You Have To Make A Choice

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Matthew 6:24

The bible is clear on the fact that you cannot serve two masters. No matter how much effort you put forth, this cannot be done because the God you are involved with desires your full attention… Deuteronomy 6:15 says, “for the LORD your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.” There are some of us who are wondering right now why it is that your prayers haven’t been answered, why it is that you have not been able to get out of the rut you are in or even why it seems like the ditch you are in keeps getting deeper and deeper… If you are that person today, the question I have for you is quite simple; is the shovel in your hands or Gods…? Are you stuck because you are trying to figure your own way out or have you really turned it over to the Lord…? The bible declares in Jeremiah 29:13 that, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” 

The only way for you to find God is to seek Him with all your heart; this in turn requires that you leave the other master spoken of in our focus verse from the book of Matthew alone… The problem in your life isn’t that God hasn’t heard or doesn’t hear your prayers; the problem is that you are so distracted by the things of this world and your peers that you cannot recognize the answer that He has placed right before you… This is why you feel like you’ve been praying all this time and haven’t gotten a response, this is why the walls keep closing in on you; you say your waiting on God and the reality is that He is waiting on you… You can’t have one foot in Christ and the other in the world… You may think that it can be done, you will be the exception to the rule; just know that so many people have tried this and ended up missing out of the blessings of God… Trying to appease two things will at some point require you to make a decision as to which is of the most importance… Understand today that two masters aren’t just limited to living two lives or trying to sit on the fence with your religion! Two masters can simple be anything that you have put on the same level as our God… The most interesting thing that I find in studying this passage is the fact that there are so many people who are trying to serve two masters without even knowing it… A simple way to check with you fall into this category is to analyze your everyday affairs… How many times do you oversleep and wake to say a “quick prayer” before leaving out the door… Have you ever cut your devotion time with God short (if you even spend time with Him other than Sunday’s) to go tend to another need that you deemed more important…? 

Answering these questions let you know if there is another master in your life and it may also very well lead you to understanding why things have not taken a turn in your life for the better as you had hoped or expected (yes there are test, trials and hardships that we must endure; however, there are also some things that we encounter in our lives that are self-inflected because of our focus or attention being in other places… Serving two masters is something that takes place at some point in all of our lives; one of the most common instances where this occurs is in finances, we are so devoted to making money, that money becomes our life. We miss secret devotion because we have an opportunity to make a couple extra bucks, our kids are at home yearning for attention because we feel like the extra hour or two won’t hurt them, but will ultimately provide a better foundation for them to grow. We must be careful when it comes to financial stability (you could very well end up with a lot of money and the back and a lack of love in the home… We must be sure that money doesn’t become are Lord or guide to how we live! When something is your master, it rules over you, and controls you. Make sure that you aren’t being controlled by a source other than God! Just because you are at the church, doesn’t mean you are apart of it. Life is full of choices, we choose whether we want to go to work, we choose whether we want to get up in the morning, and we choose whether or not we are going to be committed to this Christian journey!

So what is your choice, answer this question by your service and not your words?

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

It's All Because Of His Mercy

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.

Titus 3:5-6

Humility is a trait that is easily carried out when the things around us appear to be humbling; however, the true test of a Christian is your submission to the will of God when you have little and when you have abundance… It never ceases to amaze me how many people can blame God when they are dealing with a misfortune, but they take the credit when they receive a blessings or promotion… There is nothing that you can do on this earth to deserve a heavenly home… Today we reminded that we must remember who has made Salvation possible for us and who has opened up doors in our lives that provide us opportunities to prosper and receive blessings from above… Without the offering that Jesus Christ poured out on the cross we would not be here, without the blood that ran down His side there would be no remission of sins and if it were not for His resurrection we would not be able to overcome any obstacle that we face…Simply put, don’t get it twisted; you have done nothing to deserve the saving power that came through God’s beloved son. Don’t lose sight of the fact that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. God, through His mercy gave us a clean slate and refocused our minds on Him by the sending of the comforter the Holy Ghost. 

