David’s famous Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. And that He certainly does my people! Barnard subtitled his song ‘O taste and see that the Lord is good,’ and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir has done a wonderful version of it.
Every time I see the live video of it, my spirit gets a miraculous lift. As one comment on the performance says: ‘Every time I listen to this song, I imagine myself along with all the other saints in heaven worshipping. This song carries a strong anointing. You can feel the presence of the heavenly hosts.’ And that’s no lie. So, a la the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, let’s raise our voices in sacrificial praise, let’s magnify and exalt the Lord’s holy name together, letting Him know that this year we are determined to be more faithful than we were in 2021.
From the depths of our hearts and souls then: ‘I sought the Lord And He answered me And delivered me From every fear. Those who look on Him Are radiant They’ll never be ashamed They’ll never be ashamed. This poor man cried And the Lord heard me And saved me from My enemies. The Son of God Surrounds His saints He will deliver them He will deliver them.
Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good Oh blessed is he Who hides in Him. Oh fear the Lord Oh all you saints He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. (Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Repeat)
(Let us bless the Lord Every day and night Never ending praise May our incense rise. Repeat 4 times) Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. {Repeat} Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. …He’ll give you everything…’
Oh my people, that was just wonderful! We were almost as good as the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir! (smile) Wow! Heaven knows now that we are serious about worshipping our great God. And a couple more accolades for the BTC, are in order here. One says: ‘I just imagine being in heaven worshipping with this magnificent choir, just magnifying our great God! Hallelujah!!’
And the other declares: ‘The worship that the people utter after the song is like Heaven, every race, every tongue raising up their voices in one accord unto The King of Kings.’ But you know what grabs me most about the whole performance is the way the musicians get into the song. You can see that they are truly feeling it. And that to me is what makes it so lively and enchanting, for when musicians really feel what they play, it just lifts the entire performance.
And the whole psalm is based on Bruh David’s simple but heart felt words: ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.’ (Ps. 34:4) Yes friends, that’s what sincerely seeking the Lord can do. And we know that’s what Bruh David did for his whole life, despite the many mistakes he made, and the Lord blessed him continually.
Now the prophet Azariah also made a similar claim to the people of Israel on one of the occasions when they had turned away from the God of their forefathers and found themselves in serious trouble. The Good Book describes it thus: ‘And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. And he went out to meet Asa, (the pious and faithful king who was sincerely trying to clean up Israel’s idolatrous behaviour) and said unto him,
Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest (prophet), and without law. But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.’ (2 Chr. 15:1-4)
Yuh see that mih bredrin? Although Israel had forsaken the Lord, when they turned back to Him in time of trouble, they found Him, and He released their fear. So what does that tell us in this current time of great fear and ungodliness eh? It’s simple and so apparent: we need to turn back to the God of our forefathers and ask for His help. But very few of us, comparatively speaking are even looking to the Lord for help in these turbulent, fearful and very disruptive times.
And listen to Bruh David’s advice from Psalm 9 nuh. ‘The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.’ (Ps. 9:9-10) Oh my people, it couldn’t be any plainer or more straightforward than that! In times of trouble the Lord God Almighty is our surest refuge, the best place to turn to for help! So why aren’t we turning to Him in greater numbers eh?
Because we are too hard-headed, proud and stubborn, and like to do our own thing, even though it’s not working. But please remember these wise words of Jesus: ‘And I say unto you, 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.’ (Luke 11:9-10)
And I believe that’s a good place for us to end today. But please my fellow saints, let’s not forget that though this is a new year, nothing has really changed, just some digits on our computers and papers. We still have a host of problems to deal with and changing a date won’t solve them. The only thing that will, is for our society to sincerely turn back to Jesus Christ, and all that He stands for! Much LOVE!
