01 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a blossoming of life, a simple formula for achieving peace of mind, a warm glow of heat, aggrieved, an undying affirmation of faith and trust, becoming more intimate with God, behold the upright, bring forth thy righteousness as the light., cease from anger, clocks turning back, commit thy way unto the Lord, confidently trust the Lord, Daylight Savings Time, deepen my breath, delight thyself also in the Lord, do good, dwell in the land, everlasting life, evildoers shall be cut off, faith, feed on his faithfulness, forsake wrath, fret not thyself because of evildoers, fret not thyself because of him who prospers, fret not thyself in any wise to do evil, full of the fruit of the Spirit, give thee the desires of thine heaert, growing closer to God, have life more abundantly, he shall bring it to pass, holy spirit, I am the way the truth and the life, I marvel to think, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, in all sincerity and truth, in the face of the wicked's prosperity, increase my awareness of you, it only causes harm, Jesus Christ, lazy-day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, mark the perfect man, mercy, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity, no man comes to the Father but by me, note the blameless man, nothing better than spending time with the Father, refuse to surrender fully to God, Rest in the Lord, surrendering our lives to God, the christian's greatest endeavour, the end of that man is peace, the good graces of the Lord, the Lord shall deliver them from the wicked, the Lord shall help them, the Lord shall save them because they trust in Him, the unchanging character of God, those the wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth, thy judgement as the noonday, trust also in him, trust the Lord with all of life's problems, undying affirmation of faith and trust, unwise actions, unwisely choose to keep control, wait patiently for the Lord, what it takes to live the abundant life
Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 November 2025 Psalm 37:5.
Psalm 37:5. Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
And then it was Saturday…our lazy-day Saturday! A mostly sunny and surprisingly somewhat warm day, as I went outside before coming down to write the Bit and felt a warm glow of heat on my face from the mid-morning sun. And is it ever good to feel the warmth of the sun at this time of year. Oh, by the way it’s also the first day of November and all the Halloween nonsense is now finished. The clocks will also be turned back one hour tonight to facilitate Daylight Savings Time, another of our unwise actions.
But the power brokers seem to like those unwise actions, and the people are not enough aggrieved by them to rise up and meaningfully complain. So, until that time comes, we’ll just have to grin and bear it. But that doesn’t mean because we don’t agree with some things that we cannot enjoy life. Absolutely not! For we have a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to earth and died that we might have life, and have it even more abundantly. (John 10:10b)
As this commentary explains: ‘It means blossoming into a life full of the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). While false teachers and false religions offer shallow, temporary relief, only Jesus brings truly everlasting life and spiritual abundance (John 14:6).’ And we know that reference refers to this wonderful verse: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ And He certainly is all of those things!
Anyway, on this first-lazy day Saturday in November, let us now offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, with all sincerity and truth. ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And there’s nothing better than spending time with the Father and becoming more intimate with Him. It also warms the cockles of His heart, because He created us for that very purpose; to have strong and LOVING communion with Him. Unfortunately though, too many of us miss out on that glorious situation, because we’re too busy to spend time with God, or we just don’t believe it’s necessary. But as the old people would say; the taste of the pudding is in the eating. It might look good or bad, but you’ll never know what it tastes like until you eat it.
Likewise, you’ll never know how beautiful true intimacy with our heavenly Father is until you try it. That’s where we find all the peace, the calm, the LOVE and compassion, the understanding and joy that enables us to live that abundant life Christ died for us to have. That’s why Bruh David strongly exhorts us in Psalm 27: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness).
Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm). For the evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps. 37:1-9)
There it is my people, the sure way to enjoy the abundant life that begins right here on earth. And as the scholars explain: ‘The psalm also contains a simple formula for achieving peace of mind in the face of the wicked’s prosperity: fret not…neither be thou envious, (vs. 1), trust…do good (vs. 3), delight thyself also in the Lord (vs.4), commit thy way…trust (vs.5), rest…wait patiently…fret not (vs.7), cease from anger…forsake wrath…fret not (vs.8). All of these exhortations urge the believer to confidently trust the Lord with all of life’s problems.’
It surely does my people. And that’s the only way for us to get in to the good graces of the Lord, and most importantly stay in His good graces. It’s not a one time thing, but a continuous process of putting our lives in His august trust, surrendering our lives completely to Him. That’s the ONLY way He can mould and change us into the image of Christ that He desires. The problem though is that too many of us refuse to surrender fully to the Lord. Oh yes, we give Him some parts of ourselves, but not all of us. We unwisely choose to keep some for us to control. But that means we cannot then enjoy the abundant life, because it’s only through total surrender that is possible.
And I like what the scholars say to end their explanation. ‘The psalm concludes most appropriately with an undying affirmation of faith and trust in the unchanging character of God.’ And reading that most appropriate ending together is a perfect way to end Today’s Bit. So please read with me: ‘Mark the perfect (blameless) man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.’ (Ps. 37:37-40)
Yes my fellow believers, trust and total surrender in the Lord God Jehovah is what it takes to live the abundant life. So let’s be wise and put all that we are and have in His mighty, LOVING and compassionate hands to day nuh. Because it’s all for our benefit! Much LOVE!
…growing closer to God each day…should be the Christian’s greatest endeavour…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a trade war, a trade was benefits no one, basic building blocks for building on the Rock, be ye angry and sin not, believers in Christ, blessed are the meek, bring forth thy righteousness as the light., built on the sinking sand of Satan, cease from anger, choose life, christianity, Christians, commit thy way unto the Lord, delight themselves in the abundance of peace, delight thyself also in the Lord, do good, Donald Trump's policies, endure to the end, every dog has his day, evil only causes harm, evildoers shall be cut off, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, feed on his faithfulness, for yet a little while, forsake wrath, fret not thyself because of evildoers, fret not thyself because of him who prospers, give thee the desires of thine heaert, glad to be alive, God's truth, halfway home, hands on the plough, have their day in the sun, he shall bring it to pass, holy spirit, in any wise to do evil, Jesus Christ, keep Satan at bay, let not the sun go down on your wrath, LOVE, mercy, neither be thou envious against, neither give place to the devil, new age thinking, not built on the Rock that's Jesus, not looking back at the past, raising tariffs, reducing people to poverty, Rest in the Lord, righteous indignation, salvation, sinful anger, so shalt thou dwell in the land, thank God, that thou and thy seed might live, the abundance of peace, the BIBLE, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the evil edifice will come tumbling down, the Good Library, the man who brings wicked devices to pass, the meek shall inherit the earth, the perfect shall remain in it, the sure foundation that's Jesus, the upright shall dwell in the land, the wicked shall not be, the workers of iniquity, they shall inherit the earth, they shall soon be cut down like grass, those that wait upon the Lord, thou shalt be fed, thy judgement as the noonday, to a glorious future with Jesus, transgressors shall be rooted out, trust also in him, trust in the Lord, truth, unwise cronies, wait patiently for him, wannabe dictator, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, wisdom in spades, with them up as grass at midday, wither as the green herb, you shall look diligently for him
Psalm 37:1-2. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb.
