01 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Almithy god is a total God, Bible, bless the LOrd o my soul, bless the righteous, calm, christianity, Christians, contentment, deepen my breath, doing the Lord's work, dreary winter days, even the youths shall faint and be weary, faith, for his wonderful works to the children of men, forget not all his benefits, give thanks unto the Lord for He is good, gives power to the faint, God's act of saving from a perilous situation, he delivered them from their distresses, he increases strength, his mercy endures for ever, holy spirit, I may know you all the more, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let the redeemed of the Lord say so, let those who love thy name rejoice in thee, LOVE, mercy, mount up with wings as eagles, neither is he weary, O Give thanks unto the Lord, peace, quiet my soul, reconciliation with God, redeems thy life from destruction, redemption, relax my muscles, renew our faith and physical energy, run and not be weary, sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, salvation, satisfies thy mouth with good things, saved from sin and its consequences, shall renew their strength, sincerity, slow my thoughts, thank you for this tenderness, the bondage of sin, the Father of mercies, the God of All Comfort, the Lord fainteth not, there's no searching of his understanding, they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, they that wait upon the Lord, thy youth is renewed like the eagle's, truth, unceasing nearness, walk and not faint, wisdom, with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield, young men shall fall, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Psalm 103:2. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
Awright friends, it’s our lazy-day Saturday, and a bright and sunshiny though pretty cold one; something like minus 13. Nevertheless, it’s so good to see some sunshine after such a long period of damp, cloudy and dreary winter days. The sun almost blinded me when I opened the blinds a short while ago, and I said to myself, that can’t be true, sunshine after all this time? But it is true, and we thank the Lord, for His goodness to us undeserving children of men! (smile) Anyway, enough prattle, let’s turn to our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer and offer it up with all sincerity and truth.
As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Oh my people, that prayer is so sweet and compelling that if our voices came from a sincere heart with right motives, the Lord cannot help but answer it with a rush of peace, calm and contentment to our needy souls. Did you feel it? I certainly did. I felt that calm and peaceful feeling just washing over me, helping me to let go of any anxieties and fears that I hitherto had. Hope the same thing happened to you, for our God is a God of comfort and peace. As Bruh Paul calls Him: ‘the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.’ (2 Cor. 1:3) And so He is!
Now, yesterday we began looking at some of the many benefits to be had in God’s kingdom, taking our cue from Bruh David’s words in Psalm 103: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.’ (Ps. 103:2) But unfortunately, we ran out of time after talking about two of the biggest benefits, forgiveness of sins, and healing of our diseases. So, let’s continue now with the list of benefits that Bruh David identifies. ‘Who redeemeth thy life from destruction…’
Now what does that mean? Well, basically “Redeeming” signifies God’s act of rescuing or saving someone from a perilous situation, in this case, from destruction. And we see it all throughout the Bible where God rescues His people from destruction. It’s a sacred promise found in Psalm 5: ‘But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest (protects, covers) them: let them also that LOVE thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass (surround) him as with a shield.’ (Ps. 5:11-12)
And nowhere do we see that better than in Psalm 107, titled ‘God’s Redemptive Power.’ It reads: ‘O Give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS) endureth forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.
They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary (desolate) way, they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-KINDNESS), and for his wonderful works to the children of men!’ (Ps. 107:1-8)
Oh friends, in times of distress, when we cry out to God for help, He hears and answers. Meanwhile, ‘In the New Testament, “redemption” refers to the act of being saved from sin and its consequences through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, essentially “buying back” humanity from the bondage of sin by paying the price through his blood on the cross, allowing reconciliation with God and the possibility of eternal life; this is considered the central act of salvation in Christianity.’ And Bruh Paul puts it thus to the church at Ephesus: ‘In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.’ (Eph. 1:7)
And when we come to the next benefit; ‘who crowneth thee with (LOVING-KINDESS) and tender mercies;’ (Ps. 103:4b) it all dovetails very nicely, because when the Lord redeems us from our distresses, be they sins or physical disasters, He also crowns us with His awesome grace, favour and mercy. One is a natural part of the other. He won’t simply redeem us then leave us to our own designs. No way! Our God does everything in totality. And this next benefit tells it exactly like it is: ‘Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:5)
The Lord gives us good food to eat, when we’re hungry, like He gave the Israelites manna in the wilderness for forty years, and also puts good words in our mouths, from His Word. The two of them combine to renew both our physical and spiritual selves. As Isaiah says in these well-known verses: ‘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)
Oh my fellow saints, on this lazy-day Saturday, the first day of February 2025, let’s take time to ponder all that we’ve said and allow it to renew both our faith and our physical energy, so that we can mount up with wings as eagles, and not grow weary in doing the Lord’s work! Much LOVE!
…Almighty God is a total God…in Him… EVERYTHING can be found for living life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, as the problems increas, as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, asleep at the wheel, backsliders, be able to comfort them which are in trouble, Bible, blessed be God, by the comfort, calamity, call upon me, chaotic world, christianity, comforts us in tribulation, divine aid, errors of their ways, eternal life, eternal separation from God, faithful believers, fellowship, find me, Friday chant, god, God still runs things, God still sits on His throne, hard hearted attitudes, holy spirit, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I will hearken unto you, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, new flock of believers, nothing happens unless God allows it, omnipotent help, our consolation aboundeth by Christ, pray unto me, rolling hellbound, salvation, search for me with all your heart, seek me, shocking results, slavatio, so does consolation, stubborn, suffer the consequences, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the divide between God and man, the example, the Father of all mercies, the God of All Comfort, the lustful and prideful ways of the world, the straight and narrow path, the throne of grace, the wide and winding path, this too must pass, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end, truth, unexpected storms, ungodly times, ungraeful, wake up and smell the coffee, we ourselves are comforted of God, wise guidance
2 Corinthians 1:5. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation (comfort) aboundeth by Christ, (as the problems increase, so does the consolation).
