22 Sep 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a peace that endures, a period of grief, because of the Lord's great love, bright hope for tomorrow, celebrate the Lord's Day, every good and perfect gift is from above, faith, fear not, fellowship, firstfruits of his creatures, God never changes, God works in simple ways, great is thy faithfulness, great is your faithfulness, harvest, he will not fail thee, his compassions never fail, holy spirit, Jesus Christ, LOVE, manifold witness, morning by morning, neither be dismayed, neither forsake thee, new mercies I see, no shadow of turning, no variableness, no variation, nothing we do escapes God's presence, pardon for sin, salvation, springtime, stable as a rock, strength for today, strife-filled times, summer and winter, the consequences of faithlessness, the Father of lights, the gospel truth, the Lord doth go before thee, the rock of ages, they are new every morning, thine own dear presence, Thomas O Chisholm, thou changest not, thy compassions fail not, to cheer, to guide, truth, tumultuous circumstances, voices of thanksgiving, we are not consumed, wherever two or three are gathered in my name, William Runyan, wisdom, worship
Lamentations 3:22-23. Because of the LORD’s great LOVE we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
And once more, in the many times in our lives, we are called on to celebrate the Lord’s Day, preferably in His sanctuary, but wherever two or three believers are gathered, He’s promised to be there and listen to our prayers, our voices of thanksgiving and worship. So the important thing is not so much the place we are gathered, but that we are gathered in a place. (Matt. 18:20) (smile)
And today’s song of worship is a most appropriate one in these dreadful and disastrous times. It was written by Franklin, Kentucky born, Thomas O. Chisholm. (1866-1960) He apparently wrote the poem in 1923 about God’s faithfulness over his lifetime then sent the song to William Runyan in Kansas. Runyan set the poem to music, and it was published that same year by Hope Publishing Company and became popular among church groups.
And it is still very popular to this very day because it reassures us of God’s goodness and faithfulness. So, let’s send up sweet sacrifices of praise to heaven as we sing a mid-tempo, soulful version of the marvellous hymn, ‘Great is Thy Faithfulness!’
Singing: ‘Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with thee. Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; as thou hast been, thou forever wilt be. (Refrain: Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!)
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, sun, moon, and stars in their courses above join with all nature in manifold witness to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and LOVE. [Refrain] Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide, strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
(Refrain: Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me! Oh yes, Lord, great is thy faithfulness unto me! Each and every day I experience it… And I give you much thanks and praise for it… For great is thy faithfulness Lord, yes, great is thy faithfulness…unto me…’
And isn’t that gospel truth my fellow believers? It most certainly is! Every single day we enjoy God’s faithfulness and new mercies because that’s the kind of God He is. And we see the author quoting James in the very first verse. ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.’ (James 1:17-18)
Yes friends, God is the Creator of the universe and all therein, setting everything as stable as they can possibly be…until mankind interferes with them. However, He himself is as stable as the rock of ages. He’s immutable; does not change, which means we can rely on His awesome stability or faithfulness, in every circumstance.
And one of the good things about this song is as this commentary states: ‘Unlike many hymns that have heart-wrenching stories behind them (for instance “It Is Well With My Soul”), “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” is inspired by the simple realization that God is at work in our lives on a daily basis. The hymn reminds us that God doesn’t only work in dramatic or miraculous ways, but also in simple, everyday ways. It also reminds us that Jesus has never failed us in the past, so we have no reason to doubt his faithfulness in the future.’
And that’s more gospel truth friends! The sad problem though is many of us don’t seek or even perceive God in the little things in our daily lives, we only think of Him being in the big things. But in reality, He is there in EVERYTHING! That’s how He operates, He takes pleasure in being involved in whatever we are doing, and that’s why His faithfulness is so awesome. For nothing we do escapes His presence, as He so faithfully promised through Moses, so long ago. ‘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)
Now, if we’re indeed true believers, and really looking for assurance, that’s a scripture we ought to have buried deep in our hearts, minds and souls, for it is the quintessential promise of God – Never to leave nor forsake us. So whatever is happening with us, He’s there right in the middle of it, we just have to acknowledge Him and ask His help.
And in closing, I’d like to offer this other interesting commentary on the song and its writer. It says: ‘Thomas Chisholm, author of “Great is Thy Faithfulness” led a pretty ordinary life. He did not write this hymn during a period of intense grief or after encountering God in a profound way. Instead, he found truth in the words he encountered in Lamentations 3:22-23: “Because of the LORD’s great LOVE we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Jeremiah, on the other hand, was in tumultuous circumstances when writing Lamentations. The people to whom he prophesied did not listen, and he was ostracized and completely alone because of what God called him to do. He also lamented the consequences of their faithlessness. God allowed them to be conquered by the Babylonians, resulting in their entire world being laid to waste.
But in the midst of that utter devastation, Jeremiah still offers them hope on the horizon: they are not completely destroyed because of the LORD’s compassion and faithfulness, and in the morning, after this “dark night of the soul,” things will be better. So whether we are at a place in our lives where everything is pretty ordinary, or whether we are in a period of grief: no matter what our circumstances, God never changes and is faithful to us, sustaining us in his compassion and faithfulness each and every day.’
