All I Have and Desire

Psalm 73:25

New International Version (NIV)

Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

For Meditation

What does a person know until they come to their wits end (Dan. 4:33-34; Lk. 15:17-20)? Can they accept their bankruptcy until they face inevitable death (1 Tim. 6:7)?

No one can know God until they confront their depravity and need for Jesus. He is the incarnate God through whom any may come to the Father (Jn. 14:6-9). Heaven has no meaning apart from Him. For, what is heaven without Christ?

Angels will not satisfy. Neither will Abraham, Moses, David, Peter or Paul. None will suffice but Christ alone. The streets of gold and pearly gates in heaven are nothing without Him. 

Wretched souls that we are! Nothing has completely satisfied our inner cravings, and nothing would apart from Christ. Consider this emptiness after each accomplishment. A planned holiday trip with your best friend is no fun anymore, should that friend fail to show up. In much the same way, the believer cannot desire anything in this world apart from the manifest presence of their best friend – Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Asaph’s expression of joy at his victory after a near defeat in the battle of the mind expresses it all (Ps. 73:2-26). Standing in that jubilant posture, he declared:

 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you (25).

Is that your joy this morning?

I pray that the scripture, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27), will mean more to you today. For, heaven is nothing without Jesus, and earth is miserable without His daily presence.

May you declare with joy:

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Ps. 73:26); for all I have, and desire is Him; and may this draw you closer to Jesus, your Sovereign Lord and Savior, now and forever, amen!

Shalom

Let’s Get Off His Seat

Hebrews 3:3 

New International Version (NIV)

Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself.

For Meditation

As a retired pastor, I see a lot of missteps pastors take, which leads them down the slippery road of pride and lofty living. It is an avoidable condition only if we can respect the sovereignty and holiness of God.

The church has too many lords and kings, if not gods. Members of the clergy have raised themselves above the Lord of the church in diverse ways. We have usurped the seat of Christ and assumed preeminence among the congregation. We claim we are exalting Christ in our services when, in reality, it has always been about us. Many have started well but lost it to the sweet and subtle flow of glamor, recognition, power, and authority over a clinging congregation. Gradually, and as the membership grows, pastors do everything to match their expectations. They have standards and quotas to meet, so they add more pressure to their already high-pressurized hearts.

The pastor must give the congregation what they valued in the world before coming to the Lord to make them feel comfortable. That’s the way to keep the affluent and maintain the cash flow. The richer the church becomes, the harder it tries to maintain these standards, which comes with lots of compromises and rationalization of the word.

We have forgotten that the building is never greater than its builder, just as Moses is not greater than Jesus, the Creator of all things (Hebrews 3:1-6). He is the builder of His house—His body, the church – to which we belong as members. 

Therefore, Christ alone deserves our worship. He alone deserves our attention and obedience—not any pastor, prophet, or apostle, no matter how masterly God uses them. 

O that they may know—those pastors who have raised themselves as kings and lords to receive worship from the congregation God has raised them to lead!

O, that they may know—those members who have exalted their leaders above the Lord of the Church, Jesus Christ, and have made the words of those human leaders their authority!

O, that we may know – no matter how blessed or divinely favored, that His seat is not ours.

Only if everyone will know that Jesus is the only Lord and Sovereign King to be worshipped and adored. 

Only then will they be wise and any of us humbled.

As the Lord says through the prophet Isaiah:

I am the Lord; that is my name!

    I will not give my glory to anyone else, 

Nor share my praise with carved idols (Isa. 42:8).

So, the Psalmist says:

Now then, you kings, act wisely!

    Be warned, you rulers of the earth! (Psalm 2:10).

I am humbled.,

He Alone Deserves Our Worship

Revelation 4:9-11

New King James Version

Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

“You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created.”

For Meditation

I screamed, NO! Not in the house of God, the church! 

No earthly king should sit in the church as on his throne, in full royal regalia, surrounded by his elders and linguists, ushered into the sanctuary amidst horn blowers and special people serenading him. The church sanctuary is a sacred house of God—sacred not because of mortar and bricks or any item put in it for His worship—but sacred because of the presence of our sovereign Lord in and among His people. Every activity in the church must be worshipful of only One King and Lord, Jesus Messiah. Period!

But there came an earthly king on this day to give thanks to the King of kings and Lord of lords in recognition of his birthday, which was well-intentioned and laudable. However, he should have known his place before the Lord – NOTHING! So, like all of us, he should have come humbled in every way, not in the exalted state in which he came and sat and acted. 

The sad part was how the priests stood there mesmerized and in worshipful mode. The question is, do we know the Lord of the church and His Otherness? If we do, where is the uniqueness of His honor? What happened to His exalted position that demands our prostration before Him?

