Thursday Reflection January 20, 2022

Worship the Creator

“Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.” Revelation 14:7 NLT https://bible.com/bible/116/rev.14.7.NLT

Greetings friends,

This chapter distinguishes two groups of people: those who believe in Jesus during the tribulation and those who worship the beast. John sees the Lamb, Jesus, and the 144,00 sealed Jewish servants of God standing together on Mount Zion. The scene anticipates the end of the tribulation with the 144,000 celebrating their victory over the beast. Their is also celebration in heaven over their triumph.

The second group surrounds three angels. One that has the Eternal Good News who encourages us to give God glory and worship the Creator. The second angel speaks about the collapse of Babylon and the third angel the eternal punishment of the beast, whose image so many unbelievers worshiped.

This impending judgment is cause for believers to stay loyal to the Lord. Many believers will face martyrdom, but their temporary suffering does not compare with the eternal suffering worshipers of the beast will experience. When Christ returns to earth, the destruction of the wicked will be imminent.

We are also called to worship God, not only because of the judgment to come, but because who God is. We’re called to worship him, because He is creator of the heavens, the earth, and all that lives within. This speaks of the might of the Lord and his greatness. God’s supernatural ability surpasses ours by far and shows how marvelous the Lord is. We’re called to worship the Creator of the world. For in his creation, He has demonstrated His love for us. He has shown us how much he cares and we are called to do likewise.

So I encourage us, let us worship the Creator of the world.

Shalom

Christopher Euphfa

Shepherd Your People With Your Staff.

When we think of the shepherd’s tools of the trade, the first things that come to mind are the rod and the staff. We get this from everyone’s favorite Psalm, Psalm 23: 4. The Shepherd had specific roles for each of his tools including the rod and the staff which were the main tools of his trade. In today’s Watchword the prophet Micah prays to God to lead His people as a shepherd leads his flock. Shepherd your people with your staff. Micah 7: 14

There were three main uses for the shepherd’s staff in Old Testament times. Firstly, the staff was a resting pole for the shepherd when he was at a place where the ground was not dry or comfortable to sit on. When he needed rest during those long periods of caring for the sheep, he would lean on the staff for comfort and support. When God shepherds his people with His staff, we are reminded that God is our refuge and strength, that God provides rest for us when we become weary and a safe resting place when all around us becomes perilous. When we lean on our Lord, He gives us the support we need. Prov 3: 5 & 6 charges us: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Secondly, the staff was a tool for rescuing the sheep. The staff had a curved end. The shepherd would use the curved end to pull a sheep out of bushes that it had become stuck in. He would also use it to help the sheep back to its feet if it fell and couldn’t get up or if it was injured. The staff gave assurance to the sheep since it was used to help them out of a bind or to keep them upright. Jesus told His disciples in John 16: 33 In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. The shepherd uses the staff to help us to overcome the troubles we experience in life. If Jesus remains our shepherd there is hope for us being rescued from the trials and tribulations of life. He who overcame the world, will help us to overcome as well.

Thirdly, the staff served the shepherd as a guide for the sheep. As the shepherd led the sheep across open plains and through rough, rocky and hilly terrain, the staff served as a guide to keep the sheep together. When we think of Psalm 23 we remember the verses that speaks to the Lord leading us along righteous paths and beside still waters. Our Lord guides us as a shepherd leading his sheep, so that we get to where God needs us to be. Only our resistance and disobedience will prevent us from such success and prosperity. Jesus reminded us in the parable of the lost sheep that even when we go astray, the Lord our shepherd will leave the sheep that are safe and venture out to rescue the one that has gone astray and reunite him or her with the fold. God as our shepherd, guides us to peace and restoration with His staff. He guides us into making the best possible decisions and seeking the best possible outcome for our lives.

When we are in need of rest, when we need to be rescued, and when we need guidance, let us remember that God has already provided this for us through our Lord, our Shepherd. May Micah’s prayer then be our constant cry to God as we recognize the need for His leadership in our lives. Lord, shepherd your people with your staff. Amen.

Monday Reflection – January 17, 2022
Praise the Lord!!!

Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting. Psalm 147:1

Psalm 147 is the second of five “Alleluia” hymns that close the Book of Psalms. Each of the last five Psalms starts and ends with the imperative, “Praise the Lord!” Together, these five Psalms put a final powerful note on the book that the Jewish community calls, “Praises” (tehillim). Indeed, the Psalmist closes with an extended summoning of the people to praise. Psalm 147 has three stanzas (verses 1-6, 7-11, 12-20), each of which opens with a call to praise and then outlines the reasons for praise. What should be noted about the call to praise is that it literally calls for a response. The people are called to open our mouths, lift up our voices, and join in the Psalmist’s joyful song. We are challenged to take up the songs that we have learned from the Psalmist and sing those songs out in the world.

