19 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a happier bunch of people, a slave trader, a song of worship, a testimony to God's strength, accept the praise I bring, all roads lead to God's house, Amazing grace, bless the LOrd o my soul, borne our griefs, boundless stores of grace, bruised for our iniquities, calms the troubled breast, carried our sorrows, Christ is our be all and end all, come unto me all ye that labour, crowns thee with loving-kindness, do justice to the song, drives away our fear, esteem him stricken, faith, find rest unto your souls, forget not all his benefits, forgives all thine iniquities, friend, guardian, have life more abundantly, heals all thy diseases, heals our wounds, heavy laden, holy spirit, how grateful we are to Jesus, How Sweet the Name of Jesus sounds, how weak the effort of my heart, I am meek and lowly in heart, I am the bread of life, I am the good shepherd, I am the light of the world, I am the resurrection and the life, I am the way the truth and the life, I will give you rest, I would your love proclaim, in a believer's ear, in whom I will trust, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the embodiment of all human needs, Jesus' name resonates sweetly, John Newton, king, lay our problems before Him, LOVE, makes the wounded spirit whole, manna to the hungry soul, mercy, miserable believers, my burden light, my deliverer, my fortress, my god, my high tower, my never failing treasury, my shield and hiding place, my strength, my yoke is easy, praise, praise you as I ought, priest, prophet, receive his awesome blessing, redeems thy life from destruction, refresh my soul in death, salvation, satisfies thy mouth with good things, saved from mine enemies, shepherd, smitten of God, soothes our sorrows, sweet sacrifices of praise, take my yoke upon you, tender mercies, thanksgiving, the chastisement of our peace, the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep, the gospel truth, the great invitation, the horn of my salvation, The Lord is my rock, the music of your name, the rock on which I build, the Sabbath Day, thy youth is renewed like the eagle's, to the weary rest, truth, when I see you as you are, wisdom, with every fleeting breath, with his stripes we are healed, worthy to be praised, wounded for our transgressions, zealous disciple
Psalm 103:2. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! A good day to be alive my fellow believers! Yes, since all roads lead to God’s house, where, along with praise and thanksgiving, we can lay our problems down before Him and receive His awesome blessing on this Sabbath day. And the good thing is that no other faith but Christianity offers that kind of renewal! So why aren’t we a happier bunch of people eh? Why are there so many grumpy and miserable believers, when Christ came to save us, that we could have life, and have it more abundantly?
Who knows? And with all we have going for us, we ought to be the happiest group of people in the world. However, that’s a question for another day, (smile) and today we have a beautiful song of worship that says how wonderful we feel about Jesus, and how everlastingly grateful we are to Him. The song ‘s titled, ‘How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds.’ And is that ever the gospel truth to His followers.
And it’s certainly interesting and amazing how the author of this song, John Newton (1725-1807), who, though born into a Christian home became a licentious, abominable sailor, and eventually a slave trader, could write such beautiful Christian hymns, over two hundred, including that wonderful, popular Christian anthem, ‘Amazing Grace.’ But that just goes to show how the Lord down through History has used some of the most disgusting and unchristian men to do great things in His name.
Just think of Bruh Paul, who was a persecutor of Christians until the Lord called him to ministry, and he became one of the most loyal and zealous disciples despite all the hardships he faced. Anyway, in the same amazing kind of conversion, John Newton turned to Christ, became an abolitionist and eventually a Christian Minister. Enough talk though, (smile) it’s time to offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise, in a soulful, scintillating, midtempo version of the song, letting the whole world know, in no uncertain terms, how truly sweet the name of Jesus is to us!
Singing: ‘How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s ear! It soothes our sorrows, heals our wounds, and drives away our fear. It makes the wounded spirit whole and calms the troubled breast; ’tis manna to the hungry soul, and to the weary, rest. Dear name! the rock on which I build, My shield and hiding place, My never-failing treasury, filled, With boundless stores of grace.
O Jesus, shepherd, guardian, friend, my Prophet, Priest, and King, my Lord, my Life, my Way, my End, accept the praise I bring. How weak the effort of my heart, how cold my warmest thought; but when I see you as you are, I’ll praise you as I ought. Till then I would your LOVE proclaim with every fleeting breath; and may the music of your name refresh my soul in death.’
Oh, what beautiful sentiments my people! And did we ever do justice to the song, so much so, that we had the whole of heaven singing along with us, because it’s not only here on earth that Jesus’ name resonates sweetly, but also in heaven too. And friends, the song is so chocked full of references to scriptures that I don’t know where to begin. So why don’t we begin like the song and talk about Jesus healing our wounds and restoring our wounded spirits.
And there’s no scripture that says it as comprehensively as Psalm 103. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-KINDNESS and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:2-5)
And then we have this most essential scripture, where Isaiah describes Jesus’ suffering on our behalf: ‘Surely he hath borne our griefs (sickness), and carried our sorrows (pains): yet we did esteem (reckon) him stricken, smitten of (struck down by) God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised (pierced through) for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes (wounds) we are healed.’ (Is. 53:4-5)
Oh my people, we couldn’t ask for more than that from Christ! He took all the punishment for our sins. Meanwhile, we also have Jesus calling us in the Great Invitation to ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) Now where else we can receive such a marvellous invitation eh? Nowhere else but from Jesus!
And when talking about the Lord being our strength etc. nobody says it better than Bruh David in Psalm 27. ‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord, my strength. 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 (stronghold). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps. 18: 1-4) What a powerful testimony to God’s strength and protection my brethren!
However, with time and space running out on us, I want to get in some of Jesus’ famous I Am’s, which cover so much of all He said and did. Like this one. ‘I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:35) Then there’s this: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) Now listen to this one: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12)
And what about this gem? ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) And we’ll close with this other gem, where Jesus said to Martha, Lazarus’ sister. ‘I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live.’ (John 11:25)
There you have it friends, so many reasons why we ought to be grateful to Jesus and just burst out with joy when we hear His name. For He is indeed our Be All and End All! Let’s remember that! Much LOVE!
