The Christian Life is all about Jesus and His Amazing Work on Mankind’s Behalf!

23 Sep 2024 Leave a comment

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

1 Corinthians 15:57.        But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

And the weekly merry-go-round of workdays, begins again with another Monday on our plate. But we’re not afraid, worried or anxious about it in the least, for we have been well rested and renewed in the strength of our faith through worship and fellowship. That means we have every confidence that we can handle Monday and whatever it brings against us, like the rainy and cloudy start to the day! And Jesus reminds us of that awesome power when He says: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) 

And so He has! His death, resurrection and ascension assure us of victory over the world. And this commentary gives us a brief, insightful look into what that means. ‘Jesus proved then and there that He was victorious over death. The grave could not hold him. Acts 2:24 says it this way: “But God raised Him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.” No one should be surprised. Jesus had been saying this all along.” 

Yes, He had been telling the disciples that He must die, then rise again, although they did not fully understand His meaning, and Peter quite boldly told Him that that would never happen. Then Jesus famously rebuked Peter: ‘Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not (are not mindful of) the things that be of God, but those that be of men.’ (Matt. 16:21-23) 

Then there are these famous words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians re Jesus’ victory over death. ‘So, when this corruptible (body) shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal (body) shall have put on immortality (through the Rapture of the church), then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain (futile) in the Lord.’ (1 Cor. 15:54-58) 

Yes, my fellow believers, that victory of Christ over hell, death and the grave ought to encourage and reassure us to stand strong and steadfast in Christ, doing His work with all diligence and excellence! That’s sacrificing where necessary, being generous, merciful, compassionate, LOVING and kind, fighting against oppression and inequality, for justice and human rights, because when we live that way, when we allow the fruit of the Spirit to flourish in us, then are we true disciples, and will be well rewarded in due course of time. 

And just to show how Bruh Paul was a master of putting scriptures together to suit his purpose, that verse above ‘Death is swallowed up in victory,’ comes from Isaiah 25:8. And the one about ‘O death, where is thy sting?’ comes from Hosea 13:14, which simply means that in many cases, the New Testament is a reflection of the Old Testament, except that in the former, Jesus is formally introduced to fulfill the Old Testament Prophecies. 

One of which was to conquer sin and death. As Isaiah so confidently tells us of Jesus’ birth: ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.’ (Is. 9:6-7) 

And the zeal of the Lord certainly gave us the incarnate Son of God, the Messiah, when the time was right! And Isaiah also prophesied of Jesus tough earthly days and His excruciating death characterizing Him as a Man of Sorrows. ‘Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm (power) of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form (stately form) nor comeliness (splendour); and when we shall see him, there is no beauty (appearance) that we should desire him. 

He is despised and rejected of (forsaken by) men; a man of sorrows (pains), and acquainted with grief (sickness): and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs (sickness), and carried our sorrows (pains): yet we did esteem (reckon) him stricken, smitten of (struck down by) God, and afflicted. But he was wounded (pierced through) for our transgressions, he was bruised (crushed) for our iniquities: the chastisement (correction, discipline) of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes (the wounds he suffered) we are healed.’ (Is. 53:1-5) 

And we know that all of that was fulfilled in Jesus’ life, as well as the other verses that we don’t have time for, that explained Him being like A Lamb to the Slaughter (Is. 53:6-9), and An Offering for Sin, verses 10-12. So, from the beginning of the Bible, right to the very end, it’s all a Testament to Jesus and His marvellous work on mankind’s behalf. Therefore, with that in mind, let’s go to the throne of grace seeking divine aid. 

Altogether: ‘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 as our prayer reminds us, the necessary requirements for divine aid are humbling ourselves, praying, sincerely seeking God’s face and turning from our evil ways! Much LOVE!

…to God the Father be the glory…for giving us redemption through Christ Jesus…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 September 2020 Psalm 16:11.

