The Faithful Shall Inhabit God’s Everlasting Kingdom

There are twelve chapters in the book of Daniel, six, historical and six prophetic. Chapter 7 marks the point where the book switched from history to prophecy. The prophecy begins with Daniel’s vision of the Kingdom of God and what that meant for an Israel that was living under Babylonian captivity. Jerusalem may have been destroyed, the sovereign kingdom of Israel uprooted, and the religion left in disarray, but there would be a time when God’s kingdom would reign upon the earth as the greatest of all kingdoms. Today’s Watchword is from Daniel 7: 14. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom will never be destroyed.

Consider the state of the nation of Israel. Their city of Jerusalem was destroyed, and the people carried away into Babylonian captivity. They lost their leaders, their religious practices and treasures, and their way of life. In Babylon they were given new identities, new homes and a new religion. We know of the determination of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, also that of Mordecai and Esther. These were all outstanding servants of God who stood upon the foundation of their faith even in the most difficult situations. I’m sure there were many others that Daniel did not write about. We learn two valuable lessons from today’s text and the background to it. Firstly, we should never give up, never throw in the towel even when things seem completely hopeless. When we read of the different situations that these heroes of Daniel faced, we realize that when we trust God completely and refuse to follow the call of society to turn away from dedicated service, God will come through for us. When we are fearless in our faith even during adversities, God will protect us. When we are willing to give up everything and place our lives on the line for the sake of our faith, God will elevate us. I want to encourage someone today who has been on the verge of giving up, of turning away. God has a plan for you and if you stand faithful, you will reap the benefit. God has you in his hands.

Secondly, we learn that regardless of how things may seem now, we should never lose focus of what God has in store. Jeremiah, Isaiah, and other prophets of the time prophesied a return from Babylon for God’s people. God would not abandon them in a strange land but would bring them back, would deliver and redeem them. Their redemption from Babylon would be the precursor of a greater redemption that God had in store. This would be accomplished through the establishment of God’s kingdom upon the earth. While the kingdoms of Israel and Babylon could suffer displacement and defeat, God’s kingdom would be forever. God would be the sovereign ruler over all nations and their own rulers. These world rulers would have no choice but to declare the lordship of Christ as he is established upon the throne of God’s universal and everlasting kingdom. Phil 2: 9 – 11 tells us that God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. I thank God today that you and I are part of this everlasting kingdom. Yes friends, we who are part of the church on earth know that God’s dominion can never be given to another, and his kingdom can never be destroyed. Many have tried and many more will try but remember Jesus’ words to Peter. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church. Government policies may hinder her work and mission, society may shun her and turn their backs on her, even taking the lives of her servants, but in the words of Matthew Henry: The church shall continue militant to the end of time, and triumphant to the endless ages of eternity. Therefore beloved, regardless of what you endure, hold fast to the faith for we know that it is to those who endure to the end that the crown of eternal life will be given. It is the faithful who will inhabit God’s everlasting kingdom. Amen.

Monday Reflection – August 23, 2021
Tribute to a Friend – Paul Baker

Prelude:
I spent most of the past week reflecting on the life of my friend, Paul Baker and how dear he was to me and my family. Jaydon’s godfather, friend, brother, supportive and always willing member, confidante, counsellor and comrade. Dedicated husband and father. What a man! I grieve deeply, but cannot begin to imagine the depth of the sorrow of my dear sister Denise and nieces Jhoni and Toni. God’s got you my friends.

I went digging through my past reflections to find one that I can dedicate to Pablo. I found this one done on January 08, 2018, titled “Purposeful Living”. I offer it in tribute to my friend, Paul Baker who lived purposefully.

When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish. Psalm 146:4

Somehow there is the potential for us to hide when we read this text and reflect on its stark reality. As I read it last week, I unconsciously avoided it. I didn’t realize until I read it again yesterday and noted the jolt it caused at its declaration. 

We are forced to reflect on:

1. Death – This is the inevitability of humans. The Bible is replete with descriptions about the uncertainty and brevity of life. These include: life is like a mist, a vapour, a hand-breath. David says in today’s text that we will die and return to the ground and then our plans come to nothing. We came here empty-handed and will depart the same way. Have you ever thought about the volumes of thoughts, plans and resources that are buried in a graveyard?  
2. Life – I believe that today’s text is not meant to deter us from planning, but only to remind us that our plans will one day come to an end. More than that, planning without the direction of God will get us nowhere. The text challenges us to live each day purposefully by putting our trust in God, and not princes nor mortal.

