Monday Reflection – February 01, 2021
God of Impossibilities

Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” Genesis 18:14 NASB

Today’s Watchword comes in the midst of God’s long-given promise to bring Abraham and Sarah a son even in their very old age. This seems so ridiculous that Sarah thought it laughable that God would give her a son in her old age. By all outward circumstance, there was good reason for Sarah to laugh at the literal fulfilment of this promise. She had passed the age of childbearing; menstruation and menopause were behind her. It would only take a miracle from God for them to have literal children through normal means.

Interestingly, and perhaps ironically, this is what Sarah and Abraham most wanted all their lives – to have a child of their own. Yet they found it hard to believe God’s promise when He said He would grant it to them. But, isn’t it true that this is a usual characteristic of us to believe God’s promise for a long, long time, enduring much discouragement along the way, until the promise is almost there, and then we begin to doubt? We thank God today that our God is greater than our doubts.

Sarah and Abraham thought it impossible, but Genesis 18:14 says, is anything too difficult for the Lord? This is a rhetorical question. The answer is obviously no; nothing is too hard for God. God’s power is supreme. He can do what He wants. He can supersede what we think is possible. This question reminds us that God is working all things together according to the counsel of His will. When Sarah laughed at God’s twice-given promise, we might think God would take the promise away. Instead, God responded by dealing with her sin of unbelief, not by taking away the promise. Indeed, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). God triumphs over the weak faith of His people.

Friends, as we think about our lives, what are we asking God for? What are we asking God to do that is impossible without Him? Are we asking God to see Him move in ways that make no sense? Maybe we have been praying for something for a long time and we have almost given up. I encourage us today to have renewed faith that nothing is too hard for the Lord. Just a word of caution: This does not mean that everything we ask of God is guaranteed because nothing is too hard for Him. When we pray, we need to make sure that our hearts are aligned to His will. We pray believing that God can do and will do when it is wise and good and glorifying to Him. He will do the impossible; more than that, He is the God of impossibilities!

Today we pray like the apostles, O God, “Increase our faith!” Luke 17:5

Jermaine Gibson 

Saturday Reflection – 30 January 2021

“Ground that drinks up the rain falling on it repeatedly, and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.” Hebrews 6:7

The writer to the Hebrews encourages the Christian community to remain faithful and press on in spiritual maturity until we attain the full measure of Christ. The writer speaks earnestly to the community, that they should seriously consider their spiritual growth; always seeking higher ground and more intimate relationship with Christ. The danger, or peril as the chapter is titled, is in stagnation or regression. This is where as Christians, we become comfortable either with our present situation or circumstance, that we begin to slack off on prayer, or corporate worship or study of the bible or that we begin to give in to temptation or conform to societal ills or compromises. As it is easy to slip into this mode of stagnation or regression, the writer encourages the community to “…go on toward perfection.” (vs. 1)

In doing this, this ambition of attaining higher ground and a more intimate relationship with Christ should always be one of our objectives. In setting our minds in this way, then we become less inclined to slip to our peril. And then in setting our minds on this goal, we should keep the word of God close to our hearts. It is from God’s word that we can examine and extract, God’s eternal truth and be led by the Holy Spirit in a close-knit relationship with God. After all, the B.I.B.L.E. is our Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. But we ought to build on this word, by seeking God, and engaging the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that connects the dots and teaches us all truth.

The writer, in today’s doctrinal text reminds us that as Christians we are like the ground that has been tilled and fertilized, in which has a seed has been planted and watered, and where a crop is expected to grow. Remember the story that Isaiah told in Chapter 5:1-2 “Let me sing for my beloved, my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines;he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.” Like the vineyard in the prophet’s analogy, as Christians, we are being tilled and fertilized by the sacrifice of Christ and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Then as the word of God has been planted and watered by the Holy Spirit and the results are expected by our lip and life. Since the ground has been well tended to, then there is the fair expectation of a good yield. And if there is not, as was the danger of the people of Israel, the prophet continues to proclaim in verses 3-6 “And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.”

