Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Little Is Much!

Dearly beloved, I greet you well. Today’s watchword is from Proverbs 15:16 and it tells us that, “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it.” Imagine that…

As a people on a whole we spend so much time trying to get ahead and to become better versions of ourselves. We have this ideal in mind and so we seek to attain and to acheive and sometimes it is in so doing that we lose sight or focus on the things that are really important.

Our relationship with Christ suffers and then automatically we end up not being able to make time for our children, perhaps tend a garden, visit a sick brother or sister or even minister to anyone. Nothing is wrong with setting goals and trying to acheive them however, one must never become so engrossed in his pursuit of happiness that he can no longer commune with God.

Perhaps you feel as if you have been given too little; it appears that whilst you constantly struggle others have it more easier. Friend, commit all your ways to the Lord, keep your heart focused on Him and He will open your eyes to all you have been gifted with.

Mark 8:36 asks, “what good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? These are scriptures that we may know by heart but have we assessed our circumstances lately? What is your current standing? Are you seeking to gain so much that you have lost sight of all that you already possess? Think on these things.

Until next week, I join with B Farrell in praying,
Longing for shelter, many are homeless,
Longing for warmth, many are cold.
Make us your building, sheltering others, walls made of living stone.

Amen.

Kerone Lamoth

Keep on Praying. God hears and will answer.

For months there has been some constant requests during my praying. Some things I keep asking God to grant. As I continued to pray this week it suddenly dawned on me that God is answering my prayers and that of many others. There is a new President Elect of the United States of America, one who has already vowed to repair the damage done to the political, social and emotional relationships over the last four years, both locally and internationally. Yes friends. God hears and answers our prayers. There is hope too in the news of the development of drugs, one at 90% success in the trials, that will aid in the fight against the Corona virus. God answers prayers. A prayer to be used generally, Psalm 86 was written by David. It was especially for use in a difficult period. In today’s watchword David calls upon God to give special attention to his situation. Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant. Psalm 86: 16.

David calls on God to be his keeper, his savior and his protector. There were so many people and forces that had turned against David, but He knew that what he needed was not for them to turn back to him but for God’s face to be turned towards him. He knew he needed God’s favor and not humanity’s embrace. Dear friends we very often want the world to notice us, to like us and to be receptive of us, not realizing that what we truly need is the favor of God in our lives. It is that longing for worldly acceptance that causes us to do the things that will gain the world’s approval rather than doing that which is pleasing to God. This is why Paul warns us in Romans 12: 2, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. David in wisdom therefore sought God’s face and not humanity’s acceptance. He did not seek people’s likes, but rather depended on God’s love for him. He knew that God could do more for him than any human could, so he kept praying and focusing on God for the help he needed. It should be the same with us. God is able and He wont fail, so trust God and keep praying, He will answer.

David asks God to give him strength. Not to strengthen him, which would be an increase of David’s own strength. Rather he asked that God give him of God’s strength. God can increase our physical strength dear friends. David knew that. He knew of Sampson who had a strength like no other human. He also remembered that he had wrestled with a lion and a bear and had been victorious. Remember also David against Goliath. These feats would have been impossible had it not been for the strength of God given to him in those moments of need. In today’s text David again called on the Lord in his moment of need ‘give your strength to your servant’. We at times are in need of a strength that is more than what we have and at such time all we need to do is call on God and He will provide the resource we need for the moment. In the same way God responded to David, God will also respond to our prayers and like David we will be able to worship and praise, to say ‘In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry entered His ears.’ 2 Sam 22: 7. Friends, are you able to see God’s hands at work in your life? Can you attest to answered prayers on a personal and a general level? As you continue to petition the throne of heaven, remember to give thanks for answered prayers and remember to keep on praying. The answer you seek may not be forthcoming, but in due time God who hears will answer your prayer.

Monday Reflection – November 09, 2020
The Relentless God!

I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask, to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that did not call on my name. Isaiah 65:1

When we reflect on the mayhem, violence, mass shootings and wars that are taking place in our world, we struggle many times to comprehend it all. We ask why? How? How come? We wrestle to come up with a plausible reason or answer. In the search for answers, we many times blame someone or some system. We blame homes, communities, friends, a broken mental health system etc. We point several fingers. Even when it comes down to situations in our personal lives, we are quick to cast blame elsewhere.  

