04 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a song of praise and worship, all my heart to him I give, be not afraid, be of good cheer, be saved today, beginning to sink, belongs to Him, bid me come unto thee in the water, billow his will obey, Christ died for us, ending up in the drink, even the winds and the sea obey him, ever his praises sing, ever to him i'll cling, faith, faithful loving service too, from the waters lifted me, God commendeth his love toward us, God's amazing love, God's awesome blessings, God's faithful promises, grateful appreciation, he rebuked the winds and the sea, He wants to be your Saviour, heard my despairing cry, hell bound, hellfire and damnation, holy spirit, In his blessed presence live, in the fourth watch of the night, It is I, James Rowe, Jesus Christ, Jesus completely saves, Jesus fed five thousand men, Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him, Jesus was asleep, Jesus went unto them, lift you by his love, Lord save us, LOVE, love lifted me, love so mighty and so true, mercy, merits my soul's best songs, now safe am I, o thou of little faith, O ye of little faith, our abominable sinful state, out of the angry waves, Peter walked on the water, rebellious human creation, sacrifices of praise, salvation, save me Lord, sinking deep in sin, sinking to rise no more, souls in danger look above, take a chance on us, take courage, the disciples cried out in fear, the first Sunday of the new year, the glorious truth, the Master of the sea, the mire of sin, the sea of Galilee, the unconditional love of God, the well-being of grace, the wind was contrary, there was a great calm, time together in God's house, tossed with waves, truth, walking on the sea, we perish, what manner of man is this, when he saw the wind boisterous, when nothing else could help, when the evening was come, wherefore didst thou doubt, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, why are ye so fearful, why do we doubt Jesus, wisdom
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrated) His LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Well friends, it’s the first Sunday of the New Year, and a most fitting place to be today is in the Lord’s sanctuary to celebrate His day, as well as give thanks for seeing 2026 and all the faithful promises He’s kept, and the awesome blessings He’s so generously bestowed on us. What a faithful and wonderful God we serve my fellow believers! And as always, we begin our time together in God’s house with a song of praise and worship.
Today’s song is aptly titled: ‘LOVE LIFTED ME.’ And isn’t that the glorious truth? It certainly is! For the unconditional, amazing, everlasting LOVE of God is what’s lifted us up out of the mire of sin, when we were irrevocably hell bound. So, in grateful appreciation, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a soulful, heartfelt, mid-tempo version of this beautiful song written by James Rowe in 1912.
Singing: ‘I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore, Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more; But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry, From the waters lifted me, now safe am I. (Refrain: LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me. LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me.) All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I’ll cling, In his blessed presence live, ever his praises sing. LOVE so mighty and so true merits my soul’s best songs; Faithful LOVING service, too, to Him belongs.
[Refrain] Souls in danger, look above, Jesus completely saves; He will lift you by His LOVE out of the angry waves; He’s the master of the sea, billows His will obey; He your Savior wants to be, be saved today. [Refrain: LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me. LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me…. Yes, When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me….’
And that’s a concrete fact my brethren, for the only thing in this whole wide world that could have ever lifted us from the abominable sinful state in which were in, was God’s amazing LOVE for His most disobedient and rebellious human creation. As Bruh Paul puts it in one of my favourite scripture verses, in his letter to the church at Rome: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) His LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8)
Now that says a whole lot about God’s LOVE for us; that while we were yet sinners, He was willing to take a chance on us. No other supposed god would ever dream of taking such drastic action! But our God, Jehovah, Immanuel, was willing to risk it. And that’s why we should be everlastingly grateful to Him and His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jeus Christ. But I’m not telling you anything that you don’t know, (smile) so let me tell you some stuff you might not know, like some background to our wonderful song.
As we said before, the song was written in 1912 by James Rowe (1865-1933), a British born son of a copper miner, who immigrated to the United States from Ireland in 1889. He was a railroad worker for ten years in New York before becoming an inspector for the Hudson River Humane Society. The song itself is based on two stories in the Bible about the disciples’ tough experiences on the sea of Galilee. Both stories come from the book of Matthew.
The first tells us about the time when Jesus having fed five thousand men, beside women and children, sent the disciples in a ship to go to the other side of the lake, while he went up into a mountain to pray. (Matt. 14:13-23) Matthew then tells us: ‘and when the evening was come, he was there all alone. But the ship (with the disciples) was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night (between 3 and 6 a.m.) Jesus went unto them walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer (take courage); it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him, and said, Lord it be thou, bid me come unto thee in the water. And he (Jesus) said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when He saw the wind boisterous (violent), he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And Jesus immediately stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?’ (Matt. 14:23-31)
And that my fellow believers is a question that Jesus would like to put to many of us today? Why do we doubt Him when, time and time again He’s shown His LOVE and compassion for us, saving us from ending up in the drink? It’s the same thing with the second story which comes from Matthew 8. This time though Jesus is with them in the boat as they cross the sea of Galilee, when a violent storm rises up, such that the ship was covered with the waves, but Jesus Himself was asleep in the stern of the boat.
‘And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye so fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying what manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!’ (Matt. 8:25-27) And why shouldn’t the sea and the wind obey him, when He is also their Creator and Controller eh?
But that’s another instance of small faith, my people. The disciples had been with Jesus for almost three years and had seen Him do all sorts of miracles, yet their faith was still small. But we cannot be too harsh with them, because today, even with greater knowledge and experience, many of us would most likely behave the same way. (smile)
And what better way to close than with the wise and truthful words of this commentary: ‘Rowe’s hymn masterfully incorporates both stories, using sinking or being swamped into the sea as an illustration for “sinking deep in sin… sinking to rise no more.” But Jesus, “Master of the sea,” hears our pleas for help, reaches out to us in LOVE, and lifts us up into the well-being of grace.’
Wow! Again, all I can say is, what a wonderful God we serve my people! Please show Him His much-deserved reverence and adoration! Much LOVE!
…if it wasn’t for God’s great LOVE…we’d all be headed for hellfire and damnation…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciplined mind, a second wind, according to his riches in glory, because of your unbelief, become discouraged, but of power love and a sound mind, come to grips with our faith, consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners, despising the shame, endure to the end, endured the cross, faith, faith can move mountains, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, for the joy that was set before him, get my head around, glad to be alive, hands on the plough, holy spirit, how is it that ye have no faith, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I have not found so great faith in Israel, I'm halfway home, if thou faint in the day of adversity, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, in accordance with God's will, in the tough times, it shall remove, Jesus Christ, lack of faith, lay aside every weight, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds, looking unto Jesus, lose our faith to fear, LOVE, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my God shall supply all my needs, not turning back, nothing shall be impossible to you, o thou of little faith, O ye of little faith, our faith needs to be the greatest, our wonderful position in Christ Jesus, remove hence to yonder place, run with patience, salvation, say unto this mountain, searching the Good Library, seeing we are compassed about, send faith to answer it, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, so great a cloud of witnesses, stand up strong in faith, thank God, the author and finisher of our faith, the awesome help of Jesus, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the naked truth, the qiality of faith is more important than the quantity, the race that is set before us, the sin which doth so easily beset us, thy strength is small, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, unseasonal days, Wednesday Wail, whare there's a will there's a way, when fear comes calling, wherefore didst thou doubt, why are ye so fearful, wisdom
Proverbs 24:10. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
Aye friends, it’s Wednesday, and we on the late bus. (smile) But hopefully we didn’t have to catch any second wind, because so far we’ve only worked one day for the week. However, knowing that some of us overdid it this past Thanksgiving weekend, it’s to be expected that that group would need to catch their second wind. (smile) And although it’s somewhat cloudy and a touch chilly, Wednesday is still a beautiful day for this time of year. Let’s hope and pray that we see more of these wonderful, unexpected, unseasonal days.