Well friends, we don’t know what’s going to happen as yet, per that snow that was previously forecasted, but Liberation Day, as per that unwise, wannabe dictator, Donald Trump, has turned out to be rather cloudy, windy and cold. I don’t know who he’s liberating with his foolish policies nuh, possibly the money that will now accrue to those in power. (smile)
He should have called it Back to Poverty Day, and Stupidity Day, because that’s all his policies are doing, reducing a large proportion of his people, as well as others around the world to poverty status. How could firing thousands of people for no good reason, especially from essential ministries like health and education, stopping International Aid and raising tariffs on numerous products be liberating eh? The wise people know that trade wars benefit no one. But I guess that’s the new age thinking being developed by Trump and his other greedy, unwise cronies.
But as the Good Library so purposefully and steadfastly proclaims from Psalm 37: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb.’ (Ps. 37:1-2) And that’s God’s truth my people!
The wicked will have their day in the sun, but eventually, that same sun will dry and wither them up as the grass at midday. And as the old people would say, every dog has his day. Now is Trump and his foolish cronies time, but that whole evil edifice will eventually come crumbling down, because it was not built on the Rock that’s Jesus, but on the sinking and shifting sand that is Satan.
And how do we build on the Rock that’s Jesus, you ask? Bruh David states it loud and clear in the following verses of the psalm, when he wisely advises: ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noon day.’ (Ps. 37:3-6)
Yes my fellow believers, those are some of the basic building blocks for building on the Rock, the sure foundation that’s Jesus! Very simple, but oh so wise doings. Trust in the Lord, do good, delight thyself in Him, Commit thy way unto Him, and He shall bring you righteousness and justice as bright as the noonday sun.
Now, those are all things that we can do fairly easily if we are serious about building our house on the Rock that’s Jesus. And though Satan will do his very best to try and turn us away from Jesus, we have the powerful comforter and intercessor, the Holy Spirit of Jesus to help us keep Satan at bay… if we sincerely listen to Him.
But that’s not all there is to building our houses on the Rock that’s Jesus, for Bruh David continues: ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm).’ (Ps. 37:7-8) Yuh see friends, some more important building blocks; resting in the Lord and waiting patiently on him, as well as curtailing our anger, and not pursuing evil, for evil only causes harm to both ourselves and others.
And Bruh Paul also advised the Ephesians against unnecessary anger when he said: ‘Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.’ (Eph. 4:26-27) Why is that eh? The scholars tell us that ‘Sinful anger is to be replaced by (briefly held) righteous indignation, that the devil may not be given an opportunity to gain a foothold in our souls.’ And also, when you go to bed angry, your sleep is disturbed by the anger, there’s no sense of peace or rejuvenation, which is the purpose of sleep, and you wake up as angry and miserable as you went to bed.
And all of that is wisdom in spades my people, because as Bruh David says in the next couple of verses: ‘For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place (look diligently for him), and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.’ (Ps. 37:9-11)
And Cousin Sol in his wisdom in Proverbs agrees with his father, when he says: ‘For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect (blameless) shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off (destroyed) from the earth (land), and transgressors shall be rooted out.’ (Prov. 2:21-22) Then that was all reiterated by Jesus in the Beatitudes, from the Sermon on the Mount, when He declared: ‘Blessed are the meek (the strong, but lowly and humble): for they shall inherit the earth (land).’ (Matt. 5:5)
Oh my fellow saints we could not get it any plainer than that! In this life the wicked will eventually be destroyed, but those that stand strong in the Lord will be fed with goodness and mercy and enjoy the land of abundance. Now, will we rather be destroyed with the wicked, or inherit the land with the meek? That’s a no brainer! For we will all choose the latter. As Moses wisely advised the Israelites: ‘therefore choose life, that thou and thy children may live.’ (Deut. 30:19b) And so we have, as this declaration (wow!!!) of our Wednesday Wail indicates.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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 didn’t know, there’s a promise that says whoever endures to the very end with Jesus will enjoy a future even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So, let’s be wise and plan to meet at the very end and enjoy that future together nuh! Much LOVE!
…the necessary things for building on the Rock…trust…do good…delight thyself in…commit thy way to…rest in…cease from anger…forsake wrath…don’t do evil…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man after His own heart, a positive outlook on life, Bible, bring it to pass, christianity, commit thy way unto the Lord, curse, deceit, delight thyself also in the Lord, difficult circumstances, divine protection, emotionally, enjoy all the blessings of God, faith, favour, feed thee, fewer your days, give the the desires of thine heart, god, grateful devoted heart, greed, happiness, holy spirit, Jesus Christ, like putty in God's hands, LOVE, lovers of God, makes you stronger, more like Jesus, negative word, not doing thine own ways, obedience, physocally, pliable in God's hands, praise God, promotion, repentant, reverent, ride upon the high places, satisfaction, seek intimacy with God, selfishness, spiritually, supernatural wisdom, teachable, tender, the clock's ticking, the essence of our faith, the heritage of Jacob, the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, the world's way, to gain great pleasure, trust also in him, trust God wholeheartedly, truth, turn away from your pleasure, value God for who He is not what He can do for us, value people for who they are, value the giver more than the gifts, wisdom
Psalm 37:4-5. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.
And believe it or not, it’s Thursday, the second to last day of our work week. I don’t know if I’m happy or sad that the days seem to be passing by so quickly. The problem might just be that the older you get the fewer your days on God’s good earth become, and you get anxious that you’ve not done as much as you wanted to do, or more importantly, the things you’ve desired to do. And right now, that’s somewhat true for me, because there are several things I haven’t yet done that I greatly desire to do.
When you’re twenty odd, you easily envision many more days alive and kicking, but at the ripe ole age of seventy odd, you know that the clock’s ticking and your days are not that many. But then again, when you trust God wholeheartedly, you’re not supposed to be worried or anxious about anything, for the Bible tells us, in the words of Bruh David from Psalm 37 – titled Trust in the Lord: ‘Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.’ (Ps. 37:4-5)
And what does it mean to delight thyself in the Lord? Here’s a short and simple answer from this commentary. ‘To “delight in the Lord” is to enjoy all the blessings found in Him, because they are from Him, not merely because they are to our benefit. It’s often said that the person who delights in the Lord values the Giver more highly than His gifts.’ Now that’s an attitude we should surely have towards our God; appreciating and valuing Him for what and who He is, than merely for what He can do for us in terms of worldly needs.
