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Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Joy To The World

Matthew 2:10

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

When God does something He does it with grandeur to the point there is no mistaking His message. I make this claim because the writer Matthew presents Jesus' birth (2:1-10) with the wise men asking, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him." The wise men were the religious learned men of the region and King Herod himself were troubled of the news and sent the wise men to search for the new born King. As God would have it these men returned to their respective homes a different way to keep from giving King Herod his answer as to where Jesus was. The king had ill intentions for wanting to know the whereabouts of baby Jesus, but the wise men intentions were different. God always has a master plan which will be carried out.

God's grandeur in this scenario is that He used a star to guide the wise men to baby Jesus so they too could worship Him with great joy as they brought gifts of honor for the new born king. We have seen three sets of worshippers worshiping Jesus, the shepherds who were abiding in the field, the heavenly hosts and now the wise men who represented the Christians of their day. With that being said, let's join in the celebration of worshiping Jesus' birth, then we too can sing Joy to the World Christ the King is born.

Jesus' birth is a joy like none other.

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Friday, December 16, 2016

Christ is Christmas

Thursday, December 15, 2016

The Promised Savior

Isaiah 9: 6-7

For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulders: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

The prophet Isaiah was foretelling of a time in the future encouraging the people of his day not to get discouraged because the promised Savior was coming just as promised by God. This scripture coincide with Isaiah 7:14 as the prophet provides details of Jesus' birth and the unique way in which He would be born.

Isaiah's descriptive name of Christ characterizes the functions of the Messiah. The name "Wonderful" symbolizes the miraculous works or supernatural wonders He would perform, such as miracles He would perform. The name "Counseller" represents the incarnation of perfect wisdom as He provided the perfect plan of salvation. The name "Mighty God" embodies the full deity of God as He was God in the flesh. The name 'The Everlasting Father" means that Christ would reveal His heavenly Father and He Himself would have compassion on all mankind as a compassionate father that loves all His children. Lastly, the name "Prince of Peace" means that Christ would bring the peace of God to all humanity through mankind's deliverance from sin. Christ is the man of peace.

A Savior was promised, a promise kept God--Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah. Accept Him!

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Friday, December 9, 2016

Jesus The Light Of The World

John 1:9-10

That was the true light which lighteth every man was that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.

Continuing our discussion on the birth of Jesus Christ; today's focus on Him being the light of the world who was rejected by the world.

Jesus is the light of the world because He came to save lost souls from eternal damnation, but to all who hears and accepts His gospel message He lights their way into eternal salvation. One of Jesus' famous saying was that "the well doesn't need a doctor" only the sick. This means the spiritually sick who are still bound by sin and are separated from their creator and Savior.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the light and no man cometh to the Father except they go by Jesus (John 14:6). Jesus being the doorway to God the Father, begs the question, why would anyone reject Jesus given all He done in the Father's redemptive plan of salvation?

All who rejects Jesus remains marred in sin which blinds the person to his/her condition as sin makes a person feel good, which lack spiritual benefits to the person.

Jesus is the light of the world because He made the world and we must accept Him for who He is and His saving power.

The name of Jesus is like no other name on earth and in heaven.

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Thursday, December 1, 2016

Jesus Prophesied

Isaiah 7:14

..The Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a Virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

The prophet Isaiah foretold of Jesus' coming with explicit details that the people of his day could look for the coming Messiah with assurance. Isaiah left nothing untold as it relates to the birth of the Messiah. This includes His name-Immanuel, which means God with us (Matthew 1:23). The prophet Isaiah could speak with such authority because he spoke exactly what God said.

God promised that a Savior would come and save His people through His atoning death. If the question was raise, why did the people need a Savior? This is because God the Father had pronounced the whole world guilty of sin; even though priests would make yearly sin atonement, they were required to atone for their sins before making atonement for the people. Whereas, Jesus would make a one-time sin-atonement and all who accept His sacrificial work on the cross would be saved.

It is noteworthy to say that God the Father's love was so great that He could not allow His prize creation to remain separated from Him; therefore, He promised a Saviour who would redeem man from sin.