Oh my fellow saints, please, please, let’s remember that and put it to good use in these treacherous, strife-filled and hateful times, because it’s only for our benefit, not for God’s! Much LOVE!
…when one is offered the faithfulness of Almighty God…it’s foolish to turn it down…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man of knowledge increaseth strength, a means of restoring faith in you, better examples of Christian living, carnality of the flesh, Christ died for us to have life more abundantly, compassion, dare to die, deeply grieves God, distress, faith, famine was in the land of Canaan, fast fading away, for thy sake, Friday chant, God commendeth his own love toward us, God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, hold a dearer place in our hearts, hope, I am persuaded, in all these things we are more than conquerors, in the last days, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, joy, LOVE, love of the first order, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, men shall be lovers of their own selves, mercy, my kindness shall not depart from thee, nakedness, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nothing shall separate us from the love of God, omnipotent help, our hope resides in Jesus, peril, perilous times shall come, persecution, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, should not perish but have everlasting life, steadfast love, summer season, sword, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that neither death nor life nor angels, the covenant of my peace, the error of their ways, the foolish way of the ungodly world, the gospel truth, the Lord that hath mercy, the simmering unrest, tribulation, truth, wake up and and smell the coffee, we are killed all the day long, while we were yet sinners, who shall separate us from the Love of Christ, whosoever believeth in him, wisdom, wise guidance
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
And just in case you don’t realize it friends, on this sunny Friday morning, we’ve just entered the second half of August 2024! And yes, it’s nice to shout ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ but at the same time the month, and thus our summer season is fading fast away! And you know what comes after August? (smile) Why is it though, that the winter season takes so long to finish, while the summer one just seems to rush by?
Because we enjoy the summer but not the winter. And whatever we enjoy, tends to move along more quickly than things we don’t enjoy. That’s just a simple fact of life. But it doesn’t have to affect us that much if all of our hope and joy and strength resides in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. No friends, with God’s LOVE living in and through us, we don’t have to worry about what seems to be quickly fading away.
So this Friday morning let’s look at a few scripture verses that encourage us in the LOVE of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. And there’s no better verse to begin with than this one that sets the stage for everything. The immortal and indisputable words of Jesus: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16)
Wow mih people! What an encouraging verse of scripture showing how great God’s LOVE is, was, and will always be for us, His most important creation. That’s why it hurts His heart, deeply grieves Him when we turn away to the selfish and foolish way of the ungodly world.
Now here’s this other scripture, one of my favourites, which shows just how much God desires us to have fellowship with Him. From the pen of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome: ‘For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his LOVE (demonstrated his own LOVE) toward us , in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:7-8)
That calls for another ‘Wow!’ my brethren! Imagine that nuh. Our Creator caring about us so much, that He sent His One Son to die for us while we were yet mired in our sinful ways, instead of calling on us to change our evil ways before offering any help. Now if that isn’t LOVE of the first order, then I don’t know what is!
And what about this moving and rather encouraging verse from the Old Testament, as spoken through the prophet Isaiah. ‘For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness (steadfast LOVE) shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy (compassion) on thee.’ (Is. 54:10)
Oh my fellow believers, I don’t know how much more we need from God to show His awesome LOVE for us nuh, because He gives it all in His promises and shows it in His marvellous and miraculous actions. And if we would only listen and walk in His holy will and ways, then we’d surely see it all and it would boost our hope, our spirits and our joy to high heaven!
But the carnality of the flesh and the world, seem to hold a dearer place in our hearts, as Bruh Paul said to Timothy: ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves…lovers of pleasures more (rather) than lovers of God.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-2a, 4b) And that’s the gospel truth in these reckless and riotous days!
However, wise and sensible people will turn to God’s Word with His many wonderful promises and words of LOVE to raise their faith in these terrible times. And although there are many scriptures showing God’s unconditional, undying LOVE for us, we’ll end with these further words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome, words of truth that grip the believer’s heart so firmly that it’s useless to turn away.
Please read and inwardly digest with me, these awesome words of caring and compassion. ‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. for I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:35-39)
And my fellow saints, if reading that scripture doesn’t refresh and renew your LOVE for our Triune God, then I don’t know what will! But thankfully, through God’s grace and mercy, we have the option of going to Him in prayer for help, so let’s do that right now, through our Friday Chant, seeking His divine aid in these treacherous and turbulent 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 friends, if we truly desire divine aid, then we have to begin by setting better examples of Christian living than we’re currently doing! Much LOVE!
…God has already shown His LOVE…now He’s waiting for us to reciprocate…to show our LOVE…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciple of Christ, a living sacrifice, a society without discipline, abusing children, an incorruptible crown, an unruly mob, be not conformed to this world, be ye transformed, bring my body into subjection, chasteneth him betimes, crown of righteousness, discipline, disciplining our body, disobeyed your word, divine help, every man that striveth for mastery, faith, faith restored, God's Word, he that loveth him, he that spareth his rod hateth his son, humble ourselves, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, if any man will come after me, infallible truth, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, let him deny himself, live godly lives, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, Monday morning debacle, Olympic Games, pray, present your bodies, running amok, self-control, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, spiritual tank refilled, strong faith in Christ, take up his cross daily, temperate in all things, the bullyboy, the God who heals, the gospel truth, the perfect will of God, the renewing of your mind, the righteous judge, traffic jams, truth, turn from our evil ways, wisdom, wise guidance
1 Corinthians 9:25a. And every man that striveth for the mastery (competes for the prize) is temperate in all things (has self-control).
