This Ability.

As we continue our reflection on Exodus 3 and 4, let’s consider a statement made by Moses:

Moses said to the LORD, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” (Exodus 4:10)

Though we often hear commentary on Moses’s slowness of speech and tongue, I’d like us to reflect on what Moses said just prior to his self-assessment of his speaking ability. He said, in essence, God, even though You’ve spoken to me, I still lack eloquence. This encounter with You has not affected my speech impediment.

If God created the worlds out of nothing, and if God could cause a bush to burn without being consumed, and if God could cause a staff to transform into a snake, then surely He would have no problem with imparting eloquence to a man… yes? Or no?

Moses’s statement might be our statement as well. We may have seen profound miracles happen around us, but no miracle has yet happened in us. We continue to walk in weakness. And perhaps we, like Moses, are wondering how we could have encountered God and still carry a trait that exposes our weakness to the world.

God says some amazing words to Moses in reply:

The LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” (Exodus 4:11-12)

What an awesome gift Moses received from God! Although Moses’s speech and tongue were still slow, Moses had God’s assurance of Divine help. Moses, I made your mouth; I know what you bring to the table. Don’t be concerned! When it’s time for you to speak My word to others, I will do more than just give you the words to say. I will do a miracle in you that allows your very speech pattern to be aided by My Spirit in you. I will not remove your slowness of speech: I will override it.

I can think of specific moments where God did not remove the limitations in me, but He instead overrode them so that His message could be shared. Maybe you’ve had moments like that too. Maybe you’re having a moment like that right now. Remain encouraged! Our God, who made us as we are, is the same God who can use us, as we are, for the sake of His glory.

Lord God, we stand in gratitude of the choices You have made concerning our frame and our nature. We are available to You! We are ready to go anywhere for You! Override our frailties. Override our speech and tongue. Be ever glorified in us. Amen.

Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Throwdown!

Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”

“A staff,” he replied.

The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.” (Exodus 4:1-3)

In this past Sunday’s sermon, Reverend Dr. Carla Sunberg spoke from Exodus chapters 3 and 4. Though her message was one of encouragement to us, she also imparted this challenge: Throw down whatever it is that you’re holding in your hand.

Reverend Carla reminded us that Moses was given this directive by God. The shepherd’s staff in Moses’ hand was a symbol of his role, his expertise, and his comfort zone. When Moses obeyed the directive and threw the staff on the ground, God caused it to transform into a snake. Moses saw, firsthand, that God held the power to do what was impossible for man.

Later in the narrative, we find that a group of Egyptian magicians was able to perform the same miracle through the power of sorcery. But God, who had instructed Moses and Aaron to throw down Aaron’s staff in the presence of Pharaoh, caused a second miracle to occur: the staff thrown down by Aaron swallowed up every other staff that had been thrown down by the magicians  (see Exodus 7:8-12). The false was swallowed up by the true.

This word of God to us, “Throw it down,” is a word that we are called to obey wholeheartedly. When we let go of the skills and accomplishments we have carried by our own power, and when we walk away from our comfort zone, we make room for God to transform our work into something that can only be attributed to His miracle-working power. And, His miraculous power will overcome every false god and false sign manufactured by those who have devoted themselves to counterfeit works.

What’s that in your hand? Throw it down, and watch God do the miraculous.

Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Crowd. Sourced?

Well, it’s about 2:00 in the morning here in the Bronx as I record these thoughts.

I was privileged to be in attendance at the banquet commemorating the 50^th anniversary of Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene. There were wonderful moments in the evening—great music, great worship arts, great speakers, and the spirit of joy that is characteristic of the atmosphere generated when Bronx Bethany members, friends, and allies are together. But, sadly, there were moments that were not so wonderful. As the evening progressed, one of our members became ill and had to be taken by ambulance to a local hospital. And we were caught off-guard by the challenges of the venue, which did not have sufficient resources to manage table service. Some tables were fed promptly, while others waited a very long time for their main course to arrive.

