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babasake-blog · 8 years ago

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2016: Of Wisdom and Understanding

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience...” (Colossians 1:9b-11)

Themes for 2016:

Transitioning into a new season

Finding your “place”

Trusting God in all things/God’s sovereignty

Themes for 2017:

Renewing of the mind in God’s knowledge revealed through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit

How do we live a life worthy of the Lord (1 Peter 4) and please God (starts with The Gospel)

Bearing fruit by the strength of God

Endurance and patience

True wisdom is given to us by the Spirit of God. We know through 1 Corinthians 1:18 that the wisdom of God is first found at the cross of Christ which in turn, is where we are baptized in God’s Spirit (Mt 3:11). After completing my undergrad degree in late December of 2015, 5 long years later, I was making my way into a new season of my life. Unsure of what was to come next I scrambled to look for jobs and research what it was that I seemed capable of doing with my life. By this point in my christian walk, just as Abraham did, I built an altar to the LORD. When God led Abraham and his family to a new place (which insinuated spiritual change), he built an altar that symbolized worship of God for this great thing He had done for him. By Grace I was able to recognize that my wittiness, personality and even college education would not solidify where I ultimately would end up to begin my new adventure as a business professional. So, when deciding whether to come back home and work or stay in Milwaukee I needed to depend on what God considered worthy of a life for me to live. Personally, I could not begin to decide. My heart has been broken for my family since becoming a follower of Christ and wanted to come home to be with them and be a light and live the Gospel before them. On the other hand, by this time I had already established good friendships and had much work to do to continue ministering to friends and coworkers in Milwaukee. Either way, I eagerly wanted to grow as a disciple, continue to serve God and grow in his likeness.

Neither decision came easy, but as I prayed for God to decide, I kept up with job applications and interviews in both Chicago and Milwaukee. Eventually, God opened a door for me to begin working in the city of Chicago early June of 2016. Though this role did not work out how I intended, God foresaw the troubles that would plague my heart each day I went to work. My heart grew haughty as the pride of life filled my head. I struggled with sensual lusts as many beautiful people crossed my sight each day. This plan that I believed to be a sure thing turned out to be tragic, but God continued to use me. By the end of June, I would begin a new temporary trek where I went jobless for 12 weeks. 2016 was a year I learned that God is truly with us through all things. It began to weigh on me heavily the cost to go to worship service and bible study each week, literally. I began to think, maybe I can switch ministries and find a more conveniently located church where I live. God would assure me that he placed me where I was for a reason. I believe our hearts have unique longings and passions so that we, as individuals, can come together as a church body in the knowledge of God to pursue His righteousness by the measure of faith each of us has been given.

As the weeks passed, I began to see exactly how God planned to use me in the Triton ministry, at home and even in relationships I once stewarded while in Milwaukee. Today, I am thankful for many individuals that have sown into me since arriving in the God’s ministry at Triton college. God has shown me how I can challenge the other young men and help to facilitate a growing spiritual environment. I believe I am passionate about Christ, but am at times timid and not as prominent in growing in spiritual leadership. This is where all the themes of 2016 blend together for me. My ultimate longing is to one day be joined with Christ and witness His true glory at our “revealing party” (1 John 3:2). At home, I see the need to be relentless in prayer more so now than when I was physically not present. This same attitude applies for those friends whom I cherish back in Milwaukee as well. All in all, we are called to respond to God’s faithfulness in obedience in both small and large matters. In every moment and season, we can and should know God is faithfully in control, constantly beckoning us to Himself so that we do not lose our appetite to serve His kingdom.

So...I hope if there is anything you know about me, it’s that I really like to eat! God blessed me coming into 2017 to desire to be fattened with the knowledge of God!

Strengthened - prevail, encourage, take, courage, caught, stronger, hold

Power- moral power and excellence of soul

Endurance (Steadfastness) - who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings

Patience - cheerful (or hopeful) endurance

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babasake-blog · 9 years ago

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"A lie hurts the person who tells it."

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babasake-blog · 9 years ago

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...we are largely who we become through making wise promises and keeping them.

