Meditations
“To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.” – Robert Muller
GOD SUPPLIES THE HOPE
"May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." (Romans 15:13, ESV)
We need hope. And the need for hope may actually be the greatest spiritual, psychological, and medical need common to all people. In his autobiography, Doctor's Progress, the famous cardiologist Dr. McNair Wilson claimed, "Hope is the medicine I use more than any other—hope can cure nearly anything."
In conjunction with Wilson's claim, Dr. Harold Wolff said, "Hope, like faith and a purpose in life, is medicinal. This is not a statement of belief, but a conclusion proved by meticulously controlled scientific experiment." Dr. Wolff was, some years ago, Professor of Medicine and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Cornell University Medical College.
From personal experience I can tell you that despair, in all it's deadliness, will overwhelm you the day that hope dies. Hope is absolutely vital—both psychologically and biologically. Those in prison aren't the only ones in need of it, right? Men and women of every race, creed and nationality need hope.
And true hope...comes only from Jesus. He alone gives us hope for eternity, hope for a better brighter future as we turn to Him in faith; and, hope for this moment. And the next.
I can do all things, conquer all things, survive all things, defeat all things "through him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13, ESV).
He is the God of Hope.
BE STRONG AND DO IT
"And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD." (1 Chronicles 28:20, KJV)
Let's just be real—sometimes life seems really hard. It is even harder for those out front leading their families, going to work day in and day out, keeping up with a home and all that goes into raising your kids, or getting your degree. To really make a difference in the world, starting with YOUR world, you must be willing to be uncomfortable. You must BE different in order to make a difference. And that's not always easy, or popular. If you don't have someone there to encourage you along the way, at some point things may begin to seem almost impossible.
Before my birth my mother knew God had a special calling on my life. So, she dedicated me to God's service at eight days old in Free Saints Chapel Church (that P.O. Box later belonging to Inside Out Letter Ministry, which we started when I was twenty). Like Jonah, I rebelled against this calling many times. God may not use fishes to swallow rebellious ministers anymore; but I can assure you, I am writing this from the belly of a whale- of a system called the DOC (Department of Corrections). Needless to say, he got my attention! He is God Almighty.
This doesn't mean the path he laid out for me is an easy one. Getting a Master's degree in prison, reducing your friends to almost zilch because most people in here are criminally minded, becoming an ordained preacher, and, among other things, encouraging gang members to leave their circle of associates and change their ways...is not only hard—it is Dangerous, with a capital D.
Some days, when I focus more on the obstacles and difficulties more than I do on the King of Kings and the Way maker, to be honest, I can get discouraged. I am blessed, however, to have a ministry team that takes the time to sense this and send me verses like the one above. As (once rebellious) David reminds his son Solomon, they remind me repeatedly, and in different ways: "Be careful now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it" (1 Chronicles 28:10, ESV). It doesn't always feel like that though. I am in prison. Have been for nearly 12 years now. I'm only thirty and have made SO many mistakes in life. I have caused people pain and led other people to make mistakes as well. Yet, my past will not define me.
It can become easy for us to grow weak of Vision, to become discouraged by our present predicament and/or our past failures- to the point that we can end up robbing ourselves of the future that God, through Christ, has for us.
God's Word says that "the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Romans 11:29, ESV). What God has for us, He doesn't take away, but we—in our insecurities and fear and procrastination—can fail to reach out to grab them. This is why Paul urges Timothy to be sure and stir up the gift God has for him, to not neglect his calling (1 Timothy 4:14).
Paul, himself writing from a prison cell, takes his own advice and says to the believers over in Philippi: "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14, NIV).
Whatever you are dealing with in life, whatever circumstances, obstacle or difficulty YOU are facing, listen to me: you must be strong. Realize that God loves you and He is working that situation together for your good (Romans 8:28), whether you can see it clearly yet, or not. Just because all you see is clouds doesn't mean the sun stopped shining. Do what you feel He has called you to do. Don't buy the lie! God is still with you. He hasn't gone anywhere.
Be strong and DO it.
