Tossings and Tears

 You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your record? Psalm 56:8  

Tossings and tears are part of our journey at one stage in our lives or another. If we have lived long enough, we know that we experienced nights of toss and turns, restlessness, and even loss of sleep. Experiences in life have brought tears to our eyes and spirits as we face the ups and downs, the hills and valleys, the highpoints and low points of this journey. We have both tears of joy and those of sorrow. The loss of a loved one – whether by death, divorce or separation -, failures, anguish, fear, pain, hardships, trials, tribulations, stress and strains all threaten our happiness and joy and many times bring tossings and tears.

David can identify with us, for he had his fair share of tossings and tears. He faced lions, bears and Goliath with courage and strength. Indeed, he had a good heart, for he was described as a man after God’s own heart. He was anointed the next king of Israel, yet what was to be a time of celebration for him, became his greatest nightmare. The reigning king Saul hunted him down to kill him. Today’s text is said to be a description of David’s appeal to God as he headed to the cave in Adullam to hide for his life. No doubt, he was alone, desperate and afraid.

Here he reasons with and even challenges God. He draws to God’s attention that God knows fully well the level and number of tossings that he has had. Indeed, God should bottle up his tears to see how much he has shed. All his hurt and pain should be recorded by God. It is as if he was saying to God that he has been through so much and his pain is so deep that it’s time God relieves him of all of this. Yet, in all this we see David valuing the sympathy and care of God all the more, and he found great comfort in the thought that God noted his misery.

David speaks about bottling his tears. For Spurgeon, “His sorrows were so many that there would need a great wine–skin to hold them all.” Yet, there may be an allusion to a very ancient custom among Greeks and Romans of putting the tears which were shed for the death of any person into small phials and offering them on the tomb of the deceased. There are some persons who always have their tear-bottle with them, and who always treasure up every little grief and every little disappointment. Whenever you meet them, the first thing you see is the tear-bottle; and there is more in it than there was last time. Note that I am not speaking of those who have great trials and must shed tears, but of those who make a great deal of every little thing. We ought not to live in this gloomy way. In the midst of David’s trial, he affirms his confidence in God and declares in verse 9, “This I know, because God is for me”. His tossings and tears do not mean that God was against him. Instead he knew that God was for him, and would answer his prayer for rescue.

What of your tossings and tears? Surrender it all to God and rise in resolute confidence to face whatever life brings our way. Indeed, tears are a language God understands.

Seek God! Seek Good!

Jesus will help you

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Hebrews 2:18 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.2.18.NIV

“The remembrance of his own sorrows and temptations, makes Christ mindful of the trials of his people, and he is ready to help them.”
– Matthew Henry –

Happy Friday friends,
As we journey through the pligrim land we should be assured that we have a friend who walks with us . One who keeps us safe, provides for our needs and most of all, understands our sorrows.

Today’s reflection is one that reveals two truths that we must keep before us as we walk this walk of Faith.

1. Jesus suffered: There are some theologians who believe that since Christ is the son of God, he could not have really “suffered”. But I am reminding us today, that Christ did suffer. To the point where he said “LORD IF IT IS POSSIBLE LET THIS CUP PASS FROM ME” He took on human flesh and though he was without sin, he had every single emotions and feelings we humans are facing. Happiness, sadness, sorrowful etc….

2. He understands our temptations and he is able to HELP: Jesus was tempted, persecuted, disrespected and treated poorly. Why? because he was the Son of God.
So it is with us today, we will be disrespected, tempted, persecuted and treated poorly because we identify ourselves with Christ. Yes it is hard and seem to be getting worse,;but today’s reflection is reminding us that Jesus knows all about our troubles and is able to help us!

All it takes is for us to believe that he can and reach out to him for the help we need. He understands! Because he too was tempted. Jesus is not asking us to face the sufferings of life on our own, he knows the difficulties of live, because he lived it and he’s willing to help us though ours

Untill next week,
Jesus will help you!
BELIEVE ON HIM, AND HE WILL BRING YOU TO A PLACE OF PEACE

Blessings
Shaneka Raymore-Euphfa

Guidance and Protection

Greetings friends. It’s Tuesday September 10. I am Bevon White reflecting on today’s Watchword. This week marks the beginning of the eleventh year of my doing Tuesday’s Reflection on the Daily Watchword. What began as an email of part of a Radio program in the Cayman Islands, continues in written and vocal formats today. During the past ten years I have received responses from persons I do not know, from persons I had no idea was receiving the devotion and from places ranging from Canada to South Africa. I am thankful to God that he has used, and continues to use this medium to bless persons far and wide. I crave your prayers for inspiration and spiritual strength to continue to encourage and uplift lives through this medium.

