Aug 28, 2016

MY FRIENDS, WE MAY BE BLAMELESS AND UPRIGHT BUT?

“David, a 2-year old with leukemia, was taken by his mother, Deborah, to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, to see Dr. John Truman who specializes in treating children with cancer and various blood diseases. Dr. Truman’s prognosis was devastating: “He has a 50-50 chance.” The countless clinic visits, the blood tests, the intravenous drugs but David never cried and although his friends in the clinic had to hurt him and stick needles in him, he hustled in ahead of his mother with a smile, sure of the welcome he always got.

When he was three, David had to have a spinal tap a painful procedure at any age. It was explained to him that, because he was sick, Dr. Truman had to do something to make him better. “If it hurts, remember it’s because he loves you,” Deborah said. The procedure was horrendous. It took three nurses to hold David still, while he yelled and sobbed and struggled.

When it was almost over, the tiny boy, soaked in sweat and tears, looked up at the doctor and gasped, “thank you, Dr. Truman, for my hurting.” (Monica Dickens, Miracles of Courage, 1985) And as a child of God each day even though at times life hurts and it is safe to say at times life is horrendous, But our words must be, thank you God for my hurting, but Calvary tells me it’s all about your love for me.

My friends, each day we must “Count it all joy…when [we] meet trials of various kinds, for [we must understand] that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing… (and) Blessed is the man (and woman) who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:2-12 (ESV)

But what we must also understand is, the finish line has not been moved and the requirements to finish have remained the same for two thousand years. And that is whoever “endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matt. 24:13-14 (NKJV)

And what is so amazing, God is allowing us to be co-workers with His Spirit in taking the good news of the gospel “to all the world.” My friends, the war is being fought daily over our character. So that mountain that seem at times we will never get over is God’s only chance to work a miracle in each of us because we are being tried in the flames of our day to day challenges that Christ allows the god of this world to carry us through.

Remember what God himself said about His Servant Job. “There is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” Job 1:8 (NKJV) But, God still tells Satan in (v,8) “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” And sometimes it is only our life that is “spared” Job 2:6 (NKJV) And only our faith and endurance will prepare us for such an encounter with the enemy.

But like Job, we must say with passion and with no reservation. “My Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” Job 19:25-27 (NKJV)

Aug. 25, 2016

MY FRIENDS, ARE WE WILLING TO ENDURE TO THE END TO BE SAVED?

Oh the grace and mercy of God whose promises we can hold on to in every situation and circumstances of our life, even during these times of great desolation and confusion like never before because God is our “refuge and our fortress.” And even if we are in the clutches of Satan whose only intent is to devour. If we seek Christ with a passion, He will deliver us. But my friends, all of God’s promises are based on our willingness not to just seek Him, but to give Him our all, all meaning, time, talents, money and especially our hearts.

In addition, during this probationary period, are we listening to the Spirit of God as He tries to take us to a place where self no longer exist which is in the arms of Christ. We get up each day and the majority of the world never gives it a second thought that there is a world beyond the curtain of our finite minds and far beyond the rise and fall of nations, and far beyond wars and rumors of wars.

And beyond famines and pestilences and earthquakes in various places, beyond death and destruction and mayhem and murder and lawlessness. But as Christ ambassadors we must let the world know what they are witnessing is the staging ground for something much bigger and it goes far beyond the “breaking news” of the day because It is a war from within our hearts, where prophecy is unfolding, the part that states, “he [or she] who endures to the end shall be saved.” Matt. 24:13 (NKJV)

And it is those words “endures to the end shall be saved” that the great controversy between good and evil is being fought over and where our character is being molded for the kingdom of God and most important it is where Christ “stands at the door and knocks and If anyone hears [His] voice and opens the door, He will come in.” Rev. 3:20 (KJV)

My friends “every warning, reproof and entreaty, entreaty meaning an earnest request or petition, in the word of God or through His delegated messenger is a knock at the door of [our] heart; [and] it is the voice of Jesus asking for entrance. With every knock unheeded, our determination to open becomes weaker.

