10 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a deserted place, a solitary place, a waste of a good life, believed in the name of, Bible, bubble up from our hearts and souls, christianity, come before his presence with singing, consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners, despising the shame, die from lack of nourishment, egotistical people, end up like lost sheep, endured the cross, faith, fellowship, for the joy that was set before him, god, God sent not his son into the world, God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, He taught me how, holy spirit, hostility, hungry, I was glad, in the morning, Jesus Christ, Jesus is our Good Shepherd, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds, let us go into the house of the Lord, like a wellspring of joy, live in peace and harmony, live rejoicing every day, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, mercy, Oh Happy Day, physical and spiritual nourishment, remembering those who died, Remembrance Day weekend, rising up a great while before day, sacrifices of praise, salvation, serve the Lord with gladness, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the author and finisher of our faith, the most joyful day ever, the only begotten Son of God, the reality of the situation, the world through him might be saved, thirsty, to condemn the world, to fight rejection and abuse, to watch fight and pray, truth, wage a peaceful war, wake up to, wandering aimlessly, when Jesus washed my sins away, when they said unto me, wisdom, without a good shepherd
Psalm 100:2. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
‘I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.’ Now that’s the opening verse of Psalm 122, and this Remembrance Day weekend in God’s house is where we all ought to be, giving thanks and remembering the many millions who senselessly died in the many wars of the last century. And yes, they died that we could ostensibly live in peace and harmony.
But where is that peace and harmony now eh? It doesn’t exist, for most of our world is now a strife-filled battleground, where thousands still die each day for the same supposedly worthwhile ideals of peace, LOVE, honour and country, but usually it’s to satisfy the greed and power hunger of a handful of proud and egotistical people. But that’s a story for another day.
Today however, we’ll do as Psalm 100 so wisely instructs us: ‘Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all ye lands (all the earth). Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.’ (Ps. 100:105)
So, having heard those most encouraging words, let’s grace the Lord’s house on His day with praise and worship through this wonderful rendition of that joyful tune titled ‘Oh Happy Day.’ It’s an 18th century hymn authored by clergyman Phillip Doddridge and recorded in a gospel music arrangement by the Edwin Hawkins Singers in 1967. Soon thereafter, it became an international hit and is now recognized as a gospel music standard.
So, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a mid-tempo, soulful and joyful rendition, remembering the hand clapping and the call and response of the choir and the lead vocalist. (smile) And as we sing, please let there be no doubt as to our happiness; just allow it to bubble up from our hearts and souls like a wellspring of joy.
Singing: ‘Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed) Oh, when He washed (When Jesus washed) When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed) He washed my sins away (Oh, happy day) Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) (Repeat) He taught me how (He taught me how) To watch and fight and pray Watch and pray And live rejoicing every day Every day
Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed) Oh, when He washed (When Jesus washed) When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed) He washed my sins away (Oh, happy day) Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) He taught me how (He taught me how) To watch and fight and pray Watch and pray And live rejoicing every day (Good God) Live rejoicing every day, Every day
Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) Yes, what a happy day it was, when Jesus washed all my sins away…taught me how to watch and fight and pray…and live rejoicing every day…Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)…Yes, every day’s now a happy day…since Jesus washed my sins away…and taught me how to watch and pray…and live rejoicing every day… Oh, happy day… oh, happy day…Oh, happy day…’
And oh my fellow saints, it was indeed a happy day when Jesus washed our sins away…the most joyful day ever! Then in His great LOVE, He added to it by teaching us how to watch and fight and pray… and consequently, how to live rejoicing every day in His new covenant. What can be more joyful that that eh? Nothing whatsoever! For in Jesus, we have ALL that we’ll ever need, both in this world and the next!
And these words of Jesus assure us that He is who He said He is, and did what He set out to do. He said them to Nicodemus, the Jewish leader who came to Him under cover of darkness to find out what was what. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:16-18)
Yuh see friends, all it takes to be saved is true belief in Jesus. He came to save the world, and that’s exactly what He did! Who rejects His saving grace after hearing of it, have only themselves to blame. And He did teach us how to fight by all the rejection and abuse and the awful things he went through on our behalf.
As the author of Hebrews informs us: ‘Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 12:2-3)
Ah mih people, Jesus did teach us how to wage a peaceful war, with LOVE and understanding rather than with worldly weapons and caustic rejoinders. And oh, how He taught us to watch and pray, always making time to spend quietly with the Father and listen to His message, because He knew that he could not accomplish His earthly tasks without the Father’s help and encouragement.
And one of my favourite passages of scripture details that for us. The gospel of Mark puts it thus: ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35) Now, if Jesus the Son of God, while here on earth needed prayer so earnestly, why wouldn’t we adopted sons need it even more? And the answer is that we do!
So please, let’s wake up to the reality of the situation and realize how badly we need Jesus and all that He brings to the table, otherwise we’ll end up like lost sheep in the wilderness, without a good shepherd, wandering aimlessly, hungry and thirsty, until we die from lack of nourishment…both physical and spiritual. And that would be such a waste of a good life! Much LOVE!
…every sheep…needs a good shepherd to take care of it…and Jesus is our good shepherd…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bad Father, abominable sins, Bible, blind us to the fact, blinkers, call him in the morning, christianity, Commodores Heroes Album, deep in my heart, eternal life, faith, fall by the wayside, fellow saints, fellowship, god, gospel truth, He's mine forever, help me, help you to hold out longer, help your children, holy spirit, in the eveening, In the Midnight Hour, Jesus Christ, Jesus is Love, Jesus won't let you down, joy, lift up our hearts, LOVE, Love is the word forever, mercy, not enough love, our helping hand, peace, remember the Sabbath day, sacrifices of praise, salvation, strife filled, teach them to love one another, the gift of God is eternal life, the Sabbath of the Lord, the seventh day, the wages of sin is death, the world id very troubled, the world's biggest problem, to kep it holy, truth, turn your life around, walk through temptation, when you fall, whet we need right now is love, who can make you strong, who will pick you up, wisdom
Exodus 20:8. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
The cycle has come full circle again friends; meaning it’s Sunday; time to get together and praise and worship our wonderful God in fellowship with other believers. It’s the most important day of our week, as it celebrates the Lord’s Sabbath, which He commanded us to do in His word. ‘Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work… (Ex. 20:8-10a)
And today, our song of worship is a beautiful gospel and R&B standard from the old Commodores ‘Heroes’ Album from around 1980, a song that is most appropriately titled ‘Jesus is LOVE!’ And that’s the gospel truth, for it’s why He left heaven to come to earth to save us humans from our abominable sins. The main reason for that was simply ‘LOVE!’ A LOVE so great that it would not allow heaven to see us all go to hell as our sins demanded: ‘For the wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life though Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom. 6:23)
Heaven refused to reject us without a fighting chance to be reconciled to the Father and therefore spend eternity with Him. And the words of the song are also very appropriate for these turbulent and trying times. So as always, let’s offer up our sacrifices of sincere praise in a soulful rendition of this most relevant song.
