Meditation: April 17, 2013

“He shall die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.” (NKJ)

 “Death is the reward of an undisciplined life; your foolish decisions trap you in a dead end.” (MSG) Proverbs 5: 23

A warning to the wise is the anecdote to his falling away and divorcing himself from his wisdom. Disciples are to exercise disciplines in order to safeguard areas that would otherwise be vulnerable to the enemy. He is seeking to influence those who have taken pride in their stance as being invincible thus allowing their guards to be down. Death is the price paid for our redemption. Since we are alive to Christ and dead to the world, Satan’s ploy is to attempt in resurrecting things that once dominated and controlled our lives. Daily decisions have far-reaching and severe consequences. Nothing is done in isolation from a path leading to a destination. And nothing is done that does not follow a pattern of living modeled by a master. Our death in Jesus Christ produced life with a purpose. We are being led to triumph over all the works of darkness. Our thoughts must be directed towards the eternal unless we become entrapped by temporal pleasures requiring more than we have come to understand. We must allow wisdom to teach and guide us in a straight path.

Meditation: April 5, 2013

 “The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their ways; they have made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace.” Isaiah 59:8-9

There is a peace offered by God that surpasses what the crowd demands. Yes, fairness in judgments must be executed, and the wild behavior of the wayward majority must be regulated by laws. But justice gives what justice demands. Laws alone cannot change the heart. It condemns both the accused and the accusers for all have sinned. It looks into the secret sins of the heart, and the evil practices done under the cloak of darkness. Those sins though unseen, cause disease of the soul.  Justice condemns the ways of the wicked. A death sentence is served to all who follow her path.

How can one know the way to peace when the contributing forces of war are unknown? None are aware of why they love what is evil and hate what is good. Yet those who seek both justice and peace are blind to their own guilt. It is the right path that must be chosen if peace is ever to be known. Jesus Christ paid for my sins which were many, thus tearing down the dividing wall which separated me from God. Without having peace with God none would ever know the peace of God. The scales of justice are balanced by His supreme act of love. He gave me a life undeserving for the sacrificed life of His Son. None could argue against His wisdom that provided for me a choice rather than a curse. Now the Way of peace is known for the crooked path I once paved He has now been straightened.

Meditation: March 28, 2013

 “And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.”  Daniel 2:21 

These times are different from any other. There was a time when people both thought and acted differently. The environment has an effect upon the times. The mood is set by the atmosphere. God orders it in response to prayer on the part of His people. During the times of peace and prosperity, the people are at ease. But when trouble comes, there is an unsettling among them. God examines and tries the heart of every person. Rebellion is not the result of the times, but rather the times are the result of man’s rebellion. He changes the times to reflect the attitude on earth expressed towards Him. But when we pray, and seek Him with our whole hearts, a new season of revival will begin. He will give us leaders who are after His own heart when our hearts are directed towards Him. Otherwise those who will lead will reflect the attitude of the people they are leading. Yes God changes both times and seasons but His attention is set upon His people to seek Him for a time of the healing of the land and wholeness among the peoples of the earth.

Meditation: March 20, 2013

“Let’s decide which of us is in the right. God may avenge me, but it is in his hands, not mine.”(MSG) 1 Samuel 24:12

We are in a battle for the souls of men. The opposition has the populous vote and has gained momentum over the years. It often appears as if we are on the losing side while vices seem to be virtuous. What the fathers of our faith established is now under attack led by those who ought to be defenders of the faith. Their creeds have been reinterpreted or altogether ignored. Their values have been viewed as obsolete and often amended. Who is listening while God is yet speaking through the faithful few?  There are those who are willing to stand against the winds of adversity and defy the storms of error that are unleashed in order to overtake, if possible the very elect. Let God decide who is right and who is wrong. God will avenge His elect. Truth crushed to the earth will rise again.  The argument of who is right and who is wrong will eventually be settled. It will not be a draw between two opposing views.  God know those who are His and will avenge His own, but it is in His hands and not ours.

