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” (1Corinthians 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 imbedded 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” (1Corinthians 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. 

The act of eating and drinking together speaks of a unified family. Yet this communion elevated the meaning beyond family. 

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 needed 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, being in the state we were once in could be saved, then He is able to save all who will to be saved. 

Meditation: April 11

“Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection” (Hebrews 6:1). 

The elementary principles of Christ must be the primary discussion of the newly converted. To take on weightier matters concerning Him are destined to be misconstrued thus misapplied. There has to be a foundation of truth established within each life if we are ever to know how to live as we ought. But when individuals get stuck into the trap of discussions only and never do anything, the information puffs them up and becomes counterproductive to their spiritual growth and development. What they know causes harm for he knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. Many well learned individuals find themselves standing in the way of future converts because they reduce Jesus Christ to nitpicking arguments but no fruit is developed as a result of what they may know. This admonition is to leave discussions and look towards application. How can our faith come alive and make an impact upon the world around us. Yet our efforts must never be detached from the principle because the unprincipled actions misrepresent Christ. Build upon the principles, a life giving full expression to them. Then others can see what we mean and not just hear it.

Meditation: April 1

“Later a few religion scholars and Pharisees got on him. ’Teacher, we want to see your credentials. Give us some hard evidence that God is in this. How about a miracle?’ ” (Matthew 12:38). 

Those who appear before men as authorities in relation to God’s order seldom recognize the fact that He refuses to restrict Himself to their expectations. Formulas and theorems of success do not work. He will withhold from them what they expected, but show forth the unexpected. These few that approached Him thought that He would be anxious to validate Himself before such an impressive crowd. But Jesus had nothing to prove. He was as sure of Himself then as He was when Satan tempted Him on the pinnacle of the Temple requesting Him to show off His divine powers. When we are asked to prove ourselves to be what we have been called by God to be, we must first recognize who it is that requires of us evidence. If not God by way of His Spirit, a prophetic word is sufficient. We live by what God has said and it serves as the basis for all He is now saying. If not by the Word of God, we become performance oriented. We must live by the Word and allow the Word to be given full expression through us. But never should we hide behind our credentials of education to prove our pedigree nor miracles to prove our power before men. It is God who wills and performs His work in and through us. 

“2020: The Year of 20/20 Vision”

Vision drives towards purpose. Purpose gives life its meaning. Meaning affects our will to survive. We are not just to survive, but every day must be lived purposefully. Each step taken in life must be strategic as we move towards a goal that would bring fulfillment in this life and a legacy for those we leave behind. It was the Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius that said, “The true worth of a man is measured by the object he pursues.”  Life’s goals become the defining statement or our epitaph when we are eulogized at the end of this mortal life. Statements are often made at funerals with the attempts to inflate the impression made on the mind whereas the dead often appears larger than life. While looking in the coffin, some would wonder if they had wandered into the wrong room. The person that they knew was altogether different from the one being spoken of. Then there are occasions where attributes were known by a select few but never brought into full view of the masses. Then those who hear of them wished that they had known the treasury of gifts and knowledge contained within the person taken for granted. 

As we enter in this New Year 2020, the Truth of God is being spoken, to bring out of the richness of His grace, dispensed to those who would allow it to have free course within them. The Heavenly Vision or sights set on God’s Kingdom and His standard of Righteousness will raise the bar of many who had previously merely settled for dead religion. They will then awakened to the reality that they had been living beneath their privilege. Since God had made provisions for us to have life and that more abundantly, biblical terms would be redefined according to His original intent. It is true, where you currently stand will determine what you see and how you see. That is why the Gospel of Jesus Christ is often rejected or redefined. The tastes of many have been unrefined, thus the dregs and bitterness of sin had remained palatable. The question that is so baffling to many is how can so many be misled and guided in the direction of their own death and destruction? The answer is, all that is necessary is for a lie to become believable and accepted instead of the truth. The Holocaust in Germany under the leadership of Adolph Hitler provides evidence of this. Leadership that misleads is the most destructive force ever. Yet, it has been the tool of Satan even before creation. 

