The Undeniable Worthiness of Jesus to Receive Praise, Honour and Glory!

09 Aug 2026 Leave a comment

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   9 August 2026   Ephesians 1:7.

Ephesians 1:7.        In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.

A new day has dawned bright and sunshiny my people! It’s also the first day of the week, Sunday, the Lord’s Day, and thankfully we’re still alive to enjoy it. So, it’s our bounden duty then to attend the Lord’s sanctuary so we can give thanks and praise for all the good things He’s done for us, especially the offering of His Son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice to pay for our abominable sins! It’s the greatest gift ever given to mankind! And today’s song of worship is one that addresses that very fact. It’s most appropriately titled ‘Praise Him, Praise Him,’ one of the many hymns of the blind American hymn writer Fanny Crosby (1820-1915), written in 1869, with the musical tune composed by Chester G. Allen.

The hymn celebrates Jesus as our “blessed Redeemer” and praises his amazing gifts of salvation and redemption. Let’s therefore offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a heartfelt, mid-tempo version of the song, ensuring that all who hear us know that we’re truly sincere in our praise! Singing: ‘Praise him! Praise him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! Sing, O earth – his wonderful LOVE proclaim! Hail him! hail him! highest archangels in glory, Strength and honor give to his holy name! Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard his children – In his arms he carries them all day long:

(Refrain: Praise him! Praise him! tell of his excellent greatness! Praise him! Praise him! ever in joyful song!) Praise him! Praise him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! For our sins he suffered and bled and died; He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation, Hail him! hail him! Jesus the Crucified! Sound his praises – Jesus who bore our sorrows – LOVE unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong: [Refrain] Praise him! Praise him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! Heav’nly portals loud with hosannas ring! Jesus, Savior, reigneth for ever and for ever, Crown him! crown him! Prophet and Priest and King! Christ is coming, over the world victorious – Pow’r and glory unto the Lord belong: [Refrain]’

Oh my brethren, all of heaven sang along with us, because they too recognize the goodness and greatness of Jesus and also wanted to offer their own sacrifices of praise. And truthfully, there’s no praise that we can ever offer that can truly capture the awesome sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf, offering up His sinless life, taking our sins, so that we could become the righteousness of God.  As Bruh Paul says in 2 Corinthians: ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ.’ (2 Cor.5:21)

Yes friends, we’re declared righteous in God’s eyes based on the merits of Christ’s work. As the song so rightly says: ‘Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! For our sins he suffered and bled and died;’ Job said it long ago: ‘For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day (at last) upon the earth.’ (Job 19:25) Meanwhile Isaiah writes: ‘Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.’ (Is. 44:6) And again: ‘For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.’ (Is. 54:5)

And Isaiah is there prophesying about the Lord becoming both the Maker and husband of the Gentiles, the Redeemer of all men, while also being the Holy One of Israel. Therefore, He is the God of the whole earth. And after Christ’s sacrifice on the cross of Calvary, the Gentiles were indeed brought into the fold of Almighty God, starting with the amazing zeal and hard work of Bruh Paul, whom the Christ sent to preach especially to the Gentiles. That’s why in the letter to the Ephesians, he could say of God: ‘To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved (bestowed grace or favour on us). In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.’ (Eph. 1:6-7)

Yes mih bredrin, it was all the Lord’s doing through His wonderful LOVE for His human creation. He sent Jesus to die on the cross so that His blood could redeem us, set us free from the bondage of sin, and reconcile us back to himself. That’s why He’s so worthy of our praise and LOVE, and the psalmist could rightly declare: ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout hallelujah). Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power (mighty firmament). Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness…. Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord (shout hallelujah).’ (Ps. 150:1-2,6)

Then we have that beautiful imagery in the song: ‘Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard his children – In his arms he carries them all day long:’ Jesus indeed referred to Himself as a shepherd: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) Which is exactly what He did on the cross of Calvary. Then later he also declared: ‘I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.’ (John 10:14) More gospel truth again, for Jesus does indeed know all those who truly know Him as Lord and Saviour. And way back when Isaiah also referred to the Lord as a shepherd. ‘He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is. 40:11)Yes, the Lord takes good care of His people like a shepherd takes good care of his sheep.  

And there’s absolutely no doubt that ‘Jesus is our Rock, and our hope of eternal salvation.’ Bruh David says it so eloquently in Psalm 18: ‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps. 18:1-3) And that’s what he did, and the Lord saved him from His enemies. And since the Lord doesn’t change, if He did it for Bruh David, then He will also do it for all who sincerely call upon His Holy Name for help!  