Singing: ‘Father help your children And don’t let them fall by the side of the road. And teach them to LOVE one another And heaven might find a place in their hearts. ‘Cause Jesus is LOVE He won’t let you down And I know He’s mine forever Oh, in my heart We’ve got to walk on Walk on through temptation ‘Cause His LOVE and His wisdom Will be our helpin’ hand And I know the Truth And His words will be our salvation Lift up our hearts To be thankful and glad That Jesus is LOVE
He won’t let you down And I know He’s mine Deep down in my soul Jesus is LOVE Oh, yes, He is, He won’t let you down And I know He’s mine, He’s mine, He’s mine, He’s mine, all mine Forever, ohhhh, in my heart Help me, heart, heart Ooh…ooh… (Deep in my heart) I know, I know, I know, I know, cause His LOVE’S the power (Power) His LOVE’S the glory (Glory) Forever (Ever and ever) Ooh, yeah (Yeah, yeah) Ooh, yeah (Yeah, yeah)
Oh wait a minute, I wanna follow your star Wherever it leads me And I don’t mind, Lord I hope you don’t mind I wanna walk with you And talk with you And do all the things you want me to do Cause I know that Jesus (Jesus is LOVE, I know) ‘Cause I know, Lord (And if you ask, I’ll show) (LOVE is the word forever) And ever and ever Who can bring you LOVE (Jesus) Who can bring you joy (Jesus) Who can turn your life around (Jesus), oh Ooh, yeah (Yeah, yeah) Yeah (Yeah, yeah)
Hey Who will pick you up (Jesus) When you fall (Jesus) Who’ll stand beside you (Jesus) Who will LOVE us all Hey, hey, Jesus (Yeah, yeah) Jesus (Yeah, yeah) Oh, yeah (Yeah, yeah) One thing I wanna say Who can heal your body (Jesus) Who can make you strong (Jesus) Who can help you to hold out (Jesus) A little while longer Ooh, yeah Yeah (Jesus LOVES you (Yeah, yeah), Jesus wants you If you call Him, He will answer (Jesus) Call him in the mornin’ (Jesus) Call him in the evenin’ (Jesus) Call him in the midnight hour Hey, hey Yeah Yeah, Yeah Yeah, y’all say it for me (Jesus is LOVE)… (Jesus is LOVE)…Yes Jesus is LOVE…’
Ah friends, it’s a long song, but a good song, and that was a most excellent rendition! And as one commentary says: ‘The song starts with a prayer. Lionel’s prayer (Lionel Ritchie, lead singer of the then Commodores Band) is reminiscent of the parable of the Sower in Matthew 13. In this story, some of the seeds are (children) that fall by the side of the road. They never reach good soil and are gobbled up by birds, grow among the weeds, or have roots that grow too shallow.
But the song reminds us that Jesus and His Extraordinary LOVE is there to save us, it’s the answer to our every problem. If we put our trust in Him, He won’t ever let us down, for ‘His wisdom and LOVE will be our helpin’ hand…His words will be our salvation…His LOVE’S the Power…and the Glory…forever and ever…’ And we’ll be smart to follow His star, to walk wherever He leads us: And who can bring you LOVE and joy and peace…? Nobody but Jesus!
Who can turn your life around …pick you up when you fall…stand by you through all your trials…? Nobody but Jesus! And who can heal your body…make you strong and help you to hold on just a little longer eh? Nobody but Jesus! And the great thing about it all is that we can call Him at any time asking for help; in the morning, in the evening, or even in the midnight hour, for He is always available to help those who believe in Him!
And that’s why we so badly need Jesus right now in our topsy turvy world. For as Lionel says in the latter half of his soliloquy in the live version of the song: ‘You know, I don’t have to be the one to tell each and every one of you, but the world is in a whole lot of trouble right now. Every body, the world is in a whole lot of trouble. And yuh know the funniest thing is this; everyone is looking for something new, something different to solve the problem.
Some of us feel that technology sooner or later, will solve the problem. We feel that money can solve the problem. In 1980 we even feel that a President can solve the problem. But yuh know the funniest thing about the whole thing is this; everybody knows what the solution is; everybody knows what the solution is; because what the world needs now, what the world needs, right now is a little LOVE, a little sweet LOVE …!’
And that’s the gospel truth my fellow saints! What our world needs now is not anything new, like technology, or a new President, but the same old-fashioned remedy that existed from since the Lord created the universe and mankind…that’s LOVE! For if there’s anything so sadly lacking in our world at this disaster and strife filled moment is the LOVE of mankind for God, our selves and each other!
And until we get that straightened out, our world will never get any better. And deep down we all know that, but we’re just allowing our blinkers to blind us to the fact, and insist in foolishly carrying on as though anything else will ever fix our numerous problems. And it would certainly help if we took some time on this Sabbath Day and consider all the things we can correct with just a li’l LOVE…and start doing them! Much LOVE!
…our world’s biggest problem is not too much hate…but not enough LOVE…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a raging storm, all my heart to him I give, be of good cheer, be saved today, Bible, bid me come to thee, by his love, by your grace, christianity, deeply stained within, diligence, even the wind and sea obey him, ever his praises sing, faith, faithful loving service, far from the peaceful shore, fellowship, from the waters lifted me, give thanks, god, grace, heard my despairing cry, holy spirit, how come ye have no faith, I was a mess, I'm not good enough, In his blessed presence live, in the fourth watch, in the stern of the ship, It is I, James Rowe, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the Real MCcoy, Jesus was asleep, lift us out of despair, Lord save me, lost in sin, LOVE, love lifted me, love so mighty and so true, mercy, merits my soul's best songs, my sin is too much, not by my strength, now safe am I, out of the angry waves, peace be still, Peter walked on the water, praise, sacrifices of praise, salvation, sincerity, sinking in sin, sinking in water, sinking to rise no more, sins are not my master, souls in danger look above, take courage, the Lord's Day, the Master of the sea, the miracle of the five loaves and two fishes, the violent wind, the well being of grace, thou art the Son of man, truth, walking on the sea, went up into a mountain to pray, what manner of man is this, when nothing else could help, why are ye so fearful, wisdom, worship
Matthew 14:31. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
Another Sunday, another Lord’s Day on God’s good earth! So let’s hie hither to His sanctuary, there to praise, worship and give Him thanks, while also fellowshipping with other believers, encouraging and uplifting each other, so that our faith and confidence can be refreshed and renewed, and we can continue doing the Lord’s work with all diligence and sincerity in the upcoming week.
And after that mouthful, (smile) let’s get right into our song of the day, one most appropriately titled, ‘LOVE LIFTED ME.’ It’s a popular hymn written in 1912 by James Rowe (1865-1933), an English born, Irish immigrant to the U.S. And as this commentary tells us; ‘The lyrics draw from the stories of Jesus and His disciples at sea from the book of Matthew (and Mark). Rowe plays upon the idea of sinking in water to sinking in sin and that Jesus can lift us out of despair to salvation.’
