Meditation: October 23

“Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (34) Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God….” 1 Corinthians 15:33-34

The company of the deceived is hard to penetrate. There is strength in numbers among them. Even God had to come down and confound the language of those who would have built a tower that would reach the heavens. They would have made a name for themselves and stood in competition with God Himself. The company that is evil influences the behavior of those who gather together. Only the pursuit for righteousness will awaken them from the daze and cause them to be aware of what has taken control of their lives.

The wisdom of God shouts in order to draw their attention away from the path that leads to destruction and death. The warnings are for their good. But the loss of familiar companions often arrests their reasoning and they continue on the track leading to hell. Be not deceived. There is a way that leads to death, but God wills us to learn and live.

Meditation: September 26

“The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,” 1 Peter 2:7

What man often finds as most useful, God rejects. And what man rejects God accepts. The material used by God to build lives, community, and His Church is not what we in the natural would always consider. He builds with character. He makes sure that what is being erected can support the winds of change and the waves of adversity. The example is a house built upon the sand. Even though the structure is elaborate and is a thing of beauty. It has no foundation and eventually the inevitable would come to test its strength. The strength of a structure is its foundation. And no other foundation can be laid other than Jesus Christ. The accuracy of the establishment of Christ in the life of the believer will keep him stable in the most difficult of times. Christ is often rejected or redefined because the majority of people do not see any use for Him as He is. They attempt to either fit Him in as they please or eliminate Him altogether. Yet He is the only One we can turn to when we are forced to acknowledge how little we really know. He is able to heal and to guide, but He must be in place before our minds are able to acknowledge how much He is really needed. When we understand that we need Him, then we discover what held us together even when we thought it was ourselves. He has become the chief cornerstone among those who worship Him because they realize that in Him we live, move and have our being.

Meditation: July 26

“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2

Once Jesus Christ is revealed to you, it is then necessary to measure all information by and through the knowledge of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Former experiences and former schools of thought may try to compete with this new gained knowledge. The logical mind searches through former experiences seeking out ways to deny Christ or to diminish the impact of experiencing Him. Then Christ becomes subjective while other things become the object of our faith. The intent is to get us to serve God for what we may gain personally rather than living for Him. To know Him as crucified is to live for Him alone. He gives us His resurrected live and we live in newness of life. No longer are we competing for the same prizes that the world is seeking after. Our goal is to know Him even as we are known. It takes determination for the message of Christ to remain relevant in an age of selfishness and self-centeredness. But when we are determined to know Him, He gives us the knowledge necessary to live the abundant life. It is a fulfilling life with purpose.

Meditation: June 18

“For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”  Isaiah 11:9

When the evil element has been removed from the earth, nothing would stand in the way of what God intended to convey to His beloved. There is knowledge that ascends from beneath teaching His creatures to rebel and resist all that is of God. It is sensual and devilish, deceiving many to believe that there could be no other way to live. The end of evil is judgment. A clear distinction will be made between the holy and the unholy, the righteous and the profane. God will then separate the wheat from the tare and remove the dross from the silver and gold. Those who remain will know that He is God alone for His knowledge will become widespread. The veil would be lifted from our eyes and we will see Him as He is. What a pleasure to converse with eager souls anticipating the knowledge of the Lord instead of the appeasement of their gnawing conscience with feel-good methods and messages! We will drink in the refreshing water of life that covers the earth as the waters cover the sea. We pray that the earnest desire to know Him replace every passion of the heart. Then our self-judgment will preserve us from being judged with the world and the worldly seeking of carnal knowledge rather than the joy of the Lord.

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.