I agree with Rolf Jacobson who asserts that we tend to think that the purpose of singing in worship is something we do as part of our relationship with God, as something we do for God. However, the direction of the call to praise at the end by the Psalmist is a little different. We are encouraged here to come to worship, to learn the praise of God, and to go out into the world and sing these songs. The praise that this Psalm calls for is the testimony about God. There are two types of praise. Firstly, there is praise that is sung to God, which generally uses the second person, ‘You’. Then there is praise that is sung about God, which generally uses the third person. For example, “The Lord lifts up the downtrodden; he casts the wicked to the ground” (147:6).

Psalm 147 is exclusively a praise sung about God. Patrick Miller writes, “the purpose of praise [is] . . . to bear witness to all who hear that God is God.” The content of the testimony of Psalm 147 is about God as Creator and Sustainer, and God as Redeemer. Focusing on God as creator, the Psalm emphasizes both the initial act of creation, but also the ongoing, sustaining actions of the creator — providing food, sending rain, and so on. In terms of redemption, the Psalm bears witness to God’s acts of blessing and redemption in Israel’s history, especially to the act of restoring Jerusalem following the Babylonian exile.

David summons us to praise God, as we sing our praises about God. For what shall we sing about God today? I firmly believe that we all have enough, indeed more than enough, reasons to sing about God. Shall we be ungrateful and withhold our praise? Shall we turn to ourselves and praise ourselves, thus committing idolatry? God deserves every measure of our praise and every opportunity we get, privately and corporately, should be spent in sincere praise about God. The world should know what God has done for us, through our praise about God. Such praise should not only be about our words and gestures in worship, but our entire lives should be a reflection of God’s lordship over our lives and our commitment to honour Him in every aspect of our living.

May God forever be praised! Praise the Lord!

Jermaine Gibson 

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.

Monday Reflection – January 10, 2022

The Detecting Force of God’s Word

But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults. Psalm 19:12

Psalm 19, like Psalm 119 and others, challenges us to ask ourselves how much we appreciate the word of God. A section of Psalm 19 is dedicated to the word of God, highlighting its character, impact and transformative power. So we must seriously ask, what impact does the word of God have on our lives? David reflects on the warnings found in the word of God, and the great reward found in obeying God’s word. This makes him reflect on the times and ways he has ignored the warnings and not kept God’s word.

David asks in today’s Watchword, “who can detect their errors?” This is a question which is its own answer. This is not an interrogation; it is a declaration. By the word of God is the knowledge of sin, and in the presence of divine truth, the Psalmist marvels at the number and heinousness of his sins. We know ourselves best when we know God’s word. Yet, when we think about this seriously, we have to consider how much we do not know, rather than feeling good about what we do know. David understands that he had ignored and disobeyed God’s word even more than he is aware of. What he knows is enough to make him concerned; his actual errors before God are still worse. Augustine wrote in his older days a series of Retractions; ours might make a library if we have enough grace to be convinced of our mistakes and to confess them.

Facing this reality, David wisely prays “Clear me from hidden faults.” Or “Cleanse me from hidden faults.” Knowing that he could not know just how many his errors were before God, David seeks cleansing even from the sins and faults that were secret to him. It is hopeless to expect to see all our spots; therefore, we must pray, “O Lord, wash away in the atoning blood even those sins which my conscience has been unable to detect.” Secret sins, like private conspirators, must be hunted out, or they may do deadly mischief; thus, we must seek God’s cleansing. As David contemplates the ‘perfect law, enlightening the eyes,’, this sends him to his knees. He is appalled by his own shortcomings, and feels that, beside all those of which he is aware, there is a region, as yet unilluminated by that law, where evil things nestle and breed. The sins we see and confess are like the farmer’s small samples which he brings to market, when he has left his storeroom full at home.

The word used here for “faults” describes a sin that is committed in ignorance. The fact that the sin happened unintentionally doesn’t make it acceptable, but that kind of sin wasn’t judged as harshly as sins that were committed wilfully by the Jews. David’s relationship to the Law is to use it as a diagnostic tool to find out where he is still guilty, and not as justifying tool to proclaim himself innocent. What a lesson for us all!! We have to constantly engage the word of God which reveals God’s perfect plan for our lives, and shows how we ought to live in alignment with God’s will. That revelation highlights our shortcomings for which we should immediately seek God’s cleansing. Yet, in a deeper sense, the word of God reveals the nature of the Word, Jesus Christ who teaches us about the principles of the Kingdom of God. His death assures us of forgiveness for our confessed sins. The Holy Spirit is available to help us to live by God’s word. When we sincerely confess, we experience cleansing and sweet communion with the Triune Godhead.

Jermaine Gibson 

Replacing Doubt with Confidence

Friends, it can be shattering when you are left with no idea of where to go and what to do. It represents despondency, hopelessness beyond anything you could have imagined. Psalm 57 was written by David as he fled from Saul and hid in the caves. It is a two-part song in which the King pleads with God to help him against Saul. Here David is anxious, vulnerable, and yet unashamed. The second part sees a more confident David deciding to trust in God, to exercise confidence in God’s ability to deliver him and to praise God even during his trials. From this Psalm we learn that the perspective we have will impact the results we receive. David cries out to God in today’s watchword, be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge. Psalm 57: 1.