…Jesus is the embodiment…of ALL that human beings need…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a false hope, a horse is a vain thing for safety, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a mighty man, a reverential awe of God, accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, all you that labour, as hot as, as we hope in thee, be careful what you ask for, beholds all the sons of men, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, call upon the Lord, cannot afford to waste, come unto me, deliver their soul from death, desirous of summer, divine aid, ease the pain, even one more day, faith, faithfully keep your promise, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, fashions their hearts individually, find rest unto your souls, for his own inheritance, forest fires, gentle and humble, give you rest, God will never let us down, goolish to turn down such an offer, he is our help and shield, health problems, heavenly help, heavy laden, high U.V. Index, holy spirit, hope and pray, humble ourselves, humble servants, I will love thee O Lord, if you can't stand the heat, in whom I will trust, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep them alive in famine, learn from me, let thy mercy be upon us, LOVE, meek and lowly in heart, mercy, my burden light, my deliverer, my god, my high tower, my shield, my strength, my yoke is easy, no king saved by, not delivered by much strength, our Father who art in heaven, our heart shall rejoice in him, our soul waits for the Lord, Praise for God's Goodness, praise Your Holy Name, pray, put your hope and trust in Almighty God, salvation, saved from my enemies, shall not deliver any by his great strength, show this evil world, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek God's face, sinned and disobeyed your Word, skin problems, stay out of the kitchen, take my yoke upon you, thank you for life, thank you for life and strong faith in Christ, the eye of the Lord, the fiery place down under with Sata, the God who heals, the great invitation, the horn of my salvation, the Lord is my rock and my fortress, the Lord looketh from heaven, the many suffering from negative situations, the mass confusion in our world, the multitude of an host, the note of sarcasm, the only one, the people He's chosen, the power to solve our many problems, the proverbial place down below, the throne of grace, the wisest decision, to alleviate our problems, to prosper us, trusted in his holy name, truth, turn from our evil ways, understands all their work, upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy, who is a rock except our God, who is God save the Lord, wisdom, wise guidance, worthy to be praised, you'll be disappointed
Psalm 33:20. Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and shield.
And we’ve been so desirous of summer, let’s hope that we like it now that it’s here. I hope you detect the note of sarcasm there, because yesterday Sunday, was as hot as that proverbial place down below, (smile) with temps in the thirties, and wind that was just as hot. It’s also predicted that today Monday, and tomorrow Tuesday will be just as hot, with possible health problems to children and old folks, as well as a high U.V Index that can cause skin problems to all.
So, if you can’t stand that earthly heat then I’d strongly advise you to make sure that you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, so you will be in paradise with Him, and not in that fiery place down under with Satan. As the saying goes, if you can’t stand the heat, then stay out of the kitchen. Some of us might also remember the august warnings from our parents; be careful what you ask for, because there’s a high possibility that when you get it, you’ll be very disappointed.
Therefore, let’s hope and pray that the summer won’t be as hot for too long, since it will probably set off more forest fires, and cause even more health problems. But yuh know what, let’s do what we’ve been taught by our faith to do, lay all those problems in the hands of Jesus. And what better words can we use for reassurance than these from Psalm 33 – Praise for God’s Goodness.
The Psalmist confidently declares: ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashioneth their hearts alike (individually); as he considereth (understands) all their works. There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An horse is a vain thing (false hope) for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.’ (Ps. 33:12-17)
Now that tells us something about the Lord’s power, that He is overseeing all that happens in the universe He created, and is controlling it as He sees fit, with neither man nor beast able to overcome Him or His desires. Then the psalmist continues with even more assurance: ‘Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him (have a reverential awe of Him), upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.’ (Ps. 33:18-22)
Yes friends, the wisest decision we can ever make on this earth is to put our hope and trust in Almighty God, for as Bruh David so assuredly proclaims in Psalm 18 – A Call for God’s Deliverance: ‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord my strength. 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 (stronghold). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps. 18:1-3)
And that’s how we ought to consider our God: strong, fortress-like, a shield to protect us, as well as to deliver us from our enemies, be they man, beast or nature. And when we think of Him thus, it allows us to put our total and sincere trust in Him, because we know that He will not let us down. No! NEVER!
And it’s all covered by the protective umbrella of Jesus’ Great Invitation, where He sincerely offers: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30)
Wow friends! What a magnificent invitation! And the truth of the matter is that ONLY Jesus was and is able to make such an invitation and have the awesome power to keep it. And we would not only be unwise, but rather foolish to turn down such an exceptional offer, especially in these uncertain, very difficult and fearful times. So without further ado, let’s show Christ that we’ve accepted His wonderful offer by going to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid for our many earthly problems.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
But, having said all of that, we now have to begin doing the things that will cause divine aid to start flowing. That’s turn from our evil ways, humble ourselves, pray and sincerely seek God’s face. So please, let’s get right to it nuh, because we cannot afford to waste even one more day without heavenly help! Much LOVE!
…for who is God…save (except) the Lord…who is a rock save (except) our God… (Ps. 18:31)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a stream bubbling down to the open sea, a time of testing, acknowledge God's Lordship, apologies, because he delighted in me, becomes second nature, brought me forth unto a large place, caught him by his beard, christianity, Christians, confidence in the strength and faithfulness of God, courage, crying out to God for help, defied the armies of the living God, delivered me from my strong enemy, do it over and over again, encouragement, face adversity, faith, focus on the problems before m, from pillar to post, from them which hated me, go and the Lord be with thee, God's presence is a powerful fortress around you, hold God close to our hearts, holy spirit, hurry, I am strong, I can face anything, I fix my gaze on you, I will call upon the Lord, in god's eyes, in whom I will trust, its own merry way, Jesus Christ, lock stock and barrel, look to you with confidence, LOVE, mercy, my god my strength, my heart would fail, not persistent enough, nothing takes you by surprise, out of the hand of this Philistine, rejoice in God's might, salvation, saved from my enemies, share His love with my neighbours, smoet him, strong and confidence only comes from experience, thank you for giving me courage, the ability to stand strong in the face of unbeatable odds, the beloved of God, the BIBLE, the consequences of disobedience, the day of my calamity, the experience of going through difficulties, the Lord is my deliverer, the Lord is my rock and my fortress, the Lord moved heaven and earth to save him, the Lord was my stay, the Lord was my support, the Lord will deliver me, the struggle between faith and courage, the train to glory, this uncircumcised Philistine, through all the twists and turns of life, thy servant slew both the lion and bear, time isn't waiting on anyone, too strong for me, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, went out after him, wisdom, with you to steady me, words of wisdom, worry, worthy to be praised, you are a great God, you surround me in every challenge, you're my rock, your plans never fail
Psalm 18:2a. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
Prologue: Please accept my apologies for the lateness of the Bit, but I had an appointment with the dentist this morning, and spent longer than I expected. Thanks for understanding. (smile)
Now, what began as a somewhat wet and cloudy Tuesday morning, has thankfully turned into a dry one of more sunshine than cloud. Thank the Lord! And it’s certainly amazing and amusing that we are already into the sixth day of May, when the month only began a few days ago. But time is not waiting for lazy procrastinators, it’s moving forward on its own merry way, like a stream bubbling down to the open sea, and who doesn’t get on the train to glory, then they’ll be simply left behind. (smile)
Ah friends, there’s a lesson in there for all of us, we either get with Christ or get left behind to suffer the pangs, the consequences of disobedience and disbelief. And we know that living for Christ is not always easy, but it’s certainly doable if we use all the props the Lord has given us. And today we’ll focus on one of those props, that of Courage; the ability to stand up strong in the face of seemingly unbeatable odds. Now, to help us in this exercise, we’ll offer up a prayer on the subject from the Prayer Cards recently put out by the In Touch Ministry.