March 2013 Article: “Safe and Secure From All Alarm”

God’s objective is to make us both safe and secure. Uncertainties leave the majority in a state of flux and wonder fearful of the future. “What if” questions often plague the mind with the unending possibilities of disastrous occurrences.They restrict the activity of those who would otherwise move in a proactive direction facing the needs of today and resolving them. Many who were chosen for such a time as this, are too busy worrying rather than engaging in a process of clear and productive thinking. Productive thinking requires one to process information leading to a conclusion. Without it, one is caught up into circular thinking which leads to the same place where the journey first began. Too many are going around in circles rather than progressing towards an end that could produce a permanent resolve to what most people worry about.

The first thing to consider is that none of the occurrences in life are merely random. God is a God of order who arranges circumstances and conditions for the ultimate good of those who love Him, and oversees and intercepts the decisions made by those who despise Him. He is not an absentee God, but is aware of the smallest of detailsregarding everything that moves. The question then is why aren’t things moving in a course that would contribute to our peace of mind? He has predetermined that no individual would ever find true peace until they find it in Him. Therefore the inner disturbances of the soul are the result of man’s decisions and not God’s ultimate purpose for humanity. Things are not going as planned, but the plans of God are not thwarted by the misbehavior of man. Therefore the peace that is sought after is not being found. The complexity of the matter appears to be overwhelming, thus many people feel hopeless.

There are so many things pulling us in different directions. There are so many choices to be made in life with unknown consequences. Yet it is too easy to do what one think is right without the right information. Even though much information is available to us today, yet most are clueless as to how to apply the information in the right order to provide safety and security for the future. Information alone is not sufficient in making right decisions. Wisdom is also needed if we are ever to discern the difference between things that appear to be fused together.

Security, safety, and hope are contained within the simple message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The gospel message puts into words the sentiments of the heart of humanity so that his dilemma is made clear in words. At the same time the Word of God has been given in order to communicate to us the sentiments of the heart of God in order for us to understand and know Him. It appears to be too deep and difficult to understand because sin has dulled the heart and ears of men leaving them to their own second-handed intellect passed down from one generation to another, yet void of godly wisdom. What one thinks that he knows causes a strain for him and prohibits him from listening to God’s voice.Then His Word is dismissed as being too abstract or obsolete. If the truth was to be told, it was the preoccupation of the heart and soul in pursuit of what is thought to be the resolve rather than embracing what has already been given as the permanent resolve to each challenge.To acknowledge God in all your ways is an admission that there are more things unknown by you than what is known. Since it is impossible to know what is needed apart from Him, the posture that must be taken is to first listen to Him, then to wait on Him to reveal to us as to how His Word is to be applied to our lives. He will then guide you and guide others through you towards those things that really matter.

Meditation: March 9, 2013

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.” James 3:13

It appears to be a misnomer to use wisdom and meekness in the same sentence. Wisdom often elevates the pride of many who become even wiser in their own eyes. Godly wisdom is always to be accompanied with meekness for those who receive wisdom from God are constantly aware of its source.  Whenever we lift our intellect to a level above that which requires simple faith, true knowledge would be eclipsed by vanity. Strong and convincing arguments may be impressive, but causes the mind to erode into believing a lie when the truth cannot yet be proven.  The meek of the earth are teachable and can learn in order to participate with God In what He is doing. The wise and the prudent cannot even see it as being important, thus live their lives as contradictions even to their own beliefs. God will bring both beliefs and lifestyles into one. We can then live and speak what we truly believe.

 

Meditation: March 1, 2013

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” John 13:34

 A new commandment is given because a new power is made known. It is a power that existed in eternity but now is being revealed in time through Jesus Christ. He makes known to humanity a selfless love with the power to transform lives. It begins with the willingness to receive the love of Jesus Christ. He loved us first, but that love does us no good unless we first receive it. Allowing ourselves to be loved by the Lord is the first step. Then we are empowered to love one another as we are loved. It is a matter of allowing His love to flow through us along with His strength to do so. Those who are loved can be released from the bondage of self and Satan. They experience the presence of the Lord when we are instruments in His hands fulfilling the Lord’s command.