And He certainly can! So let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a mid-tempo, soulful and sincere version, allowing the awesome truth of the words of the song to both echo in our hearts and our voices. Singing: ‘I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore, Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more; But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry, From the waters lifted me, now safe am I. (Refrain: LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me. LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me.)
All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I’ll cling, In his blessed presence live, ever his praises sing. LOVE so mighty and so true merits my soul’s best songs; Faithful LOVING service, too, to Him belongs. [Refrain] I was a mess, lost in my sin. Your LOVE has lifted me from the pit. Thank you God, your LOVE has lifted me. Not by my strength but by your grace sins are not my master anymore, Hallelujah! Your LOVE has lifted me. (Refrain):
Souls in danger, look above, Jesus completely saves; He will lift you by His LOVE out of the angry waves; He’s the master of the sea, billows His will obey He your Saviour wants to be, be saved today. [Refrain] LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me. LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me. When I thought my sin was too much, when I say I’m not good enough, when I think it will not be restored. Jesus will lift me. When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me.’
And believe me friends, if you want to be a successful Christian, you have to totally believe that Christ can lift you from the murky mire, and place you safe on dry land. Otherwise you have no hope of ever living the abundant life He died for us to have. And we all know that the song is based on two biblical stories that deal with Jesus and His disciples on the Sea of Galilee. The first one comes after Jesus fed the five thousand men, beside women and children, with the five loaves of bread and two fishes. (Matt. 14:13-21)
However, right after the miraculous feeding, Jesus compelled the disciples to get into a boat and go over to the other side of the sea. Then He sent the multitudes away and went up into a mountain by Himself to pray. But by the time the evening came, the boat was in the midst of a raging storm, being tossed to and from on the waves from a strong wind. The Bible tells it thus: ‘And in the fourth watch of the night (3-6 a,m.) Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit (ghost); and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer (take courage), it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he (Jesus) said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
But when he saw the wind boisterous (violent), he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?’ And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.’ (Matt. 14:25-33) Yes friends, Jesus will indeed lift us out of any billows we find ourselves in, and deposit us on safe ground.
Meanwhile the other scriptural inspiration for the song is one we know oh so well. Jesus and the disciples are in a boat out on the Sea of Galilee when suddenly a raging storm crops up and threatens to overturn the boat, filling the boat with water. However, through all of this drama, Jesus is asleep. Mark relates it thus: ‘And he (Jesus) was in the hinder part of the ship (the stern), asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, why are ye so fearful? How is that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this (who can this be), that even the wind and the sea obey him?’ (Mark. 4:38-41) It’s obvious why the wind and the sea obeyed Jesus…He is their Creator and Controller, just like He is ours!
Ah friends, Jesus is indeed the Real Mccoy! For our own sakes, let’s believe it nuh. He can lift us out of anything, save us from any situation, if we only have the faith to believe. And this interesting commentary is a fitting conclusion to our Bit today. It says: ‘Rowe’s hymn masterfully incorporates both stories, using sinking or being swamped into the sea as an illustration for “sinking deep in sin…sinking to rise no more.” Jesus, “Master of the sea,” hears our pleas for help, reaches out to us in LOVE, and lifts us up into the well-being of grace.’
Now isn’t that just a beautiful situation to behold! (smile) Much LOVE!
…crying out to Jesus for help…is the wisest decision we can ever make…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great King above all Gods, angels will attend, be singing as the days go by, burdened with a load of care, Christ has promised wealth untold, come before his presence with thanksgiving, concentrate on the good things, count the negative more than the positives, count your blessings, every doubt will fly away, faith, give thanks, go to the Lord's sanctuary, God is over all, heavy the cross you are called to bear, help and comfort give, in every thing give thanks, Jesus Christ, Johnson Oatman Jr., let us sing unto the Lord, LOVE, make a joyful noise, money cannot buy your reward in heaven, name them one by one, opportunities hiding in your difficulties, overlook the small blessings, pray, rejoice evermore, sacrifices of praise, salvation, see what God hath done, shout joyfully unto him with psalms, sing up a storm, tempest tossed, thanksgiving weekend, the Lord is a great God, thinking all is lost, this is the will of God in Christ, to the rock of our salvation, to your journey's end, truth, upon life's billows, wisdom, your are discouraged, your home on high
1 Thessalonians 5:18. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
And though it’s a somewhat cloudy and chilly Sunday, this Thanksgiving weekend; it ought not to stop us from making our way joyfully to the Lord’s sanctuary to fellowship with other believers and give our wonderful God much praise and thanks for all He’s done for us down through the years.
It’s as the psalmist declares: ‘O Come, let us sing unto the Lord” let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (songs). For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all Gods.’ (Ps. 95:1-3)
And that’s the indisputable truth my people! So lets’ do as the psalmist advises and offer up sweet sacrifices of praise in a mid-tempo, scintillating, sincere, heartfelt and truthful version of this perfect Thanksgiving song, one we all know and LOVE, written by American hymn writer and pastor, Johnson Oatman Jr. (1856-1922), simply, but most appropriately titled ‘Count Your Blessings.’
But before we sing, let’s ascertain what it means. In general, it means to be grateful for the good things in our lives, while it also often means to stop ourselves from becoming too unhappy about the bad things, which we ofttimes can’t do anything about. So now that we know, let’s sing up a storm this Thanksgiving Sunday!
‘When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. (Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.)
Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, ev’ry doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by. [Refrain] When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings, money cannot buy Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. [Refrain]
So, amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. [Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done. (2).’
Ah friends, one of our bad attitudes is that regardless of how many good things we have in our lives, we choose to dwell and agitate over the few negatives more than the many positives. But that’s exactlty the kind of attitude this song is attempting to turn us away from. As the chorus so wisely advises us: ‘Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done;’ If we concentrate on the good things in life, rather than the negative ones, we will be ever so much happier and contented.
Or as this commentary rightly reminds us: ‘If you always find yourself numbering your troubles, you will never find time for counting your blessings. There is no use becoming frustrated in your difficulties while you have all opportunities hiding in them for a turnover.’ That’s more gospel truth; for in our difficulties positive opportunities are always present.
And the website www.godtube adds their two cents worth by reminding us that ‘God truly gives us so many blessings each and every single day. Some may even be so small that we might overlook them. The classic hymn ‘Count Your Blessings’ truly reminds us to stop and give thanks for all God has done in our lives. This is definitely a pause we all need to take. Amen.’
Now right in there is another serious matter on the topic of blessings. We tend to overlook the small blessings that the Lord bestows on us every day. They’re usually so small that we either don’t notice them or take them for granted, only considering the big things as blessings. But there again we’re wrong, for the Lord bestows many more small blessings on us than large ones, and if we just wait to number the large ones to be thankful, then we will be waiting a mighty long time.