Though I work very hard to focus on the positive aspects of any given situation, God is teaching me a hard lesson from the two negative things I mentioned above. My lesson is still in process, and because I’m “in-process” this lengthy post is actually incomplete—but I want to share what the Spirit of God has put on my heart thus far.

The first lesson was the lesson of the sick guest. When she became ill, it quickly became apparent that there were several people in attendance who were qualified to assist her. Bronx Bethany’s nurses and doctors, emergency service personnel, and other medical professionals were quick to give aid. In the midst of this crisis of health, several of us prayed.

The second lesson was the lesson of the under-resourced staff at the venue. In the midst of laughter, picture-taking, and celebration, people were hungry. We pondered the strange reality of a food service venue that found itself so challenged in its effort to serve food. In the midst of this crisis of service, the few who prayed were outnumbered by the several who critiqued.

And as I’ve been thinking of these lessons, the Lord has been speaking to my heart. He says to me, “You keep praying for things to happen—healing, revival, provision, salvation—but are you really equipped to handle the flood that will come through your doors? Do you really have the spiritual resources that are necessary to feed My people, to bring healing to the sick, and to maintain an atmosphere of worship and praise even when things seem to be out of order? Are you really ready for Me to sweep through this place?”

Well, I am not ready. Just as I didn’t have the training needed to help the woman who became ill, and just as I didn’t have the skills needed to help with food service management, I don’t have what it takes to handle all that God is sending to Bronx Bethany. I know we have carved out more space on 227^th Street as a means of meeting more needs. But I also know, deep in my own heart, that I’m not cut out for the task.

During the banquet, the Governor-General of Jamaica spoke about the importance of having more volunteers lend their aid to the work of ministry. What does volunteering look like for those of us who, though wanting to help, are convinced of our own frailty and convicted by our own inadequacy? It looks like this: me, and you, and all who claim Jesus as their Lord, on our knees, crying out for the Spirit of the Living God to teach us all that is necessary to love one another as Christ Jesus has loved us. And God, who we confess as Faithful, will be faithful to His word. He still says, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things that you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3, New King James Version) He will help us to know His ways, and to do His will, and to be used by Him in bringing about the things that the world will call amazing.

But I wonder: what will we do when our own crisis moment comes? Will we be able to respond in a strength of training and equipping granted by God, and developed over time? Or will we be caught short-handed and underprepared?

Are we really ready for the next wave of ministry at Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene?

“Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (John 4:35, New International Version)

Let us pray.

Spirit of Christ, be our Immanuel, God in us, though we falter and fail. Draw us in to the life of prayer and patient waiting as You do Your work in us. Give us the boldness that only comes when we have submitted all we are, and all we own, to You. Teach us. Train us. Equip us. We want to be ready to serve at all times. Please help us, Lord Jesus. Amen.

"Eye" Surgery.

In Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Cole made the following observation (paraphrased here) that I would like us to consider today: Amaziah needed to make two important discoveries: First, though he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, he had a divided heart. Second, Amaziah needed to see that God was greater than he had imagined.

1. Do we realize that God is greater than we have imagined? Amaziah’s motive was to win an earthly war, but he initially moved forward without asking God to help him win the war. Using only his human, “earthly” eyes, Amaziah made an assessment and concluded that his troops of Judean and Benjamite men were insufficient for the battle at hand. After the king hired Israelite troops, God’s prophet intervened with a corrective word and warning: “These troops from Israel must not march with you… Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow.” (see Second Chronicles 25:7-8) This narrative cautions us to live not by what we see, but by what God says.

