Meditation: August 13

“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

God made the day and the night. Each day has a name. Each day has its own special significance when viewed from the perspective of eternity. From eternity God made this day. He brought His creation into time and allowed me to engage the moments and gain the experiences awaiting me. It is not to be taken for granted because I am in need of His mercies and grace in order to effectively use the time allotted me. If I know this, I am appreciative of the freshness of His love for me today. “This is the day that the Lord took special attention in making.” It is now lifted from the pages of eternity to illustrate God’s purposes and intents within time. It is not just another day, but this day is the day! It was God’s intention for me to be alive and to see this day. Before it becomes too common, I will rejoice.  I will begin this day thinking about the gift of life and the gift of time and take the opportunity to rejoice in it.

Meditation: July 17

“Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.” Jeremiah 15:16

It is not merely the exposure to the Word that will transform lives. The Word ingested is the cause for rejoicing. It is able to do its work of transformation remaking the individual into becoming a vessel of honor. It is the contrast from the old to the new that is so amazing. Before the Word was eaten, it was made available. There was no appetite to reach out and take it in. But God allowed the void to become more apparent. Then He shut off the optional appeals that would in the past bring temporary pleasure.  He placed me where the Word may be found and placed within me the desire for something other than what I was accustomed. Then I ate what is true rather than continuing to feed on the lies of the past. Never would I have imagined that what I once rejected would bring me such joy!

May 2014 Article: “Giving Birth”

The beauty of creation is that God allows us to participate in His continuing work. He alone can make something out of nothing and preserve it in order for future generations to gain a profitable return. But He allows those things that originated from Him to pass through a vehicle of delivery. The attachment to and love for what has become an extension of the person is inseparable. Think about it…God made woman for purpose of procreation. The continuance and expansion of creation has been given to her charge. Without her, life would end at the death of what currently exists. Things die during the winter season and life appears to be suspended. But when springtime comes, new life begins to bud in places of lifelessness. The barren womb rejoices over the pregnancy of hope while latent potential is developed as the process continues in the secrecy of the hidden place of the womb.

Only God could have thought of such a grand idea and purpose as to place so magnificent a wonder in His creation. The complexity of the process may be studied and examined but never completely figured out. The personalities of two distinct individuals merged into one unique being as a means of demonstrating the command of God that “the two shall become one flesh.” Not born to duplicate the past of its origin but rather a continuance to carry the original plan of God to future generations. He allows both the husband and wife to nurture the child into fulfilling his or her own destiny and the two shall become one in the process of creation through procreation. She becomes more than a wife by embracing the role of a mother. The future of all humanity is given birth through her. Things so vital to the preservation and progress of all people must pass through her if they are to ever exist. God created it that way and His way shall forever stand.

Nations are born. Although kings, presidents, and potentates will rise and fall, they all have one common origin. They all had to be born. Each was once a child. A mother once carried that child in her precious womb. The child is loved and nurtured into the formation of its character. More takes place than the casual observer realizes when the wife becomes a mother. The envisioned future of many past generations rests in her heart when she is drawn by love to her life partner. Together, they produce that which is greater than themselves because it will exist after they have passed from their earthly habitation. Not does she give birth to future hope, but she is also gives birth to a legacy. What speaks louder than words is what we leave behind after we are gone.

Our truest statement and confession of faith is our children. What did your life really represent? Was there a real purpose for your existence? The answer to those questions and the evidence that you lived your life intentionally is expressed through the children that you raised. But if it had not been for their mother, they could not have been carried long enough to be born. I am what I am and who I am because of where I came from. God set the process in motion for life to be a continuum and not a thing of the past. What exists now can be changed through future generations but only if He influences mothers to live and love according to His original design. Thank God for mothers! They are precious in His sight for they carry the future within their wombs.

Meditation: March 16, 2014

“The earth is violently broken, the earth is split open; the earth is shaken exceedingly.” Isaiah 24:17

The earth is violently disturbed as the result of the violent offenses measured against its Creator. It awaits the rule of the sons of God whose aim is to reflect the glory of Jesus Christ. Until then, it is held captive, not willingly but anticipating a liberty that will only come as the rule of the righteous. Some will grow bitter towards God because of the calamities that many inhabitants on the earth are now suffering. They will think of God as being cruel and unfair. But His  judgments will ultimately bring an end to sins that often appear to be benign, but are the root cause of wars and all earthly calamities. The mark established by God is not the aim of many leaders who now lead many astray, thus sin runs its full course. He created the earth to be a habitation of rest and peace, but sin has left its mark and produced death. Pray that righteous rulers will arise in order for the people to rejoice because the Prince of Peace is ruling over them.