So Friday is here at last, and all the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ rise to high heaven, in thanksgiving for the upcoming end of another tough work week; what with the shocking results of the U.S. Presidential occupying the minds and sensibilities of our already chaotic world. But yuh know what friends? That, like everything else in this crazy world must pass!
Granted, some unnatural and evil things might befall us before it does, but let’s remember that the Great God Jehovah still sits on His heavenly throne and still runs things, though it may seem He is asleep at the wheel. But that’s incorrect, for nothing happens in this world unless He allows it. That’s the comfort we have to take as believers in His Son Jesus Christ. And consequently, let’s never forget these most encouraging words of Bruh Paul from his second missive 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 any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation (comfort) aboundeth by Christ, (as the problems increase, so does the consolation). (2 Cor. 1:3-5)
Now that’s the wonderful God we serve my fellow believers! One who comforts us in all our trials, so that we can comfort each other with that same comfort we receive from Him! Wow! Please give our amazing and awesome God some thanks and praise for His goodness and mercy to us, underserving children of men! For we certainly don’t deserve all that He’s done on our behalf, but His LOVE towards us is so great that He just cannot help Himself!
Remember He made us for Himself; to have wonderful and LOVING fellowship with Him, and to do His will, so His connection to us is undeniably strong. The problem is that we haven’t returned the LOVE that He desires of us, that’s why there’s the divide between us, a divide He’s desirous of fixing and doing His best to fix, but we, with our stubborn, hardhearted, ungrateful attitudes are refusing to have anything to do with the fixing, preferring the lustful and prideful ways of the world.
Then we’ll just have to suffer whatever consequences those ungodly things and actions bring us, praying that hopefully, before it’s too late, we wake up and see the wrongness of our ways. Remember how Jesus emphasized that we walk the straight and narrow and difficult path that leads to Him and eternal life, and not the wide, winding and easy path that we’re choosing which leads to hellfire and eternal damnation, to eternal separation from Almighty God. (Matt. 7:13-14) And nowhere in time has this wisdom been more important and necessary than right now, as our world seems to be rolling hell bound with increasing speed as each and every day goes by.
Oh my fellow saints, please, let’s remember what God said to Israel through the prophet Jeremiah, when He exiled them to Babylon for their disobedience and idolatrous ways. He promised to return them to their land after a period of seventy years had elapsed. ‘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). (Jer. 29:11)
And that sounds like a wonderful promise, but it was not going to happen automatically, for the Lord added this addendum to it: ‘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 your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13)
Yes friends, the Lord won’t rain down blessings on us for no good reason. No! We have to sincerely seek and search for Him with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds. Remember Jesus said that was the first and great commandment. (Matt. 22:37) And if we don’t follow that first commandment, how can we expect to receive anything good from God eh?
That’s just a fool’s wisdom. You can’t dilly dally, or hob knob with Satan and sin, and then expect to receive salvation and eternal life from God. That’s never going to happen! Not even in our wildest dreams! So please, let’s wake up and see the frail, fickle and sinful state of our world nuh, and make the wise and wonderful decision to forsake sin and Satan and return to Jesus Christ and His righteousness. And to help us make that magnificent change, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid in our time of great need.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And let’s not fool ourselves with that prayer, for divine aid will not be forthcoming unless we step up to the plate and become better examples of Christian belief! Much LOVE!
…God is good and merciful and compassionate…but He also expects us to…sincerely seek Him…and obey His will and ways…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Sep 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, according to his riches in glory, as one whom his mother comforteth, backsliders, be able to comfort them which are in trouble, be known to his servants, Bible, blessed be God, boasting on your behalf, boldness of speech, but for a season, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God, christianity, comforted us by the coming of Titus, comforteth us in our tribulation, crying out for your help, error of their ways, exceeding joyful, faith, filled with comfort, Friday 13th, Friday chant, god, God that comforteth, grace be to you, great is thy faithfulness, his compassions fail not, his indignation to his enemies, holy spirit, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I even I am he that comforteth you, in all our tribulation, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jesus Christ, LOVE, made you sorry with a letter, mercy, my God shall supply all your needs, omnipotent help, our sinful world, peace from God our Father, picture of comfort, so will I comfort you, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example we faithful believers set, the Father of all mercies, the God of All Comfort, the hand of the Lord, the Son of man, this is the day the Lord has made, those that are cast down, thou shouldst be afraid of a mortal man, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wisdom
Isaiah 66:13a. As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you:
And it’s finally Friday! Friday the 13th to boot! But that doesn’t matter in the least, for we children of Almighty God don’t believe in the old wives tales like not walking under a ladder on a Friday the 13th, or allowing a black cat to cross our paths! No we’re staunch believers in Christ Jesus who protects and guides us through His Word and His Holy Spirit. Thus we can say with all certainty and comfort: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is upon us at last!