…to Christ be the honour…to Christ be the glory…for all that He’s done for mankind…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
29 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, delivered me from every fear, evil shall slay the wicked., firsthand experience, He'll give you everything, his praise shall continually be in my mouth, I sought the Lord, I will bless the Lord at all times, let us exalt His name together, lovr, many are the afflictions of the righteous, musical perfection in gospel music, my mouth shall make her boast in the Lord, o magnify the Lord with me, Oh taste and see that the Lord is good, psalm 34, saved him out of all his troubles, saveth such as be of a contrite spirit, the circle has come full circle, the Lord delivereth him out of them all, the Lord heard him, the Lord hears the righteous, the Lord is nigh, the Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants, there is no distance in prayer, there is no want to them that fear the Lord, this poor man cried, to them that are of a broken heart
Psalm 34:3. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
Well, the circle has come full circle friends; (smile) it’s Sunday once again, time to give thanks and praise to our Lord God Jehovah as a corporate body, be it in actual physical contact, or by technological means. There is no distance in prayer, once we are all on the same page. And our song of praise and worship today is one of my favourite gospel songs, it’s based on the first nine verses of Bruh David’s words in Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous – and is aptly titled ‘Psalm 34.’
Apparently the person who put this together is named Shane Bernard, and the version we are going to do today is based on the live performance made popular by that marvellous group of singers, the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir… yes, I am biased. (smile) So in sweet, rich, soulful harmony, let’s wake all heaven with our voices of sacrificial praise… and please don’t forget all the bells and whistles, harmonies and background vocals, clapping and whatever, cause we putting on a most wonderful performance this morning.
Singing: ‘‘I sought the Lord And He answered me And delivered me From every fear. Those who look on Him Are radiant They’ll never be ashamed They’ll never be ashamed. This poor man cried And the Lord heard me And saved me from My enemies. The Son of God Surrounds His saints He will deliver them He will deliver them. Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good Oh blessed is he Who hides in Him. Oh fear the Lord Oh all you saints He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything.
(Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Repeat) (Let us bless the Lord Every day and night Never ending praise May our incense rise. Repeat 4 times) Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. {Repeat} Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. …He’ll give you everything…’
Oh friends, that was truly marvellous! We did almost as good as the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir (smile) and heaven just lapped it up! Wow! And some of you might think I’m overreacting, but if you’ve never listened to the choir sing it, please check it out on You Tube, make sure it’s the live version. And what I LOVE most about it, is the way the musicians get involved. You can see that they are feeling the music too, and it’s when the musicians are also into it, that music sounds real good.
Now, usually I don’t pay attention to the comments at the bottom, but this time I was certainly led by the Holy Spirit to do so, and was I ever amazed by the number of accolades for the song, by the amount of people who felt the same way I did. And this is just during the last few months. I just had to share some with you. These are all self-explanatory. ‘This is how it would be like in heaven. Every voice, musician, race, soul praising the name of God. Amen!!’ – ‘Every frame, every beat, every note, perfectly executed. THIS is musical perfection in gospel music.’ –
‘Every time I listen to this song, I imagine myself along with all the other saints in heaven worshipping. This song carries a strong anointing. You can feel the presence of the heavenly hosts.’ – ‘The worship that the people utter after the song is like Heaven, every race, every tongue raising up their voices in one accord unto The King of Kings.’ – ‘I just imagine being in heaven worshipping with this magnificent choir, just magnifying our great God! Hallelujah!!’
And I’ve saved the best for last, because this one truly shows the power of God working in a believer’s life. ‘I work in ER, single parent, uni student, worked through the pandemic. Got really bad Covid end of January. Still on long term recovery. Got too painful last week and I found myself ‘telling’ God what He could do to fix this. Went on YouTube and this song came up. I stood up and started worshiping even though I did not know the words. Before I knew it, I was down on my knees with my hands lifted up in worship. I’m back at work in ER but I have not stopped playing this song. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this worship. My deepest condolences to everyone who lost a loved one. God bless you and keep you safe.’