So, please pray with me. ‘God, thank You for giving me courage. If I were to focus on the problems before me, my heart would fail. But when I fix my gaze on You, I am strong. Help me remember that You surround me in every challenge. With You to steady me, I can face anything. You’re my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. Nothing takes You by surprise, and Your plans never fail. I will look to You with confidence through all the twists and turns of life. You are a great God!’
Words of wisdom, truth and encouragement, my fellow believers. But it all begins with our belief, our confidence in the strength and faithfulness of God! However, that belief and confidence doesn’t come without a price, that’s the experience of going through difficulties and crying out to God for help, and that struggle between faith and courage in one’s problems are shown most readily in the psalms, especially those of Bruh David. He went through many unfortunate trials and tribulations, through no fault of his own, but the confidence he developed with the Lord while out in the fields shepherding his father’s sheep, gave him the courage to keep on keeping on, even when crying out to the Lord for help.
When king Saul refused to let him go out and fight Goliath, Bruh David calmy informed him that while keeping his father’s sheep a lion and a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, ‘And I went out after him, and smote (struck) him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.’ (1 Sam. 17:34-37)
Oh friends, what more could Saul say to Bruh David after making such a good argument on God’s help and strength. But sadly, that kind of courage and confidence only comes from experience. And yes Bruh David went out and defeated Goliath, but he never realized that one day he would be up against a greater and more persistent enemy, the same king Saul, who spent many years trying to kill him. And although Bruh David was still confident and believed in God’s promise that he would be king of Israel, he never thought he would have to face so much adversity over such a long period of time, before it happened.
But that’s how our God works. He gives you a promise of greater things to come, then He puts you through a time of testing, to see if you can handle the promotion. And many of us fail the test simply because we’re not persistent enough; we don’t hang in there till God judges that we can handle the promotion. One thing our God does not encourage is giving up. And we see that in Bruh David’s life, where although Saul harassed him from pillar to post, he never gave up, even foregoing a chance to kill Saul.
And finally with deliverance from the hand of his enemies, including Saul, Bruh David wrote thus in Psalm 18: ‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength (lit. my rock)), in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps. 18:1-3)
Now friends, those are sentiments that we also should be putting forth, but it takes much more than just mouthing the words, although sincerely mouthing them might give us a smidgen of courage. (smile) We have to sincerely believe them and then act upon them. And we have to do it over and over, until it becomes second nature. That’s the only way to get that courage and strength that our Lord provides, to sink deep into our souls. So please, when the trials and tribulations of life come upon us, before we do anything else, let’s turn our minds to Almighty God, then cry out to Him for help. As Bruh David writes later in Psalm 18: ‘In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of (from) his temple, and my cry came before him, even unto his ears.’ (Ps. 18:6)
Unfortunately, we don’t have time nor space to review all that Bruh David said then, but the gist is that the Lord moved heaven and earth to save him. (Ps. 18:7-16) And at the end of it all, he joyfully proclaims: ‘He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented (confronted) me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay (support). He brought me forth also unto a large (broad) place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.’ (Ps. 18:17-19) And that’s what the Lord will do for all of us if we hold Him close to our hearts and sincerely acknowledge His Lordship.
Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, it now behooves us to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…God’s presence is a powerful fortress around you…rejoice in His might…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Jul 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: call upon the Lord, eternal trust, even today do I declare, everything that comes against us, eyes fixed straight ahead, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, God's faithfulness, halfway home, hold on tight to our faith, hope deferred makes the heart sick, I shall not want, I will love thee O Lord, I will render double unto thee, in this will I be confident, in whom I will trust, it is a tree of life, keep the commandments of my God, king of heaven and earth, learn to live with it, let me not be ashamed of my hope, my buckler, my deliverer, my fortress, my heart shall not fear, my hiding place, my high tower, my rock, my sheild, my strength, no weapon formed against us, not looking back, omnipotent deity, reverence God, summer flies by, the breath of life, the cold winter season, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the horn of my salvation, The Lord is my shepherd, the name above all names, the power of Christ's Holy Spirit, they stumbled and fell, time of pandemic and strife, to a glorious future with Jesus, to eat up my flesh, trust in Christ Jesus, turn you to the stronghold, we will conquer, Wednesday Wail, when the desire comes, when the wicked came upon me, will prosper, worthy to be praised, ye prisoners of hope
Zechariah 9:12. Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render (restore) double unto thee.
Well friends, it’s Wednesday the 8th of July already! I can’t believe how the days are flying by, although that’s how the summer usually passes, like in a blur of time, barely noticeable, then the cold winter season comes along and lasts for ages. But that’s life, and however it comes, we must learn to live with it, in fact conquer it!
And with the power of Christ’s Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we can and do and will conquer everything that comes against us, for our heavenly Father has decreed that NO weapon formed against us will prosper, and that through Christ Jesus we can do whatever is necessary because He strengthens us!