It is also worth noting that in God's own time He fulfilled His promise of sending the Messiah. God being true to His word we say with confidence that there is no failure in my God.

The prophesied Christ; my Lord and my Savior.

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Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Turn Unto The Lord

2 Chronicles 30:9

For if ye turn again unto the Lord, your brethren and your children shall fine compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land; for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away His face from you, if from you, if e return unto Him.

Today's topical discussion text is a plea from Ezra for the nation of Israel to turn back to the Lord God their Father with the promise they would find compassion and grace in the Lord God. The reason for this plea is that the nation of Israel had turned their backs on God who had led their forefathers out of the bondage of slavery and through the desert under the human leadership of Moses. God had kept and provided for the nation of Israel all the way to the Promise Land and was worthy of their total devotion to Him. At one point the nation of Israel worshiped the Lord, but at the time of this writing they had turned away from God. This was the reason for Ezra's plea and this plea is applicable today for all those who have turned their backs on God.

We know that God is merciful and cares for His people; He is longsuffering giving man time to repent and turn to Him. God's grace is sufficient and His mercy lasts for ever (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Who wouldn't repent and serve a God as gracious as the Almighty God?

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Thursday, November 24, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving

Friday, November 18, 2016

Partakers Of God's Nature

2 Peter 1:4

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

What is our scripture text saying? Our scripture text is saying that as believers we share in the divine nature of God which occurs at regeneration; this new birth gives all believers a new life in Christ. Believers must share in the divine nature of God in order to live in holiness with Him. As stated in verse 3 God the Father has equipped all believers with what is needed to live in holiness while wearing His righteous garment of salvation. This was accomplished through His divine power as He prepared His Son Jesus to redeem man from sin and all ungodliness. During the redemptive process all believers have been washed in Jesus' blood as it is the purifying agent.

Believers being partakers in the divine nature of God, believers no longer lust after the world and what it calls wisdom, understanding and human nature. Believers being partakers in God's divine nature sees things through the eyes of God and views the world and it core values as foolish. It is by God's divine nature, His holiness and wisdom is how the world will be judged.

Believers, we are blessed and highly favored and the unsaved are encouraged to put on the divine nature of God by accepting His gift of salvation.

God's nature is one of holiness and righteousness.

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Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Serve An Awesome God

Psalm 97: 1-12

The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the people see His glory.

Today's topical discussion was chosen to highlight the awesome God that we serve to give glory and honor for His creative and sustaining powers.

That said, let us look at the four foundations of God's kingdom, and they are: (a) righteousness and justice (v.2). This is because He is righteous. His truth and justice is what all humanity will be judged. (b) God is the ruler of His creation (vv. 1-6, 9). He is the only God who sustains all creations. (c) The Lord God is superior to all other gods (v. 7). The Lord God hears and answers prayers. When you call on Him you always get an answer. You can dial one for the Father, one for the Son and one for the Holy Ghost. He is faithful to supply all our needs. He always keeps His promises. (d) There is unspeakable joy of the righteous (vv 8-12). This joy can only be had from being in the family of God who loved us enough to give His best to redeem all who believe from sin.

This Psalm also gives us a snapshot of Christ's kingdom when He returns to rule at the end of this current age (Revelation 19-22). It is noteworthy to say that there will be an event that will occur that will call for great joy for the redeemed (Isaiah 25:9; Revelation 11:15-17; 18-20, 19:1-2).

The God of our salvation is awesome and superior in every way and worthy to be praised.

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Thursday, November 10, 2016

Weeping For A Night; Joy Cometh In The Morning

Psalm 30:5

For His anger endureth but a moment; in His favor is life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

With the lingering bitter taste of this disappointing election and the shock of it is being expressed in different ways from shock to anger and outrage; let me encourage myself and all that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

What this mean is that yes we are hurting and disappointed to the feeling of anger while analyzing what could have been done different. I am not sure of the answer, but during my prayer and meditation time it was revealed to me; the people wanted Hillary, but God wanted Trump. God being supreme always gets His way. God knows the outcome and the effectiveness of his presidency. Please take comfort in knowing that God protect and cares for His people. He is true to His promise of never to leave nor forsake His own.