Lewis Smedes, Controlling the Unpredictable -The Power of Promising

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babasake-blog · 9 years ago

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The Freedom of Christ

"Humans don't know how to function without rules. The Law was given to provide structure around the core concepts of 'love God, love others'. It functioned as a starting point, but was ultimately ineffective because it could not cause people to love. Christ came to take the Law into Himself as its fulfillment, model and author. He himself is the new Law, the incarnation of loving God and living others. Through his power we are freed to do that loving. Freedom in Christ is the freedom to live out the spirit of the law. The expectations were not lowered, but raised - beyond our capabilities, requiring us to depend on the power and forgiveness of Christ. Freedom in Christ is the freedom from guilt and the dominion of sin. The slavery to sin is replaced by slavery to Christ - slavery that is in fact sonship and servitude that is in fact freedom. But Paul here discusses other forms of slavery even beyond that of sin but that will also separate us from the freedom found in Christ. Paul attacks those here: Legalism, Spiritualism and Asceticism. First, Legalism. In this case, the legalism of keeping Jewish religious festivals. Christians were being judged for not participating in religious holidays. This can happen in many ways, though. Legalists take biblical principles and turn them into extra-biblical regulations. Applications of principle become new rules by which we judge ourselves and others - and punish and reward themselves and others. It's not that morality is relative or that we can't confront or be confronted regarding sin. Instead, it is that we must not enslave others to the systems, even the good systems, that we develop for ourselves. Spiritualism is the way of living the Christian life that seeks super-spiritual experiences that then they use as their yardstick for others. Everything from the complex angelic systems of the first century to the elaborate eschatology of the 20th to even otherwise positive theological or apologetic systemics and arguments. Experience can be a powerful force to trump truth. Be careful of any experience focus that is not focused on loving God and loving others. Do not be bound by the spiritual experiences of others. Seeking experience is simply feeding our flesh desires with a spiritual veneer. We are also free from Asceticism. We are free from other people's systems of holiness and standards of purity. Avoidance of pleasure and harsh treatment of the body does not actually kill temptation or prevent sin. It is an attempt to replace Christ with rules in order to solve our sin problem. We do had freedom in Christ to create our own boundaries and standards, but as soon as we start taking pride in these boundaries or judging others by these, we are outside God's will. (If we pride ourselves on not having these boundaries, it works the same way.) If we live by these isms, we lose connection with the Head, replacing Christ with rules, experience or some other system built by man. We live as if the rules can do something that only Christ can do. Christ gives us freedom to live in the gray, not just in the black and white. These rules, Paul writes, have no value when it comes to actually changing hearts. Instead of freeing us to love God and others, they enslave us to rules and self, and then ultimately the system breaks down anyway. Our foundation is not in Christ, and so when that system or leader or whatever fails, we go into a tailspin and are unable to extract the reality of Christ from the falsehoods and human systems. Per John Piper, 'Legalism is a more dangerous disease than alcoholism because it doesn’t look like one. Alcoholism makes men fail; legalism helps them succeed in the world. Alcoholism makes men depend on the bottle; legalism makes them self-sufficient, depending on no one. Alcoholism destroys moral resolve; legalism gives it strength. Alcoholics don’t feel welcome in church; legalists love to hear their morality extolled in church.' In all things, we are to seek to love God and love others, depending on the power of Christ, not the systems of men." // Reflection on Colossians 2:8-23 Timothy Goddard; December 18th, 2016

#christian post #reflection

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babasake-blog · 9 years ago

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The Fulfilled Promise: Jesus the Nazarene

Reading: Mt 2:1-23

Key Verse - “...So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.” -Matthew: 2:23

Themes of this Reflection:

In what way do I worship Christ?

Intellectual knowledge of God without grace in my heart

How far am I willing to go to worship Christ?

Spiritual Greatness

Jesus’ life is the embodiment of Humility

It is appropriate to mention the obvious reoccurring theme in these reflections, Jesus (as it should be). What does THIS passage show us however? At the height of advent is the worship of Jesus as God’s chosen Messiah. But, before worship comes faith and prior to, hope. Hope is patience of the Jewish people throughout 400 years of not directly hearing from God and willing to wait another 400 to hear Him speak. God used the most unlikely of characters to begin the spreading of the good news, the savior of the World is born. Magi were very wise men. These magi in particular, we are told, are from the east. This means that they most likely did not have the resources the pharisees and other Jewish people had; they were not spiritually privileged. Their knowledge of God’s word most likely came through various forms of oration and scriptural study, but they were not close to the homeland of God as the Jewish people were. The result of their hope for God’s promise progressed into a worshipful faith that led into divine fulfillment of scripture and heart desire.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about we do not see.” - Hebrews 11:1

