Meditation: December 16

“Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.” Isaiah 7:11

God extended an invitation to an evil king to request a sign. It was His challenge to reveal degrees of His authority either in heaven, the earth, or under the earth. The offer to the king was to choose for himself the means for which God would make His presence known. It would change the course of history and provide for those who would receive it a new destiny. It would be for him personally to empower him to govern in righteousness and peace. If any lacks wisdom, ask God. He condescends to our level. A wicked and perverse generation seeks after a sign in unbelief. They place the burden of proof upon God’s shoulders with a predisposed view what is real or not. God still allows Himself to be questioned by the unbelieving world with a willingness to provide evidence of the truth in contrast to error of her ways. Even though the king rejected the offer, Jesus came into the world as the sign and a wonder to the world. “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

Meditation: September 4

“To whom He was not announced, they shall see; and those who have not heard shall understand.” Romans 15:21

God heals many who may have thought their situation was beyond hope. They might have come with their limited view of what God was able to do, but to be surprised by grace to receive beyond their level of expectation. Salvation has come to the Gentiles to whom it was not announced. There may have been some who would have settled for the crumbs falling from the rich man’s table, but God invited them in to partake of the feast.  it is not always intelligent that are enabled to make sense of the God’s mysteries. It may not even be the one who has a history among fellow believers. They may see nor understand the life changing message of Jesus Christ. Yet an impoverished reject in society may rejoice immediately in hearing for the first time what they had heard time and time again. Why one is desperate in seeking the truth, God will open his eyes to see the Kingdom of God and his heart to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom. God has made it available to all but it requires a contrite and humble spirit, We do not possess the ability independent of the Spirit to see and understand such blessed truths as these. When one is broken of his pride he realizes that there is a need much deeper than he alone is able to meet. Then Jesus is introduced and embraced as both Savior and Lord. If one can hear the voice of spiritual reason today and not permit the noise of entertainment or the confusing noise of the world to interfere, God will lead that one to the greatest level of understanding. He will understand and know His God, His purpose, and His destiny!

July 2017 Article: “Freedom Is A Choice”

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” Deuteronomy 30:19

 Although we are free to make choices, we are not free to determine the outcome or consequences of the choices that we make. Somewhere down the road we will meet the fruit of past decisions that will remind us of what we once thought and whether we were right or wrong. One writer mentioned that “The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” but we also know that the trail of tears left behind is moistened with regrets. If it were possible to hit the rewind button of life, how many mistakes would we delete? Even though we are the product of past choices, the road of possibility lies ahead to choose to live a better life.

Freedom in choosing ought to be preceded by a careful examination of the facts. Wisdom must be applied because facts alone can be deceiving. How those facts align themselves to absolute truth will determine the outcome of the decision. When words like absolute are used, it suggests that there is an established standard, and if there is an established standard, that standard must be unalterable with an existence that preceded the presentation of facts. Now what or who could this standard be? God alone is that standard and His Word has established it.

Freedoms without boundaries collide and degenerate into chaos. If two are more people are free to do as they please, their pleasures would impose upon the freedoms of other free thinking people. It would require a world consisting of only one inhabitant if people were free to express whatever came to their mind. Trace history and you will see a parallel between what is happening today with the history of ancient Rome. They sought after freedom that was void of an established standard, which is similar to what we see in America today.

“Rome tolerated every abominable practice, embraced every foul idea in the name of freedom and the rights of the common man. Citizens no longer carried on deviant behavior in private, but pridefully displayed it in public. It was those with moral values who could no longer freely walk in a public park without having to witness a revolting display. What happened to the public censors who protected the majority of citizenry from moral decadence? Did freedom have to mean abolishing common decency? Did freedom mean anyone could do anything they wanted anytime they wanted, without consequences?” ― Francine Rivers, A Voice in the Wind

Our daily choices contribute to our final destiny. There are many opportunities ahead of each individual, and God will not completely constrain anyone from doing whatever comes to his or her mind. Yet His Word reminds us that there is a way that appears to be right but the consequences lead to death. To put it simply, life is contained within right decisions and death is contained within wrong decisions. The time will come when the nature of the choices made will completely manifest. And the destiny of the decision maker will be forever sealed! Choose life…choose God!