OUR UNITY: A CURSED REDEEMER
3/22/24
There is no word in the Christian vocabulary that deserves to be held in higher esteem or preciousness as the word "Redeemer," for even more so than "Savior" it reminds the child of God that his or her salvation has been purchased at a great and precious cost. The Lord gave his very self for our sins, in order to deliver us from them and all their nasty manifestations.
I. Our Common Dilemma
"For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:22-23, ESV)
Before coming into a relationship with Jesus Christ, we were all stuck in an endless cycle of self-sabotage and rebellion against God. You may have never come to prison, as I did—disgracing your name and family and community—but, in God's eyes, all are the same. All of us were stuck running on the wheel of sin, displeasing God, living outside His favor, blessing and the identity He has for those who claim His name. Believing in Christ, we became Christ-ians. An honor. A privilege. But at what price?
II. Our Not-So-Common Common Savior
"So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, 'Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them...Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by BECOMING a curse for us—for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree" (Galatians 3:9-10,13, ESV, caps mine).
Could you imagine the disgrace felt by the Creator of the Entire Universe. He CHOSE to become a curse. He didn't mind what others thought. He was on a mission to redeem us. The day I was labeled as a felon—I was cursed. In more ways than one. It is a terrible disgrace. When I consider how many friends and family turned their backs on me, walked away—how some are still afraid to associate their names with mine for "political" reasons, and for fear of being judged as a reflection of me; seeking to hold onto their jobs and status — I am able to partially relate to what Jesus may have felt in this verse. Jesus was cursed. If He were applying for a job today, He would be required to check the box on the application that says "Have You Ever Been Convicted of A Felony?" He was cursed, hung on a tree, innocent, but guilty of a felony, for you and for me. He willingly went through that degradation and indignity for you! He deliberately chose that path. He knowingly, and with sacrificial love took on that stigma. Why?
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, SO THAT no one may boast [in themselves]" Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV (caps and brackets, mine).
God, in His divine wisdom, knows the depravity in our hearts. He knows the corruption to our very core. He knows of our tendencies to judge one another, to practice classism and racism, to show favoritism towards the rich and powerful and reputable. We brag about ourselves, our friends, OUR people.
Here He addressed this common human error, so that no one alive can boast of their own goodness or superiority in class, race, position, etc. He tells us that salvation is a free gift, not the result of personal piety, moral or religious works. Our Savior did not want this to divide us. He had seen enough with the pompous Pharisees and sanctimonious Sadducees of that time.
He tells us that no one is considered "good" (Mark 10:18). Only God is good (Matthew 19:17).
If that wasn't clear enough, if He hadn't managed to lower the walls that separate us yet, He has Paul to hammer the point home when he declared: "ALL have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one" (Romans 3:12, ESV, caps mine). Our creeds, confessions and credentials are allowed to separate us no more. Here we learn that we are all on the same level at the foot of the cross—we are all sinners, desperately in need of a Savior. He wants us to understand this point.
That we might better bare with one another's shortcomings. That we might become able to love people, through His eyes.
Then having broken down those walls that separate us, He brings us together. Turns out, that was the plan the whole time…
"... According to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his PURPOSE, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to UNITE all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth" (Ephesians 1:5b-10, ESV, caps mine).
There we thought we had it all together, that our family, our friends, our people were so smart. He tells us the opposite. He doesn't use preferential treatment when he deals with His people. He claims that we are all messed up. We all have made mistakes. He says none of us are good. None are better than the other—no race, no class, not felon nor free. Having pushed apart our differences, now He gives us something to hold onto as a single unit, as a family: Him. God sees the division and discord, the absence of love and compassion for others. He sees the evil in our hearts, as well as the heartlessness. He sees our false pride. And He flips our world upside down!
For all who would aspire to greatness, he requires that person to serve the most. This is just one example. He takes all our concepts of leadership, etc, and turns it upside down. In His Kingdom, the man at the top of the triangle doesn't get served by the many at the bottom. Instead, he is mandated to serve the many at the bottom.
In doing this, He made things simple and complicated. It is simple in the fact that He is what binds us together, equality one with the other. It can be complicated when it comes to our inability to accurately judge, curse, criticize or classify. The remedy is to remember who we have in common when dealing with one another, as Jesus requires—in love. Agape love.