The Israelites who returned from exile in Babylon faced precisely this problem: how can we explain the immense suffering endured by the people of God? Second Isaiah (chapters 40-55), addressed to the Israelites near the end of the exile, expresses confidence in God’s command of history and the eventual restoration of the nation. Despite the people’s suffering, Isaiah promises a God who will continue to bless Israel. These promises, however, are not fulfilled, at least not yet. The small groups of exiles who returned to Judah after Persia’s defeat of Babylon in 539 faced hardship, famine, political in-fighting, and economic oppression. How do they account for this continued suffering, even after the promised return to their homeland has occurred? Isaiah chapters 56-66 declare that it is God’s punishment for the people’s unfaithfulness.

Today’s Watchword depicts a God who longs to be sought by God’s people but who is continually shunted aside. God’s voice even sounds plaintive here; “Here I am, here I am,” God cries, to a nation that turns away. Specifically, the people have turned to the practice of pagan rituals. The people’s disobedience and infidelity have made them repugnant to God. The continued suffering of the Israelites is just punishment for their sin. It is the people themselves who are responsible for their suffering. Yet God will not punish all; a remnant, a chosen few, will be redeemed, who will receive all that had been promised to Israel.

Even though the people have rejected God, Yahweh offers hope. Isaiah visions the new heavens and a new earth that God is about to create (vs. 17). Also, Yahweh will rejoice in Jerusalem,
and delight in His people; No more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress (vs 19). There is further hope in verse 24: Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear.

What’s the lesson here for all of us?
ü  We must accept responsibility for our actions

ü  God will justly meet out punishment to us when we reject him and follow after other gods

ü  The faithful will be rewarded

ü  No matter how far we have drifted, God relentlessly pursues us desiring to lead us back home

ü  There is hope and the promise of security and eternity for those who submit themselves to the Lordship and leadership of God. Amen

Jermaine Gibson

Saturday Reflection – 07 November 2020

“As my life was ebbing away, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer came to you.” Jonah 2:7

The story of Jonah is a very popular one. Jonah had been called by God to go to Nineveh and preach a message of repentance. Jonah however disobeyed God, for he thought the Ninevites were not deserving of God’s mercy and ran to Tarshish. It was on the boat travelling to Tarshish that a violent storm brewed on the seas. In response, Jonah told the other men to throw him overboard and he was swallowed by a big fish. Then the storm had calmed. Jonah spent three days in the belly of the fish, of which he stayed in continual prayer to God.

Jonah considers his sin, and the consequences brought on by his action of disobedience. As he prays, he thinks, just as we many times do, that there is no means of redemption. But Jonah, in his moment of trouble and distress, turns himself to the throne of grace, and throws himself on the mercies of God. The good thing, many times said, that God is not like man, we serve a forgiving and merciful God. Hear Jonah in verses 3 -7 “You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; how shall I look again upon your holy temple?’ The waters closed in over me; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped around my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the Pit, O Lord my God. As my life was ebbing away, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.”

Jonah had seen the error of his ways, and with a repentant heart, right where he was, he committed himself to turn back to the Lord. And in his contrition, as he life ebbs away, he prays depending on God’s grace to be meted to him. This experience reminds us, that God desires our obedience, and we ought to trust the leading and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This is a call to look beyond our limited sight and thought, surrendering to our omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God. As the now people of God, self must be slain, that God would be glorified. The prophet Jonah limited the mercy of God and refused to allow the people of Nineveh to turn from their sin to righteousness. We must open ourselves, to be used by God – and according to God’s will and purpose. It is interesting that in determining that the Ninevites did not deserve God’s grace, he disobeyed God and therein sinned. And now Jonah needed God’s grace. As sinners saved by grace, we must never judgemental but always open to lead others to the cross, that they may experience God’s grace.

The final thought from Jonah’s experience relates a loving and merciful God who will continually hear the cry of the penitent and will answer their prayer. It is not God’s will that anyone should perish, and so he stands to dispense his grace to anyone who would return to the Lord, our God. Many times, we may feel irreparably separated from God. And there, like Jonah, when our life ebbs away, we may be able to look up and approach the throne of grace. Jonah had sinned for he was disobedience, and the consequences of his disobedience were meted out, but in his penitence, he experienced God’s grace that is greater than all our sin. We are imperfect human beings, and when we fall, we need only in true contrition and repentance, to confess our sins, and he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Until next week,
Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.

