Out Hearts In Sync With God pt.2: Made Whole

Our relationship with God revolves around his love for us. All that has been done for us has been out of love from His heart. This must have been extremely difficult in light of the fact that we are unworthy and imperfect, while He is perfect in this love and in all things. It all stems from the desires of the heart. Jeremiah 17:9 says “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked…” and God the Father, our  Divine Parent, sees it all. He sees man at his core and knows that the “imaginations of the thoughts” are evil daily (Genesis 6:5, 1 Chronicles 28:9).
But not only is this evil seen by God on this “unseen level” of the heart, but by careful observation and listening, we too can determine the status of others and even ourselves. One's actions and words reflect what is on their hearts. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34) and it is because of this that man, in his carnal nature, is “defiled” (Matthew 15:18). This means that man’s potential is tarnished, or ruined; he is weakened. We may not even notice this, as what we do in the flesh becomes so natural and accepted that we see even good actions as being right. But God ponders the heart and sees the true intentions behind these “good deeds”, which then determines whether or not they are righteous. Even so, in these moments of weakness, as said in Psalm 27:14, if we “wait on the Lord and be of good courage, He will strengthen our heart,” and this will in turn place hearts on a pathway to be established in a foundation of being unblameable. This new found strength reverses the effects of being defiled; we will be renewed and cleaned. Then, if we seek him, He too will seek us, and hold us close unto himself. He will give us a new heart and we shall be his people and his children, as our heart has been made whole.

Christian Legacy (pt.3): Labor for God

Labor can be described as an extremely physical exertion for work. It is something that you must make an extensive effort for in order to achieve something that you wish to accomplish. Our physical labor here on Earth and our extensive attempts to do so to achieve our goals should be modeled after the work that we do for God. Colossians 3:23 says “And whatsoever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not unto men.” What we do, or labor for in life, we may do to achieve something for ourselves, or our family, or even our churches, but what we do should show to be a reflection of our lives for God. Pushing ourselves beyond expectations and proposed limits so as to achieve what needs to be done with little or no excuses. As Christians, that labor, or “what needs to be done”, is ministering for God in order to bring souls to Christ, and be the example that others may need to labor themselves in the same manner as well.

When we labor on Earth, sometimes we do so out of reciprocity, so if we labor for man and are disappointed by man, our labor may diminish, but if we labor for God, who will never disappoint us, we will always have a reason to keep pushing, because God is a rewarder of those who labor for him. “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love that you show toward his name.” (Hebrews 9:37-38)

If you do for God, God will definitely do for you, especially since the Lord himself recognizes that there are not as many people laboring for him as there should be. “The laborers are few,”  (Matthew 9:37-38), but the promises are many. When laboring for souls, we must remember this, and live with the intent to share the truth with others and point them toward the promises (victory) bestowed to those who follow the cross. And because souls are at stake we must be abundantly persistent. “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:57‭-‬58)

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Manhood (pt.3): Leadership as a Teacher

A very important duty for a man is taking on the responsibility as a teacher. Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6 KJV)

The best type of teacher is the type that lives and acts out the lessons that they want for their students to learn.The lesson for young men would be showing them how to become a man. Respectful, knowledgeable, and strong in the Lord. He should honor his parents and seek to himself grow and take on his own family, and be the head of them. Learn the ways of God, so as to have a firm foundation with which to teach as well as discipline. Exhibit principles that show that strength is not always a product of large muscles, but of a full intellect that shows respect to all others even when it is not received. For the young woman he must teach her what type of man to accept into her life for a relationship. Show her how to respect herself and how to demand respect by he himself respecting her mother regardless of life's difficulties. Teach her that a woman's body is beautiful and as such, while it is enticing, it is a gift- a gift to her from God, and a gift to the right man. She is to take charge of herself in regards to her body, to protect it and keep it pure.

To whomever a man is teaching, he should be the example of what a man's role is in accordance to his Christianity. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.(Matthew 5:16 KJV)

But not only is a man teaching through his actions and his words but he is also teaching by the things that he denies or stays away from, and doing so with courage, persistence, and integrity. His Integrity towards his beliefs will show his true strength. The strength that matters in life when dealing with life's troubles, life's rewards, and every aspect of what we do on a day-to-day basis.Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; (Philippians 1:27 KJV) The places we go, the things we watch, the things we listen to, the words we say... All these things need to have a filter, if not for ourselves, then for those who we may be teaching inadvertently without knowing.