If the voice of Jesus is not heeded at once, it becomes confused in the mind with a multitude of other voices, the world’s care and business [and “breaking new” will] engross [our] attention and conviction dies away,” [which then keeps our faith in Christ from enduring to the end] (SDA Bible Commentary) We are born of a woman, so our journey starts at birth and like Christ we must make a choice, how will it end.

For Christ it ended with the ultimate climax. Calvary, resurrection and then victory where now He sits at the right hand of “Our Father”and because “the one who conquered” is the one who knocks at the door of our heart, His promise is, if we endure “He will give you and I the “right to sit with Him on His throne, just as He [endured and] was victorious and now sits down with His Father on His throne.” Rev. 3:21 (NIV)

So today we can become conquerors through Him who loves us and never stops knocking at our hearts and because He never stops that should persuade us “that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [if we endure till the end] Romans 8:37-39 (NKJV)

Aug 20, 2016

MY FRIENDS, WHY CAN’T WE GO BEYOND SELF TO WHERE GOD CAN USE US?

Self is defined as a person or thing referred to with respect to his or her complete individuality. And when it comes to our salvation complete individuality does not allow the Spirit of God to transform you and I into the individual character of Christ. That is why self must be eliminated completely as we move beyond our needs and wants to a place where God can use us for His glory and honor. “Let none suppose that they can live a life of selfishness, and then, having served their own interests, enter into the joy of their Lord.

In the joy of unselfish love, they could not participate. They would not be fitted for the heavenly courts……In the great judgment day those who have not worked for Christ, those who have drifted along, carrying no responsibility, thinking of themselves, pleasing themselves, will be placed by the Judge of all the earth with those who did evil. They [will] receive the same condemnation.” (E.G. White, Christ Object Lessons p 364-365)

In God’s kingdom where only the joy of unselfish love abides, how could they be comfortable in the “midst of a great multitude which no man or woman could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands along with ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, of angels [singing] with a loud voice to the one who gave it all for our salvation “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” Rev. 7:9 (NKJV), Rev. 5:11-12 (NKJV)

Yes my friends, self could never be happy in the midst of such love and adoration. And until we personally understand the unselfish price that was paid for our salvation we will never be able to look beyond our own self to what the needs of God are. We live in an “age of self gratification and personal choices” that has nothing to do with God, therefore dieing to self as far as we are concern is not negotiable because that would require some type of demand on our time, talents, money and character.

The Rich young Ruler was perfect in his own mind. He kept all the commandments. Then, Christ forced him to look into the mirror at self. And Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven; and come, follow Me. These words saddened him because he owned much, and he went away grieving.” Matt 17:21-22 (NKJV) My friends, Calvary, that is where it all starts for each of us and God’s kingdom is where it will end as we lay self at the foot of the Cross and accept Christ invitation and take up our own cross and follow Him wherever He may lead.

The cross has all of the elements needed for our Salvation; love, faith, endurance, grace, mercy, hope, justification by faith where we are accounted just or free from the guilt and penalty of sin, sanctification because of our faith we are now set apart special, chosen, heirs to Gods kingdom and it starts when we accept Christ as our Savior all the way to Calvary, the resurrection, and then His ascension to start His priestly duties on our behalf. The only thing that is not at the cross is self that we will take into the promise land, because self at that point has become the Character and image of Christ.

Aug. 18, 2016

MY FRIENDS, DO WE REALLY UNDERSTAND THE BEAUTY OF GOD’S GRACE?

“So here is all my praise Expressed with all my heart Offered to the Friend who took my place and ran a course I could not start. And when He saw in full Just how much His would cost He still went the final mile between me and heaven So I would not be lost. Were it not for grace” (Larnelle Harris, Were It Not For Grace) My friends, He still went the final mile between me and heaven So you and I would not be lost.” Its must become personal to each of us as we look at our life and where God has brought us from.

Love and grace in regards to our salvation are interchangeable. God’s love and grace, that “undeserved, unearned and unmerited favor From God.” And because it is undeserved, unearned and unmerited it was extended to the thief on the cross. It was extended to David a man after God’s own heart but still a thief, an adulterer and a murderer. It was extended to Judas who felt grace was too much of a burden.