Yes friends, that’s what your faith and the amazing power of God can do! And Bruh David knew it from firsthand experience, that’s why he could pen these marvellous words, advocating the beauty and wisdom of worshipping Jehovah God. ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My mouth shall make her boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
They looked unto him, and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear (reverence) him.’ (Ps. 34:1-9)
Ah mih people, I don’t see how we can get any better or truer sentiments than those nuh! For that’s exactly what our God does on behalf of those who sincerely seek, reverence and worship Him! That means we need to surrender our lives to Almighty God, put our trust and faith solely in Him, and then wait for Him to move in our lives. And if you don’t believe the first part of the psalm, then listen to the last part. (smile)
‘The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh (near) unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite (crushed) spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate (condemned). The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate (condemned).’ (Ps. 34:17-22)
And that’s the living truth friends! So please, let’s get wise and begin seriously living for God nuh. It’s what this life is all about! Much LOVE!
…God created us to worship Him…not Satan…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
03 Jan 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: acknowledgement of His holy word, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, continued grace mercy and forgiveness, delivered me from all my fears, depart from evil and do good, encourage and edify each other, every day and night, glorify the Lord with me, he heard me, He'll give you everything, I sought the Lord, I will teach you the fear of the Lord, keep thy tongue from evil, let us bless the Lord, let us exalt His name together, may our incense rise, never ending praise, o magnify the Lord with me, O taste and see that the Lord is good, our appointed destiny, personal testimony, psalm 34, seek peace and pursue it, Shane Barnard, the Lord's anointed, their faces were not ashamed, they looked unto him and were lightened, thy lips from speaking guile
Psalm 34:3. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
Well here we are, the first Sunday in this new year of 2021, and as always, we are gathering to give Almighty God thanks and praise for His wonderful blessings this past week and to ask for His continued grace, mercy and forgiveness throughout the upcoming one. But unfortunately, we’re still doing it through technological means, but as they say, better through technology, than not at all. (smile) And the Lord doesn’t really care how we gather either, once we gather in His name, to support, uplift, encourage and edify each other through the acknowledgment of His holy word. So let’s get underway without further unnecessary talk nuh. (smile)
And today’s song is a real favourite of mine, ever since I heard the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir sing it last year. It’s titled ‘Psalm 34: O Taste and See that the Lord is good.’It’s a reworking of Bruh David’s words, when he changed his ways before Abimelech, the priest, who drove him away, and he departed to seek refuge amongst the Philistines, running from his nemesis, king Saul. The reworking was done by one Shane Barnard, and I absolutely LOVE how the BTC perform it. Nuff talk though, time for some sweet singing, sincere praising and worshipping, in rich, scintillating, harmonious voices. (smile) Let’s do it!
‘I sought the Lord And He answered me And delivered me From every fear. Those who look on Him Are radiant They’ll never be ashamed They’ll never be ashamed. This poor man cried And the Lord heard me And saved me from My enemies. The Son of God Surrounds His saints He will deliver them He will deliver them. Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good Oh blessed is he Who hides in Him. Oh fear the Lord Oh all you saints He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything.
(Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Repeat) (Let us bless the Lord Every day and night Never ending praise May our incense rise. Repeat 4 times) Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. {Repeat} Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. …He’ll give you everything…’
Oh Mama, Mama, Mama! Every time I hear that song, I…I can’t really describe my reaction nuh, like my spirits just rise, I get a high from it. (smile) It does touch me deep down inside, and I can’t play it just once – it’s so nice I have to play it at least twice, if not thrice. And that was a great rendition we just did there my people, heaven most definitely approved since they were singing along with us. And what I especially like about the psalm is the amount of truth it contains, the personal testimony of Bruh David.
As he says: ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear (reverence) him, and delivereth them.’ (Ps. 34:4) Oh friends, the same goes for all of us who call upon the Lord in sincerity. He will answer us and deliver us from our fears, from our enemies, keep us radiant and not ashamed.
Yuh notice how Bruh David managed to keep escaping from Saul, and even had chances to kill Saul, but refused to touch the Lord’s anointed. That was the Lord’s doing. Just look at the first time Saul tried to kill him, in a fit of jealous rage with a javelin as Bruh David was making music for him. (1 Sam. 19:8-10) Yuh think an accomplished soldier like Saul would have missed at such close range. Not likely. But Bruh David was also the Lord’s anointed and couldn’t be touched by Saul since the Lord had other plans for him.