So, as of today, right now, let’s stop counting only our large blessings, but look with joy on the many small ones the Lord bestows on us every day. And if we’ll just take a moment to think about it, I’m sure we’ll all be able to come up with quite a few small ones that we’ve never paid any attention to. And the song gives us so many occasions on which to count our blessings:
‘When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost… And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. – Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?… ev’ry doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by. – When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; … money cannot buy Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. – So, amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; … angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.’
Oh my fellow believers, just look at all the things we can defuse and reject by just counting our many blessings nuh! Why do we then allow life to make us so miserable and discouraged when we have the great and faithful promises of God, our Creator and Provider? That’s why Bruh Paul was able to write thus to the Thessalonians: ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:16-18)
And those are exactly the things God desires for us so that we can live the abundant life that Christ died for us to have starting right down here on earth. Much LOVE!
…count your blessings…pray…rejoice…and give thanks…that’s the Christian motto…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lender and not a borrower, all should come to repentance, as many as are led by the Spirit of God, be born of water and the spirit, before I formed thee in the belly of the, Bible, christianity, comfort each other in the Lord, encouragement, except a man be born again, exhortation, faith, fellowship, free from slavery to sin, from my mother's womb, glorified together, he cannot see the kingdom of God, heartfelt prayer, heirs of God, holy spirit, I am a child of God, I know who I am, I've been brn agai, Jesus Christ, joint-heirs with Christ, LOVE, mercy, my fear are drowned, No longer a Slave to Fear, no longer walk in fear but in faith, none should perish, not received the spirit of bondage to fear, not under the law, righteous living, sacrifices of praise, salvation, sanctified thee, sin shall not have dominion over you, slaves to righteous living, suffer with Christ, surround me with a song, Tasha Cobbs, the gift of God is eternal life, the head and not the tail, the sons of God, the wages of sin is death, truth, under grace, uplift our faith, walking in newness of life, we can handle whatever comes against us, wisdom, worship, you split the sea, your blood flows through my veins, your love has called my name
Romans 8:14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Another Sunday has dawned friends, meaning it’s time to gather once more in the Lord’s house to celebrate His day in sincere worship and heartfelt prayer, while enjoying each other’s company with exhortation and encouragement or comfort as the situation may call for. (smile) Yes, whenever we get together, we are expected to exhort, encourage and comfort each other in the Lord. And as we hear God’s word and sing His praises, His Holy Spirit works in us to renew our hope and uplift our faith, so that we can competently handle whatever comes against us in the upcoming week.
And todays song of praise ‘No Longer A Slave To Fear,’ was initially popularized by the group Bethel Music featuring Jonathan David & Melissa Helser, the lead single from their seventh live album, We Will Not Be Shaken, released in 2015. But we’ll be singing the recently popularized, scintillating, soulful, in your face version by Tasha Cobbs. So, let’s open our hearts and voices as we offer sweet sacrificial praise to our magnificent God!
Beginning with a couple of powerful declarations of the chorus: ‘(Chorus: I’m no longer a slave to fear, For I am a child of God (2) You unravel me, with a melody, You surround me with a song, Of deliverance, from my enemies, Till all my fears are gone. (Chorus: I’m no longer, a slave to fear, For I am a child of God (2) From my mother’s womb, You have chosen me, Your LOVE has called my name, I’ve been born again, Into your family, Your blood flows through my veins.
(Chorus: I’m no longer, a slave to fear, For I am, a child of God (2) Oh oh, oh oh oh. Oh oh, oh oh oh! You split the sea, So I could walk right through, My fears are drowned, In perfect LOVE, You rescued me, so I could stand and sing, I am a child of God …You split the sea, So I could walk right through it, My fears are drowned, In perfect LOVE, You rescued me, so I could stand and sing, I am a child of God, I am a child of God, I am a child of God….
I know who I am, I know who I am, I am a child of God! He calls me the head and not the tail, Above and not beneath, a lender and not a borrower. So I no longer walk in fear, but in faith. For I am a child of God. If you are a child of God, sing Hallelujah to His glorious name!’
Marvellous mih people, marvellous! Can you imagine the uproar that song of praise caused in heaven? By the second verse, all of heaven, including Jesus, had joined in to offer soulful, anthemic praise to the Father. And yuh better believe the Father was ecstatic, elated, overjoyed by the overwhelming praise. It’s been a long time since He’s heard such sincere, soulful, scintillating sacrifices of praise!
And it’s interesting to note that the song contains all sorts of scriptural references. And we’ll begin by ascertaining what exactly is meant by no longer being slaves to fear. This commentary tells it thus: ‘God moved you from imprisonment to freedom, from an old life in which sin was your master to a new life in which sin is no longer in a position to control you (Romans 6:14). Being in Christ puts you in a new position in relation to sin. Sin is still your enemy, but it is no longer your master.’
Yes friends, we are no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness. And Bruh Paul emphasizes that in Chapter 6 of Romans, where he’s writing about walking in newness of life in Christ. But because of time and space, we’ll only quote this last verse from Chapter 5. ‘That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom. 5:21) And these two from Chapter 6. ‘For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace…For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Rom. 6:14, 23)
It’s advisable to read the whole chapter to get the full gist of the topic. (smile) But basically it means we can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or we can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Thank God! Once we were slaves of sin, but those who wholeheartedly obey Christ’s teaching are now free from slavery to sin and have become slaves to righteous living. Glory to God!
And as per children of God? Bruh Paul makes that abundantly clear in Romans 8, when he writes: ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.’ (Rom. 8:14-17)
Now there’s nothing better than being a child of God my brethren, an heir with Christ to all that the Father has! Then these words of the song ‘From my mother’s womb, You have chosen me,’ ostensibly point to Jeremiah’s call from God. He writes: ‘Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly (womb) I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee (set you apart), and I ordained (appointed) thee a prophet unto the nations.’ (Jer. 1:4-5)
And, ‘You split the sea, So I could walk right through, My fears are drowned,’ obviously refers to the Lord’s parting of the Red Sea so the Israelites could cross over on dry land and escape the oncoming Egyptian army of Pharaoh. (Ex. 14) Then we sing: ‘He calls me the head and not the tail, Above and not beneath, a lender and not a borrower.’ That comes from Deut. 28-12-13), basically meaning that if we obey the Lord’s word, He will prosper us.
And lastly, these words: ‘Your LOVE has called my name, I’ve been born again, Into your family, Your blood flows through my veins,’ can be seen in Jesus’ explanation to Nicodemus, the Jewish teacher who came to Him at night to find out the truth. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God… Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God,’ (John 3:3, 5)
Oh friends, we are born again, that means we’re eligible for the kingdom of heaven! Glory Hallelujah! But unfortunately there are still many who have not been born again, and it is our job to get out there and do our best to see they become eligible for heaven. Much LOVE!