Ah friends, another weekend disturbing Monday to contend with! But we’re fully able to handle it if we’re true believers in Christ Jesus, went to church yesterday, had our spiritual tank refilled, our faith restored, and we got some decent rest last night. Yes, that’s all it takes to handle the bullyboy called Monday!
The problem though, is that so many of us don’t acquire the necessary tools for the job, the things we just recommended, therefore, come Monday morning we’re scrambling and rushing around helter skelter, frustrated and afraid of being late for work, especially with the maddening traffic jams that constantly clog up the roadways.
And the sad part is every week we complain, but come the long-awaited weekend we forget about the Monday morning debacle in our lives, and thus, never make the effort to improve the situation. But it all comes down to two words: discipline and self-control. Two words that are not adhered to very much in our modern technology and information-based society. No wonder the society is running amok with so much chaos and man-made disaster.
And since the Bible, the Lord’s Word is the Guidebook for our earthly journey, let’s see what it has to say on the subject nuh. Remember, the Lord’s Word is infallible truth, so whatever it says, we ought to believe and live by it. And there are numerous Bible verses on the subject. So, let’s look at few, some of which we already know, but don’t put into action. (smile)
And the first one comes from the wisdom of Cousin Sol, the supposed wisest man ever. In terms of rearing children, Cousin Sol advocates: ‘He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that LOVETH him chasteneth him betimes (promptly).’ (Prov. 13:24) And that’s the gospel truth! Although nowadays our foolish society takes that to mean abusing our children. And thus, many parents don’t discipline their children, and it’s one of the reasons why our society is so undisciplined and godless.
But disciplining our children is an important aspect of parenthood, and there are many ways to teach them discipline, which they need to learn to become valuable members of the society. For a society without discipline is nothing but an unruly mob. And that’s where we’re heading today because, for whatever reason(s), we refuse to discipline our children. Nuff said on that. (smile)
Then there’s this scripture on disciplining our body from Bruh Paul to the Corinthians. ‘Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery (competes for the prize) is temperate in all things (has self-control).
Now they do it to obtain a corruptible (perishable) crown; but we an incorruptible (imperishable). I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under (discipline) my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (disqualified). (1 Cor. 9:24-27)
Yes friends, that’s also true. If we want to be good at anything we’ve got to train our bodies, discipline them so that they can perform at a high level. And we have the best example of that in the recently concluded Olympic Games in Paris, where all the athletes trained to the nth degree, disciplined their bodies so that they could perform at the highest level possible, and hopefully win a gold medal, the highest honour in whatever sport they participated in.
Likewise, we believers in Christ need to train our bodies, so that we live the goldy lives that Christ desires of us, although our goal is a much higher and better honour than a mere perishable gold medal, that’s an imperishable crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to all who obey His will. (2 Tim.4:8)
So we’ve dealt with disciplining our children and our bodies, let’s turn to our minds now, with words from Bruh Paul to the Romans. ‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable (rational) service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.’ (Rom. 12:1-2)
Oh my fellow believers, to live sincerely for God, or even be successful at anything, our minds must also be disciplined, turned away from the lusts and ungodly behaviour of the world. And I’m chuckling here, because I just remembered the activity that possibly requires the biggest and longest efforts of discipline and self-control. It’s being a true disciple of Jesus. He puts it thus: ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23).
Now that’s something that requires lots of discipline, self-control, sacrifice, belly and backbone – every day! But like most things in this world, if we are serious about them and are willing to contribute the necessary effort, we can certainly do them, especially when the Bible assures us that we can do anything and everything through Christ who strengthens us. (Phil. 4:13)
But we first need to develop the discipline and self-control, which doesn’t come easily or overnight, but is oftentimes a long, hard and painstaking process. However, it always begins with prayer. So let’s take this opportunity through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and go to God for divine help, without which we’ll be totally lost.
As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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!’
And a word to the wise; unfortunately, that divine aid doesn’t start flowing until we begin to change our evil ways! Much LOVE!
…to do anything properly…demands discipline and self-control…
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
13 Jun 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bid a fond farewell, buy a bed but not sleep, buy a book but not knowledge, buy a clck but not time, buy ahouse but not a home, buy blood but not life, buy medicine but health, buy sex but not love, drown men in destruction, erred from the faith, faith, fall into te, fall into temptation, feeding on the most vulnerable, fight the good fight of faith, follow after righteousness, give it all to God, godliness, have a good godly attitude, haven't learned how to use money, hurry, hurtful lusts, I am the beloved of god, in god's eyes, lay hold on eternal life, LOVE, man comes with nothing and leaves with nothing, meekness, money causes pain and suffering, money is a tool, money isn't everything, O man of God flee these things, pateince, pierced themselves through with many sorrows, scam artists, share His love with my neighbours, the gospel truth, the love of money is the root of all evil, the road to Success, they that will be rich, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, which some coveted after, worry
1 Timothy 6:10a. For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds) of evil:
So we’ve said a fond farewell to Monday and bid Tuesday welcome, wondering what it has in store for us in these very unprecedented and uncertain times. Some of whatever it has in store for us we can do nothing about, while some we can change, but what we utterly need to have is a good, godly attitude about it all. That’s the only way we will handle it in a purposeful and successful manner…in other words, give it all to God!
