Friday Reflection – November 20, 2020
A Warning to Leaders

He changes times and seasons, deposes kings and sets up kings. Daniel 2:21

Greetings Friends! 

I’m sitting in for Sis Shaneka as she seeks to accomplish her assignments. Our prayers for her.

Have you ever had sleepless nights? Those long, dark and endless hours of the night when we cannot settle down to sleep because of something on our minds? Such matters usually cause worry and anxiety as we wade through the difficult waters of life. If your answer is yes, then you are not alone. Rich and poor, black and white, uptown and downtown, Christian and non-Christian have all been there. King Nebuchadnezzar understands this reality as he had a dream and was so troubled by it that he couldn’t sleep. He summoned his magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to interpret his dreams, but none could. This was beyond human comprehension.

Nebuchadnezzar got so mad at his men that he ordered them killed, including Daniel and his companions. To save his life and further bloodshed, Daniel begged the king for a little time to determine the interpretation of his dream, and such request was granted. Daniel consulted his three companions and they sough Yahweh’s revelation. God answered their prayers and revealed the secret of the revelation in a vision to Daniel. The king got the interpretation of his dream.

Today’s Watchword is part of Daniel’s prayer of thanksgiving to God for the revelation. Daniel praised God for His power and might. Daniel thought of how God, who changes, deposes and sets up, is in command of all things, and how God is mightier than a mighty king like Nebuchadnezzar. The God of omnipotent and ultimate power rules and over-rules all by His divine providence.

Daniel’s acknowledgement that God deposes kings and sets up kings is a serious warning to all in leadership in whatever sphere of life, be it political, civic or religious. We are not invincible nor irreplaceable; the God who enables us to get there, will take us down! Nebuchadnezzar came to learn this startling truth. Daniel 4: 31-33 says, A voice came from heaven says to him: “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: The kingdom has departed from you! You shall be driven away from human society, and your dwelling shall be with the animals of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like oxen, and seven times shall pass over you, until you have learned that the Most High has sovereignty over the kingdom of mortals and gives it to whom he will.”  Immediately the sentence was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. Another example is King Saul. Hear Samuel to him in 1 Kings 15: 17-19, 23: “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. And he sent you on a mission… Why did you not obey the Lord? Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”

May those who lead humble ourselves, pursue God’s purposes, and seek always to be faithful to him. 

Jermaine Gibson

Thursday Reflection

November 19, 2020

Come and experience the goodness of God

O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him. Psalm 34:8

Good morning friends,

Today’s text which is located in Psalm 34, extends an invitation to the readers to come and experience God as David has done. The Psalm begins with David offering praises to God. Why is David offering praises to God? Well, he sought the Lord and the Lord answered him. The Lord delivered him from all his fears. The Lord sent his angel to encamp around him and the Lord saved David from his troubles. What is this trouble you might ask?

Psalm 34 has its genesis in 1 Samuel 21: 10-15. David was on the run from King Saul and fled to Achish the King of Gath. Whilst there, the servants of Achish identified him as David whom Saul was hunting. David became afraid and pretended to be insane. He made markings on the door and made spit run down his beard. When Achish saw this he thought David to be mad and let him go. It is against this backdrop that David offers praises to God and now extends an invitation for others to do so.

Even though David acted crazy, he realised that it was the grace of God that allowed King Achish to be convinced that he was crazy. It was the grace of God that protected him from King Achish as well as King Saul. David proved God’s faithfulness time and time again. God protected him, God delivered him, God sent his angels to encamp around him and God provided for him. God simply has been good to David.

As a result of God’s goodness, David now extends an invitation to others to come and experience the goodness of God. God does not show preferential treatment and as such God will do the same thing he did for David. Accept the gift of God which is Jesus Christ his son. Watch and see that you will experience the same deliverance, the same provisions, the same resolution to your problems and from your enemies. David has proven the Lord, I have proven the Lord and many others have done so. It’s now your time and come and see that the Lord is good.