All this was made possible because Christ thought it not robbery to leave his home in Glory, all this came into existence because the stone they rejected became the corner or capstone. Through the blood of Jesus we can inherit eternal life, through His poverty we can become rich, through His suffering we can go to a place where they’re will be no pain, by Him laying down his life we can live! As much as you want to take credit for things in your life, start to take credit for all the things that are messed up with your life instead… Recognize today that you aren’t perfect and start to seek the perfection of Jesus… When you begin to assume the position that is God’s by saying “I did this or because of my hard work” you in essence are placing yourself on the same level as the Father… This is the same things that Lucifer experienced and we all no where that got him… The whole point to today’s study is that we have been saved by God’s mercy; we have been washed and renewed by the Holy Ghost… This simply tells me that #1 – I was a filthy mess and #2 – I was in need of saving; which equals #3 – that there is nothing that I can take credit for because without the presences of Christ on this earth I would not be here… The book of Isaiah gives us a better overall understanding of what is it that we must comprehend today from our study passage taken from Titus; in the prophetical writing of Isaiah, it is in the 9^th chapter and verses 6 and 7 that we find these words recorded, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” 

We thrive and succeed because of the son that was given, we have authority because the government is upon His shoulders, and Jesus is indeed wonderful and mighty… There will be no end because He reigns forever and it is through His father that this is and was done… Don’t lose sight of what God has done for you, don’t take credit for the blessings He has bestowed and the life that he breathes into you every morning… God has touched you, clothed you and started you on your way… He makes the sun rise and the stars shine and we are here to bear witness to His awesome works because of His unfailing love and grace… Again, don’t become so prideful that you forget that humility is the key to salvation. Paul said, “not by works of my hand, lest I should boast!”Remember that you truly are a sinner saved by grace and that grace was not obtained by your labor; but rather, by God’s mercy and love shown through His son! In times of despair, when you feel lost and confused, remember that God has brought you this far and the Holy Spirit dwells with you right now to ease you pains and guide your life… Every step you take toward prosperity is made possible by the steps Jesus took going to Golgotha and the door that God opened in raising Him from the dead… Don’t rely on your hands, God already knew you couldn’t do it on your own and that’s why Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

There's No God Like Thee

LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart.

1 Kings 8:23

Elijah, a prophet of the Lord teaches us today that despite what we may hear or what people may do, there is no other God besides the Lord… This scripture is written at a time when the Israelites have forsaken the way of the Lord, the prophets of Baal have built alters to their gods and destroyed the alters of the Lord… Elijah in the next set of verses call the people together and instructs the prophets of Baal to lay a sacrifice on their alter and call on their god for fire to consume it… Through morning until midday the prophets called and received no answer, they were mocked by Elijah who told them to shout louder and suggested that maybe their God was in deep thought… After failing to reach their god, Elijah resurrects the alter of the Lord and places the offering upon it, he orders the children to bring jars of water to soak the wood and the offering… At that time, Elijah calls on the Lord in front of the children and the 450 prophets of Baal and the Lord responds by consuming the soaked offering by fire and even drying of the trenches with the overflow (1 Kings 18: 16-38)… 

This passage teaches us today that there is no god like our God… Many today call on other things or place confidence in other places, but we are assured that in the heat of battle, when the going gets tough, when all eyes are on us that God will show up and show out… When you realize in life that all you have is Jesus, that’s when you realize that Jesus is all that you need… There were many times in bible that the enemy outnumbered the children of God; however, the minorities (believers in Christ) soon were empowered and achieved greatness by the hand of God… Today we are reminded to understand the power that lies within the hand of the Only True God… The scriptures that we examine today remind us that there is “No God like thee…” There may be many claims, and you may be approached by many witnesses from other religions, but we must remember who it is that came to your aide in your time of need, who was it that brought you out of darkness, or who has remained faithful while you lost your faith! The one we call on is the one whose name is above every other name, the one we call on is the one who gave sight to the blind, the one who healed the sick, and made the lame walk! He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end; He is the author and finisher of our faith… The scriptures say, “There is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath…” I don’t know about you, but I have tried all the avenues of this world, I have sought the recognition of my peers and put myself in some vulnerable positions… I have tried to fill the voids of life with the flesh and have failed miserably… 

