Constance

The disappointment of the season cast it’s shadow on my soul, but the Spirit is high on Jesus and the celebration of His first Advent. The thought of Jesus coming to earth in the humble surroundings of Bethlehem is worthy of praise and worship to Him. God who is infinite came to live among the mortals and experiences including infancy. Many have produced and performed the worship of the Christ child with a blissful tranquility as a the theme, but the ugliness of the poverty and turmoil of the Messiah’s birthplace and times help my perspective on worship in any condition. The celebrations and traditions came about from worship. God get the Glory from Christmas. May your children be encouraged to worship and lift Jesus up despite the mean old world.

The View From HeavenMy morning came like any other morning, but my mind still wrestling with the loss of my friend. The routine of my devotional led me to scripture. The routine consists it 3 books. The first is a book on prayer with Bible references. The 2nd book is a men’s devotional for the 365 days in this year, and the last is the Bible with a Psalm selection and a chapter from the book of Proverbs. Themes from these devotional tools are often similar but today they read like a preacher’s sermon. The sermon simply encouraged me to acknowledge my weakness in exchange God offers His strength. This sermon fresh in my head in the dark morning hours only emphasize how I have missed the perspective of the Divine. The reality of death and loss we all suffer in life never seem as big when one lets the thought of it all run through our mind. Once the force of it all hits, our view point tends to lower. The harder loss and strife hit the lower our viewpoint. Death hits me hard but the force of it overcomes me in waves like the small ripples on hitting the edge of a lake. This morning the waves were hitting me just like a wake from a speed boat. The force increased by afternoon to waves on the shore of the ocean. The pain came because my friend was much younger than me. This made my mind try to cope with his passing the same way I coped with my parents passing, only the thoughts of his young age and being part of the saints who are in the presence of God cheering us on based on the book of Hebrews 12:1 didnt jive with my previous view of those who had gone to Glory before me. I honestly thought I would have been there long before him. The matter of his early passing made me look to Jesus for peace. I was comforted by seeing the story of Lazarus the beggar found in Luke 16. The beggar was not denied by God but commended and once he died, he went to “heaven”. The rich man who knew Lazarus in life was not received into heaven. The story shows that those in hell could see into heaven. Thinking of people in hell didn’t comfort me but the truth of God and the Glory God will be revealed even by those who don’t know Him as their King. My friend being a believer in Jesus is engulfed with the hospitality of heaven like Lazarus. The one thing I loved about Leland was his opinion which in retrospect was his view points on life and ultimately God. We would discuss our viewpoints and learn how to adjust them as the Holy Spirit led us. The story of Lazarus in Luke 16 helps me to see that even though many will be saved and many will not be saved in the end of time and for eternity God will be glorified, and all will confess it. I am glad Lelands viewpoint is from a place of comfort in God.

The heavy spirit of our nation and world is weighing us down. We can feel the weight of it when we hear the speech and see the confrontations of those who are opposite our own views and thoughts. There is a large segment, of which I can relate, who want the turmoil to go away. We consequently wake up each morning facing the turmoils of our times. The work of peacemakers is daunting. The Lord tells us, “Blessed are the peacemakers ,for they will be called children of God”. Mathew 5:9. I want to raise my hand and ask God; how can I be about peacemaking with the people refusing open their minds to change and refusing to empathize? The thing we all need is convincing powerful solutions. This is why I ask God for convincing power. The most difficult conversations are between people who have convinced themselves about and issue or person before the actual conversation is taken place. I know over the years I have been the one with this pig headed attitude when confronting certain situations. Thank God, I was introduced to Jesus and the Holy Spirit has been patient enough to influence my mind and turned my thinking around in many ,(not everything,to my shame), situations and ways of thinking.