Then we joyfully follow that up with: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps. 118:24) And a couple other acclamations won’t hurt either. (smile) Like: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ (Phil. 4:13) Yes, that one strengthens us, but what about this other marvellous and reassuring acclamation about satisfying our needs. ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19)
Now that takes care of our strength and our needs, but then we have this awesome reassurance from Jeremiah in His Lamentations regarding mercy and compassion. ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:22-23)
Oh my people, what a great God we serve! But that’s not all the assurances we have, no way! Here’s the one I really want to bring home to us this beautiful, sunshiny morning of Friday the 13th of September 2024. Let’s read then these heartfelt and reassuring words on comfort from Bruh Paul in his second missive to the church at Corinth.
He declares: ‘Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 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. 1:2-4)
Wow mih bredrin! How wonderful is that eh! The Lord comforts us in all our trials and tribulations so that we can comfort others who are also going through hardships. And that’s how the Lord ofttimes works through us: helping us with or through something, which then enables us to help others in the same boat. And here are a couple of scriptures from Isaiah that corroborate Bruh Paul’s statement, re the comfort of God.
Isaiah writes: ‘I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die (mortal man), and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?’ (Is. 51:12-13)
Yes my fellow believers, our God is our eternal comfort, and we do Him and ourselves a great injustice by not appreciating and gladly accepting His amazing comfort. For hear the prophet Isaiah again, as he talks about rejoicing with Jerusalem. ‘As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you: and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb (grass): and the hand of the Lord shall be known toward (to) his servants, and his indignation toward (to) his enemies.’ (Is. 66:13-14)
Oh, what a beautiful picture of comfort that is my people! But here’s the other side of the coin, the practical side, as Bruh Paul believes in delivering. This from his second letter to the Corinthians. ‘Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you (boasting on your behalf): I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation. 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 (your zeal for me); so that I rejoiced the more. For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent (regret it), though I did repent (regret it): for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season (a short while).’ (2 Cor. 7:4-8)
Yes friends, not only was Bruh Paul comforted by the coming of his protégé Titus, but also by the news that although he had written a rather severe letter to the Corinthians re their Christian shortcomings, they had eventually agreed to his charges an repented of their shortcomings. Such is the mysterious workings and comforting of our great God my brethren! Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant seeking comfort and help in these very needy times.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And may we remember that like the Corinthians in Bruh Paul’s time, our current Christian behaviour is not up to scratch, and until we improve it, we will not see any divine aid! Much LOVE!
…one of God’s many attributes…is His ability to provide…lasting and sincere comfort…
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
21 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a friend beyond compare, a man lay down his life for his friends, alone, Bible, bitter, cast thy burden upon the Lord, cast your every care upon him, casting all your care upon him, Christ is our best friend, christianity, come unto me all ye that labour, comfort, discouraged, disillusioned, exalt you in due time, faith, family struggles, fellowship, forsaken, God's faithfulness, God's sufficiency, greater love hath no man than this, he careth for you, he shall sustain thee, He will pardon you today, help us through the fog, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, I will give you rest, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Willard Peterson, loss of freedoms, LOVE, my burden is light, my yoke ie easy, no one understands like Jesus, our souls and spirits rejuvenated, sacrificial praise, salvation, solace, song of praise, the days are dark and grim, the Father of mercies, the God of All Comfort, the gospel truth, the great invitation, the Lord's Day, the presence of the Lord, the throne of mercy, truth, wisdom, you falter on the way
1 Peter 5:7. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Wake up people, it’s the Lord’s day! Time to make our way to His sanctuary, to gather in fellowship, offering thanks and praise, while having our souls and spirits rejuvenated by His awesome LOVE, grace and mercy! And today’s song of praise and worship is an interesting one, written in the later years of the twentieth century by Kansas born Christian musician, Army Air Force Pilot, Moody Bible Institute Attendee, John Willard Peterson (1921-2006) The hymn is titled ‘No One understands like Jesus,’ which is the gospel truth, and it’s one in which we all can find comfort and solace from our worldly problems, just like the author found them when he wrote the song.
The story goes that Peterson was employed by a gospel ministry when a supervisory position came open, and he was led to believe that he would receive the promotion, but instead someone from outside was brought in to fill the position. Obviously he was disillusioned and discouraged but tried not to get bitter. Then one night he happened to meet the said man, who, though he seemed to be a pleasant person, that night made several hurting and caustic remarks to Peterson.
And according to Peterson: ‘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.’ And that’s how this immortal, most appropriate song for hurting hearts was born.
So let’s sing it now, raise our voices in sweet, sacrificial praise, in a soulful gospel fashion, echoing all the sincerity and truth it contains. Singing: ‘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.’
And as we said before, that’s the gospel truth! No human being can ever reach the level of understanding that our Lord and Saviour has for us! And I like how this commentary shows the appropriateness of the song in all of our lives. It says: ‘All of us go through periods when we feel all alone, and nobody seems to care. The problems seem so heavy, and we wish that we just had somebody who could help us through the fog that we face. The difficult times that we are now living in have brought new, heavy tensions. Unemployment, bills, mortgages, illnesses, family struggles, fears, terrorism, loss of freedoms, uncertainty – heavy burdens to bear. Unfortunately, during the past year three acquaintances of mine have committed suicide to escape their troubles. A hymn by John Peterson has often been a comfort to me when I have faced these seemingly “impossible” pressures.’
