The Necessity for Christians to Understand how Important it is for Them to be Always Close to God!

14 Jun 2026 Leave a comment

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   14 June 2026   Genesis 28:16.

Genesis 28:16.        And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.

And on this somewhat damp and cloudy Sunday summer Sunday in mid-June, we join the millions of other believers around the world gathering in the Lord’s sanctuaries to give thanks and praise to Almighty God for His wonderful goodness to the children of men and to receive His awesome mercy and grace to enable us to keep on living the abundant life and fighting the good fight in His glorious name!

And today’s song of worship is a beautiful 19th century Chrisitan hymn written by Sarah Flower Adams in 1841, that’s ever so appropriate for today’s chaotic times. It’s titled ‘Nearer My God to Thee.’ Apparently, the song was commissioned by a London Unitarian minister, Reverend William Johnson Fox, who desired a song to accompany his upcoming sermon on Genesis 28:10-22—the story of Jacob climbing the ladder to heaven in his dream. And they say Sarah Flower Adams wrote the lyrics within a week, despite suffering from severe health issues and hearing loss.

And did she ever craft a beautiful message about finding God’s presence and comfort during life’s darkest trials.  Her sister Eliza composed the tune for it. The song also became famous when it was alleged to be the final one played by the band aboard the sinking Titanic ocean liner. So, having some background info on the song, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise, in a soulful, heartfelt, mid-tempo version.

Singing: ‘Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee! E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me, Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain: Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!) Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down, Darkness be over me, my rest a stone; Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain) There let the way appear, steps unto Heav’n; All that Thou sendest me, in mercy giv’n; Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain)

Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise, Out of my stony griefs Bethel I’ll raise; So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain) Or, if on joyful wing cleaving the sky, Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I’ll fly, Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee. (Refrain) There in my Father’s home, safe and at rest, There in my Savior’s LOVE, perfectly blest; Age after age to be nearer, my God, to Thee. Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!’

That was beautiful friends! And do we ever need to be constantly near to God for our own well-being, finding joy and comfort in being close to Him.  And what about the scripture upon which the hymn is based. The story stems from Isaac sending his son Jacob back to his mother’s country to find a wife, because he did not want him marrying a Canaanite woman.

The Bible tells us: ‘And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon (came to) a certain place, and tarried (stayed) there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillow (used stones for his pillow), and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set upon the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed (descendants); and thy seed (descendants) shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.’ (Gen. 28:10-15)

What a powerful dream my fellow believers! But that’s how our great and wonderful God moves. It’s the same way He spoke to Cousin Sol in a dream and kept His word. (1 Kin. 3:5-15) It also shows how the Lord uses those whom we would not usually choose to do great works, or be a standard bearer, for Jacob was a trickster, most of his adult life, but God chose Him nonetheless to be the patriarch of the twelve tribes of Israel. Remember, Abraham only had one legitimate son, Isaac, and Isaac had only two, Esau and Jacob. It was left to Jacob to provide the foundation of the Jewish nation.

But getting back to our story. The Bible then tells us: ‘And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful (awesome) is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Beth-el (house of God): but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.’ (Gen. 28:16-19)

What a story! And only our ingenious God could create it. (smile) Now, here are a couple of interesting explanations from the scholars They say, ‘Jacob’s response to this vision suggests that he may have become a true believer on this occasion. Meanwhile pillar and oil are the symbols normally used for a memorial and consecration. The pillars that were later forbidden were related to Baal worship and objects of that worship.’

And after a great song and a great story, the only thing left to do is to add this most worthwhile commentary. ‘Even when we cannot see or feel Him, the Lord never leaves our side. As we walk through each day, let us remember to call upon His name and give thanks. The beautiful lyrics of ‘Nearer My God to Thee’ are the perfect call to the Lord. And when you hear the story behind this amazing hymn, you will be reminded exactly why we need him every hour and second.’

And that’s the gospel truth my people! We need God every second, every minute, every hour, and every day of our lives. So, let’s be wise, get serious, and constantly seek Him!  It’s all for our benefit! Much LOVE!

…and ye shall seek me and find me…when ye shall search for me with all your heart… (Jer, 29:13)

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   13 October 2023 Genesis 49:8.

13 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

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

Genesis 49:8.         Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: …thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.