Refrain:
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!

Amen.

Dominic J. Blair

Wednesday Reflection, November 4, 2020

Sing Out!

Zephaniah 3:14-15
Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgements against you.

Hello friends, today marks one year since I was asked to join in sharing in this particular ministry and whilst It hasn’t entirely been smooth sailing this past year, The Lord remains faithful and ever in Control.

Today, I’d like to draw your attention to one of the many instances in which the children of Israel went astray; forsaking their God as well as their responsibility to Him.

Zephaniah 3 begins with a warning against sin then an encouragement to seek mercy and finally, promises of the favor and prosperity that would come.

Charles Spurgeon cited, “faulty as the church is, the Lord rejoices in her. While we mourn, as well as we may, yet we do not sorrow as those that are without hope; for God does not sorrow, his heart is glad, and he is said to rejoice with joy- a highly emphatic expression.”

Brothers and sisters, are you or I any different from or more worthy of grace than the children of Israel? Did the generation of sorrow, disobedience and despair die with our fore parents? If you are like me, a sinner saved by grace, who is daily bombarded by the things of this world; then hear God say to you, to me to us, ‘sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgements against you.

Indeed, Jesus dropped the charges! Do not allow your heart, circumstances or anyone to condemn you because of your former ways. The Lord has taken away the judgements against you. Understand that God is with you, He is in your midst with power to save, He takes joy in you, He gives you rest in His love and He sings over you.

What blessed consolation we have today! Today’s new testament text, 1 John 2:2 reminds us, ‘Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Until next week, remember, may the Joy of the Lord be your strength

Kerone Lamoth

Monday Reflection – November 02, 2020
No Good

They have all gone astray, they are all alike perverse; there is no one who does good, no, not one. Psalm 14:3

To better appreciate today’s Watchword, let’s hear the two preceding verses: “Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God.”

David outrightly rejects those who deny the existence of God and declare that they are fools, because they reject God. David says this because of the plain evidence that there is a God: evidence in both creation and human conscience. The fact that some people insist on denying the existence of God does not erase God from the universe; it instead speaks to their own standing as fools. The God-denying person is a fool because he/she denies what is plainly evident, especially because the universe reveals the creator God, the designer God, the relational God, and the governing God of morality. What is worse is when such a person denies God in his/her heart.

David then considers the result of denying God. It leads people into corruption and abominable works. There is a marked difference in moral behaviour between those who take God seriously and those who do not. More than that, as David considers the sin of the God-denier, he looks out over the landscape of humanity and concluded that there is no one who does good. It is not that there is no human good in this world, but that fallen man is so fallen that he does not by instinct do good, and even the good he may do is tinged with evil. And while we may wish to forget about God, God never forgets about us. He is always observing, looking down from heaven upon the children of men. 

Continuing in this same vein, David says in today’s Watchword, “They have all gone astray, they are all alike perverse; there is no one who does good, no, not one.” When God looks, he finds that we have turned away from him, grown sour, and have become perverse and corrupt. David observes and remembers that humans are truly, profoundly, deeply fallen. David’s use of “there is no one who does good” suddenly broadens the scope beyond the atheist to include us. We may not be atheists, but we all have gone astray, and are perverse. 

What a picture of our condition as humans! Charles Spurgeon says, “Save only where grace reigns, there is none that doeth good; humanity, fallen and debased, is a desert without an oasis, a night without a star, a dunghill without a jewel, a hell without a bottom.” Yet, today’s New Testament lesson of Romans 3:24 offers hope – We are justified by God’s grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 

May we graciously receive God’s gifts of redemption, salvation and justification and live each day bearing the image of Christ. 

Jermaine Gibson

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Time To Consider This.

All evidence seems to point to the fact that King Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes. The word comes from the Greek word meaning the person who calls an assembly. In the first verse of the first chapter, the writer fittingly identifies himself as preacher, and later on as the ‘son of David, king in Jerusalem’. (1:16). The book itself tells the tale of one who looks back on life with regrets, having lived to his pleasure but now realizing that it was all vanity. While the author had accomplished much in terms of wisdom, pleasure and work, he takes a retrospective look later in life and cautions his readers that a better, simpler life, lived under the guidance of God, was worth far more than any earthly gain. It is from his learned wisdom that we get today’s watchword. When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future. Ecc 7: 14.