So, today, let us peek into the heavenly temple and see how the Lord sits enthroned and worshipped by the twenty-four elders, four living creatures, and the angelic host (Rev 4:1-11). Observe what the Spirit revealed to the Apostle John on the Island of Patmos and cry over the way we have made the worship of God so ordinary as if the grace He has lavished on His redeemed has stripped Him of His Holiness as the only One deserving of our worship and honor (6-11).   

No one must receive the honor in the house of God like this earthly king received if the church acknowledges Jesus as the only sovereign King and Lord, who alone deserves our worship and praise. 

Everybody who comes to His sanctuary must lay their human accolades down and prostrate before Him, acknowledging His holiness and Lordship. We should fall down before Him as the twenty-four elders do before His throne in heaven—if not physically, in our hearts. Those who have “crowns” must lay them down before Him and cry out and say:

 “You are worthy, O Lord,

To receive glory and honor and power;

For You created all things,

And by Your will they exist and were created.”

Let us give to our King Eternal, proper worship, undefiled by human pride. That must include presidents, kings, chief executives, the rich and poor, and particularly, pastors and priests, and what have you.

Shalom 

A Page From Job’s Diary

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Job 5:6-8 

New Living Translation (NLT)

 If I were you, I would go to God
    and present my case to him.

For Meditation

“If I were you…”

Well, that is why you are not me, my friend. So, don’t presume on my guilt, you of limited knowledge. Why don’t you be quiet if you have nothing helpful to say about my situation and leave me to the Lord, the Righteous Judge, who alone knows my suffering and the purpose of it? Why impugn my innocence with your careless words? What makes you assume my guilt?

I am so glad that the Lord is my judge and not you. I am so blessed to have a Savior who understands my pain and suffering—a Great High Priest who can empathize with me because He has suffered it all (Heb 4:14-15). Christ alone can feel my pain for all He suffered on earth. They pronounced Him guilty when He was not. They said many things about Him who knew no sin but mine. Yet, like a lamb to the slaughter and a sheep before its shearers, He did not open His mouth (Isa. 53:7). He committed Himself to the Father and bore our pain and shame until glory dawned on Him.

Christ has become my standard to imitate. I will not honor your disdainful words, my friend. I would instead commit myself to God in Christ and allow Him to carry me through this crucible. My vindication will soon come, for Christ will not abandon me to your insensitive rumblings. He will lift me out of the abyss of despair and set my feet upon the Rock. He will put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to my God (Ps. 40:1-2). Then you will know how good my God is. Maybe, then, your speech will be more accurate. Maybe His rebuke will set you right before Him.

But I forgive you, my friend. How can I nurture a grudge against you after all Christ has done for me? How can I imprison myself for your ignorance?

I will sing to the One who alone knows me thoroughly. I will lift my eyes to the One who is seated on the right hand of God in majesty (Col. 3:1-2) and fill my mind with things that edify (Phil. 4:8). I will always bless the Lord and continually fill my mouth with His praise (Psa. 34:1-2)

So, sing with me, you the afflicted and misunderstood. You who are downtrodden and have become the scum of the world, for Christ’s name’s sake, join me in celebrating His goodness. The day will dawn soon, and the darkness will roll away like a scroll at His appearing in your situation. He will turn your mourning into joyful dancing and exchange your sackcloth for a garment of praise (Psa. 30:11).

To Christ alone be glory and honor, even now and forever. Amen!

Shalom

And Their Voices Prevailed

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Luke 23:23

New King James Version

But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed.

For Meditation

He had the opportunity to do the right thing. The accused had done nothing to deserve punishment, let alone the death sentence. Pilate knew that. As the sitting judge, he had the authority to dismiss the case and set Jesus free (Lk. 23:1-25). 

I find no basis for a charge against this man, he said.

Yet, they doubled down and pressed more ridiculous charges (5). The Governor tried a baton change or pass the buck when he learned Jesus was a Galilean, but Herod found no basis for charging Jesus (8-12).

His wife warned him to have nothing to do with the man Jesus (Matt 27:19), but the chief priests had instigated the crowd so much that their chant for His blood grew louder. Pilate suggested substituting Jesus with Barabbas, the insurrectionist, but they kept shouting for His crucifixion (18-20). Now, the matter was in the hands of the Governor to make the last call with the authority of the Roman government behind him. What would it be? To release or not to release the innocent man before him? Have you been there before—making a critical decision in front of a hostile crowd?

Pilate made his last declaration on Jesus.

I found in Him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore, I will have Him punished and then release Him (22).