I have turned to vain glory and tried to put on a facade of happiness and joy, but in all the ways of this world I have never been happy nor filled the empty areas of my life… I understand that Only God can fill the voids of pain and trials I have faced, Only God can make me whole and turn my tears of sorrow into tears of joy… There is no other God that has the ability to turn sadness into praise, dark days into light and make ways out of no way… Through all my mistakes and mishaps I have realized that Jesus Christ is the one that has saved me, Jesus Christ is the one that has afforded me a chance of Salvation and I believe that there is no other way to be saved or even to have life more abundantly… The God that I serve keeps His covenant and mercy with his servants… God truly has been patient with us; He has looked beyond our mistakes and still provided us with opportunities to succeed… His mercy is evident in every breath you breathe, His mercy is shown in every movement you make, and His mercy is obvious in every trial that you overcome… My bible tells me thatat the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow; those who claim other gods will confess that Jesus is Lord! When Jesus was lifted up out of the depths of hell, He said all authority was given unto Him on earth and in heaven; so who is like Him on earth (just as the passage ask)? Jesus has vowed to go and prepare a place for you, and that He will return to take you home in glory! What other gods have made that promise, what other gods thought it not robbery to leave their home in glory? What other gods were clothed in imperfection that we may be perfected, or were bound to a cross so that we could all go free, what other God died that we might live? When you answer these questions, there is only one name that solves the equations, and that is JESUS! NO OTHER NAME I KNOW!!!!!!!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Knowing Christ Matters Most

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.

Philippians 3:7-8

The riches we seek on earth cannot compare to the riches we will receive in heaven for forsaking the things of this earth… Saul (Paul before his conversion) was held in a high company amongst his peers… He was a (n) educated man who was a member of the counsel; however, we see that even the highest position in this world doesn’t bring true happiness nor contentment…  Saul was always seeking to appease the crowd, he was always seeking the accolades and the praise from his fellowman; however, when he heard the voice on the Damascus road, he writes to the church of Philippi “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ…” 

This passage taken from Paul’s letter to the church of Philippi examines the element of sacrifice that one must have as a child of God. Paul states that the things he gained in and of the world he counted as a loss for Christ! Not only is it worth noting that nothing in this world can compare to the love and direction of God, but also we see hear that true happiness cannot be obtained nor is it defined by material prosperity... Today so many choose to seek vain glory and even if they obtain it they are left with a void that cannot be filled by man… Paul is saying that we must come to know and understand the fulfillment that we will have in doing the will of God… Paul was “living the dream,” but wasn’t actually living until Jesus appeared to him on the Damascus road… So many of us have dreams today, we have a model of success in our minds and we will stop at nothing to achieve it; however, what we learn today is if that model is not centered around Jesus Christ we will find out (one way or another) that it is truly meaningless and will leave us empty and void… When you are immersed in the word of God and see the blessing that He will pour out on your life, you will agree with Paul and say, “I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ…” It doesn’t matter what kind of car you drive if you don’t know where you’re going… It doesn’t matter how much money you have if you don’t spend it appropriately… Knowing the plan that God has for you and fulfilling God’s desires will place you in the body of the Lord for all eternity… 

The riches of this world will never amount to or equate to the riches of Heaven in Christ Jesus… Paul understands today and wants us to realize that our storehouse should be centered in the will of God and not where “moths can corrupt and thieves can steal…” The Excellency of the knowledge of Christ (which is what Paul speaks of) is knowing what Christ has done for you, knowing what Christ will do for you and knowing what Christ has in store for you… When we understand that Christ will never leave us nor forsake us, when we understand that Christ will exalt us, when we understand that Christ will keep us in perfect peace; then we will realize that there is no value in earthly vessel and that there is no greater love than the love of Christ…The book of Hebrews records that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever… Everything on this earth changes, we have four seasons in a year, we see light and dark in a day and we experience all different kinds of changes in our lives every second… The only thing stable is Jesus Christ, I would love to be able to know that my future is secure and my job will stand, but the only thing that is certain is that Christ will always be there… You will suffer, you will have to deal with uncertainty and conflict, but we must hold to the faith that we will ultimately win in Christ! No weapon formed against you shall prosper; this well-known and quoted scripture assures us of victory! Paul goes on to say that it is for Christ that he suffered! Are you willing to suffer for your faith? Are you willing to be tried to show yourself approved? Paul is telling us that by choosing Christ, suffering will surely come, you may lose some family members, friends may cease communication, and islands of isolation may seem to be your common place. Paul is emphasizing that all this suffering is worth knowing the Excellency of Christ. It is worth the hardships to be assured salvation, it is worth the steep mountain to know He will never leave you nor forsake you.NOTHING ON THIS EARTH CAN EQUAL WHAT THE FATHER HAS IN STORE FOR ME!!! Do you believe that?

