Wednesday Reflection, October 14, 2020

The Whole Duty of Man

Much can be said about man’s purpose on earth or any other place he may be allowed to venture. Myles Monroe in talking about unlocking one’s full potential expressed that our purpose here on earth is not to die old but to die finished.

Jesus said, ‘it is finished!’; Paul said, ‘ I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith’ but what might you and I possibly have to say at the end of our life’s journey?

Jesus’ life was one of constant prayer, praise and thanksgiving to His Father. There were absolutely no illusions about what His purpose or duty on earth was.

So very often we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that our focus easily shifts and our priorities aren’t prioritized. Like the mere mortals we are, we forget what or duty is! We forget because we may be trying to get pregnant, meet a deadline, get married, promoted, find a job, make someone love us, get better grades, lead a healthier lifestyle, yada,yada,yada…the bottom line is we forget what our duty is, not in part but the whole of it.

In today’s watchword, we are reminded by Solomon, a perfect example of someone who was distracted by the many attractive offerings of the world and who was also driven by his own passions but who also recognized what was truly important and turned from his folly. Ecclesiastes 12:13, ‘Fear God, and keep his commandments; for that is the whole duty of everyone.

Brothers and sisters, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Not until we submit to the Lord, reverencing Him and applying His words to our hearts and lives, will we truly be able to understand that when we ask, and seek and knock we are unlocking the provisions the Lord has already made for each of us. In Acts 10:34-35 Peter said: ‘I truly believe that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.’

Until next week, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and he shall direct your path.

Amen

Kerone Lamoth

A God Who Journeys With Us

The design of the first temple in Jerusalem was given to Solomon, who would build it, by his father David. David had designed the temple based on the guidance of the Holy Spirit and as he now gave the task of building to Solomon, he encourages him not to lose heart or become faint in the task. God would be with him to the very end. 1 Chronicles 28: 20 is the watchword for today. David said to Solomon, “The Lord God will not fail you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.” Regardless of the obstacles and opposition that Solomon would face in this task, of one thing he would be sure without the shadow of a doubt, God would be with him to the very end of his journey. God would see him through.

How could David be so sure that God would be with his son Solomon? A reading of the entire verse will help us to understand that. And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God—my God—will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord. What David was giving to Solomon was what he had, what he was assuring him of was what he had been assured of all his life. It was the presence of God. Whenever we left home as children and even after growing up and living on our own, my dad would always respond to our goodbyes with the same statement. “God go with you cause mi naah come”. What he was saying to us in actuality was ‘I am praying that God will accompany you since I am unable to’. That gave him the satisfaction of knowing that even away from his presence we would be ok. Away from his watching eyes we would be safe and away from his providing care we would be kept satisfied because we would be in God’s care and presence. He knew that even though he would not be there with us, he would not need to worry because God would journey with us and see us through.

Today I encourage us to know that we serve a God who surrounds us, protects and provides for us and guides us along the right path. In the midst of the uncertainties of life we have one certainty to cling to and it is that God will see us through. In the midst of political uncertainties, God will be with us. He will see us through financial uncertainties. He will see us through health uncertainties. He will see us through job uncertainties. He will see us through all the uncertainties of life for He has promised to journey with us to the very end. Regardless of what you are facing I can speak with certainty that my God will be with you and will see you through for as the saying goes, God is not blind to your tears neither is he deaf to your prayers. Indeed, God sees and hears and God will deliver. In the midst of sickness and disease which is rampant in our world, God is with us. In the midst of disasters all around, God is with us. In our personal pains and challenges, we are never alone, for God is with us. A second saying I would quote is this, ‘those who leave everything in God’s hands, will eventually see God’s hand in everything’. Friends we will struggle in this life. We will meet obstacles and opposition but as long as we keep trusting in God, we will make it, for God will see us through. Solomon walked with God and completed the temple, was blessed by God and is remembered as a great and wise king of Israel and Judah. When we walk with God and trust His ways, He will direct our path and lead us to accomplish much for His sake. I say to us today therefore, trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and God will direct your path. Indeed, God walks with you will see you through. Amen.

Monday Reflection – October 12, 2020
From the Archives #2

Prelude:
I continue sharing from the Archives for this month of October. I share with us the reflection of October 23, 2017.

Reflection
What of Your Plans and Work? 
Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)

The New Century Version puts it this way, “Depend on the Lord in whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

We engage in planning every day, every week, every year. Many of us plan out our days and weeks. I have to plan out the routes to take when I’m going on the road or else I feel disoriented. Teachers engage in lessons plans, organizations set out daily and weekly schedules, institutions develop strategic plans. During 2016, the Moravian Church in Jamaica & The Cayman Islands spent the larger part of the year developing a 5-year strategic plan. 