But here’s an interesting poem. on a very important matter, that I also found on that yellow piece of paper where I discovered that profound reading about the Road to Success that I recently shared. Please listen closely because it’s of the utmost importance and can make a whole lotta difference in our lives, if we accept and follow what it says.
There’s no title. It just says: ‘It can buy a House, But not a Home. It can buy a Bed, But not Sleep. It can buy a Clock, But not Time. It can buy you a Book, But not Knowledge. It can buy you a Position, But not Respect. It can buy you Medicine, But not Health. It can buy you Blood, But not Life. It can buy you Sex, But not LOVE. So you see, MONEY isn’t EVERYTHING. And it often causes PAIN and SUFFERING. I tell you this because I am your Friend, and as your Friend, I want to take away your pain and suffering…So send me all your money. And I will suffer for you. Cash is fine.’
Now I do hope that we paid close attention to all that it says, because it’s the gospel truth. Including the part that says send me all your money and I will suffer for you. That’s the wonderful friend I can be. (smile) But unfortunately, that’s what a lot of people, scam artists and fraudsters are doing in great numbers these days, especially feeding on the poor, sick and elderly. It has become so rampant that it has spawned an industry unto itself. What a terrible shame that we can be so despicable and uncaring to those who are the most vulnerable.
Money is great, and it’s a very useful and necessary tool in our society, but that’s just what it is supposed to be, a tool, not the god that so many of us bow down to and worship, kill ourselves to get…sometimes literally too. And you see the worldly things it can buy you, but the godly things it can never get you. A House but not a Home. A Bed, but not Sleep. A Clock, but not Time, A Book but not Knowledge. A Position, but not Respect. Medicine but not Health. Blood but not Life. Sex, but not LOVE!
Yes friends, money is a worldly necessity, but the real good and important things in life cannot be bought, they have to be earned in a true and godly manner. And yuh better believe too that a whole lot of the pain and suffering in our world can be traced directly back to money; the lack of it, the great desire for it, in other words, greed, and to those who have too much of it for their own good and either use it frivolously or for their own selfish purposes, and don’t share it with the many that don’t have enough.
And by the way, the date at the bottom of that poem is 5/11/01. That means it’s not a new poem, but has been around for a long time now, but we still haven’t learned how to use money successfully. And the Good Library does have quite a few things to say about money and its usefulness or lack thereof. So let’s check out a few of those wise biblical truths nuh. And I guess the best known one is that from Bruh Paul to Timothy, where he lectures him thus.
‘But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment (clothing…life’s basic necessities) let us be therewith content. But they that will be (whose ambition is to be) rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful (harmful) lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (ruin and destruction). For the LOVE of money is the root of all (kinds) of evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’ (1 Tim. 6:6-10)
And all of that is the indisputable truth my people! The LOVE of money has driven so many of us to do so many foolish, wrong and ungodly things, that eventually bring us to ruin and destruction. And it’s a picture we see and hear about in the news every single day. Some poor, greedy, or ill-advised soul dying either literally or metaphorically because they unwisely chased down money. And there’s nothing wrong with making money, but it must not be our sole purpose in life. It ought to be a means to an end, like making a better life for our families, or sharing with others. Money is no good unless it’s used for good and useful purposes.
And instead of running down money, these things that Bruh Paul told Timothy about, they should be the most important things in our lives. ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things (that come from the LOVE of money); and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim. 6:11-12)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s where our focus should lie, in the things of God, not the material wealth of the world, which we cannot take with us when we die. So why focus on those things eh? And the scholars wisely tell us: ‘Man enters the world at birth possessing nothing, in order to teach him that he will exit the world in the same manner – taking nothing with him. This is a divine means of showing man that since material wealth is relatively insignificant, he should pursue the important things mentioned in verse 11.’
Now there are some words of wonderful wisdom, which we ought to take to heart my friends. Let’s stop running down money and the material things it can allow us to buy, and instead focus on the things that we cannot buy, but which are even more important in making a good life on this crazy and ungodly earth. And since we’ve run on longer than we expected, we’ll leave the rest of the biblical stuff on money for tomorrow, obviously if God spares life. (smile)
Now let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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!’
And having declared that (yesss!!!) let’s now go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Jesus with all we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE him like we do. Much LOVE!