And it’s one of those Friday the 13th days, when all the old wives tales surface. Tales like don’t walk beneath a ladder today, or don’t let a black cat cross your path. There’s also the superstition that the number 13 itself is unlucky, that’s why you don’t find 13th floors in buildings or elevators. But be that as it may, we’ll still joyfully declare ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at last!’ Although this was just a four-day work week. (smile) So, without further ado, let’s get down to the Father’s business. That means to continue looking at Bruh Joseph’s amazing and intriguing story, as we promised if God spared life. And since He most mercifully did so, let’s get to it! 

We’ve reached the point where the old patriarch Jacob, hitherto known as Israel, calls his sons together to bless them. And it’s from him that we derive the twelve tribes of Israel. Now there are actually eleven sons of his loins, but we’ve seen where He adopts or calls the first two sons of Bruh Joseph his. But when the Promised Land is divided up, Bruh Joseph doesn’t have a tribe, but his two sons do, which makes it twelve. Anyway, Jacob on his deathbed calls his sons together and blesses them according to the order of their birth, with Reuben the oldest first, and Benjamin, the youngest last. 

The scholars tell us: ‘Jacob concludes his life as other saints who spoke a blessing before their end: Isaac (Gen. 27), Moses (Deut. 33), Joshua (Josh. 24), and Samuel (1 Sam. 12).’ Now, we don’t have either time nor space to go through all the blessings, so we’ll only go through the two most important ones, Bruh Joseph’s, because it’s his story we’re dealing with, and Judah’s because his line turned out to be the most influential. And just for interest’s sake, those two have the longest blessings. 

So, let’s begin with Bruh Joseph’s blessing. Jacob said: ‘Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall. The archers have sorely (bitterly) grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength (remained strong), and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) 

Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under (beneath), blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: The blessings of thy father have prevailed (excelled) above the blessings of my progenitors (ancestors) unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.’ (Gen. 49:22-26) 

Yes friends, though Bruh Joseph was separated from his brothers through envy and jealousy, the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob kept him strong, showed him favour in his many trials, and eventually blessed him with great honour and material wealth, and he would go on to do well, if he kept walking with the Lord. 

As for Judah, Jacob said: ‘Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in (on) the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee (reminiscent of Bruh Joseph’s dream). Judah is a lion’s welp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped (crouches), he couched (lies) down as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? 

The sceptre (symbol of kingship) shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering (obedience) of the people be. Binding his foal (donkey) unto the vine, and his ass’s (donkey’s) colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with (darker than) wine, and his teeth white with (whiter than) milk.’ (Gen. 49:8-12) 

And what does all of that mean eh? Let’s get some insight from the scholars. They say ‘The key thought is expressed as the sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. The sceptre was a symbol of royal power. Lawgiver, according to Speiser, refers to a mace. Etymologically (in its origins), it is something pertaining to a legislator or one in authority, and from the context, an analogue of (comparison to) the sceptre. When a dignity was seated, the staff would rest between his feet. 

Jacob was not saying his (Judah’s) rule would end when Shiloh came. On the contrary, this term denotes the turning point at which the superiority of Judah will continue, and at that time to be enlarged to embrace all nations. Shiloh is a hidden name for Messiah; it is made up of three grammatical parts (sh–l– oh) meaning “Him to Whom it (the Sceptre or Kingdom ) Belongs.” It is not to be taken as a proper name for Messiah, nor does it refer to the town where the tabernacle was later established, for this would be meaningless prophetically. 

The phrase and unto him shall be the gathering of the people be means, literally, “And unto him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” This can refer only to the Messiah. Thus the reference to a lion in verse 9 points to that One who is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” (Rev. 5:5). Verses 11 and 12 describe the millennial prosperity (cf. Is. 11:1-9; Ezek. 34:23-31; Amos 9:11-15).’ 

Yes my people, it sounds very complicated and difficult to understand, but the long and short of the story is that Judah would be the tribe, the line from which the Messiah, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ would come. That’s why Jacob prophesied so mightily in Judah’s blessing. And it just goes to show all the foreshadowing that the Lord did when compiling His Word. Even from the days of Jacob a Messiah was in the works. That’s why we say the Lord is indeed the greatest dramatist there is! But He is also the Creator and Controller, the One to whom we need to go for divine help for our earthly problems. So, let’s do that right now nuh, through our Friday Chant. 

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 the operative words in that prayer my people are ‘by the example, we, your faithful believers set.’ So please, let’s be about setting a good example nuh. Much LOVE!

