Pastor's Blog<![CDATA[Devotional - 11/11/2012]]>

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

One of the major concerns of my ministry is that I run my mouth too much. Not that what I say isn’t relative, it’s just that I must find the right time to say what I have to say so that everybody can digest the information I give. In the minds of those who love to talk, we think what we have to say is more important than what others have to say. In our minds we don’t think we talk that much and on many occasions when others make us aware of it we become offended.

Speaking in itself is not bad, it’s the over abundance that’s troublesome. When we think that we’re the only one that has anything important to say, that’s where we fall short. If you’re like me, you become angry when someone talks more than you do. This happens because we want people to think that we are an expert on matters and don’t want other people to think that they are smarter than we are. Yet, this can be detrimental because people will not want to be in your presence. Quite often those who think others talk too much are the very ones who are the guilty.

So I say let us be slow to speak and quick to listen for in the process we might learn something.

Prayer: Father in the name of Jesus, help us to bridle our tongue because it has set on fire a world of wickedness, corrupting our entire body. It can set our whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. Amen!



]]>
<![CDATA[Devotional - 11/4/2012]]>

"Accountability (Consistency, integrity, responsibility)"

Each person is accountable to Christ and to Him alone. The church must be uncompromising in its stand against activities (adultery, homosexuality, murder, theft, etc.) explicitly forbidden by Scripture. The church should not create their own rules and regulations and give them identical standing with God’s law. Many times Christians base their moral judgments on opportunities, personal dislikes or cultural bias rather than on the God’s word. When this done, we show that our faith is weak. We do not think God is powerful enough to guide His children. What happens to us in the local church is that we base our accountability or lack of on others than on what we promised God. Leadership in the church will never be what God requires it to be, until we take accountability for our actions.

It’s saddening, during 22 years of ministry, regardless of my assignment there is the lack of leadership in God’s people. The leadership role is lackadaisical, because only a few step up to the plate and take the responsibility sincerely. If they tithe, they don’t attend Sunday school or vice versa; if they are attending Sunday school; they are not attending mid-week service. Some Christian wants only a portion of God’s will — a snack not a full meal. They want just enough to satisfy the flesh, “I don’t want to be too full.” It is the elementary stage of life.

What if that was Jesus’ attitude concerning us? What if he had not gotten off the cross or rose on the third day morning? Why is it that He sacrificed His life for us but we cannot commit ours to Him? God is not looking for excuses but rather commitment.

That is why He asked the question in Isaiah 6:8, "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here [am] I; send me." Are you willing to step up to plate and take the responsibility of being the person God made you to be?

Prayer: Father in the name of Jesus take my excuses away from me, so that I can fulfill my destiny in you. Amen!



]]>
<![CDATA[Devotional - 11/3/2012]]>

"Trust"

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;"

Proverbs 3:5

We have never thought that trusting someone else was more important than trusting our own self. In fact we subscribe to the thought that we know ourselves better than anyone else, which is absolutely false. For God created us, we did not create ourselves. In fact I would like to give you an illustration that will probably help us all. When our appliances are on the brink of destruction we do not let the appliance fix itself, but instead we take it to the manufacturer or someone that is qualified to fix it. The exception in our case is that there is no one other than Jesus qualified to fix us. He is the one who is the manufacturer as well as the one who is qualified to fix us. Our understanding of matters doesn’t always call for the understanding that we know but the understanding that He (Jesus) knows. He is working every situation we encounter.

Trusting God (Jesus) comes from a greater belief than just saying we believe, it is deep within our soul and spirit (our inner man). This kind of belief is the same kind that the Hebrew Boys had; the kind that says if God doesn’t do it; it doesn’t mean He can’t. Just because a dog has not bitten anyone doesn’t mean he won’t. We have to be certain that God handling of our situation is right and the only way.

Prayer: Father God, in the name of Jesus, forgive me for being inconsistent in my trust of you. Please help me to trust you in all things. Amen!



]]>
<![CDATA[Devotional - 11/2/2012]]>

"Sensitivity"

Sensitive—tender, touchy, thin skinned.