The same thing applies to us friends; no one, or nothing can keep us from our appointed destiny if we sincerely reverence the Lord. That’s why Bruh David could further declare in all sincerity: ‘O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing.’ (Ps. 34:8-10) And that’s the gospel truth my brethren, to which many of us can testify.
Obviously we don’t get everything we want, especially if it’s out of God’s will, but whatever is in God’s will, we will get. That’s why in accordance with Bruh David’s words, we too can say: ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps. 34:3) Yes, that’s one of my favourite parts of the song: ‘Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever.’
Oh mih bredrin, I don’t know what else to say nuh. (smile) So I’ll just give us some more of Bruh David’s magnificent words. ‘Come ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life, and LOVETH many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit). Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.’ (Ps. 34:11-14)
And the best way to ensure that kind of behaviour in our lives my fellow saints in Christ is to ‘Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever.’ Yes, if we keep singing His praises, we won’t get into too much trouble.
So let’s go home doing just that nuh: ‘Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever… Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever.’ Let’s not stop doing that this year of 2021. Much LOVE!
…let us bless the Lord…every day and night…never ending praise…may our incense rise…
20 Feb 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 70's themed party, a bridal shower, a good time was had by all, a necklace of shining damonds, a palatial mansion, a slice of heaven, all things, around the Mo Bay harbour, be of good cheer, bleak dreary days, blessed is the man that trusts him, broken in the name of Jesus, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, called according to His purpose, Cape Town harbour, curse, faith, faith without works is dead, forgiveness, goodness, grace, have life abundantly, hope, i have overcome the world, immerse in salt water, Jamaica, jerk pork and chicken, kindness, less than warm welcome, Mento singers, mercy, negative word, not staying, O taste and see, obedient, paradise island, prosper, psalm 34, reassuring words of Jesus, self-control, strong will, succeed, The Lord is good, the magic words, the people love us, Thursday Blessings, to them that love God, treat us well, tribulation, tropical afternoon, view of the ocean, walk on warm sand, wisdom, work together for good
Romans 8:28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Jamaica! Jamaica! Sweet, sweet Jamaica! Everything’s good in Jamaica! Yeahhhh! Well hello there mih lovelies! The ole fella is hailing out to you all on this bright, hot, sunny, tropical afternoon from the paradise island of sweet Jamaica! Yes! We’ve left the cold and the snow and the bleak dreary days behind!
The Good Lord has seen it fit, in all His wisdom, goodness, LOVE, kindness, mercy, grace and forgiveness to give the duchess and the ole fella a trip to my third homeland of Jamaica, where I turned man some half century ago! Glory be!
The foundation of the story though is that we’re here to celebrate the wedding of a cousin and close friend on the upcoming weekend…what better excuse to get away from the cold eh? (smile) So please note, that as usual, when the ole fella is vacationing with the duchess the Bit can arrive at any time – early morning or late night depending on how the duchess and the Lord apportion my time. (smile) But you will get it as long as there is breath in the ole bod!
Well right now I’m here admiring the palm trees swaying in the cool sea breeze blowing outside my balcony door, with a beautiful view of the ocean reflecting three colours of blue as it gets deeper; from a light blue in the shallows to a deep blue in the depths. Oh, and another plane just flew by to land at Montego Bay Airport. They jut keep coming and going.
But yesterday was a rather eventful day; getting up at minutes to three so I could write the bit before leaving. Then hustling to the airport in the early morning traffic and going through all the nonsense that travelling entails these days, and getting on the big bird, the Boeing 737 Dreamliner, they changed it from a stodgy Rouge plane, don’t know why. But who knows why airlines do what they do eh? The flight was good; left around 10 am, and got here around 1.30 pm.
That was when the real fun began; having to negotiate Immigration and Customs with it seemed thousands of people arriving at same time. But eventually we got out front and proceeded to wait on a cousin to pick us up. Yuh should see the ole fella, taking off his long-sleeved shirt, leaving on just a T-shirt and outside in the sun catching some much needed rays! Wow! Was that ever cathartic! (smile)
The cousin finally came and took us to a hotel not far from the airport. We should have known that there would be problems from the less than warm welcome at the reception desk. And knowing who I was dealing with, I insisted on seeing the room allocated to us before we moved anything. And just as well, because they took us to a building far away from the main section, with two sets of stairs to climb, no elevator, and then down to the very end of the corridor. And to make matters worse, the room view opened up on to a patch of overgrown bush and a construction site.
