Friday Reflection December 17, 2021

Hope in God

Good morning Friends,
Happy Holidays! 🎄

Today’s reflection takes us to the book of Lamentations , chapter 3:24. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will hope in him.”
Lamentations 3:24 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/lam.3.24.NIV

Brief Background

The book of Lamentations is said to have been written by the prophet Jeremiah. In this specific chapter, he speaks of his afflictions and the difficult times he had. But in verse 24, he boldly express that in spite of that, and because of the fact that God’s mercies and love are new every morning and does not fail, He could boldly declare; the Lord is my portion, therefore I hope in Him

Application
Like Jeremiah, we are faced with challenges and difficult times. Not just personally, but as a church, as a community and as a nation. We continue to face our own personal fears of crime and violence, family disputes and some of us face numerous struggles with our faith. We continue to see the gospel being watered down daily by false prophets who have no intention of winning souls for the kingdom, but for their own selfish gain. We continue to experience the unfairness of the political system and the abuse of those in power. And the list goes on and on!

But like Jeremiah, we know in whom we have believed and are persuaded that He is able to keep us and all that we have committed to Him. No matter what we may be called upon to suffer in this life, we KNOW that God is faithful and will not cause us to be consumed by this world. We are more than conquerors in Him that love us! It is not by might nor power that we will overcome this present world, but it is by His Spirit!

God is a promise keeper, and so like Jeremiah, we too without a shadow of doubt can proclaim, “The Lord is my portion – therefore I have hope in Him.”

As you journey through today and the rest of 2021. Always remember these words, say them over and over until they become apart of you!

Untill next time, God bless you!

Shaneka Raymore Euphfa

Friday Reflection December 17, 2021

Hope in God

Good morning Friends,
Happy Holidays! 🎄

Today’s reflection takes us to the book of Lamentations , chapter 3:24. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will hope in him.”
Lamentations 3:24 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/lam.3.24.NIV

Brief Background

The book of Lamentations is said to have been written by the prophet Jeremiah. In this specific chapter, he speaks of his afflictions and the difficult times he had. But in verse 24, he boldly express that in spite of that, and because of the fact that God’s mercies and love are new every morning and does not fail, He could boldly declare; the Lord is my portion, therefore I hope in Him

Application
Like Jeremiah, we are faced with challenges and difficult times. Not just personally, but as a church, as a community and as a nation. We continue to face our own personal fears of crime and violence, family disputes and some of us face numerous struggles with our faith. We continue to see the gospel being watered down daily by false prophets who have no intention of winning souls for the kingdom, but for their own selfish gain. We continue to experience the unfairness of the political system and the abuse of those in power. And the list goes on and on!

But like Jeremiah, we know in whom we have believed and are persuaded that He is able to keep us and all that we have committed to Him. No matter what we may be called upon to suffer in this life, we KNOW that God is faithful and will not cause us to be consumed by this world. We are more than conquerors in Him that love us! It is not by might nor power that we will overcome this present world, but it is by His Spirit!

God is a promise keeper, and so like Jeremiah, we too without a shadow of doubt can proclaim, “The Lord is my portion – therefore I have hope in Him.”

As you journey through today and the rest of 2021. Always remember these words, say them over and over until they become apart of you!

Untill next time, God bless you!

Shaneka Raymore Euphfa

Thursday Reflection December 16, 2021

Never Alone

And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

Greeting friends,

Have you ever felt alone and sad? Have you ever felt abandoned, especially by someone you love and trust? What about overwhelmed with no indication of help? It’s easy to forget the presence of Jesus with us.

In St Matthew 28 the disciples were seeing Jesus face to face for the very final time. This is after his Resurrection and his appearance to the disciples. However, this will be the final time that they see him on earth. In Jesus’s charge to His disciples He encouraged them to go into all the world baptising in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He also charged them to teach the people what they have learnt from Jesus and reminded them that they are not alone.

Friends, despite the foreknowledge of what was to come which was Jesus’s return to be with His Father, I could just imagine how the disciples might have left or the thoughts that ran through their minds. Its probably the same thought Jesus had of them. “Here it is we had Jesus with us. Then He wasn’t with us. He then came back to us and now He’s going away. We’re going to be alone again.”

There are times that we go through situations in life and we for certain feel the presence of God in our lives. Without a doubt we know that God is there. We can testify, because we see His hand at work and we say, “God you good ehh” but then there are times we wonder where is Jesus. We no longer feel His presence and we definitely cannot see His hands at work. It is during these times that we feel alone, abandoned, neglected and even forgotten. It is during these times our thoughts run wild and we question even our own relationship with God.

Jesus was aware that these moments would occur for the disciples and by extension even for us. Hence, He said, “And remember…” In the times that we do not feel the presence of God or His hand at work, we are called to remember. Sometimes we forget or don’t even want to remember, but we must remember. We must call to mind.