It’s also something we should be seriously pursuing in our daily lives with other people; valuing them more as God’s people, our brothers and sisters in Christ, rather than merely thinking of them in terms of what they can do for us. And that brings us right back to what we’re talking about; foregoing all the selfishness, greed and deceit that our world today teaches as a way of life, and committing to God’s way, which is the exact opposite. (smile)
Meanwhile, this other commentary shows delighting in God in a different light. It asks, ‘What is the biblical meaning of delight?’ And answers: ‘The word delight means “to gain great pleasure, satisfaction, and happiness.” Additionally, another meaning of the Hebrew word for delight is “to be soft, tender.” I think LOVERS of God are those who are soft and tender toward Him, always teachable, always pliable in His hands.’
That’s also true. We need to be like putty in God’s hands, obedient, and committing our ways to Him, meaning ‘invite the Lord to examine our desires and intentions—and change whatever does not fit his purpose or advance his plan for our life.’ And we wonder why God delighted in Bruh David with all of his abominable behaviour. Because he had a repentant, reverent, grateful and devoted heart.
And we can see that from the words of this commentary. ‘Because of his knowledge of God, David refrained from killing Saul when he had the opportunity, content to wait for God to act in his perfect timing. David demonstrated delight in God through his obedience and praise to God despite his difficult circumstances.’
Ah friends, if only we could be so trusting and obedient. That doesn’t mean we won’t do wrong, but when we realize, it we turn asap to God and confess and repent of it. That’s what Bruh David did, and the Lord still considered him a friend and a man after His own heart. The whole point of delighting in God, and committing our ways to Him, is encouraging and challenging us to seek intimacy with God every day. And the greater the intimacy, the greater the obedience and the greater the blessing!
It’s all a part of God’s great plan for us to commune continuously and deeply with Him. It’s one of the reasons He created us. So when we don’t seek to get close to God, then we’re losing out, missing a whole set of wonderful blessings and interesting adventures and situations. Now, they won’t always be a Sunday walk in the park, (smile) but they’ll surely brighten up your life and make you stronger; physically, spiritually and emotionally, in other words, more like Jesus.
Now listen to this scripture from Isaiah, where he’s talking to the people about honouring the Sabbath. ‘If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shall honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places (hills) of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’ (Is. 58:13-14)
Yes my fellow believers, if we choose the Lord’s way, rather than ours, He will rain down blessings on us in such abundance that we won’t be able to handle them. But unfortunately, too many of us are following the foolish dictates of the world, to basically go against everything that God stands for. No wonder our world is filled with man-made chaos and natural disasters. So what are we going to do about this undesirable situation eh? The answer lies in our hands my fellow saints, and the Lord has most generously given us the tools to handle it. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare (chuh!!!) them right now, so that they can be activated in our lives.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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 made that declaration (yesss!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings for the benefit of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…delighting in our wonderful God…is the essence of our faith…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Jun 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of righteousness, afraid of sacrifices, as ye see the day approaching, commit thy way unto the Lord, elbow grease, even as your Father in heaven is perfect, exhorting one another, fulfill the Great Commission, gathering in the Lord's sanctuary, get with the programme, give diligence and be zealous, he shall bring it to pass, He will always be there, He'll take your hand and lead you on, I am Committed, I am not ashamed, I am your destiny, I have committed my life to Jesus, I have finished my course, I have fought a good fight, I know He cares, I know whim I have believed, I know who, in the dark He revealed Himself to me, interpretation of God's word, Jesus knows what you're going through, joyful time, let your heart be perfect with the Lord, lonely nights, LOVE, Maxine Duncan, not a dry eye in heaven, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, raise our level of commitment, sacrificial voices of praise, trust also in him, you will always be strong
Psalm 37:5. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
It’s that joyful time again my faithful brethren! I’m talking about gathering in the Lord’s sanctuary on His day to fellowship with other believers and give our great God much wonderful thanks and praise! There’s no other time like that in our busy, mundane lives, (smile) and besides it’s something we’ve been strongly advised to do, so that we can also stir up and encourage each other. The author of Hebrews tells us: ‘Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.’ (Heb. 10:25)
And the day of Jesus’ return is fast approaching my people, so we need to get with the programme and gather together regularly, so that we can raise each other’s faith and spirit. And one of the best ways of doing that is by joining together in sacrificial praise to Almighty God. And today, we open with a marvellous song that highlights exactly what we need in these turbulent times in much greater amount from those who call themselves believers; that’s strong, true, sure, undefiled commitment to Christ Jesus The song is called ‘I Am Committed!’ originally done by the popular Jamaican Evangelist and Gospel Singer, Maxine Duncan.
Yes friends, there’s nothing that Jesus needs more from us right now than our sincere commitment to His most worthy cause. So, let’s raise the roof of the sanctuary with our sweetly flavoured sacrificial voices of praise, in a sincere, heartfelt, scintillating, soulful rendition of this beautiful song. Singing: ‘Hn, hn, hn! Dear Lord! Thank You Jesus! Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Early this morning, I woke from my sleep I heard His voice speak softly to me He says my child you have had some lonely nights That’s why I am here to comfort you if you only believe
(Chorus: That’s when I committed my life to Him Cause I know that He cares for me Yes I have committed my life to Him I know he cares, He’ll always be there That’s why I am committed.) It was in the dark, He revealed Himself to me He said my child I am your destiny Lonely nights I spent in agony As I prayed secretly, I started to cry I am committed [Yes I have committed my life to Him I know that he cares for me Yes I have committed my life to Him I know he cares, He will always be there That’s why I am committed)
When Trials come and they seem so hard to bear Yes Jesus knows what you are going through Your circumstances, He will fix it for you He’ll take your hand, he’ll lead you on You will always be strong. (Yes I have committed my life to Him Cause I know that He; cares for me Yes I have committed my life to Him I know he cares, He will always be there That’s why I am committed. I know he cares He will always be there That’s why I am committed. I know he cares He will always be there That’s why I am committed’
Oh my people, that was wonderful! There wasn’t a dry eye in heaven, because they heard the sincerity in our voices. That means we can’t let them down now, we have to actually show that serious commitment in our daily walk with Christ. And since the last days seem to be on the horizon, this is a time when true commitment is badly needed so we can get as many people as possible under Christ’s umbrella of salvation before it’s too late for them. And there are so many scriptures in the Good Library that deal with commitment that we can only highlight a few here.