Now I’m chuckling here because today is one of those days when the Lord kept me dangling. Yes, most days when I ask Him to show me what He wants me to write on, He usually shows it to me fairly quickly, but today, for a good ten minutes I kept searching the Good Library, seeking something I could get my head around, but nothing seemed to be falling into that category, until I espied this seminal, influential verse from Cousin Sol in Proverbs. It simply, but very importantly says: ‘If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.’ (Prov. 24:10)
And that is the naked truth my people. As believers in Christ Jesus, we ought to be strong, especially in the tough times, when our faith needs to be the greatest. When we need to be telling ourselves scriptures like, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ (Phil. 4:13) And ‘God shall supply all my needs according to his riches in glory through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19) And we don’t want to hear Jesus whispering through His Holy Spirit, like He said to the disciples when they were experiencing the crazy storm on the Sea of Galilee: ‘Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?’ (Mark 4:40) Or as Matthew puts it: ‘Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?’ (Matt. 8:26)
Then we have this instance when Peter was walking on the water, got scared and cried out for help. Jesus admonished him: ‘O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt.’ (Matt. 14:31) It’s surprising how often Jesus commented on the lack of faith that His Jewish people had, even those who claimed to believe in Him. It’s like when the Roman Centurion approached Him to heal his sick servant, but then told Him, He did not have to come to His house to do so. All He had to do was say the word and his servant would be healed.
The Bible tells us: ‘When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.’ (Matt. 8:10) Yes friends, as opposed to the Jewish people, whom Jesus had come to first save, this Gentile showed admirable faith, such that Jesus had not seen amongst His own kind. And sadly, in these turbulent and fearful times too many of us are afraid and lose our faith to fear, but please, let’s remember these most reassuring and encouraging words of Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7)
And that’s how we need to stand up strong in faith. There’s also this occasion when the disciples could not heal an epileptic boy, and when they asked Jesus why? He said to them: ‘Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, 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) Ah mih people, that just proves that a small amount of strong faith can move mountains, for the mustard seed is very small, but grows into a much larger tree.
Or as this commentary explains: ‘The core idea is that the quality of faith is more important than the quantity, and with true faith, nothing will be impossible for the believer when they are acting in accordance with God’s will.’ That means with sufficient faith we can overcome even the most daunting problems, if we sincerely depend on God’s help. Now, here are some other important verses of scripture that we ought to keep at the forefront of our minds in these evil and ungodly times.
This wonderful advice comes from the author of Hebrews: ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (become discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 12:1-3)
Oh my people, the stout example of Jesus is what we need to follow in these evil and dangerous times. And we know it’s not always easy, but as the old people would say, ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way.’ And with Jesus’ awesome help, we know that we can do much better than we’re currently doing. So please, let’s come to grips with our faith nuh, get serious about it and use it to help us to stand strong in Jesus’ name in this ungodly world. Now, it’s time to go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, proclaiming to all and sundry, our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
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 to improve on that, there’s the promise that whoever endures to the very end with Jesus, will enjoy a future more glorious than they can ever comprehend or imagine. So let’s take it to heart and endure to the end, and thus enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…when fear comes a calling…send faith to answer it…so that we can endure to the end…and be saved…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Mar 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a true child of God, according to his riches in glory, all things work together for good, be of good cheer, be strong and of a good courage, be strong faithful and persevering, but of power love and a sound mind, called according to His purpose, carest thou not that we perish, Christ has given us the victory, christianity, do not fear, ever so glad to have Jesus, faith, faith is the antidote for fear, fear of life, God has not given us a spirit of fear, God is with us wherever we go, God shall supply all your needs, God's promised to look after us, halfway home, hands on the plough, he arose and rebuked the wind, he said unto them, He will not fail thee neither forsake thee, holy spirit, how is it that ye have no faith, I am with thee, i have overcome the world, I will help thee, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, Jesus Christ, live in faith and in peace, LOVE, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, navigate through anything successfully, no need to fear, not looking back at the past, not turning back, our second wind day, peace be still, said unto the sea, salvation, satisfy all our needs, spiritual maturity, strange weather, thank God, the BIBLE, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the Lord thy God goeth before thee, the Navigator of All navigators, the wind ceased, there was a great calm, these things I have spoken unto you, to a glorious future with Jesus, to them that love God, truth, turbulent times, victory, Wednesday Wail, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, why are ye so fearful, wisdom, with Jesus at our helm, work everything out for our good
Mark 4:40. And he said unto them, why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
And then it was Wednesday, our second wind day, but the weather is certainly strange. Earlier on, there was some sunshine with clouds in the background, then some small white pieces of stuff began falling, then that went away after a few minutes, then the sun came out, then the clouds took over. Right now, at midday, it’s a mixture of cloud and sun, with who knows what’s going to happen next.
But that’s why we’re ever so glad to have Jesus! I say it every day, because whatever comes our way, whether it’s weatherwise or finances or sickness, or anything the evil and ungodly world throws at us, with Jesus at our helm, we will be able to navigate through it successfully, because He is the Navigator of All Navigators! Rocks and storms and strong winds or anything else are no problem for Him, because He is the One that created them all, and consequently can control them however He wants to.
Remember that marvellous and miraculous moment when Jesus was asleep in the stern of the boat as He crossed the Sea of Galilee with His disciples, when a big storm rose up and threatened to sink the boat, but Jesus remained calmly sleeping. The disciples in great fear, woke him up, asking ‘Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?’ (Mark 4:38-40)
Now friends, that’s exactly what Jesus is asking of many of us in these tough and turbulent times because we are sorely afraid of what’s happening around us and what might happen to us. But if you are a true child of God, there’s no need to fear, for He’s promised to look after us, satisfy all of our needs, and to work everything out for our own good. And if you don’t believe me, then listen to these scriptures that promise divine aid and intervention. First off in Isaiah, the Lord Promises: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Is. 41:10) What more do we want eh my people?
Then there’s this other promise: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 4:19) What’s in that that we don’t understand eh? Then we have the granddaddy of all promises: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) Now, He doesn’t say that we will never have any problems, but in the end, He will work out all those tough times and things for our good. We just have to be strong, faithful, patient and persevering despite what comes against us, knowing that our great and wonderful God is always with us, wherever we go.