These magi were determined to find the promised Messiah, and when they did, it was nothing short of glorifying. Be honest, at first gander we sometimes create illustrations in our minds about who we think a person may be. We impose our wicked thoughts on who we think this person is based on our limited material view of them. If we were to find a baby laying in a cold, drafty, dirty, smelly manger, would we believe they would be sent from God?

side-note: the historical western nativity scene is a hazardous belief; mangers were germ infested and gross

Exactly, you wouldn’t. But we have assurance from God’s Word:

“- the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the Hope of glory.” -Colossians 1:26-27

Sometimes the impossible actually seems..impossible. Yet, in the midst of confusion, by persistent faith, God’s children will be made known the mysteries of his plans. The pharisees and other spiritually privileged people (those with resources allowing them to conveniently and comfortably worship God) wanted nothing to do with the God-child! They could care less. The prophetic information was known, and yet the religious leaders did not beckon the people to go see. To go investigate and be filled with joy at the sight of the sweet baby, Jesus. Their intellectual minds never crossed paths with the crumbling faith in their hearts. In fact, most of these people rejected Jesus all throughout His earthly dwelling. How crucial it is to know what direction your heart is moving in at all times. Am I moving into or away from sincere worship of Christ? Do I have a faith willing to go the distance to worship Jesus?

Prayer:

My God, your promises to your people have never failed. You revealed to the most unlikely of characters prophetic things and gave them faith and perseverance to worship you at all costs. Please, Father, make us into a people of sincere worship. Help our hope to be inflamed by your infallible faithfulness and love. Even though our eyes may deceive us, may we have hearts that are hypersensitive to your doings. May we be given your good light to see in the thick darkness of this world.

“They saw no miracles to convince them. They heard no sermons and teachings from his lips to encourage them to believe. They saw no signs of divinity and greatness to convict them.” -Gregory Hembekides

Basic economics tells us that in order to take up a good, we must forgo a resource to obtain that good (opportunity cost). I reflected on previously that Grace comes at a cost, someone has to pay for it. Though it seems unreasonable to non-believers (and at times Christians), using up resources is an act of worship. We serve God with more than our time. If we are to truly be called to union with Him, nothing is off limits. This was not the case for king Herod. His deceptive plan was to have The Christ killed as a baby! He told the magi he too wanted to go worship the Messiah. Why didn’t he go himself or at least accompany men to go on the trip to help the magi? Our history books tell us of dynasties of great kings and civilizations throughout the ages. However, God can never be fooled and nor is he easily impressed. As we have seen, there is much value in the things of God. These things will go on to be known for eternity, more than a lifetime or some generations. I am talking about spiritual greatness. Are you someone who envies the rich? Personally, I don’t envy those who are in positions of wealth. I did at a time, but I do not have that desire anymore. With much, comes much responsibility. Having your own business, a family, a thriving ministry or any entity that is growing and may be vast or have propensity to succeed, has the chance of running you into spiritual defiance to God. As Jesus is quoted throughout the gospel books,

“Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” -Luke 18:25

Being blessed with material blessings isn’t sin. Your desire to obtain and covet would make you a candidate for failing to serve God with all that you are. The way you spend your resources matter to God, as it may be a barrier for true worship.Jesus tore the veil that separated us from God, but we need more of Jesus. without less of ourselves we cannot have more of him. And we truly need more of him to be guarded from the fleeting pleasures of earthly kingship and glory. There is a greater eternal glory waiting for us at the end of our worship, but just as the magi made it to the end of their long journey to see the baby Messiah, we too must finish the course that God has called us to in order to be overjoyed at the sight of His good (sometimes unsuspecting) promise.