Wow! And all of God’s children declared a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah! All praise and glory to the King of heaven and earth, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, whose name is higher than any other name, and to whom ALL heads will bow when He comes to reign in His holy kingdom!’ And if that sacrifice of praise doesn’t uplift us fellow saints in Christ, I don’t know what will nuh! (smile)
Ah mih people, it’s so good to be alive on another glorious summer day, that thanks is all that ought to flow out of our mouths. Yes, life is rough for many of us, but again, once we have life, then we can have hope that things will turn around, as they say: ‘better must come!’ And so it will, if we hold on tight to our faith and hope and surrender and trust in Christ Jesus! For He has promised to make our lives worthwhile, and He is indeed faithful to keep all His promises.
And if there’s one thing the Bible is chocked full of is verses on hope. That’s why this morning I want to remind us of some of them, in particular this one that touches my heart ever so much. The words of the prophet Zechariah to his people Israel, and words that are ever so appropriate in our current time of pandemic and strife. ‘Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render (restore) double unto thee.’ And some of us ask, who or what is our stronghold, where can it be found, and why should we be prisoners of hope?
Well my people, Bruh David answered those questions for us long ago. Listen to him. ‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord, my strength. 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 (stronghold, fortress).’ (Ps. 18:1-2)
Oh mih bredrin, is there a more comprehensive and powerful entity than that described by Bruh David? Certainly not! Just look at how many positives he’s laid at the Lord’s door nuh: his strength, his rock, his fortress, his deliverer, his buckler or shield, the horn of his salvation, his high tower! Mama Yo! How could there ever be another being with such power and strength and authority eh? NEVER! That’s why such awesome wisdom lies in putting our entire hope in the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
As Bruh David continues: ‘I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps. 18:3) Glory be people! If we can’t call upon such an omnipotent Deity with perfect assurance, then whom else can we call on eh? That’s also why Bruh David could later on write: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’ (Ps. 27:1)
And I am proud to say the answer to those questions is definitely NOBODY! Yes friends, when we reverence the great God of Israel, put our sincere trust in him, we need not be afraid of anything or anyone. For as Bruh David proudly and most assuredly proclaims: ‘When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up (devour) my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.’ ( Ps. 27:2-3)
Oh my people, my people, in these troubling times that’s the kind of confidence and assurance we need to show in our God! And what I truly LOVE about Bruh David, is that all the endearing and confident words he speaks about his awesome God are not based on hearsay, but on his personal experience. And I’m sure that most of us have some, enough of that same kind of experience of Jehovah God’s everlasting faithfulness, which ought to enable us to completely surrender to Him and place our eternal trust in His mighty hands.
Friends, Bruh David surely knew on which side his bread was buttered, and so too should we, if we’re wise and thinking straight, not ensnared by the lies, deceits, the evil and the plentiful poppycock that’s currently running through our society. But as the psalmist asserts: ‘Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word. Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God. Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope. Hold thou me up (uphold me), and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto (observe) thy statutes continually.’ (Ps. 119:114-117)
What more can I say eh friends… except to add these momentous words of Cousin Sol to our mix: ‘Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.’ (Prov. 13:12) Yes fellow saints, when we lose hope, we become sick, get depressed. But when our hope is realized… oh me oh my, we are refreshed, revitalized, renewed, and move on with a new vitality. And I know that these anxious times tend to dry up our hope, but please, please, let’s not allow that to happen nuh, let’s stay full of the hope that God has placed in our hearts, and remember that this too shall pass, it’s only a matter of time.
And having said that, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. With sincere hearts and strong voices: ‘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 we don’t let our hope die, we WILL enjoy a glorious future with Christ! Much LOVE!
…the Lord is my shepherd…I shall not want…
19 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of God, a large home run, abundant living, attitudes, blessed lives, bonds, break the Father's heart, call and response, celebrate, Christians, come to Jesus, confident, deep is our joy, demeanour, don't reflect the joy, ecstatic, Edwin Hawkins, eternal life, everyday, fellowship, fight and pray, foolish, get on our knees, giveth his life for the sheep, gospel song, happiness, have it more abundantly, he taught me how to watch, heavenly thoughts, hit the devil, hope, I am come, I am the good shepherd, in concert with the Father, in their right senses, ironclad, Jesus washed, listen to God's Word, live rejoicing, LOVE, made righteous, magnanimous god, magnificent, miserable, my sins away, Oh Happy Day, out of the park, praise, proud, Ray Charles, redeemed, refilled with God's love, salvation, sanctuary, sealed forever, seep into our hearts, show it in our behaviour, sour, strong, thanks, that they might have life, the blood shed on Calvary, the good shepherd, the happiest people on earth, the Lamb's Book of Life, the Lord's Day, the privilege of worshipping him, this is the day the Lord has made, ungrateful, walk tall, we will rejoice and be glad in it, worthy to be praised, You Tube
John 10:10b-11. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Awright my believing brethren, what shall we say about this day eh? ‘This is the day the Lord has made we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ And what else? That this is the Lord’s Day and we WILL go to His sanctuary to give Him much praise and thanks, to celebrate our blessed lives and fellowship with others of the same belief!
We shall also listen to His Word, let it seep into our hearts and souls, and consequently have our spirits refilled with God’s LOVE through His Holy Spirit, so that we can walk tall and strong, proud and confident, when we depart from His sanctuary! And all God’s people said a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord!’
Yes friends, our God is indeed worthy to be praised! And there’s no better way to praise Him than in song: He enjoys it, and it brings the best out of us. And today’s song of praise is a favourite gospel song from a few years back, one we all know and LOVE; it’s simply but oh so meaningfully titled ‘Oh Happy Day!’
It was written by the gospel singer Edwin Hawkins, and first recorded by the Edwin Hawkins Singers. Unfortunately though, Edwin Hawkins died a few weeks ago, but in conjunction with his choir, he left the world a wonderful legacy in song. I also saw a wonderful rendition of it on You Tube by Ray Charles and the Voices of Jubilation choir. Oh, Ray was so worked up that on his way off the stage he stopped at least three times and did a Happy Day dance!
So let’s open our hearts and mouths and allow our voices to soar to high heaven with these few simple but oh so meaningful words. Remember, half the beauty of the song is in its call and response style, so let’s call and respond in all sincerity and truth nuh, letting our magnificent and magnanimous God know how deep is our joy, in having the wonderful privilege of worshipping Him. Hn! I hope that makes sense.
