Meditation: May 2, 2013

“For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.” 1 Timothy 4:10

Those who trust in the living God labor with a goal in view that is different from the activities of others. There are luxuries not afforded the faithful for he must live his life with purpose. Every day must have a degree of significance that further sets him aside as God’s representative on the earth, maintaining the course leading to a destination. Kingdom business is his primary business. Now the world system will notice the difference but will not know how to interpret it. His strangeness will be repulsive to many who would much rather he be silent rather than to speak. His activity appears to run counter to values of his contemporaries. Yet he has fully embraced his call and end to suffer reproach because his life is not his own; he has been bought with a price. Therefore he trusts in the living God who is his constant companion to guide him through this maze of life to his eternal home. His life is a gift to the world so that others who would come to believe that Christ suffered for a reason. That reason being the very ones who do not understand.

Meditation: April 10, 2013

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:44

The Father does a work by way of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of all who are responsive to His love. None can take the credit for the saving of even one soul. We do our part, but must wait on God to arrest the hearts and wills of those who would otherwise be eternally lost. Our prayer must be a constant ascension of incense, the aroma of our passion and desire to experience an environment where the deepest need within each heart may be realized. Our petitioning His Throne will set the atmosphere for the Divine will of God to be given expression that can reap much greater benefit than the striving of individuals and groups of people who think that their efforts can save the world. We are powerless without Him. Not His work in conjunction to our efforts, but rather His work through us as His initiative and not our own. God alone can do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ask or even think. So why should we ever think that our persuasion is sufficient to cause a sinner to be a saint? No, we wish to participate with Him as we trust Him with our whole lives. Then He will draw those to the remedy of what they have been made to know as their deepest need. As Jesus is lifted up on the cross as crucified, people will see that the sin debt they have been made aware of has been paid in full! But why should any wish to take advantage of His great provision unless they first know that their need is great?

Meditation: April 9, 2013

“He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” Matthew 28:6-7

His promises would have been mere empty words without power if the tomb had contained His Body without interruption. His Words would have faded off the scene as snowflakes in the heat of a warming sun if they were only good for the moment in which they were spoken. He said many things and made so many promises that built the faith of His followers and raised their hopes and dreams. They lived by His Word, but if the most dramatic and complex were false, then the least and the simplest were merely impressive conversation. The test would be the place where He was buried on the day on which He said He would rise from the dead. They arrived there with trepidation. But the tomb was empty validating the promise He made remembered. “He is not here.” If He is absent from this place, then where could He be? “As He said to us with Words to confirm all others spoken; now all that He has said can be trusted.” What else did He say? “Whatever He said I now believe because the empty tomb speaks of promises fulfilled.” Look at the place that now speaks loudly against all skeptics and critics. He is not here. The tomb is empty for all to see!  

Meditation: March 19, 2013

“And you? Go about your business without fretting or worrying. Relax. When it’s all over, you will be on your feet to receive your reward.” Dan 12:13 (MSG)

There are places to go and things yet to be done by those who have put their trust in the Lord. None can predict the future, but we can rest assured that the outcome is in His hands. Situations can be paralyzing to those who have no hope beyond what they are able to see. Then others have completely ignored the signs and have not prepared themselves for what we have been prophetically forewarned. There is a God-given task to which the sons of men ought to be engaged. We are to occupy until He comes. The threats are real, but should not create fretting or worrying to the prepared. We have One in whom we have placed our trust. When the storms have passed us over, and the clouds have lifted, we will be standing on our feet to receive our rewards from God who rewards the faithful.

Meditation: March 17, 2013

“You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance.” Psalm 65:11

Whatever happens and however it may happen, God ends with the placement of His crown of goodness. That is why He is called good even when things happen that are difficult to explain. When there are valleys there also must be mountains. The deeper the valley indicates the higher the mountain must be. Valley experiences are not always fatal. They can be but not necessarily must be fatal. His path is frightening to the fainthearted. Every wall in the valley contains a message that you have reached the point of no return. But as long as you are aware that He is leading you, you can trust Him throughout the journey. A crown awaits you at the end of the season of testing.  Not only is there a crown, but there are rich blessings to be gathered along the way.

Meditation: March 15, 2013

”The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.” Proverbs 12:26

The righteous ought to practice the art of carefully choosing their friends. Once the purpose of friendships is understood, each one can be taken seriously. There are commitments made to each other to be genuine and trustworthy at all times. The character of men is similar to a magnet which draws like-minded individuals together. Deceptive people may seek out those that they envy who possess the character that they wish was their own. Yet their deceptive ways have reduced them to mere pretense which leads many who trust them astray. Our influence is either positive or negative. We assimilate the character of the company that we keep. Choose friends carefully because one’s own character is reflected by their choices.