And that’s one of the oldest promises in the Bible, for Moses encouraged the Israelites thus before he gave up the leadership of the group to Joshua. ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deut. 31:6) And the Lord also pounded it into the ears of Joshua when He made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. You can read that very clearly in Joshua 1:7-9. So that’s nothing new, we should all be well aware, believe and expect the Lord to be with us at ALL TIMES!
And would you believe that the words or idea of ‘do not fear,’ occur very often in the Bible, because we still have that latent fear of life, of the devil and all his accomplices, despite the many assurances of God to hold the opposite emotion of faith. That brings us to this most telling exhortation from Bruh Paul to Timothy, and rebuke to us, who should know better. He steadfastly proclaims: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7)
So why is there so much fear today amongst supposed believers eh, if we weren’t given a spirit of fear by our God but one of strong faith, etc. etc.? Who knows? I guess we all have to speak for ourselves, but to my mind, too many of us have not reached that level of spiritual maturity where we stop being afraid of what the world and all its cohorts can do to us. Oh yes, we are concerned and do our best to help ourselves, but in the long run our help all comes from the God who LOVED us so much back in olden times, and still LOVES us a whole lot today, despite our disobedience and rebellious ways, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8)
Now, that ought to tell us a lot about the wonderful nature and character of our God. But I guess it doesn’t, else we would not be behaving in the fearful and ungodly manner in which we’re currently behaving. For if we were not fearful and afraid, the devil would not be holding the world in as tight a stranglehold as he is right now. That alone shows how fearful and afraid we supposed believers are, otherwise we’d be out there fighting the devil and his evil doings mano a mano, step for step, and winning the battle, because we have the victory already assured by Jesus, we only have to keep it going.
And there’s no better verse of scripture to encourage us than this one from Christ Himself. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Wow mih bredrin! What encouragement and reassurance it ought to be knowing that our Lord and Saviour, Jesus has already overcome the evil world of Satan, and there’s no need for us to live in fear, but in faith and in His peace.
Now, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail to all sundry, letting them know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. 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 truly believe, then it’s also been promised that if we endure to the end with Christ, that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So, let’s pledge to meet there at the very end and enjoy that more than glorious future together nuh! Much LOVE!
…when fear comes calling…send faith to answer…because faith is the only antidote for fear…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a grave, a grave in the angry deep, a great storm of wind, a raging storm, and of the Holy Spirit, and of the son, asleep on a pilow, baptizing them, Bible, Bill and Gloria Gaither Homecoming, blessed time, bring you successfully through the storm, bringing order to a chaotic situation, calm the storms of our lives, carest not that we perish, chaotic state of the world, christianity, clinging tightly to Jesus, demons, divine help, each moment, even the winds and the sea obey him, even to the end of the world, evil men, faith, fellowship, fellowship with God, get down on your knees, get up Jesus, go ye therefore, God is always with you, God will give you peace, having Jesus as Lord and Saviour, He will never leave nor forsake you, He will sustain you, holy spirit, how can you lie there asleep, how is it that ye have no faith, I am with you always, I have commanded you, in all of your needs, In the Midnight Hour, in the name of the Father, in the stern of the ship, in times of storm, Jessy Dixon, Jesus Christ, Jesus constantly questions, Jesus is the only answer, Jesus reveals His authority and power over nature, joy, last days, LOVE, make disciples of all nations, Mary A Baker, mercy, no help is nigh, no shelter, no water can swallow the ship, overshadowed with blackness, pass over unto the other side, peace be still, praise, put your trust in the Lord, quiet the storm, rebuked the wind, regain our focus, renews our faith, restores our confidence, said unto the sea, salvation, shall obey thy will, so madly is threatening, start taking the battle to the enemy, sweet sacrifices of praise, talk to Jesus, teach all nations, teaching them, tempestuous times, thanksgiving, the best defence is strong offence, the billows are tossing high, the Great Commission, the Lord can speak peace to your situation, the Lord will give you peace, the Lord's saving power, the Master of the ocean earth and sky, the Prince of Peace, the sea of Galilee, the sky, the storms of life come your way, The tempest is raging, the tempestuousness of the times, the vim and vigour, the waves beat into the ship, the wind ceased, the winds and waves, the wrath of the storm tossed sea, there was a great calm, time to gather in the Lord's sanctuary, to do the Lord's work, to heart, to observe all things, to spur people to deeper trust, truth, when you feel lonely, wherein lies the master, why are ye so fearful, Wilfred Graves, wisdom, words of encouragement, worship
Mark 4:40. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
Sunday, Sunday, most welcome Sunday! That blessed time for believers to gather in the Lord’s sanctuary and observe His special day with praise, worship, joy and thanksgiving! And that’s a must, especially in these turbulent and tempestuous last days, because fellowship with God and with others, renews our faith, restores our confidence and gives us the vim and vigour we so desperately need to get out into our troubled and evil world and do the very important work that Jesus desires of us, as stated in our Great Commission:
‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:19-20) And from the very chaotic state of our world, it’s obvious we haven’t being our duty to the best of our ability, that’s why we need to regain our focus and start taking the battle to the enemy, instead of waiting for him to come to us. Remember, the best act of defence is strong offense.
So, today, we’re going to open our worship session with a very appropriate song for these tempestuous times, titled, ‘The Tempest is Raging!’ It’s a Mary A Baker composition, wonderfully done by the Chicago Gospel Artist, Jessy Dixon in concert with the Bill and Gloria Gaither Homecoming Ensemble. So, without further ado, let’s open our hearts, mouths and voices in sweet sacrifices of praise, as we render a most soulful and heart rending version of this marvelous song.
Singing: ‘Master, the tempest is raging, Oh, The billows are tossing high The sky is o’ershadowed with blackness Oh, No shelter, no shelter or help is nigh – Carest thou not that we perish? How canst you lie, How canst thou lie there asleep When it seems like each moment so madly is threatening, Oh A grave. a grave, a grave in the angry deep?
Get up Jesus because! The winds and the waves shall obey thy will. All you got to say is, Peace, be still, Peace, be still, Peace, be still, Peace, be still. Whether the wrath, the wrath of the storm-tossed sea, Or demons, or evil men, or whatever it be No water can swallow the ship wherein lies The Master of the ocean, the earth and sky They all shall sweetly obey thy will, If You say, Peace, peace, be still They all shall sweetly obey thy will, If You say, Peace, peace, peace, be still.
The Lord will give you peace, He wants to give you peace, In the midnight hour, When there’s nobody else there, God will give you peace, When you feel lonely, You have someone who will give you perfect peace. He‘ll be your friend, Yes He will, The Lord will give you peace, If you’re looking for peace, in all of your needs, in all of your days, get down on your knees and talk to Jesus, Yes talk to Jesus. Yes whenever the Lord says, there will be peace, there will be peace, For He knew it, yes He knew it, Peace, be still, Peace, be still, Peace, be still Peace, be still…..’