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.

November 2012 Article: “Lip Service or Life Service?”

Hebrews 13:15-16 “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”

Although our lips possess the potential of bearing good fruit, deep within our souls lies the memory of a life much different than that to which we are accustomed. We were not there, but God’s original intention for all of humanity is yet the yearning that continues to create a crisis that resides deep within. Even though we do not see it around us, the tensions continue to surmount within us. We are not condemned to merely regurgitate the information made available that gives expression to the ideals of our current environment. Nor are we sentenced to the fate of saying what is right while the heart remains divorced from truth and words becoming nothing but meaningless flattery. There is a truth that exists outside of our familiar references. It appears to be so strange to our system that it must pierce the darkness of the soul, causing a reaction to all that we once held true. Then it can penetrate the heart with a reality of the wrongness of our reasoning based upon our limited understanding. Only then can we embrace what is real with a reference that surpasses things that are soon to be proven false.

Have you ever said what you thought was right, or what you thought you meant merely to reach a point where you had to take your words back? Some say that you had reached a point where you had to eat your own words. The heart is radically joined to the lips in order to express the deepest feelings of the soul. Even with the art of training the lips to speak idealistically, there are those times when there is a slip of the tongue. Before the words are carefully and strategically crafted, you say what you really mean. However, the objective is to mean what you say and to say what you mean…but to be right in both thinking and saying. It requires the humility of admitting that you are wrong even when you think that you are right. Truth resides in a distance that is much higher than perceptions. The knowledge of the truth comes from above where Christ is seated. To comprehend the truth requires a heart transplant. God takes out the heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh and He will make your heart pliable to correction and teachable so it can receive Godly instructions.

Not that you will always speak the right words at the right time. But a reference is there to correct idle words or expressions void of the knowledge that takes all factors into account. God knows the end before the beginning and all that exists between the two. When wisdom guides your heart and your words express the truth, then continuous praise is offered as a sacrifice unto the Lord. God has given you His word in the Person of Jesus Christ. You have been privileged to participate in His life and love that are directed towards His Father. What a tremendous opportunity for one so deserving! Your lips possess the potential to bear good fruit as your heart is full of praise giving thanks to His Name! This is life-service and not just lip-service, for you are now saying what you mean and meaning what you say through a life that reinforces your words!

Meditation: July 30, 2012

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

Memory is a gift from God. When appropriately used, it can serve as a blessing. But when the lingering effects of memory close our minds to God, it is then a curse. During times of stillness the mind can relive experiences of the past. Our memories capture those moments and freeze-frame them into the catalogue of our minds. Things we have learned lay the foundation for further knowledge.

Paul realized this and made a decision. He said, “for I determined…” The word “determined” in the Greek language is “krino” which means, “to separate.” Paul was in essence saying, “I separate the knowledge of the past from the knowledge of Jesus Christ.” God was determined to separate light from darkness. It is not that Paul was ignorant of other things. He knew many things, but now possessed the ability to separate what he knew from who he is in the process of knowing. To know Jesus Christ is a full time job that ought to occupy our undivided attention.

All other information must pass through the filter of the revelation of Jesus in order for it to translate into wisdom. Wisdom is knowledge effectively and skillfully applied to life. What should this mean to us? It is saying that since the life of Jesus is to become life to us, we cannot afford to allow competing information to separate us from what we are convinced of.  The discernment of the Christian is the ability to see through the lenses of Christ what He sees.  Only then can His judgments become our own. The wisdom that comes from beneath is sensual and self-seeking. The wisdom that comes from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. James 3:17-18. It will not come through mere wishful thinking. It is yours only when you are determined to know nothing other than Jesus Christ, and to know Him as crucified for us as well as the rest of the world.