Wednesday Reflection, April 28, 2021
A Considerate Father
Brothers and sisters, I greet you well. Have you ever done a favor for someone or shown them kindness yet they appear oblivious to all you do. There may be some who might argue that you don’t do enough and keep expecting or demanding more.
What of Parents who have ungrateful children yet they remain patient with them. They still love them and provide for them.
In Hosea 11, the Lord God spoke through the prophet, as if experiencing a state of nostalgia, He recalled when Israel was a young nation and how He loved, protected, provided for and rescued them from those who sought to oppress and enslave them in Egypt. Even into adulthood, they were still being protected and provided for. In today’s watchword, Hosea 11:3 Jehovah says, ‘I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.’
Freedom and grace were given to the people yet they kept returning to the familiarity of sin. The Lord was always with them, accessible to them and watching over them; still they sought to bow down to the gods of their oppressors or that they acquired along the way whilst ignoring the God who was able to save and to keep and sanctify them.
Brothers and sisters, how different are we today? What of our thoughts? What of the tendency we have to ignore all that we have been blessed with in pursuit of more? What of the lies we believe? What of those lies we tell and the lies we live?
The Lord made it known that the very same people He loved, called and claimed as His were determined to turn away/ to backslide although they referred to Him as Most High God. Friends, who are you calling God today? Are your lips sweet as honey calling Him? What of your heart? What of your actions?
No matter where or who you are today, the Lord loves you with an unwavering love. Disobedience might have taken you down the wrong path but we are further encouraged by our brother Peter who wrote in 2 Peter 3:15 ‘bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation.
As we consider how we react to how others treat us, may we also consider how we treat others but more importantly how God treats us. And worship him accordingly.
Until next week, be confident in our Father’s unfailing love and remember that it is through God’s patience with that we receive salvation.
Amen
Kerone Lamoth

Friday Reflection – April 30, 2021
The Gospel of Peace

The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)Acts 10:36 KJV 
*Background*
Jesus did not come into the world, for some, but for all men: Jews , Gentiles and all nations. It was foretold through the prophet Isaiah ( 9:6-7) and again in Acts chapter 10, we hear Peter proclaiming this same Gospel of peace ( Jesus is Lord of all).
*Application*
 Jesus Christ, by whom peace is made between God and man, is Lord of all. *There are 3 things we should note about this Gospel of peace:*
1.  The Gospel of peace through Jesus Christ advocates for right standing not just with God, but also peace among men ( all nations).
2. The Gospel of peace is the extended grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to ALL people. Not Just ‘Christians’, but to all those who seek a relationship with him. 
3. The Gospel of peace is everlasting. There is no end to this peace that is offered through Jesus Christ. 
*Pronouncement*
May the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and mind in Christ Jesus. May you be able to stand before God and man as one who is overshadowed by the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. May your mouth speak only the things that will facilitate peace and love. May you never forget or discredit the peace which Jesus offers to all people. Let peace everlasting guide you in the way you are to go. 
Until next week, let the beauty of Jesus be seen in you.
Many Blessings,Shaneka Raymore Euphfa

Thursday Reflection – April 29, 2021Jesus our Advocate

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1 NRSV
Good night friends,
We have breaking news. We now go to court in session.
Bailiff: Please rise. The Court of the Heavenly Kingdom, is now in session, the Honorable Judge the Lord God Almighty presiding. 
God: Everyone may be seated.God: Let me remind you that this is a bench trial where I am judge and jury. 
God: Bailiff what is today’s case? 
Bailiff: Your Honour, today’s case is The Kingdom of Heaven versus the person reading or listening this reflection.   
God: Is the prosecution ready? 
Satan: Yes, Your Honour.  
God: Is the defense ready? Jesus: Yes, Your Honor.  
God: Satan can you give us your opening statement. 
Satan: God today I will prove that the person reading this message has sinned against you and is deserving of death. This person has sinned against you not once, not twice but countless times. We know what the scripture says, “For the wages of sin is death” and this sinner before you deserves to die. How can a just God be associated with such a sinful person. 
In 1 John chapter 1 Saint John says that those who have fellowship with him and live in darkness lie and do not have the truth in them. The person reading this has sinned and therefore the truth is not within them, hence they are deserving of death. That is all your honour. Thank you. 
God: Jesus your opening statement. How does your client plead? 
Jesus: My client pleads guilty your honour. Indeed the person reading this has sinned. There is no doubt about that. Indeed the punishment for sin is death. But I want to highlight that my client does not make sinning  a habit as Satan puts it.  If Satan had continued reading into chapter 2 of said 1 John he would have realised that whilst we do not want anyone to sin, however  IF by some moment of weakness they do sin, the person who sins has an advocate in Jesus. 
Your honour Satan is trying to create the picture that this person is deserving of death, but must I remind Satan as advocate I’ve already paid the price for this person’s sin.  Therefore, the sin of the person reading and listening to this reflection is not held against them once they have accepted me in their heart and sincerely confess their sin. 
God: I’ve listened to both arguments and I have decided to dismiss the case against the person reading this Reflection. Once they accepted my son Jesus and confessed their sins, they are free to go. Case dismissed. Court adjourned. 
Friends we have an advocate who makes Intercession for us when we sin. This does not mean we continue sinning because of our advocate but in the event that we do Jesus is there for us. 
Shalom
Christopher Euphfa