Today’s watchword is from Psalm 84: 11 “The Lord God is a sun and shield”. Charles Spurgeon describes Psalm 84 as one of the sweetest Psalms of Peace. The Psalm was written by the sons of Korah and is an expression of their deep love and dedication to the temple. The Psalmists declare that God’s temple was indeed the place to be and whenever they were away from the temple, there existed a longing in their soul for God’s house. This longing gave hope to the worshipper as regardless of what they were going through, they could look forward to the joy of coming together in God’s house for worship. Whenever one was experiencing a dry spell in their lives, they would always find hope in knowing that worship would leave them refreshed and renewed. Worship was thus anticipated and the house of God was seen as a place of redemption, a place of restoration, a place of reestablishment and renewal. Do you feel that way about church? What does it mean for you to go to God’s house each week? What do you see yourself as loosing if you do not go?

The place of worship will become to us, what we uphold the object of our worship to be. In other words, Church and worship is as important to us as God is. The Psalmist sees God as a sun and shield. This is the only place in the Bible where God is explicitly called a sun. The sun gives light, offers guidance and is generally a sign of a good day. A shield is that part of the armor that protects, or prevents the arrows of the enemy from striking that fatal blow. God as sun and shield guides and protects those who delight in worshipping him. God meets us where we need Him. When we are surrounded by the darkness of this sinful world, he is the light guiding us to Himself, when we are bombarded by the attacks of the enemy of the church, He becomes our shield and protector. At our weakest He is our strength and at our lowest he offers grace and mercy to lift us up and carry us through. In our need he supplies and in our sickness he heals. What a mighty God we serve!  What would we do without God’s guidance and protection? Thus Paul declares in Phil 4: 19, the doctrinal text for today, My God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. God loves to meet us in His House. There he embraces us as our guide and protector. Till next week then, God’s guidance and protection be yours. Amen.

Unity in the body of Christ

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!; for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
Psalms 133:3 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.133.3.KJVPsalms 133:1 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.133.1.KJV

Happy Friday to you friends, it is the first Friday in the 9th month of the calendar year. The year is going by quickly, time is going by quickly. Therefore, there is no time for division among believers. “Let division be forsaken, and the holy join in one, and the will of God in all be done!

Today’s text for reflection is one that I hold dear to my heart. I have also said, and will continue to say “without unity in the body of Christ, there will be no miracles, no signs, no wonders in our midst” we will not experience the abundant blessings of our Lord and Savior.

There are two important things I want us to note today:
1. Unity is essential to body of Christ: It is like the salt in the sea. One cannot exist without the other. If we say we are people of faith we must dwell together in peace and love (unity). It is important for us to be honest, caring and trustworthy amongst ourselves and in our communities.

2. Without unity it is impossible to impact our communities If the church is divided, the community will not only notice, but they become affected as well. The blessing of the Lord is wide spread , where there is unity, the bible says there is strength. I am convinced that when the church unites, the blessing of God will flood the community and unbelievers will become believers miracles, signs and wonders will occur.

Unity doesn’t mean we will all agree on everything. It means that when we disagree, we find the best way to compromise and agree. No relationship is perfect, but God is calling the church to a place of perfectness , a place of unity!

Untill next week, If you are at the altar and remember that ANYONE has something against YOU, LEAVE your gift , GO RECONCILE WITH SUCH A PERSON, then RETURN. Then and only then will unity be restored.

Blessings,
Shaneka Raymore-Euphfa

The Teaching Ministry

Things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us – we will not hide them from their children. Psalm 78:3-4

How do we know what we know? The limited knowledge that we have, how did we acquire it? Four answers come immediately to mind – what we have read and researched, what we have gained through experience, what the Holy Spirit has revealed, and what others have taught us. The contribution of persons who have taught us, academically, spiritually or otherwise, cannot be underestimated. Today’s text highlights the importance of spiritual education. There is a commitment in the text that what they have been taught, they will teach their children.