David knew that he needed a refuge, a hiding place or better yet, a place of safety to wait out the calamities or the storms of his life. He knew that they would eventually pass, but he also knew that his well being at the end of it all depended on his ability to weather it out. He could keep running and Saul could keep chasing but eventually that pursuit would come to an end. What happened next would depend on how well David was able to weather the storm. He could allow his doubt to leave him cowering, forever running, and hiding. He could allow his situation to leave him steeped in negativity, applying this negative thinking to everything in his life as he moved forward. He could do that, or he could replace his doubt with confidence. Where though would he be able to find the confidence, he needed to face his unknown, his uncertainties, his tomorrows? Such confidence can be found only in God through Christ. David realized that as crafty as he was, that was not going to be enough and as swift as he was, it would not be fast enough. He recognized the wisdom and value of confidence that was based on his faith and not on his abilities. It was Joyce Meyers who said, ‘we don’t need self-confidence, we need God-confidence’. Thus, David appeals to God’s mercy. We are constantly in need of God’s mercy as we face the many challenges of life. When our strength is insufficient, God’s grace is more than enough. Like David we cry out to God for mercy because it is in God that our soul find refuge.

2022 has dawned on us. Its realities stare us in the face and often we can be overwhelmed, so much so, that we lose sight of our faith. Corona Virus does not seem to be going anywhere. Our bills are racking up. We are facing health issues, financial issues, domestic issues, and many other situations that seek to rob us of the confidence God gives us through faith. In all this we are reminded in Psalm 34: 8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. In a moment of doubt, we will begin to think that there is no help for us, that nothing we try will work and that we are doomed to fall. In faithful confidence however we will be reminded that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble. Such confidence is our constant reminder that we have a shelter from the storms of life, that we have a storehouse of unlimited resources from which we are constantly being supplied and that we are never alone for God has promised through the Beloved ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’. Indeed, friends today let us thank God for the confidence we have found in His presence and let us resolve to go through this year in confidence knowing that He that is with us is far greater than anything that may come against us. Let us walk confidently, for our Lord, our refuge, walks with us. Amen.

Monday Reflection – January 03, 2022 Beginning with God

You, O Lord, are in the midst of us,  and we are called by your name;  do not forsake us! Jeremiah 14:9

We have marched into a new year! To God be the glory! To have survived 2021 is sufficient to give God more than 10,000 praises. I witnessed so many illnesses and death in 2021; so many persons experienced unprecedented challenges. But we have made it, and all praise and glory belong to God. 2022 is before us, filled with opportunities yet with challenges. We march forward with God as leader and guide.

Jeremiah 14 captures a period in Judah’s history when they were afflicted by droughts. Sustained or multiple droughts were always a life-or-death issue in ancient societies where most made their living by farming. Drought was also a special issue for ancient Israel and Judah, because the often-worshipped Canaanite idol Baal was thought to be the god of weather and rain. Many ancient Israelites were drawn to Baal worship because they wanted rain. It was also thought that the Lord’s purpose in sending drought was to bring the nation to repentance. This led to confusion and despair by the people as they covered their heads. The Orientals cover their heads when in the deepest grief, as David did, when he went over the brook Kedron. Charles Spurgeon says that this means, ‘I cannot face it. Do not look on me in my sorrow, nor expect me to look on you. I cover my head, for it is all over with me.’

Fortunately, the people never stayed in this state of confusion and despair. They rose up and offered true repentance to God. It began with an utter confession of guilt and an appeal to pure mercy, not what they deserved. They were very aware that only the Lord’s mercy could save them. Having approached God with humility and repentance, they  appealed to God by reminding Him that He was Israel’s Hope and Savior, and asked Him not to be a stranger to them in their great need. In this appeal we find today’s Watchword, as the people reminded God that He was near to Israel, in their very midst, and that they did belong to Him. They called upon God to act upon that nearness and identification. These reasons should be sufficient for God not to forsake them.

We know not of what 2022 will bring, perhaps drought and famine, sickness and death, pain and sorrow, disappointments and heartaches. Whatever we may face, a good place to start and a great practice to exercise is to turn to God with humility and repentance; to recognize our state of sinfulness and plea for God’s mercy. As we embark on a new year, may we march forward knowing assuredly that God is always with us and invites us into a loving relationship with Him. May we remember that God will not abandon us. Let’s follow in His footsteps as we seek to become more like Christ and do His will.  

I leave you with the usual New Year thought that I have found ever renewing at the start of each new year: I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, “Give me a light so that I may walk safely into the unknown.” He replied, “Go your way and place your hand into the hand of God.  That will be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

Happy New Year everybody!

Jermaine Gibson