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Seek Him With Your Whole Heart

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity.

Jeremiah 29:13-14

There’s a song sung by Hezekiah Walking entitled “99 and ½”… The lyrics go as follows, “Lord I'm running trying to make 100 because 99 and a half won't do…”The words sung in this song apply to our lives as Christians in that we must be totally under the authority of the living God… There are so many people who have been praying and seeking answers from the Lord; however the prayers have gone unanswered and the things that have been sought haven’t been found simply because their search didn’t involve all of their heart… We must come to the realization that we exist because Jesus sought our deliverance with His whole heart… So many of us are wondering why we can’t overcome, why we are in the same circumstances or why we have not advanced and the answer lies within you… You will never be promoted if you only show up to work once a week, you will never be trusted if you only tell the truth every blue moon and you will not be exalted by the Lord if you only serve Him Sunday mornings… Have you ever found yourself wondering why it seem that there are times in your life when God is not there? 

The Israelites pondered this very question while they were in captivity under the Babylonian kingdom… Jeremiah informs us today of the answer as to why we find ourselves in “hopeless” situations and feel as if our prayers have fallen on deaf ears…We feel at times as if God is not present not because He has abandoned us but because we have gone astray… The answer to the question of bondage, captivity and trials lie within you… The Lord is always present; however, the only way for you to feel His presences is when you are totally focused on His will… This passage says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart…”God shines light on the strongholds that we have been oppressed by in the form of sin… We haven’t heard from the Lord because we haven’t sought Him wholeheartedly… You can unlock the door to your future; however, you must seek the keys with everything you have… Seeking the Lord isn’t enough, in order to find Him you must apply and surrender every part of you… Notice that is says and ye shall seek me and find me when… A lot o f us have sought God in times of trouble, we have sought God when our finances seemed inadequate and we have sought God when storms come raging at our doorstep… We, (just like the Israelites) have turned to the Lord as our last hope instead of focusing on Him and His will everyday of our lives… Seeking God isn’t limited to a need basis; one of the other reasons that we are unable to find God in our times of despair is because we don’t give Him honor when He has shown up and/or delivered us from the hand of the enemy… The Israelites are in captivity right now simply because they neglected God in all the blessings that He had already bestowed upon them… 

You should be seeking God in times of abundance and in times of scarcity, you should be focused on God in times of exaltation and when you are down… David said,“His praise shall continually be in my mouth…” We have to learn to seek God regardless of what is going on… The next step in seeking Him requires that we leave all our prayers at His throne… So often we seek God about things, but then begin to develop our own plan of attack or strategy to come out… This approach not only will create a bigger obstacle, but removes the seeking portion of your faith and damages your relationship with the Lord… God is waiting for you to turn to Him, He is waiting for you to have enough faith to stop trying things on your own and trust Him and His sovereignty… It is only in your struggles that your faith is shown; it is only when the weight of the storm is pressed upon you that you can see where you are as a true child of God… When things get a little hot and heavy, when things get a little dicey, when situations become a little uneasy, this is the time when God sees what you are made of and how much you truly trust Him… He says that “I will be found of you…” God will show up, you will find the answer you have searched for, but you must seek Him continually… Not only will God show up, not only will He hear your cry, not only will He be found when you have completely turned to Him, but the passage states at the end of the 14^th scripture that, “I will turn away your captivity…” God isn’t a God of in-completion… He will not do a half-service to your request… We must understand that, because He will not accept a half-service from us… Seek God (wholeheartedly, trust God, turn your life over to God) and He will show up and deliver on His promises…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Listen More And Talk Less