I love the expression in this text – “…we will not hide them from their children.” Our negligent silence must not deprive our children of the precious truth of God; it would be shameful if we did so. There is the anticipation of future generations and a promise to provide for their godly education. Indeed, it is the duty of the church to maintain, in fullest vigour, every agency intended for the religious education of the young. We must sow the seeds of righteousness and godliness now, so that we reap a righteous reward. Children are to be taught to magnify the Lord; they ought to be told about God’s wonderful works in ages past, and they should know that a decision to follow Christ is the best decision to make in life. The remainder of verse 4 says, “…we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.”

Rick Warren supports this important programme of Christian education. In his book ‘The Purpose Driven Church’, Warren notes that one of the factors which result in church growth is that people grow deeper through discipleship. Such discipleship results in maturity among members. He emphasizes an intentional people-building process. He says, “If you will concentrate on building people, God will build the church.”

Bishop Robert Schnase, in his book, ‘Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations’, contends that successful congregations often have certain characteristics in common. These fundamental practices demonstrate congregational health, vitality, and fruitfulness. One such characteristic is Intentional Faith Development. He describes this as offering high quality learning experiences that help people understand scripture, faith, and life in the supportive nurture of caring relationships. Schnase views the ministries of Christian education and formation, small group work and Bible Study as absolutely critical to our mission. For him, we must consistently offer opportunities for people of all ages, interests and faith experiences to learn in community.

The Church has the awesome task of providing spiritual education to all, but especially to our children. We must have effective Sunday/Sabbath Schools, Bible Studies that are transformational, and sermons that are impactful. May God find us faithful.

Jermaine Gibson

Confidence in God’s Presence

King Ahaz was ruler of Judah, succeeding his father Jotham and his grandfather Uzziah. Isaiah the prophet had given counsel to his father and then to him. A crisis arose when King Perez of Israel and King Rezin of Syria invaded Judea to force them to form an alliance against the Assyrian Kingdom. Ahaz, acting against the counsel of Isaiah, turned to the Assyrian king for help. They get the help and Israel and Syria are defeated by the Assyrians, but at a heavy price to Judah as they were taxed heavily by the Assyrians, king Ahab became a vassal to the Assyrian king and Assyrian idols were introduced to the temple. It was in light of all these happenings that the Lord used Isaiah to call on Ahaz to repent and lead Judah back to God. Ahaz refused to change and he and the people of Israel traveled on a path of self-destruction rather than one of Godly obedience. Isaiah’s prophecy embodied God’s reaction to the religious infidelity of His people. God’s judgment was coming, it would be swift and deadly and Israel would be powerless to stop it, neither would they be shielded or protected from it. In the midst of this, the prophet maintains his own confidence in God. He would not follow the others and turn away from God. He trusted God’s plan, depended on God’s resources and lived in God’s presence. Today’s Watchword is from Isaiah 8: 17: I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob.

God does not tolerate sin. Psalm 5: 4 tells us, For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You. God’s people had sinned and refused to amend their ways. Isaiah therefore stated that God had turned his face away from His people because of their sin. This led to the sinful condition of the people worsening rather than becoming better. Those who remain blatantly disobedient to God’s words will eventually lose their perspective on right and wrong. Modern society has gotten to the stage where we laud the people, ideologies and things that are ungodly while underrating and disregarding what is Godly, what is righteous, what is good. Like the prophet Isaiah however, we are called to stand fast. Even though everyone had turned away from God, Isiah declared, I will wait for the Lord. We all know what it means to wait. As Christians we learn that regardless of what is happening around us or to us, we are to wait on God for God’s action is always perfectly timed and perfectly appropriate. We wait for God to deliver, to save, to heal, to provide. We wait because God is God and there is none like Him. We wait because we have confidence in God’s power and ability. We wait because God has never failed to come through. While the world around us forsakes God, we wait in confidence on God.