As I looked up the word sensitive, it amazed me at some of the synonym of the word. Words like tender, touchy and thin-skinned. The amazing part of this definition is that I have been called sensitive, after considering these words I have concluded as others have about me, I am a little touchy, tender and thin-skinned.

This is not a situation that cannot be overcome, however it will take a strong will of an individual and God. You know Herald the Great was thin-skidded. He wanted all the boys of a certain age to be killed because of the “King of the Jew.” It also was King Herod Antipas who had John the Baptist beheaded at the request of Herodias, wife of his brother Herod Phillip. So in essence being touchy, tender or thin-skinned will cause you to do things that will destroy others as well as please others when you know that it’s not correct.

So how do we overcome this matter? First, we must be slow to speak and quick to listen, in doing so we will have time to weigh our option. Speaking without listening will cause us to miss out on what is really being said. Second, we must analyze the situation. Things may not be as we perceive them to be. Some time we have to consider the source. Because some people are just “messy,” you must recognize the intent of the person. All that we do should help not hinder a situation or relationship.

Sensitivity (understanding, kindliness, warmth, sympathy) can also work to our advantage because it will cause us to walk in another’s shoes. This in term will give us a better understanding of their situations and the person.

Prayer: Father in the name of Jesus, I realize that I have many imperfections in my character, but being overly sensitive is a real task to overcome. Please show how to defeat it. Amen!



]]>
<![CDATA[Devotional - 11/1/2012]]>

"The Truth"

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

John 8:32

What is it about the truth that makes it so hard to tell it? Is it that we have an image that we are trying to portray? Or is it that a lie sounds better than the truth? Have you, well I know you have, met someone, know someone, or even live with someone who would rather lie than tell the truth?

The truth doesn’t always put you in the lime-light and it doesn’t always make you the topic of conversation, but it does relieve you of guilt and stress. Truths will most of the time put you in limited arenas. People don’t want for you to rain on their parade. I can remember on one occasion when I asked to look at a baby picture of one of my co-workers and after looking at it, another co-worker asked me why I didn’t tell the other that the baby was cute. I simply said, “Remember the old saying, ‘If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.’ Remember that lying can have grave consequences.

In the story of Ananias and Sapphira, when they lied to the Holy Spirit they dropped dead at the door. In common terms, when we lie, a part of spiritual life dies. The word teaches us that God is not a man that he should lie, letting us know that not only is Jesus the way the truth and the life, it also lets us know we as humans will lie. I believe that God is warning us of the habitual and purposed lies, the one we know is wrong but we do it anyway. The biggest regret of lying is that we often lie to ourselves and on ourselves. If we would speak the word that God says about us, there is little room for us to fall head long into untruths. If truth sets us free, the liberty of truth will always make us feel good about ourselves and we don’t have to be propped up by lies.

Prayer: Lord God, in our speech remind us that the truth gives us liberty to feel good about ourselves, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.



]]>
<![CDATA[Devotional - 10/29/2012]]>

"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."

Jer 29:11

Why is it that so many times we feel that we are left out of the equation of life? It seems as though everybody is getting theirs and we are not. Where we go wrong so often is that we look at others rather than looking to Jesus. So often we equate success in things and the only place in our eyesight is everybody else is getting it.

I really believe that we don’t understand the word of God and we get frustrated because our number has not come up yet. Have we forgotten that we are to wait upon the Lord, have we forgotten that the word say that the riches of the wicked is stored up for the righteous? Where we have failed in understanding the word of God is that the promises of God are yea and amen. What that means is that God knows what he has promised you and He will do it, it’s just in His time. Have you ever thought that you are not ready for it yet, have ever thought that it’s not your season yet?

Remember the words of the LORD when he said that he is not a man that He should lie nor is He the son of man that He should repent, has He not said it will He not do it. I thought that in order to get where I wanted to in the Christian Methodist Church is that I would have to go to Seminary and I was always upset because it didn’t happen when I completed my studies. I thought I was prepared but it didn’t happen. Why? Because I wasn’t ready. Look at what God did, there were three persons interviewing for the Pastorage of “The Ushers Temple CME Church” and all of them turned it down but God blessed me for that position because it was my time. He knows what time it is for you and when to give it to you.

Prayer: Lord God, teach me to wait on you for you have my best interest at heart, in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.



]]>