November 2016 Article: “Your Call and Your Election”

The collective choices of a generation clearly reflect its sentiments. The way that people think at any given time is expressed through their voice by vote. If there are pockets of resistance or individuals who disagree with society’s direction, it serves only as an indication to the level of desperation that influences our need for change. The loss and lack of influence by those who possess the right position create a vacuum to be filled by opposing views that challenge their stance and contradict their position. When personal preferences are not questioned in the light of spiritual authority and absolute truth, every position taken can be justified in one’s own eyes. The spin on the argument in defense of the decision to go the wrong way, even though it may be convincing, only widens the gap away from civility and points towards barbarism. When intellectualism is added to the mix, the result is a sophisticated way of saying nothing well and becoming so broadminded that life itself has lost its meaning.

Thank God for the availability of choices. We are forced to make choices every day, and each momentary choice leads to our final destiny. The question is, where are we headed? How do we expect to get there? Who can tell us if we are on the right track? Throughout the Scriptures, we read of individuals and people groups choosing between two or more options. The consequences of their decisions are clearly revealed as an example and warning to this generation. Yet so many treat life as if historical facts are meaningless and the only thing that matters is how they presently feel. Choices either lead to an open door of opportunities or a closed prison door of slavery.

You have been given the privilege to choose because you were chosen for a purpose and a cause that extends beyond what you currently see. The initial call is Jesus Christ calling you to Himself. Then, out of your entering into right relationship with Him, you are enabled to see and understand life from an altogether different perspective. His everlasting Kingdom becomes your priority, and in time, every decision is measured from the basis of its eternal worth.

“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; (11) for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:10-11

You have been called to elect or choose what God has chosen for you. He has placed before you the options of life and death. It is not death immediate but rather the paths that either lead to life or lead to death. Your children and preceding generations will follow the path that you pave for them. The trends and values of our day will eventually become legalized and institutionalized so that our children will grow up in an environment based upon the pace that you have set. You are voting for more than a president, a congressman, or a senator. You are voting, even before you visit the polling place, by the decisions you are making right now. Who are you voting for with your life? Things can turn around and be different but it requires individuals who will first listen to the call of God. To elect is to choose or to make a choice. Neutrality is also a choice—more specifically, it is a choice not to choose. Then it leaves choices to others to make for us. Your destiny is then guided by chance and not choice. Today, ask God to reveal to you the things that He has chosen for your life, and allow His choice for you to become your choice for yourself.

Meditation: September 4

“To whom He was not announced, they shall see; and those who have not heard shall understand.” Romans 15:21

God heals many who may have thought their situation was beyond hope. They might have come with their limited view of what God was able to do, but to be surprised by grace to receive beyond their level of expectation. Salvation has come to the Gentiles to whom it was not announced. There may have been some who would have settled for the crumbs falling from the rich man’s table, but God invited them in to partake of the feast.  it is not always intelligent that are enabled to make sense of the God’s mysteries. It may not even be the one who has a history among fellow believers. They may see nor understand the life changing message of Jesus Christ. Yet an impoverished reject in society may rejoice immediately in hearing for the first time what they had heard time and time again. Why one is desperate in seeking the truth, God will open his eyes to see the Kingdom of God and his heart to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom. God has made it available to all but it requires a contrite and humble spirit, We do not possess the ability independent of the Spirit to see and understand such blessed truths as these. When one is broken of his pride he realizes that there is a need much deeper than he alone is able to meet. Then Jesus is introduced and embraced as both Savior and Lord. If one can hear the voice of spiritual reason today and not permit the noise of entertainment or the confusing noise of the world to interfere, God will lead that one to the greatest level of understanding. He will understand and know His God, His purpose, and His destiny!

July 2016 Article: “Freedom Is A Choice”

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” Deuteronomy 30:19

 Although we are free to make choices, we are not free to determine the outcome or consequences of the choices that we make. Somewhere down the road we will meet the fruit of past decisions that will remind us of what we once thought and whether we were right or wrong. One writer mentioned that “The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” but we also know that the trail of tears left behind is moistened with regrets. If it were possible to hit the rewind button of life, how many mistakes would we delete? Even though we are the product of past choices, the road of possibility lies ahead to choose to live a better life.

Freedom in choosing ought to be preceded by a careful examination of the facts. Wisdom must be applied because facts alone can be deceiving. How those facts align themselves to absolute truth will determine the outcome of the decision. When words like absolute are used, it suggests that there is an established standard, and if there is an established standard, that standard must be unalterable with an existence that preceded the presentation of facts. Now what or who could this standard be? God alone is that standard and His Word has established it.