If the above revelation is true, these questions come to mind, what is God trying to teach America? Has this country moved too far from God being founded on Christian principles? Is He trying to teach America that all humanity is linked through His Spirit? A divided country will not stand.

In my heart and I believe that in her coalition's hearts she is our President and we will always honor her tireless work improving the lives of others.

Let me close by saying, cry if we must, lament if we will because we participated in a Democracy that we all believed in and fought for our beliefs with dignity, honesty and integrity. Sometimes those values are overshadowed by lies, deceit and dishonesty, but hold to our principles that truth will win in the end and joy will come in the morning.

In our difficult times remember these two scriptures, (1) no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn (Isaiah 54:17ab), and (2) weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning (Psalm 30:5c).

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Wednesday, November 9, 2016

A Stolen Election Or God's Divine Plan

Psalm 5:1-12

Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation; Hearken unto my voice of my cry, my king, and my God; for unto thee will I pray. My voice shall thou hear in the morning, O Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. Thou shall destroy them that speak leasing; the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.

I write this with heavy heart in light of what happen in last night's election as many are calling for a rigged election when it was predicted by the person who won. These questions are being raised, how can one person state unequivocally that he would win and would concede only if he won? Why were emails pertaining only to Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party was the ones hacked? What role did the FBI play in this election? What does this say for our American Democracy? Lastly, was this God's divine plan to get America's attention to the hate and division in this country when we are suppose to be a country of Christian values where love for one another is our foundation?

This brings to mind the nation of Israel when they turned away from God and He used a wicked nation to punish them, which led to their 70 year captivity.

Whatever the answer is, the God in us (Christians) is bigger than the god of this nation, and He will protect His people under His mighty wings (Psalm 91:4).

Believers, continue to walk with the God of our creation who is in control regardless of the situation. Know that evil will be brought to naught in His time.

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Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Works Of The Holy Spirit

John 16:8

And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.

Teaching a class on The Presence and Works of the Holy Spirit where one of the topics were the Works of the Holy Spirit; therefore, this scripture came to mind which gives insight into His works of reproving the world of its sin. The term reprove is to expose, refute, convict and convince the world and sinners of their sins.

The Holy Spirit will expose and or make known to sinners their sins while convincing sinners of the need for salvation which is by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior who died on the cross atoning the world's sins. The Holy Spirit's awakening unbelievers to the shame of guilt and the consequences for an unrepentant heart whereas forgiveness brings salvation.

The righteous component of the Holy Spirit's work is convincing the unbeliever that Jesus Christ is the righteous judge as He is the Son of God and it is by God the Father's standards that the world will be judged. Christ died for our sins and rose for our justifications. Christ rose with all power in heaven and earth in His hands. He has overcomed the world's sins.

In the judgment part of His works, the Holy Spirit convinces the unbeliever that Satan is a defeated foe who was defeated at Calvary's cross. This gives believers have an assured hope in Jesus Christ and the power to live holy lives.

This question comes to mind, how will the Holy Spirit's work of convicting unbelievers of sin, righteous living and judgment be manifested? This will be seen as all who come to Christ and be baptized in the Holy Spirit the person can and will live a Spirit-filled life for the world to see. Accepting Christ as Lord and Savior the person becomes a new creature in Christ and a member of God's holy nation of people.

The Holy Spirit is God in the third person living inside every believer as our helper. What a loving God?

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Friday, October 28, 2016

Purification

Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Purification is the process of making clean or removing corruptible; in today's discussion the focus is on purification of man by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

Let's look at what Jesus' blood did in the purification process; first His blood was shed on the cross at Calvary to redeem us from all wickedness. While in this state of mind we had a desire to deify God's law and His holy standards (1 John 3:4). Once the believer is redeemed, sanctified, and justified those desires changed from disobedience to obedience. Also, there is a heart-felt love and devotion to God as well as a desire to live to please Him by being living sacrifices unto Him.

The second act in the purification process was to make us a holy people that are separated from the world and its systems. A people consecrated to God as His own possession. As a consecrated people we have the seal of the Holy Spirit who keeps us in the family of God. In purification we become a holy people who will stand and tell the world "yes I have been born again."