And no doubt it has also been a comfort to many more of us, especially in the trying and troubled times that we’ve recently been through, and are still going through. So what’s the scriptural basis for the song? Peterson says that as the song came to him he began to write the comforting words from Psalm 55: The Plea of the Fearful, where Bruh David solemnly advises us to ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be shaken.’ (Ps. 55:22) Now that’s another surefire promise that the Lord will always keep!
Then Peterson, turned to Peter, who had witnessed the perfidy of Judas, and also his own denial of Jesus three times, but then went outside and wept bitterly (John 18:15-27) He echoes the words of Bruh David. ‘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. 6-7) And nobody knew this better than Peter, because Christ eventually forgave him for his denials.
Christ is also our best friend as the opening verse of the hymn intimates. Remember Christ’s words to the disciples: ‘Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.’ (John 15:13-15) And there you have the greatest bond between friends, the sharing of knowledge, then Jesus went out and laid down His life for us all! You could not get a better friend than that!
And I believe there’s no better scripture to end with today than Jesus’ Great Invitation, where He invites all and sundry to come to Him, regardless of our trials and troubles. Thus, He says: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) Yes my fellow saints, let’s remember those most inviting words and take advantage of them, because we will certainly not find that kind of faithful and true invitation anywhere else. Much LOVE!
…Blessed be God…even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…the Father of mercies…and the God of ALL Comfort… (2 Cor. 1:3)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
30 May 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: addicted to good weather, an hypocrite will not come before him, and not receive evil, be secure in our faith, belief, comforts us in our troubles, curse God and die, feared God and eschewed evil, God is a place of refuge, God will work all things out for our good, He also shall be my salvation, hope, hurry, I am the beloved of god, I will maintain mine own ways before him, in god's eyes, Job was perfect and upright, Lead me in thy truth, live a successful life in Christ, LOVE, our bounden duty, shall we receive good at the hand of God, share His love with my neighbours, shew me thy ways O Lord, the enemy playing with our minds, the God of All Comfort, Though he slay me, trust, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, why God allows bad things to happen to good folks, worry
Job 13:15. Though he slay me, yet will I trust him: but I will maintain (defend) mine own ways before him.
Then it was Tuesday – more sunshine and warm weather. And if we’re not careful, we might just get addicted to such beautiful weather yes! But let’s remember, like Job said to his wife, when she wanted him to curse God and die after the terrible losses they suffered: ‘What, shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil (accept calamity)?’ (Job 2:10)
Now that’s something many of us are guilty of; we jump for joy and praise God to the high heavens when we receive good things, but when the opposite happens, we are totally distressed and ready to make all sorts of disparaging comments about Him; wondering where He is, what kind of God He is to allow such calamitous things to happen to such righteous folks.
But God never promised that there’d be no hiccups, or disasters or distressing circumstances in our lives just because we believe in Jesus. A lot of us get the wrong idea, that belief in Jesus and all the talk of salvation, abundant and eternal life means easy street for the rest of our lives, with no problems. However, what God promised was to work all things out for our eventual good, if we hold on to our belief in His Son Jesus and do His will. (Rom. 8:28) That’s a horse of an entirely different colour.
Our world is full of evil things, people and circumstances, and therefore, at some time or other some unfair, unwarranted, unexpected, unfortunate, undeserved stuff is going to happen to us. And the big difference between us believers and the unbelievers is that when unfortunate things happen to us, we have Jesus to turn to for help and comfort.
Remember as Bruh Paul said 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 any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves were comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4)
Now that’s a very important scripture for to us to bury deep in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls and not be afraid to use whenever needed. Who do you think comforted Job in his distress? It wasn’t his wife, his family or his friends, who came and taunted him about the sins they thought he’d committed for such calamity to befall him. But the Bible tells us that: ‘There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect (blameless) and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed (shunned) evil.’ (Job 1:1)
So Job obviously was no big time sinner like some of us, and his friends and family must have known that, but they had the mindset set that many of us still have, that tough times only befall you when you commit some sin or the other and God is therefore punishing you for it. But that is the furthest thing from the truth. God does meet out punishment for wrongdoing in His own way and time, but not every mishap that occurs to us means it’s because of sin.
And like Job, if we know that we have not committed any terrible sin, why should we think that God is punishing us for it? That’s just the enemy playing with our minds, one of his many deceitful pranks, hoping we’d blame God for our misfortune and thus turn away from Him. But again, like Job, we need to be secure in our faith, and whatever happens, even when it doesn’t make sense, and we don’t understand it, don’t blame God, but surely turn to Him for comfort and solace, because He is the God of all comfort, and He can make things right.
That should be one of our strongest beliefs, if we hope to live a successful Christian life, for in this evil and ungodly world, we are constantly bombarded by all sorts of wrongdoings and hurtful circumstances, and if we don’t have a place of refuge to turn to, when those things happen, then we’re in big trouble. And the Lord God Almighty is the ONLY One who can address such hurts in a compassionate and caring manner.
Bruh David in his many trials and troubles said it thus in Psalm 25. ‘Unto thee. O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait (in faith) on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress (deal treacherously) without cause. Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation: on thee do I wait all the day.’ (Ps. 25:1-5)
Now that’s how we ought to be thinking my fellow believers! Take it to God in prayer and ask for divine help, rather than blame and abuse Him for causing our problems, like so many of us tend to do. Very few of us will ever undergo the trials and tribulations Bruh David went through, or commit the magnitude of sins that he committed, but he never wavered in his faith, because he knew who was on his side, the God of his forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And thus, he did not fear or worry, just kept taking all his problems to Him.