"But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord ' " (1 Corinthians 1:27-31, ESV).
Once held captive, as Paul concurred (Romans 7: 23-24), we were ALL in a wretched state. We were trapped on the wheel of sins, destruction and discord. Thanks be to God He didn't leave us there to work it all out according to our own individual "truths" and perspectives.
III. Our Common Duty
May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified YOU to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and In Him all things HOLD TOGETHER" (Colossians 1:11-17, ESV, caps mine).
We must Hold Together. The curse was put on Him. Let us not transfer that over to one another. Let us love one another. Be patient with one another, bear with one another's shortcomings, and work TOGETHER for HIS glory…
"For as in on body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function" (Romans 12:5, ESV).
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; HOLD FAST to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. OUTDO one another in showing honor" (Romans 12:9-10, ESV, caps mine).
"Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight" (Romans 12:16, ESV).
"Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free [Jesus absorbed all those labels!]; but Christ is all, and in all" (Colossians 3:11, ESV, brackets mine).
"Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not to his own interests, but also the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is Yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but EMPTIED HIMSELF, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself..." (Philippians 2:2-8a, ESV, caps mine).
"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but SHARE IN SUFFERING FOR THE GOSPEL by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own Purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began" 2 Timothy 1:8-9, ESV, caps mine).
If we should boast, let us boast only in Him: our "cursed" Redeemer, who gave Himself as a ransom, that we should be saved from ourselves and the sin that would separate us.
Then, let us love one another, and embrace our brothers and sisters. We Are All One Big Family—redeemed from our sins and differences by the blood of Jesus Christ.
FROM YOUR PAIN TO YOUR PURPOSE
3/23/24
"It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees...Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word" (Psalm 119:71, 67, NIV)
A shepherd's staff, in Bible times, had a little nail in the end. Some called it a goad or a prick. In the KJV it is translated as "prick"(Acts 9:5), and was referenced as being crucial to Paul's giving his heart to Christ. C.S. Lewis stated that pain is "God's megaphone." That he whispers to us in the good times, shouts in the bad.
Psalm 119 is the longest psalm in the Bible; as well as the longest chapter. It has 22 carefully constructed sections, each of these in direct correlation to a letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Using a combination of eight descriptive synonyms —word(s), precepts, commands, decrees, law(s), statutes, promise(s), righteous laws—almost every single verse mentions God's Word. Some say it may have been Ezra who wrote this particular psalm. In any case, with it's emphatic and repetitive nature, the writer's love of God's Word shines through loud and clear.
For a man who loves the Word of God, some might find it odd that his last verse in this psalm says: "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commands" (v. 176, ESV). God uses the term sheep when He speaks about humans a lot. Like sheep, we too are stubborn and prone to confusion. Like new Christians, we start off with a fiery zeal, then the world steps back in and manages to distract us, with all its shiny trinkets and past times. The world, or our flesh, detours us from what we know to be right and true.
It isn't long before we come to find ourselves in a ditch-like circumstance—often losing our sense of peace in the process—and in desperate need of saving. When this happens, He wants us to call out to Him as our Shepherd. It isn't long before the child of God progressively learns to trust God to daily guide them along the "right" paths (Psalm 23:3).
None of us are exempt from this wandering. Some may act like they are—probably to make themselves feel better—but they aren't any better than the rest of us sheep. As this psalmist proves in our key verses, it happens even to the best of us. It seems to be a common occurrence and order, us learning to trust God as Shepherd out of our experiences of going astray and being afflicted.
Jesus Christ is the Way. He is the Truth. And, He is Life—life more abundantly than we could ever find on our own.
Don't waste your pain. The sooner we learn to walk in His Way (John 14:6), and to trust Him day-by-day with each and every decision we make in our life, according to His Word, the better off we will be.
Some might call it jailhouse-religion, or your mom got cancer-religion, or your about to be evicted-religion, etc. Whatever it takes, God wants us to learn to trust Him. Not just in the difficult situation, to help you get through.
But every day AFTER, He shows up.
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