This year, 2020, The Year of 20/20 Vision, we will set the highest goal possible, and set subordinate steps leading to the completion of those set goals. We have history to show us the possibilities of both successes and failures. It was said, “if one does not learn from history, he is destined to repeat it,” Yet history is not our teacher. It can only serve as references. The Holy Spirit of God must be our guide. He will show us the path that we must go and on occasion take in directions of new territories to blaze new paths. We pray that this year will be a year of discovery. Habakkuk 2:2 “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.”  The clarity will come to those who are committed to engaging in a singular task that is greater than themselves and those to whom they have been called to help. Then Paul stated in Acts 20:20 “how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house.”  The mandate to make known to all will be greater than ever before as you rise up to lead the wayward in a path and direction of hope for their future. May what God envisions for you become your vision for yourself! New year, fresh vision. New year, fresh opportunities to live the life God intended for you to live to its fullest!

Meditation: July 20

 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2Ti 2:15).

Diligence is required in the preparation for the presentation of oneself as an authorized worker who is able to wholly participate in the work of God. God’s work must take place within the worker before the Holy Spirit is able to work through the worker. We must be careful not to engage in efforts we deem to be important prior to the life-changing experience of conversion. We are converted into seeing things from God’s point of view in heaven rather than ours which is limited to what we observe on the earth. He then takes the worker and places him among other workers in order for the work to be complete. No worker is able to complete his true conversion without the assistance of others who have been assigned to assist. The work of God is not just what we do but who we become. We are the raw material God uses to erect a spiritual house in which He will dwell throughout eternity. Our proper placement adds to our worth. Whatever it takes in assuring that our efforts are according to His specifications and is not in vain is of utmost importance. Be diligent that each may qualify as living stones in their rightful place. 

Meditation: July 15

“I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. Jeremiah17:10

The Lord looks at the heart of every person and does not merely see its present condition. He looks into the heart at every contributing factor that motivates both mind and heart. We see the world and people through the lenses of past experiences whether good or bad. Our heart is set in a particular direction while our mind searches out new things to explore. God searches the heart in order to remove the debris that hinders our minds from thinking on things which are just, lovely, pure, and or a good report. Our thoughts will determine our action. Our truest motives are from either a pure or an impure heart. What God has ordained will continue to affect the lives of others bringing them to deeper and greater levels of understanding Jesus Christ. He must be seen in all that we do. When He is glorified through our efforts, our work will have eternal rewards rather than merely producing temporary relief.  He rewards the fruit of our doings and not our deeds alone. 

Meditation: July 8

“If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord, to do good or bad of my own will. What the Lord says, that I must speak’?” Num 24:13

 Hearing and obeying the Word of the Lord is more important than the benefits of hard work and labor that would take us beyond it. There are those who ignore the standard established by God and wish to justify their position thinking that they are too busy or have risen above the instructions given. Their price is met through the fame, fortune, and acceptance of others who would reward them with tangible benefits or accolades affirming their significance to a particular cause. Yet if we are not speaking what God has spoken or doing what He has ordained, it is either blessing what God has cursed or cursing what God has blessed. We must not judge the Word of God has being optional but absolutely necessary in every endeavor. A transgression is going beyond the word whether it is for good or for bad. As ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we must speak what God is saying in order for the people to fully participate in what God is doing. We too will be judged if we preach ourselves or address topics of interest to us and others at the expense of what thus sayeth the Lord. The judgment of a godly word is not what we may feel about it, but how can it transform us into the image of the Son of God? I must speak what God is saying and we both must do what God has instructed. Only then will He be pleased with our efforts. 

Meditation: July 6

“And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians 1:10

 The posture of the follower of Jesus Christ is anticipation for what lies ahead. The word of God received has lifted his sights above the persecution of trials and the tests that come against him. It has the ability to stabilize us even when the circumstances remain the same. It is word upon word that increases faith and raises the level of expectation for the return of our Lord. Nothing could be more valuable than this. Jesus, whom He raised from the dead provide for us a model of what awaits our future. He was delivered from death through death. The wrath of man measured against us in this world is nothing in comparison to the wrath of God. We must endure the intermediate in order to experience the ultimate. He has delivered us from the wrath to come against all unrighteousness and now we are a part of His kingdom where righteousness reigns. Our deliverance is as result of hearing and obeying the message delivered to us from heaven. It was delivered to us to deliver us from the wrath that is sure to come. As we wait for the return of the Son of God who is in heaven, we must patiently wait for Him to turn the tide in His favor. All things are working together towards this end.