Tuesday Reflection – March 17, 2020Ordinances are Our Reminders and Warnings

On Sunday we did something we have never done before. Instead of the usual attendance at church we carried our service as a live broadcast, encouraging members to remain at home and tune in through various platforms that were available to us. Many churches and other organizations have had to adopt to new methods as we do our part to stem the spread of COVID-19 as well as continue to share hope with the wider community. As the global community continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic I urge you to be astute in your hygienic practice as each of us do our part to prevent the spread of this disease. Follow the instructions of civic and medical leaders and look out for those who are vulnerable in your area. Do what you can to help others. It may be running an errand for a high-risk person or it may be sharing what you have stored with someone who does not have enough. Why not call someone, especially someone who is alone, and let them know they are being thought of, being prayed for. Let us all do our part to uplift each other in this time of crisis. 

Today’s Watchword is from Psalm 19: 11. By the ordinances of the Lord is your servant warned. An ordinance is a religious ritual that is practiced as a means of demonstrating our faith. Protestant Christians today practice two main ordinances, Baptism and Holy Communion. Both are recognized as visible signs of God’s grace but are by themselves powerless to save us. It is Christ who saves. In Israelite society there were a number of ordinances that were to be observed at different points during the year. These are different from the commandments. The commandments are a charge or command, while the ordinances, sometimes referred to as statutes, are observations. These would include the festivals and feasts that Israel was commanded to observe. They all communicated a specific act of God from the past that reminded Israel of God’s power and presence in the present and for the future. The ordinances were there to help Israel as they carried out the Law. An example is the Passover which is celebrated about the same time we celebrate Easter each year. For Israelites, the Passover is a reminder of God moving through Egypt and striking the first born in all households except those marked by the blood of the lamb. It was through this that God led them from slavery on their journey to the promised land. They were warned by Moses in Deuteronomy never to forget lest they fall back into such calamity. The observation of the ordinance was to serve as their constant reminder and keep them on the right path. In this way it warned of the danger of forgetting.  For Christians today Holy Communion and Baptism should serve a similar purpose. They remind us of God’s eternal presence, Jesus’ sacrifice and the hope for eternity it secured. Yet the ordinances by themselves are pointless and offers nothing. Unless we observe them in humility and thanksgiving, recognizing through them God’s gifts to us and our dependence on, or our nothingness without God, we lose their true significance. They can easily become ritualistic observances and nothing more. Each observance should therefore be a renewal of our vow to serve God, to give ourselves completely to Him who gave His all for us. They summon us from observation to practice as we move from the congregation to the community in which we live out our faith. I pray friends that even in this crisis, we will not bow to fear but will live by faith. I pray that our living out of our faith may give hope to those around us that God is still God and is working through this crisis to bring restoration to a fallen humanity. Let us heed the warning then and through our observation of these ordinances return to our Lord who alone is able to completely bring salvation and restoration. Amen.
Bevon White

Tuesday Reflection – March 10, 2020 We are Secured By God’s Presence

There’s always something out there coming to get us. We are never safe, never immune. If is not physical danger, it’s medical fears. If it’s not medical fears its emotional trauma. If not emotional trauma its biological danger. What do we do when our best defenses are never good enough? We stop worrying and place our complete trust in the one who is completely trust-worthy, the one who has never failed us, the one of whom we can say with certainty: The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid. This verse from Psalm 27: 1 is our Watchword for today. It is a reminder that we are secured by His presence.

A stronghold is a defensive structure. It is an inaccessible place providing both safety and security. It’s a fortified place protecting you from attacks and freeing the mind from worries. Two things are worthy of note here. Firstly, physical strongholds may last for a while but eventually will be destroyed. Thus the stronghold we truly need for our lives is a spiritual one. This comes only when we invite God to surround our lives with His presence every step of our journey, and we determine to remain in His presence. ‘In God’s presence there is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore’. (Psalm 16: 11). Secondly, the enemy raises up strongholds around us to disrupt and destroy our lives. These however, are powerless to stop us as long as we keep trusting God. Whenever we put self or pride first, we will fall, but as long as God remains our safe stronghold, we will be victorious. In 2 Cor 10: 3 – 4 Paul says For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

In these perilous times there is only one place we can go to find the safety, security, and protection we need to face the strongholds of this world. Psalm 18: 2 tells us: The Lord is my protector; he is my strong fortress. My God is my protection, and with him I am safe. He protects me like a shield; he defends me and keeps me safe. It doesn’t matter what the threat is, neither does it matter where it’s coming from. God has offered himself as our sure defense so there’s no need to fear. Don’t be careless or carefree, but do not live in fear child of God. In the Psalm David testified of the experiences he had where God came to his rescue. What is your testimony today? How has God come to your aid? Recall these experiences and be reminded that there is no need to fear for God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble. My prayer for all of us today is that we may find strength as we recall our experiences with a God who has never failed us, and be strengthened for what is ahead knowing that the God of the past is very present with us even now. This knowledge should remove our worries, our fears as we stand secure in God’s presence.  Amen
Bevon White