We cannot ever get to the place where like the fig tree, we appear to be producing by showing off our leaves, but are in fact, not producing any fruit. Where instead of grapes, we produce wild grapes. That is, instead of the fruit of the spirit, there is some distortion or other unacceptable result. Jesus tells us in St. John 15:1-2 that “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.” Jesus encourages us as Christians to remain connected to him, who is the true vine through constant and consistent prayer, reading and applying God’s word to our lives, through corporate worship and our humble and faithful acts of service in his vineyard. It is then that we can even be efficient in his ministry, that we can reach others, when we are authentic, blessed and led by the Holy Spirit. We should never be complacent or compromising but stick to our resolve, asking God to reveal to us to kingdom and to make us fit for that kingdom. For when the fruit of the spirit, (the crops and grapes in the analogies) become evident in our lives, then will we be blessed.

Until next week, as we seek higher ground and a more intimate relationship with Christ, may we find Him, and may He fill us with the Holy Spirit and all that we need that we may live and labour to his honour and to his glory, being fit and producing, and then shall be truly blessed. Amen.

Dominic J. Blair

Friday Reflection- Jan 29, 2021

You have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling, so that I may walk before God in the light of life-Psalms 56:13

David was appointed by God to become the next King of Israel. King Saul, who was the current King, was not happy about this so he tried to kill David. David got caught between a rock and a hard place when he was running from Saul trying to save his life but ran into the hands of his greatest enemies, the Philistines . It was in the midst of this terrifying situation that King David wrote Psalms 56.

In order to survive, David had to hide in desserts and caves from Saul and he had to pretend that he was insane to get away from the Philistines. David was obviously panicking and was very fearful, who wouldn’t be in a situation like that ?Even though he openly confessed to being fearful, he immediately followed it up with an affirmation of his trust in God and his ability to deliver him out of the hands of his enemies . Both fear and faith occupied David’s mind at that moment but he knew he couldn’t let fear overpower his faith.

As mentioned above, God promised David that he would be King and that promise was really what kept him going. David had so much faith that God would fulfill His promise, that he started praising him even though he was still in deep trouble. * You have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling, so that I may walk before God in the light of life.* This verse shows the confidence David had in God,because he was not yet free but he wrote that Psalms in the past tense knowing God would come through for him.

We too should trust God the way David did and trust His promises. We can trust God by believing what He said and that He actually intends to fulfill His word.

Stay safe, stay blessed
Toni-Ann Poyser

Thursday Reflection

January 28, 2021

Salvation is for everyone

Then Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.” Luke 19:9

Good day friends!

Today’s reflection is very short and simple. Salvation is for everyone! Our text begins with the story of Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector and a wealthy man. Tax collectors had a bad reputation of taking people’s money in addition to the tax they collected and they were despised for that. Zacchaeus heard of Jesus passing through Jericho and because of his short stature he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree. Jesus saw him and told him to come down for he was staying at his house today. Of course some people began to grumble and say Jesus has gone to stay at the house of a sinner. Zacchaeus in the meantime pledged to give half his possession to the poor and repay four times the amount of anyone he defrauded. It is as this point that Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.

Friends, as I look at the behavior of some of the people I wonder how do we view those we tend to label as “sinners”? For these people Zacchaeus was a sinner and Jesus who is righteous should have no interaction with him. It makes me wonder if some of us, even as Christians, don’t have this same view? We look at some people and how they dress, carry themselves, listen to their speech and draw the conclusion that they are sinners and we should not interact with them. So we stay away from the prostitutes, the scammers, the weed distributors, the thieves, the gunman, the whore monger, and the drunkard, because we label them as wicked people. There are even some churches that do not minister to these people, because they do not fall into the category of people they want to be at their church. How wrong they are for having this view.