Jesus asked in today’s Doctrinal text: Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? Matthew 6:27. The answer is obvious. In fact, worrying only reduces life and stifles our energy and capacity to achieve our highest potential. We are to give it all to God, seek our help from him and hope in him. We are to seize the moments of each day and make the best of it, always ensuring that God is glorified. Our plans may die, but we have the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy by how we live each day. 

3. After death – Death comes with finalities, but death is not final and will not have the final say. Breath will one day depart from us, we return to the dust, our plans will perish, but the story doesn’t end there. We have to face the ultimate Judge who determines how we spend eternity. Our end is based on how we lived each day. We ought to live with eternity in view.

In life there is death, yet in death there is life eternal. Let’s live each day as if it’s the last. 

Jermaine Gibson 

Saturday Reflection – 21 August 2021

“God proves his love towards us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Have you ever been asked the question, “Well if God loves us so much, how comes so much trouble is happening to us?” Or “Why doesn’t God stop all the evil and calamity that is happening in the world?” These questions came to my mind in my own reflection on today’s doctrinal text, as we as a people, seem to often ask God to prove his love for us. Furthermore, we tend to set standards, such as the ones made in these two questions, and use them to question God’s love for us.

However, as the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 5, he acknowledges the peace that we have as Christians, through our Lord Jesus Christ. And now being saved, we can rejoice in our salvation and not only that but also in our sufferings. Hear Paul in verses 3-5 “And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” As the Apostle writes, he makes it clear, that our sufferings, our experiences, the hardships, and challenges that we face, are there to produce endurance. Think about the lessons that we gain, the stronger we become, the more value we put on the fruits of our labour, just because of how hard it took to get there. Then endurance produces character. Look at the resilient people we become, trusting in God, and following the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Finally, character produces hope, which has been defined by the Wiley Online Dictionary as “the confident expectation of what God has promised, and its strength is in His faithfulness.”

We trust God to be who He says He is and will do what God says He will do. That God will work all things together for good, according to God’s will, God’s plan, and purpose for our lives. Hope then, will not disappoint us, why, because God’s love has been poured in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Have we ever been refreshed, or strengthened, just by a song, by prayer or worship, by reading a bible verse, or by the encouragement given to us by our family or church member or friend? Often, we are reminded that God loves us, and because God loves us, he will remain faithful. And we feel better or strengthened, committed to trust God, and believe that God will make a way. That hope that does not disappoint us, because God remains faithful to his promises.

Having said all this, Paul reminds us of the ultimate example of sacrificial love given to humanity, in the death of Christ on the cross. That the godly died for the ungodly. It is through Christ’s sacrifice that we are saved and sanctified. Had Christ not taken our place, and paid the penalty for sin, then we would have to meet judgement for ourselves. Isn’t that love, and a love that none other could match. In fact, Jesus said in St. John 15:13 “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” This demonstration of God’s love is the ultimate example, and the ultimate reminder, that no matter what we face, no matter the hardship, the challenge, God still loves us, and the God who through Christ went all the way to Calvary, will go all the way, to fulfill his will, his promise and purpose for our lives. So, we ought then, to trust and obey. The challenges that we face are not an indicator that God no longer loves us, nor have we fallen out of God’s care, especially when we remain faithful to God. The challenges are meant to refine us, and will produce endurance, then character, then hope, which in the end does not disappoint us.