Oh that was wonderful my fellow believers! And yuh know why, because it truly evoked the tempestuousness of the times we’re living in, as well as the unsettled and unpeaceful situations in so many of our own personal lives. And the only way to handle both a tempestuous world and a tempestuous personal life is by having Jesus as Lord and Saviour and clinging tightly to Him. For remember, He is the Prince of Peace! (Is. 9:6) And ONLY He can calm the storms in our world and in our own lives. Or as the song says, ‘No water can swallow the ship wherein lies The Master of the ocean, the earth and sky.’
And we all know the story on which the song is so competently based. Mark tells it thus: ‘And the same day, (Jesus, after speaking in parables to the multitudes), when the even (evening) was come, he saith unto them (the disciples), Let us pass (cross) over unto the other side. (The other side of the sea of Galilee). And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there was also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full (already filling).
And he (Jesus) was in the hinder part of the ship (the stern), asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master (Teacher), carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this (who can this be), that even the winds and the sea obey him.’ (Mark 4:35-41)
And that last question is an easy one to answer. The wind and sea obey Him because like us, He is their Creator and Controller and sets their boundaries and directions. Meanwhile, as per Jesus’ question to the disciples about their lack of faith, the scholars tell us that ‘Jesus constantly questions in order to spur people to deeper trust.’ And since many of us can use a sense of deeper trust in these tough times, we should possibly ask that question of ourselves right now: why is our faith not as great as it ought to be? And then turn to the Lord and ask for it to increase. (smile)
Now, let’s end on this note of encouragement from an article by Wilfred Graves on the subject of ‘Peace be still.’ He writes: ‘In our text, Jesus reveals his authority and power over nature by bringing order to a chaotic situation. He says to a raging storm, “Peace, be still!” Immediately, the winds and waves obey his command. No matter what you may be going through in your life right now, the Lord can speak peace to your situation.
When the storms of life come your way, you can put your trust in the Lord and He will sustain you. He is always with you and He will never leave nor forsake you. The Lord will either quiet the storm that you are in or He will bring you successfully through the storm. Sometimes God saves us from trouble; sometimes he saves us in trouble. In either case, divine help comes to those who put their trust in the Lord’s saving power.’
Oh friends, I could not have said it any better. So let’s take those words of encouragement to heart nuh! Much LOVE!
…in times of storm…Jesus is the ONLY answer…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
19 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lifelong relationship, Ah cyar leave Him, ah cyar live life without him, an unbreakable seal, being justified by his blood, Bible, chocked full of truth, Christ died for the ungodly, christianity, Christians, come from the darkness, Denyse Plummer, divine ownership, eternal separation from God, faith, fellowship, for God I go dead, For God man I living, from revelry to righteousness, from sin to salvation, full of life but so empty, gather in the Lord's house, gave my life to Jesus, getting to know Jesus, glee, go tell my enemies, God commendeth his own love toward us, gospel lyrics, He came to earth and died on the cross, he is my shelter, heard the word of truth, heat up the place, holy spirit, hot hot hot, I am under the rock, I found the truth, I recommend you try him, I saw the light, in due time, in his arms you'll find me there, in times of storm, in whomw I will trust, Jahovah, Jahovah hides me, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the best upgrade, Jesus is the cause, Jesus offered up his sinless life, Jesus shed blood on the cross, journey down south, justification, kept forever by the power of God, King of Kings, land of carnival and calypso, LOVE, mercy, more than gold, more than silver, my deliverer, my fortress, my god, my high tower, my strength, Na Leaving, never condemn or forsaken me, no remission of sins, on my way to a fiery end, our great high priest, reconciled to God, reverence, reworked song, righteousness, rose up just like a boss, salvation, sanctification, saved by his life, saved from wrath, sealed until the day of redemption, sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, someone told me about a Saviour, surrender our all to Jesus, the amazing transformation Jesus brings, the Christian walk, the darkness of sin, the death of his son, the gospel of salvation, the greatest decision, the horn of my salvation, the identification mark of a believer, The Lord is my rock, the reason I'm still living, the rock is higher than I, the soca hit, the twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago, to save us from eternal death, tribute, truth, wallowing deep in a pig pen, when we were yet without strength, when you see me smiling, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, why are ye so fearful, why don't you have faith, wisdom, without the shedding of blood, Yahweh, Yeshua
Romans 5:6. For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly.
Another Sunday! Another occasion to gather in the Lord’s house and fellowship with other believers. But since it’s somewhat cold and cloudy, we’ve decided to take a much-deserved break from those dreary weather conditions and for today’s worship session journey down south to the beautiful twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago, the land of calypso and carnival. And we’re going to warm up, no heat up the place, hot, hot, hot, with this beautiful meshing of African and East Indian riddims that we call chutney soca. It’s a reworked song with gospel lyrics based on the soca hit ‘Na Leaving’ by the late calypso songbird Denyse Plummer.
And just as ‘Na Leaving,’ was a big hit as it celebrated all the good things of T&T, that those who were leaving would miss, likewise the renamed song ‘Ah Cyar Leave Him!’ referring to Jesus was, still is, and will always be a mighty gospel hit! So let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise with a sincere and heartfelt, scintillating rendition of this gospel song ‘Ah Cyar Leave Him,’ one so chocked full with everlasting truth!
And as the sweet, 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 bredrin, that sure was wonderful! And yuh better believe that all of heaven, even the Father, was rocking along and singing with us as we gave much deserved praise to our great High Priest, our Lord and Saviour, our King of Kings, the One and Only Jesus Christ! And though Jesus seemed to be a li’l embarrassed by all the praise, nonetheless, He too was tapping His feet and clapping His hands as the sweet soca chutney melody permeated heaven and raised the level of joy normally found there!
Now that’s certainly saying something, for heaven usually has a very high level of joy. But the fact is that all the song says is true, and heaven acknowledged it with us. And yuh better believe that is the kind of difference, the amazing transformation Jesus performs in our lives when we surrender our all to Him! He does bring us from ‘revelry to righteousness, hell-bound to holiness and from sin to salvation.’ For remember that the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus.’ (Rom. 6:23)
Yes friends, through His shed blood on the cross of Calvary, Jesus saved us from hellfire and damnation and brought us holiness and salvation instead. And when we were joyfully wallowing in our pig pens, clothed in the darkness of sin, but truly empty of God and heading straight for hellfire, we’d better thank the Lord that someone told us about Jesus who LOVES and cares for us, so much so that He freely offered up His sinless life to save us from our sins and eternal death, meaning eternal separation from the Father.