…money, money, money…too much of it is no good…neither is too little…but sadly, few of us ever achieve a good balance…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
01 Mar 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be not dismayed, be strong and of a good courage, but are not able to kill the soul, endure to the end, eternal life, faith versus fear, fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body, fear not, fear not them which kill the body, fear thou not, forgiveness, God is for me, halfway home, hands on the plough, I am thy God I will strenthen thee, I am with thee, I called upon the Lord in distress, I will not fear, I will trust in God, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, it is better to trust in the Lord, Jesus wants us in heaven with Him, langniappe, LOVE, middle of the week Wednesday, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not turning back, o ye of little fiath, Satan wants us to end up in Hades with him, send faith to answer when fear comes knocking, set me in a large place, spreading Christ's marvellous gospel, than to put confidence in man, the annals of history, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the first day of March 2023, the good news of salvation, the gospel truth, the Lord answered me, the Lord is on my side, they that strive with thee shall perish, to a glorious future with Jesus, to put confidence in princes, Wednesday Wail, what can man do to me, What time I am afraid, wisdom to the nth degree
Psalm 118:6. The Lord is on my side: I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
And then it was a damp, cloudy, middle of the week Wednesday, the first day of March 2023. Can you believe it, February’s already over and done with, assigned to the annals of history! The days are certainly not waiting on anyone, they’re just ploughing ahead unceasingly in their God-given duties. And so should it be with us Christian believers; we ought to be relentlessly moving forward with the spreading of Christ’s marvellous gospel, the good news of salvation, forgiveness and eternal life!
Nothing ought to stop us, least of all the devil and his evil doing cronies. And why do we allow those evil doers to prevent us from doing Christ’s work eh? A lot of it is based on fear. But one of the biggest repeated commands in the Bible is ‘Fear not!’ And Jesus also asked several times, ‘Where is your faith?’ Then He also admonished ‘O ye of little faith!’ So, I guess a lot of our hesitation in doing Christ’s work is based on fear and lack of sufficient faith to overcome our fear. But we have to realize that FAITH is the ONLY thing that overcomes FEAR.
And today, it seems like a faith versus fear day, with scriptures that will enable us to build our faith and thus lessen our fear. And I guess the most alluring and confidence building scripture to start our journey is that marvellous one from the prophet Isaiah, where he instructs the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people thus: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded (disgraced): they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.’ (Is. 41:10-11)
Wow! What awesome words of encouragement my people! That’s the Creator and Controller of the universe, the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob telling us not to fear, that He will look after us with His mighty right hand! What more do we want eh? And please don’t tell me that that’s from the Old Testament and that the Lord was speaking to His chosen people of Israel, for who are you?
You are also His chosen. He sent His sinless Son Jesus Christ to sacrifice himself on the rugged cross of Calvary so that all of His creation, both Jews and Gentiles could be forgiven, reconciled to Him, and receive salvation and eternal life. That means, in no uncertain terms, that those scriptures on fear in both the Old and New Testament apply to all supposed believers in Christ Jesus!
And having cleared that up, (smile) let’s move on to this interesting scripture from Psalm 118, which says: ‘I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place. The Lord is on my side: I will not fear: what can man do unto me? The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps. 118:5-9)
Yes friends, when you trust in the Lord, put your faith in Him, He works out everything for your good. The only problem is that you first have to put your faith and trust in Him, before you can see Him working in your life. And the more you trust Him, the more you will see His good works, and the more your faith will grow. Remember, Christianity is not for cowards.
Please note the strong tone the Lord used with Joshua when he made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. Having already told Joshua to be strong and courageous several times, (Josh. 1:2-8) He admonished him one last time for good measure. ‘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, I can’t say exactly why, but those scriptures from Joshua 1:7-9 are some of my favourite scriptures. They just light a fire in my bones. (smile)
And Bruh David adds his two cents worth to the situation, when he writes in Psalm 56, after the Philistines took him in Gath. ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God have I put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me…When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.’ (Ps. 56:3-4, 9)
Oh my fellow believers can we sincerely utter those words? Do we know without a doubt that our great and wonderful God is for us? I certainly hope so. For until we do, we will not enjoy all of the many blessings available under His most generous umbrella of care and compassion.
And what does Jesus say about fear, you ask? Listen up as He warns. ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both the soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28) And that person my friends is none other than the Lord God Jehovah; the ONLY ONE who can destroy both body and soul. So that’s where our first fear should lie, not in Satan and his evil doers. But even then, it’s not so much fear of God, but more a reverential awe of Him, because we know His awesome power.
By the way, here’s an interesting point from the scholars. They say: ‘Notice that God is the One who has authority to cast men into hell, and not Satan, who will himself be ultimately cast into everlasting fire.’ Now that’s something we should also consider, Satan can’t cast us into hell, but he can certainly help us get there, which is his raison d’etre, his reason for being, to inveigle us to go against God and eventually end up with him in hades. Conversely, Jesus wants us to end up with Him in heaven, so whom will you choose eh? Let’s hope Jesus.
And it seems like there’s so much to say on the subject of faith versus fear that we’ve run out of time and space today. That means, the Lord willing, we’ll continue this most important topic tomorrow. In the meanwhile, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Yes friends that’s the gospel truth! And when you add this langniappe, this li’l extra to it, that if we endure to the end, that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine, it encourages us even more to stick with Jesus to the very end. Now, that’s wisdom to the nth degree! Much LOVE!