If he would have just not killed himself, he would have discovered the burden was all on Christ shoulders who died so even the one who betrayed Him would receive this undeserved favor. My friends and most important it was extended to you and I. And no matter how rough the terrain or the storms of life or how high the mountain or how good life gets or how much money we make or how much education we have if it was not for grace we would all live as those who have no hope.

Paul tells us in 2 Cor. 12:7-10 (AMP) that because of the great work given to him by God. To keep him focus on the journey, while never thinking it was about him instead of God’s will. A thorn in the flesh was given to Him, “a messenger of Satan, to torment and harass him to keep him from exalting himself instead of God!” So he pleaded with the Lord three times to please take this pain away.

God’s response was. “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough they are always available regardless of the situation or circumstances]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” My friends, when we are at our weakest point and realize only God can get us through the storm is when we begin to listen to that still small voice of the Lords.

Our salvation and the salvation of others now depends on whether we can understand “God’s grace is sufficient” and it is during this time we must maintain a “deep and living experience in the things of God” that are centered in His word. My friends, God’s Spirit awaits a commitment from us so then He can instill within us all of God’s power that we seek. And with that commitment we then begin to eliminate self and the life we live we will live totally committed to the will and  needs of Christ.

And like Paul in (v, 9-10) we will then be able to say. “Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me………. for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength].” My friends, Love and Grace stands at the door of our heart and knocks, seeking a total commitment, will we respond?

Aug. 16, 2016

MY FRIENDS, ITS ALL IN THE CLOUD SO IT MUST BE OK IN GOD’S SIGHT?

I was talking to someone yesterday about my devotional two days ago, Aug. 14, 2016. The title was; can we distinguish between the black, white and grey areas of our lives. I spoke of our socially acceptable sins which are those hidden sins beneath the surface that we are not ready to accept or not willing to accept they are sins and one of them were the illegal pirating of movies and other Prime time videos.

There response was it’s all in the cloud. To most of us this cloud is an unknown or a figure of space and time unless you worked in Silicon Valley where the high-tech establishment resides. But my friends, it’s bigger then the cloud. We must understand it is not flesh and blood that has allowed that cloud to establish those grey areas within our lives that tells us it’s OK because everyone is doing it. “But it is principalities, and powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this age….” Eph. 6:12 (NKJV)

And it is these forces that have allowed every situation and circumstances of our lives to become blurred. But we must remember there is a continuous movement in our lives, and that movement are two forces, both operating simultaneously with each other, but both moving in opposite directions with different agendas and different outcomes.

One force representing everything changeable, unpredictable, and whats distressing in our lives where all hope will be lost one day in a state of final spiritual ruin. The other force, a much more powerful one representing the sure movement of God’s wise and sovereign purposes forever transcending a deep flow of His unchanging love within us, along with the power of his Spirit transforming our lives.

And that same Spirit is also preparing our character to live in that place “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which He hath prepared for [each of us] that love him.” 1 Cor. 2:9 (KJV) My friends, the cloud must become personal to each of God’s children because it represents that thin line between destruction and life eternal.

In addition, that is why we must maintain an attitude of passion, passion and more passion that keeps us on our knees seeking God’s Spirit to guide us in all truth and understanding. We are now at the threshold of the promise land, changeable and unpredictable cannot be an option. James tells us “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17 (ESV)

My friends, the “physical sources of light vary in intensity from sunrise to sunset and from season to season.” The grass withers, the flowers fades. Of old [God] laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of [His] hands. They will perish, but [God] will remain; they will all wear out like a garment, God will [even]change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but [Jehovah remains] the same. [His] years have no end, [and His word stands forever]” Is. 40:8 (ESV) Psalm 102:25-27(ESV)

“His word stands forever,” and will never change. As Paul went before the emperor Nero he tells us “no man stood with me, but all men forsook me” “The greatest want of the world is the want of men [and women] who will not be bought or sold, who in their inmost souls are true and honest, who do not fear to call sin by its right name [even if it is in the cloud, because God’s word never changes]” (E.G. White, Education p 57)