Here is how Jesus looks at the “sinners.” I keep putting “sinners” in inverted commas because before we met Jesus we all were “sinners” and some of us even after meeting Jesus are still the same “sinners” or even worse off than before we met Jesus. But back to the point I’m making. Jesus views “sinners” as “son of Abraham.” This is important, because all of the Jews came from Abraham. So in essence Jesus still saw the “sinner” as part of the special people He loves known as the Jews. Let’s translate it to today’s context. Jesus died for everyone that is the thief, gunman, scammer, prostitute, whore monger, the liar, and the murderer, because He loves them and still sees them as his children.

So if Jesus loves the thief, gunman, scammer, prostitute, whore monger, the liar, and the murderer and sees them as His children, then they are our brothers and sisters that we must show love to. Salvation is not exclusive it is available to everyone.

Shalom

Christopher Euphfa

The Power of God’s Word

As a child we were part of the building of a tank or cistern in our yard. Our task was to help with the digging and excavating of the hole in the ground. True to the lay of the land, we encountered some enormous rocks that we had to hammer away at and even burn with huge bonfires in order to break them into pieces. Today’s watchword is a reminder of the power of the word of God, the power of the gospel to effect change in the hearts and lives of humankind. Is not my word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? Jeremiah 23: 29.

When we think of fire in the Bible, we are reminded of the presence of God with the children of Israel in a pillar of fire during the nights as they travelled through the wilderness. We also see fire as refiner for precious metals as it burns out impurities. In the same way, in the Bible, the hammer is used to beat metal into smoothness, to break hard rocks, and to fasten things. Both fire and hammer are tools used to accomplish difficult tasks. Jeremiah’s words are better understood in the context within which they were given. God was expressing his displeasure at the prophets who spoke only the words that people wanted to hear. These prophesies did not challenge people to change their ways, to submit their hearts in obedience and to return to God. These should always be the effect of God’s word on the hearer. A failure on the part of the prophet to be faithful conveyers of God’s word, negated the power and effectiveness of the word on the hearer. God’s word ought to challenge the hearers to better living. God’s word has the power to heal and deliver (Psalm 107: 20). God’s word is a light that guides us on life’s journey (Psalm 119: 105). God’s word never fails to accomplish God’s will (Isaiah 55: 11). God’s words have the power to keep us from sinning (Psalm 119: 11). God’s word stands forever (Is 40: 8). To be on the receiving end or to hear anything less than the authentic, Spirit guided, soul searching word of God is to lose out on the power and lifechanging impact of God’s word.

In today’s religious climate where many want words that help them to feel good with themselves, there is great resistance to the authentic word of God. This has led to many religious pundits proclaiming a gospel that satisfies the heart of humanity but leaves a longing in the soul. A gospel that leaves us feeling good about ourselves, the service we give to our fellow humans, the way we relate to others who are not like us and the way we care for the less fortunate. While these are good, such gospel sadly does not impact our whole life, neglecting what is most important, our relationship with God. It mirrors the words of the false prophets of Jeremiah’s time. Indeed, the word of God should ignite hearts and souls with the cleansing flame of God’s righteousness. It should set hearts ablaze, hammering away at our human hardness and softening us as we not only seek to be righteous but to lead others along that path of righteousness as well. Paul was clear in his teachings to Timothy on the importance of the word: …it is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. 2 Tim 3: 16. So too was the writer of the Hebrews in 4: 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit. God’s word has the power to align our lives to God’s will. Is it any wonder that satan tries to keep us away from the word of God? Let me encourage you today to remain in, or get close to, God’s word, to rightly discern the word so that the power and the fruits of God’s word may be evident in your daily living. Amen.