As Bruh Paul writes in Romans. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that, while were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.’ (Rom. 5:6-10)
Oh my people, all the good things that have happened to us, like salvation, justification, sanctification, reconciliation, righteousness, etc. etc. have all stemmed from Jesus’ shed blood on the cross, for without the shedding of blood there’s no remission of sin. (Heb. 9:22) And He not only saves us from sin, but also shelters us from the storms of life, because He can calm the seas and the winds as He did when crossing the Sea of Galilee with the disciples. And ended up saying to His terrified companions: Why are ye so fearful? How is that ye have no faith .’ (Mark 4:40)
And that word faith plays a rather big role in our walk with Jesus, for if we don’t believe, have strong faith in Him, then we will not have a successful Christian life. That’s the first step in our Christian walk, after we see the light and find the truth, which is worth so much more than silver or gold. And believe me friends, giving your life to Jesus is the best decision you can ever make, for as the song so rightly says, He is indeed ‘the best upgrade.’ (smile)
And the scriptures, especially the psalms tell us that Jehovah is indeed our rock, our shelter from the storm. Bruh David says it well in Psalm 18: ‘The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower.’ (Ps. 18:2) We couldn’t get a better description than that friends!
And most importantly, once Jesus comes into your life, you cannot get away from Him, even if you want to, as the Bible tells us: ‘In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,’ (Eph. 1:13) In other words, ‘it is the mark of identification that the believer is truly God’s own and is kept forever by the power of God. It is an unbreakable seal of divine ownership and salvation.’
Wow! But yuh know what, my fellow saints, even without that seal unto the day of redemption, (Eph. 4:30) once we truly get to know Jesus, it’s simply impossible to leave Him, for such is the great LOVE and compassion He inspires in us! So please, let’s pay Him the awesome tribute and reverence that He deserves! Much LOVE!
…getting to know Jesus…is a beautiful lifelong relationship…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a raging storm, all my heart to him I give, be of good cheer, be saved today, Bible, bid me come to thee, by his love, by your grace, christianity, deeply stained within, diligence, even the wind and sea obey him, ever his praises sing, faith, faithful loving service, far from the peaceful shore, fellowship, from the waters lifted me, give thanks, god, grace, heard my despairing cry, holy spirit, how come ye have no faith, I was a mess, I'm not good enough, In his blessed presence live, in the fourth watch, in the stern of the ship, It is I, James Rowe, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the Real MCcoy, Jesus was asleep, lift us out of despair, Lord save me, lost in sin, LOVE, love lifted me, love so mighty and so true, mercy, merits my soul's best songs, my sin is too much, not by my strength, now safe am I, out of the angry waves, peace be still, Peter walked on the water, praise, sacrifices of praise, salvation, sincerity, sinking in sin, sinking in water, sinking to rise no more, sins are not my master, souls in danger look above, take courage, the Lord's Day, the Master of the sea, the miracle of the five loaves and two fishes, the violent wind, the well being of grace, thou art the Son of man, truth, walking on the sea, went up into a mountain to pray, what manner of man is this, when nothing else could help, why are ye so fearful, wisdom, worship
Matthew 14:31. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
Another Sunday, another Lord’s Day on God’s good earth! So let’s hie hither to His sanctuary, there to praise, worship and give Him thanks, while also fellowshipping with other believers, encouraging and uplifting each other, so that our faith and confidence can be refreshed and renewed, and we can continue doing the Lord’s work with all diligence and sincerity in the upcoming week.
And after that mouthful, (smile) let’s get right into our song of the day, one most appropriately titled, ‘LOVE LIFTED ME.’ It’s a popular hymn written in 1912 by James Rowe (1865-1933), an English born, Irish immigrant to the U.S. And as this commentary tells us; ‘The lyrics draw from the stories of Jesus and His disciples at sea from the book of Matthew (and Mark). Rowe plays upon the idea of sinking in water to sinking in sin and that Jesus can lift us out of despair to salvation.’
And He certainly can! So let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a mid-tempo, soulful and sincere version, allowing the awesome truth of the words of the song to both echo in our hearts and our voices. Singing: ‘I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore, Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more; But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry, From the waters lifted me, now safe am I. (Refrain: LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me. LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me.)
All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I’ll cling, In his blessed presence live, ever his praises sing. LOVE so mighty and so true merits my soul’s best songs; Faithful LOVING service, too, to Him belongs. [Refrain] I was a mess, lost in my sin. Your LOVE has lifted me from the pit. Thank you God, your LOVE has lifted me. Not by my strength but by your grace sins are not my master anymore, Hallelujah! Your LOVE has lifted me. (Refrain):
Souls in danger, look above, Jesus completely saves; He will lift you by His LOVE out of the angry waves; He’s the master of the sea, billows His will obey He your Saviour wants to be, be saved today. [Refrain] LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me. LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me. When I thought my sin was too much, when I say I’m not good enough, when I think it will not be restored. Jesus will lift me. When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me.’
And believe me friends, if you want to be a successful Christian, you have to totally believe that Christ can lift you from the murky mire, and place you safe on dry land. Otherwise you have no hope of ever living the abundant life He died for us to have. And we all know that the song is based on two biblical stories that deal with Jesus and His disciples on the Sea of Galilee. The first one comes after Jesus fed the five thousand men, beside women and children, with the five loaves of bread and two fishes. (Matt. 14:13-21)
However, right after the miraculous feeding, Jesus compelled the disciples to get into a boat and go over to the other side of the sea. Then He sent the multitudes away and went up into a mountain by Himself to pray. But by the time the evening came, the boat was in the midst of a raging storm, being tossed to and from on the waves from a strong wind. The Bible tells it thus: ‘And in the fourth watch of the night (3-6 a,m.) Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit (ghost); and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer (take courage), it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he (Jesus) said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
But when he saw the wind boisterous (violent), he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?’ And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.’ (Matt. 14:25-33) Yes friends, Jesus will indeed lift us out of any billows we find ourselves in, and deposit us on safe ground.
Meanwhile the other scriptural inspiration for the song is one we know oh so well. Jesus and the disciples are in a boat out on the Sea of Galilee when suddenly a raging storm crops up and threatens to overturn the boat, filling the boat with water. However, through all of this drama, Jesus is asleep. Mark relates it thus: ‘And he (Jesus) was in the hinder part of the ship (the stern), asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, why are ye so fearful? How is that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this (who can this be), that even the wind and the sea obey him?’ (Mark. 4:38-41) It’s obvious why the wind and the sea obeyed Jesus…He is their Creator and Controller, just like He is ours!
Ah friends, Jesus is indeed the Real Mccoy! For our own sakes, let’s believe it nuh. He can lift us out of anything, save us from any situation, if we only have the faith to believe. And this interesting commentary is a fitting conclusion to our Bit today. It says: ‘Rowe’s hymn masterfully incorporates both stories, using sinking or being swamped into the sea as an illustration for “sinking deep in sin…sinking to rise no more.” Jesus, “Master of the sea,” hears our pleas for help, reaches out to us in LOVE, and lifts us up into the well-being of grace.’
Now isn’t that just a beautiful situation to behold! (smile) Much LOVE!