With this all in mind, I want to turn your attention to the physical life Jesus lived. Up until this past Sunday’s message, I understood the words in this passage about Jesus’ origins to be just prophetic bits of information. He was born of a virgin (as prophesied), born in Bethlehem (as prophesied) and was raised in Nazareth (as prophesied). But there is more to these things that we must consider. Jesus, from conception, lived in humility. His parents were dirt poor. He came a baby (not a full adult) and was a Nazarene. Have you ever gotten upset because your reputation was being dragged through the mud and you couldn’t do anything about it? Well, Jesus’ family did not want to lose him, so in fear of persecution, Joseph settled his family in a place he did not know too well called, Nazareth. Yes, Jesus was from Nazareth, but the people of his time associated this as Jesus being the lowest of the low. They considered him an “unlikely character.” This is truly the beauty of God’s mysterious Will. He sent his son to live a life so humble, so that we would not be afraid nor discouraged to leave what we have behind to go worship him. Jesus could have been even born in a palace with nice linens and good scents, but this manger baby did not come to serve himself...

So, we learn much from the different people in this passage. We learn from the magi that true worship and great acts of faith doesn’t always come from the likeliest of characters and that we as spiritually privileged people should consider in what way we worship God. Where is our hope being held? Without acts of our faith, our faith will wither and die just as a body with no soul (James 2:26). Secondly, earthly greatness may bring isolation from God if not handled with humility and thankfulness. King David is the greatest example we have to see when great kingship meets a full spiritual worship of God. Let’s have a desire to be spiritually great WITH God, not apart from. And lastly, Jesus is truly the embodiment of humility. His physical life here on earth was everything short of spectacular, but in his humble arrival and exit (an unjustly death on a tree), we see how God laid the blueprint for his children to follow and consider in the lives they live.

In this day, where do I stand in light of these words?

Well, I have to admit, it’s never easy considering the things you have been storing up in your heart. I never gave much attention to the notion that there is a huge weight that comes with physical abundance. Hearing this makes me reconsider even what I am doing now with my earnings and my time. I have been moved to constantly challenge my fellow brothers in Christ in my local church ministry and I believe this spiritual desire, just as the material blessing, comes with a great level of stewardship. Normally, I start things...and then I burnout because I don’t see immediate fruit or the end goal/vision is vague and doesn’t seem as rewarding. However, along the way I am given the light of Christ to shine bright and guide the way just as the magi had the star to guide them on their journey. I have been blessed to think of more heavenly things like raising a family and being satisfied in long patient and enduring commitment to God’s calling for my life. I have been given a passion to seek and unlock my talents so that I may be used for God’s good plan. And most importantly, I am able to renew a living hope in Christ to face the emotional, and spiritual challenges of life every day. There’s much I can say for the excitement God’s pending kingdom arrival brings, but the best I can do is live out that joy and move into a place of worship of the one true king, Jesus the Christ.

Shalom,

Deric B.

I hope you enjoyed reading this reflection. Please, provide feedback as your heart leads :)

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babasake-blog · 9 years ago

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The Cost of Grace

Reading: Mt 1:18-25

Key Verse - “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means God with us).” -Matthew 1:23

Themes of this Reflection:

“The heart of man plans his path, but the LORD establishes his steps.”

The Will of God always prevails

There’s a cost to bearing God’s amazing Grace

When Love and Truth is maximized

Sin is the root problem of the world; Jesus was sent to save us from our sins

Without God, our lives have no meaning and purpose

Like many people their age throughout human history, Mary and Joseph looked forward to joining together in marriage and to establish a great God-centered family. Joseph built a reputation as a hard-working man and was seen as righteous in the eyes of God. He was a very noble man. Mary too was worthy of admiration. She was a sweet country girl who never took to the ways of the world and gave herself up before her wedding night. These two looked amazing on paper. They were noble people. Whether young or old, every one of us desire for our plans to happen as we see fit. It is good to plan and see the course that lies ahead of you. For me, when I graduated high school I planned to go to college, date my girlfriend at the time and spend the rest of my life making good money and doing the things I wanted, when I wanted. Just as it did for Mary and Joseph, God intervened in my life in a major way.

“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” -Prov 16:9 ESV

Naturally, we do not want to accept the things God has to say about us. These blessed words can even be life-giving and full of Love, but we struggle to believe. After a long 21 year battle, I surrendered my life to the Love, Sovereignty and Mercy of God. It was the truth of my sinful state, aggressively opposed to God, and the eternal reality that God has always loved me before the existence of the world, that brought me to this new life. I tried to set the course for the rest of my young life, but God made sure to show me that his Will is preeminent.

