Friday Reflection January 14, 2021

Rejoice!

Good morning friends! Happy Friday!

Today’s text for reflection is from the book of Psalms chapter 126 and verse 3.

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalms 126:3 NIV

Background
This verse is the center of the entire psalm! The utterances of God’s people when they came out of Babylon’s captivity and into their own country. The People’s deliverance was so magnificent and wonderful that when God brought it to pass it was like a dream!

Discussion
Being in captivity is no walk in the park! No one enjoys being held against their will in a strange place. Imagine you are taken from your own country and held captive in a far away land! Not a good feeling, but what if one day you were rescued and brought back to your own country? How would that make you feel?

As children of God we go through many afflictions. We might not necessarily be held captive in a foreign country, but we might be in situations that make us feel enslaved. Marriages, jobs, families, and the list goes on. We may have felt hopeless many times in our lives. Like there is no point of return, it is as if things will never get better. But then God showed up and showed himself strong and you were delivered! Did you rejoice?

Application
It is good to give thanks unto the Lord for His goodness towards us! The best response we can ever give to God for his goodness is praise! Respond like the children of Israel! The Lord has done good things for us and we are filled with joy!
other versions say we rejoiced. As you go through the weekend try to remember that their is nothing too hard for God and He is able to pull you from any captive situation you may find yourself in.

Prayer
Pray this prayer with me friends:

Dear Lord! Savior and King! Thank you for all that you have done in my life. Thank you for your patience, kindness, gentleness and your love. Thank you for your great deliverance! I rejoice in you for everything that you have done for me in 2021 and all you will do for me in 2022. Be with me and continue to deliver me as I continue to walk with you. In Jesus name amen!

Shaneka Raymore Euphfa

Thursday Reflection January 13, 2022 God is great

Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!” Psalms 70:4 NRSV
https://bible.com/bible/2016/psa.70.4.NRSV

Greeting friends,

The Psalm today is a cry for help. The author, King David, calls on the Lord for help. This help is urgent as he asks the Lord to make haste to help him. His enemies are trying to kill him, but he asks the Lord to confuse them and instead put them to shame.

In the midst of all of this though he offers encouragement to those who seek the Lord and love His salvation. He charges them to rejoice and be glad in the Lord stating forevermore that, “God is great”. He ends the Psalm how he began asking the Lord to deliver him and not delay.

Friends, as we look at David’s prayer for help we at times can share some of the concerns David has. Whilst, we might not have persons trying to kill us, some of us have gone up against those who try to put us to shame or we face dire and urgent need of help. Like David we ask the Lord to help us urgently, because the situation we face requires immediate resolution.

There is nothing wrong with making urgent requests of the Lord, even though God is not bounded by our time and operates as He sees fit. David emptied himself to the Lord, which is a lesson we can learn from David. He’s specific about his request. He wants those who are trying to kill him to be put to shame instead. Likewise, we too should be specific about our requests of the Lord. State what we need help with and leave it in the hands of the Lord.

As I reflected on this Psalm, there is a standout verse which is the verse for today. David charges those who seek the Lord to rejoice and be glad. Let us remember David is still seeking the Lord’s help, but in the midst of this he calls us to worship the Lord and be happy in God. This might sound a bit farfetched, but the key to doing this is evident in the verse.

David says, “Let all who seek you [God]. The ability to rejoice and be glad during trials or difficulties has a lot to do with seeking God. Those who seek God focus is centered on God and what God can and will do. That’s why David says, “let those who love your salvation”. They know God is a saviour despite what they go through and God has proven himself to be such. How many of us can testify that God has saved us from various challenges and difficulties in our life? All of us if we are being honest. That’s why David says those who love God’s salvation should say, “God is great”

In the midst of turmoil we are called to still praise the Lord. In the midst of specific requests to God we should still praise the Lord. Why do we do that? Simple, because God has saved us time and time again He is great.

So today just make that declaration, God is great!

Shalom

Christopher Euphfa

Wednesday Reflection, January 12, 2022 One True God

But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. Jeremiah 10:10

In a world on uncertainty and daily struggles it is quite easy for one to get distracted and or lose sight of the things that are real and right.

In Jeremiah chapter 10 the Lord speaks through the peophet Jeremiah and instructs the people not to stray or seek or worship idols. They were to be mindful of the fact that there was only one God, Yahweh.

The people were warned to separate themselves from the people who did not know God as in aligning themselves with the gentiles they began to practice idolatry. They were to not to spend their time looking to the sky as in ancient times astrology was used to discern signs and warnings in the sky which led them to say, they saw fearful things in the signs of heaven.

Today brothers and sisters, there be so many distractions, detractors and idols. It is impetative that those who are called by God, those who believe in Him and proclaim His righteousness stand firm and be resolute in their walk of faith. As astrologers and palm readers advertise their offerings and churches increase, crime and violence and covid19 contend; the christian must know, must remember who God is.

In our New Testament text, Matthew 11:25, Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants.’

May we seek to be like little children, infants who are inquisitive and know no fear or danger, may we trust God as we keep His commands and serve and praise only Him.

Amen

Kerone Lamoth

Keep Your Vows To God

When we pledge or vow to God, we should make it our duty to fulfill our words. In Ecclesiastes 5 we are challenged to be reverent in our worship of God. Solomon challenges us to think carefully and consequentially when we approach God. This is because our words and actions before God will have consequences. If we make a pledge or a vow, we should be prepared to keep it or face the consequences of our broken words. The emphasis should not be on our words or even on our actions, but on our relationship with God. Thus, today’s watchword says: For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fear God. Ecc 5: 7

As we examine the text, it helps to look at the preceding verses. When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed— 5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay. 6 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your [a]excuse and destroy the work of your hands? Solomon implores us to keep our vows to God. Do not find excuses, for which excuse can suffice for an explanation of our failure to keep our vows to God? We sometimes fool ourselves by saying ‘God will understand’. This however is not the truth. God expects us to keep our words just as He keeps His words towards us. It takes effort and determination, and it will be worth it in the end. It is an honorable act to keep our vows to God.

What can we do, or how can we ensure that we keep our vows to God? Solomon gives us the answer in the last two words of the text. ‘Fear God’. To fear God is not to be afraid of God but to reverence and respect God. When we reverence and respect God, we will do only what is pleasing to God. We will keep our vows to God. Prov 9: 10 tells us that: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. In Job 28: 28 it adds ‘and to shun evil is understanding’. To break our vows our sacred promise to God means we went and did something we promised not to do, or we did not do something we promised to do. This is sinful action that results from our unfaithfulness. The truly wise person has learned what it means to fear God and keep His commands. There will be no need to make excuses for broken vows. It is a recognition that our complete duty or responsibility to God is fulfilled by fearing God and keeping his commandments. My prayer for us then dear friends is that we will be true to our vows and therefore experience the blessings of being faithful to our God.