Likewise Job, in all his calamity, never once blamed it on God, though I’m sure he wondered why such misfortune had befallen him when he was trying his best to live right. And in the midst of all his problems and the castigation by his friends, his faith was strong enough that he could make these most memorable statements. ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust him: but I will maintain (defend) mine own ways before him. He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall come before him. Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration (yesss!!!) with your ears.’ (Job 13:15-17)
Wow! What awesome words of faith my brethren! Do we have such faith? Not many of us do in these tough, ungodly and evil times, but that is exactly the measure of faith we need, if we intend to successfully navigate through this turbulent world. And for those of us who are sincerely trying to develop such amazing faith, let’s go home now declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
Altogether now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now, it’s our bounden duty to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with all we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…without strong hope, trust and belief …strong faith is impossible…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
19 Mar 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fearful spirit, a wise and understanding heart, be content with what you have, be not afraid, be strong and of a good courage, God answers prayer, God will come to you if you ask him to, God's generosity, He's only a prayer away, I asked the Lord, I asked the Lord to comfort me, I asked the Lord to walk with me, I count all my blessings each day, I only had to pray, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, I will see you through, impoverished Americans, Jimmy Duncan, Johnny Lange, lengthen thy days, let your conversation be without covetousness, LOVE, Mule Train, neither be thou dismayed, never be afraid, sacrificial praise, the God of All Comfort, the Lord he it is that goes before thee, the Lord thy God is with thee wherever you go, walk in my ways, when darkness was all I knew
Hebrews 13:5. Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Well, a good mildly snowy Sunday morning to you, my fellow believers in Christ Jesus! It’s oh so wonderful that we could gather in the Lord’s sanctuary to praise, worship and give thanks to our magnificent and ever-LOVING Creator! We are indeed blessed to have such a marvellous God in whom we can put our utmost trust and faith, knowing that He LOVES us unconditionally and will never leave us, nor let us down. He’s said that several times in His word.
Moses said it on the Lord’s behalf to the children of Israel. ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’ (Deut.31:8) Then the Lord said it Himself to Joshua when He made him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. ‘Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:9)
Now it couldn’t be any more explicit or reassuring than that, coming from the Lord Himself! It’s one of my favourite scriptures. I like how the Lord spoke to Joshua man to man, with no beating about the bush. (smile) And that’s how He usually speaks to all of His people. And for good measure, the author of Hebrews wisely advises us: ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Heb. 13:5)
And if that doesn’t satisfy your fearful spirit, then I don’t know what will. (smile) But now we’re moving on to our song of worship for today, one that’s not so old, less than a century, written somewhere in the second half of the 20th century by two hit-making songwriters, Jimmy Duncan (1927-2011) and Johnny Lange (1905-2006). Amongst Duncan’s hits was the country and Western tune, ‘My Special Angel,’ sung by Bobby Helms. And Lange (actress Hope Lange’s father) gave us that rollick song, ‘Mule Train,’ sung in that big voice of Frankie Lane. But only the old folks will remember those seminal tunes.
And just for our background knowledge, it seems that the Mule Train was an important part of American History. ‘The Mule Train, a protest caravan as part of Martin Luther King and Ralph Abernathy’s Poor People’s Campaign, where protestors rode in covered wagons pulled by mules leaving Marks, Mississippi on 13 May 1968 to converge on Washington, D.C. It was part of Martin Luther King Jr.’s last major effort to mobilize impoverished Americans of different races and ethnic backgrounds.’
But enough background now. Let’s get to our today song, simply titled, ‘I asked the Lord.’ And likewise, the words are few and simple, but the sentiment is monumental. So let’s offer up today’s sacrificial praise in a soulful, mid-tempo, joyful version, for it is a song of joy. A lot of people sing it slow and dirge-like, but I like the Carroll Roberson version, which is more up-tempo, with some life in it.
So, finally, let’s sing. ‘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. And He will come to you, if you ask Him to, For He’s only a prayer away. Yes, He’s only a prayer away.’
And isn’t that the living truth my fellow saints! Our God is only a prayer away! All we need to do to contact Him is pray. Wow! It’s instant communication! Not even the faster computer or internet service has instant response. They all take some time to deliver their message, but with our God, He receives it right away. Sometimes we don’t even have to speak it, just think it and away it goes to heaven! Ah friends, I don’t know how to truly bring home to us the great importance of prayer and trusting our wonderful God. But the song says it all.
When He’s asked for comfort He provides it. Bruh Paul states it thus 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 any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4) Mama oh Mama! How wise and beautiful is that eh? Our God comforts us so that we can turn around and comfort others with that same comfort He proffered to us.
And as per walking with us when we’re alone and or afraid, we’ve already seen at the beginning, scriptures where the Lord promised to be with His people, all the time, so they need not be afraid or fear to be forsaken. And I truly LOVE the awesome generosity of our God. The person in the song says that they didn’t ask for riches, but He gave them wealth untold. This time in the form of eyes to see the moon and stars and the sun in the sky. But remember what the Lord did for Cousin Sol when he became king after Bruh David?