Wednesday Reflection, April 28, 2021
A Considerate Father
Brothers and sisters, I greet you well. Have you ever done a favor for someone or shown them kindness yet they appear oblivious to all you do. There may be some who might argue that you don’t do enough and keep expecting or demanding more.
What of Parents who have ungrateful children yet they remain patient with them. They still love them and provide for them.
In Hosea 11, the Lord God spoke through the prophet, as if experiencing a state of nostalgia, He recalled when Israel was a young nation and how He loved, protected, provided for and rescued them from those who sought to oppress and enslave them in Egypt. Even into adulthood, they were still being protected and provided for. In today’s watchword, Hosea 11:3 Jehovah says, ‘I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.’
Freedom and grace were given to the people yet they kept returning to the familiarity of sin. The Lord was always with them, accessible to them and watching over them; still they sought to bow down to the gods of their oppressors or that they acquired along the way whilst ignoring the God who was able to save and to keep and sanctify them.
Brothers and sisters, how different are we today? What of our thoughts? What of the tendency we have to ignore all that we have been blessed with in pursuit of more? What of the lies we believe? What of those lies we tell and the lies we live?
The Lord made it known that the very same people He loved, called and claimed as His were determined to turn away/ to backslide although they referred to Him as Most High God. Friends, who are you calling God today? Are your lips sweet as honey calling Him? What of your heart? What of your actions?
No matter where or who you are today, the Lord loves you with an unwavering love. Disobedience might have taken you down the wrong path but we are further encouraged by our brother Peter who wrote in 2 Peter 3:15 ‘bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation.
As we consider how we react to how others treat us, may we also consider how we treat others but more importantly how God treats us. And worship him accordingly.
Until next week, be confident in our Father’s unfailing love and remember that it is through God’s patience with that we receive salvation.
Amen
Kerone Lamoth

Monday Reflection – April 26, 2021The Power of Light
It shall be one day which is known to the Lord – neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen that it will be light. Zechariah 14:7
We all walk around with varying degrees of fear for one thing or another. For some, the fear of failure; for some, criticisms; for some, the loss of a loved one; many fear death, and the list goes on. While some of our fears are mild, others have become phobias, which is an excessive level of fear that impacts one’s day to day life. One such phobia is nyctophobia, which is an extreme fear of night or darkness that can cause intense symptoms of anxiety and depression. While fear of the dark is normal for children, it can escalate to a phobia. Such fear exists mainly because of the lack of any visual stimuli, where we are not able to see what is around us.
While night and darkness are a part of our current reality, the prophet Zechariah speaks of a time when darkness will fade and only God’s light will be experienced. In the context of Zechariah 14, the Prophet speaks of a time when Jerusalem will be surrounded and attacked by some type of international force. This attack will be severe, but the city itself will not be overthrown, for the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. In the midst of all this, Zechariah prophesizes of the intervention of the Messiah as He fights for His people. The Messiah will manifest His power by delivering His people and punishing their enemies.
The Messiah will establish His Kingdom which will result in significant changes. These are:

1.      There shall be continuous day, not day and not night, for at evening time there shall be light.

2.      Living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, in summer as in winter.

3.      The Lord will become king over all the earth.

4.      The whole land shall be turned into a plain; Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site and it shall be safely inhabited.Zechariah looked forward to the glory of Jerusalem in the Messiah’s kingdom. The lights that guide their lives will diminish and God will establish His own light. But doesn’t this all sound familiar? The Apostle John, exiled in Patmos, shares his vision of the end times and of the New Jerusalem with us. He says in Revelation 22:5: “And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” He says also in Revelation 21:23: “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.”  
While darkness looms and we wait in hope and great anticipation of the New Jerusalem, let us be guided by Christ, who declares, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). And may we live remembering Christ’s declaration to us that we are the light of the world and we should let our lights shine (Matthew 5:14-16).   
Jermaine Gibson 

