The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Understanding that Thanksgiving is the Essence of Their Faith!

Today’s Scrip-Bit   12 October 2026   Psalm 100:4.

Psalm 100:4.         Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING CANADA!

Yes friends, it’s Monday, and a big Monday in our wonderful land, for today we’re celebrating our Thanksgiving Holiday, with gatherings of families and friends, giving thanks to Almighty God for all the goodness and mercy He’s bestowed on our beautiful country over the past year. And although the rain spoiled some of our plans yesterday, it looks like the weather will cooperate today, because the day’s turned into a beautiful, bright and sunshiny one.

Now let’s remember two things; first, that the food and merriment we’re sharing did not just appear by a miracle, but someone earned through hard work and the good graces of God. So, in all the celebrations, it’s imperative that we give Him the number one place of honour, because He’s our Sovereign Lord.   And secondly, that we most definitely exercise a modicum of circumspection in all our celebrations, because we know what happens when we don’t; serious accidents occur, even life ending tragedy, and we certainly don’t want any of that stuff marring our Thanksgiving celebrations. For all the ‘if I had knowns,’ will not be able to rectify the situation. So, let’s celebrate, but be careful!

And since this is Thanksgiving Day, it seemed rather appropriate for us to just run through some scriptures that deal with the subject of giving thanks. But because  there are so many in the Bible, especially from the Psalms, we can only select a few for our short space and time. And we’ll begin with these well-known verses from Psalm 95.‘O come let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the rock of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (spiritual songs). For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods…. O come let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God; and we are the sheep of his pasture, and sheep of his hand (under his care).’ (Ps. 95: 1-3; 6-7)

Meanwhile to the Thessalonians, Bruh Paul puts it very simply. ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:16-18) It could not get any clearer; rejoice, pray and give thanks, those are the three basic things the Lord requires of us.

And to the Ephesians, Bruh Paul gives them a very good piece of advice that’s ever so relevant for today. (smile) ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph. 5:18-21) Oh, if only most of us would just do that today, there would be much thanksgiving, little conflict and no dissipation. (smile)

Now, let’s go back to some wonderful verses from Psalm 100. The psalmist declares: ‘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. 100:1-5) Gospel truth my people! Only wish we could take those wonderful words of advice more to heart than we’re currently doing. 

And here’s a word from Bruh Paul to the Colossians that we don’t often hear. ‘As ye have therefore received Christ, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.’ (Col. 2-6-7) Then there’s this wonderful verse from Bruh David in Psalm 34: ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ (Ps. 34: 3) And from Psalm 50, Asaph lets us know that God requires a thankful heart. ‘Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.’ (Ps. 50:14-15)

Oh friends, that’s the exact opposite of what so many of us do. We don’t have a thankful heart towards God, yet we cry out to Him in times of trouble and expect Him to help us, and when He doesn’t, we get all annoyed and blaspheme His holy Name. That’s certainly not the way to do it. Now that’s enough scripture for us to ponder on today, don’t want to give us too much so it cuts into the celebration time. (smile) And since not all of us have the day off, because our modern-day society machine needs constant twenty-four-hour attention to keep it humming along smoothly, let’s approach the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, to help those who are at work secure divine aid.

Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together. We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes.

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour! We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!

And though we don’t have the full contingent going out to battle in the working world today, the Lord still expects those going out to put up a good showing. So please don’t disappoint Him! Much LOVE!

…thanksgiving is the essence of a Christian’s faith…

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

The Overwhelming Importance of Taking Everything to God in Prayer!

Today’s Scrip-Bit   19 July 2026   John 8:12.

John 8:12.        ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ 

Ah, Sunday, sweet Sunday! Going to God’s house to sing and praise and worship Him with other believers and renew our sprits for another week! What a glorious time it will be, as we meet and greet and encourage each other! And though some air quality warning is still in place, it’s otherwise a bright and sunshiny day with blue skies and a cool breeze, which makes it even more satisfying to journey to the Lord’s sanctuary. (smile)

And today’s song of worship is a beautiful 20th century hymn, written by Jimmy Duncan (1927-2011) and Johnny Lange (1905-2006) simply but very expressively titled ‘I asked the Lord.’ It’s strange that those two got together to write a hymn, when they were both known for more popular worldly music, like ‘My Special Angel,’ and ‘Mule Train.’ But a beautiful song was indeed created from the collaboration, so, without further ado, let’s raise our voices in sweet sacrifices of praise, in a rich, soulful, scintillating, mid-tempo version.

Singing: ‘I asked the Lord to comfort me When things weren’t going my way; And He said to me, “I will comfort you And I’ll lift your cares away.” I asked the Lord to walk with me, when darkness was all that I knew; And He said to me “Never be afraid, and I will see you through.” I didn’t ask for riches, but He gave me wealth untold, The moon and the stars, the sun in the sky, and He gave me eyes to behold. I thank the Lord for everything, and I count all my blessings each day; For He came to me when I needed Him, I only had to pray. And He will come to you, if you ask Him to, For He’s only a prayer away…. Yes, if you ask Him to, He will come to you, For He’s only a prayer away…’

 Oh friends, that was a wonderful version! And what I truly like about the song is that it’s short and simple, but very much to the point. You ask the Lord for something within His will, and He’ll certainly do it for you. As Jesus says: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8) And if Jesus says it’s so, then it is so!

And what did we ask for above there? Comfort, when things weren’t going our way. And what did Jesus promise when He told the disciples about His going back to heaven? ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you for ever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.’ (John 14:15-19) 

Yuh see that mih people: Jesus promised the disciples, and consequently us, a Comforter in the form of the Holy Spirit, who will live within us and transmit His messages to us. And furthermore, on the topic of comfort, listen to these wonderful words of Bruh Paul in his second letter to the church at Corinth. ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of 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 trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4) 

Now isn’t that simply awesome; the Lord comforts us so that we can comfort others. That’s the wonderful kind of God we serve my faithful brethren! And, as per asking the Lord to walk with us the darkness, listen as Isaiah pours it out: ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death upon them the light hath shined.’ (Is. 9:2) And who was that light? None other than Jesus, for as He says in one of His many ‘I Am’ statements: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12)

What more can we ask for eh? And if that isn’t enough, then listen as the psalmist tells us about the Lord’s Word. ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) So however you take it, once you’re in the Lord’s space, you have light now and forevermore! And though we never asked for riches, the Lord gave us wealth untold in the beauty of His magnificent universe, and eyes wherewith to see, admire and enjoy it. As Bruh David says in Psalm 19: ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament (expanse of heaven) sheweth his handiwork (the work of his hands).’ (Ps. 19:1) 

Now here comes possibly the most important part of the song: ‘I thank the Lord for everything.’ Yes friends, thanks to Almighty God for all that He’s done for us, especially since we don’t deserve any of it, is of the utmost importance! And so is counting our many blessings, which is all wrapped up in these scriptures of Bruh Paul. To the Ephesians he says: ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;’ (Eph. 5:18-20)

Then to the Philippians he wrote: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation (gentleness, reasonableness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:4-7) Meanwhile, to the Thessalonians, he simply says: ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (Thess. 5:16-18) 

And how do we connect it all? Through the greatest privilege in the world; PRAYER! As the Lord says through Jeremiah: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all of your heart.’ (Jer. 29:11-13) The message could not be any clearer than that my brethren, so please let’s take it to heart and put it into action nuh. For remember all that the Lord’s doing is for our benefit, not His. Much LOVE!

…when you embrace Jesus…the best of everything is bestowed on you like…light…life…LOVE…comfort…joy…and peace…amongst many other things…

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