Shalom

Christopher Euphfa

Wednesday Reflection, November 18, 2020

God above idols

O Lord our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but we acknowledge your name alone. Isaiah 26:13

Whilst it would appear that idolatry (the worship of idols) was merely a thing of the past in which images be it of stone or wood, were created and people bowed to the inanimate objects; idolatry is still a very prominent thing today and is practiced perhaps more frequently than some of us even realize.

Unger’s bible dictionary defines idolatary as ‘the paying of devine honors to any created thing; worship in the form of idealism or abstractions or mental qualities.’ The bible also defines the practice as coveteousness, which is setting one’s heart and mind on anything other than the Creator and His perfect, living laws.

Tim Keller wrote, “what is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give”.

When the Isrealites entered into Palestine after their 40 years sojourn, they found the Canaanites already deeply rooted in idolatry. The people were enticed partly because it was new and different from Godly religion and possibly because of a tendency of a rigourous faith and ethic to weaken under the influence of sexual attractions. They ignored the Lord’s admonitions and found them self sinking in a pit they themselves dug.

According to C.S Lewis, “what satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could…be their own masters- invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside God, apart from God. And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history- money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery- the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy. The reason it can never succeed is this. God made us…”

Friends, what idols have we created and are holding dear? What are the things, who are the people we are inclined to give more devotion to than the Lord? Is it a job, relationship, spouse/child, social media, ambition, money?

2 Timothy 3:2-5 described our current reality, “people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God- having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”

Until next week, I pray we will all become aware of idolatrous influences, leace no space for such curiosity but give top priority to God and His Word.

Amen

Kerone Lamoth

For God’s Sake

How many times have you heard the expression ‘for God’s sake’ or even used it yourself? ‘For God’s sake’ is an appeal to an authority or a set of values that far surpass what is yours or that of the local community. It seeks to ground your response or action on what you hold dearest and value highest, your relationship with God. In today’s daily watchword God explains through the prophet Isaiah that His actions of mercy towards us is not because of us but because of who God is. Indeed, what case could any of us present before God in defense of ourselves, to be deserving of God’s grace? It is for God’s sake that we receive God’s grace and mercy. It is because of God and not for anything that we are or have done, why we are kept by God’s grace. Hear God’s word through his prophet. For my name’s sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, so that I may not cut you off. Isaiah 48: 9

Israel was described by God as a hard-headed, stiff necked people. In other words, they were stubborn and disobedient even though they were living under God’s grace, privileged to worship in the temple and blessed beyond measure with God’s provisions. Taking for granted what they should have valued most, they lived ungodly lives while expecting God’s best for themselves and their loved ones. This was not acceptable to God then and still is not today. Israel’s tribulation was therefore God’s way of keeping them in check, reminding them who was in control. Note that the word defer means to hold back until a later time. God was not forgetting their tribulation, rather God was processing them. The passage goes on to speak of God’s refining Israel, testing them in the furnace of affliction. God used their hardships to remind them who He was, who they were to Him, and to turn them back to Himself. God’s desire for Israel and for us is for our salvation, for us to be Christlike in every aspect of our lives. Anything less than that is to fall short of the goodness of God. Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Coll 3: 1