Now, possibly the most widely known one is that penned by Bruh David in Psalm 37: ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’ (Ps. 37: 5) Then there’s this one by Cousin Sol, when he dedicated the temple to the Lord, that most of us don’t know. He told the congregation of Israel: ‘Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments as of this day.’ (1 Kin. 8:61)
And I like how the scholars explain that verse. They say, Cousin Sol ‘closes his prayer with a challenge to Israel to be perfect with the Lord, that is, fully and wholly (completely) committed to His person and standards (cf. Matt. 5:48) for a growing spiritual maturity.’ And my fellow saints, that is the challenge that I’m throwing out to all of us this day. We need to be fully and completely committed to Jesus and rise to the occasion to fulfill His Great Commission in whatever way we can. Time is of the essence and we cannot afford to dilly dally any longer or just talk a good talk, we desperately need to walk the walk, right now!
And by the way, the reference above there to Matthew 5:48, just happens to be Jesus teaching on LOVING one’s enemies, and He ends on this note. ‘Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’ That means possessing a complete LOVE like God’s. and we can only get close to that goal by being truly committed to walking in His ways. Meanwhile, there are some scriptures that Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy in his second letter about being committed.
Listen up: ‘Wherefore I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.’ (2 Tim. 1:11-12) And therein lies a major problem with why more believers are not fully committed to Jesus: they are afraid of the sacrifices they might be called on to make, and they are also ashamed of Jesus and what He stands for. How then can we ever get real kingdom work done when so many are not committed eh?
Then there’s this advice Bruh Paul gave to Timothy: ‘Study (be diligent) to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.’ (2 Tim. 2:15) And the scholars explain that thus: ‘The command to study means “give diligence and be zealous.” It involves a total effort of mind, emotion and will. Rightly dividing (lit., “cutting straight” the word of truth. The apostle appeals for effort to be made to properly interpret the word of God.’ And do we ever need proper interpretation of God’s word in these deceitful and treacherous times!
And when it’s all said and done friends, we ought to be able to truthfully say words like Bruh Paul did. ‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race). I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:6-8)
Oh my people, not all of us can be as zealous as Bruh Paul in Christ’s cause, but we can all be more zealous than we currently are. So, please, let’s raise our level of commitment today nuh, if we truly LOVE Jesus! Much LOVE!
…no cause can be won or accomplished…unless its devotees are truly committed to it…and are willing to input the necessary elbow grease…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
09 Jul 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook with Christ, align with God's will for our lives, aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, be led by the dreams in your heart, become a new creation, better things ahead than anything we leave behind, but with God all things are possible, commit thy way unto the Lord, damned if you do, damned if you don't, delight thyself also in the Lord, don't be pushed around by your fears, eveything becomes new in Christ, faith and trust don't come overnight, he shall bring it to pass, he shall give thee the desires of thine heart, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, LOVE, our Christian agenda, our lazy day, personal expereince, recoiled to God, train your brain like you train your body, trust also in him, with men this is impossible, your best days are ahead of you
Matthew 19:26. With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Greetings my Scrip-Bit friends and family on this cool but sunshiny Saturday in early July. It’s our lazy day at last. And believe me, was I ever tempted to be lazy. (smile) Could have gotten up long ago because I went to bed at a rather early hour last night, an early hour for me that is, and stayed in bed all night. Consequently, it wasn’t easy getting out of bed because with that long amount of rest the ole back was obviously acting up. As they say, you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t! If I don’t lie down long enough, I don’t get sufficient rest, but if I lie down too long, my back acts up.
Anyway, the Lord’s work had to be done, so here I am, obediently doing it, aching back and all. (smile) And, as always, on a Saturday we look at the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us in the week past, as he aspires to inspires us for a better tomorrow, and see how they interact with our Christian agenda.
And the first one says: ‘There are far better things ahead than anything we leave behind.’ And that’s a wonderful truth friends, if you are a true believer in Christ, because with Him, your best days are always out ahead of you. Yes, when we come to Christ, we become new creations, are reconciled to God, and all the old sinful and ungodly things of our previous life are left behind, everything becomes new in Christ and we have a much better day to look forward to. (2 Cor. 5:17-18)
Now that doesn’t mean that all our problems will just vanish into thin air, it’s possible that we might have even more and greater problems, because with greater responsibility comes greater problems, but we will be able to handle it all better through the help of Christ and the Holy Spirit. Before we come to Christ there is no true help, just Satan trying to drag us down with him, but when Christ enters our lives… oh my people, there is help everlasting! Remember God’s promise through the prophet Jeremiah: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). (Jer. 29:11)
The next quote tells us: ‘Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.’ And that’s very good advice, but we have to put it into our Christian context. That means first of all, as Bruh Paul said to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 5:7) So, with Christ in your life, fears don’t bog you down like they did before.
However, those dreams must now also become aligned with the will for Christ in your new life. Here’s how Bruh David puts it in Psalm 37. ‘Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’ (Ps. 37:4-5) Unfortunately, when we come to Christ, we must wait on His timing, which isn’t always easy to do, and also do the things that He desires of us.
Now, I can tell you from personal experience that He will bring many of your heart’s desires to pass, once they align with His will for your life. I’ve wanted to do a lot of things in this life and faithfully, many times unexpectedly, He has allowed me to do them, though not always to the extent that I’ve desired. But my greatest desires are still out ahead of me, and I do hope that they will align with God’s will for my life, because I would be truly disappointed if some of those never came to fruition.
But He’s the Boss, and I can only do what He allows. And the good thing is that I’m not worried, a tad concerned yes, (smile) because most of what I want to do is for His greater glory, so why wouldn’t He allow me to do them eh? That’s why you need plenty trust and faith. However, that kind of blind faith and trust don’t come overnight, but only with experience in God’s wonderful grace and mercy.
Meanwhile, the next quote declares: ‘The only place where your dreams become impossible is in your own thinking.’ Now that might sound sort of contrary because we usually consider our minds to be the only place that all our dreams are possible. But I believe the quote is saying we are the ones who limit our dreams by our limited thinking. And if you are a true believer in Christ, you’ll know that nothing is impossible with Him. As He said to the disciples when they were amazed at His statement that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. ‘With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.’ (Matt. 19:26)
And, unfortunately, when we limit our thinking, we also limit the power of God in our lives. For remember what Jesus said earlier on to the disciples. ‘If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove (move); and nothing shall be impossible to you.’ (Matt. 17:20) So, once we are in Christ, it’s essential to believe that all things are possible through Him who strengthens us.
But then too, like the following quote advises: ‘You have to train your brain to be positive just like you work out your body.’ And that’s the gospel truth! We don’t get powerful and positive minds by simply believing in Christ. No, we have to train our minds, just like we train our bodies. And how do we do that? As believers we need to read and meditate on God’s Word, His Guidebook for Life, the Bible. Then talk to God through prayer, while listening to and obeying the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit that indwells all believers to lead and guide us in the right way, and also fellowshipping with other believers.
Like everything else, we only grow through practice and experience…and it all takes time. So, please don’t be discouraged if you find yourself floundering, keep keeping on, because there is no giving up when you are in Christ. That brings us to our last quote: ‘You need to be able to manage stress because hard times will come, and a positive outlook is what gets you through.’ The first part is true, trials and tribulation will come, but a positive outlook ALONE, will not get you through. A positive outlook with Christ in your life is what will get you through!