So, in the case of Mary and Joseph, we see two cherished people of God in a situation that not only made no moral sense to those outside looking in, but cost them their aforementioned social statuses. Mary: she had to consider the weight of being shamed by her family, fiance and community. Joseph: he had to consider the shame of being associated with Mary and the weight of deciding what to do next with his presumably infidel wife. Mary conceiving by no means was a precedent event. God planned even before the fall of man to redeem humankind. What was now taking place was a long awaited beauty of mercy, justice and love.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” -John 1:14

“ ..and they will call him ‘Immanuel’ - which means, ‘God with us.’” -Mt1:23

The cost of God-sized Grace to a fallen man is being humbled into loving submission of Christ’s lordship and the beginnings of leaving a life of sin, forsaking the pleasures of the flesh that brought division between them and God. Similarly, as one who is made righteous in the sacrificial love and obedience of Christ, there is also a cost to the Grace of God.

As the spirit of the age continues to consume many people (even Christians), we see an alarming number of those who want all of God but without giving anything or very little in return. It is true we cannot make God love us any more than He already does, however, scripture is embedded with testimonies that teach us that drawing to God means the losing of one self; the losing of our desires that have nothing to do with God’s plans and most importantly the losing of our selfish will that seeks to rule over God’s purpose for our lives and push the concerns of others to the wayside. We desire less of what we want the closer we draw to God. How was Mary and Joseph able to accept the witness of the Holy Spirit to them about the coming promised Messiah? How can you and I live so humbly before God, testifying to His awesome plans and miraculous hope for the world?

“Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” -Mt 1:19

As I expressed last week, it is vital that God is involved in every area of our life. Because Joseph so genuinely sought after God in his life, he was blessed to have a heart of both righteousness and mercy. His heart was torn because he desired to obey God’s command, yet graciously love his fiance through this situation. Coinciding with this week’s reflection of seeking and accepting God’s Will, we can add the fact that without including God in our life fully, even our successes and achievements are failures! What good is really done when I am the one who is glorified? When it was God that allowed us to reach such a point, how can we then say, “Look at the great things I have done!” Surely, we will be served a slice of humble pie. We were created to glorify God in all we do and to worship Him in spirit and in truth. The Christian who fails to do so will never be content and will struggle to accept the Grace of God that wants to rid them of the damaging sin, dismissing the grace as an injustice onto their life. At the end of it all, Joseph wanted to please God and he did so by trusting the word that came from His messenger:

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” -Mt 1:20

He named the boy Jesus; God blessed him to have a heart of full acceptance for what He planned to do through his humble family.

Prayer:

LORD, at times the losing of ourselves seems unfair and painful. Our hearts are not always fully receptive of your sovereign hand. Please have patience with your children to grow in full understanding of the joy and satisfaction you provide through obedience to your calling. Mary was called to carry the Son of God in her womb and indeed this was a blessing on her life! Help me to see the privilege of taking the full cup you present before me. Show me that by faith, I can know how much better your plans are than mine. May I accept your wonderful gift with a thankful heart.

Much is also to be said about the heart of Joseph as well. Choosing between two important things is very difficult. For Joseph, it seemed to be between The Law and his relationship with his fiance, Mary.

“When a person decides to put aside emotions and human thinking to resolve difficult life issues, God always intervenes to give them direction.”

Emotions tend to flare quickly when something serious weighs in the balance. While of course Joseph was feeling some type of way, he considered instead the best way to honor God’s Law and love Mary. He wanted to his love and Truth of God’s Word to be maximized. This speaks to me deeply. I am quite an emotional person. At home, I struggle to blot out the harsh tone my family (specifically my mother) uses at times when they are in unpleasant moods. At work, I struggle with thoughts of insecurities about the work I produce and whether or not it is sufficient for the needs of the firm. Relationships outside of these spheres also have their affect on me. Though I have made recent decisions this year on the types of relationships I want to be apart of and grow by, the hurt of many years of nonacceptance still wanes over me and sometimes I doubt the things that God has put in my heart. Even with these struggles I am able to overcome daily. Choosing to love though at times we receive no love, choosing mercy and honor even for the seemingly dishonorable, is what God wants us to believe in and do. He will provide the Truth we need to carry on with the purpose He has given us.