…crying out to Jesus for help…is the wisest decision we can ever make…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, anixety, asleep on a pillow, Bible, break every fetter, but of power love and a sound mind, catastrophe, Christian living, confusion, crying out for help, divine aid, don't you even yet have confidence in me, Even God doesn't care, even the wind and the sea obey him, Even This, failure, faith, faith is from God, fear, fear is from the enemy, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, Friday chant, god, God's love never changes, God's presence never leaves us, how is it that ye have no faith, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus, Jesus Christ, LOVE, Master carest not thou that we perish, obscured your sense of God's presence, omnipotent help, One Year Book of Bible promises, our sinful world, pages of tear-stained script, pay the price for our folly, peace be still, rebuked the wind, return backsliders to your fold, Ruth Harms Calkin, send faith to answer it, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that habit that chains you, the error of their ways, the fear that paralyzes you, the frightened disciples, the loss that numbs you, trusting faith, unexpected storms, ungodly times, wake up and smell the coffee, when fear knocks, why are ye so fearful, wisdom, wise guidance
Mark 4:40. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
And at last it was Friday. But after last weekend’s partying and this week’s tough sledding at work, some of us didn’t have the energy to shout: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ but merely mouthed it. (smile) Yes friends, that’s what happens when we get greedy and overdo it; we pay the price for our folly later on. And sometimes it’s a high price too, one we can barely afford. So let’s allow wisdom to prevail this weekend and concentrate on getting some rest nuh. End of Sermon. (smile)
Now, today, we’re going to look at something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin; a reading that’s oh so appropriate for these catastrophic times in which we live. It’s simply titled, ‘Even This.’ Please read with me: ‘It was a long letter – pages of tear-stained script. “Even God doesn’t care…” she wrote. Perhaps you haven’t put it in a letter, but has some overwhelming failure or fear obscured your sense of God’s presence? That was the catastrophe of the frightened disciples. The wind was boisterous, they had lost control… and Jesus went on sleeping. We quickly identify with the shouting: “Don’t you even care if we go under?” We’ve all shouted it, at least in attitude.
Jesus quieted the sea that night, but his piercing question hits the target of our hearts: ‘Don’t you even yet have confidence in me?” The awe filled disciples said among themselves, “Even the winds and seas obey him.” “How wonderful,” we say. Then suddenly, often without warning, the winds of adversity beat against our personal lives, and we cry “Lord, don’t you even care?” Again he asks, “Don’t you even yet have confidence in me? That habit that chains you. That fear that paralyzes you. That loss than numbs you… even this – all of this you may fling upon me!” But it means more than half-heartedly singing, “He will break every fetter.” It means surrendering to him completely. He knows your every need – even this.’
Ah friends, how very descriptive that is of us! We talk the talk, but can’t walk the walk. We claim such strong belief and understanding, but when the forces of adversity lash us, we cry out panic stricken, wondering, where is God, and if He doesn’t LOVE and care for us anymore. But God’s LOVE NEVER changes… and His presence NEVER strays from us. It’s our weak faith and/or unbelief that drives us crazy. If we were truly surrendered to Him, then we would know that He’s always there with us, LOVING us, like no other.
We behave like the disciples on the boat. Yes, the winds and the waves were threatening to swamp the boat, but they had been with Jesus for some time and had seen all the miracles He did, yet, they were scared out of their wits. It’s the very same way with us. We’ve seen Jesus do wonderful things in our lives, but when the next problem arises, we still become overly scared. It’s okay to be afraid when the disaster strikes unexpectedly, but soon thereafter that fear ought to be reduced to concern, because we know that the Lord is on our side and is looking out for us.
Oh my people, it’s all a matter of faith and sincere belief, of truly surrendering our souls, hearts, minds and bodies to Christ. Let’s keep remembering these memorable words of Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (1 Tim. 1:7) And that’s the bottom line on which we should always be operating, the basic foundation of our earthly walk. For fear is from the enemy; it’s one of his most useful tools. However faith is from God, and it will overcome fear any ole day. No wonder the saying: ‘When fear knocks, send faith to answer it.’
And the Bible Promise for today’s story comes from the gospel of Mark, and is a very useful one to refresh our memories. (smile) Jesus and His disciples were crossing over the Sea of Galilee along with other small boats. ‘And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full (filling with water). And he (Jesus) was in the hinder part (stern) of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master (Teacher), carest thou not that we perish?
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they (the disciples) feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this (who can this be), that even the wind and the sea obey him?’ (Mark 4:37-41)
And that friends is the same Jesus to whom we’ve supposedly surrendered our lives, the One who can do any and everything, who controls the universe, and is in our corner, and who we know much more about than the disciples did back then. So why is He still asking us even today, ‘how is it that ye have no faith?’ And that’s a question we should certainly ponder, because we will each have to answer it for ourselves. But it’s certainly not one that Christ ought to be asking after all this time.
Anyway, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, asking for divine aid to help us with our many problems. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And for divine aid to be forthcoming, our behaviour has to improve, we must become better examples of true Christian living. Much LOVE!
…we can’t say we have faith…when fear so easily overtakes us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Dec 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be of good cheer it is I, bid me come unto thee, big on talk but short on memory, but by your grace, ever to him i'll cling, faith, fellowship, he saith unto them, James Rowe, Jesus Christ, Lord save me, LOVE, love lifted me, mercy, not by my strength, o thou of little faith, O ye of little faith, of a truth, salvation, sinking deep in sin, souls in danger look above, the joy of the Lord is our strength, the Master of the sea, thou art the Son of God, walking on the sea, when nothing else could help, wherefore didst thou doubt, why are ye so fearful, wisdom
Matthew 8:26a. And he saith unto them, why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?
Ah friends, these Sundays seem to come around ever so quickly, but we don’t really mind, because it gives us an opportunity to fellowship with other believers in the Lord’s house. And what greater time is to be had than there eh? None! For the singing and praising, the exalting and glorifying of our great God is ever so joyful, and that’s as it should be, for the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Neh. 8:10) Consequently, we have our souls and spirits renewed and refreshed, brimming with confidence, joy and strength to go out and face the upcoming week mano-a-man, strong and steadfast in the Lord’s name!
And to help us get the ball rolling, today we’ll open with a wonderful fairly modern hymn, (smile) written in 1912 by the Irish immigrant to the U.S, James Rowe. And the title is ever so appropriate to the fallen state of man: ‘LOVE Lifted Me.’ One commentary tells us that: ‘The Lyrics draw from the stories of Jesus and his disciples at sea from the book of Matthew, Rowe plays upon the idea of sinking in water to sinking in sin, and that Jesus can lift us out of despair to salvation.’ And that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers! Jesus is the ONLY One that has the awesome power to do such a miraculous work.
So, without further ado, let’s offer up sacrificial praise to heaven, in a soulful, mid tempo version of the song, sincerely exuding the joy that Jesus’ LOVE brings to our fallen human souls, as He lifts us out of the mire of sin and eternal damnation. Singing: ‘I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore, Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more; But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry, From the waters lifted me, now safe am I. (Refrain: LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me. LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me.)