Monday Reflection – January 25, 2021
God’s Judgement

For I am with you, says the Lord, to save you; I will make an end of all the nations among which I scattered you, but of you I will not make an end. I will chastise you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished. Jeremiah 30:11

The context of today’s Watchword is God declaring a time of terrible catastrophe that would come upon the Jewish people, known as the time of Jacob’s trouble. God foretells disaster and destruction, yet at the same time God does not want them to fear, but to be confident in His ultimate victory and His promise of salvation. God promises that he would be present with His people to save them. Admittedly, this assurance is not easily believed. The Jews must be looking on their state at this time and are in despair. The Chaldeans and the Assyrians flourished seventy years in every kind of wealth, in luxuries, in honour. What then could the Jews think? Unbelievers and God’s enemies are happy, but they are miserable, being oppressed by hard servitude, living in poverty, and counted as sheep destined for the slaughter.

In this context, God offers hope. God promises that when He begins to punish the Gentile nations, He will destroy them with an utter destruction, no hope will remain for them. However, He will not make an end of His people. Thus, God makes a difference between the punishment inflicted on the ungodly and that by which He will chastise the sins of His people; for the punishment He would inflict on the wicked would be fatal, while the punishment for His people would be only for a time; it would therefore be for correction, cleansing, medicine and salvation.

Jeremiah is surely seeking to mitigate the bitterness of the grief being experienced by God’s people; God would not cast them away. They are to patiently bear the pain, yet with hope of the end. This is a message for all of us as God’s people. God will surely exercise justice and judgement on us for our sinful and wayward ways, yet such is not for annihilation. No! Not so with God. It is for His process of pruning, cutting away, purifying and making new. God takes us through the process so we can become all that He has destined for us, and to be able to do all that He has purposed for our lives. The fiery process is towards fine gold.

Yet, we must also acknowledge that God’s judgement, chastisement and chastening are in moderation. Though He punishes, He is ever mindful of His mercy, and regards not what we deserve, but what we can bear. Therefore, God withholds His hand and gently chastises His people; judgment, yet moderately. Note, God never exceeds due limits so as to be charged for cruelty; God is never so rigorous so as to be charged for injustice. Instead, God exercises judgement mingled with mercy. God knows just how much we can bear, and stays His hand so as to fulfil His promise, “…but of you I will not make an end.”

While under God’s due judgement, Peter admonishes us in today’s New Testament text in 1 Peter 5:6, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time.”

Jermaine Gibson 

Saturday Reflection – 23 January 2021

“The Son of Man came to seek out and save the lost.” St. Luke 19:10

In St. Luke 19, we are told the familiar story of a man by the name of Zacchaeus. We remember from the songs we used to sing that:
“Zacchaeus was a very little man, a very little man was he,
He climbed up into a sycamore tree, for the Lord he wanted to see.”

This exchange between Jesus and Zacchaeus was one of those which embodies the true nature of love and mercy that God has shown to humanity. Zacchaeus was a tax collector, in a society where tax collectors were despised. This was so because they became rich from unjust and corrupt taxation practices. Being a social reject, the news of Jesus passing by would no doubt inspire a large crowd. And that would not be a hospitable place for Zacchaeus to find himself. Furthermore, being short, he would not be able to push or see above the large crowd to see the Messiah as he passed by. Fortunate for him, there was a sycamore tree, ahead of the gathering and having climbed it, he would get a better view. Having done so, Jesus noticed him and called him down. He never pointed him out to call him out on his unjust practices but told invited himself to his house. It was that faith coupled with Christ’s love that transformed his life and allowed him to turn to righteousness.

Zacchaeus was both short and hated. Therefore, the possibility of someone helping him was slim to non-existent. But he heard that the Messiah was passing by and wanted to catch a glimpse of him. It was that conviction that made him undaunted by the crowd and sought to climb the sycamore tree. We must never allow the barriers that are presented to us, to prevent us from seeking Christ. Ultimately, Zacchaeus was called on and rewarded for his persistence. Even now, where the effects of last year still linger on, many of us, have become despondent, have lost zeal or passion for Christ, or many of us, have become comfortable in the grace and love of Christ. But Zacchaeus was not comfortable with only hearing Jesus speak, through covered by the large crowd, and would now allow that moment of transformation, of change, or refreshing, or of renewal to pass him by. We must still be persistent in our faith, for as Christ reaches out to us, we must each day, still desire a more intimate relationship with our Lord.