…the Father’s great desire is…that none should perish…but all should come to repentance… (2 Pet. 3:9)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a chain of comfort, a fatal vehicle accident, a pillar of cloud, a pillar of fire, blessed be God, by a roadway in the wilderness, by the comfort, can a women forget her sucking child, Caribana, comforted us by the coming of Titus, depart this earthly life, Don Moen, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, faith, fellowship, Give God thanks and praise, God is always with us, God is the Great Comforter, God will be my guide, God will do something new today, God will make a way, God will never leave us in the lurch, God works in ways we cannot see, graven thee upon the palms of my hands, have compassion on the son of her womb, heaven and earth will fade, His word still remains, hold me closely to his side, I will not forget thee, Jesus Christ, LOVE, love and strength for each new day, mercy, our flesh had no rest, rivers in the desert, sacrifices of praise, salvation, spiritual celebrations, the Father of all mercies, the God of All Comfort, the gospel truth, the Olympics, them which are in any trouble, to go by day and by night, Toronto Carnival, troubled on every side, truth, we may be able to comfort, wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God, who comforteth us in all our tribulation, wisdom, within were fears, without were fightings
2 Corinthians 1:3. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all mercies, and the God of all comfort.
And the summer festivities continue to make front page news, like the Olympics in France, and the Toronto Carnival, or what ever is its the new name, capturing the lion’s share of the news in Toronto. But please note, that despite the new title, the carnival festivities in Toronto will forever be known as Caribana in the hearts of the people. For names are continually changing, but not so people’s hearts. (smile)
Anyway, it’s Sunday, that means we need to take a break from the external worldly celebrations and turn to the internal spiritual ones in the sanctuary of God with other believers, so we can give Him much thanks and praise for getting us safely through this week and asking for His awesome mercy and grace to continue into the upcoming week. So let’s get on with it by singing our worship song for today, aptly titled, ‘God Will Make A Way!’
And isn’t that the gospel truth, as I found out from personal experience yesterday evening in the Exhibition Stadium, when I was struggling to make it to my venue, and He sent one of the supervisors of the grounds to give us an unexpected lift in his golf cart, and then gave me the strength and energy to walk back the long distance to the car at the end of the show. Now that might be the lesson, or one of the lessons, He wanted me to learn through that experience, who knows, but I’ll surely remember it. (smile)
Unfortunately though, the song we’re about to sing was born out of a much more tragic situation. The author, Don Moen, a previous choir director of The Hour of Power Religious Programme, had some of his family members depart this earthly life in a fatal vehicle accident some years ago, and deep in sorrow, on his way to the accident scene, while contemplating what to do, the Lord placed these words in his heart. Just another sign that God is always with us, whatever our circumstances, and we can always find comfort and reassurance in His presence.
So, let’s offer up sweet sacrifices of praise in a sincere, mid-tempo, soulful version of the song, remembering times when God showed up unexpectedly and calmed our sorrows. Singing: ‘God will make a way Where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me He will be my guide Hold me closely to His side With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me And rivers in the desert will I see Heaven and Earth will fade but His word will still remain And He will do something new today
Oh, God will make a way Where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me He will be my guide Hold me closely to His side With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me And rivers in the desert will I see Heaven and Earth will fade but His word will still remain And He will do something new today.
Oh, God will make a way Where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me He will be my guide Hold me closely to His side With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way.’
And if you’ve been a believer for a while, you’ll know that’s absolutely true! No friends, God will NEVER leave us in the lurch! He might not show up exactly when we want Him to, but He’s never late, and knows the best time to make His awesome appearance. And there are scriptures throughout the Bible speaking of God’s comforting nature, a few of which we can take a look at. And possibly the most well known one on the subject is this one from Bruh Paul in his second letter to the church at Corinth, where he writes in no uncertain terms.
‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all mercies, and the God of all comfort. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4) Wow! Yuh see that mih people! Our God is the Great Comforter! And in comforting us, He gives us the power and the encouragement to comfort others! Isn’t He a most magnificent and LOVING God? He certainly is!
Now listen to this other scripture where the prophet Isaiah talks about singing of God’s Comfort and Mercy. ‘Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking (nursing) child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven (inscribed) thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.’ (Is. 49:13-16)
How much more of the Lord’s comfort can we ask for eh? Even if a mother forsakes her newborn baby, the Lord has promised never to forget His people. And He is a most faithful God. We see him again making a way for His people, Israel, when He brought them out of Egypt. The Bible says: ‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, or the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.’ (Ex. 13:21-22) What a great God we serve my brethren!
Then we have this last scripture from Bruh Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, where he writes: ‘For when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without (outside) were fightings, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus; And not by his coming only, but by the consolation (comfort) wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me (zeal for me); so that I rejoiced the more.’ (2 Cor, 7:5-7)
Yes my fellow saints, even the great apostle Bruh Paul needed comfort at times, and was comforted by the Lord in Macedonia through the coming of Titus with good news from the church at Corinth. Likewise, all of us need comfort at one time or another, and there’s no better place to seek it than from our heavenly Father and each other! Much LOVE!
…God…in His awesome wisdom…provides a chain of comfort…from Him to us…then to each other…and back to Him again…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Oct 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blessed sign, a rainbow, a spirit of power love and a sound mind, all the days of my life, an honoured guest, beside the still waters, covenant people, do it afraid, dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, eternal life, fear no evil, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, for His name's sake, goodness and mercy shall follow me, HAPPY THANKSGIVING CANADA!, I shall not want, in the presence of mine enemies, lie down in green pastures, my cup runneth over, preparest a table before me, protector and provider, Ray Conniff Singers, restoreth my soul, sacrifices of praise, sheep dependent on their shepherd, stick to God like white on rice, successes, the 23 Psalm, the God of his fathers, the Holy One of Israel, The Lord is my shepherd, the paths of righteousness, the role of God, the valley of the shadow of death, thou anointest my head with oil, thy rod and staff, thy rod and thy staff comfort me, trials, uplifting sentiments, wisdom to the nth degree
Psalm 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
HAPPY CANADIAN THANKSGIVING!
Oh friends, yesterday evening I was travelling on the highway around 6 p.m. and was guided to look up to the heavens, and what did I see? A glorious rainbow arcing over the highway from north to south. And it wasn’t one of those thin ones you usually see, but a big, thick one shining forth in all its glory. And as I gazed at it in wonder, I noticed that my windshield was getting blurry.