Parents like myself have and advantage of watching our children and learning to see areas of their lives they had or have become stubborn and unreachable. If you are like me you have learned to pray for God to intervene on our behalf to change the mind of our child. These prayers tend to be heart felt and pure thus bringing about change in God’s timing. I want to stress the point about God and His timing. Perfect timing is not up to us ,but God. God speaks to us with eternity being His time reference.The older people and younger people speak and move differently ,and so it is with God. How old we are influences how we talk about time and patience. The immature Child says, “I want a cookie”, parent responds, “not now, later”. The younger the child, the bigger the challenge to be patient. The adult child will probably laugh and move on with assurance the cookie will be theirs in time. The clock ticks and our appetite has not changed; we still want the cookie. The Bible is full of passages about patience and the rewards of a life of faith and patience. My favorite Bible quote about patience is Isaiah 40:31,” but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” This image of people waiting on God is about the resilience and strength they get from waiting on God. Often, I suffered from impatience and thus forfeited the strength and resilience promise in the Isaiah 40:31. The child that has a temper tantrum learns just how tired and worn out we can be from an inpatient spirit. This is the challenge before us all. The issues of racism and injustice and plague are all issues that are not going away. We Christians are commanded to love our neighbor and do justice and speak up for the powerless and disenfranchised ,Zechariah 7:9. Being obedient to Biblical commands will put the enemy on notice can turn the crowds against us. The Christian church is diverse ,and many of us are finding unity of Spirit hard to maintain through all this turmoil. Let’s recommit to following the Holy Spirit and waiting on the Lord. The work of pursuing justice and loving all ought never be abandon or halted, so endeavor with the patience of a grown child waiting on dessert. “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming when no one can work.” John 9:4. Let’s be obedient to the commands of God as we wait for His blessing and deliverance.

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” ( Mark 10: 21) NIV.

The loss of all our money is an large thing to ask of anyone. Money is a good indicator of where one’s heart is. I know I spend money on people and things I love. My pastor often quotes Mathew 6:21 ” For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” We all know what often follows such a statement. Money and wealth are tools by which we can get a comfort level in life. The issue is not how evil money is but how we depend on it. The Bible makes it clear that our comfort comes from God. The freedom of choice is given up for comfort. We will go to work on a job we don’t like in order to keep our “comfort level”. Working and money can and ought to be a part of an productive citizens life. The United States of America has enough wealth to keep even our poor in relative comfort compared to the poor in many other so called 3rd world nations. There should not be guilt over living in such a prosperous nation. The encounter with Jesus in Mark 10 is not a condemnation of people who find themselves living with wealth. The issue is what or who do you trust. The what or who you trust and obey is affirmation of ones religion. Jesus has a habit of exposing the false gods in our lives. He ask us to be courageous enough to trust him instead of our comfort level. The god of comfort can and does keep us from the best God has for us. Jesus may or may not be asking you to give up wealth. He may be asking us to abandon the god of comfort. It’s comfort that keeps children from growing up. Comfort keeps us from learning new things. Comfort causes us to abandon people. The people who are different and have a different point of view make us uncomfortable.

African- Americans know that our very presence can disrupt the comfort of some. This is the tragedy of hate. However, the African -American can not change the mind of a hater. The god of comfort got exposed in the civil rights era. The revolutions throughout history had to deal with and expose to lies of stability. The god of comfort tells it’s faithful. The work that is needed to have successful relationships is often lacking in our wealthy comfortable lives. The success of any relationships came as a result of WORK!

Jesus worked on His relationships with everyone as He worked out his mission as a man. The work it took to get to this time in history are evident in the struggles of the African-Americans. The lies of comfort have permeated the American community and we can less afford it. God expects us to love one another. The commands of God are how we know who we are. The obedience of faith is proof of God’s presence in a life. If we are obedient to the Gospel of Jesus then we share identity. The use of Christian terminology can hide the true identity of the human using it. The Holy Spirit reveals the spirit of humans. Jesus asked that we examine the “fruit”. The Spirit of God helps us to do so. We are encouraged to build our faith up,( Jude 20).

