According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us unto glory and virtue.”

2 Peter 1:3 KJV

Everything we need to live a godly life has been provided for us. The Lord Jesus did not redeem us and then abandon us.  The moment we were redeemed, He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us, teach us, guide us, strengthen us, and empower us to be all that He desires for us to be.  The scripture is clear.  He has given “us all things that pertain unto life and godliness”.  It is already ours. 

The ability to honor Him in every area of our life is found in Him!  He is the One who enables us to live for Him!   Our responsibility is to simply learn from Him.  That requires being intentional in spending time with Him.  We learn from Him by opening and reading His Word.  We learn from Him by listening to Him.  We learn from Him by simply obeying what He says we are to do.   It really is not that hard.  The only time it is hard is when we do not want to do what He asks us to do because we naively think we know more than He does.   

This  Learning is an ongoing, lifelong process.  The wonder of Jesus is that we can never learn all that there is to learn.  Because we can always learn more than we currently know. As we intentionally grow, little by little,  in our knowledge of Him, we become more and more conscious of Him actively working in our lives.  That consciousness deepens and enhances the joy in our relationship with Him. The Christian life then becomes an exciting adventure!   

So, let us not be intimidated by the fact that we feel as if we are not spiritual enough, knowledgeable enough, or strong enough to live a life that pleases and honors the Lord; especially in a world that is diametrically opposed to Him. No.  He has already provided for us everything that we need. All we are required to do is to simply follow Him. He will take care of everything else. 

“A father of the fatherless and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.”

Psalm 68:5 KJV

One of the greatest social issues plaguing our culture today is the issue of fatherlessness.  Many have had an abusive father, an indifferent father or an absent father.  The lack of fathers in the home is devastating to families across the board.  Our cities and our jails are filled with angry young men and  young women who long for a father’s love and affirmation.  The author Gordon Dalby calls it “the father wound.”  When a father is absent in their lives, young people will seek to find  affirmation somewhere else.   Sadly, even many father’s who are in the home fail to engage with their children by guiding them, teaching them, loving them  and helping them to learn how to become responsible and thriving adults.   There is a deep longing in every child’s heart for a father’s love.

The good news  is that God Himself understands that need and that longing. The heart of the Heavenly Father breaks for those who have never had a father in their life.   And He desires  to be our Heavenly Father.  Jesus paid the price for sin in order to make that possible. Jesus has brought all who will receive Him into the Heavenly Father’s family. He welcomes us and  invites us to embrace and experience the love of  our Heavenly Father.  (John 17: 23-24).

God the Father is our perfect father.  He is always with us to teach us, strengthen us, guide us, protect us  and help us as we walk through life.   We are never alone!  When we do not know what to do, our Heavenly Father does and is available with  wisdom and counsel (Isaiah 9:6).  He is always for us and never against us!   He always desires the best for us in all areas of life.  And when He corrects us it is always with love.  Because of Jesus, no one ever has to be fatherless again! 

Rev. James W. Black

“And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are; and when.I see the blood, I will pass over you and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.” 

Exodus 12:13-14 KJV

The event of the Passover was the defining moment in the History of the Jewish people.  It was the moment when God fulfilled  one of His great  promises to Abraham.  It was the culminating moment of their deliverance from their  bondage in Egypt.  It was the moment that Israel became a nation (Gen.12:2). Israel had entered Egypt as a collection of 70 souls. (Gen.46:27).   Four hundred years later they came out as a nation of 2 to 3 million people!  And they came out with the wealth of Egypt; 400 years of back wages that God provided for them from their enemies. (Gen. 15: 14-15; Ex. 12: 35-36). 

Because of this momentous event, the Lord instructed Israel to establish the Passover as a memorial throughout their generations.  They were instructed to “keep it forever”. They were to keep it each year.  The purpose was to remind the succeeding generations of the faithfulness of God who had worked powerfully on their behalf. 

The Lord established seven different feasts to be observed and celebrated throughout the year in the life of Israel.   The purpose of those feasts was to serve as a memorial; to help them to remember.   The succeeding generations were to keep them so they would never forget the goodness of God. 

Because it is easy to forget, we need memorials as well.  It is important  to remember and celebrate  those moments  of God’s intervention in our lives.  Such moments as when He  saved us from our sin; made provision for us;  protected us; ministered healing to us or to our loved one;  or revealed His Presence to us in a time sorrow and loss.   Those are benchmarks of faith.  We should  never forget them.   They are given to us to help us remember that the Lord is with us.  Always!   

Rev. James W. Black

A note about the image

This is a picture of a Jewish man touching a Mezuzah as he enters a Jewish home or synagogue. A Mezuzah is a beautiful and special Jewish ritual object used to mark the doorposts of Jewish homes. Originating in the Torah, mezuzahs consist of two parts – the mezuzah case and the mezuzah parchment scroll called a klaf. The klaf contained inside the case is inscribed with specific Hebrew verses: sections of the Shema prayer beginning with the famous words, Shema Yisrael. The word “mezuzah” literally means “doorpost,” and it’s a Jewish door ornament used to fulfill the commandment for Jews to hang the words of the Bible on their doorposts. They also serve to remind those entering and leaving of the covenant between God and the Jewish people.

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” (). 

Rom. 15:13 KJV

With all the bad things happening in our nation and our world, it is easy to become disheartened and discouraged.   For those who are parents and grandparents, it is easy to become anxious and even fearful over the future of our loved ones. In desperation, we look for someone who can offer us hope.  In the search for hope, we often look to a political candidate or to a political party to give us that hope.  But in reality, genuine hope cannot be found in them.   Such hope is temporary and fleeting. It is not lasting. 