Please note the many people with only positive outlooks who didn’t get through the recent pandemic – sorry, it’s not done yet – the current pandemic, because it takes more than just a positive outlook. It takes strong belief, faith, trust and surrender to the power that’s greater than us, the power that created and controls the universe and all therein, and that’s Almighty God! That’s the backdrop, the foundation you need for your positive outlook! Much LOVE!
…only in Christ Jesus…will you find all that you need for living this life…as well as the next…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
03 Jul 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: agonizing heart searching, cast thy burden upon the Lord, cast your every care on him, casting all your care upon him, challeneged by the propsect of a new joy, choose life, Christ fully understood my situation, commit thy way unto the Lord, discouragement gripped him, empathetic song, every woe He sees and feels, for he careth for you, Hades, he shall bring it to pass, he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, LOVE, meet Him at the throne of mercy, No one is so near so dear as Jesus, no one understands like Jesus, sacrifices of praise, Satan is a loser, sensed the presence of the Lord, tempted to become bitter, the bitter experiences, the great compassion of the Lord, the lake of fire, the long and short of the story, the Lord's Day, the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal live, the wise money is on Christ, trust also in him, very alone and forsaken, when the days are dark and grim, when the foes of life assail, words of awesome truth
1 Peter 5:7. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
It’s come around again friends, the Lord’s Day, that marvellous day called Sunday, where we gather to praise, worship and renew our commitment to Almighty God and receive His awesome renewal of strength and perseverance to face the upcoming week! Wow! No wonder Sunday is indeed the first and best day of the week! Glory Hallelujah!
And to celebrate today’s praise and worship, we are going to sing a fairly recent composition, written in the mid twentieth century by John Willard Peterson (1921-2006). It’s a song that I truly wish so many more of us would take to heart and sincerely accept by putting its sentiments into action. The song is very appropriately titled: ‘No One understands like Jesus!’ And if that isn’t the gospel truth, then I don’t what is.
Now here is a li’l background on how the song came about, which I think will endear it to us even more. It seems that Mr. Peterson, the author was at one time employed by a prestigious gospel ministry and was led to believe that an open supervisory position would be offered to him. And according to Mr. Peterson: ‘I was thrilled and challenged by the prospect of a new joy. But I was by-passed, and a man from the outside was brought in to fill the position. There followed days of agonizing heart searching. It was all I could do to keep from becoming bitter.’
I guess many of us would react the same way. However, matters got worse when the new supervisor made some hurtful remarks to Mr. Peterson. And he says: ‘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.’
Words of awesome truth my fellow believers! And soon after that He began to write the song. ‘Discouragement gripped him. He felt alone and forsaken, and was tempted to become bitter, until he began thinking about the great compassion of the Lord. Who cares? HE does!’ Now let’s sing this marvellous, empathetic song in a soulful, mid-tempo, heart-felt version, opening our mouths and hearts, offering up sincere sacrifices of praise to our amazing Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
As one sweet sounding, harmonious choir: ‘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.’
Oh my people, there is no one in this world who understand like Jesus! Why, you ask? Because on His earthly sojourn, He underwent, He experienced the trials, temptations and tribulation that mankind suffers every day on this evil and ungodly earth. So, He can indeed empathize with the stuff that we are forced to bear. And when He faced His storms and troubled times, He went to His Father for strength and encouragement, just like He now expects us, His followers to come to Him for compassion and understanding when we are beset by troubles that test our souls and faith.
And we all know the basic scriptures on which the song is based, beginning with this awesome advice from Psalm 55 – A cry against deceitful friends. Bruh David writes from personal experience: ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit, allow) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’ (Ps. 55:22) Yes my fellow believers, if we cast our burdens on the Lord, He will never allow the enemy to overcome us! And in Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked – Bruh David again wisely advises us to: ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.’ (Ps. 37:5)
Now if that isn’t sufficient proof for you, (smile) then listen to Peter, another recipient of Jesus’ great grace and mercy. He advises us to: ‘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. 5:6-7)
Now none of those scriptures could be more explicit than they are. It’s simple: with sincerity and trust, take all your concerns to God, to Christ, who cares ever so deeply for you, otherwise they would not have allowed Jesus’ blood to be shed on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins, and then send His Holy Spirit to indwell us, so that He can lead and guide us on the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life.
And I really don’t know what else it will take for us to truly accept that our heavenly Father allowed Christ to die for us because of His deep and abiding LOVE for us nuh. I guess that’s why He gave us free will, so that we could decide to whom we would give our allegiance, to Him or Beelzebub. I can guarantee us one thing though; Satan doesn’t care one iota about us, he only wants us to lose our heavenly destiny and end up with him in Hades, and ultimately in the lake of fire. So, it’s a decision each one of us must make.
And in closing, let’s remind us that we ought to make the wise choice, choosing life, BEFORE the Lord takes us home, or Jesus comes back the second time, and either scenario could occur at any time. So, the best time to do it is RIGHT NOW! That’s the long and short of the story my people! Much LOVE!
…the wise money is always on Christ…because He first defeated Satan in heaven…and again here on earth…Satan is a loser… why turn to him…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
22 Apr 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: an attitude of total trust, bring backsliders back to your fold, commit thy way unto the Lord, defeat the virus, Easter Season, faith is a condition of the soul, faith is more than inner belief, for a witness unto all nations, Friday chant, great is thy faithfulness, have our hearts reflect what our mouths have spoken, he shall bring it to pass, his compassions fail not, I wait for the Lord, imbued with consistent and responsible service to God, in his word do I hope, introduce a whole new flock, It is of the Lord's mercies, LOVE, many shall come in my name, marked by a stable character, more than they that watch for the morning, my soul doth wait, my strength and my hope is perished from the Lord, no greater love, preached in all the world, take heed that no man deceive you, TGIF!, Thank God it's Friday, the beginnings of sorows, the believer's whole life, the gospel of the kingdom, then shall the end come, therefore I have hope, they are new every morning, this I recall to mind, trust also in him, unrest in our streets, wake up and smell the coffee, we are not consumed, we will rejoice and be glad in it, with him is plenteous redemption, with the Lord there is mercy
Lamentations 3:22. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
And so, Friday has opened bright and sunshiny, but somewhat chilly, not as warm as it ought to be at this time of spring. But that’s okay, we can handle anything that comes against us because of the Holy Spirit of Jesus that indwells us. It gives us the boldness, the confidence to declare: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’
And since it’s a day He has made, we shall therefore rejoice and be glad in it! So, please give our great God some thanks and praise for His wonderful works to us undeserving children of men. Let’s gratefully remember, as Jeremiah said in his Lamentations: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:22-23)
Oh my people, it is indeed because of the Lord’s compassion, His mercy and faithfulness that we are not totally destroyed. And He especially showed His great LOVE and compassion for us in this past Easter Season when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross so he could justly and righteously have reason to forgive our sins! No greater LOVE than that can ever be found!