Thanks God for Jesus and His precious blood that cleanse my soul from sin and iniquities and have been washed wither than snow.

Jesus our purifier; His blood the purifying agent in the purification process. What a purifier!

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Tuesday, October 25, 2016

The Unique Attributes Of God

Psalm 139:7-8

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into the heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold thou are there.

The writer of this Psalm is expressing the awesomeness of God by asking several though provoking questions when answered correctly looks at God for Him being omnipresence meaning that God is everywhere; God being omniscient meaning that He knows all and lastly God being omnipotent which is being all powerful. God being all three supports the fact that God is unique in His attributes as there is no other God who posses those attributes.

Other unique attributes of God is that He is eternal with no beginning or end, which means He is Alpha and Omega. God is unchangeable which makes Him the same today, yesterday and forever more. All believers can take comfort in knowing that God will never change and whatever He says will come to pass as His Word will not return to Him void.

Another of God's unique attributes is that He is holy and just. What this means is that God is without sin and everyone is treated equally as He loves us all the same.

Lastly, God is triune which means that He manifests Himself in three distinct persons, but still one God; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit all equally divine with specific roles in the lives of humanity and creation.

The God of all creation is unique as there is no other God like Him.

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Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Be A Fruit Bearer For Christ

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance, against such there is no law.

In Paul's writing to the Christians at Galatia he outlines the comparison between works of the flesh to those of the Spirit and the results of each. Paul makes it very clear that the works of the flesh is in stark contrast to the works of the Holy Spirit. Works of the flesh bring forth all manner of evil and hatred while works of the Spirit bears all manner of good as they represent God's character. Paul makes a profound declaration of the fruit of the Spirit that there is no law against them and cannot be legislated. These character traits are of God who cannot be legislated or regulated because He is God.

With that being said, believers being of God and bearing His spiritual fruit has the God given freedom to bear fruit according to His will and believers are to live so that the world will see the manifestation of God's glory in our lives.

There is a true saying that "a tree is known by the fruit it bears", then all mankind is known by the fruit they bear. If you are a child of God you will bear fruit of the Spirit whereas if one is a child of Satan the fruit of wickedness is what the world will see.

Believers, bear good fruit.

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Friday, October 14, 2016

God's Peace

Jeremiah 33:6

Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.

Everything God created was good and in harmony with each other; this give rise to God being a God of peace. That said we must look at what is meant by God's peace. God's peace is the absent of calamities, distress, and or conflict. Whereas on the other had God's peace means perfect harmony with all creation as well as the feeling of wholeness and well-being. Peace was destroyed by sin which entered the human race by the disobedience of Adam.

Adam disobeyed God's command forbidding him from eating of the tree (Genesis 3:1-7), and for the first time they realized their guilt and shame before a holy God (Genesis 3:8). Sin disrupted God's perfect peace between Him and humanity, and the animal kingdom. Sin also disrupted the harmonious relationship between husband (Adam) and wife (Eve). There is hope that one day God's perfect peace will be restored. This will occur when Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior returns to rule His kingdom that will be established here on earth after the old heaven and earth passes away.

How do we know that Christ will restore God's peace? This evidenced in Luke 2:13-14 when angels and a multitude of heavenly host sang praises to God saying glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, good will towards men.

The question now becomes how do we know and have God's peace until total peace is restored? This is accomplished by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior through His atoning work on the cross, and in doing the indwelling Holy Spirit begins working on our behalf of letting peace rest and rule in our hearts.

There is no peace like God's peace.

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Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Faith And Salvation

Romans 10:9-10, 17

So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God

Much have been written and discussed regarding faith and its essentially to salvation and the Christian life, but for today's discussion our focus is on the word, work, and walk of faith.

Let's examine faith from the three perspectives:

(1) The word of faith is the hearing of the gospel of Christ and believing that Christ is God's Son who died for the sins of the world (you and I) and on the profession of that faith/belief we then are saved. How does one hear the gospel message? The gospel is spread through preaching, teaching and witnessing Christ (Acts 11:14; Matthew 25:18-20).

