Meditation: September 19

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights.” James 1:17

The words “good” and “perfect” are given deeper meanings when God is speaking. He does not restrict Himself to our definitions of these terms. There is a goodness that transcends all efforts on our part and remains good even when what man is able to produce turns sour and withers away. The reason that God’s goodness is so special is because it is perfect goodness. There is no separation between the good and the perfect gift of God. The gift is good because it is perfect and it is perfect because it is good. He then sends it to us from His holy habitation. It comes from the Throne of God where He rules and reigns without the slightest hint of sin and confusion. Heaven is a perfect place, therefore perfect gifts can come from there. The gift reaches us with His signature on it. Not only does He sign it, but He remains attached to His gift. Not that the gift has not been given to us but as a man’s gift makes room for him, God’s gifts cannot be received without Him being attached to it. If the gift is to remain good and perfect the One that is both good and perfect must be constantly engaged in its use. If we manage what He has given us without Him, we corrupt it and it is misdirected towards some evil means. He extends Himself to us and to the world through giving us what is of Him and in Him. As we receive the gifts of God, may our hearts be open to all that He is and has for us.

Meditation: January 17

“For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14

God’s desire is to raise a people to meet the challenges of the times. It is not enough to have bodies occupying time and space, but there are many who are in bondage and in need of relief and deliverance. They need to be relieved of the pressures that are brought to bear against them and deliverance in order to experience the freedom that can only come from the Lord. Every need is to be met by a people who are spiritually aligned to hear what the Lord is saying. Their obedience in acting will affect the lives of the people to whom they have been sent. If they remain silent and still, God will yet hear the cries of His people. Those who seek Him for help will not have their prayers left unanswered. Those opting out of offering assistance would merely eliminate themselves from His divine plan. He is seeking those whose hearts are perfect towards Him. Who are the ones and where are the ones who will take up the mantle? Who will be the answers to the prayers of those who are in search for something and someone that is real?

October 2016 Article: “How Far Has the Church Become Separated From the State?”

Although the State served a bill of divorce to the Church many years ago, they have remained cordial to each other. Now that the divorce is final, hostilities have brooded on the part of a State that despises even the mention of her former spouse’s name. His memory gives rise to hatred as if all oppressions suffered in her past were the result of his cruelty and negative influence over her life. Now that she is free, her state of affairs express an opposing view in all that he attempted to instill as a standard. Now the Church, as a jilted lover, is willing to accept any innuendoes of kindness on her part as a signal that reconciliation may be possible.

The visible Church in America has opened its doors wide to influences and voices that speak flattering words yet lack the ability to deliver on any of its promises. It is a reactionary measure to avoid obvious pitfalls for subversive and subtle nuances that are just as dangerous, but cloaked with contradicting rhetoric. The state of the nation is expressed by the will of the people. People choose their candidates for political office, and their choices reflect their current state. Whoever is elected is merely a way to determine the basis on which this nation now stands and not the basis from which it was founded. Even though the system has always been flawed, the intent was to move in the direction of a more perfect union. Perfection is no longer the case while the imperfections are currently being celebrated. The Church was intended to be the conscience of a nation, but now the conscience has been seared as with a hot iron. Does it matter any longer as to whether the persons representing us are honest or not? Are we really being honest with ourselves? The presence of the Church ought to remind the State of God’s standard of righteousness. When the salt has lost its saltiness, it is good for nothing but be trampled over as if it was nothing but pavement. These are the consequences when the Church’s influence is being ignored, influenced by worldliness, or tainted by the current trends that opposes God’s standard.

When God’s standard of righteousness becomes arbitrary and is interpreted within the context of fallen humanity’s vices and considered as a progressive view of reality, we are doomed to the demise of society. The faulty theology of those who attempt to reconcile vices and virtue reinforce error and society loses its coherence. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels — everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. (17) He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. (18) And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.” (Message Paraphrase Colossians 1:16-18) Candidates running for political office may try to integrate spiritual language into their vocabulary, but if the intent is to say what is right without believing in what is right, they will find themselves stumbling over their own tongues. What’s the difference between flip-flop and flimflam? They both involve telling the people what they want to hear for the sake of gaining their trust, or moreover, their vote.

I encourage you to vote your conscience in this election. But before you pull the lever, check and make sure that your conscience has been conditioned and not hardened so that the tenderness of God’s love through the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ, may reach you. Even if you stand at the crossroads like so many of us who prayerfully stand between two positions where our faith is not represented, ask the question…What led to this dilemma and what will we do moving forward so that we may never have to face this moral crisis again?

Meditation: September 19

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights.” James 1:17

The words “good” and “perfect” are given deeper meanings when God is speaking. He does not restrict Himself to our definitions of these terms. There is a goodness that transcends all efforts on our part and remains good even when what man is able to produce turns sour and withers away. The reason that God’s goodness is so special is because it is perfect goodness. There is no separation between the good and the perfect gift of God. The gift is good because it is perfect and it is perfect because it is good. He then sends it to us from His holy habitation. It comes from the Throne of God where He rules and reigns without the slightest hint of sin and confusion. Heaven is a perfect place, therefore perfect gifts can come from there. The gift reaches us with His signature on it. Not only does He sign it, but He remains attached to His gift. Not that the gift has not been given to us but as a man’s gift makes room for him, God’s gifts cannot be received without Him being attached to it. If the gift is to remain good and perfect the One that is both good and perfect must be constantly engaged in its use. If we manage what He has given us without Him, we corrupt it and it is misdirected towards some evil means. He extends Himself to us and to the world through giving us what is of Him and in Him. As we receive the gifts of God, may our hearts be open to all that He is and has for us.