Is that not what judges do and then act on it by the authority vested in them by the appointing authority? In whose court does public opinion rule, and since when?

That is where the world has come to now. We live in a world where popular opinion rules in the public space. The voice of the crowd grows louder every day to overwhelm the truth. Christian principles and values get shot down in civic discussions. Morality has become intolerable in public discourse these days. Public opinion and special interests ride high on the strong current of misguided and manipulated individual and civil rights. The voice of the genuine child of God is drowning in this massive sea, and our only hope is the example of courage the saints of old exhibited in the name of Jesus and suffered for it. 

But with loud shouts (the crowd) insistently demanded that (Jesus) be crucified, and their shouts prevailed (23).

Do we have the will and courage of Joseph, Daniel, and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, anymore? Where do you stand in this moral assault on our faith?

Are the shouts of popular opinion prevailing in your life?

A Refreshing Cup of Water

Philippians 2:21-22

New International Version (NIV)

For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.

For meditation

In my brief life as a pastor, many people have touched me in various ways. Their acts of kindness, words that encourage, straight talk and rebuke, calls and messages that edify and assure, invitations to dine after a long Sunday, and many more I cannot recall. They each ministered to me in their peculiar ways. Yet, few people have touched me as this young man did. It was an act of love and care that fills my eyes with tears, even today, as I write in retirement from Ghana. 

I woke up around nine forty-five that morning with so much on my mind. Our apartment building vibrated as I dashed out my door and sped towards the home that houses our ministry to the street children of Dakar, called Talibes. The cleaner was the only one there. My hand quickly went through my pocket, but I realized I could not call until I returned home. [AK1] 

“Where are you, Sallieu?”

“Right by your apartment,” he said. “I am coming up.”

After a short discussion, I picked up my car keys and headed for the door. 

“Where are you going, Pastor?” Sallieu said.

“To the church.”

“Pastor, you texted me you slept at five this morning,” he shot back.

“Just a few minutes and I will be back under my sheets, I promise.”

A short time after, Sallieu was knocking on my office door. 

“Pastor, you must leave.”

“Give me thirty minutes, please.”

“Thirty minutes it is, pastor because I am keeping the time.”

He got me out of my office alright, and he made sure I headed in the right direction – towards my house.

My wife rushed to our bedroom to reprimand me as I slid under the sheets, but she was too late. My locomotive engine was already cruising on Slumberland Highway.

What love! What a concern for a pastor! This young man made sure that I got enough sleep or no work.  

It reminds me of the testimony of Paul about Timothy. 

“For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel” (Phil. 2:21-22).

Do you take care of your pastor in this way? Many congregation members are unaware of the importance of their pastor’s private time. They haven’t considered how their pastor’s well-being and the welfare of his family directly affect his ministry. So, what can you do to lighten your pastor’s ministry responsibilities and allow him time to rejuvenate before the Lord?

This need goes beyond the pastor to our offices. There are people in our offices struggling to meet their deadlines and targets. They can use a helping hand so they can meet their deadlines. A touch of the Savior’s hand through your compassionate offer would relieve their burden and refresh their souls. Is that not bringing the Gospel invitation to them where you are (Matt 11:28)?

 May the Lord bless you according to His faithful word in Proverbs 11:25:

 A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

Shalom

 [AK1]The flow of events isn’t too clear from here to this sentence “ My wife rushed to our bedroom as I slid under the sheets, but my locomotive engine was speeding off on Slumberland Highway.”

Did you go back home from the talibe house before heading out again to the church office?

A Heart’s Song to the Lord

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Luke 1:46-47

New International Version (NIV)

My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

For Meditation

Only a life that has experienced the touch of divine grace can praise the Lord from the recesses of the heart. Such a heart appreciates the favor of God through Christ Jesus and rises to sing to Him with joy. The beauty of Mary’s song ascends the pinnacle of Mt. Praise to fill such a space as a testimony to our God (Luke 1:46-55). 

Tune your heart to the Magnificat, and you can sense the overflowing joy of Mary. You can feel her sense of appreciation for God for choosing her to carry His only Son in her womb. It is a true testimony from the heart of a woman who knew she did not deserve it but for the unique kindness of the Almighty God towards her. She knew she could do nothing to warrant the favor, not to talk about paying for it. Selling herself and her household could only be like a tiny drop in the ocean, and that filled her heart with joy. That prompted the outpouring of her heart—the song of praise to her God.

How about you? What can you give back to God for all His goodness and kindness to you? What can you give back to the Almighty God for choosing you in Christ before creation (Eph. 1:4) and saving you (2:8-9)? 