Protect and Proclaim Your Faith
Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm as well as the longest chapter in the Bible. It has 176 (lines) verses, and was written as a song of praise to God. There is something unique about the style of this Psalm. It is an acrostic poem, meaning that each stanza begins with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The 176 verses are divided into 22 stanzas, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each verse within a particular stanza begins with the same letter. The writer uses ten key words that are found in each verse except for verse 122, all pointing to the importance of God’s word. Today’s Watchword is verse 43 of this Psalm: Do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth.
In the midst of the Psalmist’s song of praise is a prayer for faithfulness in the midst of opposition and persecution. The Psalmist prays for gallantry, fortitude, and honesty. He wants to be courageous in the face of opposition to his faith. He wants to have the kind of strength in adversity which he knows that God alone can supply. He wants to be honest enough, regardless of the consequences, to speak of the goodness, the power and the blessings of God. Thus, the Psalmist declares in verse 46: (Message) Oh, I’ll guard with my life what you’ve revealed to me, guard it now, guard it ever; And I’ll stride freely through wide open spaces as I look for your truth and your wisdom: Then I’ll tell the world what I find, speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed. For the Psalmist, the joy and blessings that He has found in his relationship with God is worth protecting and proclaiming. What about you dear friend? Is your relationship with Jesus Christ worth fighting for? Is it worth protecting and proclaiming?
In a world of many views, voices, and values, we are being reminded that we are a people of hope, a hope that is grounded in God’s words. To speak God’s word is to speak hope to the daily situations we face. In the midst of the many crisis we face: threatening natural disasters, a pandemic that does not seem to be going anywhere any time soon, lack of jobs, lack of finances, loss of loved ones, sickness, mental issues … and the list goes on, in the midst of these many and varied situations we find hope in God’s promises to us in His word. When those who oppose us say our hope in God is unfounded, we refute their claim by proclaiming God’s gift of salvation to us. This hope then is what gives us the confidence to speak boldly. We can be courageous and unintimidated in the face of opposition for regardless of what others have to say, we know what we know, and God’s word is in our mouth and in our hearts. This text thus calls on us to be steadfast and uncompromising in our resolve to live for Christ especially when faced with adverse situations. It challenges us to put our faith to the forefront, to put our complete trust in the God who we serve. The doctrinal text from 2 Tim 4: 3, 4 warns of a time when people will not put up with sound doctrine but will find themselves teachers who teach their brand of truth. We are living through such times, we are threatened daily with such realities and as Christians our duty is to hold to, protect and proclaim the truth, the gospel of Jesus Christ for it is worth living and fighting for.

Monday Reflection – August 16, 2021All to God’s Glory

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness. Psalm 115:1
Christians face many tests of varying kinds and degrees. Some of our tests search the heart, trying to detect our highest pursuits. Though some of our tests are often subtle, this is the scheme of the enemy who seeks to set us up for destruction. In today’s Watchword, the Psalmist boldly zooms in on the crux of the matter – either we are living for God or for ourselves. If we do not live for God, then we make ourselves a serious target for the forces of the devil that are always trying to compromise our heart’s affection. We usually think only of life’s testings which centre on more superficial areas of our lives, such as our jobs, careers, and family. They are there for sure, but the testing of our heart lies underneath those and therefore becomes more critical. This testing is continuous, as God regularly tests our hearts to see our true affections and who or what takes priority in our lives.
The Psalmist understands that when God does wonderful things, the glory should be given to God – not to God’s people (not unto us), even if they are in some sense active in the work. The glory should go to God and His holy name. Charles Spurgeon indicates that, “The repetition of the words, ‘Not to us,’ would seem to indicate a very serious desire to renounce any glory which they might at any time have proudly appropriated to themselves…” We must remain diligent in recognizing that pride and haughtiness have a way of creeping up on us until they consume us. The devil has a way of sporting with us by sending subtle temptations our way, trying to persuade us that our success is due to our wisdom and strength. He desperately tries to detach us from our devotion to God. Satan has a multitude of ways to lead us to self-worship and is an expert in this field, having himself left the worship of God to seek his glory. Each of us has a flesh, a self-willed nature, which loves revelling in ourselves. Thus, Satan may shift our trust from God to our own successful ways. We go from praising God on how He answered prayers to gloating that we are pretty good Christians, especially compared to others. We walk around profiling and announcing what we have done and the successes that we have achieved. When we forget or confuse the source of God’s work in our lives, pride takes root.
So many times we start out well, but when success seems real we begin to trust our strength and serve our glory. The Lord’s grace then begins to recede. He allows us to work from our energies, increasingly in frustration and desperation. We turn from admiring God’s grace to wanting to receive flattering remarks. What people think of us become more important than true concern for the Lord or others that we serve. As believers, we begin our Christian lives by openly stating that Jesus is our Saviour and Lord. We commit to live for God’s glory! May we never forget that the root of our success is the Lord. All the glory goes to God because he is at the root of anything that we call success. This Psalmist reminds us that it is all because of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. Any good that we do is only because of God’s gracious work within us, so all we do ought to be to God’s glory.
Paul understands this well and admonishes us in today’s New Testament text in Romans 12:3: “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment.”
Jermaine Gibson 

Friday Reflection August 13 , 2021

JOB KNEW , DO YOU?