The doctrinal text is a reminder of the true heart of God. This love demonstrated in the Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary opens the door for anyone that would receive him. And in boldly seeking – there shall be find and be transformed. Like Zacchaeus, we may be prompted to come down from the sycamore tree, and in humility to accept the gift so freely given to us. It is for us to acknowledge our own deficiencies and submit to the will of God who is the author and finisher of our faith. Even as Christians, Zacchaeus’ experience may be ours as we are called to our first love. Whatever the cause, there is refreshing and renewal in every experience with Jesus.

Finally, though the crowds grumbled and wished to denounce Christ as one who ate and drank with sinners. His example taught us our true role and responsibility as his ambassadors. It is often said that “the church is a hospital for sinners and not a club for saints.” Many times, whether unknowingly or deliberately, we ourselves become barriers to the loving welcome that Christ offers to those outside of his grace. Zacchaeus had to break down the barrier but there are those who are not able to do so, and as such will forever remain outside of grace. Let us then be determined to follow Christ’s example and with the same love and in the same welcome, receive anyone who would come to know Christ as Lord.

Until next week, we are reminded that Christ demonstrated his love for us, in that moment when like Zacchaeus, we met the good shepherd and like lost sheep were welcomed home. Let that moment inspire true worship and service to God who called us from darkness into his marvellous light. And let us then exhibit that same attitude of love to others, in gratitude to our God who is love. For the world will know we are Christians, by our love. Amen.

Dominic J. Blair

Friday Reflection- Jan 22, 2021

It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Philippians 2: 13

A pleasant morning church family, I pray you are all blessed, highly favored and in good health.

I know sometimes as Christians we feel discouraged or hopeless or feel as if we are not doing all the things faithful Christians should be doing . In this text Paul reassures us that we can serve God without fear because he is at work in us .

A lot of us are stuck in a now mind frame. We want God to answer our prayers now , we want to be healed now , we want that job now but life does not work that way. Everything that God does for us is a process and he does it in his timing. The difficult part about trusting God’s timing is having to wait. The good thing about waiting is that while we wait God is working. He is working to prepare us for what we prayed for . You might have prayed for a job , sent out applications but you were not successful. In the interim God was molding us and going to work in us that when he finally blesses you with that job , you are the best at it .

As believers, we can produce all the good works that God has prepared for us in advance. When we abide in God, trust his word and walk in spirit and truth , we are demonstrating faith, for without faith it is impossible to please God. We also need to submit ourselves to the Spirit daily so that God can work in you Himself and we can do the good work He prepared us to do.

If you’re waiting to see God’s work in your life don’t give up . He is constantly working in you no matter the situation you face and one day His work will be reflected through you.

Have a wonderful day

Toni Ann Poyser

Thursday Reflection

January 21, 2021

The breath of life

Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. Genesis 2:7 NRSV

Greeting Friends!

What is humanity without God? The answer to that question is nothing. Our text for today takes us to the creation story in Genesis chapter 2. We are told in this account that in the day when God made the heavens and the earth there was no plant on the earth for God had not yet caused it to rain upon the earth.

However, the Lord allowed a stream to rise up on the whole face of the earth and water the earth. It is at this point that the Lord formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostril the breath of life and the man became a living being.

Friends, as we examine verse 7 there are a few points I want to share with us.

1.) We were formed
As a child growing up watching cartoons, we were taught babies were delivered to parents by a stork. We would see the stork flying holding the baby by its diapers and then delivering them to parents who had requested them. As you got older you realized that babies did not come from storks but from your parents through intercourse.