Freedoms without boundaries collide and degenerate into chaos. If two are more people are free to do as they please, their pleasures would impose upon the freedoms of other free thinking people. It would require a world consisting of only one inhabitant if people were free to express whatever came to their mind. Trace history and you will see a parallel between what is happening today with the history of ancient Rome. They sought after freedom that was void of an established standard, which is similar to what we see in America today.

“Rome tolerated every abominable practice, embraced every foul idea in the name of freedom and the rights of the common man. Citizens no longer carried on deviant behavior in private, but pridefully displayed it in public. It was those with moral values who could no longer freely walk in a public park without having to witness a revolting display. What happened to the public censors who protected the majority of citizenry from moral decadence? Did freedom have to mean abolishing common decency? Did freedom mean anyone could do anything they wanted anytime they wanted, without consequences?” ― Francine Rivers, A Voice in the Wind

Our daily choices contribute to our final destiny. There are many opportunities ahead of each individual, and God will not completely constrain anyone from doing whatever comes to his or her mind. Yet His Word reminds us that there is a way that appears to be right but the consequences lead to death. To put it simply, life is contained within right decisions and death is contained within wrong decisions. The time will come when the nature of the choices made will completely manifest. And the destiny of the decision maker will be forever sealed! Choose life…choose God!

May 2016 Article: “Mother, the Womb that Incubates Potential”

It must be pointed out for one to fully realize how important a mother really is. When we take the time to cease from our daily efforts and ponder the value given to the second person of God’s creation, we cannot help but thank God for such as wonder. Yes, fathers originate the process. As God is our heavenly Father; Pater in Hebrew meaning, “brought forth from,” that which is produced must be developed if it is reach its destiny. The seed would remain impotent and eventually die unless it was not deposited into the womb. There it is nurtured and protected in order to be formed into the idea of its original design. Who but God could have thought of such a wondrous plan as to take two distinctly different people and use them as His instruments to bring forth life? Not only does God place this miracle within her physical body, but within her mind and soul is the passion and desire to see that life become all that God intended for it to be. Within the womb is God’s creative genius, and outside of the womb is the demonstration of His love. The continuous love of a mother provides an environment for a child to grow up knowing that he or she is cared for. The world is a vicious and violent place to live. People, not knowing who they are, will act out various roles of reality given to them by those that they admire. Their twisted thinking often lead them to violate the ethical code of humanity. They lose sight of their purpose and have no idea of life’s truest meaning. But the mother, from which nurture was first initiated serves as a reminder that there still remains a person that cares, therefore there must be a God that cares.

If love exists anywhere it reminds us of the fact that love still remains. If it remains, it must generate from its origin. Therefore, if there was no other indication that God is the same the dynamic of a mother and child would be enough to reveal to us of this truth. Jesus in His lamentation over Jerusalem expressed this love for His people. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Matt 23:37) Not only does a mother provide and protect her children but even in the animal world, that protective love is exhibited. You may threaten to rob a mother of her valuables, and even threaten to take her life, but woe be unto you if you threaten to do harm to her children. She will do whatever is necessary to protect that which was brought forth from her own womb. It is an extension of God’s love through Jesus Christ for His own. She is there regardless of the life altering decisions made by her children. She is willing to express her love but the only way to know it is when it is fully received.

When Jesus was being crucified; while He was hanging on the cross, He took time out of dying to speak to His disciple, John saying to him, “Behold Thy mother.” What He was saying to John was, “John, take care of mother and treat her has your own.” Why was this moment so special? Jesus was expressing His appreciation for the thirty-three years of nurture and love received from her. He was reminded of her value in His life and the encouragement He had received from her throughout the many years of life and ministry. He was saying to John; “treat her as I would treat her. The acts of kindness I had received, treat her as if it was you instead of Me.” Now as we celebrate our mothers, let us remember that God gave her to us as His gift. Love her as Jesus loved His mother. The potency of His love is expressed through her.

February 2016 Article: “True Love”

Becoming spiritually awakened triggers areas of sensitivity that otherwise would not be recognized. Then one can experience the prompting of the Holy Spirit that draws him closer to the Lover of his soul. Love preexisted all of creation—The Eternal Father loved His Eternal Son with Eternal love. It was love eternal, love unconditional, and love everlasting. God is love, but to explain this is virtually impossible because there are no earthly references to unconditional love. Yet, He invites each one of us to enter into His relationship. However, experiencing it places the individual in an exclusive category where he can no longer settle for the mundane feelings of expressions that masquerade as authentic. Yes, the references to which it can be compared seem normal, but its aim is set too low and often leads to frustrations and disappointments. People are related to each other and often relate others on this basis. But once this level is experienced, regardless of how one may have felt toward others, himself, or things, he soon discovers that true love and devotion have a far greater range than the temporary experiences that the uninformed have embraced as mere romanticism.