And in explaining ‘faithfulness,’ the scholars tell us that: ‘The word root from which it comes stresses that real faith is more than inner belief, even more than whole-souled committal. It is a condition of the soul marked by such a stable character and an attitude of total trust that the believer’s whole life is imbued with consistent, responsible service to God (c.f. 1 Sam. 26:23; Ps. 37:3-6). From the biblical standpoint, true faith results in faithfulness in one’s life.’
Yes friends, just like God has been faithful throughout His long existence, so we His creation and joint-heirs with Christ need to be faithful in all walks of our lives. And I believe that shows up positively in Jeremiah’s life when he remembers how he was mistreated, locked up and derided for preaching God’s word, and though he tried to get rid of it, the fire of the word still burned in his belly. ‘And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord: Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall (bitterness). My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled (bowed down) in me. This I recall to mind, therefore have I hope.’ (Lam. 3:18-21)
That’s when he talks about the Lord’s compassions and mercies that we’ve spoken of above. Yuh see, once you’ve been associated with our wonderful God, and seen His faithfulness, it’s difficult to lose faith in Him, even when you go through real tough times on His behalf. That hope He imbues within us just doesn’t die, because deep down, we know that He is Almighty God; omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present, to whom all things are possible, the One who can bring us through any untoward situation if He so chooses.
Sometimes though, unfortunately, He doesn’t choose to make us escape the difficulty, because He has some good reason for us experiencing it. But the wonderful thing about our God is that He will NEVER allow us to go through something alone; He is always beside us monitoring our progress through the particular situation and through life itself.
That’s why the psalmist could also confidently declare in Psalm 130. ‘I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy (LOVING-kindness), and with him is plenteous (abundant) redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.’ (Ps. 130:5-8)
Wow! What hope, and trust in God the psalmist shows there! His soul is waiting more deeply for God, than those who are keeping watch for daybreak. And he says it twice, for us to know how deep His trust and faith are in the God of his forefathers! Now that’s the kind of faith that we modern day believers ought to be showing, especially in these contrary and oh so difficult times, which seem to mimic the beginning of the last days that Jesus spoke about.
‘Take heed lest any man deceive you: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ: and shall deceive many. And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers (various) places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows (birth pangs)…And the gospel must first be published among all nations.’ (Mark. 13:5-8, 10)
But Matthew is more explicit per that last verse. He recalls Jesus saying: ‘ And the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.’ (Matt. 24:14) And we are indeed seeing the beginnings of those sorrows for all that Jesus spoke about is currently happening, with wars and rumours of wars, famines in a world with wonderful farming skills and technology, deception everlasting, pestilence, sickness and natural disasters like we’ve never seen before.
And above all, with our wonderful technology the gospel has already been preached or proclaimed to most of the world, and it should not take very long to do as Jesus desires; proclaim it to ALL the world. But in the meantime, we the faithful, must remain faithful and true to His name, and do what He desires of us. And the first thing in our arsenal is always prayer, that awesome method of communication between us and our heavenly Father. So let’s go to Him in prayer right now nuh, through our Friday Chant, seeking His divine help in these rather difficult times.
As one strong, but humble voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets.
So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways.
And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now that means cleaning up our act and having our hearts sincerely reflect what our mouths have just spoken. That is, if we want to receive a positive response from Almighty God! Much LOVE!
…commit thy way unto the Lord…trust also in him…and he shall bring it to pass… (Ps. 37:5)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
21 Nov 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: cast your every care on him, come boldly to the throne of grace, commit thy way unto the Lord, discouragement, every woe He sees and feels, feed my sheep, find grace to help in time of need, for God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, he shall bring it to pass, He will pardon you today, I am the good shepherd, John Willard Peterson, no one understands like Jesus, obtain mercy, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the Lord upholdeth him with his hand, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, trust also in him, without sin
John 10:11. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
It’s that time again my brethren, Sunday morning, where we gather to worship our wonderful God, to sing His praises, hear His refreshing and enlightening Word, and give Him much thanks for His awesome LOVE and compassion towards us, His most undeserving children. But that’s the kind of God we serve and worship. And today’s opening song is a not so old hymn, (smile) as compared to some others we sing, written by John Willard Peterson (1921-2006), in the early years of his ministry, and aptly titled ‘No One understands like Jesus.’
And believe me friends, that’s the indisputable truth! And why shouldn’t it be true eh, since He is God whose thoughts and understanding are incomparable, and when you add the fact that Jesus Himself underwent all the stuff that we go through down here on earth, it certainly adds up to a wealth of understanding. That’s why Hebrews can tell us: ‘For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched (who cannot sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:15-16)
Anyway, enough talk, time to do some singing. And in our usual harmonious and soulful manner let’s offer up our sacrifices of praise to heaven and our marvellous Godhead. ‘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! Cast your every care on Him, Cause no one understands like Jesus.’
You can say that again my people: ‘No one understands like Jesus!’ (smile) And there seems to be an interesting and heart-felt story behind the writing of this song, as there usually are behind many of our favourite tunes. Mr. Peterson appears to have been quite involved in Christian music and tells the story thus: ‘”At one time I had a responsible position with a well-known gospel ministry. One day a supervisory position opened up in my department. I was led to believe that I was to be promoted to this position. I was thrilled and challenged by the prospect of a new joy. But I was by-passed, and a man from the outside was brought in to fill the position.
There followed days of agonizing heart searching. It was all I could do to keep from becoming bitter. One night I had occasion to spend an evening with the man who was brought in for “my” position. For some reason or other, though otherwise a very pleasant fellow, that night he became quite caustic in some of his remarks to me; and I was deeply hurt. 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. Before long, the idea for the song came and I began to write. “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you” (Ps. 55:22).
And Peter, who witnessed the perfidy of Judas, echoed his words: “Casting all your care [anxiety] upon Him, for He cares [is deeply concerned] for you” (I Pet. 5:7). Discouragement gripped him. He felt alone and forsaken, and was tempted to become bitter, until he began thinking about the great compassion of the Lord. Who cares? He does!’
Yes friends, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ does care deeply about us, else why would He leave the joys and comforts of heaven and come to earth in human flesh to suffer the humiliation and abuse He did eh? These awesome words of His speak plainly of caring. ‘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.’ (Jon 3:16) There was no reason for the Father to do that, except that His LOVE and compassion for us was so great, He couldn’t just allow us to lose our souls and end up in Hades with Beelzebub.