Our confidence stands in opposition to worldly defiance. Our confidence stands as a testament to God’s faithfulness and as a beacon to the fearful. It is our confidence that will strengthen others to trust God who even in His wrath, takes the time to show mercy to the faithful. We see what is happening around us but are not frightened by these events because we know that God is working through these events to win this apostate world back to himself. Do not fear what is taking place in these latter days, dear friends. We are to fear God and God alone. While he turns away from the wicked, God’s favor is always on his people. This is the confidence we have as Christians. We should therefore submit to God’s plan, live in God’s presence and be sustained through God’s bounteous provisions. 1 Peter 3: 12 For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.” Till next week, remain faithful and confident in God’s presence. Amen

Bevon White

Sovereign Dispenser of Mercy and Grace

I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. Exodus 33:19

What a declaration from the Sovereign Dispenser of grace and mercy! He will dispense of his own grace and mercy in his own way! In the context of today’s Watchword, God has become frustrated with the sinful and rebellious ways of his people, Israel. While Moses is on Mount Sinai with God, the people made for themselves a golden calf to worship. This event sets off a minor debate between God and Moses about what God should do to the people of Israel in response to their idolatry. Initially, God proposes that he will destroy all the people of Israel and start over with Moses. However, Moses disagrees and tells God that such an action will bring shame upon God’s name. God then decides to not destroy the Israelites.

Moses then returns to the people and rebukes them for their behaviour. They repent, and so Moses returns to speak with God and plead with him to forgive the people. God says that he will forgive them, but he will not go with them to the Promised Land because his holiness would consume them in their sin. This leads Moses to intercede with God for the people of Israel. He tells God that if God does not go with them to the Promised Land, then they should not go at all. God agrees to go with the Israelites to the Promised Land. Moses requests to see the glory of God, and when God’s glory passes in front of Moses, it is then that Moses hears God’s statement that He will be gracious to whom he wants and will show compassion upon whom he desires.

Indeed, God exerts his right to be gracious and compassionate to whom he wants; however, God is not a God who rules with an iron fist and quell all dissent so that his people are mindless robots who do whatever God wants out of fear for the repercussions if they don’t. God desires and requires obedience, but he also loves when his people engage him in reasonable discussion and dialogue about his actions and decisions. Moses did this with God, and far from proving that Moses was a rebellious idolater who didn’t want God to be God, such intimate dialogue with God made Moses a friend of God. God desires to reason with us, for it is in this reasoning that he reveals his divine will and plans for our lives, and demonstrates his mercy and compassion. We hear God’s invitation, ‘Come, let us reason together’.

I could not close this reflection without noting that today marks the beginning of the new academic year 2019-2020. We pray that the fullness of God’s mercy and grace will be dispensed upon our teachers, students, administrators, Ministry of Education, parents and all stakeholders. Indeed, it is only by God’s mercy and grace that we can anticipate a successful and productive year. I believe today’s text also beckons us to reason with each other; not argue, quarrel or verbally abuse each other. May classrooms, staffrooms, offices and homes be places of productive reasoning that will result in our further growth and development.

A blessed school year to all!

God is waiting on you!

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/2pe.3.9.NIV

Dear friends,
Today’s reflection is one that caused me to go into deep thought. I have read and heard this verse many times but before today, I didn’t notice the word instead.

The text:
Hear Peter speaking to those who believe Jesus was taking too long to return or that he may not return at all. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance

The Application:
Just as it was then so it is now.. people have their doubts about Jesus’s return.
Like Peter, I want to remind us that the return of our savior is inevitable
I also want to remind you today, that God’s timing is nothing like ours. A thousand years to us is like a day to him. It means then, that what we may deem the slow return is really God being patient with us. It is God waiting on us to come to a readiness for his return! (REPENTANCE)

ARE YOU READY FOR HIS RETURN? My prayer is that we’ll all be ready. I am sure though, that some persons may say, no I am not ready, but I am working on getting ready. Why then do we press the issue of his return????
God is waiting on you to get your house in order! The effort we put into debating his return, should go towards repentance

God is not slack in keeping his promises. Jesus will return! . Being the loving God he is, he is giving us time to come to a place of readiness through repentance. Slowness as we understand it is not what’s happening, what is happening is that God is exercising patience with mankind
The next time you or someone you know makes a fuss about the return of our Lord, remind yourselves, God is not slack concerning his promises, instead he is being patient, it is not his will for any to perish, but that all might come to REPENTANCE

Until next week, God is waiting on you, get your house in order

Blessings
Shaneka Raymore-Euphfa