Naturally that raised the duchess’ ire up, and she refused it. When we got back to the reception desk, they seemed less than energetic to try and find something more suitable. But in the meanwhile they advised us to go over the street to the food hut and eat some jerk pork and chicken, which we did. And don’t get me wrong, the property is nice, but as always, it’s the people who spoil stuff.
When we got back to the desk they arrogantly informed us that they had nowhere else to put us, so the duchess kindly informed them that under those conditions we would not be staying. I guess those were the magic words, because they then told us to wait and they would see what they could do. A short time later they took us to this room in the main section, on the sixth floor, with an elevator, and a beautiful view of the ocean.
Well that obviously appeased the duchess. And was I ever glad, because all I wanted to do was to go and get a soak in the salt before the beach closed at six. And ohhhh…was it ever wonderful to walk on warm sand and immerse the ole bod in some salt water; the most therapeutic remedy on God’s great earth! When I got back to the room, the duchess informed me that there was a surprise party with a 70’s theme, to go to for the bride at 7.30.
So I got dressed and went downstairs to the outside dining area, sat there and listened to a trio of Mento singers regale us with some Jamaican folk songs and other more popular stuff in that idiom. Some forty minutes later, the duchess finally came down and went to the front desk to check on what was happening. A few minutes later she came back and told me that the party was actually a bridal shower for females only.
Hn! Now I wasn’t too annoyed, because I was tired and there was lots of food and drink available and my bed close by. So I did just that: found me a seat with a couple of other guests, ate some island food, while listening to some good music from the live band and was sipping an exotic blue cocktail when the duchess showed up and dragged me off to the party, which turned out be an all genders party after all.
That party was good too, up on a Mo Bay hill side in a palatial mansion, with a million dollar view of the other side of the harbour, light’s strung out like a necklace of shining diamonds. It reminded us of Cape Town Harbour in South Africa. And then there were people really dressed like 70’s folks and danced routines to songs from that era too. So all in all a good time was had by all. I never got back to the hotel until after eleven.
And I guess you’re wondering what all of that has to do with the Bit and Scripture. Well let me give you a few verses. First off, Jesus’ memorable words: ‘I am come that they might have life abundantly.’ (John 10:10) We’re just having life abundantly as He promised. And then, though the Lord inflicts us with adversity, listen to these most reassuring words of Jesus. ‘In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Just doing what out Leader says, being of good cheer despite all the problems in the world.
And here is this one: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ Now how can we ever discount that eh, when despite all the harassment we went through yesterday, everything turned out well and all the people LOVE us now! Well that might be taking it a bit far, (smile) but more importantly is that they have been treating us well.
And hear these immortal words of Bruh David: ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.’ (Ps. 27:13) Yeh friends, what’s the purpose of all those other scriptures if we don’t expect to see God’s goodness down here eh? And the final scripture, and my favourite these days – more immortal words of Bruh David: ‘O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.’ (Ps.34:8)
Wow mih breddren! Yuh know since I recently discovered the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir on YouTube singing Psalm 34 – Taste and See- it’s resonated with me very powerfully and I find myself singing it often. Going to check it out when I’m finished here. Now let’s go home, declaring (yeah!) our Thursday Blessings in strong voice and sincere hearts.
‘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!’
We must now go out and share those blessings, for as James says, faith without works is dead. (James 2:17) So let’s show them our faith by our works nuh. Much LOVE!
…a slice of heaven is possible…right down here on earth…only trust and believe…
P.S. Yes, it’s long, because the ole fella’s excited and just wants to share His blessedness with you, so that you can go through whatever you’re going through without losing your hope and faith, knowing that whatever the Lord’s done for me, He will do for you too, if you’re obedient to His will. Hope it’s not boring. (smile) Much LOVE!