…when fear comes a knocking…the best response…send faith to answer it…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
23 Feb 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a comapssionate heart, a dry spell, a reverential awe of God, a season of watching and waiting, amazing resurrection of Christ, awful times of negativity and desperation, blossom forth at Easter, courage, creativity, curse, get closer to God, I am the vine ye are the branches, in god's will, Lenten season, negative word, not that we are sufficient of ourselves, our sufficiency is of God, prosper, succeed, take the world by storm, thankful for the breath of life, the gospel truth, the penultimate day of our work week, Thursday Blessings, to get right with God, to love God, to think any thing of ourselves, to walk in all of god's ways, unanswered prayer, walk in humble adoration of God, without me ye can do nothing
2 Corinthians 3:5. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.
And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week…Wow! Already! This week seems to have passed rather quickly, I guess that’s because of the Family Day holiday on Monday. Today however, although we’re alive and kicking and thankful for the breath of life flowing through our bodies, we need to concentrate on cleaning up the snow from yesterday’s storm.
Thankfully too, it wasn’t of the killer variety, (smile) but it left enough deposits to make life difficult and dangerous. That reminds me of the ice pellets that kept knocking against the windows all during the storm. And no doubt the morning’s commute was not easy. Let’s hope by the time the evening session happens, most of the roads will be cleaned and salted.
I don’t know if we would call it a rather auspicious beginning or not to our Lenten Season, but as true believers we have to keep plodding on through all kinds of weather and situations, obviously with the help of the Holy Spirit of Jesus that indwells us. For without Him we can do nothing. And it’s not me saying so, but Jesus, in His famous comment on the vine and the branches. ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5)
And that’s the gospel truth my people! Without Jesus we can’t do much of anything, much less do it successfully. And Bruh Paul wisely reminds us of that with these few words from his second letter to the church at Corinth. ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor. 3:5) And it would do us a great amount of good to remember that and stop thinking that we are so much more than we are, because overwhelming pride and self-reliance are a couple of the many serious problems in our world.
Now, that’s why this Lenten season, in this year of 2023, one of unknown trials and tribulations, but already with a lot of worldwide disaster in only the first two months, Christians desperately need to get closer, to get right with God, so that we can do the big things it will take to reverse the fortunes of our world. Of course, there must be much sincere praying, and self-searching, of repentance, of meditating on the Word, of fasting, if that will help you get closer, of congregating with other believers and studying the Word, of encouraging each other in these awful times of negativity and desperation.
Yes, my faithful believing friends, it’s our duty to both spread and then regenerate the Word of the Lord on the earth; be the salt and light that guides it to Christ, salvation and eternal life. And Lent is a time when we renew our souls, bodies and minds so that we can blossom forth at Easter with the amazing resurrection of Christ our Lord and Saviour and take the world by storm! Oh, for certain, Easter is when the monumental glory of God shines forth, when His greatest work on earth was done, when He raised His dead Son from the depths of Hades and caused Him to walk victorious once more on planet earth, as the conqueror of hell, death and the grave!
But before the good times, before the harvest comes, there must be a dry spell, a season of watching and waiting and hoping and praying that the Lord will energize the harvest and increase it at least a hundredfold. And this is that time of watching and waiting and praying and hoping and giving thanks for God’s enormous and undying grace and mercy. But yuh know friends, nothing much will ever change until we do what God desires of us. And what’s that you ask?
Moses said it long ago: ‘And now Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear (have a reverential awe of) the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to LOVE him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?’ (Deut. 10:12-13) Yes friends, that’s what the Lord demands of us. Now please note the last three words of that demand: ‘for thy good.’ It’s ever so important for us to realize and totally understand that whatever God asks, or expects of us, it’s ALWAYS FOR OUR GOOD! Not for His benefit, but for ours!
And after Moses, the prophet Micah also spelled out the Lord’s desire for His people, in somewhat simpler but ever so clear terms when he said. ‘He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS), and to walk humbly with thy God.’ (Mic. 6:8) That’s it in a nutshell my brethren! All our God desires of us is to walk in humble adoration of Him, and live good and just with our fellow man.
But unfortunately that’s not the way our world turns today. Instead, it is filled with injustice, hate, strife, jealousy, envy, and above all godlessness. No wonder the Lords’ not listening to our selfish prayers, for as James says: ‘Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.’ (James 4:3) Yes my fellow believers, too many selfish, lustful, unwarranted prayers are being floated up to heaven, that’s why so many are left unanswered.
And unfortunately, those unanswered prayers upset us, but we’ve got to realize that if our prayers are not in God’s will, they won’t be answered, and the truth is that too many of them are not in His will. That’s why we’ve got to buckle down this Lenten season and study, meditate, pray and simply talk to the Father about what’s happening with us, both personally and with the world around us.