2. Have we made the error of serving the Lord with a divided heart? One of the biggest challenges of the Second Chronicles 25 passage is that, on the surface, it appears that Amaziah was perfectly within his rights and role as a Judean king to solicit assistance from the army of Israel. But Amaziah’s question, “But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?” (Second Chronicles 25:9a) reveals two characteristics of the person who operates with a divided heart.

a) First, Amaziah initially sought assistance from Israel instead of initially seeking the Lord’s guidance. This is a serious warning to those of us who claim to know the Lord as God, yet never ask for His guidance in anything we do. We are reminded in Psalm 32:8 that it is God who will instruct us, teach us, counsel us, and guide us by informing us of His perspective. Why would we fail to go to God as our first, best, and only Guide?

b) Second, Amaziah made a series of plans about how to spend his resources without first asking the Lord for help. We sometimes forget that even the resources we already have, whether scant or abundant, are under God’s watchful eye. And for us today, we need to remember that our resources at hand are not only financial. We have wonderful opportunities each day to honor God’s sovereignty in our lives by asking Him to guide us in our home lives, our healthcare, our studies, our careers, and more.

Second Chronicles 25:2 says of Amaziah, “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly.” May God help us to give ourselves to Him wholeheartedly: every day, with every thing we own, with every thought that is in us, forever submitted to His direction and will.

Yes, God: I know there is warfare all around... but my eyes see You. I will wait for Your instruction and direction.

Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Net Loss: Zero.

Amaziah asked the man of God, “But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?” The man of God replied, “The LORD can give you much more than that.” (Second Chronicles 25:9)

In Sunday’s sermon our Pastor Emeritus, Reverend Dr. V. Seymour Cole, spoke on the importance of being open to doing what God says without trying to second-guess his word or justify attempts at self-help. Today, let’s reflect on the following statement shared by Pastor Cole:

“Are you going to think more in terms of what you have to pay than you do in terms of what you owe? If so, then you will be stunted souls-- trying to ‘buy God off’ with your pennies or your dollars when you should be men and women of spacious spirit, who regard nothing too great to lay at the Master’s feet.”

King Amaziah, who received a prophetic warning to go into battle without using the soldiers he had hired from Israel, expressed his concern about the money he had spent. The prophet said, in essence, God doesn’t have a problem with supplying needs. For those of us who have submitted our lives to the Lord, we can rest in the assurance that He will make up every loss we have incurred in our life-journey.

Are you in a position where you sense God is telling you to walk away from a venture that seems logically sound, a venture where you have already invested time and resources? Trust God. If He has called you to do without a particular resource, then follow His leading. He will certainly keep you in His care.

Because God is on my side, I can joyfully lay everything at His feet. I pray that the same is true for you.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. (Matthew 19:26-30)

Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

A Time To Write; A Time To Rest.

Dear Readers,

As you may have noticed, I’m on a short break for this week. I will be back with new posts after the Columbus Day weekend. Blessings and peace to you,

Genise

The Man; The Spirit; The Destiny.

In Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Andy pointed out that unless the Holy Spirit is present in us, we will never accomplish the destiny God desires for us. We see this in the life of Saul. When the prophet Samuel spoke with Saul, he gave this prophetic word prior to Saul’s anointing as king: “The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.” (First Samuel 10:6) The prophetic word came to pass, and there was initial evidence of the Spirit of God ruling Saul’s heart:

As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying. (First Samuel 10:9-10)

Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched. But some scoundrels said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent. (First Samuel 10:26-27)

The people then said to Samuel, “Who was it that asked, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring these men to us and we will put them to death.” But Saul said, “No one shall be put to death today, for this day the Lord has rescued Israel.” (First Samuel 11:12-13)

Unfortunately, Saul’s early years of self-control and wisdom eroded. Saul brazenly disobeyed the word of God, offering unauthorized sacrifices and keeping alive livestock and prisoners of war that God had destined to death.  Barely two years into his reign, Saul was given a prophetic word that the kingdom of Israel had been torn from his hand, and that the LORD had chosen another man. First Samuel 16 records the transfer of spiritual authority from Saul to David:

So Samuel took the horn of oil, anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah. Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him. (First Samuel 16:13-14)

In the New Testament we find a critical checklist: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23a). Though Saul’s kingship continued for decades after the Holy Spirit departed from him, his life bore the evidences of a man devoid of God’s Spirit. Unlike the early years of his reign, in which a Spirit-filled Saul demonstrated patience and grace, the remainder of Saul’s kingship was marked by jealousy, anger, fear, and impulsive actions.