Nothing would suffice but your heart’s song—the outflow of a thankful heart to Him. As the Psalmist says, 

What shall I render to the Lord
For all His benefits toward me?
I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the Lord. (116:12-13 NKJV).  

The Hebrews writer calls it a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of the lips that openly profess His name (Heb. 13:15).

It is all that God needs from you, my friend. For, a heart that praises God in this manner is a heart that sincerely worships Him—in spirit and truth (Jn. 4:24). The heart is well situated with God, with a proper attitude toward His holiness and the offering of His Son for our redemption. So, why don’t you give to God the only thing He desires from you—your heart’s song of praise?

I pray you can open your heart and sing to God today, disregarding your struggles and joyfully embracing Him because He is worthy!

May you continue to flow in the glorious riches of His grace that He has lavished on you in Christ (Ephesians 1:6-8), and may this grace carry you through every crucible until it lands you safely on the other side of eternity!

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like you and me!

Shalom

A Day of Remembrance and Blessings

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Genesis 8:1

New International Version (NIV)

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.

For meditation

The Bible has stories about how God remembered some people at critical times in their lives. It would be an understatement to claim their joy overflowed at their times of divine visitation. Therefore, I want to stand with you and make some pronouncements over your life today, as I recall some of those divine visitations. 

“But God remembered Noah … in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded” (Gen. 8:1). 

May God remember you, as He remembered Noah, and move the elements in the heavens and on earth to restore and bring you into a new beginning, filled with His blessings, in Jesus’ gracious name. Amen!

“So, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived” (19:29). 

May God remember you, as He remembered Abraham, and move to rescue your loved ones from any catastrophe or danger that is threatening them, in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen!

“Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive” (30:22).

 May God remember you, as He did Rachel, and cause you to conceive and give birth to a Joseph in Jesus’ matchless name. Amen! 

May He remember you and cause you to conceive new ideas and give birth to innovations that will transform your life and communities for His glory, in Jesus’ exalted name. Amen!

“God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob” (Ex. 2:24). 

May God remember you as He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and moved to deliver their afflicted and oppressed descendants from Egypt. 

May the Almighty remember your children because of His covenant with you and bring them out of the darkness into His light in Christ Jesus. 

May God step into your situation and deliver you, His beloved covenant child, from any oppression in your life with His “mighty hand” (3:19), in Jesus’ glorious name. Amen!

I pray restoration, protection and deliverance, fruitfulness, and deliverance over you and your household, in the assured presence of Messiah Jesus, your Savior and Lord, and His exalted name; and God’s children said, Amen!

So: May the Lord cause you to believe again, knowing that you serve a living God who cares for you and is always ready to come to your aid when called upon; and may your great and mighty God, who brought His people across the Red Sea and into a spacious land, hold your hand and carry you across every barrier that stands in your way into His promised inheritance. May you surmount every hindering mountain and overcome every marauding opposition in the name of Jesus! 

Enjoy the best of the Lord today, in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Destitute in the Things of God

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Luke 12:18-19

King James Version

And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

For Meditation

There is nothing wrong with riches. God is the giver of the ability to make wealth (Deut. 8:18). So, there was nothing wrong with the man whose grounds yielded an abundance of harvest in the story Jesus told about the Rich Fool (Lk 12:13-21).

It was a blessing from the Lord for his hard labor and diligent work. He did not fold his hands when the rains poured and the planting season dawned. He went out and used what the Lord had provided, and at the right time, the reward came—in abundance and overflowing his barns. Jesus did not tell the story to condemn the man for his work.

He did not tell the story to condemn the man for rejoicing because of the harvest. Every farmer will rejoice at such a good yield and enjoy the fruit of their labor. Neither did the Lord speak against the man for increasing his barns. Every astute farmer or businessperson will increase their warehouse when their produce or goods increase. What the man thought and what he said revealed his greed-filled heart, and that was the point of condemnation by the Lord (17-19).

And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry (19).

Where was God in all of this? Who gave the rains and the richness of the soil? What was His due?

The man was so full of himself that he did not consider the Giver of his ability to work. He did not understand stewardship. Neither did he care to help others as a gesture of kindness. Where was his eternal perspective?

But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided (Lk. 12:20)?

How soon he had forgotten that everything he had came from the Lord and that God had blessed him to bless others, too—the instrument of His blessing.

As Jesus concluded:

So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.

Do you remember our friend, the rich man who had everything to feast on with friends and family but did not care about Lazarus, the poor man at his gate (Lk. 16:19-21)? That may be his story and what led him to Hades after his death (23). He was rich in earthly things but destitute in the things of God (25).

May it not be your story, too.