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”

James 1:19-20

As a child of God; our number one focus is bringing souls to Christ… Despite how many various ways we accomplish this task, we all must first give a (n) ear to the cries of the people with whom we come in contact with… No matter how much we study the word of God, no matter how much time we spend in devotion to the Lord; the mission that we have will fail if we do not learn to lesson to others… We can quote many scriptures from our hearts or minds; however, the scripture or the words which the person needs most to hear from you may not be spoken simply because we don’t know where they are in their lives… James reminds us today that we must be swift to hear… Every person you come in contact with has a story; every person you meet has a past and as a child of God you must respect the paths that we have all traveled so that lives can be touched and altered… People are turned away from God not because of His ways, but because of ours… We allow wrath to rear its ugly head in our lives when we confront a (n) obstacle and so instead of showing our faith, we show how much we still need to learn and mature… Growing up with 7 siblings (yes, seven), arguments seem to be a daily routine within our household; whether someone was wronged, a (n) item was taken or the channel on the television was switched; it was never a matter of talking through things but rather yelling out of control until our parents stepped in and took whatever we were arguing about away from us… Being rebellious and retaliatory are natural traits of human nature… 

To be able to refrain from what comes naturally is a testament to your faith and advancement in the will of God… Sin is natural; however when we make attempts to avoid sin and live a life that is pleasing to God we are displaying the characteristics that a child of God should display and we are living the life that James speaks of in our focus verses today… Self control demonstrates how far we have grown in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… James reminds us today that we must be swift to hear, butslow to speak (I have often been told that we were given one mouth and two ears for a reason)… I was once told that the reasoning behind this was so that we would speak half as much as we listen… If we speak more than we listen, James teaches us today that we are not walking in the will of God…The bible tells us that we are to repay no man evil for evil, but that we are to give room for God’s vengeance and let Him repay… When we try and take matters into our own hands we remove God from the situation and nothing good can come of it… We must learn that there is a difference between listening and hearing… We are called not to simply listen to words, but hear what the meaning of the words are and when we do this we can defuse situations instead of allowing them to spread like a wildfire… Today let us focus on this verses and test ourselves in the area of hearing; instead of speaking when something goes wrong hear what the other person has to say, digest what it is that they have said and pray that if and when you open your mouth you do so in a Godly manner and not out of vengeance… 

When we give place to our own vengeance James tells us that it doesn’t work the righteousness of God… When we tap into our own wrath we tap into the deep dark corner of our soul that contains evil intent and bitter desires… Human’s wrath is what caused David to kill Uriah, the wrath of man is what led Judas to hang himself realizing that he missed up and man’s wrath is what led Jesus to the cross… We cannot be in the will of God if we give room to our own wrath, that’s why we will not be in the righteousness of God… Remember that Jesus was on trial and He heard all the testimonies against Him, He never said a word until a question was posed… Today, let us model Jesus by living according to the will of God and walking in His precepts… It is only by the grace of God and His spirit that we have life and can live; the bible says that when we crossover from this life to the next that our bodies will change (the corruptible must put on incorruptible and the mortal must be clothed with immortality)… We have not crossed over yet, so we are still corruptible and mortal… I say this because sin still lives within us and it displays itself in the areas we allow it too... Sure, we may not be killing people physically, but when we engage our mouths with wrath in bitterness we are killing them mentally and placing obstacles between us in the will of God… Proverbs 4:24 says,“Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.” It’s good for people to see a change in you, it means that you are leaving what comes natural and moving toward what is more spiritual…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Gracious And Compassionate Is Our God

"The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.  The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works." 

