By His Spirit

Comfort Makes a Difference.

The Lord has sent me to comfort all who mourn. Isaiah 61: 1, 2.

Bombing, shooting, kidnappings and tornadoes are but a few of the disastrous ways in which lives have been lost or adversely affected in recent times. We face disasters daily, some as acts of nature and others as acts of human beings. Often we are unsure how to respond to these many occurrences. People will turn to God for answers and for comfort or will simply turn away from God and what God offers. The word of God offers a source of comfort for those who mourn during these times. Isaiah 61 is the sixth of the “Servant Songs” of Isaiah. It helps in the understanding of the Servant’s role and the results of his ministry. The servant is sent by God as a comforter for all who mourn. Jesus would own this role at the beginning of his public ministry in Luke 4. "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." Luke 4: 21. Not only did Jesus identify himself as the servant but also those to whom he would minister; the poor, the broken hearted, the captives and those that mourn.

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DRESS RIGHT!

It is prom season here and so there is quite a bit of attention of getting that perfect outfit for the big night. Parents of graduating seniors from High School are spending quite a bit of money to make sure that their daughters or sons are DRESSED appropriately for the occasion. For those graduating from university, they too have to ensure that they too are DRESSED right. And so even though it may not be a prom every effort is being made to get the right cap and gown and all the other regalia that goes along with the ceremony. It is nothing short of embarrassing to turn up either at your prom night or your college graduation, under-DRESSED. With these occasions come certain expectations about what is considered to be acceptable. And so for our FF for today I invite us all to ensure that we DRESS RIGHT!

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God’s Faithfulness and Man’s Wickedness.

You have been just in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. Nehemiah 9: 33.

This chapter of Nehemiah displays a good understanding of the story of the Hebrew people, especially as recorded in the Old Testament. Its focus is the life of the people of God and God’s involvement in it as well as their response this leading. The passage calls for a response from the hearers and readers. When we understand the workings of God in our lives, we are left with no choice but to respond in praise. Not that we are forced into it, but that God’s actions towards us pulls praises out of us. Our text comes in a section (v 5 – 37) which some regard as the longest prayer in the Bible while others see it in the same light as the Psalms. The writer highlights God’s faithfulness of the past toward His chosen people and begins to look to the future with hope. There is confidence and hope that the God who has brought then through the past of their lives will be faithful to them for the future. Any failure has not been God’s but theirs.

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BEFORE AND AFTER!

Advertising is big business these days. Everybody it seems has something to sell. What’s more they are doing all in their power to convince us that what they have is just what we need. From the revolutionary skin cream that will remove all unwanted spots to the latest state of the art exercise devise that will give you that toned fit body practically overnight. Some of the offers seem too good to be true. But just so as to convince us that what they’re offering is just the right solution that we’ve been searching for, they usually get regular people – not paid actors – who vouch for reliability of the product. And what do they use as evidence? The BEFORE AND AFTER pictures! Who can argue against that? After all isn’t a picture worth a thousand words – or in this case dollars? So for our FF for today I invite us to reflect on the BEFORE AND AFTER!

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Meditate On God’s Word.

I’m back! Finished my course (Seminary that is) and will graduate on Saturday. We will continue to meet for Tuesday’s Meditations. For those who do not know, I am now serving as Pastor of Faith Moravian Church of the Nation’s Capital, Washington DC. Continue to pray for me as a new stage of life and ministry is entered into.

You shall meditate on the book of the law day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. Joshua 1:8

To meditate in a Christian manner is to reflect on, or to contemplate. It is deep thinking on spiritual matters. The process of meditation involves reflection, theologizing, questioning, and studying. Today when we speak of meditation we think of it as belonging to other religions. When we read the Bible however we come across the term meditate fourteen times and meditation six times (King James Version).
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PLEASE GOD!

There something to be said in life about trying to PLEASE others. To one degree or another we are all guilty of being on either side of the fence; either we want others to constantly PLEASE us or we belong to the group that lives always to PLEASE others. There’s nothing wrong with being on either side every now and again. But there are some who live only on one side. Incessantly, they must be PLEASED. And when they are not they have perfected how to make everyone else around them very miserable. And then of course there are those who have made it their goal in life to live only to PLEASE others. Such persons don’t know how to live for themselves, so to speak. They are forever shifting their position depending on who it is now that they are trying to PLEASE. It is safe to say that besides these two realities, that there is a third option – those who have perfected the art of living to PLEASE themselves only. But today I invite us to consider a fourth alternative. It is those who in their living aim to PLEASE GOD. That’s our FF for today – PLEASE GOD!

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YOU BENEFIT!

If there is one movie that you need to see for sure is 42. It is an inspiring story of the life of Jackie Robinson as he broke through the racial barrier in major league baseball in the USA in the 1940’s. The movie is not just about the game of baseball. It highlights the strength and heroic character of one man who by his actions and ‘guts’ in the face of racism made a way for other black baseball players to be accepted as equals in the major league. But who really BENEFITTED because of Jackie Robinson? Black baseball players of course! But in a sense the BENEFITS from what Robinson accomplished went well beyond opening up the doors for black baseball players. As I watched the movie 42 I couldn’t help but think that the same way one man’s action can BENEFIT so many who came after him, we cannot afford to forget all the BENEFITS that are ours because of what God has done through Christ. With that in mind our FF for today is YOU BENEFIT!

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OUGHT TO!