God holds back from treating us as we deserve, in order that God’s name may be glorified. If we are honest with ourselves, then we will take a daily look at our failures and shortcomings and give thanks and praise to God for his sparing mercies that secured us and brought us to the end of the day. Yes friends, the righteous fail daily but God remains faithful. He never fails in his fidelity to us and sustains us despite our failures, our shortcomings. Is it any wonder that Charles Wesley wrote the hymn in which he wished he had a thousand tongues, all to be used in praising his God? O For a thousand tongues to sing My dear Redeemer’s praise! The glories of my God and King, The triumphs of His grace! When we recognize that as righteous or as holy as we think we are, it is only God’s mercy and grace that keeps us, we have no choice but to give God praise because it’s not us, it’s for God’s sake. But there’s more. The unrighteous are not destroyed in their unrighteousness because God shows restraint towards them, even as they are brought through the process that will bring them give praise. God’s desire indeed is not for any to be lost but for all to come to a saving knowledge of God through Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3: 9). God acts therefore for God’s sake, for God’s glory and in so doing guides us to be beneficiaries of His actions, of his grace. To those who refuse to repent, to praise, to make the necessary changes in their lives, God’s deferred judgment awaits. Those who see God at work and become better servants, however, are guided on to spiritual growth and maturity, as God brings us through tests and trials, as silver and gold through the refiner’s fire. Life has its share of ups and downs, its hardships and trials, but God uses them to bring us closer to Him, to live better lives, and get us to become habitual praise and worshippers, not for us, but for God’s sake. Amen.

Monday Reflection – November 16, 2020
Love – A Core Attribute of Holiness

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:18

The book of Leviticus contains the laws which were to guide the people of God in their everyday actions and activities. Today’s Watchword is located in chapter 19, which interestingly begins with the call by God for His people to be holy. The word ‘holy’ means to be separate, apart or different from. So God is different from all others, different in His being and different in the greatness and majesty of His attributes. Yet, because humans are made in the image of God, they can follow in His steps and also be holy. In this context, Israel was to be different, separate from the nations and peoples around them.

Within this context of holiness is the command to love one’s neighbour. Verse 17 begins, “You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin…” Love for others is commanded, not only in action but also in heart. This is so because it is out of our hearts that our words and actions flow, thus we have to begin there. Love demands that we not take vengeance against others. Romans 12:19 says that vengeance belongs to God; therefore, there is a sense in which we can hold back God’s work of vengeance upon others by seeking it ourselves. Love demands that we exercise forgiveness and restraint. Love also demands that we not bear a grudge against others. Admittedly, it is easy for many to cherish a grudge against another, especially when it is deserved; but too much damage is done to the one holding the grudge.

The charge to love one another is all over the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments. The significance of the call to love our neighbour as ourselves is highlighted by the fact that Jesus and Paul both cited this verse as a summary of the duties one has to his fellow human being (Matthew 22:39-40, Romans 13:9). Further, Jesus commanded us to love our enemies (Luke 6:27), and showed that our neighbours are the ones in need, even if they might be regarded as a traditional enemy (Luke 10:25-37). Love demands that the same way we take care of ourselves and are concerned about our own interests, we should take care and have concern for the interests of others.

This command to love in the text seems like a summary of what was being outlined before. Loving our neighbours is about:

1. Providing for the poor by leaving fields incompletely harvested (vs. 9-10)
2. Honest dealings with others (vs. 11-13)
3. Basic human compassion (vs. 14)
4. Justice and truthfulness (vs. 15-16)
    
   Admittedly, the demands of holiness and love are great and cannot be achieved on our own. The indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit is required to fulfill these demands. We pray that God will transform us into holy creatures who demonstrate His genuine love to others. Amen.  

Jermaine Gibson

Saturday Reflection – 14 November 2020

“How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep!” Psalm 92:5

The moment that Adam and Eve sinned, humanity had been condemned to face the judgement of God as punishment for that sin. We remember the words of David in Psalm 51:5 saying “Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.” And throughout scripture, we see the work of the Law and Prophets in guiding God’s people to righteous living.

Since it was not God’s will that anyone should perish, God provide the ultimate sacrifice, Christ Jesus our Lord, that we may experience his grace and be saved. When we begin to consider the divine plan of God to salvation, and see the love that flows from the cross, we are often speechless. From the design of the prophets – to their message and prophecies. And through scripture, seeing everything fall into place. It is by God’s love – through Christ’s sacrifice that we can be saved, are saved, and we will be saved unto his return.