Yet it encompasses all things including romance within the context of God’s original design. Sin is the allurement of Satan to draw individuals to a state of independence, thus living his life after his own choosing. People are related to each other and often relate others on this basis. But once this level is experienced, regardless of how one may have felt toward others, himself, or things, he soon discovers that true love and devotion have a far greater range than the temporary experiences that the uninformed have embraced that as mere romanticism. Yet it encompasses all things including romance within the context of God’s original design. The objective of the enemy is for each person to share in his rebellion at the expense of forfeiting the benefits provided by God. He blinds the mind and darkens the heart so that right seems wrong and wrong appears to be right.

A blind person feels his or her way through life. Yet feelings are so fragile. One’s mood has the tendency to swing in all directions. It is unstable and requires much work in order to compensate for what true love alone is able to establish. Feelings alone without purpose are void of a cause to remain in love. This is why so many fall in love. If you fall in love, what did you stumble over that caused you to be helpless? We should not be victims of circumstances who love without a purpose or a goal, but rather, trust God to fulfill His intentions through our mutual submission to Him. A fall requires correction while a decision engages the whole being, spirit, soul, and body. If you fell in love, you ought to be able to rise above the fall and eventually stand erect. True love requires both a decision and a commitment, and before we come to God, we must commit our love and devotion.

The questions that every individual must ask is who am I, why am I here, and where am I headed? The journey of life is too important for you to travel with companions that divert the path ordained as your destiny. The Bible says that “Bad companions ruin good character.” (1 Cor 15:33) Today’s English Version Our companions must be wisely selected. Many people have altered their destinies as result of being emotionally or sexually joined to people who cause them to detour from the road leading to fulfillment in life. The soul ties created by the forbidden desensitizes the person from hearing or even having an interest to hear the wisdom and instructions given to them by God. Lust is the instrument of the devil to blind the minds and heart. Moreover, lust attracts the individual like a magnet towards objects that are bent for his destruction. Not only is one desensitized from hearing the voice of God, but it also prohibits the person from possessing the ability to truly love. Then his life is filled with substitutes rather than what is real. Love for God will arrest lust for the forbidden and will both generate and reinforce the passion for what God has provided. Accept God’s love in order for Him to love through you. His love provides opportunities to give expression to a joyful and fulfilling life with rich rewards.

Meditation: December 16

“Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.” Isaiah 7:11

God extended an invitation to an evil king to request a sign. It was His challenge to reveal degrees of His authority either in heaven, the earth, or under the earth. The offer to the king was to choose for himself the means for which God would make His presence known. It would change the course of history and provide for those who would receive it a new destiny. It would be for him personally to empower him to govern in righteousness and peace. If any lacks wisdom, ask God. He condescends to our level. A wicked and perverse generation seeks after a sign in unbelief. They place the burden of proof upon God’s shoulders with a predisposed view what is real or not. God still allows Himself to be questioned by the unbelieving world with a willingness to provide evidence of the truth in contrast to error of her ways. Even though the king rejected the offer, Jesus came into the world as the sign and a wonder to the world. “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

Meditation: September 4

“To whom He was not announced, they shall see; and those who have not heard shall understand.” Romans 15:21

God heals many who may have thought their situation was beyond hope. They might have come with their limited view of what God was able to do, but to be surprised by grace to receive beyond their level of expectation. Salvation has come to the Gentiles to whom it was not announced. There may have been some who would have settled for the crumbs falling from the rich man’s table, but God invited them in to partake of the feast.  it is not always intelligent that are enabled to make sense of the God’s mysteries. It may not even be the one who has a history among fellow believers. They may see nor understand the life changing message of Jesus Christ. Yet an impoverished reject in society may rejoice immediately in hearing for the first time what they had heard time and time again. Why one is desperate in seeking the truth, God will open his eyes to see the Kingdom of God and his heart to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom. God has made it available to all but it requires a contrite and humble spirit, We do not possess the ability independent of the Spirit to see and understand such blessed truths as these. When one is broken of his pride he realizes that there is a need much deeper than he alone is able to meet. Then Jesus is introduced and embraced as both Savior and Lord. If one can hear the voice of spiritual reason today and not permit the noise of entertainment or the confusing noise of the world to interfere, God will lead that one to the greatest level of understanding. He will understand and know His God, His purpose, and His destiny!