But anyway, enough talk, let’s sing: ‘Oh happy day (oh happy day) Oh happy day (oh happy day) When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed) When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed) When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed) He washed my sins away (oh happy day)
Oh happy day (oh happy day) He taught me how to watch, fight and pray, fight and pray And live rejoicing every, everyday Oh happy day He taught me how to watch, fight and pray, fight and pray And live rejoicing every, everyday Oh happy day Oh happy day (oh happy day) Oh happy day (oh happy day).’
Oh my fellow believers, how could we not be ecstatic eh, when Jesus washed away our sins, cleansed us with the blood He shed on Calvary? He also taught us how to watch, to fight and pray and live rejoicing every day! Glory be! We’d be foolish and ungrateful if we didn’t appreciate His stellar and selfless efforts on our behalf.
Just look at what our Bit says: ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ And that’s exactly what Jesus did my brethren! He gave His life so that we could enjoy abundant living in concert with the Father; redeemed, made righteous once again, with salvation and eternal life the end benefits.
That means Christians ought to be the happiest people on Planet Earth…and show it in our behaviour too. For why would anyone want to come to Jesus if we claim to have so much wonderful stuff when we believe in Him, but our attitudes and demeanour are sour and miserable and definitely don’t reflect the joy we talk about so much eh?
If our everyday lives aren’t filled with hope, happiness and heavenly thoughts and longing then we’re not true believers and/or Jesus sacrificed His sinless life in vain. Please friends, let that not be the case, because it would break both the Father and Jesus’ hearts.
So please let’s make every day a happy day nuh; watching for His promised return; fighting the many evil enemies who want to discredit Him and turn us away. But they don’t know that when we get on our knees, both literally and figuratively, and pray to the Father in His name that the battle is as good as won! Glory Hallelujah!
And with all of that good stuff, the rejoicing just comes naturally. Ah mih people, we have so much to look forward to when we sincerely make Jesus our Lord and Saviour. And when our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, then we’re sealed forever as a child of God, our bonds are so ironclad that nothing, or no one can ever break them. That’s how powerful association with the Lord and His heavenly host is.
So today, let’s step right up to the plate and hit the devil right out of the park for a large home run. That’ll show him to mess with Jesus’ people! Much LOVE!
…as a believer in Jesus…we’re promised joy for ever more…now who in their right senses would refuse that eh…
27 May 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: assurance, audacity, be glad, blood, boldness, celebration, Christ the solid rock, Christian praise, cleanness of my hands, comfort, covenant, darkness veils, day of my calamity, delighted in me, delivered me, deliverer, do our part, edifice crumbles, fall in our laps, faultless stand before the throne, flood, fortress, fruitful results, guiding light, high tower, holiness, hope, horn of my salvation, I will trust, immortals words, indisputable truth, Jesus' blood, kept the ways of the Lord, lean on Jesus' name, LOVE, many waters, mine enemies, my anchor holds, my god, my hope, my stay, my strength, oath, partnership, reap what we sow, receptive to the Word, recompensed, right hearts, righteousness, Sabbath, saved, secure foundation, sincere spirits, sinking sand, stony hearts, stormy gale, stronghold, support me, the goodness of God, The Lord is my rock, the Lord's blessings, this is the day the Lord has made, took me out, trumpet sound, unchanging grace, we will rejoice, worthy to be praised
Psalm 18:2. 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 (stronghold).
Ah mih people, it’s that day again, the Sabbath! That means it’s time for celebration as well as holiness. And we can begin by joyfully declaring, as the psalmist did so long ago: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24)
And while we do that, we can also be wending our way to the Lord’s house to fellowship with other believers, to offer up sincere prayers, worship and give thanks for all the many blessings He has bestowed upon us, as well as to hear His word and regenerate our confidence. Wow! What an awesome God we serve my brethren!
And as always, we’ll begin the proceedings with song, to loosen up our stony hearts and make them more receptive to the Word. Today’s song is an old but wonderful hymn titled ‘My hope is built on nothing less,’ written by Edward Mote back in the 19th century. And on a point of interest, have you ever noticed that many of our beloved hymns were written way back when.
Maybe it says something about the level and intensity of Christian praise and worship back then. Anyway, let’s sing, with raised voices and truthful hearts. ‘My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; in ev’ry high and stormy gale my anchor holds within the veil. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. His oath, His covenant, His blood support me in the ‘whelming flood; when all around my soul gives way He then is all my hope and stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. When He shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in Him be found, dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.’
And isn’t that the indisputable truth my fellow believers! The only real safe and secure foundation on which to build is on Christ, our Rock and our Saviour. Anything else is merely sinking sand, and it’s only a matter of time before the whole edifice erected thereupon crumbles.
That’s why Bruh David could stand up and declare our Bit with utmost confidence, and so too can we many thousands of years later. ‘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 (stronghold).’
Ah mih breddren, mih breddren what immortal words of comfort and assurance! And if we have Jesus as our guiding light, then we too ought to be able to declare them with audacity and boldness, for Jesus is indeed all those things to those who sincerely and truly believe in Him.
And if Jesus is so mighty then, Bruh David is indeed right to declare after our Bit. ‘I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps.18:3) And he did call upon the Lord, and the Lord saved him. (Ps.18:.4-16) Friends, yuh see how much time and trouble our Lord took to save Bruh David from his enemies? It’s the same way that He will save us if we call on Him with right hearts and sincere spirits.
Hear Bruh David again: ‘He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented (confronted) me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay (support).
He brought me forth also into a large (broad) place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.’ (Ps.18:16:21)
Oh my people, none of us have as many enemies or problems as Bruh David had back in his day, and if the Lord saved him out of them all, why would He refuse to do the same for us if we bow down and faithfully worship Him and keep His will eh? No reason whatsoever!
That means it’s all up to us. If we want to see the goodness of God, then we have to do the things that will produce it. We can’t just sit back and expect it to fall in our laps. So let’s get serious and do our part of the partnership nuh, if we want so see fruitful results.
Remember, we only reap what we sow. And if we don’t sow righteousness and LOVE, we won’t receive the Lord’s blessings. Much LOVE!