(2) The work of Faith is the convicting work of the Holy Spirit who convicts the unbelieving heart of the need for salvation and the promise of God that all believers will be partakers in His divine nature-righteousness (2 Peter 2:4). Christians then are born again into the body of Christ through His atoning work and convicting work of the Holy Spirit.

(3) The walk of faith is made possible by the word and work of faith which allows all believers to walk this Christian journey (2 Corinthians 5:7). How is this so? The Christian prospect must first hear God's Word then believe in his or her heart what he or she has heard while allowing the Holy Spirit to have His way, and then the faith walk journey begins.

Without faith there is no salvation.

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Tuesday, October 4, 2016

"Show Me Thy Ways"

Psalm 25:4-5

Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me; for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

Reading this Psalm I concluded it is one where King David was praying for God's guidance and protection. This must be all humanity's desire and especially believers. I say this because believers have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior as well as submitting ourselves to do God's will, live according to His commandments while developing an intimate relationship with Him. Upon establishing a personal relationship with the Lord we get to know Him and His ways.

Desiring to be taught God's ways is a demonstration of believers' devotion to God for His love, grace, mercy and compassionate care. His truth will stand the test of time as He is truth. His righteousness is the standards by which all mankind will be judged.

It is noteworthy to say, being taught God's way incorporates perseverance, godly wisdom and the patience to wait on God as there is no failure in Him.

Being shown God's way, all believers can say with confidence that the Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1).

Get to know the Lord for He is "the truth, the way and the life" (John 14:6).

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Friday, September 30, 2016

Humility

James 4:6, 10; 2 Chronicles 7:14

But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.

According to the Student Bible Dictionary humility is defined as the freedom from pride as well as having the right view of God, self and others, but I would like to add to the dictionary's definition by saying that humility puts into perspective whatever accomplishments and or blessings we have come from God and He is to be given the glory and honor for each.

In the Bible humility isn't considered a weakness but instead a quality of strength as well as showing our trust in God in every situation. Jesus Christ is our perfect example of humility. He never once said "I am God you have to respect me"; He simply informed the Samarian woman that He was the promised Messiah.

Humility is about developing positive relationships with God and others. Allow me to pose this question, what kind of relationship will a prideful person develop as oppose a humble person? If God resists a prideful person then what is the reaction from our fellowman? Resistance has been my experience.

Our scripture text encourages us to refrain from self-exaltation and let God lift us up and receive more of His grace. 2 Chronicles 7:14 outlines four specific requests from God and He promised to heal our land-bless us. Land can be each individual as each one add to the whole.

Humility brings more of God's grace and His exaltation. Be humble.

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Friday, September 23, 2016

Gun Violence: Commentary

In light of the recent African American men being shot dead in the streets by the very people who have been sworn to protect us; this makes me wonder if these killings are a form of modern-day lynching where back in the day Black men were hanged just because. Have we gone back to those days? Is the KKK dressed in three-piece suits, police uniforms and judge robes? How in good conscience can these officers kill the very people they have sworn to protect? Are these officers being vetted well enough to detect the hatred that is hidden their hearts and is on display with these killings? How convenient body cameras are turned off in many cases when another killing/murder is occurring? Who made these officers judge, jury and executioner? When will the justice system hold these people accountable for their actions? The system is supposed to work equally for all citizens, but we know it doesn't.

If a poll were taken, many if not all would say they believe in God. My question, what God because the God I like vast majority serve a God of peace, love, mercy, and justice. A God who created and sustains all creation; this includes all humanity.

I am fearful for my grown sons as they travel to and from work as well as other daily routines. I carry this same fear for other mothers' sons, husbands and brothers. When they leave home will they return home alive? What are we to do? We are already praying, but violence is not the answer. My feeling is that we must come together and change the system from within on every level.

During this presidential election hatred, bigotry and vitriol has taken center stage; I wonder why is this allowed and where is the love?

Our young boys and girls must understand that education is the avenue to improving their current situation. Do not get caught up in the negative situations around you, because you are better than that.

Love replaces hate, communication and understanding supersedes fear.