The message of the text is clear.. One would think that a statement such as ‘in good times be happy’ would be followed by ‘in bad times be sad’, but no. The preacher states that when times get bad, we should consider the fact that both the good and the bad comes from God. Now do not get me wrong. I am not saying that evil comes from God. The Bible teaches that evil is of the devil. Nowhere in the Bible does it tell us however, that when we become followers of Jesus Christ no evil will befall us. What we do have is a promise of God’s presence. ‘I will be with you to the end of the age’. Matt 28: 20. Our God will never leave us nor forsake us but will stand by us even through the worst of times. David said this in Psalm 23: 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. The same God who is with us through the best of times is even more so with us through the worst of times. The God who hears our laughter and praise also hears our sorrows and tears. The same God who knows our celebrations and joys also knows our heartaches and pains. He is with us through them all. It’s worth considering this at a time when for many, happiness has been lost, joys have been stolen, and sorrows have crept in on us.

The message of the text is incomplete however if we do not also look at that last statement. Since we cannot control the good and the bad, since we cannot cause all good things to happen to us or all bad to happen for those who we dislike or those who are our haters, it forces us to recognize that we have no control over what happens to us, no control over our future. Brazilian author Paulo Coelho states, ‘the future belongs to God, and it is only He who reveals it, under extraordinary circumstances.’ These are indeed extraordinary times in which we are living, and we have no certainty of the future. We all know or know of, people who have passed since January who were expecting to be alive and well today. Indeed, the preacher is correct when he says we cannot discover anything about our future. What we can do however is recognize who has control of the future. Because God is in control of all things, it means that we need not fear the bad times since God will be with us through it all. In these COVID-19 times we notice that the desperation and wickedness of humanity has not taken a break. We still wrestle against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. The only protection we have against all that is happening is the power and presence of God with us. Consider this then friends, the God who allowed us to enjoy the good moments, is with us through these times of sickness and disease. We should remember we are not alone. He will see us through. He is not only a God of the good times, but a God for all times. Amen.
[5:45 AM, 10/21/2020] Jermaine Gibson: Moravian Daily Texts

Wednesday, October 21 — Psalm 119:57–64
2 Samuel 13:34–14:33; John 8:42–59

Suddenly an angel touched Elijah and said to him, “Get up and eat.” He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to the mount of God. 1 Kings 19:5,8

We have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7

Lord, our bodies are frail. Some days we get so tired that we do not think we can work for you. Remind us that you are always with us—strengthening and feeding our souls. Then we can finish the tasks you have given us. Amen.

Monday Reflection – October 19, 2020
From the Archives #3
 
Prelude:
I continue sharing from the Archives for this month of October. I share with us the reflection of October 16, 2017.

Reflection
Temporary vs Eternal

 (Greetings on this National Heroes Day in Jamaica. We pause to remember today our national heroes and heroine who sacrificed all to help in the process towards our emancipation and independence. We also recognize our present heroes, some of whom will receive their national awards today. Let’s not forget our unsung heroes who have and continue to give of their all in service to their fellow human beings.) 

Last Tuesday, the USA football team failed to qualify for the World Cup finals, the first since 1986. Trinidad and Tobago defeated them 2-1. This was shocking to many, to say the least. It was as if USA occupied a permanent place at the Football World Cup finals. This brought home forcefully the reality that we can become so accustomed to some things and persons that we start believing they are permanent. What a danger!

Today’s Daily Watchword provides a stark reminder: 
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like gnats. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail. Isaiah 51:6

Scholars say that Isaiah 51 is part of Second Isaiah. It was written near the end of the Babylonian captivity, in a time when most of the Israelite exiles would have been born in captivity, never having seen Jerusalem. They would have spent their lives in servitude, and would be tempted to believe that Yahweh has either abandoned them or is not sufficiently powerful to help them.  It is a time of minimum hope and maximum temptation to follow after other gods. 

The emphasis in chapter 51 is comfort and encouragement. There are the promises that God will transform Israel’s wilderness into an Eden-like garden (v. 3), the people will find joy and gladness (v. 3), justice (v. 4) and salvation (v. 5). It also assures the people that the salvation that God offers, unlike the transient world with its ups and downs, is forever (v. 6). The heavens above, the earth beneath, and all that lives upon the earth are but for the moment. They will exist for a period of time, and then they will die. The heavens will vanish like smoke and the earth will wear out like an old pair of work clothes. The living things will die like gnats (flies).  