We’ve heard it said many times that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” At the start of each day there are so many things that we intend to do. And yet each of us come to the end of a day only to realize that sometimes much of what we intended to do somehow did not get done. Whether we have a thorough to-do list at the start of a day, a mental note of what they intend to get done or we simply roll along through the day, it can be very frustrating when we realize that what we OUGHT TO get done, for some reason doesn’t. And when that happens, who’s to blame? Maybe the traffic; or that unexpected telephone call that went longer than expected; or having to sit in the waiting room of the doctor’s longer than usual. What if the real blame is just us? What if we are lacking in the drive that is needed to make our OUGHT TO become a will do or better yet, done. With that in mind our FF for today is OUGHT TO!

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BAD, WORSE & BETTER!

The young leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, has for the past few weeks been keeping the world on its edge with the threat of war in that region. He even went as far as requesting that the few foreign diplomats in the country should have been out of the country by April 10. Well today is April 12 and we still are not too sure what if anything will happen. Many believe that he has pinned himself into a corner and in order to save face at home he may move ahead and make good on his threats. Can things get any WORSE than they are already? And although we have heard the threats, we don’t know just how BAD things really are. Not only those who live in that region, but the rest of the world is praying that tensions with North Korea will get BETTER; for their sakes as well as for all of us on this planet. So for our FF for today we reflect on three words: BAD, WORSE & BETTER.

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Time to Trust God!

The Lord is the strength of His people. Psalm 28: 8

Psalm 28 is described as a ‘prayer for help and thanksgiving for it’ by an individual (believed to be David) who is being persecuted in some way by members of the community. The individual also prays that the judgment that God will bring against the community will not affect him or her in any way. There is the feeling that this judgment is not only deserved, but certain to take place, hence the thanksgiving when it does happen. Friends there are times when we as Christians are on the receiving end of persecution by the community we serve. In these last days the church has been the most peaceful in her history, pursuing peaceful ways of witnessing, and being more involved in assisting individuals to get a better quality of life. At the same time, there is a heightened level of persecution by those who would rather have a churchless society. I don’t believe that it is the church that people are against. It is the Christian morals and principles that have become problematic in a world that is driven by self-indulgence and gratification.

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RECEIVE OR REJECT!

Yesterday I was listening to a program on Christian radio in which Janet Parshalls was interviewing Mike Judge of the Christian Institute in the United Kingdom. He shared that recently a survey was done in the UK in which 2000 parents asked their children about the meaning of Easter. Here’s what they found out – 80% of the children didn’t know why Christians celebrate Easter and among that number, 25% of those thought it had to do with the birth of the Easter bunny. Wow! It makes you wonder what is happening with the fundamentals of the Christian Gospel in the UK and elsewhere in Europe where few centuries ago they were on the front line in proclaiming the Good News. But we must also wonder what the results would be if a similar survey were to be done in other countries that could be labeled as ‘Christian.’ Now more than ever the Gospel of Christ must move beyond the confines of the church’s walls and into the market place. When we do one of two things will happen. People will either RECEIVE OR REJECT the truth of the Gospel. That’s our FF for today – RECEIVE OR REJECT!

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His Great Faithfulness

His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4

Jeremiah said, in Lamentations, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” (Lam.3:22-23) Here the Psalmist echoes this thought of God’s great faithfulness. He says he is a shield or buckler. These implements protect the body from unwarranted attack from any missile. These all speak of God being merciful, caring and protective. Jeremiah suggested that God honours his commitment in great measure. Indeed, God forever honours his commitment. Elsewhere the Psalmist declares that in his old age he can affirm that God has never forsaken the righteous (Psalm 37:25). Paul confirmed, “My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus”.

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SILENTLY REFLECT!

Today our Good Friday ended as it usually does – in silence. There was not the usual benediction. After the closing hymn, we all left the sanctuary in silence. It was a solemn moment and one that allowed us all to reflect on Christ’s death on Calvary for us. What a price!

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Praise God Who Hears and Answers Prayer.

Blessed be the name of God from age to age, for wisdom and power are his. Daniel 2: 20

The story of Daniel is quite an interesting one. He is praised by King Nebuchadnezzar as a wise man, yet when the king needs really wise men around him to interpret his troubling dream, Daniel is overlooked. It is the failure of the prized magicians that causes a death sentence to be pronounced upon all the wise men of the Kingdom, including Daniel. When he learned what was happening, Daniel went to the king to seek time to give him the answer he needed, then he went to his prayer partners who went with him to God. Note the sequence. He found out the problem, gathered like-minded people around him and together they approached God.

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BE AN ENCOURAGER!

If you follow the game of basketball then you know that March Madness is now if full swing. Whether it is College basketball, American type football or the NBA, there’s a group whose presence at the game is really important. They are usually the most excited whether the team is losing or winning. They make noise, dance and wave their pompoms. They never seem to be discouraged even if the game is not going their way. I’m speaking about the cheerleaders. Their job is to ENCOURAGE the players. The coach strategizes the moves in the game while the players execute the plays. But it is the cheerleaders who keep ENCOURAGING the players even when the play didn’t go as planned. What’s more, cheerleaders not only ENCOURAGE the players but also try to ENCOURAGE the supporters to keep their enthusiasm especially when their team is not performing as expected. Imagine a game without cheerleaders! Our FF for today invites us to be like the cheerleaders and BE AN ENCOURAGER!

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