What must we call to mind? That Jesus is with us even to the end of age. Hallelujah! Jesus is with us always! We’re never alone Even when we do not feel his presence or see His hand at work, He is still with us. Even when everyone around us has abandoned us and we’re left to our thoughts and our tears, Jesus is still with us. When life’s challenges are stacked against us and there seems to be no one to help, Jesus is still with you. Even when you’re dead and in the grave Jesus is still with you. He said to His disciples, “I am with you always, to the end of age.” Glory be to God.!

So friends, I charge us today to remember. Remember that you’re never alone, because Jesus is always with you.

Shalom

Christopher Euphfa

Wednesday Reflection, December 15, 2021

Jehovah Rapha

For thus says the Lord: Your hurt is incurable, your wound is grievous. For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal.
Jeremiah 30:12,17.

Good day friends. Have you ever seen an elderly person behaving in a manner that makes you wonder about their sanity and self respect? Or considered those people who spend most of their time in the gambling houses losing more than they win? Does it bother you when you see young men and women seemingly wasting away, giving in to partying and what would appear to be an incessant urge to drink and/smoke?

I have often pondered the logics of life and it bothers me that after trying and participating in so many things, there are still persons who are still seeking to fulfill the desires of the flesh. Some have been bound by habbits they can’t seem to break and life for many seems a constant up hill.

In today’s watchword, the Lord spoke to a similar set of people. They had dabbled in sin and walked in disobedience for so long that God had to address their unhealthy state.

Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord told the people that there was no cure among men for thehr diseases, they were gravely ill, those who loved them had forsaken them. He explained that because of the magnitude of their sins, the consequences would also be great.

All these,the Lord allowed to happen however, He promised to restore their health and to heal their wounds so that they would know and remember that He was their God.

Friends, what a sad state to be in. A state of illness with no medicine, doctors or loved ones to offer care or support. Imagine all the people I spoke of earlier, imagine you and I as sinful men and women before we became saved by grace.

As we seek God on our own behalf, may we seek Him for those still hurting, aching for a cure. Those who have not yet realized that Jesus is the answer. Today’s doctrinal text from 1 Peter 2:24 reminds us, ‘by his wounds you have been healed’

Brothers and sisters, let us continue to pray for the healing of others as we pray also for ourselves.
Amen

Kerone Lamoth

Strangers in an Alien Land

While I lived in the Cayman Islands, I would caution many persons who cane there on work permit to be careful how they spent their earnings. I didn’t want them to complete their time allowed to work only to find that they had spent all their earnings and now had nothing to go home with. My saying was that they were at work and not at home so should not live as if they were home. They were strangers in a foreign land. The Watchword for today is a reminder of that period in my life, not because I was not feeling at home but because the reality was that I knew the day would come when I would have no more time to remain in that country unless my status changed. I know what it means to live as a stranger in a foreign land. Today’s Watchword is from Psalm 119: 19 I live as an alien in the land.

What does it mean to live as a stranger in a foreign land? It’s different from being a visitor. A visitor already knows that time is limited and even while enjoying the hospitality of the visit, will be busy preparing for the return trip home. When one lives in a land however, one becomes a part of the system, builds relationships with the people, and become a valued contributor to the economy through earning and spending. Strangers are just as valuable to the existence of an economic system as the residents are. While one group is transient and are always being rotated, the other is stable and always in place. The children of Israel considered themselves aliens in the land or strangers in the earth. They were the transient population. We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace 1 Chronicles 29: 15. This was based on the concept that they were on the earth only for a short time so should not live as if they were there forever. Life was thus described like a bird in flight, visible but for a short while, rather than as a mountain or as the sun which were always there. It was a way of recognizing humanity’s greatest limitation, the brevity of life. We are here for a limited time and so should live wisely, making good use of the time we have.

Being strangers in this world also means that as Christians we should not become like the world, but should maintain our difference, our uniqueness as children of God. The concept of being in the world but not of the world comes to mind here. Jesus when he prayed for the disciples did not pray for them to be removed from the world but for them be kept safely, to have a sense of belonging to a better place which He, Jesus would be going to prepare. The call then is for us not to be conformed to the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we might pay keener attention to the things that are godly rather than those that are worldly. To be a stranger is to be careful of who and what we become attached to, it is to ensure that we glorify God and not humanity through our words and work. It is to know that as God’s children we will not be loved, valued or respected by the world. It is to refuse to partake in the sinful actions of the world even if it means we will be looked down on and ostracized. More importantly, it is knowing that this world is not home for us for we long for a better world, one whose builder and maker is God. A city prepared for a prepared people, a people who live not for this world, but for life eternal with Jesus Christ. Yes friends, we await its realization, we await Christ’s return, and we await His invitation to enter our Master’s joy. In this Advent season, may we look forward to His coming not only as a baby for Christmas celebrations, but as the King of Kings to claim and welcome those who faithfully await His return. We are strangers in a foreign land and our time of going home is fast approaching. Let us be prepared. I close with the doctrinal text from Eph 5: 15 and 16 Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time. Amen.