Psalm 145:8-9

The only thing you have ever deserved in this life is condemnation… The sooner you grasp this, the sooner you can open the door to experiencing God’s love and desires for your life… The bible records in Paul’s letter to the church of Ephesus in the second chapter the foundation by which we have life and success, in this passage, Paul proclaims, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” No matter what you do on this earth, no matter how much you try to live peacefully in this life, you can only be saved and find you name in the book of life by the grace of God… Understand that Grace is something that you cannot obtain nor do you deserve… It is a gift based on a foundation of live which allows the giver to look beyond faults to fulfill needs… The grace that Jesus bestowed from the cross allowed Him to look beyond the ugly makeup that we presented before Him and fulfill the needs that we had which was the payment of sin’s ransom… Take note today that you are only here because of God’s grace and mercy… There are so many people today who act as if they never knew sin, the act as if God didn’t die for them because they are perfect; however, it is in the passage taken from the 145^th psalm that we find the love of God abounding beyond our valueless thoughts and silhouettes… “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion…” 

You didn’t deserve to wake up this morning, you didn’t deserve to sleep peacefully last night; however, the compassion of God moved on your behalf and despite how ugly your life may be, He still loves you and can’t just turn His back on you… This is why the Psalmist goes on to say that the Lord is “slow to anger…” If God really showed the full extent of His anger toward us we would be wiped from the face of the is earth… See often times we confuse discipline with anger… Anger is a fury, rage or resentment; God distills His anger and continues to discipline us which means that He desires to redirect our paths instead of annihilating us from the face of the earth… We all face trials and tribulations, but I am of the faith that as bad as things may appear to be; they can always be worse… You may be going through a storm right now, but I want you to know that a storm is constantly in motion… A storm is always moving and this is good news today because you need to realize that it will never become static and therefore sunshine is sure to follow… When you are facing a hard time, embrace it, learn from it and trust God that He doesn’t make mistakes… In this world that we live in, I find so many people who hare prepared to throw there hands in the air and become disgusted with God when things don’t go as they planned… When I go through these kind of times, I take note of Paul’s letter to the church of Rome and how in the 8^thchapter, verse 28 he said, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” 

Your storm will work for your God, you may feel like you don’t deserve to go through it, but we all know that “The Lord is gracious…” It is because of Him that we even have life, you deserved far worse than you may be currently experiencing… Your very life is a gift that you should not have received; however we find in this passage today that “The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works…” No matter how many times you mess up, make a mistake or go down the wrong path you can be sure that God is going to continue to love you, continue to show compassion toward you and continue to open up doors to redirect your life according to His purpose… The doors open in your life may not be the doors that you expected, but I challenge you today to walk through them in faith knowing that God has given you another chance and is good to all… “His tender mercies are all over His works…” Despite what you are dealing with right now, I want you to be encouraged today and know  that God has His hand all over your life… He has begun a good work in you and will completed until the day of Christ return… The masterpiece that He designed you to be is taking shape right now; however, no masterpiece looks like the end results until all the brush strokes are completed…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Love Your Enemies

But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Luke 6:35-36

Love is a word that often times is misused… Paul defined love in His 1 epistle to thechurch of Corinth; it is in the 13^th chapter that we find these words recorded, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” When we utter the word love to a close friend or relative it should be without conditions; we should be speaking to one whom we desire the very best for and will in no way change our desires or motives to serve… Love is a word that can be spoken very easy but carries a high standard which is very hard to live up to… 

This gospel of Luke exposes some of the challenges that face a Christian along there journey in growing and maturing in the will of God... Often times we talk about how much we love and adore God, but Luke informs us today that we must demonstrate our Love toward God and the love that lives within us by extending a loving hand (not only to our family and friends) but to our enemies and adversaries as well… How hard is it for you to love someone who doesn’t love you back, or to give something to someone who will not repay your efforts? As hard as these two tasks may seem to be, these are two of the main objectives that a true Christian is to live by… Jesus healed many throughout His life that didn’t’ deserve His blessings; He died on the cross to save our souls and I know (speaking for myself) that I was not worth of that sacrifice nor can I ever repay Jesus for what He has done… The bible says, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us…” Jesus wasn’t expecting anything in return; He isn’t waiting in heaven for Judgment Day to hold His hand out seeking a payment for His services… He died because of the Love for His father and us, He died to fulfill the will of God and provide a chance for Salvation to all mankind and we are reminded that as we journey through this life we must take on the mindset of Christ and not seek exaltation through the eyes of mankind nor material things… 