I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:  Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.  We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord , and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.  For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:  That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:  That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:  And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.
(Psalms 78:2‭-‬8 KJV)

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Christ's Compassion (pt.2): Reciprocated Love

Jesus so desperately desired that his followers be alleviated of the pains and sufferings that they had to encounter on a daily basis. The compassion aspect of it all took shape when He acted to cease that suffering. How glorious it must have been to have the God-Son in all his omnipotence, concerned but planning to help as well. In Matthew 15, as in other instances, Jesus had a multitude of people following him.Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. [Matthew 15:32]

He saw that they were suffering from hunger and did not think of sending them away. He rather told his disciples, in not so many words, that because these people were dedicated to following him while disregarding their own needs, not only did He recognize this, He decided to take care of the needs of the the crowd. He likened the multitude and himself to the image of sheep needing the shepherd. And with the five loaves of bread and two fish the shepherd fed the flock, and nurtured them also with his words. He came to earth out of love, the multitude followed, and the Savior reciprocated with compassion.

Oh How I love Jesus, because He first loved me! -Frederick Whitfield

Judge Not

"Judge not, that ye be not judged." -Matthew 7:1

To judge someone is to form an opinion about them or to come to a firm conclusion. Judgement tends to be dangerous because it is not always based on factual information but “formed opinions” which could very well be wrong. And furthermore, others may translate the opinions as fact. The truth is that we should not judge anyone. Our human minds are flawed and incapable of fair discernment. Only God can and will judge perfectly.

In the gospels, Jesus clearly says that whatever criteria you use to judge someone, you will be judged  in the same way. Opinions about people are translations of temporary encounters, and unless we know all the events and thoughts of a person, there is no acceptable criteria for judgement. Therefore, instead of addressing questionable situations with judgement, let us use the well-known “Golden Rule”and treat all people as we would like to be treated [Luke 6:31].

In addition, we should treat others as our brothers and sisters, and seek not to put a stumbling block [that the limitations from judgement cause] in their way. Instead, we as Christians should realize that we all will have our day of judgement with the only True and Fair Judge. And on that day we all will have to give account to God for our actions and thoughts, good or bad [Romans14:12-13].

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Product of God

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2

A recent conversation caused me think about my position on the assumption that a person's environment influences their thoughts and in turn their actions, and little by little changing the environment for the better or worse. While there is some truth to the aforementioned claim, as my father said before, “Ultimately, it is your choice.” What we decide, we decide and no one else. Therefore, we are not so much a product of our environment, as much as we are a product of our own mentalities. Furthermore, our lives become a composite reflection of our hearts.

The disciples gave accounts of Jesus speaking to the fact that “where your treasure is, therein also will be your heart” (Matthew 6:21, Luke 12:34) . Many times the world wins out in the realm of influence toward our hearts because there is physical evidence complying with the claims of the world all around us. In regards to a more spiritual influence coming from a desire to please God, we must rely on faith which requires more self-discipline. Be that as it may, it is a process that can most certainly be achieved. A mindset to make decisions based on what God will have us do is not only attainable, but to the Christian it is mandated. The very essence of what it means to be a Christian requires that we accept Jesus Christ and follow his example. Therefore, when faced with temptations that may cause us to pause, we should either “flee the temptation” or “recite Scripture” as He did. This will help us to keep our focus where it belongs-on God's way. When we are focused, we can then guide ourselves back to God, and in doing so use a spiritual discernment when faced with decisions that have heavy consequences.

Our lives are a sum total of our experiences and decisions. The situations that are out of our control are not always ideal, but it is what we do with our decisions that make a lifelong impact. Allowing the enticements outside ourselves to dictate our thoughts, and hence our actions, is a very deadly game to play. God's way will not steer us wrong and will ultimately lead us to the true intent of our lives.

We are not given a good life or a bad life. We are given a life. It's up to us to make it good or bad. Who and what we encompass around ourselves will either make life easier or harder. Life is already destined for some difficulties, but who or what we find ourselves depending on will be the deciding factor between bending and breaking or bending and moving on. God does not desire for us to go through “ unnecessary foolishness." If we simply adhere to the ways set before us, we will see that God wants to protect us, keep us, and hold us.1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Bottom line, if we look to God, we will find what is of true value and be able to make decisions that God, through Jesus has already shown us the answers to. Then no longer will we fall to the cliche of being a product of our environment, but we will rise rise to the honor of being a product of our God! God bless! Be blessed and be a blessing!