In 1 Kings 3, The Lord appeared to him and asked him what he wanted. With a wisdom far greater than his 12 years, Cousin Sol asked for wisdom and guidance, an understanding heart to rule the people. And it so pleased the Lord that Cousin Sol had asked for wisdom and understanding, rather than riches and long life and the life of his enemies, He gave Him what he’d asked for: ‘a wise and understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.’ (1 Kin. 3:12)
He also gave him what he didn’t ask for; ‘riches and honour: so that there shall not be any (one) among the kings like unto thee all thy days. And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen (prolong) thy days.’ (1 Kin. 3:13-14) That’s why Cousin Sol is known as the wisest and richest man ever! And that’s how generous our God can be when we please Him, when we walk in His ways.
Now there are a couple of things I’d like us to note before we close. The person in the song states that he counts his blessings each and every day. And that’s a habit we should all acquire asap, because it pleases God to see that we’re thankful, and it also reminds us of God’s generosity while encouraging us to put our faith and trust in Him. The second point is that all it took to get those excellent results was prayer. Yes, God answers sincere prayer. And whatever your situation today, He’s only a prayer away. And if you don’t remember anything else, please remember that! It will serve you in very good stead. Much LOVE!
you want to move God…then open up your heart…and pray…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
26 Feb 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beast before thee, a crown of righteousness, blessed be God, don't lose faith, finished my course, God is the strength of my heart, God on the Mountain, He'll make things go right, I have fought the good fight, I have put my trust in the Lord, I may declare all thy works, I will fear no evil, it is good for me to draw near to God, Jehovah-Jireh, life is easy when you're on the mountain, LOVE, Lynda Randle, my flesh and my heart faileth, never give up, peace of mind like you've never known, still God in the valley, the Father of mercies, the God of All Comfort, the God of the bad times, the God of the good times, the God on the mountain, the Holy spirit is our shepherd, the righteous judge, the time of my departure is at hand, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, Tracy Dartt
Psalm 73:28. But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.
It’s that time once again friends, to come on down to the Lord’s sanctuary and join other believers in worship, praise and thanks to our Creator and Provider, Jehovah Jireh! Yes, there’s no better place to be on the Lord’s Day than in the Lord’s house. And as often as possible, we should endeavour to pay a visit to His house on Sundays, because that’s where and when we are renewed, refreshed and made ready to face the upcoming work week and all the ungodly stuff that will come against us out there in the crazy, turbulent world.
And today’s song of worship is an interesting one, in that it tells us about both the highs and lows of life, and is aptly titled ‘God on the Mountain.’ It’s a song written by Tracy Dartt and made popular by the gospel artist Lynda Randle. So, let’s offer up our sacrifices of praise in a soulful, mid-tempo harmonious version, making note of the simple but very important sentiments it offers.
Singing: ‘Life is easy, when you’re up on the mountain And you’ve got peace of mind, like you’ve never known But things change, when you’re down in the valley Don’t lose faith, for you are never alone For the God on the mountain, is still God in the valley When things go wrong, He’ll make them right And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times The God of the day, is still God in the night
We talk of faith way up on the mountain But talk comes easy, when life’s at its best Now it’s down in the valleys, trials and temptations That’s where your faith is really put to the test For the God on the mountain, is still God in the valley, When things go wrong, He’ll make them right And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times The God of the day, is still God in the night The God of the day, is still God in the night.’
Yes my fellow saints, it’s short, simple, sweet and to the point. Our God is the same God whether it’s day or night, whether we’re on the mountain top or down in the valley, whether things are going right or wrong. He’s the same one we must turn to in ALL circumstances, for He is the ONLY ONE that has all the answers!, and who’s promised to work everything out eventually for our good. (Rom. 8:28)
And none of us can ever get away from the comparison between life on the mountain and life in the valley, because we all visit either place at some time or other in our earthly lives. For as the song says, ‘Life is easy, when you’re up on the mountain And you’ve got peace of mind, like you’ve never known But things change, when you’re down in the valley.’
Now isn’t that the awesome truth! We talk a big talk when we’re living high on the hog, but when our circumstances fail, that’s a horse of a different colour. We don’t talk as big, sometimes we even lose our voices and go dumb. (smile) But that’s exactly when we ought to allow our faith to rise up and keep us steadfast and strong, because although we might be down in the dumps, we’re never alone. No, our wonderful God is always with us, wherever we are, whatever our situation, be it day or night, it’s the same great God that controls our lives.
And we couldn’t find a better scripture to encourage us when we’re in the depths of the valley than these marvellous words of Bruh David from the magnificent Psalm 23. ‘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.’ And Bruh David, being a shepherd, could write with sure testimony of the value of the shepherd’s rod and staff in taking care of the sheep. And like a kind and compassionate shepherd, Our God uses the Holy Spirit to do His shepherding in our lives; leading and guiding us in the best ways possible to do His will and accomplish His plan for our destiny.