We are reminded by Paul in Ephesians 2:8-9 that “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” It is important that we remember that work for our salvation, it is not through our acts of worship, our life, or service to God, but it is God’s gift to humanity. From sinners to sinners saved by grace.

As Christians, we are then led to life of gratitude and humility. Since we are not deserving but have been extended this grace, then we ought to express thanks to the giver. And we ought to be humble. As we contemplate a new normal, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the events of recent times. It is easy, as many others have done to question God’s ability to control, or the extent of God’s hand in recent events. However, today’s watchword reminds that God’s work is great evidenced in our salvation. Since by his grace, we are not only saved but also sustained, we have reason to remain grateful, humble, and confident. Just as the songwriter pens “When he was on the cross, I was on his mind.” We can still be confident that God’s love has not ceased, nor did he stop caring for us. We ought to continue to trust God as God leads us across the Jordan. And God invites us to “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

Last Friday, on our way to Choir Practice, we all expressed how hard the week had been, and how we tired we are. And our youth leader, in response to our feelings, told each of us to name three things that we were thankful for. In counting our blessings, the mood had shifted to gratitude. When we are mindful, and thankful – then God’s love, peace and joy fills our life so much so, we that we can, in full assurance that it is alright.

Today’s watchword leads us to reflect on the goodness of God, in giving to us that gift. Remember that day, when we were the Holy Spirit drew us to him, and we said Yes. The moment when we were never the same again. That was God’s work. Then recall how God has kept us. Those moments where all we could say was “Were it not for the grace of God, where would we be?” That was God’s work. And it is evident in all of this, that he deeply cares about us, and works all things together for our good.

But it is easy to forget, to complain and become rebellious – just as the Israelites forgot how God saved them from Pharaoh’s hand, having experienced the plagues that fell on Egypt. They seemed to forget how God brought them across the Red Sea and decimated their enemies. They began to complain to Moses – that they were only tired of manna and wanted to go back to Egypt. Today’s watchword calls us to remember. To stop for a moment, and consider the times, it seemed impossible – but we became victorious. To remember God’s saving and sustaining work in our lives and be grateful, and humble and confident. When we remember, then we are strengthened – knowing that the God who does not change can do it again.

Until next week, may we continue to lean on God’s everlasting arms. In recalling God’s goodness to us, may we continue him to trust, and truly believe that if he led us to it, then he will lead us through it. Amen

Dominic J. Blair

November 13, 2020

The Holy Spirit is for all who believe

For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.”
Acts 2:39 NRSV

Our text for reflection today brings us to the popular Acts 2 passage that speaks to the coming of the Holy Spirit. We should be acquainted with this story. The Holy Spirit came down as tongues of fire and fell on the disciples who were gathered on the day of Pentecost.

Those who were there heard the disciples speaking in their own native language. Some thought the disciples were drunk early in the morning. It is at this juncture Peter gives an account of Jesus, beginning with the prophecy from Joel highlighting the pouring out of the Spirit of God in the last days.

This prophecy is crucial to the comment made by Peter in verse 39, for this is the promise that he speaks of. The Promise of God’s Spirit being poured out on his people. It is a promise that is entitled to everyone who repent of their sins, turn to God and is baptised for the remission of their sins. It is a promise for you, for your children and your children’s children. It is a promise for those who are near and those who are far. It is a promise that God honours to those who love Him.

What is this promise of the Holy Spirit? The promise of the Holy Spirit is God’s direct contact with us and with everyone. It’s the manifestation of his powers through us. There is no longer a clear division between us and God. We can directly go to God- whoever repents of their sins, gets baptised and accept Jesus Christ . The Holy Spirit now allows everyone including the servant, who is not thought much of, to receive the gifts given by the Holy Spirit. Gifts of prophesy, dreams, wonders in heaven and signs on earth. This gift is for all who believe.

So receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. It’s for all people and generations who repent of sins, turn to God and are baptised for the remission of sins. God’s power is in you!

Until next week use the power of the Holy Spirit within you
Christopher Euphfa