So Jesus’ coming to earth was all about caring. And the Good Book tells us in so many instances of God’s care and concern for us. Let’s check out a few nuh. Mr. Peterson mentioned a couple. The first one being the words of Bruh David from Psalm 55 – A cry against deceitful friends – where he declares in no uncertain manner: ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit, allow) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’ (Ps. 55:22) and if you are a believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, then it’s imperative that you believe those words!
Then there was Peter, who experienced Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, as well as his own, when he thrice denied knowing Christ, having been forewarned by Christ that he would do it. And when the cock crowed and Jesus looked around at Peter, he must have wished the earth could open up and swallow him, the shame he felt. (Luke 22:55-62) But the Lord not only forgave Peter, but also encouraged him, ‘Feed my sheep.’ (John 21:15-19) And Peter rose to be one of the leaders of the church.
All of that caring and compassion of Jesus, must have compelled him to write: ‘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. 5:6-7) And that’s the gospel truth friends! Peter experienced it, so he could testify to it. Likewise, many of us have also experienced the Lord’s care and compassion in our normal everyday lives, but you know what, in these turbulent and dangerous times we need to seek His care and compassion even more than usual, since the world is in such turmoil.
And Psalm 37 – the true state of the wicked – has a couple of interesting verses that we should all take hold of. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass…The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.’ (Ps. 37:5, 23-24)
Oh my fellow believers there’s no doubt whatsoever that Jesus cares for us. How else can you interpret these words of His: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) My fellow saints, please ponder those words today, and see if they don’t add up to a tender and heartfelt caring on the part of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Much LOVE!
…no one understands…or cares…like Jesus…
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13 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a continuous life-long thing, a glimmer of spiritual desire, a personally intimate relationship with Christ, a religion called Christianity, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, acknowledge that God is the instigator, be not envious against, blessings of water, bring forth thy righteousness, by Christ Jesus, cease from anger, Commit thy way to the Lord, delight thyself in the Lord, do good, don't have to hurry, don't have to worry, dwell in the land, exceeding abundantly, forsake wrath, Fret not thyself over evildoers, get intimate with God, give thee the desires of thine heaert, grateful for life, His desire planted in us, I awaked, I laid me down to sleep, I will not be afraid, in god's eyes, inherit the earth, Knowing God Intimately, LOVE, Most High God Jehovah, not a one and done thing, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, nothing to give thanks for, of ten thousands of people, One Year Book of Bible promises, Rest in the Lord, Ruth Harms Calkin, sacrificed His sinless life, set themselves against me, shalt be fed, share His love with the world, supreme confidence, Thanksgiving Day, the evil doers shall be cut off, the giving of thanks, the Lord sustained me, the Me first club, the perfection of Jesus living in us, the whole world is your oyster, the workers of iniquity, they shall soon be cut down like grass, throughout all the ages, thy judgement as the noonday, trust also in him, trust in the Lord, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, unto Him be glory in the church, unto him that is able to do, wait patiently for the Lord, washed clean, wicked devices, wither like the green herb, words of wisdom, your august Creator
Ephesians 3:20. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.
Aloha mih bredrin! Welcome to a bright, fresh, sunshiny Tuesday morning, washed clean by some blessings of water during the early morning hours! And yes, Thanksgiving Day finish now, but not the giving of thanks! The giving of thanks must be a continual thing, for without the continual giving of thanks, eventually, there will be nothing to give thanks for! Wow! What words of wisdom!
But seriously though, there is nothing like giving thanks to the Lord our God since there’s nothing that pleases Him more than His most important creation being grateful for life and all that He has provided for them. He also hopes that that gratefulness will consequently lead them to want to know Him better. And how do we do that you wonder?
Well here are the basics in black and white, taken from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This poem is appropriately titled ‘ Knowing God Intimately.’ And that’s how we ALL ought to know Him – through the auspices of His Son Jesus Christ! That’s His greatest desire!
So please read with me. ‘How do we learn to know God so intimately that all of life takes on a new freshness? We acknowledge that God is the instigator. We would not be wanting Him if He did not first want us. Even a glimmer of spiritual desire is HIS desire planted in us. We resign from our self-appointed office as president of the “Me First Club,” which gives God the privilege of saying. “Good! Now I’ll promote you.”
We focus on Jesus Christ, God’s Son. It is never a matter of how conspicuous we are. It only matters that He is conspicuous in us. We make no promise of perfection. All the perfection we’ll ever have is the perfection of Jesus living in us. We let God’s Word saturate our hearts. Five or ten minutes a day is far more helpful than three hours once a week. We trust God to do within us what we cannot do, knowing that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work in us.’
Yeahhhh friends! That’s how we get intimate with God! And it’s not a one time, one and done thing either, but is just like the giving of thanks, a continual, continuous life-long thing, that over time turns into a wonderful personal relationship between Creator and created. Mama Mia! There’s no relation more important or more beneficial that that one my people! For when you have such a close and intimate relationship with your heavenly Father, your august Creator, then the whole world is your oyster!
The devil will come against you in various guises, but he won’t be able to harm you, because you’ll be protected by the Most High God Jehovah and His majestic army of angels; your everlasting fortress and place of refuge. You will be able to say with supreme confidence, like Bruh David did: ‘I laid me down and slept: I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that have set them themselves against me round about.’ (Ps. 3:5-6) That’s the kind of faith and belief that wells up in our souls and spirits when we know our Lord and Saviour on an intimate basis.
And by the way, that’s why He sacrificed His sinless self on the cross at Calvary…not to just have a religion called Christianity, but for each one within that awesome group to get to know Him intimately and personally. In other words, being a Christian means having a personally intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. And is that ever a whole lot of personal and intimate relationships! It surely is.
But that’s how great and how LOVING and wonderful our Lord and Saviour is, that He could have so many intimate relationships at the same time and give His best to each and every one of them! Wow! Give Him some much-deserved thanks and praise my fellow believers!
And the Bible verse associated with today’s poem is also very appropriate. Hear Bruh Paul in his missive to the church at Ephesus as he talks about prayer for inner growth. ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.’ (Eph. 3:20-21)
Yes friends, through Christ and His church, glory must be given to God who has the amazing power to do more than our puny finite minds and imaginations can ever conceive. And just to add some biblical heft (smile) to our earlier contentions, listen to these marvellous words of Bruh David that also tell us how to achieve personal intimacy with our Creator.
‘Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (you shall feed on His faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm). For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps. 37: 1-9)
Oh my people, it couldn’t get any clearer or more basic than that! So let’s hope that we’ve all received the message – once again nuh (smile), and will keep on doing just what it dictates, so we can keep that wonderful personal relationship with the Almighty going strong and fervent. And as we go home, let’s bravely tell the world who and whose we are.
In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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 the world. Amen!’