But as I continued thinking about this I realized there must have been an origin point and this is it. We were formed by God. I can just imagine God as an expert sculptor taking his time to ensure that every organ and intricate detail was sculpted properly. God formed us.

2.) We’re equal

God the expert sculptor formed us from dust. We all have the same material that made us and that is dust. God took dust from the ground and made us. Therefore, we are all coming from the same place. Some weren’t made from the stream, or the clouds or from the trees. No! We were made from dust. The name Adam is translated man or humanity. So God made humanity from dust. Therefore, if we all are from dust then we all are equal. No one is greater or better than the other. God formed us from dust.

3.) God breathed life

Humanity have many creation. Some of these creations have become part of our everyday life and we cannot do without. But of all the creation that humanity has made they cannot breathe life into them. God took his creation that he made from dusk, but it was not complete. All He had was a form of man but it was lacking. So He breathe life into his creation. The breath of life that caused what was considered lifeless to now be alive. This dust formed man and became into a living being. Man can now breathe, think, live and operate on “it’s own”, even though the truth is we still need God for every aspect of life.

I want to look at this breath of life from another aspect as well. Many of us feel that we are facing situations that are dead or just there but nothing is happening. I want to remind you that the Lord has the breath of life to breathe into any situation that is considered lifeless and give it life. God can breath on any condition thought to be dying and make it live again.

So back to my original question what is humanity without God. The answer we are nothing; not even dust. What is humanity with God? We’re living beings. What is your situation without God? It’s nothing. What is it with God? It is alive and well.

Ask God to breathe the breath of life into your dead situations and see how they change to living situations of hope, joy and peace

Shalom

Christopher Euphfa

Comfort for Those Who Mourn

When we think that as of this moment over two million people worldwide have died from COVID-19, and when we realize that deaths from other conditions such as cancer and heart disease have far surpassed the number of COVID deaths, we realize that the world is indeed in mourning. This realization makes relevant, today’s watchword from Isaiah 61. Here the prophet declares the anointing of God’s spirit upon Him as he carried out a ministry of healing and reconciliation. While he and others who were so anointed would have been only partially able to fulfill this mandate, Isaiah was also pointing to God’s anointed one, Jesus, who alone would completely fulfill this prophecy. Today’s Watchword is part of the first two verses of Isaiah 61: “The Lord has sent me to comfort all who mourn.”

While the prophecy of Isaiah offered hope to Judah in a time of crisis, it also speaks clearly to us today as we too face crisis. It tells us that in all that we are going through, we are not alone. The Savior, our Lord, is with us, offering comfort to those who are in mourning. Death has a way of invading our lives at the least expected and most unprepared for moments. We lose those we love and are left with an emptiness that we know will never be filled. We are however comforted by the presence, care and kindness of our loved ones. Indeed, the community gets the opportunity to extend God’s comfort through our actions as we journey with those who mourn. At the same time, those who mourn are assured that they are never alone. Our Lord has promised his presence in times of mourning. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. John 14: 18. The presence of the Holy Spirit offers us the comfort we need as we face the many situations in life that makes us weep and mourn. In John 14: 26 Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as ‘The Comforter’ sent by God to be with us. This is Immanuel, the assurance of God with us.

There is however another dimension to today’s text. There is a stronger aspect of the saving grace of God at work through this anointing. Jesus is anointed to offer us the relief we need when we come to terms with our sinful and fallen condition. Only the anointed can meet us in our brokenness and give us the comfort which we truly crave. The Holy Spirit sighs with us, grieves with us for our sinful brokenness, and bears us up as we mourn or lament. This lament which is due to our grief is a display penitence for our sinfulness and we are promised comfort, and forgiveness for such repentance. Psalm 34: 18 reminds us: The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Dear friends, Jesus offers comfort to all who mourn. Whether you mourn the loss of a loved one, or you have become broken and contrite as you seek reconciliation with God, I invite you to remember what Jesus promised in Matt 5: 4, today’s doctrinal text. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Amen.