Meanwhile because of Jesus’ sacrifice, the Lord ‘Hath also highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phill. 2:9-11) And then, when Jesus comes as the righteous Judge, the Bible says: ‘And he hath on his vesture (robe) and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’ (Rev. 19:16)

And there’s also joy and singing in heaven, ‘Heav’nly portals loud with hosannas ring!’ when ‘ John says in Revelation: ‘And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts (living creatures) and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessings, and honour, and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts (living creatures) said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. ’ (Rev. 5:11-14)

Yes my people, that’s only a foretaste of how it will really be. Much LOVE!

…our great Godhead…Father, Son and Holy Ghost…are indeed worthy of all our praise…and even more…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   19 December 2022 John 13:34.

19 Dec 2022 Leave a comment

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

John 13:34.       A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another.

And then it was the Monday of Christmas week, and I hope that we are all excited to go to work this morning to meet and greet our friends and co-workers with a ‘Merry Christmas and a ‘Happy New Year!’ Yes my people, if the Monday before the birth of Christ can’t get us enthused about work, then I don’t know what will, especially when a lot of us don’t do much at this time of year anyway. (smile) What with the shopping, office parties and what not. 

But please, I implore us to take a moment every so often and remember the real reason for this Christmas celebratory season, which is unequivocally the birth of Christ, some two thousand years ago. Without that incarnate birth of the Son of God, there would be no holidays and/or celebrations now. So, as the old people would say, let’s give jack his jacket and Jim his gym boots. Yes, let’s give Jesus the recognition He so appropriately deserves, by remembering Him in our hearts and souls and sharing the miraculous and marvellous story of His birth with others. 

Let them know that Jesus’ birth was the first step in God’s plan of salvation, in His plan to bring us woeful sinners who had gone astray from Him, back into His fold. To redeem us, to make us righteous, to reconcile us back to Himself, so that we could be rightly called the children of God, and eventually enjoy eternal life in His company! Now nothing could be better than receiving God’s unmerited grace and favour my faithful brethren! 

And we who believe, are supposed to be His disciples, His ambassadors and spread His Word all over the earth. As he said in the Great Commission He assigned to us: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always.’ (Matt. 28:19-20) Now that is our basic assignment as believers. 

And I just LOVE how Bruh Paul explains the spreading of Christ’s gospel, as he talks about righteousness by faith in Christ to the church at Rome. Quoting the prophet Joel (Joel 2:32), he writes: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.’ (Rom. 10:13-15) 

And it’s ever so interesting how Bruh Paul uses his vast knowledge of the Old Testament scripture to make his New Testament points. In that last verse he quoted Isaiah 52:7 and Nahum 1:15. Now not everybody needs to be a preacher, but every believer needs to know and grow in the scriptures so that they can share their faith with others. For how can you truly share what you don’t know about eh? Neither do we have to breathe down people’s necks with the scriptures, but the Holy Spirit will lead and guide us when an opportunity arises for us to witness in Christ’s name. 

And there’s no better season to witness than at Christmas time, when everyone is joyful and receptive to good tidings. But friends, you know the best witness ever? Our everyday lifestyle. If we model it on that of Christ, then we won’t have to do any shouting from the rooftops, but others will just see the difference in us and want to live the life we’re living. 

And that’s just what I want us to go out and do this Monday morning, and all through this Christmas week: live a life that’s reflective of Christ; one filled with LOVE, kindness, compassion, mercy, goodness, gentleness and peace, while getting in some scriptures edgewise, as the Holy Spirit directs us! I don’t think we can do a better job of reminding the world of the reason for this holiday season than to live a rich and full life based on Jesus’ teachings. 

So, this Christmas season, let’s be the salt of the earth and light of the world as He desires. Not forgetting this most important directive: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35) 

Oh my fellow saints, it’s remarkable that because of the birth of Christ, this is the season when even the unbelievers show LOVE and caring to each other, so why can’t we do the same eh? And I’ll leave us to ponder for a moment on that thought.   Selah. Now, let’s go to God in heartfelt prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

Now, it’s time to get our hearts and our motives right with God showing the world the LOVE of Christ! Much LOVE!

…only the birth of Jesus… could bring peace and tidings of good things…to our embittered and embattled world… 

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