Meditation: April 22

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18

The question is how can something be foolish to some but so necessary to others? There are some who believe more in their abilities and strength rather than the strength that is ours through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. We were once without strength, dead in trespasses and sins, but Christ died for us. Now as we believe on Him and in His Name, the power of God works within us to the saving of our souls. Both categories have to do with one’s future state of being. On one hand, there are those who are perishing, and on the other hand, there are those who are being saved. The seed of destruction is embedded in the hearts of those who do not believe as it was in us all. Jesus died for sinners before they recognized their need for redemption. Those who reject His offer are perishing. But those who are being saved are in the process of living. The body of sin will perish, but just as He rose from the dead, we too shall be raised in newness of life. Jesus died on the cross that we might live. But there had to be a cross to bear leading to ultimate victory over death, hell, and the grave. Without the cross there can be no crown.

Meditation: April 21

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” 1 Corinthians 11:26

 A message is proclaimed at the Communion Table. Jesus invites us to His table in order for those who have been called as His followers to dine with Him. What other disciples had rejected when offered, they were now afforded the opportunity to participate. The criteria for having a part with Him was eating His flesh and drinking His blood. Their passion was for His life to become their very own. Theirs would be that of witnesses. They would ultimately be willing to follow Him to the grave. But now, they must take the cup thus symbolically identifying with His death. Symbolisms are meaningless if the life is not ingested. To feed on Jesus is to allow His flesh to become our body and His blood to be our life-blood. We need to be reminded often, thus we come again to the table of the Lord that we should never forget. He gave His life that we may live. Now the life that we live as His witnesses is to proclaim His death as being sufficient for the sins of the world. We died with Him that we may live with Him.

Meditation: April 19

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” 1Timothy 1:15

What Christ did on the cross by dying in order that men may live is amplified through our witness. His voice is raised through the lives of us who understand that we brought nothing that would qualify us to do what is now being done. The worst of sinners now stand with a testimony of victory because the Lord alone has graced us to live on the other side of our prior sins. We should never forget from which we came. We can then appreciate the distance God’s mercy and grace had to reach down and arrest our violent attempts at self destruction. For it to be said that we were at our worst when we thought of ourselves as being at our best is an understatement. He shows us the worst in us that He might bring forth the best in us. Sinners at their worst may find in Jesus Christ a House of Refuge. If we, in the state we were once in could be saved, then He is able to save all who will to be saved.

Meditation: April 16

“And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel 37:3

God asks us questions that He alone is able to answer. We try our best to understand how a possibility of hope may arise out of an impossible situation. What we see are circumstances that appear to be beyond hope. God placed the prophet there. And God continues to communicate to him at that place for which he has been prepared. The valley is a lonely place if you are alone. But God is in the valley in order to teach valley lessons. There we learn to raise others above their lowly state. He allowed him to see the ruins of what once was vibrant and alive. Then He asked him the question that sounds like a mockery of his intelligence and adding insult to injury. “Can these bones live?” Not just any bones, but the bones of the defeated army; an army that must rise from death then rise from defeat. Life would be meaningless if defeat was to be continual. His will is that we live on purpose. God must answer His own question, but if He is asking us, then He must have more in mind than we at this present moment is able to see. Ezekiel’s answer was, “Thou knowest.” He is looking at the end of our faith if our confidence is in what He knows rather than what we may think or even see.

Meditation: April 15

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

Who can preserve his own life and maintain the fading glory that comes and goes so quickly through the passing of time? Each may have his or her day in the sun, but the same light that brought forth the growth will ultimately cause what has grown to wither. In our youth, it seemed as if growing up and enjoying the benefits of independent adulthood was the essence of life. But if we live our lives as if there is no tomorrow, the candle will be burning on both ends and too soon the pleasures of youth will fade. They will take their toll upon the body while it will carry the marks of decisions made without thought. Even at our best, the grass withers. We grow old. Then our values shift from the immediate to the ultimate. We wonder if our lives really counted for anything of significance. The flower fades and what once had a pleasant aroma to the world has now become putrid and detestable. Only the Word of our God is able to preserve our lives and prepare us for eternity. It stands up within us to defy the curse of death and absorbs it all with the light of life.