There’s one good and excellent thing though amidst all the confusion; our wonderful God has generously bestowed several blessings on us that we refer to as our Thursday Blessings, which He expects us to use in our work for Him here on earth. So, let’s declare them in loud and sincere voice so that they can be activated. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings in our lives, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and share them with others just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…without true LOVE for Christ…we are nothing but empty, broken vessels…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
05 Feb 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all my life you have been faithful, as God for Christ's sake, be compassionate and understanding, be kind one to another, believed to see the goodness of God, church unity, close like no other, disagree peacefully, divide and conquer, do unto others as you want them to do to you, every good and every perfect gift is from above, firstfruits of his creatures, forgiving one another, good to the use of edifying, goodness is an action, hath forgiven you, I had fainted, in my darkest night, in the land of the living, known you as a father, known you as a freind, led me through the fire, LOVE, no corrupt communication, no shadow of turning, personal animosity, put the icing on the cake, show kindness to everyone you meet, tenderhearted, the church of jesus, the Father of lights, the golden rule, the goodness of God, the gospel truth, the promises of God's Word, this is my commandment, uprightness of heart and life, ye love one another as I have loved you, your mercy never fails me
John 15:12. This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you.
Another Sunday is upon us friends, which means a visit to the Lord’s sanctuary for fellowship and worship, to renew our allegiance to Him and to each other, as partners in the great body called the church of Jesus! And oh, what a wonderful partnership it can be, if we just do as Jesus says: ‘This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you.’ (John 15:12) That’s clear, simple and straightforward my fellow believers. So why is it so difficult to do it eh?
I know that we will never be perfect, but I am sure we can do much better than we are doing right now, for there is too much anger and strife, dissatisfaction, disunity and petty jealousies in Christ’s church. And until we remove as much of that negativity as possible, the church will never be as successful as it ought to be. The enemy will just continue dividing and conquering us because we’re allowing the sinful lusts of our flesh to guide us rather than the Holy Spirit of Christ.
If we are to make any headway against the enemy, especially in these last turbulent days, then church unity is of the utmost importance, and the best place to begin is right in the local church. We can’t always agree, but at least let’s disagree peacefully. Let’s allow our personal animosity to take second place to our LOVE for Christ. We definitely need to take to heart and practice these words of Bruh Paul to the Ephesians.
‘Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day or redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. Even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:29-32)
Now that, my fellow believers, is the conduct that’s needed more than ever, beginning in our local churches, if we’re ever to make a serious difference in this current evil and ungodly world. And it’s something we must do, if we’re not to be judged as hypocrites while singing this wonderful song written and sung by Jenn Johnson, titled, ‘The Goodness of God.’ If we’re enjoying the ‘Goodness of God,’ then plenty of that goodness ought to be also flowing out of us to others. So, let’s offer up our sacrifice of praise this morning to our good and faithful God, in a mid-tempo, soulful, heartfelt, scintillating version of the song.
Singing: ‘I LOVE You Lord Oh Your mercy never fails me And all my days I’ve been held in Your hands From the moment that I wake up Until I lay my head down, Oh I will sing of the goodness of God (Chorus: All my life You have been faithful And All my life You have been so, so good. With every breath that I am able, Oh I will sing of the goodness of God.) I LOVE your voice. You have led me through the fire. In my darkest night, you were close like no other. I’ve known you as a Father, I’ve known you as a friend, Oh I have lived, in the goodness of God. (Chorus: Yeahhh! And all my life You have been faithful…I will sing of the goodness of God)
Yeah, yeah, it’s so good! Your goodness is running after, It’s running after me. Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me. With my life laid down, I’m surrendered now, I give you everything, cause your goodness is running after, It’s running after me. Oh cause Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me. With my life laid down, I’m surrendered now, I give you everything, cause your goodness is running after, It’s running after me. Your goodness is running after, it keeps running after me. And All my life You have been faithful And All my life You have been so, so good With every breath that I am able, Oh I’m going to sing, Oh I’m going to sing of the goodness of God.
For all my life you have been faithful, all my life you have been so good. Oh you lead me in glory…ever-faithful, you are my anchor in the wind and the waves… you are my provider…Oh yeah…and you lead me in glory by your spirit…you are my joy…my joy…every day…Oh shepherd of my soul…what a joy to know you…Oh, the joy of knowing you God…you’re everything to me…so wonderful…so wonderful in all your ways…in all your ways. That’s why I will always sing of your goodness Lord…always sing of your goodness Lord.’
Oh friends, that was wonderful…and it did sound authentic! (smile) But as one commentator asks and then answers: ‘What is the spiritual meaning of goodness? Goodness is action; it’s not something we do only for the sake of being virtuous. When we strive to be “good” only for our own benefit, it is not truly goodness that we possess. In Greek, the word goodness means “an uprightness of heart and life”
And then there’s this other quandary: ‘How do you experience the goodness of God? It’s through the promises of God’s Word that we partake of His nature—a nature that is peace, abundance, healing, victory, guidance and protection. His promises are a pipeline that connects us with His nature. And His promises are exceedingly great and precious (2 Peter 1:3-4).’