All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I’ll cling, In His blessed presence live, ever His praises sing. LOVE so mighty and so true merits my soul’s best songs; Faithful LOVING service, too, to Him belongs. [Refrain] I was a mess, lost in my sin. Your LOVE has lifted me from the pit. Thank you God, your LOVE lifted has lifted me. Not by my strength but by your grace sins on my master anymore, Hallelujah! Your LOVE has lifted me. (Refrain):
Souls in danger, look above, Jesus completely saves; He will lift you by His LOVE out of the angry waves; He’s the master of the sea, billows His will obey He your Saviour wants to be, be saved today. [Refrain] LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me! When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me. LOVE lifted me! LOVE lifted me. When I thought my sin was too much, when I say I’m not good enough , when I think it will not be restored. Jesus will lift me. When nothing else could help, LOVE lifted me.’
What a glorious situation my people! Jesus lifting us from sinking in the storms of life. No one else has the capacity to do it. Only Him! That’s why we need to make Him our Lord and Saviour as soon as possible, otherwise we’ll end up drowning in the raging storms that are currently threatening to obliterate our world. As per the song, Rowe masterfully incorporates two stories of Jesus on the sea with His disciples in times of storm. The first one comes from Matthew 14, where after feeding the five thousand, Jesus sent the disciples away in a boat to the other side of the sea of Galilee, while He sent the multitude away.
The Good Book then informs us: ‘And when he had sent the multitude away, he went up into a mountain apart (by himself) to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship (with the disciples) was now in the midst (middle) of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night (between 3-6 a.m.) Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit (ghost); and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer (take courage); it is I; be not afraid.’ (Matt. 14:23-27)
Oh friends, can you imagine the fear that must have come over the disciples, already tired and afraid, after rowing for the whole night and not making any headway, to be suddenly approached by this spirit like being walking on the water towards them. But as always, you can count on good ole Peter to pipe up with something impulsive. Matthew writes: ‘And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thee, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous (violent), he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt.’ (Matt. 14:28-31)
And then we all get on Peter’s case. But that is exactly how many of us behave: we talk a big talk, but when the storms of life burst around us, we get scared, lose our faith and cry out for help! So let’s not look askance at Peter. At least he had the manly parts to come out of the boat, and thus earned the sobriquet of the only human being who ever walked on water. The Good Book then continues: ‘And when they (Jesus and Peter) were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him (Jesus), saying, Of a truth, thou art the Son of God.’ (Matt. 14:32-33)
Now, we come to the second story on which our hymn is based; that famous crossing of the sea of Galilee, this time Jesus was in the boat with the disciples. The Bible tells us: ‘And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with water, but he (Jesus) was asleep. And the disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord save us, we perish. And he saith unto them, why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!’ (Matt. 8:24-27)
Oh friends, it is a rough life, but I’m still disappointed in the disciples. Why? Because those two stories that we just read about, regardless of which one happened first, it should have been enough for them to take Jesus’ deity seriously and not be afraid as they were. But sadly, its the same with all of us: the Lord does something big in our lives and our faith is boosted, then a short time later another storm arises, but by then we have forgotten about what the Lord did, and run scared again.
It’s just like the Hebrew Exodus. The Lord freed them from slavery in Egypt, and had them cross the Red Sea on dry land, then once on the other side, they began complaining about comparatively lesser things like food and water. If the Lord could part the sea, could He not also provide food and water in the wilderness. Of course! But that’s the kind of people we are. Big on talk, but short on memory. Much LOVE!
…how sad it is…that Jesus so often queried our faith…while He was here on earth…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
23 Jul 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a purpose for believers gathering, according to his riches in glory, all the days of your life, called according to His purpose, carest thou not that we perish, even the wind and the sea obey him, George Nooks, God is there with you, gratitude, he arose and rebuked the wind, He'll never leave you, hold on to Jesus, how is that ye have no faith, humbleness of heart, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, LOVE, no man shall stand before you, peace be still, Ride out your storm, Sabbath Day, said unto the sea, the first name to roll off our tongue, the Lord thy God goes with thee, the Lord will provide all our needs, the Lord's Day, the storm calmer, the storms of life, the wind ceased and there was a great calm, they feared exceedingly, though the waters are troubled, to them that love him, trying times, we can do all things though Christ who strengthens us, West Indian music, what manner of man is this, why are ye so fearful, work all things out for good, you're never alone, your morning is coming, your nights of confusion
Mark 4:41. And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
Another Sunday my fellow believers; another Sabbath Day to gather in fellowship in the Lord’s sanctuary and worship Him with great gratitude and humbleness of heart! And I guess these Sundays seem to come around so quickly because our heavenly Father knows how badly we need them to keep up our strength, faith and confidence in Him during these troubled and trying times. And renewing our trust and faithfulness in Almighty God is indeed one of the many benefits of attending church on the Sabbath. Giving Him thanks and praise through our worship celebrations is also one more purpose for believers gathering on the Lord’s Day.
Now, let’s begin the proceedings, by getting into worship mode right away, offering up sweet sacrifices of praise with some West Indian music, the sweetest gospel music there is (smile). It’s a reggae tune we all know and LOVE, popularized by the Jamaican gospel artist George Nooks and aptly titled, ‘Ride Out Your Storm.’ So, as one harmonious voice my people, let’s sing up a storm this Sunday morning!
The Intro simply says: ‘Don’t give up…yeah just ride out your storm.’ Then we break into song: ‘You’ve been in the storm and it seems like forever. And your nights of confusion have been too long. Your ship has lost anchor, and the storm’s got you drifting. Just hold on to Jesus And ride out your storm (Chorus: Ride out your storm, God is there with you, you may not feel him, but you’re not alone. You’re hurting now, but your morning is coming…Lord have mercy, just hold on to Jesus and ride out your storm)
Remember His promise, He said I’ll never forsake you, though the waters are troubled, they’ll do you no harm. Don’t give up the battle for your answer is coming, just hold on to Jesus, hold on to Jesus, and just ride out your storm. (Chorus: Ride out your storm God is still there with you, you may not feel him but you’re not alone. I know you’re hurting now but your morning is coming, Lord have mercy, just hold on to Jesus and ride out your storm.
Oh Ride out your storm God is there with you, you may not feel him, but you’re not alone. Although you’re hurting now, your morning is coming, just hold on to Jesus and ride out your storm. You know He’ll never leave you, so just hold on to Jesus, and just ride out your storm. Hold on to Jesus, and ride out your storm.’
Pretty music mih people, all heaven was singing and dancing with us too! Wow! And the song simply tells us the basic truth of accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and thus surrendering our lives to Him; that He’ll never leave nor forsake us. And He’s said it several times. For example, right from the very beginning He had Moses reassure the Israelites thus: ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee: he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’ (Deut.31:5)
Then Moses said the same thing to Joshua personally before the whole Israelite camp. (Deut. 31:8). Then at the very beginning of Joshua’s leadership of the Israelites, after the death of Moses, the Lord told him the same thing. ‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’ (Josh. 1:5) And all down throughout the Old Testament, we see the Lord encouraging those whom He asked to do His bidding, and also empowering them to do it.