Real Faith

If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up. Daniel 3:17-18James Schaap, in his book “Intermission,” outlines two ways that we can read this famous story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He says that the first way is: There stand three men, shoulders back, heads up in front of a crowd, smiling and laughing, full of confidence that nothing will harm them. They know God will save them. The men who throw them into the furnace are burned like paper because the fire is so intensely hot, but the three men stand there, untouched by the flames, their robes hanging gently at their sides.If we read the experience of the three Hebrew boys this way, we are aligned to a materialistic kind of faith, a success and riches kind of Christianity. Many preachers articulate this sort of faith, a gospel of wealth and happiness! “Believe in Jesus and you will be prosperous and nothing bad will ever come your way.” David Wilkinson, in his book, “The Prayer of Jabez”, says that he wants to teach people how to pray a daring prayer that God always answers. He posits that when we pray this prayer the result is prosperity, miracles, and financial blessings. I believe that this kind of faith is meaningless. When bad things happen, as they surely will, we either have to conclude we don’t have this faith, or that this faith is not worth having. We do well to remind ourselves that as long as we live in a sin-filled and imperfect world bad things will happen to us.Schaap says that the second way to read this story is: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are confident, but they are confident of something more important than being saved from the fire: they are confident of eternal salvation. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego know that their God is more than able to save them from the blazing furnace if He wants to, but they don’t know if God will save them. They knew that a walk into the kingdom’s hottest furnace was not just another stroll through the park. They did not know what God would do. They had a real kind of faith; the one that doesn’t pretend to know all of God’s ways, a faith that doesn’t pretend that nothing bad ever happens to God’s children. They did not doubt God’s ability, but neither did they presume to know God’s will.Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego don’t know God’s plans, but they remain completely faithful to God. They tell Nebuchadnezzar that even if God does not save them, they will not serve his gods nor worship the golden statue that he had set up. Daniel’s three friends knew God and had a living relationship with Him. Thus, they dared to stand up for Yahweh even when every other knee and head bows down. As we face the bad that God permits in our lives, as we face hardships and trials, we are being challenged to have the kind of faith that Daniel’s three friends had. The faith that continues to do right even if it costs us our lives. We can hear the words of Job echoing: Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him (13:15).Jermaine Gibson

Monday Reflection – March 08, 2021
Crying out to God

Asa cried to the Lord his God, “Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let no mortal prevail against you.” 2 Chronicles 14:11

Asa, the great-grandson of Solomon, took the throne of Judah at the end of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. The Bible notes that he did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord. Asa started out by launching a reform movement that lashed out against idolatry, and such reforms were very thorough. While he could not force the people of Judah to seek the Lord and obey him, Asa commanded them with moral force and with his own example. He removed the high places that were dedicated to idols, but not the ones that were dedicated to Yahweh. It is no wonder that the King and his kingdom enjoyed peace and quietness and the Lord gave Asa rest, at least at the start.

Interestingly, even though the people enjoyed peace, Asa built fortified cities in Judah. Though he had no war, yet he provided for it. He emphasized strengthening the nation’s defense. Asa likely discerned that before long the enemies of Judah would come for battle. Well, the Ethiopians were first in line. They came out with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots. The army of Judah had only 580,000 men. Trouble loomed as the Ethiopian army obviously posed a great threat to the kingdom of Judah, especially since it was almost twice as large.

What would the Commander-in-Chief do? Well, Asa clearly decided that he would not back down, for he led his army out in battle against his enemy. But then, we encounter today’s Watchword – He cried out to the Lord. In his prayer Asa correctly understood that God’s power was not enhanced or limited by man’s apparent strength or weakness. He affirmed that their trust was in God. He declared that they were entering this battle in God’s name. He recognized that this battle belonged to the Lord and called upon God to defend His honour – do not let man prevail against you! With God’s integrity, name and power at stake, God answered powerfully by fighting the battle and striking the Ethiopians.

Admittedly, Asa did the wisest thing that he could by crying out to God. We learn that whenever we are faced with insurmountable odds, it is wise to pray. When it seems hopeless to go on, it is wise to pray. When we lack strength for the battle, we can cry out to God. We remind ourselves that the mightiest army of man is nothing against Almighty God; the word difficult is not in God’s vocabulary. One of the challenges we face is that we fail to rest on and trust fully in God. We are prone to pray and worry, or we pray and try to work it out. How beautiful it is to rest on God! We also affirm that when we go in God’s name, He fights on our behalf and secures the victory.

Jermaine Gibson 

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