Much to my surprise, in all the sunshine, a thin drizzle of rain had begun falling. And it only fell for a couple of minutes. Then a couple of minutes later, when I looked for the rainbow, I didn’t see it. I don’t know if I had simply driven past it, or it disappeared. And you can call me foolish, but I took it as a blessed sign on this long Thanksgiving weekend, for I have not seen a rainbow, and one as thick as that, in quite some time. (smile)
Now, let’s get to some worship on this Sunday morning in the Lord’s sanctuary. And today we’ll open with possibly the second most favourite prayer in our faith…The 23 Psalm, better known as the Lord is My Shepherd. Those wonderful words of faith and encouragement penned by Bruh David most likely in one of his most difficult and trying moments when his faith in the God of his fathers definitely shone through. The Holy One of Israel who had been his strength and deliverer in both his trials and successes.
We couldn’t have a more appropriate song for today! And since it’s a song of joy and good news, we’re not going to do a dirge-like version that seems to be so popular. No sir, we’re going to sing a sweet, scintillating up tempo version, like that done by the Ray Conniff Singers, with beautiful voices raising sincere sacrifices of praise to high heaven.
Singing: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life : and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever…Yes, surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever…for ever…for ever and ever…’
Oh my my! What beautiful music my people! What moving and uplifting sentiments! Short and simple but capturing the whole essence of our faith! And I must share the wonderful explanation provided by the scholars. They say: ‘The psalm has been a favourite of God’s people through the ages and with due reason: it expresses as simply and clearly as any the role of God as our protector and provider in life.
The charm of the psalm rests on two figures of speech: the Lord is compared to a shepherd and the believer to His sheep (vs. 1-4); then the Lord is likened to a host with the believer as the guest (vs. 5-6). The image of the Lord as a shepherd is a frequent one in both the Old Testament (Is. 40:11; Jer. 31:10) and the New Testament (John 10:11-16; Heb. 13:20).’ That’s because the society back then was agrarian, dealing with the cultivation of land and the herding of animals, so the analogy to the Lord as a shepherd would be readily understood.
And the scholars continue: ‘Believers are never pictured in Scripture as mighty lions, independent and self-sufficient; rather, they are sheep who are dependent on their Shepherd for His provision and protection. However, the believer is more than a dependent sheep; he is also like an honoured guest, since the Lord prepares a table for him (vs. 5) Connected with this honoured position is abundant provision, vindication before one’s enemies, and eternal celebration of God’s goodness.’
Wow! How could you get any better looking after than that eh mih people? No way Jose! Our God is undeniable the Greatest! And it doesn’t mean that we don’t have problems, but He brings us through them and works it all out eventually for our eternal good! And for my money, the most evocative, the most expressive of all the sentiments is the one expressed by the first line: ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.’ Yes friends, Bruh David could have stopped right there, and we would have known full well what he meant. The rest of the psalm is just an explanation of the first line, outlining what a shepherd does for his flock, and in this case what our great God Jehovah does for His covenant people.
But nonetheless, each sentiment offers encouragement for the believer. How could not lying in green pastures beside still, calm waters not encourage us eh? Then generously restoring or refurbishing our souls, while leading us along righteous paths… No other supposed god has ever promised those things. They only want to take from you, while our God desires only to give in return for our faithfulness.
Now this next verse is indeed a big one: ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’ (Ps. 23:4) Mama Mia! What courage and strength our God engenders and imbues in us! That’s certainly reminiscent of Bruh Paul’s words to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind). (2 Tim. 1:7)
Glory be my faithful brethren! The courage our God instills in us helps us to overcome the greatest fear. Or as sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say, we overcome fear by faith, and even if we are beset by fear, we nonetheless do the Lord’s work afraid, because we know that He is with us all the way. And who says our God isn’t audacious eh, that’s daring and intrepid? Boldfaced, boldfaced, He prepares a table of goodies before us in the presence of our enemies. Which other God has the parts to do that eh? NONE!
On top of all that, He LOVINGLY anoints us with oil, while our cup runs over with abundance! And as always, we’ve left the best part for last: ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’ (Ps. 23:6) Yes, my fellow saints, that’s what we said, and it’s exactly what we mean…we will dwell in the Lord’s sparkling mansion with Him, have eternal life, spend eternity with Him…for ever and ever and ever…
And if after all we’ve said above there you don’t want to embrace that wonderful Shepherd and all that He stands for, then there’s nothing I can do about it. But yuh know what? As for me and my house we will embrace Him as tightly as we can; stick to him like white on rice! For that’s wisdom to the nth degree! Please have a blessed and enjoyable Thanksgiving! Much LOVE!
…only if you join the fold of the Good Shepherd…will you enjoy goodness and mercy…and live for ever and ever…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
21 May 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cloud received him out of their sight, a foretaste of glory divine, a joy to gather in worship, blessed assurance, Fanny Crosby, fight the good fight of faith, filled with his goodness, for dying for our sins, Jesus says soon come, looking above, lost in his love, LOVE, perfect delight, perfect submission, Phoebe Palmer Knapp, praising my saviour all the day long, sacrifices of praise, Thank you Jesus, thankful for all our blessings, the ascension of Jesus, the Great Commission, the Lord's Day, the Mount of Olives, the second coming of Christ, visions of rapture, wait for the promise of the Father, watching and waiting, when the Holy ghost is come upon you, while they beheld he was taken up, ye shall receive power, ye shall receive power when the Holy ghost is come upon you
Acts 1:9. And when he (Jesus) had spoken these things, while they beheld (looked), he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Well, a good Sunday morning to all you my faithful Scrip-Bit readers. Isn’t it just a joy to gather together in worship on the Lord’s Day, to sing His praises and glorify His Holy Name? It most certainly is! For it not only gladdens His heart but also lifts up our spirits and gives us the confidence we need to keep on fighting the good fight of faith in this evil and fallen world.
And another of our faithful celebrations of Jesus’ life took place this past week, His ascension back to heaven. But before we get into that, let’s sing this amazing song, written in the second half of the 19th century (1873) by blind hymn writer Fanny Crosby and musician Phoebe Knapp, simply but most appropriately titled, ‘Blessed Assurance.’
And I like this commentary which says: ‘Each and every day we sing praises to His name. We are thankful for all of the blessings that He bestows upon us. The lyrics of the classic hymn ‘Blessed Assurance’ is the perfect way to worship. And when you hear the story behind the hymn, you will be even more in awe of His amazing grace. Thank you, Jesus, for dying for our sins!’
Yuh better believe it friends, because if He hadn’t done that most selfless and LOVING deed, then crapaud would have certainly smoked we pipe! And having acknowledged that, let’s sing a rousing, up-tempo, scintillating, heart-felt version of Blessed Assurance.
Singing: ‘Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood (Chorus: This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long.) Perfect submission, perfect delight, Visions of rapture now burst on my sight; Angels, descending, bring from above Echoes of mercy, whispers of LOVE.
(Chorus…) Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blest, Watching and waiting, looking above, Filled with His goodness, lost in His LOVE. (Chorus: This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long…. Praising my Savior all the day long )’
Ah mih people, what beautiful and meaningful lyrics, and we indeed did justice to the song, raising all heaven with our sincere and heartfelt sacrifices of praise. And the story behind the hymn that we mentioned above, is indeed an interesting one. The story goes that: ‘One evening, Fanny’s friend and composer Phoebe Palmer Knapp was visiting and played a tune on the piano, asking Fanny what it sounded like. Fanny responded, “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine!” Phoebe and Fanny then continued to sing the melody and write the lyrics together.’