…For who is God…save (except) the Lord…or who is a rock…save (except) our God… (Ps.18:31)
18 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: acclamation, Adam, adoring words, babes, beasts of the field, breath of life, Carl Boberg, cathedral, celebrations, communicate with God, disobeyed, earthly being, Eve, ever-LOVING God, feel the gentle breeze, fellow believers, fools, forest glades, fowl of the air, Garden of Eden, gladly bearing, glory hallelujah, God's children, God's glory, harmony, have dominion, hear the birds sing, how excellent is thy name, How great thou art, I am in the midst of them, in all the earth, in His image, in the heavens, lofty mountain, LOVE, mad men, man's honour, my burden, My Saviour God, nature creations, O Lord, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, on the cross, out of the mouths, oxen, productive relationship, promised to do, Pslam 8, rainbow, refuse, sacrificial praise, set thy glory, sheep., silence the enemy, sin, strong voice, sucklings, take away my sin, thanks, the rolling thunder, the Son of man, the work of thy fingers, then sings my soul, thunderstorm, Top o' the morn, under his feet, veacity, what is man, where two or three are gathered, worship, worthy to be praised
Psalm 8:1. O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
Top o’ the morn my fellow believers! It’s that wonderful day, Sunday, which means the gathering of Christians all over the world in the Lord’s sanctuary. And that can be any of the following; a magnificent cathedral, a small church, a house, a hovel, a palace, or under a coconut tree, wherever we can gather, to worship and give immeasurable thanks to our great and ever-LOVING God!
Yes friends, wherever God’s people are gathered that’s His sanctuary, for He is there in full regal presence. As Jesus said: ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name; there I am in the midst of them.’ (Matt.18:20) And all God’s children declared a loud and proud: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Bless His holy name, for He is a great God, and indeed worthy to be praised!’
And in keeping with that truthful sentiment, let’s open today’s celebrations with this most appropriate hymn ‘How great thou art.’ It’s a hymn apparently based on a Swedish traditional melody and a poem written by Carl Boberg, pastor, poet and politician (1859–1940) in Mönsterås, Sweden in 1885.
After a brief thunderstorm, it’s reputed that he opened his window and saw a rainbow gilding the sky and all of God’s nature creations shining bright and fresh having been cleansed by the rain. Supposedly modelled after Psalm 8; Bruh David’s words exalting God’s glory and man’s honour, it was first translated into German and then into Russian and became a hymn. Later on, it was further translated into English from the Russian by English missionary Stuart K. Hine.
So in strong voice and total harmony, let’s offer up this favourite hymn to our heavenly father, through the sacrificial praise of our lips. ‘O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder, Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made; I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
(Refrain: Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art. Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art!)
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander, And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees. When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze. (Refrain) And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing; Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in; That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin. (Refrain)
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation, And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart. Then I shall bow, in humble adoration, And then proclaim: “My God, how great Thou art!” (Refrain: Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art. Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art!)’ (repeat).
Ah mih people, what wonderful and truthful words of praise, worship and adoration to our mighty God. That makes the opening words of Bruh David’s psalm a perfect Bit for today. ‘O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.’
And there can be no doubt whatsoever about the veracity of those adoring words! For He is the ONLY truly omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent Being in this whole universe. He created it, it belongs entirely to Him, and He controls it as He sees fit. Glory to God!
And Bruh David continues to prove his contention. ‘Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings (infants) hast thou ordained (established) strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightiest still (silence) the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, and the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest (pay attention, or care for) him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.’ (Ps. 8:2-5)
Ah friends, it ought to be obvious why God cares for us. In the first place He created us in His image and gave us His breath of life, so that we could worship Him and have a positive and productive relationship with Him.
From the day He created our forefathers, Adam and Eve, He’s LOVED us with His whole heart, and though He kicked them out of the Garden of Eden, when they disobeyed His command, He never stopped LOVING His human creation nuh, we stopped LOVING Him.
So it’s not rocket science why He did as Bruh David further describes. ‘Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.’ (Ps.8:6-8)
And why not eh? We are His most precious creation, the only earthly being He created that has the ability to communicate with Him. Just like we LOVE our disobedient and trying children, our Creator LOVES us the same way – and even more.
So let’s remember to continually thank and praise Him for all the good things He’s done for us down through the ages, is currently doing, and has faithfully promised to do in the future. And we’ll end like Bruh David did, with a shout of heartfelt praise: ‘O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth.’ (Ps.8:9) Much LOVE!
…only fools and mad men…refuse to praise and worship their Creator…
05 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2018, a bomb Cyclone, anchored in the word, angel of the Lord, be not afraid, beady eyes, blessed be the Lord, buckler, carnal appetites, Christians, cold and snowy, consequences, contrary to, deep freeze, deliverer, enemies, faithful promise, fiery furnace, fires, fortress, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, go overboard, goal, good cheer, heard my supplications, heartache, hell no, horn, hot toddies, I am helped, I will trust, in Jesus' name, in the world, Jesus Christ, like a lion, Lord and Saviour, my god, my heart greatly rejoices, my heart trusted in him, my shield, overcome the world, partying, peace, play, play in the snow, prayer for deliverance, preincarnate Christ, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, resilience, rest, roaring, rough times, salvation, saved, Shadrach Meshach Abednego, shield, slave labour, snowbirds, strength, surging sea tides, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the East Coast of N. America, The Lord is my rock, The Lord is my strength, the North Country, the spirit of the Lord, the weekend, the workingman's song, times of need, trials, tribulations, trouble, truth, twinkle, unscathed, weather, week of work, will I praise him, winter in Florida, winter storm, with my song, working for Jesus, workingman, worthy to be praised
Psalm 28:7. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
Ah mih people, 2018 has certainly come roaring in like a ravaging lion with a wicked winter storm mashing up the East coast of North America, after we’ve already been in a deep freeze for the past two weeks.
Boston is apparently a mess from snow and flooding caused by surging sea tides. Places in Florida that have not seen snow in decades have certainly seen it now. All the snowbirds that left Canada to winter in Florida must be pretty annoyed.
They’re calling this extraordinary winter storm a ‘Bomb Cyclone!’ Why I don’t know, but it’s certainly living up to its name. Let’s hope that my li’l area doesn’t get any of it, because all we’ve been seeing and feeling recently is white and cold! Hn!