Prayer:

God, you are a father like no other. You have given me all that I have and are the one who sustains my life.Though we are affected by many things in life, you encourage us to trust you and indeed we can. You have made me into a humble man who seeks to do your Will. How can I not be overjoyed to serve you?! Your Grace must be known by the World. It is my honor and privilege to deny myself the temporary pleasures I can receive now to receive from you a more full and truly edifying reward in the time you have appointed. Thank you Jesus for coming to dwell among us so that we may be saved from the poisonous lives of selfishness that once plagued us. Thank you Jesus for removing my sin.

As I wrap up this reflection, I want to point us back to the big picture; not just God’s history, but human history has celebrated and reflected on the birth of God’s Messiah now for over 2000 years. We must remember the why of Jesus’ coming and not just the how. Though this passage reflects on the how, the big picture is the why. Our dire need for a savior has existed since the fall of the Garden. Since that moment, our harmonious and transparent relationship with God has been weakened and after a coming time, will be completely severed. But, God’s plan has always been to see restoration. Jesus, born of the virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit, is God’s answer for salvation. Just as we don’t get to dictate the occurrences that happen in our lives, it is God who lays the way of salvation.

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God --children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” -Jn 1:12,13

Jesus has always and will always be the way into eternal life and reconciliation with God. Jesus is the only one who can solve the terrible problem of sin that is destroying God’s beautiful world. The change must start where the biggest lots of sin we know exist, in ourselves. We rejoice now at the work of God’s hands. He chose to send His only Son into a broken world. We don’t see in this season the cost to God to show us unworthy people divine Mercy and Grace, but we know the price at which we were bought. For now, let us rejoice that God’s plan always supersedes our own and by faith we can trust & obey His calling. Thus, tasting and seeing that the LORD is truly good.

Hallelujah,

Deric B.

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babasake-blog · 9 years ago

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babasake-blog · 9 years ago

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Jesus the God-child

Reading: Matthew 1: 1-17

Key Verse - “Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.” -Mt 1:17

Themes of this Reflection:

Jesus is the Son of Man

Honor God’s Will above my own

Leave a legacy of faith

Consult with God in every area of my life

As I prepare my heart for this advent season, I am reminded through this passage, the truth of who Jesus is and God’s plan for the redemption of the World. The Bible tells us that Jesus was born a physical birth. He entered the womb of a virgin woman who was conceived by the Holy Spirit. This part of Jesus’ birth alone is enough grounds to consider the whole story and journey of Christ, ludicrous. From the very beginning of Jesus’ incarnate life on Earth, The Will of God and faith was necessary to adopt.

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”- John 1:12-14

The heart of man is inherently against the Truth of God. The heart of man desperately seeks to create it’s own path and destination. We are given very specific detail throughout the book of Matthew on the human essence of Christ. The Apostle recounts how God ushered in the Christ through very fragile, inconsistent, yet repentant and God-fearing men and women. It was not only the blood that tied Jesus back to Abraham, but because of God’s choosing and a result of their faith, these men and women were included in the heavenly dynasty of Christ Jesus the Messiah.

What type of legacy am I leaving?

Being known and receiving glory is in the hearts of many if not every person. What are the implications that drive us to want to receive this glory? The fruits of our labor will indeed show in time. We can sow greatly and we will reap greatly (2 Corinthians 9:6). But where do we get the seeds to sow from? Kings have historically lived such that when they die, hopefully, their legacy will go on forever. To the Jewish people, David was the greatest earthly ruler they have ever had. This king received his seeds however from the giver of Life! In fact, we know through the book of psalms he depended so much on God to guide his kingship over the nation of Israel. No matter how independent and strong we may feel, we must know and firmly believe all that we have, all that we are comes from God. We MUST honor the Will of God above our own. As Christians, we believe that this life is but a temporary holding place. We learn from the resurrection of Christ that there is life beyond the grave. So, the great charge that God has given us, to honor Him in all that we do, will matter eternally.

Prayer:

LORD, where is my heart? Where is my worship? At the end of the day, does your Glory matter to me? I struggle in wanting to protect my image at times and desperately need to believe honoring you will produce a great fruit of righteousness that will be witnessed forever. Your honor and praise is the beginning of my own glory.