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Praise and Deliverance

I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalm 34:1

This verse is a wonderful blueprint toward how a  Christian’s attitude should be, in regards to acknowledging God’s goodness. Written by the man after God’s own heart, this entire chapter of Psalms [34] reflects on the solid belief and example of God being there for us. The psalter makes sure to always include God’s workings in his life, no matter the situation he finds himself in or coming out of. Perhaps the approach that David takes toward revealing God’s divine intervention causes him to remain or at times, return to being of the description given- being righteous. Blessing the Lord at all times, and continuously praising God no doubt increased the relationship of David and God.

Verse 19 mentions the righteous in that “Many are the afflictions of the righteous:but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” David surely had his fair share of afflictions, but one in particular is believed to have been the source of his penning these profound words declaring his praise.

Before the poetry of this chapter, is a partial explanation making reference to an incident involving David and his confrontation with Abimelech. In the incident, David, in fear for his life, plays the role of a man gone mad, on the ground in the dirt, drooling in his beard. This image is shameful, to say the least, but it worked. His life was spared and he was sent away. God had saved him, once again. His life was spared and he explains further, “ I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears (v.4). He realizes his shortcomings, referring to himself in verse 6 as “This poor man” crying, when once again “the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.” The commonality here is that when in distress, the Lord will hear his righteous, and deliver them out…of them all.”

Thousands of years after these events,we too can find ourselves on the receiving end of God’s deliverance. We have but to ask, and in the words of Jesus himself, “it shall be given; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7) In almost a mirroring of the image that David set forth in Psalm 34, Paul’s Epistle of Ephesians [5:20] reminds us to always give thanks to God for all things. We must remember who he is and what he is capable of. He hears us and delivers us from all that might oppose us. This deliverance is available by believing and consistently praising God’s name -always. David stated it perfectly in an earlier chapter. Psalm 9:10 says, “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.” Beautiful poetry!

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Where Is the Church? (pt.1) Christian Duty

"We've got to go and be a witness

To save the lost and fallen from the hit list.
Get this, give them total Truth, so they never will forget this
And they can claim a place where Holy bliss is..."

It is the responsibility of believers to bring souls to Christ. It is our mandate from God. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus declares that if we follow him, He will make us fishers of men- seeking to bring souls to Christ. We have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God and given a new life as new Creatures. How dare we deprive an unbeliever of the same Christ who saved our wretched souls from a deserved punishment. Who are we to the unbeliever but one whom not so long ago was standing in the same guilty place yearning inside for the scent of atonement? 

"For all have sinned and come short of Gods glory." (Romans 3:23) Therefore, we by ourselves were not good enough. We were not deserving, except by Jesus interceding for us and enduring the Cross whereby we were saved. We are no better than anyone on Earth- man, woman, boy, girl, black, white, saved, or unsaved. We are not perfect. Yet He who was, and still is perfect, saved us. 

Nothing elevates one above another, therefore we are all equal. Sinners needing God's grace. There is no one sin greater than the others. Sin is sin, and if one keeps the Law of God and sin not, save one sin, he still transgresseth the Law. (James 2:10). This verse, in a way, puts us all on a level playing field- all sinners seeking God's grace. We, as Christians though, are to help align the minds of the lost to realize how they can be found, and given newness.

If we are privy to the knowledge of someone falling to sin, it is only our place to help them and not judge. Because the same standard of judgment that we use against them shall be therein used against us. 1 Peter 3:15-16 (KJV) tells us sanctify the Lord in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason  of the hope that is in you with meeknes and fear: Having a good conscience: that whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they might be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. The NIV translates this verse by saying to revere Christ, and be ready to explain why you have hope. But to do so with gentleness, respect, and a clear conscience. Thus, causing those who spoke evil against you to be ashamed. Also, doing so would make us like Christ in word and deed, and give a good testimony and example as to what really being a Christian is all about.....

(We will revisit this topic in part 2 of this series. Until then we would like to invite you to follow us on social media. Thank you again for reading and God bless!)

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