So what we waiting for then eh? Let’s go out and show that trust and share that wonderful LOVE nuh! Much LOVE!
…fret not…trust…delight…commit…rest …cease…wait…and thou shall inherit…
13 Sep 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Ah cyar leave Him, and he shall bring it to pass, cease from anger, Christian artist, chutney soca, cleansing mandated by the authorities, Commit thy way to the Lord, cut down like grass, delight thyself in the Lord, Denyse Plummer, died on the cross, forsake wrath, Fret not thyself over evildoers, from hell-bound to holiness, from revelry to righteousness, from sin to salvation, gospel truth, he shall give thee the desires of thine heart, I am under a rock, I found the truth, I saw the light, in any wise to do evil, in times of storm, Jahovah hides me, Jesus, Jesus is our shelter, Jesus is the best upgrade, King of Kings, LOVE Walk, masks are compulsory, Na Leaving, neither be envious, never condemn nor forsaken me, no hugging and shaking hands, no singing, physical distancing, Rest in the Lord, rose up just like a boss, shall inherit the earth, the Anglican Church reopens its doors, the greatest decision, the workers of iniquity, those that wait upon the Lord, trust also in him, wait patiently for the Lord, wither as the green herb, Yahweh, Yeshua
Psalm 37:4. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
The day is here at last friends; the day when the Anglican church finally reopens its doors to their sanctuaries to have physical worship. Yes, it’s been five long months of technological worship while the sanctuaries lay quiet and dormant, some thought even dead! (smile) But the reawakening has eventually come, though with all the physical distancing and cleansing mandated by the authorities.
No hugging and shaking hands and masks are compulsory. Even the Eucharist has been changed up; no wine, just the wafer dropped into your hands by the priest with no bodily contact, and still physical distancing between believers as they approach the altar. And no kneeling at the altar either. Neither no singing. Only a soloist with a mask on, or the choir technologically beamed in.
Chuh! Some people might think the restrictions are too much and not worth the effort, while others will be overjoyed to have worship in church again. Anyway, to celebrate this auspicious occasion, the Lord decreed this special song for today’s worship. It’s by former star calypsonian Denyse Plummer turned Christian artist. It’s a rework of her earlier secular chutney soca hit, ‘Na Leaving,’ which celebrated all the good things of T&T, that those who were leaving there would miss.
From the first time I heard it, it became one of my favourite soca songs, and not only for the very descriptive lyrics, but also for the beautiful meshing, the impeccable melding of the African and East Indian riddims that we call chutney soca. So you can imagine when a few day ago, a friend sent me a copy of this reworked favourite with gospel lyrics, it was automatic that we should sing it this week. And isn’t it interesting how so many of the big secular artists are turning to gospel music nowadays. Some of them are even doing better than when they were singing the secular stuff, and if not financially, certainly in their soul and LOVE WALK. (smile)
Anyway, enough talk, let’s get to the sacrificial shout of praise. And as the sweet, soulful, easy rocking chutney soca music starts, we hear a couple bars, then we shout out ‘Jesus…Yahweh…Yeshua… Jahovah! From revelry to righteousness…Cyar leave Him. From hell-bound to holiness…Cyar leave Him. From sin to salvation…Cyar leave him. A kingdom destination…Cyar leave Him. There I was, in my glee, wallowing deep in a pig pen, full of life, but so empty, on my way to a fiery end. But someone told me about a Saviour, who said He LOVES me and He cares.
In times of storm He is my shelter, so in His arms you’ll find me there. Yuh see ah cyar live life without Him, He is my King of Kings, He’s the reason I’m still living. Ah cyar leave Him…ah cyar leave Him. Never condemn or forsaken me dread…Ah cyar leave Him…ah cyar leave Him. For God man I living, For God I go dead. There are so few, who made it through, and come from the darkness of this world. But I saw the light, I found the truth. I have more than silver, more than gold. I gave my life over to Jesus, the greatest decision I’ve made. Boy I recommend you try Him, Jesus is the best upgrade.
He came to earth and died on the cross, rose up just like a boss, when yuh see me smiling, He’s the cause. Ah cyar leave Him…ah cyar leave Him. Never condemn or forsaken me dread…Ah cyar leave Him…ah cyar leave Him. For God man I living, For God I go dead. I am under the rock. The rock is higher than I. Jahovah hides me. I am under the rock. Go tell my enemies, that I am under the rock. Jahovah hides me, I am under the rock. I am under the rock. The rock is higher than I. Jahovah hides me. I am under the rock. Go tell my enemies, that I am under the rock. Jahovah hides me, I am under the rock.
From revelry to righteousness…Cyar leave Him. From hell-bound to holiness…Cyar leave Him. From sin to salvation…Cyar leave him. A kingdom destination…Cyar leave Him. Jesus…Yahweh…Yeshua… Jahovah! (And we shout again) Jesus…Yahweh…Yeshua… Jahovah!’
Wow mih people, what a rocking piece of worship! Please check it out on YouTube. Now yuh better believer all heaven was celebrating too, because they know the truth of those awesome words. And yes, yuh better believe that is the kind of difference, the amazing transformation Jesus performs in our lives when we surrender our all to Him! And yuh know what? Once we get with Him, it’s impossible to leave Him! No, we just cyar leave him at all at all. Mama Mia! Such is the LOVE and inspiration He inspires in us!
There isn’t an untrue statement in that song. Jesus moves us from sin to salvation, to that kingdom destination of heaven. And just like the prodigal son of whom He spoke, when He finds us in the pig pen, He takes us out, washes and cleanses us, because He LOVES and cares for us so much. He doesn’t condemn not forsake us. In fact He came to earth and died so that we could receive forgiveness and reconciliation. In times of storm He is our shelter, so where else yuh expect to find us eh? In His arms, under the solid rock that He is, which is so much higher than us.
And there are so few that find the light that He is, and come out of their darkness, so when yuh find the truth, which He also is, yuh must end up with more than silver or gold! And no fooling, the best decision we can ever make is to give our lives over to Jesus; cause He’s the best upgrade! Yuh see how He rose from the grave, just like a boss? That tells you He is the best upgrade you can ever get; the upgrade of all upgrades! So when you consider all of that, how yuh go leave Him eh? NO WAY! Instead we going to run and tell we enemies all about Him, so they could come and meet Him and enjoy the same benefits.
And the scripture to which I was led to describe all of that was Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked – the immortal words of Bruh David. Please pray them with me nuh: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on His faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps. 37:1-9)
And that friends is the gospel truth, and when you receive Christ as your Saviour that is the kind of stuff His Holy Spirit leads you to do. So make that wise decision today nuh, is the best one you could ever make! Much LOVE!
…once yuh find Jesus…yuh cyar ever leave him…He’s so sweet and generous…
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