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Monday, September 19, 2016

"Baptism In The Holy Spirit"

Acts 1:5

For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Today's focus discussion is the transformation and faith walk each believer begins upon being baptized in the Holy Spirit. With that being said, allow me to highlight a few points of being baptized in the Holy Spirit and they are:

a) Being baptized in the Holy Spirit is for all who have professed faith in Jesus Christ as all believers have been born again and is now being indwelt with the Holy Spirit. This is so Christ's ministry of saving souls will continue as believers are to witness Christ the world over in obedience to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

b) Being baptized in the Holy Spirit believers can and will boldly witness Christ with power given by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; 2:14-41). Believers have committed themselves to a lifetime of witnessing Christ.

c) Being baptized in the Holy Spirit believers live a life that brings glory to Jesus Christ (John 16:13-14; Acts 4:33). Living the life of faith Christians develop a greater desire for prayer as it is our communication with God (Acts 2:41-42; 3:1; 4:23-31; 6:4; 10:9) and in doing so we establish an intimate relationship with God.

d) Being baptized in the Holy Spirit manifestation of the different gifts given by the Holy Spirit for the edification of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:4-10).

Believers, Jesus Christ baptize us in the Holy Spirit who is God and He lives in us.

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Friday, September 16, 2016

Made Righteous Through Christ

2 Corinthians 5:21

For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteous of God in Him.

Let us take an in-depth look at our scripture and analyze the "He", "Him" and "us" in today's topical discussion. The "He" is God the Father and the "Him" is Jesus Christ our Savior and the "us" is all humanity. For mankind to be made righteous we must accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The work of God the Father and God the Son encompasses John 3:16 because it includes everyone; to receive salvation one must believe in Jesus Christ the Son of the living God.

With that being said, let's look at the love that was on display in that Jesus Christ took on the sins of the world so that all who believe would be made righteous in Him so that when God looks on all believers He sees the righteousness of His Son. Another school of thought is that Jesus Christ willingly gave up His seat in heaven to come to earth as man and be subjected to human limitations and humiliation while knowing that He would have to sacrifice His life in order to meet God's requirements to provide salvation.

Given what God and His Son done for all believers is worthy of all songs of praise, worship and thanksgiving as a way of saying "Lord, I thank You for making me righteous through Your Son's shed blood."

Believers, we are the righteous of God through Jesus Christ.

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Tuesday, September 13, 2016

"A Time For Everything"

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven.

As we celebrated the close of summer and enter the autumn season of the year, we can reflect on how our personal and spiritual lives are in seasons and each season of life has a distinct purpose designed by God the Father.

Let's reflect on the beauty that each season carries and the beautiful array of colors from each. Spring is filled with greenery and is looked upon as the new beginning. Summer is known for its growth and cultivating the new plant/believer. Fall is a time of harvesting; when colors change and leaves fall from the tree. This is a maturing time for believers as they take on leadership roles in the church. Winter is the time of resting because the harvest has been gathered and in the barns. Spiritually this is the season when older adult Christians are stepping aside for the mature believers to take the reigns of leadership. Winter seasoned Christians are providing wise counsel to the younger Christians.

Regardless of what season of life we are in we are to glorify God as we present ourselves as holy sacrifices to God. This is accomplished by yielding control to the indwelling Holy Spirit; He dwells within to help us fulfill God's purpose in our lives.

Living in the beauty of our season, believers will display the beautiful array of colorful fruit of spiritual growth.

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Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Reciprocating God's Love

Psalm 18:1

I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.

Our scripture text answers the implied question, how we are to respond to God love? All mankind should respond to God's love by loving Him in return for His love, grace and mercy that was imparted to us. Because of God's love He sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for the sins of the world so that all who believe will have eternal life. It was God's grace and mercy that spared all who believe from spending eternity separated from Him.

We respond by recognizing that without God we can do nothing neither accomplish anything on our own. Also, we respond to God's love by telling others of His goodness and the blessed benefits from being members of God's holy family of royal priests and a holy nation of people (1 Peter 2:9). It is noteworthy to say that all believers are chosen by God and selected as His children was predetermine from the foundation of the world. That being said, man's failure to return God's love is the ultimate expression of ungratefulness for what God has done and continues to do in our lives.

We reciprocate God's love by saying, I love You, I adore You, I praise You, honor You and I am committed to pleasing You.

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