Of course they are! As Peter explains: ‘(God) According to his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.’ (2 Pet. 1:3-4) Now, although that’s totally true, it is a bit wordy. (smile)
Meanwhile James says it more simply. ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.’ (James 1:17-18) And Jesus said it thus: ‘If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is heaven give good things to them that ask him? (Matt. 7:11) And Bruh David put the icing on the cake when, in Psalm 27 he joyfully declared: (chuh!!!) ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.’ (Ps. 27:13)
Now that’s almost all, but not quite. There’s this last question: ‘How do Christians show goodness? Choose Kindness It means to show kindness and goodness to everyone you meet. It means Jesus recognized what we needed before we did. It also means that He wants us to be compassionate and understanding; to care for others with a pure spirit; and to realize that true life only comes through Christ.’ And that’s the gospel truth, for only through the Spirit of Christ can we do what He desires us to do. So let’s get out there and do it nuh. Much LOVE!
…do unto others…as you want them to do to you…it’s the only way to go…that’s why it’s called the Golden rule…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
24 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a name which is above every other name, a positive outlook on life, became obedient unto death, being in the form of God, bounden duty, curse, divine protection, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, exiled to eternal death, good friends, harmonious living, Jesus christ is Lord, Jesus keeps us well-balanced, Jesus put the Father's will first, Jesus turned the world upside down, Jesus' triumphant resurrection, let this mind be in you, LOVE, made himself of no reputation, negative word, pen-ultimate day of the workweek, reconciled back to the Father, selflessly sacrificed himself, the gospel truth, the only god that's alive and kicking, the Only real God, There's no God like Jehovah, Thursday Blessings, to the glory of God the Father, took upon him the form of a servant, whcih also was in Christ Jesus
Philippians 2:5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (harmonious living):
And then it was the pen-ultimate day of the work week, Thursday…sunshiny and cold, like winter is supposed to be! (smile) Ah friends, the weather has been playing such tricks and games on us recently, moving from one extreme to the next with such ease, that we are glad to finally see a dry, but cold sunshiny day, with no precipitation whatsoever. And it’s oh so good that we have Jesus to keep us well-balanced in our emotions and feelings, otherwise the recent see-sawing weather would certainly drive us crazy.
And as the song’s saying, ‘There’s no God like Jehovah!’ And that’s the gospel truth, for He is the ONLY real God, the ONLY One that’s alive and kicking! All other supposed gods are dead and immobile without any power to move themselves much less to move and impact a world of several billion lost souls. And that, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has done! Done it in spades too!
He’s turned the world upside down, so much so that His name is now the most LOVED and adored, as well as the most controversial on planet earth. That’s because He makes a substantial and wonderful difference through His Holy Spirit, in the lives He enters. You either LOVE Him completely, with all your heart, mind, body and soul, or dislike Him the same way, like the evildoers do. There’s no in-between where our Jesus is concerned; it’s either one or the other!
And why has this magnificent transformation taken place in our evil world down through the ages? Because Jesus came to earth two thousand years ago and selflessly sacrificed himself on the cross at Calvary so that man’s sins could be forgiven, and that we could be reconciled back to the Father, our Creator and Controller, from whom we had been long separated by our abominable sinful behaviour. And in return for that, for that selfless obedience, the Father honoured Him like never before.
Listen as the Good Book tells the story through the words of Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (harmonious living): Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:5-8)
Oh friends, what a marvellous example Jesus is to us all with our sinful disobedience! And what all that means is Jesus believed in and preached and practised harmonious living while here on earth. And though He possessed a divine nature, was God in man form, He did not boast about it, ‘made himself of no reputation,’ but in all things put the Father’s will first, even being obedient to dying a horrible, unfair, sacrificial death on the cross for a bunch of ungrateful sinners.
But the Father asked Him to, because there was no other just and righteous way to absolve mankind of sin without blood being shed to pay the price for our heinous iniquities. And Jesus LOVED the Father so much that He acquiesced to His request despite the terrible ‘sufferation’ He knew He would have to undergo, even to being forsaken and cast aside by the Father as the bearer of the world’s sin, for a couple of days until His triumphant resurrection on that first Easter morn.
Wow! What a giant is our Jesus! And the Father appreciated Jesus’ great sacrifice so much, that He rewarded Him for His unswerving obedience and selflessness. Hear Bruh tell it nuh. ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 4:9-11)
And that my people is why Jesus’ name is so great, so controversial and so compelling – it’s the highest name there is besides the Father’s! And one day, hopefully very soon, every being on planet earth will bow their knees to Him, acknowledge and submit to His sovereignty as Lord, as God, to the honour of the Father!
Now that’s the good side of the equation, but those unwise people who refuse to bow down and worship Him will be banished, exiled to eternal death and damnation because of their unbelief! It’s as simple as that my people. Either accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, or suffer eternal separation from the wonders of His amazing LOVE and marvellous kingdom.
And I don’t know about you, but I’m not willing to take that chance. I’m going to do my best to stay close to Jesus, as close as white on rice (smile) so that when He comes again, I’m going home with Him and remain with Him forever, for wherever He is, I know that’s the best place to be!
And now, for all of us who think that way, let’s go home declaring (chuh man!!!) our Thursday Blessings granted to us to do His awesome work down here on earth. Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now, it’s our bounden duty to go out and share those gifts, or the fruit from them, as selflessly and generously with others, as Jesus shared them with us. It’s the only way to glorify His name. Much LOVE!
…there’s no other name that moves and fascinates mankind…like that of…JESUS…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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