29 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Ark of the Covenant, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, Christmas Season, dancing before the Lord, eternal favour, exalting, glorify the Lord with me, grace, He'll give you everything, lack, lean not unto thine own understanding, LOVE, loving god, mercy, New Year, o magnify the Lord with me, O taste and see, pleased as punch, praising, psalm 34, reverence, Scrip-Bit friends and family, Shane Barnard, that the Lord is good, the Birth of Christ, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Son of God, this poor man cried, trust in the Lord, undeserving children of men, uplifting, want, wherever two or three are gathered
Psalm 34:3. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
A good Sunday morning to all of you, my Scrip-Bit friends and family! Hope you are still revelling in the Christmas season that the incarnate birth of Christ brought us, and are eagerly looking forward to the New Year, when you will grow in faith and do even more sincere work in His name! (smile) And I pray that it will all culminate today in your visiting His house, His sanctuary, wherever two or three are gathered in His name, to fellowship with other believers, giving Him high praise and thanks for all that’s He’s done for us; for being such a wonderful and LOVING God to us undeserving children of men!
And as always, we’ll begin the proceedings with song. But first, hear the story of how we came to pick it today nuh. It’s a song I heard on YouTube a few weeks ago and it just resonated with me everlasting, (smile) and I knew that we’d have to sing it one day. But Christmas was upon us, and it wasn’t in the Christmas spirit. But a couple days ago, while lying on my bed contemplating life and communing with the Lord, I asked Him what song He wanted us to sing this week, and in no time flat, the answer shot back at me…‘Psalm 34!’ And I went ‘Wow! Yes Lord. No problem there at all!’
Ah friends, you all know Bruh David’s famous psalm, where he narrowly escaped death (1 Sam.21) and penned the magnificent paean, song of praise to our great God. Now the songwriter, Shane Barnard reworked it into something he calls: ‘Psalm 34: O Taste and See that the Lord is good.’ And the version I saw was done by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, at least a hundred strong, if not more. And believe me, it was bad: the band, big and powerful, was bad; the choir ditto, and the two young black men singing lead were obviously bad too! (smile)
I guess you can tell how much I liked it. And I’m sure the first time Bruh David heard that rendition he was pleased as punch, and was dancing in the aisles, like when he brought home the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, and his wife Michal abhorred his low class behaviour. (2 Sam. 6:16) Reminds me of some of the times the duchess abhorred mine. (smile) But like Bruh David told Michal when she accosted him; He was dancing before the Lord, and would continue to do so.’ (2 Sam. 6:20-23) And so was I. (smile)
Anyhow friends, enough talk, let’s get to the music…and please help me to do it justice…in a mid tempo, harmonious, soulful, soaring song of praise to our great God. As Bruh David proclaimed: ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ Let’s do that now as one, strong voice: ‘I sought the Lord And He answered me And delivered me From every fear. Those who look on Him Are radiant They’ll never be ashamed They’ll never be ashamed. This poor man cried And the Lord heard me And saved me from My enemies.
The Son of God Surrounds His saints He will deliver them He will deliver them. Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good Oh blessed is he Who hides in Him. Oh fear the Lord Oh all you saints He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. (Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Repeat)
(Let us bless the Lord Every day and night Never ending praise May our incense rise. Repeat 4 times) Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. {Repeat} Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. …He’ll give you everything…’
And He most definitely will my people if you magnify and exalt His holy name! Now ours was also a wonderful rendition! And I’m sure Bruh David was dancing in the aisles to it too. Oh friends, there’s nothing as uplifting as exalting and praising our great God in song. And I think He likes it too, judging from the many great worship songs in His Word. And how can we not magnify and exalt the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when Bruh David, wrote such encouraging words, and from personal experience to boot.
Listen to these words: ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear (reverence) him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear (reverence) the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing.’ (Ps. 34:3-10)
Yes friends, immortal and wise words to live by! And if you doubt them, just look at Bruh David’s life nuh: though he had some rough times and made mistakes, just like us, he never lacked for God’s mercy or grace in his life, because He knew on which side his bread was buttered. That’s why I want to remind us this morning that likewise, our bread is buttered on God’s side, not on the foolish Satan’s. So please let’s be wise and follow Bruh David’s words and reverence the Lord God Almighty with all our hearts, souls, bodies and minds nuh, so that we can enjoy His mercy, grace and everlasting favour. Much LOVE!