The comfort of being in the lives of those who look and act like us is understandable. God has received anyone who would come to Him. He is not interested in only the Jews but, the whole world (John 3:16).

The children in God’s house are forever His. The truth is that just like good parents God will always love His own,( Those who are in Jesus.) The problem is we all struggle with the issues of our flesh and false teachings and disobedience to the commands of God. Work or obedience to the word of God produces fruit or results that authenticate the faith in God. The work is summed up in the first two of the ten commandments: “…Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself;” Mathew 22:38-39 NIV. Loving God can be problematic. He asks you to love our neighbors ,who most likely are so unlike God; we refuse. The result is an spiritual life that never grows and is a pawn in the hands of the evil one. We can and do become blind to how our disobedience leads to faithlessness and destruction of ourselves and neighbors. America leave your comfort zones and let’s engage the world and each other with love and hope. The race and culture of our neighbor must be accepted as an God given gift that doesn’t diminish the Gospel but enhances the church. The church must be reconciled to each other. The African-American church exist because of white Christians denying the love for their neighbor ought be extended to the African-American. The love one offers ought to keep the neighbor on equal ground. God’s grace is hindered by prejudice and callous behavior. The African Methodist Church formed out of the reactions and prejudice of white Christians in the north. They were willing to accept the black parishioners,but they kept a comfort zone that included segregated worship services. The emancipated black man before the civil war was tolerated by white northerners,but the arms length distance was telling. This spoke to how the whites wanted to maintain a superiority to the freed blacks. The use of their resources was how they could have blacks among them but yet maintain the comfort of knowing they would be able to continue their lifestyle and comfort. The wealth and status of whites in the north contributed to a prolonged debate about the elimination of slavery and oppression. The argument against slavery and the abolitionist movement was hindered mainly by those who were fearful of losing the comfort level. The northern Yankees won the war but began losing sight of their brothers and sisters who needed to be restored to full human dignity.

The discomfort of hearing the pain and misery the African-American experience does not excuse the white church from being connected and involved in the Body’s concerns. The panic I see in the face of comfrontation about race in the church is only exposing the god of comfort that is connected to our pride and fears. The discomfort in the children of God can and will be replaced with the peace of God. The Lord is waiting for all of us to repent and make God’s comfort be our comfort , and to reject the world ‘s gods of comfort. The discomfort I experience is God giving me a chance to grow in Him.

The church is called the body of Christ. Jesus even called us his brothers and sisters (Luke 8:21). Families with children are often challenged by how different the children can be. My beloved sister Constance for home I named this blog after is the oldest of my parents children. I am the youngest and I also have an older brother John. We all are their children. Despite my sister who different last name and even lives in a different city than me and my brother. She still holds the same status as sister and sibling. We have all are different but still equally siblings. Likewise the African-American whom is a child of God holds the same position in the family of God despite his siblings misunderstandings of his position. God does not change (James 1:17). His pronouncement over the lives of his children cannot be revoked. The stubborn and evil heart the refuses to love his black neighbor will be judged. The heart of those who turn to the Lord and repent will be called blessed. I have no doubt that many have and many shall repent of America’s racist agendas. However, I must speak out against false religion that holds one culture above another. The oppressor continues in his oppression because it’s what he “knows”. This is sin and evil. The god of your comfort level keeps us blind to what the God of all comfort requires. Those of us who have been subject to the oppressors thinking and abuse need to come out into the light of God’s word and follow the light of his Spirit. Repent of the negative images the world has stain the black people with. Jesus is for you. He frees all of us to be humans with purpose and love.