Too often we go through life trying to find our own happiness, trying to see what positives we can gain from our efforts! The truth of the matter is that your rewards should not be worldly blessings, but rather eternal prosperity. Jesus didn’t die on the cross to gain a mansion on this earth, or to become wealthy. He died so that we could live; He died so that we can have an opportunity to choose our own fate in this world and our eternal destination. Because of His obedience (the willingness to love), Jesus now sits at the right hand of the father with all power in His hand making intercession on our behalf… It is by loving unconditionally and looking beyond faults that we align ourselves within the kingdom of God… Today’s scripture says, “Your reward shall be great and ye shall be children of the Highest…” Your reward will be great when your life is complete on this earth, your reward will be great when you have shown love to your enemies and favor to your challengers… Looking back to Jesus, we see that the same people who mocked Jesus were the ones He cried out for on the cross and said, “Father forgive them!” The same ones that yelled crucify Him, were the ones He now extends open arms too. We are to be children of the most high and it is time that we live by his example and act like it. Do to His unfaltering love toward His enemies; Jesus was rewarded by God and able to declare that all power was given unto him! These words came forth after His suffering; He spoke these words after being ridiculed and scorned, after giving to the needy and seeing nothing in return. The last part of this scripture says,“Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful…” I am sure that we can look at our lives and know that God has shown mercy in and through us, God has withheld punishment that we truly deserved and given us a second, third and even a fourth chance… Today remember the mercy that has been bestowed upon your life, remember the forgiveness that God has shown you and extend mercy to others… “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, I used everything you gave me". 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Keep Praying Over The Harvest

Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;  Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Matthew 9:37-38

Yesterday was the national day of prayer; this is a (n) annual time/day when we are to go to the father with petitions and supplication united in lifting up one another unto Him… Many times we go to God in prayer when we are in need of a miracle, when we are in need of healing or we simply are seeking an answer… Jesus reminds us today that we should continually pray for the increase of labors in the vineyard of the Lord…Surely we can agree that there is a lot of wickedness in the world that we live in! One can simply look out of there windows to see kids having kids, the red and blue lights flashing throughout the night, and diseases spiraling out of control. There are many who have lost there sense of direction, there are many that have never known there direction, and there are many that have chosen the wrong direction. Whatever the case maybe, Jesus has declared to His disciples (us) in the gospel of Matthew that the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. We don’t need to seek an opportunity to witness; the opportunity presents itself everywhere we look… It is so easy to find evil in this world, but very hard to find good… 

Jesus is telling us today to pray for people to take action, to stop living unfruitful lives and to turn to Him… This passage informs me of two things, one that there are a lot of souls to be saved and second, that there aren’t enough true laborers in the vineyard. Jesus said for us to pray for laborers. One of the biggest reasons that wickedness is continuing to rise in our societies is because we don’t have the commitment to witnessing from the church… Harvesting is more than just dropping a seed; it takes time, effort, and a sense of where to plant! This holds true to the fact that we must give the time in our societies, we must make an effort in our communities, and we must know when and where to plant the seeds of the gospel… For ever one good thing in this world just think of how many bad things you can think of… The harvest is plenteous because there are a ton of souls that are being lost, the harvest is plenteous because everywhere you turn a crop can be produced… What Jesus is saying today is that there will never be too many workers in the field, there will never be a day when a soul can be saved, a heart can’t be mended and a lost child can’t be found… What we also must learn today is that this harvest stretches beyond the comforts of our home or church, the field is bigger than what we can see or comprehend… 