Now here’s another excellent scripture on much needed faith during adversity. It comes from the psalmist Asaph, when he almost fell prey to the prosperity of the wicked. But after he caught himself, and in the sanctuary of the Lord to boot, he wrote: ‘So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. nevertheless, I am continually with thee: thou hast holden (held) me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart (my rock), and my portion for ever. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee (are unfaithful to thee). But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.’ (Ps. 73:22-28)
Ah mih people, how can we quarrel with those words and sentiments eh? We can’t, because they are the living truth, it’s what our great God is all about. And both Bruh David and Asaph, and also many of us can speak from personal experience of God’s help in both the rough and the good times. The important thing is that we NEVER GIVE UP! I like to say those words are not in Jesus’ vocabulary, so we can’t ever use them. (smile)
And when we talking about comfort in the tough times, brother, there’s none better at that than our ever-LOVING God. Listen to how Bruh Paul describes it to the church at Corinth in his second missive. ‘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 any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4)
Now how can you beat that eh? Our God comforts us so that we can comfort others with the comfort that He comforted us! Mama Mia! And how can I not LOVE and worship Him! And here’s a most fitting scripture to close with today. It’s from Bruh Paull’s second letter to Timothy, when he knew that his time was running out.
He wrote: ‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:6-8)
Oh, my fellow believers, please let’s raise our level of faith, good works and whatever else we need to raise, so that at the end of our days, we will be able to make such a positive declaration. (steups!!!) Much LOVE!
… the Lord God Jehovah is all we need…in this life…and the next…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
29 Oct 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: able to comfort those in trouble, aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, be of good cheer, being confident of this very thing, bless the LOrd o my soul, do it afraid, dreaming dreams, fear not, forgiveth all thine iniquities, frget not all his benefits, he which hath begun a good work, healeth all thy diseases, heavenly benefits, i have overcome the world, in this world ye shall tribulation, lazy-day Saturday, let not your heart be afraid, limit to our realization of tomorrow, LOVE, our doubts of today, redeemeth thy life from destruction, satisfieth thy mouth with good things, setting goals, simply listening to someone is a treasured gift, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, take therefore no thought for tomorrow, the God of All Comfort, thy youth is renewed like the eagle's, today's doubts will affect tomorrow's outcome, tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself, who comforteth us in all our tribulation, will perform it until the day of Jesus
Philippians 1:6. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (continue doing it) until the day of Jesus Christ.
Then it was that day we call lazy day Saturday. And have I ever been lazy this bright but chilly Saturday morning despite having stuff to do. But it’s oh so glorious to just laze around, especially in bed, and allow nothing to disturb your peaceful equilibrium! (smile) Life goes on though, and if we don’t want to get left behind, we cannot allow that lazy spell to continue for too long. So here I am writing the Bit, contemplating the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And the first quote says: ‘The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts today.’ And that has some truth to it, because if we are in a doubting frame of mind today, then tomorrow we will not be as confident as we should be to move ahead with whatever God has planned for us. It’s a definite fact that doubts today will affect tomorrow’s outcomes. However, on the other hand, we need to remember Jesus’ admonition about tomorrow. ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow (therefore do not worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34)
Yes friends, we ought to consider tomorrow, but our concentration should be on today, on enjoying today as fully as possible, because what’s called tomorrow will have its own problems, which we can take care of when it’s called today. (smile) Then this next quote tells us: ‘Don’t be afraid. Because you’re going to be afraid. But remember when you become afraid, just don’t be afraid.’ That’s somewhat confusing, but in a strange way it does have a certain amount of truth.
Oh, we will all be afraid many times during our lives, it’s just a natural fact of life, but the big difference lies in how we handle that fear. Some of us whimper and cower and are totally devastated by our fear, while others find courage to overcome their fear. And I like how Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) puts it. ‘Just do it afraid!’ Now that’s easier said than done, but believers in Christ Jesus have the awesome power to do just that, since our Lord and Saviour through His Holy Spirit enables us to overcome the fear in our lives. Remember one of His favourite pronouncements was ‘Fear not.’
And these two scriptures spoken by Jesus, give us the ability to handle fear. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) Yes my people, when we have the peace of God dwelling within us, through the power of his Holy Spirit, fear will come against us, but it will not incapacitate us, we will be able to do whatever needs to be done in Jesus’ will.
Now listen to this other verse of marvellous fear limiting. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Wow! What encouragement from our Lord and Saviour. We will all face troubles in this fallen and sinful world, but if we place our sincere trust in Him, those troubles will not lessen our ability to do His will. That’s the second time we’ve said it in the last few lines, so let’s hope it makes some inroads into our consciousness. (smile) There’s absolutely no doubt that we will face fear, and we will be afraid, but with Christ in our lives, that fear won’t overcome us, we will overcome it!
And this next quote leaves me scratching my head somewhat. ‘You have to be where you are to get where you need to go.’ I’m not sure what it’s saying, but I believe it means, philosophically speaking, whatever point you are at in life, that’s where you need to be, if you are going to go where you need to.’ In other words, to get to your preferred destination, there’s a certain place or places you must first pass through, before you can get there. (smile)
Now this quote is much simpler and straightforward. ‘You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.’ And that’s the gospel truth my people, especially if you are a true believer in Almighty God because true believers never stop learning, growing or dreaming, for once there is the breath or the Spirit of God in their bodies, they can think, act and dream. In fact, they are expected to think, act and dream. And how did Bruh Paul put it to the church at Philippi? ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (continue doing it) until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6)
Yuh see my brethren, God is going to continue growing us, continue making us into the likeness of Christ, until the day Christ returns to take us home with Him. That means we are not to just sit on our laurels waiting for Jesus to come back, but to continue growing in His image, every day that we’re alive, and that means dreaming dreams, setting goals and actioning them, until the very day we die.