It is sometimes difficult for us to imagine that everything that we consider real will one day vanish. It is even difficult for us to contemplate our own death, even though we say “The only certainty in life are death and taxes.”  But we see it happen all around us every day – funeral homes have a steady clientele; hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes sweep away entire towns; fires destroy houses and cities, and the list goes on. Nothing in this life is permanent.

BUT God’s salvation is eternal and his righteousness which Christ has secured for his people, and by which they are justified, is everlasting. They shall not be broken, they answer all the demands of law and justice, stand firm against all the accusations and charges of men and devils, and shall not fail. Only God and his finished work of salvation and his guaranteed righteousness are eternal.

The text offers two thoughts:
Challenge – We must recognize that everything in life is transient, temporary and some trivial. Nothing lasts forever. Therefore, it is foolish to store up for ourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. Instead, we should lay up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal (Matthew 6:19-20).

Comfort – We also receive a word of comfort that the challenges and pain we feel today are temporary, for joy will come in the morning. The aches, heartaches, sorrow, grief and burdens are temporary; they too shall pass. We learn the lessons of the present for the greater work God has in store for us in the future.

Prayer from the Daily Text:
Dear God, thank you for salvation through the obedience of you son, Jesus who is the Christ. Thank you for the preparations that have been made for us. Praise you for our deliverance from death and destruction. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Till next week, anchor your lives in the Lord. 

Jermaine Gibson

Saturday Reflection – 17 October 2020

“So now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 10:12

This was the second time, Moses had journeyed up the mountain, where he would again receive the Ten Commandments and deliver them to the children of Israel. We can remember that the first time Moses received the commandments, the people had turned to idolatry and worshipped a golden calf. When Moses saw this, he was so angry that he dropped the tablets of stone and they broke. This time, after the cleansing of the nation Israel, punishment and continued journey, Moses received a second pair of tablets bearing the commandments of the Lord.

This time the text records the question being asked – “…What does the LORD your God require of you? It is interesting because at this point – they had suffered the consequences for their sin and Moses was again instructed to lead the people to the promised land. It was God’s mercy being poured out upon his beloved, an though he gives the commandments to the people, he gives them the foundation and summation of their righteous living. That which he requires from his people.

Often times, we face this same question, having been saved from sin, washed in the blood of the Lamb and filled with the Holy Spirit. We may be at the same place where the children of Israel were, contemplating their next step as they journey to the promised land. So, what does the Lord require of us? We hear the answer in today’s watchword – “…Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” This can be said to be the total measure of Christian living.

In the answer, we see four main factors arising that sum up our Christian living. And all four flow into each other. For the foundation is to fear God. Proverbs 9:10 says that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” In this Holy Fear, we are mindful of the watchful eyes and ears of God who guide us along the right path. Because we are mindful, then we seek to know his word and precepts and to obey them. Then we will seek to discern the Holy Spirit, who will guide us into all truth and obey the Holy Spirit. And because we love him, knowing that he first loved us and died for us. We then in response would now love him and serve him. Now then, when we develop that Holy Fear, then we will walk in all his ways, and will love him and will serve him with our all, because we know, how he has called us to live, and what he has called us to do. But that Holy Fear will drive us, in our love for God to put our best foot forward so that we may honour and glorify God. And when we stumble, we become mindful and contrite, which lead us to seek his forgiveness and restoration, so that we lead repentant lives.

God’s call to us as his children is simply this – fear him, understand that he is God – a just, righteous and good God who has called us righteous living. Seek to honour and glorify God. We honour and glorify God, by living as God called us to and serving God, that as we become disciples of Christ, we go and make other disciples. Yes, we reminded by the Lord Jesus “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (St. Matthew 5:16) And James brings this out, in today’s doctrinal text – that we honour and glorify God by doing what he has called us to do. We have called to “…be doers of the word, and not merely hearers.” (James 1:22)

Until next week, let us continue to reflect on where we are, in fulfilling that which the Lord requires of us. May that Holy Fear burn within us, that we may walk in his ways, and may love and serve him with our very all. I leave you with the words of the prophet Micah, who put the same thought another way: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8, NIV) Amen.

Dominic J. Blair