Monday Reflection – March 09, 2020

The Deprivative Force of Sin

Your sins have deprived you of good. Jeremiah 5:25

Every day we are invited to reflect on ourselves and see where we are, not in comparison to others, but rather in relation to God’s expectations of us. Yet, we must also evaluate those we have chosen to surround ourselves with and whether we are positively impacting them, and them us. Our inner circle is a clear reflection of us. In Jeremiah 5, God looks for a righteous person, someone who seeks truth, and reports that he finds none. God is here exposing the corruption and widespread infectious sins of Jerusalem. It was as if there was not even one person who did right and sought after truth.

In response to this dilemma, Jeremiah prays to the God who sees and cares about truth among men. He prays with a sense of amazement at the hardness and stubbornness of heart among God’s people. He then decides to appeal to the great men of Jerusalem. He thinks that perhaps it was because the people were poor and uneducated why they do not know the way of the Lord. So Jeremiah turns to the great men, the aristocrats of Jerusalem. With all their education and advantages, surely a righteous man could be found among them. Sadly, Jeremiah’s search among the great men of Jerusalem ended in disappointment. They also were rebels; worse educated rebels.

Jeremiah announces judgement for the people, yet a destruction without a complete end. God would not forsake his covenant people and would bring restoration. Through Jeremiah, God speaks to Judah and Jerusalem, exposing their spiritual and moral foolishness in resisting and rejecting him. Jeremiah uses the illustration of the ocean and the sand. The waters of the sea continually pound upon the sand, yet the sand remains, and the sea remains within its bounds. The analogy is clear – if the ocean cannot prevail against the sand, God’s people will never prevail in their rebellion against him. God’s people did not learn the lesson that nature clearly teaches – it is foolish to fight against God.

We struggle in our walk with God and sin ever so often. Yet, we must take note of today’s text that reminds us that sin deprives us of God’s blessings. We grope around in the dark seeking to find purpose and meaning in life, yet that can only be found in Jesus. It requires a denial of self and self-will, yielding ourselves to the Lordship of Christ, and deliberately following God’s ways. This cannot be achieved with a cavalier attitude, but with resoluteness and determination of heart and spirit. It is to purposefully pursue the path of God. However, hear Paul in today’s New Testament text in Romans 7:19: “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.” Admittedly, our best efforts are not enough. We cannot do God’s will without the enabling presence and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Let’s invite God’s Holy Spirit to indwell us and nurture an attitude that deliberately desires to do God’s will. Let’s not allow our sins to deprive us of God’s blessings.  Jermaine Gibson 

Thursday Reflection – March 5, 2020  Follow God’s way Therefore keep the commandments of the Lord your God, by walking in his ways and by fearing him. Deuteronomy 8:6

Our text today begins with Moses addressing the Children of Israel. In his speech he continues what he has been doing since he gave them the commandments in chapter five, which is to encourage them to keep the commandments. In chapters 6 & 7 he warned them about the consequences of disobeying the commandments and the benefits of obeying the commandments. He also reminded them that they are Gods chosen people. In chapter 8 he warns them not to forget God during their time of prosperity. 
Moses begins chapter 8 by recalling all God did for them. He called to memory the long way God led them to get to the Promised Land in an effort to humble them. Moses stated that the Lord humbled them by allowing them to go hungry and then feeding them with manna to remind them that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. During the forty years in the wilderness, Moses reminded them that their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. As a result of the faithfulness of the Lord Moses encourage the children of Israel to keep the commandments of God by walking in Gods way and fearing the Lord. 
Friends, the message of Moses is not different from today. As we look over our own lives we see the ways in which God humbled us, only to remind us that we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceed from the mouth of the Lord. We see how God allowed difficult situations to happen to us to show us that we are not in charge, only God is in charge. During the course of our time on earth we see how God allowed us to become hungry, only to provide for us. He clothed us so that we do not have to walk the streets naked (unless we so desire). 
Friends, God has showed us time and time again that He is God. It is the provisions of God why we are here today. God reminds us that we are frail and without God there is absolutely nothing that we can achieve on our own. God has come through for us time and time and time again, proving his reliability and his faithfulness. Therefore, we must keep the commandments of God. We do so by walking in his way and fearing the Lord. 
Walking in Gods way, mean we are obedient to the commands of God. The commands of God can be summed up in this way, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your might and love your neighbor as yourself St. Matthew 22: 37-39. We cannot put anyone above God- not your boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, husband, mother, father, children or anything else. God is our first love and we must love him likewise. Follow the teachings of Jesus as well and this will aid in walking in Gods way. 
Fear the Lord and show him respect. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom Proverbs 9:10. The fear of the Lord teaches us how to follow the commandments of God, but what does fear mean. It is what we have come to know it as: respect, terror, awe and worship of the Lord. This is what is required of us. God has been faithful and we are called to walk in his way by loving God wholeheartedly and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Also by fearing the Lord and worshipping him. 
Until next week, follow God and walk in God’s way. ShalomChristopher Euphfa 

Wednesday Reflection – March 04, 2020 Trust in the Lord!