In this time of reflection I would like to thank God for his continual faithfulness. Sometimes, when I read scripture I can become so detached from what the text is actually saying. I’ve been growing increasingly busy with work, family life and fighting sin ;( but I do not feel alone. I feel the power to lead, be humble and most importantly pray. This passage isn’t so fitting to reflect on given all the things happening in the world at the moment (most recently, 11/28/2016 a Muslim student at Ohio State University ran over and stabbed multiple students), but it does shine light on the last major topic of this passage. God must be consulted with in every area of our lives. Christians have the privilege to call God father and to speak with Him directly. Though the people of Jesus’ lineage were insanely unworthy of being associated with his majesty (as we all are), they grew up in and developed a sense of unity with God. God was not left to consult or speak with when things were hitting the fan. God wants to be active in our lives and deserves to be. He is more than worthy of knowing the the joys, pains and struggles of my heart through confession of my own lips. In today’s culture, consulting God will give us wisdom to respond to the things happening around us, strength to endure them and hope to see a day when these horrible things shall be no more. All of this is much easier said than done. My heart breaks daily at the world’s injustice and normally my first reaction is to get tired out from the new revelation.

Prayer:

Jesus you are our only hope. As the great people of faith who have come before us did, help us to constantly put our hope and trust in you. Though sin and death desires to have us, I pray we are given a daily faith to overcome the temptation of despair, turning a blind eye, gossip, laziness, pride and lust. In our weakness, we are made strong, if our life is truly in your hands, LORD.

We need not evidence to understand the purpose of God’s plan for our lives, but a true humble faith, irrespective of the pride that aims to build its own meaning and purpose. In the coming weeks please join me in the accruing faith of the immaculate birth of Christ. How humbling it is to know that the ruler of the universe chose to take on the flesh that tries daily to destroy us spiritually. Not only that, but He came as a baby in a manger, living each day in humble submission to the Will of the Father. Jesus teaches us that in all that we do, we can faithfully honor God and leave a legacy of faith doing so.

Shalom,

Deric B.

#testimony #christian post #bible study #reflection

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babasake-blog · 9 years ago

Text

A Gospel Fruit: Generosity

November 22nd, 2016

Testimony Reflection

2 Corinthians 9: 6-15, Key Verse:

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”15

There are many dimensions to that of a renewed spirit in Christ. Galatians chapter 5 tells us of some major transformations, some fruits one can take part in witnessing. Not listed is the spirit of giving. The anointed messenger of The Gospel reminds the Corinthian church;

“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”6

Giving for some sad reason is a controversial topic among church bodies and even to secular folk. However, Paul reiterates that giving is an act of sowing that comes from a heart that knows the fullness of Grace. Deciding to give what one has been given should be intuitive to the Christian believer. I have been given much, much I give; I know grace, grace I give. It is good to mention that while tangible (in most cases monetary) giving was part of the message Paul was delivering to this church, the abundant blessing God is able to provide us with will be provision in all things at all times.

Abundance is proliferated in many forms, given in order to do more good work.

At times it is easiest to stop here with the generosity of God. We tell ourselves, “This blessing from God that I was given is wonderful. Where can I now go and bury this talent?” If it had not been for the many Christians who came before us, would we know how transformative The Gift of God is? In some instances we must tap into, yes, the physical resources God has given us in order to enrich the people and environment around us; but as a good brother of mine recently shared,

“We have much to give. Giving always includes the giving of ourselves.”

This is an area I struggle with when it comes to non-believers. Being young in faith, I am still learning some fundamentals of sowing and growing. In order to sow we must be available. In order to grow...we must be generous in our availability. Most disconnect happens between the church and the outside world due in part to a number of things (other than sin), but seeing God ultimately is what we hope for. Not just ourselves seeing, but others who do not know Him. Verses 10b through 13 sum up pretty well how crucial it is to let obedience through the conviction of The Gospel, be at the center of our generous giving. Then, in time, expressions of thanks to God will manifest. The poor (in spirit and in need) will be fed and seeds will grow accordingly. The beauty is that in you, seeds are also sown and grown, producing a greater obedience and love for open confession of the Gospel of Christ to the world.

Thank you LORD for Jesus; thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.

Shalom, Deric B.

#bible verse #agape #Christ #reflection

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