Then, in the New Testament, Jesus, while giving out the Great Commission faithfully promised the disciples and us: ‘…and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20b) Now doesn’t that stand for, or mean anything to us? It surely should! And later on, the author of Hebrews reiterates the sentiment: ‘…for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.’ (Heb. 13:5b) Don’t know how much more assurance we need before we believe and react courageously.
And, as per helping us to ride out our storms in times of trouble and sickness, there’s no one better at doing that than Jesus, for He is the original Storm Calmer! And you cannot get a better example of Jesus’ skills as a calmer of storms than this one when He was crossing the sea of Galilee with the disciples and a great storm suddenly arose, but Jesus was asleep in the stern of the boat oblivious to it all.
But when the boat started taking in water and it seemed like they would drown, the scared disciples woke Jesus and said to Him: ‘Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he (Jesus) said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?’ (Mark 4:38-40)
And my fellow believers, that’s the same question Christ is asking all of us today: how come our faith is so small that we are constantly afraid of the storms of life, when we have Him to protect us from them, to calm them and/or to help us ride them out? Too many of us display the reaction the disciples displayed on that fateful day. ‘And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’ (Mark 4:41) Well, He is the man who originally created the winds and the seas, and still controls them, so they just naturally obey Him, like we who claim to believe in Him ought also to do!
Oh my fellow saints, especially in what looks like the last days, we need to have great faith and courage in Jesus, if we hope to make it through. We need to remember that Jesus is our Be All and End All: That we can do all things through Him who strengthens us, (Phil. 4:13) and that He will provide all of our needs according to his riches in glory. (Phil. 4:19) And that the Lord will eventually work out everything for good to those who LOVE Him and are called according to His purpose. (Rom. 8:28)
These are some of the scriptures we must have written indelibly in our hearts, so that we can remember them in times of need and have them boost our faith. That’s the only way we’ll live the abundant and successful life that Jesus died for us to have! Much LOVE!
…in the storms of life…JESUS…is the first name that should roll off our tongue…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
21 Apr 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, all or nothing at all, be of good cheer I have overcome the world, carest thou not that we perish, disregarding our present situations, even the wind and the sea obey him, Friday chant, highway parking lots, how is it that ye have no faith, in the world ye shall have tribulation, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus said unto them, LOVE, our obedience to God is wholly inadequate, peace be still, peace that passes man's understanding, restructure our society, return backsliders to your fold, seek new frontiers, simmering discontent, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the Master of Peace and Calm, the Prince of Peace, wake up and smell the coffee, what manner of man is this, why are ye so fearful
Mark 4:40. And he (Jesus) said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how it is that ye have no faith?
And all around the world this Friday morning, the shout was heard: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at last!’ It leads us to wonder if there isn’t a better way we could set up, or restructure our society, without us all dying to get through the work week, only thinking about the coming of Friday and the two days off the job. And I think about all the traffic jams every morning and evening, the loss of numerous man hours spent in the highway parking lots, then the tiredness when one gets to work, and also when one finally arrives home, only to be expected to prepare for the next day.
For people who can go to the moon and mars and wherever we now go in outer space, it’s somewhat archaic the way our society is designed. Do we all need to get to the same point at the same time and leave at the same time five days a week. That only causes more confusion and consternation than is necessary. Just take a look at the highways and byways, and the train and bus stations in the early morning and the late afternoon. People are rushing around like crazy to catch a bus or a train, and those on the crowed highways just sit and stew or move a few feet at a time because of the congested roads.
But I guess that’s just the nature of man; we constantly seek new frontiers while disregarding the sad realities of our present situations. We all want to go to new places, while our current places leave so much to be desired. But fortunately for us, we have Jesus, who is the Master of Peace and Calm as so vividly noted in the Gospel of Mark. He writes that Jesus and his disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a convoy of ships, when ‘There arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship so that was now full (filling with water),
And he (Jesus) was in the hinder part (stern) of the ship, asleep on a pillow: (what confidence) and they awake him, and say unto him, Master (Teacher), carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he (Jesus) said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, (who can this be) that even the wind and the sea obey him?’ (Mark 4:37-41)
Ah friends, the wind and the sea obeyed Jesus, and still obey Him, because He is the one who created them in the first place. Yes, He is also the Master of the wind and sea! Please note the words of John in his gospel where He describes Jesus as the Word. ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made.’ (John 1:1-3)
So it ought to come as no surprise that the wind and the sea obey Christ. In fact, everything that He’s made, sadly except mankind, obeys Him. And that’s why we’re in the rut we’re currently in, filled with evil and darkness, headed straight for the dungeons of hellfire and damnation! Our obedience to the God of our supposed creation is woefully inadequate at this point in time. And only if we return to the fold of the One who created us, will our situation ever improve.
Haven’t we learned anything from Jesus’ sojourn here on earth? Apparently not. He calmed the raging wind and sea, and can also calm the storms that are in all of our lives, because He is the Master of the storm. But we first have to acknowledge that fact, then give our lives over to him, so that He can work His miracles in us. And not only a part of our lives, but our entire life, from pillar to post. He can’t work, or rather, He won’t work in bits and pieces. It’s ALL or NOTHING at ALL!
As Cousin Sol so wisely say in Proverbs. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make straight) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6) It couldn’t be any clearer than that. And another thing, we are all crying out for peace, but who is known as the Prince of Peace eh? None other than Jesus! It’s listed right there in the book of Isaiah, amongst his many names: ‘He shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.’ (Is. 9:6)
And if you don’t believe Isaiah, then listen to Jesus himself while He was down here on earth. When He tells the disciples of the coming of the Holy Spirit to replace Him, He says to them: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you: let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) And if that still doesn’t satisfy you, then listen to Jesus again as He tells the disciples of His returning to heaven. ‘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 if you’re a true believer in Christ, then you ought to rest secure in His promises and assurances. Oh my fellow believers, in this world, individually we can’t do a whole lot to change it, but with the peace and calm that is found in Christ Jesus, we can certainly make a good and positive difference in our own li’l corner. And as His church, if we get together in one unity, we can certainly turn this evil and ungodly world around. But before we do anything at all, we first have to come to terms with Jesus individually and accept the peace and calm that He and no one else offers.
And having said all of that, let’s go to Him now in prayer, through our Friday Chant, sincerely asking for His divine help, to calm our storms and bring us His peace, the divine peace that passes all man’s understanding. As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the confusion and anxiety caused by the pandemic and our many other serious problems. We can’t fix them on our own Lord, so 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 the simmering unrest in our land. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, without further serious setbacks. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to return backsliders to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic, the bubbling discontent and dissatisfaction in our land, as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, it’s time for us to do as we promised, so that God’s answer can be positive. Much LOVE!
…seeking true peace and calm…the ONLY place to find them is in Christ Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
Previous Older Entries
SCRIP-BITS 