And is this last quote ever a marvellous one. It says: ‘The simple act of listening to someone and making them feel as if they have truly been heard is a most treasured gift.’ Mama Mia! That’s the truth in spades my fellow believers! But sadly, not all of us can do it. Some of us just can’t do without hearing ourselves talk, but sometimes, no, very often, all we need to do is listen, because all our brethren need is a listening ear, so that they can get their problems off their chests.
And this scripture of Bruh Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians enables us to do that, if we take it seriously. ‘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 any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4)
Glory be my people! What a wonderful God we serve! Which other supposed god comforts their people so that they can comfort others eh? None other than Jehovah God! That’s one of the many reasons why He’s so wonderful, and why we LOVE Him so much! So today, as we go about His business, let’s take a moment to stop and give Him sincere thanks for all the many blessings He’s so generously bestowed on us, in Jesus’ name.
As Bruh David so eloquently reminds us in Psalm 103: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:2-5)
Now, if that doesn’t give us cause for much thanks and praise…then sadly, I don’t know what will nuh. Much LOVE!
…living for Christ offers both earthly and heavenly benefits…while living for Satan only offers the polluted and destructible benefits of earth…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ
15 Aug 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rushing mighty wind, a sound from heaven, a still small voice, cloven tongues like as fire, discovering God's will for our lives, forgivenss, free will, he may abide with you forever, He shall give you another Comforter, heal our land, humble servants, I will pray the Father, if you love me keep my commandments, Jehovah Rapha, joy, lay hold on eternal life, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, peace, sincere repentance, strong faith in Christ, the abundant life, the Creator of the universe, The Day of Pentecost, the God of All Comfort, the God who heals, the Holy Spirit, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, to speak with other tongues
John 14:16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.
Well, glory be, another new work week has begun friends! It’s a bright and beautiful Monday morning, filled with all kinds of promise, if we would only seriously engage God’s Word and put it into action with His omnipotent help. Wow! Nothing could be better than having the Creator of the universe and all therein on our side in ALL that we do!
Remember, yesterday in our praise and worship session, we sang about surrendering our ALL to Him? Well now is the most appropriate time to do just that. Please let him have ALL of us, so that He can work miracles in our lives; enabling us to have the abundant life that He sacrificed His own life for us to have.
And what does that entail, you ask? Well, merely giving us our daily bread, keeping us contented with our earthly possessions, while filling our souls with His LOVE, joy, peace, forgiveness and the promise of eternal life in heaven with Him at a future date. It’s also that we can encourage others to come to Him for salvation, by the way we live our lives. Now that’s not hard to handle eh? (smile)
But unfortunately, it all doesn’t just fall in our laps like manna from heaven. No! We have to put some effort into making it happen, by first discovering God’s will for our individual lives, that’s asking Him about it, then going out into the evil and ungodly world and making it happen, with the help of His Holy Spirit that indwells us for just that purpose.
And if you’re wondering about the Holy Spirit, then listen to these awesome words of Jesus to the disciples, and consequently to us too. ‘If you LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever. 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.’ (John 14:15-18)
Yes, my fellow believers, Jesus made provision on His return to heaven for us to be looked after by the third body of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit! He calls it another Comforter, another like Himself. And the scholars offer this marvellous explanation re the Comforter. ‘The Greek word ‘parakletos’ literally means “one called alongside to help,” hence the idea of a comforter. The Holy Spirit is called ‘another comforter’ because this is also one of Christ’s titles (1 John 2:1, translated “advocate.”.
Illustration: The Father is also known as the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3). Though those in the early church often endured persecution, they found their comfort in the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:31). Application: Today, Christians can find comfort in the Holy Spirit when trials come. (First Ref. John 7:37-39; Primary ref. John 14:16-18).’ What a powerful tool for all us followers of Christ. And by the way, our homework for today is to check out John 7:37-39, to see what else Jesus had to say about the Holy Spirit. (smile)
And furthermore, the scholars also explain that ‘The ministry of the Holy Spirit, promised to believers of this age, is unique since it is given to all believers alike, and is permanent, that is, “takes up residence in them.” And we all know that the Holy Spirit first came to indwell believers on the Day of Pentecost after Jesus had ascended back to heaven.
The Good Book describes the strange scene thus: ‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they (the believers) were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues (in other languages) as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:2-4)
Ah mih people, yuh see how our great God can move in miraculous and mysterious ways! Imagine the stir that must have made in Jerusalem that day nuh! And you can read all about it in the rest of Acts 2; with Peter’s great speech, the acts of the other believers, and the many who accepted Christ that day, ‘some three thousand.’ (smile) And since then, everyone who has claimed Christ as Lord and Saviour has had the Holy Spirit automatically indwell them, to lead and guide them on their wonderful, though sometimes difficult journey with Christ.
But again, we need to stress that the believer has to engage the Holy Spirit, to ask for help, and listen carefully, because it does not always shout out to us, but more often responds in a still, small voice, and it will not try to force us to do anything. So, although it’s there, and will always try to point us in the right direction, our actions are still up to us, we still have complete free will. And with that free will, let’s turn to God in prayer, where our day should always begin.
So, as one sincere but confident voice, let’s invoke our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
With that prayer, it now becomes necessary for us to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts so that the Lord can look positively on our situation. Much LOVE!
…the Holy Spirit is called to lead…and the believer to follow…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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