…trust in the Lord…with all thine heart…and lean not unto thine own understanding… (Prov.3:5)
P.S. Please check out the song on You Tube and you’ll understand why it touched me so mightily. (smile) I can’t describe it adequately with words. Much LOVE!
31 Dec 2012
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: absolute truth, angel of the Lord, aura of love, battle hymn, entusiasm, eternal life, fear not, holy spirit, humble servants, innocence, lies, Monday Morning, New Year's Eve, psalm 34, rejuvenation, renewed vitality, reverence God, righteousness., salvation, spiritual armour, taunts, the Lord's anointed, the prophet Elisha, wiles
Psalm 34:7. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
Well Friends, the next big day of the season is finally here – New Year’s Eve! And a great many shouted for joy! Unfortunately though, it is also a Monday, and the official holiday, New Year’s Day, is not until Tuesday. That means many of us still have to go to work today after eating, drinking and making merry for most of the last week. So to get our adrenalin up and running, especially in these cold, snowy, northern climes, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with mucho gusto. As one harmonious, earthly choir, let’s rock both the earth and heavens with our song. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ Yes my people, the heavenly hosts were duly impressed! Jesus just wants us now to carry that strong, energetic, vibrant, righteous and faithful attitude out into the wicked world and blaze a trail of victory in His Name, amongst the great unwashed. (smile) And if we’re still seeking encouragement to do so, there are no better enabling words than those of Bruh David in our Bit: ‘The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.’ Absolute truth Friends, absolute truth! Bruh David was personally testifying to those facts in his own life, for we all know that though he was anointed early in life to be king of Israel, he underwent a long road of horrors before it actually happened, mainly from king Saul who sought every opportunity to kill him, and rebellion from his own son Absalom. But he prevailed against them all. Why? Because he sincerely trusted in the Lord God of his fathers, and as our Bit so rightly proclaims, no one can touch the Lord’s anointed, unless He allows it. Yes my brethren, all who put their faith and trust in Almighty God are securely guarded by members of the heavenly host. Now let’s look at some scripture that backs up our facts. We’ll start in 2 Kings Chapter 6, when the Syrian army comes against Israel. Several times though, the prophet Elisha warns the king of Israel about the place and time of attack, and thus thwarts the Syrians. It leads the king of Syria to believe that there’s an Israeli spy in his camp. But his people inform him otherwise; it’s the prophet Elisha’s doing. Then the king sends a sizeable force to the city of Dothan where Elisha is then residing, to bring him hither. So you can imagine the reaction of Elisha’s servant when he gets up one morning and finds the city encompassed by the Syrian forces. In much fear, he pleads with Elisha: ‘Alas, my master! how shall we do?’ (2 Kin.6:15) But hear ye now Friends, the power, the majesty and the goodness of the great God we worship. ‘And he (Elisha) answered, Fear not; for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.’ (2 Kin.6:16-17) Yes my people, the Lord opens our eyes when we come before Him in all sincerity! And if that didn’t touch your hearts and souls, then listen to Daniel after he’s spent the night in the den of lions. ‘Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency (innocence) was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt (wrong).’ (Dan.6:21-22) Now Friends, if that doesn’t resonate with power and truth deep in the hearts of believers, then I don’t know what will. Nevertheless, we’ll end with some more encouraging words, this time from Psalm 91; God is a refuge and fortress. The psalmist tells it like it truly is. ‘Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation (dwelling place); There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear (lift) thee up in their hands, lest thou dash (strike) thy foot against a stone.’ (Ps.91:9-12) Oh my people, how can we not bow down and faithfully worship such an awesome, omnipotent Deity eh? It is the ONLY way to righteousness, salvation and eternal life! Much LOVE!…with the Lord God Jehovah as our guide and protector…there’s no need to worry about…ANYTHING…
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