Meditation: March 13, 2013

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,” Jude 24

God has the ability to stabilize our walk and keep us from staggering. It is the staggering walk or the unsettled and unsure steps that eventually lead to a fall. We don’t have to waver in unbelief, but can maintain a steady confidence that God is all that He says in His Word. The world has a dizzying affect upon all who focus their attention in its direction. The contrary winds of error spoken by the majority blow in such ways as to cause the fainthearted to sway under its control. But God has a path that is straight and the power to keep us straight on the path. It leads to the Presence of His glory as one who has victoriously endured the pressures that otherwise would have caused us to drift away. Even if we stumble or stagger or even drift for a moment in time, He gets us back on course and teaches us what we need to know in order that we may stand erect in the center of the storm. There His peace abides and we learn to trust in Jesus as Lord over the storm. 

Meditation: March 2, 2013

“And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Colossians 1:17

Consistency always appears to be the problem when there are so many things that have a beginning, but fall apart over time. Words often fade and their meanings are altered by those who feel differently when circumstances shift in a different direction. Who is able to keep his word when his word is based on conditions that are uncertain? The only way to be certain about life and things pertaining to it, one must know what comes before and what will come after a commitment is made, a value is embraced, or message is believed. He Jesus is before all that exists. All things have their origin in Him, and He will be after all things have come to an end. But between what precedes and what follows are our lives and our conditions. We can trust His knowledge and His strength to guide and protect us into the future. He gives meaning to life because all things are considered from eternity past to eternity future.

December 2012 Article:”Jesus Came, but did Men Expect His Coming?”

Should sin be criminalized or legalized? What choices are left to this, our generation, when there are no absolutes? There are two opposing sides; both being partly wrong but blind to why the others side may disagree with the other’s interpretation of what is right. That is the political scene in America, where the existing party lines produce rapid racial and class polarization that blames the opposing side for the perpetuation of perplexing problem that fuel national disunity.

But from heaven’s view, it is the absence, neglect, or misinterpretation of a standard that results in the world experiencing judgment. Humanity either takes things too far by becoming pharisaical without the element of love for humankind, or thinking that love ignores and gives permission to transgress all boundaries. Thus, sin is either legalized or criminalized. The silence of God in regards to our nation’s dilemma is His judgment against her. We experience calamitous actions, but cannot hear His voice giving clear direction in the midst of this nation’s greatest challenges.

First sin must be identified if redemption is ever to occur. That responsibility rests upon the shoulders of the standard-bearers, the Church. The Bible mentions that “A house divided against itself cannot stand” and that “The salt that has lost its saltiness is good for nothing but to be trodden under the feet of men.” A clear and distinct voice must convey a prophetic word that does more than report current events or engage in the scrimmages within the parameters of what others have established or are able to see. There has to be a prophetic message that transcends the obvious and directs the hearts of the people towards the ideal. A holy people are an “other than” people; they are separated because they are positioned to hear from Heaven and align their lives to its order.  This chosen people may live in a sinful environment, but operate by a different standard. That is why the revivalists of past generations were abolitionists and reformers that addressed the current issues of their day with permanent resolves rather than temporary and quick fixes filled with unproductive rhetoric.  Public sentiment has shifted in the direction of heroes who are able to rescue the perishing and restore all that is lost. Yet each time it appears as if that person has finally arrived, the walls they have built begin to collapse.

Jesus was born in an environment of flux. The people were being overly burdened by taxation, babies were being murdered, and the conditions were as desperate as ours are today. It was not the best of times, but rather the worst of times. Yet His coming brought forth a new day! His Light alone enabled people to see and some to understand that every other alternative was not strong enough to withstand the future impact. He alone knows the future and prepares those who trust in Him beforehand for what they will inevitably face. Although we reflect upon His first coming, we must anticipate His return. But in the meantime, we must occupy as the Church, or carry out His agenda on this earth until He comes so that world might see His Light.

Meditation: July 23, 2012

 “For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,” Hebrews 3:14

Our confidence in Christ must not waver even when we face adversities that appear stronger than our strength to maintain. It is not our strength that preserves us but God alone. Our beginning is of faith therefore we must not view the battles as ours alone. Christ being a part of us is involved in everything we do. He shares with us what belongs to Him and since He has already passed through the heavens, there is no goal higher than what He has already accomplished.  He takes His victory and shares it with us therefore we have an identity in Him in heaven. We are admonished to hold fast to the confidence we had from the beginning. It is God’s gift to us to be maintained by us. Our faith is cultivated by and through the living Word.  Even if we do not see an end to our dilemma, God is able to keep us to the end in order for us to receive what He has promised. There is an end or a reward to all who trust in Him.