Wow! That’s just another instance of how our wonderful God works in mysterious ways, to bring us closer to Him and all the marvellous things He has to offer. And talking about all that God has to offer, this past Thursday we celebrated the ascension of Jesus, from the Mount of Olives, near Bethany, some forty days after His resurrection.
Luke tells the story in the first chapter of Acts. He says: ‘And (Jesus) being assembled with them (the disciples), commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence.’ (Acts 1:4-5) That was a foreshadowing of the marvellous things that would take place on the Day of Pentecost shortly thereafter.
But apparently the disciples didn’t quite understand Jesus’ meaning, for Luke tells us: ‘When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel. And he said unto them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power (authority). But ye shall receive power, after (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ (Acts 1:6-8)
There you have it again friends, the directive of the Great Commission! However, the disciples did not yet have the power to fulfill that commission, so they had to wait in Jerusalem until they were baptized by the Holy Ghost. And as the scholars explain: ‘The disciples were to be concerned with world evangelism and discipleship. The Great Commission still applies today since the promise underlying it, the Holy Spirit, still applies (Matt. 28:20).’
And so it does my fellow believers, perhaps even more urgently than it ever did, since our fallen world is in great turmoil and the peace, LOVE and salvation of Christ is absolutely necessary, if we are to avoid the total destruction that we are currently racing towards. But getting back to Christ’s ascension. The Good Library further tells us.
‘And when he (Jesus) had spoken these things, while they beheld (looked), he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.’ (Acts 1:9-11)
Can you imagine that scene friends? The disciples talking with Jesus on the Mount of Olives, then all of a sudden, He just rises up into the air and is gone from their sight? That must certainly have boggled their young, uneducated minds, as it would most certainly have also boggled our old, educated minds. (smile) But what I LOVE about Jesus is that despite the circumstances, He never does, or goes anywhere without giving us a promise, or a foreshadowing of what is to come.
And that’s what the men in white, most likely angels did. They promised that the same way Jesus left, He would come back to earth again. He wouldn’t leave them alone forever. But He would no longer appear to them like He had done after the resurrection; suddenly appearing, then suddenly vanishing again. The next time they saw him would be at His Second Coming as the conquering Hero, when He visibly (Rev. 17) and bodily sets His feet on the Mount of Olives. (Zech. 14:4)’
Ah my fellow saints, that is indeed a joyful day that we have to look forward to. So please, let’s keep it at the forefront of our minds, and live this life with joy, LOVE and peace in Christ Jesus, knowing that we will soon see Him again! Much LOVE!
…Jesus in Jamaican style said …soon come…and come He will…we just don’t know exactly when…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
03 Jul 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: agonizing heart searching, cast thy burden upon the Lord, cast your every care on him, casting all your care upon him, challeneged by the propsect of a new joy, choose life, Christ fully understood my situation, commit thy way unto the Lord, discouragement gripped him, empathetic song, every woe He sees and feels, for he careth for you, Hades, he shall bring it to pass, he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, LOVE, meet Him at the throne of mercy, No one is so near so dear as Jesus, no one understands like Jesus, sacrifices of praise, Satan is a loser, sensed the presence of the Lord, tempted to become bitter, the bitter experiences, the great compassion of the Lord, the lake of fire, the long and short of the story, the Lord's Day, the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal live, the wise money is on Christ, trust also in him, very alone and forsaken, when the days are dark and grim, when the foes of life assail, words of awesome truth
1 Peter 5:7. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
It’s come around again friends, the Lord’s Day, that marvellous day called Sunday, where we gather to praise, worship and renew our commitment to Almighty God and receive His awesome renewal of strength and perseverance to face the upcoming week! Wow! No wonder Sunday is indeed the first and best day of the week! Glory Hallelujah!
And to celebrate today’s praise and worship, we are going to sing a fairly recent composition, written in the mid twentieth century by John Willard Peterson (1921-2006). It’s a song that I truly wish so many more of us would take to heart and sincerely accept by putting its sentiments into action. The song is very appropriately titled: ‘No One understands like Jesus!’ And if that isn’t the gospel truth, then I don’t what is.
Now here is a li’l background on how the song came about, which I think will endear it to us even more. It seems that Mr. Peterson, the author was at one time employed by a prestigious gospel ministry and was led to believe that an open supervisory position would be offered to him. And according to Mr. Peterson: ‘I was thrilled and challenged by the prospect of a new joy. But I was by-passed, and a man from the outside was brought in to fill the position. There followed days of agonizing heart searching. It was all I could do to keep from becoming bitter.’
I guess many of us would react the same way. However, matters got worse when the new supervisor made some hurtful remarks to Mr. Peterson. And he says: ‘Later that evening, after returning home, I was sitting in our living room thinking about the events of the past days and about the bitter experiences of that evening. I began to feel very alone and forsaken. Suddenly, I sensed the presence of the Lord in an unusual way and my mind was diverted from my difficulties to His faithfulness and sufficiency. Soon the thought occurred to me that He fully understood and sympathized with my situation–in fact, no one could ever completely understand or care as did He.’
Words of awesome truth my fellow believers! And soon after that He began to write the song. ‘Discouragement gripped him. He felt alone and forsaken, and was tempted to become bitter, until he began thinking about the great compassion of the Lord. Who cares? HE does!’ Now let’s sing this marvellous, empathetic song in a soulful, mid-tempo, heart-felt version, opening our mouths and hearts, offering up sincere sacrifices of praise to our amazing Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
As one sweet sounding, harmonious choir: ‘No one understands like Jesus. He’s a friend beyond compare; Meet Him at the throne of mercy; He is waiting for you there. (Chorus: No one understands like Jesus When the days are dark and grim; No one is so near, so dear as Jesus– Cast your ev’ry care on Him!) No one understands like Jesus; Ev’ry woe He sees and feels; Tenderly He whispers comfort, And the broken heart He heals. (Chorus) No one understands like Jesus When the foes of life assail; You should never be discouraged; Jesus cares and will not fail! (Chorus)
No one understands like Jesus When you falter on the way; Tho’ you fail Him, sadly fail Him, He will pardon you today. (Chorus: No one understands like Jesus When the days are dark and grim; No one is so near, so dear as Jesus– Cast your ev’ry care on Him! No one understands like Jesus When the days are dark and grim; No one is so near, so dear as Jesus– Cast your ev’ry care on Him! Cast your every care on Him, Cause no one understands like Jesus.’