But I must say that the ordinary workingman does have an extraordinary resilience to this type of weather, for it has not stopped him from boldly declaring his song: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and the weekend reach at last! So it cold and snowy, so what? Is winter in the north country, that’s what it’s all about!
We not going to let a li’l bit of snow and cold stop our partying, stop us from enjoying we two days off from slave labour! Hell no! We going to go outside and play in the snow, then come inside and warm up with some hot toddies! (And his beady eyes twinkle at the thought) What a wonderful weekend it’s going to be! Thank God for Fridays and weekends yes!’
Ah Lord eh! I daresay that not all of us are feeling that way. Definitely no playing in the snow…but the hot toddies…well…maybe… (smile) Now let’s chant our Friday Chant, which runs somewhat contrary to the workingman’s song, because our emphasis is not on play and our carnal appetites.
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Oh friends, it’s not that we Christians don’t or can’t have fun, but fun is not our goal; working and living for Jesus is. And though that includes having fun, it also means being more focused and cautious about overstepping certain boundaries that can get us in serious trouble. And some of that trouble can have serious lifetime consequences. So it’s not advisable for believers to just go overboard in their leisure time.
Anyway, enough preaching; (smile) here is our Bit: ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.’ And that’s the awesome truth my brethren, as Bruh David found out during his rough times. Who else are we going to turn to in our time of need and trouble eh? Obviously the One who made us and still cares for us!
Bruh David said before our Bit: ‘Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.’ (Ps.28:6) And it only makes sense to turn to someone who hears your cry for help. And we’ve seen throughout the Good Book that it was to the God of his forefathers that Bruh David turned when the enemy came a calling.
Hear him from Psalm 18 – A prayer for deliverance. ‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength (rock), in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps.18:1:3)
What powerful sentiments my people! But that’s because Bruh David didn’t only turn to God in times of need, he kept Him in his heart ALL the time! And that’s why the Lord saved him from his enemies. Oh friends, it’s the same thing the Lord desires of us; to be with Him all the time, not just when life gets rough to remember Him and cry out for help and expect it to come right away.
Please note that Bruh David was not exempt from trials and tribulations, he had more than his fair share, but the Lord made sure that he came through them safely. Likewise friends, we will experience trouble and heartaches in our lives, but if like Bruh David, we stay anchored in the Word and faith of our great God, then He will also bring us through the fires of our lives unscathed.
Remember how he brought out the three Jewish boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace, without them even smelling of smoke. And more importantly, while they were in the furnace, king Nebuchadnezzar saw four people in there. Obviously the fourth was either the preincarnate Christ who often appeared in the Old Testament, or an angel of the Lord sent to protect them. (Daniel 3)
So my faithful brethren, it only makes good sense, it’s eternal wisdom to place our trust in the One who created us and still cares for us. And there’s no better way to end today than with the ever-faithful promise of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
‘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) Words to live by my people! Much LOVE!
…with the Spirit of the Lord dwelling in us…there’s absolutely no need to be afraid…
22 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a God of truth, a time of rest, almighty god, asaph, ashamed, assurance, atone, blessings, bolster our enthusiasm.replenished, buckler, cleft for me, confounded, death, deliverer, dismayed, disobedience, do the will of God, dwell on high, enemies, everlasting strength, exaltation, faith, faith calendar, falter, flame out, fleeting breath, gathering in God's sanctuary, Genesis, grace, guides, heavenly Father, high tower, his work is perfect, horn of my salvation, I will love thee, idle promises, iniquity, Jehovah, judgement, just and right, labour of my hands, lay it low, leads, living God, make them afraid, millennial kingdom, Moses, Most High, Mother Earth, my fortress, penalty for sin, perish, praise, proclaim, refuge, renew our faith, Revelation, sacrificial praise, saviour, seek thy name, shame, shield, sin, sincere hearts, song of praise, strong voices, Sunday, tempest, testimony, the blood, the double cure, the feet of the poor, the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jehovah, the Lord's Day, the name of the Lord, the redeemed, the Rock, the rock of ages, the wages of sin, the water, thy cross I cling, to the dust, trample, troubled, trust, trust in the Lord, wash me, wisdom, worthy to be praised, wrath, Yahweh
Isaiah 26:4. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah (Yahweh) is everlasting strength (the Rock of Ages).
Ah friends, what can I say about Sunday that hasn’t been said already eh? The Lord’s Day, the best day of the week, a time of rest, a time for gathering in His sanctuary and praising Him and receiving His wonderful blessings and assurance in return, etc. etc! Yes my brethren, Sunday is a wonderful day in our faith calendar. If we don’t use it wisely, we tend to falter and flame out very early in the upcoming week.
That’s why we need to gather and fellowship at least once a week, to renew our faith, bolster our enthusiasm and be replenished with the Holy Spirit of Christ, who leads and guides us, and enables us to do the will of God down here on Mother Earth. So, as always, let’s open the day’s proceedings with this favourite old hymn of praise and refuge, ‘Rock of Ages,’ penned by Augustus M. Toplady, around 1776.
With sincere hearts and strong voices, let’s offer up sacrificial praise to our heavenly Father. ‘Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, From Thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, Save from wrath and make me pure. Not the labor of my hands Can fulfill Thy law’s demands; Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow, All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone.
Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless, look to Thee for grace; Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Savior, or I die. While I draw this fleeting breath, When my eyes shall close in death, When I rise to worlds unknown, And behold Thee on Thy throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.’
Oh friends, there’s nowhere safer in this universe than under the mighty wings of our omnipotent and wonderful God! And our Bit acknowledges it in spades: ‘Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah (Yahweh) is everlasting strength (the Rock of Ages).’
