HOLDING ON.

In the story of the healing of the blind man in Mark 8: 22-26, Jesus led the man out of the city, where He healed him. Its not stated how far this encounter was, from the city outskirts. What was made known is that Jesus "moved" with the blind man. I wonder what was going through the mind of this blind man, as he moved with Jesus in this journey- Is He going to heal me? Where is this man taking me? I want to go back! Why did He not just lay his hand on me?- There could have been a myriad of thoughts racing through his mind. However, this blind man held onto Jesus' hand and eventually, his eyes were opened.

Daily we entrust ourselves to the Lord as our guide for this life's journey. We don't clearly see where He is leading us to. However, He knows the eventual destination and gradually opens our eyes to see this everyday, as we study His word and encounter His presence. Unfortunately, some of us let go of His hand in anxiety and frustration, and lose our way.

He knows the end from the beginning. His revelation and plan for our lives might not be so clear but we can be assured that He will lead us there one day.

"Now we see but a poor reflection as a mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully even as I am fully known" - 1Corinthians 13:12 (NIV)

BE ENCOURAGED

Somehow we seem to forget the moments of deliverance we have received from the Lord, when we find ourselves in difficult situations. The anxiety of the moment causes a sudden "amnesia" and we find ourselves wandering if God can. In Mark 8: 19-20, Jesus had to spend time reminding His disciples of the miracles He had just performed, because they had obviously forgotten its occurrence or its relevance.

I strongly believe that the miracles of the Lord in our lives are not relevant for just that moment,but they are meant to point to JESUS. This is to provide us with a continuous encouragement to trust Him because He is the supplier of all we need.

May we take the time today, to reflect on the love the Lord has lavished on us, through the various miracles He has performed in our lives; May our faith be strengthened.

CHANGING SEASONS

In James 1 : 1-11, James writes about trials, and emphasizes on the rich being proud of their lowly state and the poor being proud of their high position. Through these statements, He seeks to communicate the inconsistency of life and how the happenings of life, can change in just a moment. We can bear witness to this fact- when we a down in spirit, some days, and other days we seem to be gliding on cloud nine. The emphasis of James in this verse is that, as maturing Christians, we need to be steadfast in the Lord at all times regardless of the situation, having pure joy in the Lord.

The tides may rise, the ghastly winds may blow, the harvest may be plentiful, the store house may be overflowing; But in all the contrasting scenarios of life, showcasing its inconsistency, we must be consistent in the Lord.

"Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

Refrain

We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.

It is safely moored, ’twill the storm withstand,
For ’tis well secured by the Savior’s hand;
And the cables, passed from His heart to mine,
Can defy that blast, thro’ strength divine.

Refrain

It will surely hold in the Straits of Fear—
When the breakers have told that the reef is near;
Though the tempest rave and the wild winds blow,
Not an angry wave shall our bark o’erflow.

Refrain

It will firmly hold in the Floods of Death—-
When the waters cold chill our latest breath,
On the rising tide it can never fail,
While our hopes abide within the Veil.

Refrain

When our eyes behold through the gath’ring night
The city of gold, our harbor bright,
We shall anchor fast by the heav’nly shore,
With the storms all past forevermore.

Refrain" -Priscilla J. Owens (1882)

---

The Worship Closet (1)

The Lord calls us to an intimate relationship with Him. May we love to be in His presence even as we retreat from the noise of this world into our worship closets.

Today, Israel and the New Breed will lead us in our worship encounter. Enjoy this video, and may the songs become your songs of worship to our Lord. I entreat you not to just watch this video, but be a partaker in the worship; and may it continue, when this video ends. AMEN.

FOLLOWING THE CODE

With my very basic experience with computer programing, I recall how my crude software followed the code I had written for it, to the letter, even though most of the time my code was flawed.

The Lord, in the Old Testament, gave very detailed instructions about the way of living for the Israelites; from matters of sanitation, to spirituality and the way of worship. Today, He continues to instruct us through His word and through revelation. Unlike my code, His instructions are never flawed.

So far as we follow His instructions, we will make it. In Psalm 32:8, David prophesied "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you"(NIV). The Lord promises us of His instruction and guidance in life. May we trust totally and obey fully His instructions.

Lets follow the code.

FORGET THE GIFT, LOOK AT THE GIVER

In 1 Kings 12, the Lord took a huge chunk of the kingdom of Israel from the house of David and gave it to Jeroboam, a servant of King Solomon. However, later on, Jeroboam decided to rebel against the Lord. He became so engrossed in his new portfolio, that he lost sight of the Lord, his source. The book of Mark, chapter 8, describes how Jesus had compassion on the large crowd of four thousand men and provided food for them , even in excess. He was their providence.

The Lord gives us what we need, for He is our providence. In the Lord's Prayer, we pray that He would " ...give us this day our daily bread..." However, we sometimes become so engrossed in this "bread" that we forget about the giver; our Lord. He gives us a job, and we stop going to church because we are too busy. He gives us a wife/husband and he/she becomes our reason for not continuing with the work of ministry. He gives us intelligence and we make it our god. The list can be endless. How have we in many times behaved like Jeroboam. Today, the Lord is reminding us to forget the gift and look at the giver.

"...all that we have accomplished, you have done for us"(Is 26:12 (NIV))

GUILTY PLEASURES

The consequences of our present actions always seem to be distant and far-fetched. In the interim we seem not to see its effects. But the negative repercussions can sometimes trickle down to generations after us. In 1 Kings 11, we are told about how the anger of the Lord burned against Solomon, whom He had given wisdom, because he (Solomon), had turned his heart away from the Lord, by remaining in the idol worship introduced to him by his wives. He was described as "holding fast to them in love". Due to this, a substantial part of the kingdom was taken away from the house of David, a generation later. This was given to a servant of his. The son of Solomon suffered in a way because of the sins of his father.

What guilty pleasures, sins or actions are we harboring in our lives? Secretly enjoying them in our closets. What is taking our hearts away from the Lord? We serve a merciful God, but He is also the God of judgement.

May we return our full devotion to the Lord. May we spare generations unborn, the wrath of the Lord but instead, may they receive His blessing.