The world is against us. Those who desire the world and everything in it feel the force to the world pressing in as they press on. The pressure and anxiety in our lives are common. The true forces in the spirit are much greater than the internal drive one exerts in pursuit of money, power, and fame, and all worldly pursuits. The reality is that God is not subject to the power of the world and our desire for it. The truth is life is not fair. My daughter would often tell me what is fair and not fair, but I told her what I have to tell myself often, life ain’t fair. The hard place and the rock are the position humans find themselves daily. The hard place is this unfair mean world in which we suffer many losses and pain. The losses in life are much like the warnings of my employer. The warnings a employer give are their right. Often, they are spelled out in the following manner. Employees must adhere to the standards and by laws of this employer. Any violation will result in suspension warnings and discipline that could result up to and including termination. Life has taught me that the” up to and including”, discipline comes at every turn. The warnings employers give often give discipline out according to the gravity of the transgression. The “up to and including “of termination is at every turn in life. Death seems to peer at us as we look at our situations. The comfort of our places may offer some relief, but death’s pursuit is only slowed down. May the peace of God keep His children despite the shadows death cast over us.

The Samaritan Gospel

Death’s cold grip was on my soul. You looked at me in a noose of old.

 My pain faded in your eyes. Defying the world with surprise.  

You befriended my soul that day.  They watched us as we  limped away.

 I got clean and you had to pay. The road to heaven, you pointed the way.

 Glory be, I am grateful today. The King of Glory came my way.

 He told me to tell you don’t dismay.  He knows the love you showed me that day.

 He knows you through and through.  Others may not,

 but you stay true. 

You loved your neighbor today ,

and Jesus’ reward will not be play.

 Keep Him near and don’t depart.

 God really knows your heart. 

Once, being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is’, or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” Luke 17:20-21. I saw the Holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. Revelation 21:2

Greatness observed in competition is revealing inner strength. The best competitors most astonishing feats are the moments when they defy the norm or expected outcome. This is what made the American Revolution such a big deal. The list can go on about Kingdoms and Empires that conquered and defended themselves successfully. The citizens of these kingdoms may not appear to powerful, but should they need to use their authority and might against others who are not a part of their kingdom; the distinction and glory of these kingdoms are clearly defined. The power of a kingdom to exert it’s will is how greatness is measured. This is why God’s kingdom is the greatest of all kingdoms. The Bible is full of passages like the previous, that share what the kingdom of God is. The respect due to the King is how citizens know their place and positions in the kingdom. The victory of our King and kingdom transfer to all of His loyal subjects. No one wants be a part of a weak kingdom or a kingdom that has lost it’s power. This is what God through the cross of Jesus did to the evil kingdoms of the world; it was defeated. The destruction of a kingdom is often followed by years of oppression and disenfranchisement of the defeated people. Depending on the circumstances of the conquering kingdom; the defeated people and kingdom often rebel and even start another war once they regain some or all of what they lost to the greater kingdom. The devil and the kingdoms of the world are the upstarts trying to grab victory out of the jaws of the defeat suffered on the Cross. This is how the world is seen through Biblical text. The best thing about the kingdom of God is His kingdom turns the defeated people into citizens of the everlasting kingdom of God. The works of the evil are defeated in the cross; time is marching on to it’s inevitable end. The kingdom of God will be revealed in all of it’s glory. The truth of God and His promises will be out in the open. The true blessings will flow all over the earth toward mankind. Don’t you want to see and feel the ultimate victory with the ultimate King? The kingdom is patiently winning the hearts and minds of people by the Gospel of Jesus. The King is calling you to come and eat from His prepared banquet table. What will you do? Don’t be fooled by your comfort level. The frog in a pot of water is comforted by the gradual warming of the water but his comfort deceived him and led to his death. The world we see today is being deceived by same principle of the slowly boiled frog. The powers or kingdoms of our world lure us into complacency. the thoughts of everything in our world being burned up in the judgement of God is ignored and replaced with the temporal and shallow. God is offering peace and grace in place of our ignorance and comfort. His Kingdom comes in truth and power. The truth of our predicament and the power to overcome the deception and grip the kingdoms or powers on earth. The Gospel of Jesus is the adoption into the family and kingdom of God. Believe and be saved.