Those are words from the song of praise that will be sung when the redeemed enter the millennial kingdom. And the song continues to exalt the Lord’s strength: ‘For he bringeth down (low) them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust. The foot shall tread (trample) it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.’ (Is.26:5-6)
What a mighty God we serve and worship my people! There’s NONE like Him! And if you don’t believe me, then listen to Moses in his song of praise to the God of his forefathers. ‘Because I will publish (proclaim) the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgement: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.’ (Deut.32:4)
And the scholars tell us: ‘32:4-9. A faithful God and a faithless people are pictured (in those verses). The Rock: The word is placed first in the Hebrew for emphasis. It emphasizes the stability and permanence of the God of Israel. His unchanging nature is contrasted with the fickleness of the covenant people…’
When will we ever learn eh my brethren? The same thing is happening today; a minority of us are putting our trust and faith in Almighty God; the Creator and Controller of ALL THINGS! That surely doesn’t make much sense, in no way is it wisdom in any form or fashion. Lucifer, whom most of us are bowing down to in these rough and disastrous end times, cannot offer us anything but hell fire and damnation. And if that is what you desire, then go right ahead and get it, but as for me and mine, we WILL follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Why? Just listen to Bruh David from Psalm 18 – Thanksgiving for deliverance, when the Lord delivered him from all his enemies, in particular Saul. ‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength (my rock), in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (fortress, stronghold). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps.18:1-3)
What greater testimony to our Lord’s greatness and power can there be eh friends? And I like how all these men of great faith put their exaltation in song. Listen as we end with words from Asaph’s song, Psalm 83 – A prayer for the destruction of Israel’s enemies. ‘So persecute (pursue) them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm. Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord. Let them be confounded and troubled (ashamed and dismayed) for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish. That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH (Lord), art the Most High over all the earth.’ (Ps.83:15-18)
And friends, that is exactly what the Lord is doing all over the earth these days; letting us know that He is the ONE and ONLY TRUE LIVING GOD, and if we don’t bow down and worship Him, we will eventually perish! It’s as simple as that! The Bible warns us of the penalty for sin and disobedience from Genesis right through to Revelation, so we can’t say we’re ignorant of the facts. Please, I implore us, let’s be wise and repent and get in the good graces of Almighty God nuh, before it’s too late! Now that is wisdom of eternal proportions! Much LOVE!
…remember that God doesn’t make idle promises…and He promised…that the wages of sin is death…
21 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a toehold, all creatures great and small, All things bright and beautiful, all things wise and wonderful, British Empire, clothed with majesty, come before him, death, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, each bird that sings, eternally grateful, girded himself, glory to God, good things, good tidings, Granny's wise words, I AM, imprtance, Israel, it cannot be moved, joy, joyous time, let our hair down, LOVE, loving-kindness, magnify the Lord, meadows, outpouring of love, peace, praise his holy name, reipe fruits, resurrection, rushes by the water, sacrifice, salvation, smell the roses, strength, summer sun, tall trees, thanksgiving, the beauty of nature, the evil one, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Lord God made them all, the Lord reigns, the New testament, the wonder of Jesus, the world is established, Victoria Day, wisdom, worthy to be praised
Psalm 93:1. The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved (shaken).
Oh friends, what a joy it is to wake up one more day and smell the roses! Wow! Our God certainly knows how to thrill us; what with the beauty of nature and the wonder of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
And would you believe that I completely forgot that this was a long weekend in the greatest big country in the world – Canada. It’s the Victoria Day holiday on Monday to celebrate the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) over the British Empire, at a time when the sun truly never set on it.
So you can imagine the celebrations have begun in earnest since possibly Thursday, and I’m probably a tad late in reminding us to heed Granny’s wise words – Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business! (smile)
But putting all jokes aside, we definitely don’t want to give the evil one even a toehold in our souls as we continue celebrating over the next two days. So let’s be very careful how we let our hair down in this joyous time nuh.
Consequently, as we gather this Sunday morning to praise, worship and fellowship in God’s sanctuary, let’s open the proceedings with this glorious hymn of praise, regarding the beauty of nature that we’ve spoken of above. Now, with a burning joy in our souls, let’s lift up our heads, hearts, eyes and hands as we open our mouths and offer a sacrifice of praise to our great and wonderful God.
‘(Refrain: All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful: The Lord God made them all.) Each little flow’r that opens, Each little bird that sings, He made their glowing colors, He made their tiny wings. (Refrain) The purple-headed mountains, The river running by, The sunset and the morning That brightens up the sky. (Refrain)
The cold wind in the winter, The pleasant summer sun, The ripe fruits in the garden, He made them every one. (Refrain) The tall trees in the greenwood, The meadows where we play, The rushes by the water, To gather every day. (Refrain)
He gave us eyes to see them, And lips that we might tell How great is God Almighty, Who has made all things well. All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful: The Lord God made them all.’
And isn’t that all gospel truth my people? It is indeed! Our great God made it ALL, and He made it WELL! Now we must sing forth His praise, magnify His Holy Name and let the world know about all His wonderful deeds, plus His LOVING-kindness, mercy, grace, forgiveness and salvation that He has so LOVINGLY prepared for all those who belief on the name of Jesus Christ His sinless Son!
Wow! What an awesome God we serve and worship my brethren! Please let us never forget that! And thus we are able to truthfully declare the words of the psalmist in our Bit: ‘The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved (shaken).’
Oh glory to our great God my people! He is indeed the great I AM! There’s NONE like Him in all the world! How could there be eh, when He made it ALL? That’s just not logical!
And Psalm 95 – A psalm of praise to the great God admonishes us: ‘Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms (songs). For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand (His possession) are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand (under his care.’ (Ps.95:2-7)
Ah mih breddren, if we would just take our God as seriously as we should eh, our world and our lives would be so much better off than they are right now! And if you don’t believe me, then listen to the prophet Isaiah as he declares to his people Israel the promise that the Lord, the God of their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will deliver them from captivity.
‘How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings (news), that publisheth (proclaims) peace; that bringeth good tidings (news) of good (things), that publisheth (proclaims) salvation). That saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth.’ (Is.52:7)
Now what more can we ask for or want eh friends? We have the bringing of good tidings, good news and good things through the gospel of the New Testament, where Christ indeed offered us peace and salvation through His sacrifice of death, His awesome resurrection and His atonement for our sins!
One would think that we’d be all overjoyed by such a monumental outpouring of LOVE and joy, but unfortunately it has left many of us unmoved, even annoyed and angry. Hn! But friends, the wise few of us indeed know who butters our bread – Almighty God – and we are eternally grateful!
Now let’s see if we can’t spread the good tidings of good things as Jesus desires of us, so that others can recognize its immortal importance and joyfully give their lives to Him too. For that is the wisdom of the ages! Much LOVE!
…oh magnify the Lord with me…praise His holy name…for He is indeed worthy to be praised…
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