As they danced, they sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?” And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David. (First Samuel 18:8-9)

When Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days. (First Samuel 18:28-29)

As we go through this day, let us reflect on our own track record. Do our lives indicate that the Spirit of God lives in us? Or, do our lives show evidence that the Spirit of God is absent from our hearts?

Holy Lord, you are our God. Fill us with Your Spirit. May Your Spirit be evident to all: in the way we live, in the way we respond to crisis, and in the way we respond to the harsh words of others. Help us to follow You in complete obedience so that we might live the life You destined for us. Amen.

Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

With Interest...

In First Samuel chapters 9 and 10, we see an interesting progression of events in the narrative:

v  Saul leaves home for a few days: not because of his own desires, but because his father’s donkeys are lost and he needs to find them.

v  Saul seeks out Samuel: not because of his own desires, but because his servant knew of a prophet that could lead them to the donkeys.

v  Saul receives a prophetic word concerning his destiny as king of Israel: not because of his own desires, but because Samuel obediently shared the word of the LORD with him.

Sometimes we think of prophecy as an event that we ought to run to. And, sometimes, we do run to prophetic events. We hear that a famous minister is preaching, and we show up to hear him. Or we get on a plane and fly out to see an individual who we believe may have “a word” for us. But, in Saul’s case, he had no desire to seek out a word for himself. His interest was in finding his father’s property.

I wonder if any of us today are interested in finding our heavenly Father’s property. I wonder if any of us today will walk the miles, and write the letters, and make the phone calls, and pray the prayers on behalf of those who are unsaved.

Could it be that the receiving of authentic personal prophecy, even in today’s context, must be preceded by our heart’s desire to find the ones who have gone missing from our Father’s house? There’s part of an old chorus that says “So forget about yourself, and concentrate on Him, and worship Him, worship Christ, the Lord.” Worship is far more than singing. It is a declaration that our Father is awesome and His interests are our interests. It is an indication that we have forgotten about ourselves. Our lips declare this, and our lives demonstrate this.

But what a gracious God He is! As we seek to save the lost, He shows up and surprises us with great things that we weren’t even looking for. As we seek to save others, it is He who does the saving. As we commune with Him in His sanctuary, He tells us things about ourselves. And when we have heard His word and left His house of worship, He does the amazing work of establishing His residence in us. Saul experienced this at various moments in his life. We can experience this every day too! All we need to do is ask the Spirit of Jesus to cleanse us from sin and make us more like Him by sending His Spirit to live in us.

Today is a good day to stop chasing after “a word” about what interests us, and start chasing after the things that interest our Lord.

Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The Servant-Consultant

When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, “Come, let’s go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.” But the servant replied, “Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.” (First Samuel 9:5-6)

In this past Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Andy spoke on the important role of Saul’s servant. The servant, upon hearing Saul express a desire to return home, presented an alternative that would prove to be life-changing for Saul. The servant’s proposal? Let’s go to the man of God.

Our pastor shared that God gives us people who connect the routine things of life to our destiny. First Samuel 9:6 shows us what the servant knew:

v  The servant knew that Samuel, a man of God, lived in the area;

v  The servant knew that Samuel was highly respected;

v  The servant knew that everything Samuel said was accurate.

Upon meeting Samuel face-to-face, Saul asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is?” (First Samuel 9:18)—because Saul had no idea what Samuel looked like. He knew nothing of Samuel except what the servant had told him, but that information was enough to move Saul closer to his destiny. Were it not for the servant, though, Saul would have left the region that held the key to his kingship.

Perhaps you are connected with someone who appears to be “beneath” you in some form or fashion. Maybe he’s younger than you. Maybe he’s been a Christian for a shorter period of time. Maybe he’s new to the community. Maybe he’s your employee. I pray that today’s reflection will encourage us to hear the voices of those who are sometimes rendered voiceless in our communities of faith, simply because they don’t hold a particularly valued position. Who knows? They might be the ones God has chosen to bring you one step closer to where you ought to be.

Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.