Brothers and sisters, I greet you well. Today we reflect on Psalm 115; a beautifully, well written passage which forms part of a Hallel. A Hallel is a Jewish prayer in which psalms 113-118 are recited verbatim by observant Jews on Jewish holidays as an act of praise and worship.
Having read these particular psalms many times, as with any form of literature,  each time one reads, he easily may be able to walk away with something new or more profound than the last time he read. Psalm 115 begins with the declaration that it is only to God that all glory is due. Yes, the people were apparently caught between a rock and a hard place yet, they held onto the sovereignty of God. They were mindful of God’s delivering power and the fact that the dead could not offer praise therefore, it was most fitting and profitable for those alive to do so.
Friends, daily we stumble across some situations and some people that cause us to, like Mary mother of Jesus, “ponder in our hearts”. We struggle to come to terms with some decisions, we fail to grasp the meaning behind a number of events. We go about declaring God’s righteousness and telling others of His awesome might, yet some situations in our lives don’t appear to be changing; we pray, we fast, meditate and cry out in frustration and seemingly, nothing gives.
Meanwhile, others around us are seemingly prospering and sinners have begun to question our sanity and some may have even gone to the extent of questioning our faith, they’ve asked about the wisdom in serving God and you may have even begun to wonder and wander as well.
Today’s watchword, Psalm 115:11a “you who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!”. This is not just a statement. This is a command. If the believer is confident that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, then the believer ought to understand that the Lord’s ways are not our ways, neither is the Lord’s timing the same as ours.
There still abounds many dangers, toils and snares. Confusion at its best and the type of conflicts that seek to poison our minds, blind our eyes and blocks our ears from the voice of God, making it easy to fall prey to the devil as lambs to the slaughter. The enemy is ever ready to pounce therefore, the Christian must always be prepared. Do not be deceived, God is not to be mocked. Do not get distracted,  because the coming of the Lord is nigh. Guard your hearts for everything you do comes from it.
Until next week,  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people (Ephesians 1:18). Amen
Kerone Lamoth

Monday Reflection – March 02, 2020

God, Our Defense

For justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. Psalm 94:15

In Psalm 94, David acknowledges and celebrates the Lord as his defense. He begins by recognizing God as judge of the earth. So he beckons, “Rise up, O Judge of the earth; render punishment to the proud. Lord, how long will the wicked, how long will the wicked triumph?” David sounds like one who had seen enough and pleading with God to intervene. Yet David notes that vengeance belongs to God and not man. Indeed, vengeance belongs to one who sees more than we see and knows more than we know. It is appropriate to ask God to dispense vengeance and trust his superior knowledge, wisdom, and timing in doing so.

David notes the rebellion of the wicked, through their words and actions. He goes further and utters rebuke to the senseless rebels, reminding them that God sees, hears and knows everything, including every thought, though futile they are. David then shifts his attention and focuses on God’s people, offering words of comfort that God will never cast them off. Hear David, Happy are those whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law, giving them respite from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it” (vs. 12-15).

Perhaps the senseless and fools will never listen to God, but his people must. God will instruct and teach his people from his word. It is said that all the chastening in the world, without divine teaching, will never make a man blessed. Rather, a man is blessed when he finds necessary correction attended with instruction, and lashing with lessoning. God promises not to forsake nor abandon his people. He will bring his righteous reign and judgment to all things, bringing satisfaction to the upright in heart. Indeed, everything shall be made right and everyone shall receive our just reward, if not sooner, then at the day of judgment. Until then, God promises to be our defense and aid, our rock and our refuge.