02 Sep 2020 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 16:11.     ​Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Well another day of God’s LOVE, mercy and compassions are new upon us! Glory be! What a privilege and honour to have Him refresh our lives each and every day. That’s why we say there is none other like the Lord our God, our Jesus! He is the Alpha and the Omega; the Frist and the Last, the Prince of Peace, the Lily of the Valley, the Lion of Judah, the Rose of Sharon…and so many other things, like the name that’s above every other name, and the One to whom all knees must eventually bow and give thanks through Him to God the Father! 

Wow! Isn’t He loverly…isn’t He wonderful? Most certainly! And that leads us quite nicely into this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled ‘He Is Enough.’ Bless His holy name! Please pray with me: ‘She lived in the most deprived section of the crowded city of New York, where there was never enough of anything – never enough food or clothing, never enough warmth or shelter, never enough compassion. 

But one day a benevolent young couple invited her to spend a week at the seashore, to experience a piece of life she had never known. Hour by hour she breathed deeply as the crashing waves brushed against her small frame. She looked at the vast expanse of water – and then, without warning she began to sob. For the first time in her life she saw something of which there was enough! 

Today I ask forgiveness for my limited concept of God. At times I’ve secretly felt cheated – as though somehow He was not enough to satisfy the longings of my heart. I need to learn and relearn that in Him there is enough faithfulness, enough LOVE, enough grace, enough joy! May I never forget that God Himself in now and forever my Great Enough!’ 

And that is the living truth my people: our great God is more than enough of everything for everyone He’s ever created! But until we learn that most important point – I’ll repeat it (smile) God is more than enough for all of us, we will never be satisfied, or joyful in this evil world! And that’s where the question of faith comes in. The more faith we can muster the less doubts and anxieties will plague us, and the more joyfulness and assurance we will feel and exhibit in the Great I AM! 

And that’s why Bruh David could write these immortal words in Psalm 16, as he seeks preservation and blessing. ‘Preserve (watch over) me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee (is nothing apart from thee). But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent (they are the excellent), in whom is all my delight. Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.’ (Ps. 16:1-4) 

Yes friends, if we go a whoring after other supposed gods our sorrows will be seriously multiplied, for we are nothing, apart from the Lord our God! Jesus said it quite plainly: ‘for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5b) And Bruh David learned this at a young age, possibly from being alone in the wilderness caring for the sheep with only God to help Him. He certainly had to rely on God more than if he was doing a regular 9-5 job in safe surroundings. (smile) 

Hear how he puts it: ‘The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou manintainest (upholds) my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage (inheritance). I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel; my reins (heart) also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest (dwell securely) in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (Sheol; the abode of the dead); neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’ (Ps. 16:5-11) And that’s all gospel truth my precious saints of God! But until we learn and accept that being in God’s presence is the greatest thing that could ever happen to us, we’ll never be satisfied or fulfilled. And that last sentence is also the Bible Promise for our poem above. 

Now listen to the scholars: ‘Psalm 16. The attitude of the righteous man is described in life (vs.1-8) and death (vs. 9-11). In life his attitude is one of trust (vs. 1), gratefulness for God’s goodness (vs. 2), delight in God’s people (vs.3), separation from idolatrous worship (vs. 4; cf. Ex. 23:13; Deut. 12:3), satisfaction in God’s gracious provisions (vs.5-6), praise for the Lord’s counsel (vs.7) and steadfastness in spiritual devotion (vs.8). 

In facing death, the righteous man rejoices and is hopeful (vs.9). He is confident that God will preserve him from the decay of death and that death will not result in his corruption (vs.10). Rather, he will travel down the path of life, that is, the path leading to life, which will terminate in God’s joyful presence (vs.11). David’s confidence in his ultimate destiny is valid for him (and for all believers) only because Christ has traveled down that path and paved the way for all who believe in Him (Acts 2:25-28).’ And that’s why Christ could truthfully say, without Him, we are nothing. 

Now for those of us who truly believe that, let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, telling all and sundry of our wonderful position in that most wonderful person, Jesus Christ. All together 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!’ 

And if you truly believe, then you’ll know that if you endure to the end, that future will be even more glorious than you ask or imagine! Much LOVE!

…think on this…how narrow is the gate…and difficult is the way…which leads to life…and there be few that find it… (Matt. 7:14)