Believe it or not, but planting seeds doesn’t always occur in the church; in fact most seeds that were planted in the bible happened within the societies and communities that people lived in… Saul was on the Damascus road when his seed was planted, Jacob was fleeing his brother when his seed was planted, blind Bartimaeus was sitting on the side of the road when his seed was planted, all the disciples that Jesus called to follow Him were found outside the church (are you getting the point)… The church has lost this sense of belonging, we go to church Sunday morning, and then go back to our lives which revolve around our household and our jobs, where is our harvest, where are the seeds that we plant? There are many out there waiting to hear your witness, many that are yarning for a sense of direction and purpose and these people are waiting for the harvest to take affect, for the seeds to be planted within them… My first two years in high school my GPA was a .85! If it were not for my sister Sabriya stepping in and giving me a sense of direction, I would not have finished my last two years with a 3.41 GPA! Tell me where I would have been if it weren’t for her witness and stepping into my situation by faith… See often times we see the needs of those around us, but we fail to act to help… This is why Jesus is saying that we must pray to the Lord of the harvest… Pray to God that every day of your life can be a changing point in someone else’s, pray that you will be able to identify the lives that God has called you to touch and that you will impact those around you as a beacon light for the Lord, letting everyone know that you are a child of God… Your service to the Lord is not shown by how many times you go to church in a week; your service to the Lord will be called into account on Judgment Day when God ask you, “what have you done with the talents I gave you…”

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

God Has A Plan For You

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

Jeremiah 29:11-12

Though things appear dim or the chances seem slim, take courage in knowing that God has a plan… … Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet, he lived during the bondage that the Israelites encountered under the hand of the Babylonians and witnessed the oppression of God’s children… Even while in captivity and seeing the hand of the enemy prevailing, Jeremiah records this message that we all can live by today… Jeremiah records that God knows the thoughts that He thinks towards you, He knows the path that He wants you to travel; He knows the levels of greatness which He wants to see you reach! His thoughts toward you are thoughts of peace (tranquility, happiness, and joy); not of evil or wickedness! He has an expected end for you life… Here in the midst of trials and tribulations Jeremiah is reminding the people of God that the Lord has not forgotten about them; he is preaching to the masses that even though storms have entered your life, understand that God is still there and He will deliver you… This scripture has as two-fold meaning; the first is that God has thoughts of peace for your life; He wants to give you the best… However, the second is that your bondage is a result of the choices that you have made… 

Often times we want to blame God for the snares we face, we want to question God’s authority when we face trials, but Jeremiah reminds us today that God wants nothing but the best for you, your family and your life, but just like a parent, He must allow you to learn from your mistakes and sometimes you will have to take the rough road and rugged terrain of hardships to experience the promises of God… Proverbs 3: 11,12 says,“¹¹ My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, ¹²because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.”Even though the trials seem evil and the storm seems wicked know that God’s plan is to produce in you a crop that will last longer than your temporary pain…  The fact that God has an expected in shows us where He wants to take you; however, the route that you take to get there is determined by your actions of everyday living… I can get to my grandmother’s house in North Carolina in about 5 hours from my parents doorstep if I try hard enough, at the same token it could take me 7 hours to make the same journey if I procrastinate… The point is that I will arrive to my destination; however, the time that it takes me to get there is determined entirely by me… God wanted to bless His children, He wanted them to prosper under His leadership, but they choice to defy God, which lead them into captivity and the bondage that they currently face… God never wants evil to enter your life, He doesn’t desire to make things hard for you, but will make sure that you learn from every experience and eventually understand the reasoning for your suffering… 

This passage tells me that God sees your future and promise that is bestowed within you, but He also acknowledges in this passage that there will be twist and turns along your journey, that’s why it says that He has an expected end… Jeremiah concludes that,“Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you…” Now that you understand that the trials that have entered your life are from the works of your hands, God is waiting for you to call upon Him, He is waiting for you to turn from your wickedness and seek His face… God said, “If my people, who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray…” God will not act until you do! He has plans for you to prosper, plans for you to succeed, plans for you to prevail, but you have to turn, you have to confess, you have to repent… The funny thing about the Israelites bondage is that they had the key inside them to be freed; likewise, the key to your freedom lies within you! Call upon His name, throw your hands up in prayer and humble yourself before the Lord knowing that you can’t make it on your own… Hearken unto his word, adhere to His commands, and trust Him in the time of battle and turmoil! Understand that God will see you through, know that you will be lead through the valley of the shadows of death, but you should fear no evil! David didn’t fear evil because he understood that, “Thou are with me…” God is with you, He is right by your side waiting and hoping that you will allow His thoughts of peace to transcend your life… You should remain confident that you will be victorious; you should keep your faith that you will prevail and that the devil will be and already has been defeated!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!