I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
Job 19:25 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/job.19.25.NIV

Friends, Happy Friday 🙂

Most, if not all of us are familiar with the story of Job. He faced a very difficult period in his life where he basically lost everything. In his affliction, he demonstrated courage like no other. Job confidently declared, “I KNOW that my redeemer lives” In other words he knew that all of God’s plans and promises will one day come to fruition. Job KNEW! Do YOU?

It is easy for some of us in our time of affliction to “curse God and die’. However, today I want to challenge you to go the hard way! Stick it out and stick with God. His promises never fail, his love never fails and his mercies are new everyday!

As you face your trails, make the same declaration job did. Say “I KNOW MY REDEEMER LIVES
It’s as simple as ABC and easy as 123.

just do it

justknowGodhaveyuhback

Friday blessings friends,

Shaneka Raymore Euphfa.

Thursday Reflection August 12, 2021

Praise God for your spiritual blessings

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Ephesians 1:3

Greeting Friends,

For today’s text I would like to share the thoughts of Charles Spurgeon and the Enduring Word re the text above.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
Paul called for a blessing upon the Father (in the sense of recognizing His glory and honour and goodness), because the Father has already blessed the believer with every spiritual blessing (who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing). [Enduring Word]

Who has blessed us
This blessing is ours. God’s resources are there for us always. This speaks of an attitude of certainty and assurance.

“We are not sitting here, and groaning, and crying, and fretting, and worrying, and questioning our own salvation. He has blessed us; and therefore we will bless him. If you think little of what God has done for you, you will do very little for him; but if you have a great notion of his great mercy to you, you will be greatly grateful to your gracious God.” (Spurgeon)

With every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ
This describes both the kind of blessings and the location of those blessings. These are spiritual blessings, which are far better than material blessings. These blessings are ours in the heavenly places in Christ, they are higher, better, and more secure than earthly blessings.[Enduring Word]

“Our thanks are due to God for all temporal blessings; they are more than we deserve. But our thanks ought to go to God in thunders of hallelujahs for spiritual blessings. A new heart is better than a new coat. To feed on Christ is better than to have the best earthly food. To be an heir of God is better than being the heir of the greatest nobleman. To have God for our portion is blessed, infinitely more blessed than to own broad acres of land. God hath blessed us with spiritual blessings. These are the rarest, the richest, the most enduring of all blessings; they are priceless in value.” (Spurgeon)

To summarise friends, the spiritual blessings of God far exceed our expectations and are more lasting than the temporal blessings we receive. Therefore, let us give God praise for all He has done for us.

Shalom
Christopher Euphfa

Wednesday Reflection, August 11, 2021

According to the Lord’s Will

Greetings friends, today we will look back at a point of conflict between King Saul and his then son in law, David. Saul continued to listen to his advisors who told him to pursue David in order to kill him.

David was presented with opportunities to kill Saul instead but his spirit was troubled and he explained to his all too eager soldiers that it was not the will of God that any harm be meted out to Saul, the Lord’s annointed.

David tried reasoning with Saul in chapters 24 and 26 of 1st Samuel. He went as far to liken himself to a flea and a dead dog (1 Samuel 24:14) as a way to get the King to realize he was wasting his time in pursuit of him as he was not an enemy but in fact a loyal servant.

In today’s watch word, David, in speaking to Saul declares, “may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he rescue me from all tribulation.” 1 Samuel 26:24

Friends, as believers, we have one enemy. The enemy of our souls. Satan is in constant pursuit of us. Spreading lies about us and using his agents to set traps for us as well. In the movie, Same Kind of Different as Me, one character said to another, ‘the more precious you are to God, is the more important you become to the devil’.

Brothers and sisters, Saul’s advisors kept leading him astray. David’s men were ready and willing to kill or bring harm to Saul but David recognized the Lord’s annointing on the king and showed him mercy and kindness repeatedly. How frustrating it must have been for David, to have had to be living the life of a fugitive whilst knowing he was innocent.

I imagine the Lord speaking to him as he did to the Apostle Paul in the old testament text Acts 23:11, ‘that night the Lord stood near Paul and said, ‘keep up your courage!’. I believe this is what God is also saying ti each of us today, even in this moment. Comes what may or whatever be tide, keep up your courage and act only according to the Lord’s will.

Until next week, I join with John Birch in saying, may God’s love surround you may His hope sustain you, faith defend you, joy surprise you, peace restore you, this and every day.

Amen