Meditation: July 31

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Heb 10:25

Is Church the place that we attend or a people in the process of being made? Many place more emphasis on place than in purpose. It is not a matter of getting what we consider to be our needs met. To be honest, we do not really know precisely what our needs are. There are symptoms, but our needs go much deeper. God knows. He knows our frame or the substance on which all that we have become was constructed upon. The foundation of our soul; mind, will, and emotion, is taken into account when the Word of God is spoken under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We are challenged at the very core of our being in order to discover His intentions for our lives.  We are not in place to merely receive affirmations. They will only strengthen the soul in its rebellious state against the knowledge of God. He is our Father. He rebukes us, challenges us, and affirms us. Oftentimes Church becomes a very uncomfortable place. We are called to reckon with God in relation to the sin that so easily beset us in order for His character to be formed in us. We are not human beings, but rather human becomings. We are a work in process. Whatever we are becoming, all that we expose ourselves to contribute to the formation of our lives.  Every moment counts. Time is too valuable to be wasted.

Many have opted out of attending Church altogether. Their expectations were not met, or a disappointment was so devastating that they distanced themselves from the Church. Maybe unrealistic expectations have driven you away.  It could have been the test of character warranting a difference response from you. The Church does not comprise of perfect people, but rather committed people. The commitment will be tested but the Word of God will bring understanding over time. Patience is the virtue which must be established with our hearts. God is beckoning His people to come home and be established.

Attend Church this week in order to worship God. Allow Him to reveal Himself to you and do not lean to your own understanding.  The definition that I use for worship is “worship is our active response to God’s revelation of Himself whereby we declare His worth.” It is not about us. If worship is to be real it must be about Him! Out of our worship He will be glorified and His glory will always be for our good. You may not see it now, but when patience is perfected we are made to see further. We can then see aspects of the Kingdom of God unknown to us before His work in us began!

Meditation: June 2

“I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.” Revelation 3:8

The faithfulness of the saints provides endless opportunities in the future. Our future is determined by the decisions we currently make. An open door is set before those who know the name of the Lord. When His character is known and given expression He can then work through that individual without the objections of the flesh. The Holy Spirit’s assignment is to make Christ known to us. He reveals Him in the midst of even the most trying of circumstances. When He is known in truth, He will not be denied. We must maintain a steadfast faith in Him even though doors may now be closed before us. He can open doors that no man open and He can shut doors that no man can close. Even the little strength that is maintained is enough when His strength is at work within us. He will do His work among the weakest for His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses.

Meditation: September 19

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights.” James 1:17

The words “good” and “perfect” are given deeper meanings when God is speaking. He does not restrict Himself to our definitions of these terms. There is a goodness that transcends all efforts on our part and remains good even when what man is able to produce turns sour and withers away. The reason that God’s goodness is so special is because it is perfect goodness. There is no separation between the good and the perfect gift of God. The gift is good because it is perfect and it is perfect because it is good. He then sends it to us from His holy habitation. It comes from the Throne of God where He rules and reigns without the slightest hint of sin and confusion. Heaven is a perfect place, therefore perfect gifts can come from there. The gift reaches us with His signature on it. Not only does He sign it, but He remains attached to His gift. Not that the gift has not been given to us but as a man’s gift makes room for him, God’s gifts cannot be received without Him being attached to it. If the gift is to remain good and perfect the One that is both good and perfect must be constantly engaged in its use. If we manage what He has given us without Him, we corrupt it and it is misdirected towards some evil means. He extends Himself to us and to the world through giving us what is of Him and in Him. As we receive the gifts of God, may our hearts be open to all that He is and has for us.

Meditation: September 19

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights.” James 1:17

The words “good” and “perfect” are given deeper meanings when God is speaking. He does not restrict Himself to our definitions of these terms. There is a goodness that transcends all efforts on our part and remains good even when what man is able to produce turns sour and withers away. The reason that God’s goodness is so special is because it is perfect goodness. There is no separation between the good and the perfect gift of God. The gift is good because it is perfect and it is perfect because it is good. He then sends it to us from His holy habitation. It comes from the Throne of God where He rules and reigns without the slightest hint of sin and confusion. Heaven is a perfect place, therefore perfect gifts can come from there. The gift reaches us with His signature on it. Not only does He sign it, but He remains attached to His gift. Not that the gift has not been given to us but as a man’s gift makes room for him, God’s gifts cannot be received without Him being attached to it. If the gift is to remain good and perfect the One that is both good and perfect must be constantly engaged in its use. If we manage what He has given us without Him, we corrupt it and it is misdirected towards some evil means. He extends Himself to us and to the world through giving us what is of Him and in Him. As we receive the gifts of God, may our hearts be open to all that He is and has for us.

Meditation: September 19, 2013

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights.” James 1:17

The words “good” and “perfect” are given deeper meanings when God is speaking. He does not restrict Himself to our definitions of these terms. There is a goodness that transcends all efforts on our part and remains good even when what man is able to produce turns sour and withers away. The reason that God’s goodness is so special is because it is perfect goodness. There is no separation between the good and the perfect gift of God. The gift is good because it is perfect and it is perfect because it is good. He then sends it to us from His holy habitation. It comes from the Throne of God where He rules and reigns without the slightest hint of sin and confusion. Heaven is a perfect place, therefore perfect gifts can come from there. The gift reaches us with His signature on it. Not only does He sign it, but He remains attached to His gift. Not that the gift has not been given to us but as a man’s gift makes room for him, God’s gifts cannot be received without Him being attached to it. If the gift is to remain good and perfect the One that is both good and perfect must be constantly engaged in its use. If we manage what He has given us without Him, we corrupt it and it is misdirected towards some evil means. He extends Himself to us and to the world through giving us what is of Him and in Him. As we receive the gifts of God, may our hearts be open to all that He is and has for us.