…one truth from the Bible…is worth…more than all the wisdom of man…  

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 June 2014 Acts 14:22

05 Jun 2014 Leave a comment

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

Acts 14:22.     Confirming (strengthening) the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

So what’s happening this fine Thursday morning eh Friends? I do hope that we’re all prepared to receive the new blessings and mercies that our wonderful Lord has earmarked for distribution today to His faithful and obedient followers.
 
And all God’s people mouthed a most grateful, ‘Thank You Lord! We Love You and praise Your Holy Name!’
 
Now here is the second half of the I CAN DO statements, acclamations of faith to get us started on our journey of faith today.
 
Please affirm with me: ‘I CAN have victory in my life by dealing with the things that are keeping me from God’s best. I AM confronting my struggles head on so I CAN overcome them. God has given me the power to rise above.
 
He has given me the strength to focus on Him and push through. NOTHING will hold me back! This is my declaration of what I CAN do through Christ!’
 
Now my people, let’s take that seriously and get ourselves together and DO what we just affirmed that we CAN and WILL DO! It’s the only way to move forward successfully in this life! 
 
That brings us to our Bit: ‘Confirming (strengthening) the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.’
 
Oh Friends, that’s exactly what we are endeavouring to do through the Bit; strengthen our souls so that we can continue strong in the faith, while keeping in mind the fact that we will suffer trials simply by being a follower of Jesus. So it’s all good stuff. (smile)
 
And though it can indeed be a struggle to live a good life, walking in Jesus’ footsteps, glorifying our heavenly Father, as faithful believers, we must do it, never giving up, persevering despite what ever comes against us, for in due time we will be well rewarded.
 
Now let’s continue where we left off yesterday, by looking at a couple of scripture passages that corroborate the second half of our Bit: ‘and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.’
 
I know it doesn’t cause much interest and excitement to think that we need to see troubles to enter God’s kingdom, but that’s what the Word says, and the Word doesn’t lie. However, it does promise great rewards if we stand strong in the testing of our faith.
 
Listen to Bruh Paul as he tells the church at Rome about living life in the Spirit. ‘So then they that be in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
 
And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken (give life to) your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
 
Therefore brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit mortify (put to death) the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
 
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bchildren of god, heirs of god, beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
 
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us.’(Rom.8:8-18)
 
Yes my brethren, the only way to live this earthly life successfully is being led and guided by the Holy Spirit of God, and not by the fleshly lusts of our carnal bodies!
 
And as Bruh Paul says in the last verse there, the trials and tribulations we endure now, will be significantly outweighed by the rewards in glory later on.
 
And if you don’t believe Bruh Paul, then listen to Jesus, as He makes the same claim when talking to His disciples about who is great.
 
‘And there was also a strife (rivalry) among them, which of them should be accounted (considered) the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.
 
(Scholars’ note: Benefactors: The underlying Greek word appears nowhere else in the New Testament. Middle-Eastern kings liked to rule with an iron hand, and then take on a title that extolled their benevolence. Christians should crave neither such power nor such acclaim).
 
But ye shall not be so: but he that is the greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief (leader), as he that doth serve. For whether (who) is greater, he that sitteth at meat (at the table), or he that serveth? Is not he that sitteth at meat (at the table)?
 
But I am among you as he that serveth. Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto (bestow upon) you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto (bestowed upon) me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’ (Luke 22:24-30)
 
Ah mih people, the world judges greatness by the material things and power we possess. But it is not so in the kingdom of God. Jesus came to earth to serve, to be a servant for His heavenly Father, to help and save those in need, and likewise, that’s what He expects of His followers.
 
Now that doesn’t mean we cannot amass great wealth and power, but we must use them wisely in doing God’s will and work here on earth, not just lay them up for our sole benefit and sit and consider how well off and wonderful we are, otherwise we’ll end up like the fool in Luke 12:16-21, who was called home the same night he decided to eat, drink and be merry over his great earthly possessions. And thus ends today’s message.
 
Oh Friends, we all know that faithfully serving Jesus in this evil, ungodly world isn’t easy, especially when He requires excellence of ALL His followers, and excellence only comes with paying a price.
 
But please remember that Jesus promises to reward all those who faithfully serve Him with rewards of excellence too, rewards like salvation and eternal life with Him and the Father. And believe me people, there is nothing on this planet Earth that’s worth more than those two things!
 
So please hang in there my brethren, and let’s faithfully spread the LOVE Revolution of Jesus all over the world, as he requires, and do it with joy and excellence! Much LOVE!
 
…all that’s required of us on this earthly pilgrimage…is to LOVE OUR GOD…LIVE OUR FAITH…AND SPREAD GOD’S WORD…