Oh my people, there is no one in this world who understand like Jesus! Why, you ask? Because on His earthly sojourn, He underwent, He experienced the trials, temptations and tribulation that mankind suffers every day on this evil and ungodly earth. So, He can indeed empathize with the stuff that we are forced to bear. And when He faced His storms and troubled times, He went to His Father for strength and encouragement, just like He now expects us, His followers to come to Him for compassion and understanding when we are beset by troubles that test our souls and faith.
And we all know the basic scriptures on which the song is based, beginning with this awesome advice from Psalm 55 – A cry against deceitful friends. Bruh David writes from personal experience: ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit, allow) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’ (Ps. 55:22) Yes my fellow believers, if we cast our burdens on the Lord, He will never allow the enemy to overcome us! And in Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked – Bruh David again wisely advises us to: ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.’ (Ps. 37:5)
Now if that isn’t sufficient proof for you, (smile) then listen to Peter, another recipient of Jesus’ great grace and mercy. He advises us to: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:6-7)
Now none of those scriptures could be more explicit than they are. It’s simple: with sincerity and trust, take all your concerns to God, to Christ, who cares ever so deeply for you, otherwise they would not have allowed Jesus’ blood to be shed on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins, and then send His Holy Spirit to indwell us, so that He can lead and guide us on the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life.
And I really don’t know what else it will take for us to truly accept that our heavenly Father allowed Christ to die for us because of His deep and abiding LOVE for us nuh. I guess that’s why He gave us free will, so that we could decide to whom we would give our allegiance, to Him or Beelzebub. I can guarantee us one thing though; Satan doesn’t care one iota about us, he only wants us to lose our heavenly destiny and end up with him in Hades, and ultimately in the lake of fire. So, it’s a decision each one of us must make.
And in closing, let’s remind us that we ought to make the wise choice, choosing life, BEFORE the Lord takes us home, or Jesus comes back the second time, and either scenario could occur at any time. So, the best time to do it is RIGHT NOW! That’s the long and short of the story my people! Much LOVE!
…the wise money is always on Christ…because He first defeated Satan in heaven…and again here on earth…Satan is a loser… why turn to him…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
01 May 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: both riches and honour come of thee, fainteth not neither is weary, feel the gentle breeze, God created the heaven and the earth, God His Son not sparing, gospel truth, grace be to you, Greetings in the name of Jesus, He bled and died to take away my sin, How great thou art, I hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees, I shall bow in humble adoration, icing on the cake, in the beginning, lift up your heads O ye gates, LOVE, my burden gladly bearing, my saviour God to thee, on the cross, peace from God the Father, sacrifices of praise, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the King of glory shall come in, the Lord the Creator of the earth, then sings my soul, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall walk and faint, thine is the kingdom, What joy shall fill my heart, with God all things are possible
Genesis 1:1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Prologue: Just in case you are wondering, it was indeed sunny when I began writing the Bit, but I had to take a break to fix a small personal problem, and by the time I came back to it, the weather had changed. Chuh! It’s been so temperamental lately. So the beginning was indeed true at the time of writing, though it might not be so at the end. (smile)
Warm and wonderful greetings to you, my fellow believers in Christ Jesus on this beautiful Sunday morning, the first day of May in this controversial year of 2022! There could not be a better time to get together and worship our marvellous God. And as Bruh Paul said it in his letter to the church at Galatia: ‘Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world (age), according to the will of God and our Father. To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’ (Gal. 1:3-5)
What a stirring greeting of truth my brethren! And this morning I want us all to receive it, to receive that awesome grace and peace that flows from our God. Yes, that’s how great a Godhead we serve and worship! And to honour Him on this His Holy day, the second Sunday after His triumphant resurrection at Easter, we will open with this most appropriate hymn titled ‘How Great Thou Art.’ And our God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, surely is great! There’s absolutely no doubt about that, because He’s proven it in spades right down through the ages.
So, let’s offer up sincere sacrifices of praise, in a bold, joyful, scintillating, up-tempo version of this stirring song of truth. Let the joy flow from our hearts as the words flow from our mouths, so that our magnificent God, Creator and Saviour can know that we truly adore, LOVE and worship Him…and NO OTHER.
As a great earthly choir then, let’s sing: ‘O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder Consider all The works Thy Hand hath made, I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder, Thy pow’r throughout The universe displayed, (Chorus: Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art! How great Thou art! Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art! How great Thou art!) When through the woods And forest glades I wander I hear the birds Sing sweetly in the trees, When I look down From lofty mountain grandeur And hear the brook And feel the gentle breeze, (Chorus:)
And when I think, that God His Son not sparing, Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in. That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing He bled and died, to take away my sin. (Chorus:) When Christ shall come, With shouts of acclamation, And take me home, What joy shall fill my heart! Then I shall bow In humble adoration And there proclaim, “My God, how great Thou art!” (Chorus: Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art! How great Thou art! Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art! How great Thou art! How great Thou art!’
Magnificent friends! That was just magnificent! Now there is no doubt in heaven about how we feel towards our God! There just couldn’t be after such a heartfelt sacrifice of praise! And now for some scripture to back up our claim that our God is great, and greatly to be worshipped. And there is none better to begin with than this one that opens God’s Word, the Bible. It says in all simplicity and truth: ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.’ (Gen. 1:1)
Wow! That says it all friends! Everything after that is merely icing on the cake! (smile) Like these marvellous and truthful words of Bruh David, where in thanksgiving and praise he sincerely declares: ‘Thine, O Lord, is the greatness and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as the head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.’ (1 Chr. 29:11-13)
What awesome words of indisputable truth my people! Yes, Bruh David knew exactly what he was talking about, because he personally felt God’s power and might, His honour, wealth, strength and chastening too. (smile)
Then there are these famous words of another great man of God; the prophet Isaiah, where he confidently proclaims: ‘Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:28-31)
O mercy, mercy me! Yes, my fellow saints, who else but our great and powerful God can do those awesome deeds eh? NONE but the true and living God we worship! And again, Isaiah was not speaking from hearsay, but from personal experience. He too felt the awesome power and Spirit of God work miracles in his life and lifetime!
Oh my people, there are so many scriptures that emphasize the greatness of our God, that I’m at a loss as to which ones to choose. (smile) But it certainly would not be right if we didn’t include a few from the Psalms, where the people of God really opened their hearts and minds to his praise and glory. So listen up to these wonderful words from the Psalms.
Ethan the Ezrahite loudly proclaims in Psalm 89 – God’s sure promises to David. ‘For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had (held) in reverence of all them that are about him. O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? …The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fullness thereof, thou hast founded them.’ (Ps. 89:6-8, 11) It’s all gospel truth friends!
Meanwhile Bruh David said it thus in Psalm 24 – The king of glory. ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the floods (rivers)…Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.’ (Ps. 24: 1-2, 7-8)
Yes my faithful brethren, it’s time for us to lift up our heads, hearts and souls and allow the King of glory to enter therein! Much LOVE!
…with man, many things are not possible…but with God…ALL things are possible…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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