Meditation: February 27, 2014

“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; “But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.” Proverbs 29:2 

Authority is given by God in order for it to be used in ways that honor Him. When He is dishonored, authority is then corrupted and His face is veiled by those who make decisions independent of His counsel. Prayer is necessary for all that the Holy Spirit may guide the heart of our leaders and if necessary, turn their hearts in the right direction. There are many decisions to be made and God has full knowledge of the end of each one. Some may appear to be right but the end may be damnation or even death. More than ever God must be sought and our hearts surrendered to His will. There are leaders chosen by God, but people must choose to follow them. They lead their followers to righteousness, justice, and peace. The Lord can then receive the honor and the people will rejoice because His favor will come upon them.

Meditation: February 24, 2014

“Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, The Lord will be a light to me.” Micah 7:8

There is a future after a fall. There is life and victory on the other side of apparent defeat. It is the enemy who has devised the plans and set the traps for my failure. He has studied my weaknesses and mocks at my strength when I take pride in them. Yes, it is too easy to believe that I have the strength to stand alone. But when I fall God who is my sufficiency, is there to pick me up. Do not rejoice over me when I fall. There is much I have yet to learn but now I will learn in humility, trusting God to show me what I was unable to see.  My victory is merely delayed and not denied. I will arise from this place as the light of God’s love shines upon my path guiding me in the direction of His will.

Meditation: January 12, 2014

“I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways.” Psalm 119:15

To give deep thought of what God requires is necessary if we are to align ourselves with His will. It is not a casual or passing thought that captures the truths contained in His Word. But rather to savor those morsels of insight until they become a part of our nature. God allows us to meditate on His precepts for our good. They will not become grievous requirements when His ways are better understood. He does not require more of us than He Himself is willing or has already done for us. When we are able to compare His requirements to His ways, we will rejoice because of the opportunity He has afforded us to more fully participate with Him in His work. His precepts prepare us for further participation in what He is doing. How glorious it is when we fit perfectly in His divine plans. That is why His Word must be hidden in our hearts that we would not sin against Him by omission or commission. We will where He stands and receive the power to stand with Him for righteousness and against all things that oppose Him.

Meditation: October 27, 2013

“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk 3:18

Circumstances ought not to control our rejoicing. Our faith is often strained by the pressures that are brought to bear against us. When the fig tree is full of figs, our joy is because they are sufficient in quantity even with some to store. When the fruit and olives are plenteous, we have the joy of the harvest. The food is plenteous and the flocks are in their proper place giving us a reason for contentment of heart. But the delicate balance may shift in an instance. If all of life depended upon these things being in place, how fragile our faith would be. Some give up on life itself because things are not as we would have them to be.  Others resort to desperate attempts to regain what appears to be lost. The most important thing remains and gives us a reason to maintain our faith and joy. The Lord is the God of our salvation and our strength. None of these things are capable of robbing us of the greatest gift we could possibly have. Once we are saved and secure in Christ, everything else will become elementary in contrast to what we have received.  It is our salvation that gives us glimpse of the eternal. All is an interval in anticipation of what God has given us now and promises for our future.

Meditation: September 4, 2013

“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!

Meditation: August 13, 2013

“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

God made the day and the night. Each day has a name. Each day has its own special significance when viewed from the perspective of eternity. From eternity God made this day. He brought His creation into time and allowed me to engage the moments and gain the experiences awaiting me. It is not to be taken for granted because I am in need of His mercies and grace in order to effectively use the time allotted me. If I know this, I am appreciative of the freshness of His love for me today. “This is the day that the Lord took special attention in making.” It is now lifted from the pages of eternity to illustrate God’s purposes and intents within time. It is not just another day, but this day is the day! It was God’s intention for me to be alive and to see this day. Before it becomes too common, I will rejoice.  I will begin this day thinking about the gift of life and the gift of time and take the opportunity to rejoice in it.