It is important to plan, and as we regularly say, those who fail to plan, plan to fail. God is a God of plan; nothing just happens. We see the evidences of God’s plan in the ordered nature of creation and the uniqueness and intricacies of human beings. Yet, in the midst of our planning we ought to recognize, that any plan outside of God’s plan is destined for failure. Over and over again in the Bible, we are advised to commit our plans to the Lord so that we may receive his confirmation, and only then will they be established. Seek God’s directive in whatever we do and we will succeed. 

The obvious questions that arise are: what plans are we pursuing? Are our plans sanctioned by the Lord? What are our expected results? We plan so that we may be successful. That success is only guaranteed when God is leading the way. 

So many of us are always working, working, working. We are working for success in the many areas of our lives. Some of us are engaged in church work, yet we need to be sure that we are working for the Lord. One of my ecumenical colleagues once told the story of a member of his church who came to him complaining that he was tired of working for the church. As an insightful Minister, he told the member, “I’m happy. Stop working for the church and start working for the Lord.” We can be so hard at work and busy like crazy, but really achieving what? 

While we plan and work, God is interested in our work for him, but far more interested in his work in us. At my home church at Bethany, we learnt and sang this song: “Kids under construction, maybe the paint is still wet, wet, wet! Kids under construction, the Lord is not through with me yet.” It was such an exciting song and only later did I come to appreciate just how simple yet powerful it is.  Today’s Doctrinal text affirms this message: God is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13 

Truly, God desires to be at work in us like the Potter, shaping and reshaping us into what seems good to him. So while we are at work, God is also at work. He is at work in us, while we are doing his work. May our desire and interest be more about God’s work in us than God’s work for us. The truth is when God is at work in us, our work is far more successful, beneficial and satisfying, for we do his will and reflect his character and glory. 

During this week, may we allow God to continue his work in us, and may we be productive in our work for him!

Till next week, remain on the Potter’s wheel.

Jermaine Gibson 

Saturday Reflection – 10 October 2020

“Jesus woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. St. Mark 4:39

For many weeks, our reflections have been centred around this global pandemic that we have been grappling with since March of this year. Even so, this week, we have been exposed to the many challenges that have arisen in the teaching-learning environment since the start of this academic year. We can also imagine the many social challenges that people face in these troubling times. All this can be properly characterized by Mary-Ann Baker in the words of her hymn saying “Master, the tempest is raging.”

The story as recorded in St. Mark 4:35-41 is a popular one. Jesus and his disciples moved by boat across the Sea of Galilee. Whilst moving to the other side, Jesus fell asleep and a violent storm had suddenly emerged. You can think about it, like this past week, where the sky was blue and the sun was shining and suddenly it began to rain, and almost immediately, that rain turned into downpour. You can now imagine the winds and the waves as it tossed the boat and water began to enter the boat. See the boat as it was about the capsize. Imagine the anxiety and fear that warped the disciples in that moment and in all of that, Jesus slept peacefully in the boat.

The text tells us that they woke Jesus asking him “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (vs 38b) Now imagine Jesus in the calmest possible sense, as he was awakened from his rest, and he gets up and commands the winds and the waves to stop and says the words “Peace! Be still!” And see, the wind ceasing and the waves calming down, the boat being levelled and a tranquil atmosphere surrounding where they were.

Have we been burdened, plagued with anxiety and fear by our own tempest that is raging? We can all identify with the challenges being brought on by the onset of COVID-19. Are we facing challenges whether connected to COVID-19 or not that are overwhelming us, and we feel like we are in a boat about to capsize? Do we feel that the Saviour is not with us in our storm? Do we have the feeling that he is not responding to our cries, nor does he feel our anxiety and fear? Do we feel like he is sleeping?

When Jesus had calmed the sea, he asked his disciples a simple yet profound question “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” (vs. 40) The disciples had the privilege of walking with Jesus and experiencing the teachings and miracles that he performed, and, in their minds, they still limited what God was able to do. Jesus was indeed in the boat with them, even as he journeys with us. Yet still, they awoke Jesus from a place of fear and anxiety, they probably even doubted that he was able to save them. It was not a place of surrender, nor one of faith and Jesus had to ask them this question.

We have heard the promises of God. We can testify to the goodness of God. Therefore, as we traverse to the other side of this pandemic, we are assured that Jesus is with us, and when we pray, we come to him in faith, believing that he is, and is able to save us from drowning. By his Holy Spirit, we can draw the strength that will transform our anxiety and fear to power, love and a sound mind. Today, we are reminded that while the tempest rage, Christ is breathing peace in our circumstances. We ought to be still and know that he is God. His word, as written is true and when he spoke, it stood fast. He reminds that he is greater than any storm, so as he journeys with us, let us hold on to his unchanging hand.

Until next week,
The winds and the waves shall obey thy will,
Peace, be still!
Whether the wrath of the storm tossed sea,
Or demons or men, or whatever it be
No waters can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean, and earth, and skies;
They all shall sweetly obey Thy will,
Peace, be still!

As he breathes the peace that passes all understanding, may we be still, and in faith, allow Christ to calm the storm. Amen.

Dominic J. Blair