What then shall be our stance and response? Submit ourselves to the lordship of the Sovereign God of the universe and avail ourselves to his instruction and discipline. We have and will face trouble in every side, but it will be worth it after all. The momentary trials of this life will be brought to an end by the justice of God. In the meantime, let’s live reflecting the life and light of Christ in our lives so that God may be pleased with us. In today’s New Testament text in the familiar Matthew 5:16, we hear Jesus “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Amen.Jermaine Gibson 

Monday Reflection – February 24, 2020

The Turnaround

Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord. Lamentations 3:40

Lamentations 3 presents the weeping prophet Jeremiah expressing a strong sense of affliction, yet conflicted in his mind and spirit. Jeremiah begins by expressing the depth of his sorrow and distress caused by the corrective rod and wrath of God. The prophet is clearly indicating that the darkness he now faces is punishment from God who has turned his hand against him. Jeremiah uses words such as besieged, hedged in, chained, shut out, and blocked to demonstrate the dark place that he has found himself, Yet, when one reads this text a little deeper, Jeremiah is not just a witness, but a representative of what his people is going through. The sufferings of Judah are described as though one man is experiencing them.  

Though Jeremiah depicts God as an adversary, by the time we get to verse 19 there is a change of tone. He faces affliction and remembers it, not pretending as if it was not there. Thus, by the time we get to verse 21 there is the unexpected expression of hope. There is hope in God’s mercies, compassion and faithfulness. Memories of God seem to have come flooding down on Jeremiah that spring hope and joy in the spirit of the Prophet. Like the people of Judah, though we experience affliction and feel beat down and defeated, we are not completely consumed because of God’s mercies. Though we face severe corrective measures, there is enough evidence of God’s compassion. Though we feel abandoned and forsaken, God remains faithful.

Jeremiah affirms the goodness of God even in his justice. The sufferings that he and his people face will not be forever, and it is tempered with mercy. What a stark reminder that we are never able to bear the full punishment and wrath of God. God’s disciplinary actions are always tempered with mercy. This fact should give us sufficient substance to inspire hope, even in the midst of affliction. Jeremiah then reminds all that God cannot be opposed and he rules over all things…yet another reason to hope. We may complain against God, but that profits us nothing. It is better that we accept our just correction and be grateful for everything.     

By the time we get to today’s Watchword, Jeremiah challenges the people to humbly turn back to God. We must test and examine our ways. Our sins ought not to be casually and superficially confessed and dealt with. Instead we should carefully reflect on our ways i.e. our thoughts, words and actions. Having done so, we should turn back to God. All the self-examination in the world will do us little good if it does not lead us back to God. We must turn away from sin and self and focus on God. For those who have drifted and lost focus of God, return to God!

I close with the very text for today- let’s test and examine our ways and return to God.Jermaine Gibson 

Thursday Reflection – February 20, 2020Doers of God’s WordBlessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it! Luke 11:28
 The truest indication that learning has taken place is if one can put into practice what they have learnt. Our verse for today is quite a unique one. The verse is actually part of a larger context beginning at verse 14. Jesus had cast out a demon from a man who couldn’t speak. After the demon was cast out the man was able to speak. There were some persons from the crowd that accused Jesus as receiving his power from Satan to cast out demons. Jesus immediately rebuff this notion in verse 17 by stating, “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. 
Jesus further stated anyone who wasn’t with him was against him. If you’re not living for God then you are against him. In other words there is no middle ground with Jesus. This set the platform for our verse today and what transpired after. Jesus continued, after an evil spirit leaves a person it goes into the desert searching for rest. If it doesn’t find rest then it returns to the person. If it realizes that it cannot enter the person, then it goes and find seven other demons more powerful than itself and they go and live in the person making the persons condition worse than before. As Jesus was saying this a woman in the crowd cried, Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you. Jesus responded, blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it.
As I reflect on this passage there are a couple points I want to highlight from Jesus’ response: 1. Hearing the word of God doesn’t make you a Christian.There are many people who hear the word of God and it does absolutely nothing for them and there are those who hear the word of God and do not act on it. As we look throughout society and even within the church, there are many people who have not become TRANSFORMED by the word of God, yet they hear the word of God on a regular basis. These people can be likened to some of the people in the crowd that followed Jesus. Jesus was a spectacle to them and so they followed what they considered to be the excitement of Jesus. I want to posit that if we hear the word and do not act on the word, all we see Jesus as is a spectacle–someone who peaks our interest but nothing more.

2. God requires obedience to his word. The truest indication that learning has taken place is when one put into practice what they have learnt. The word of God is not to be treated like a story book. The word of God is to TRANSFORM and SHAPE our way of living that is REFLECTIVEofJESUS. Jesus requires us to be obedient to what we have heard and learnt about him. Obedience is what truly pleases the Lord and when we are obedient to God, learning has taken place. Notice how Jesus quickly identifies who is blessed. The woman stated that Jesus’s mother was blessed, because she gave birth and nurtured him to be so full of wisdom. Also it would have been a sense of pride for the mother to see her son full of so much wisdom. But that is not what causes you to be blessed. It is when we are obedient to the word of God then we are truly blessed.  Until next week, be doers of God’s word and not only hearers.ShalomChristopherEuphfa