Real and lasting hope can only be found in The God of Hope as revealed in the Person of Jesus Christ!   Jesus came into our dark world and revealed the glory of God, the love of God, and the power of God!   He came to give us hope!  He gives hope to all who put their trust in Him.   It is a sure and certain hope!   That hope is for the present.   And that hope is for the future.

For the present, we have the confident and sure promise that no matter what happens Jesus is with us!   He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us! (Heb. 13:5).  He will guide us when we don’t know what to do.  He will strengthen us when we are weak.  He will provide for us in the face of every need.  He will comfort us in the midst of sorrow and loss.  And He assures us that there is hope for the future.   (Rom. 8:31).

For the future, we have the assurance that Jesus has conquered death, hell, and the grave.  Our every enemy has been soundly defeated once and for all!  His mighty resurrection has demonstrated that He is Lord of all!    And in the future, we have the sure and certain promise that our eternity is real and secure in Him!   He has assured us that nothing can separate us from Him!  Not even death!  (Rom.8: 35-39).  Look to Him.  Trust in Him.  Rest in Him.  He is The God of Hope!  We have nothing to fear! 

Rev. James W. Black

“I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

John 8:12 NKJV

 It is difficult to see in the dark.  It is hard to recognize what things are really like in the dark.  The size and shape of things are distorted and hidden by the darkness.  It is difficult to determine exactly where we are in the dark.  It is hard to know the right way to go in the dark.  In the dark everything real is hidden from view.  In the dark, it is easy to become disoriented and confused.  To navigate and function in the dark we must have light.

From the moment that  sin entered our world,  it has been shrouded in darkness. (Gen.3).  Our world is plagued by darkness.  And it is growing darker.  But when Jesus made His entrance into our world,  His Light illuminated the darkness.  Through the Light of His Person and the illumination of His Word,  for the very first time, men were able to see through the darkness!   Jesus is indeed The Light of the World.  His Light has overcome the darkness. That Light still shines today!  It will shine throughout eternity!  (Rev. 21:23).  It will never be extinguished! (John 1: 4-5).

Because of His Light, we can now see what was hidden before.  His Light enables us to know who we really are!   His Light enables us to know where we are.  And His Light enables us to see and know where we are going.  His light enables us to see and to know what is real and what is true.  And His Light enables us to know what is not.

Because He is the Light,   we are now the children of Light! (1 John 1: 5-7).  His Light illuminates our lives and illuminates our path.  Because He is the Light, we do not have to fear the darkness.   All we have to do is to follow Him and we will be able to see everything clearly. 

James W. Black

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.”

Hebrews 4:16 KJV

The great privilege of the redeemed is that the Holy One,  the God of the Universe, our Heavenly Father, invites us into His Presence!  This privilege is not just for a select few.  No!  It is an invitation for all who have accepted His gift of salvation!  Because of His  Blood that was shed for us, we have been given direct access to His Presence! He invites us to come before Him!   Doing so brings Him great pleasure!   

The evil one seeks to discourage us and prevent us from entering into the Lord’s Presence.   He challenges us by reminding us of our past, declaring that we are not worthy.  He assaults us by reminding us of our weakness and just how little we measure up to God’s standard of Holiness!  He attacks us with guilt, shame, and condemnation. He constantly reminds us of our failures and openly accuses us before God. And if none of those things work, he then distracts us with busyness.  That should tell us just how fearful the adversary is of our entering into the Presence of God! 

But the Lord encourages us to come into His Presence with confidence!  The reason we can have confidence is because He also lived in human flesh just like us!  (Heb. 4:15).   He knows what it means to be human. (Psalm 103:14). He was tempted in the flesh in every possible way just as we are!  But unlike us, He never gave in to the temptation!  He demonstrated to us how to rely upon the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit to face and overcome those temptations. 

The Lord knows that it is in His Presence that we find mercy,  grace, and the forgiveness of our sins!  It is in  His  Presence that we find hope!  It is in  His  Presence that we find comfort.  It is in  His Presence that we experience the richness of His love. It is His Presence that we find joy.  It is in His  Presence that we find peace!  It is in His Presence that we find provision for whatever we may need!  It is in His Presence that we find direction.  It is in His  Presence that we find our identity and purpose. And it is in His Presence that we discover the wonder, mystery, and majesty of His Person!   No wonder the adversary does everything he can to keep us away from Him!

Rev. James W. Black

“…the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision saying, ‘Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward.”

Gen. 15:1 KJV

Abraham’s encounter with God changed everything in his life.  As a result, he left everything to follow God!  (Gen. 12: 1-4).  It was a decision that he never regretted.  Abraham continued to follow God for the rest of his life!  He did not walk perfectly, but he did walk faithfully.  There were times when he made some bad decisions.  Such decisions were made when he relied upon himself rather than seeking God (Gen. 16). And he suffered the consequence of those decisions (Gen. 21:12-21).  But he never quit.  The course of his life was set!  For Abraham, there was no going back!

In Genesis 15 God gave a profound revelation and promise to Abraham.  Abraham would never need to fear those who would oppose him or come against him, for God Himself would be his shield.  God Himself would be his protector.  God Himself would also be his provider.  God Himself would be his greatest reward! 

No one can genuinely follow Jesus without experiencing opposition (John 15:20).  That opposition can be subtle or it can be open and direct.  Open and direct opposition is becoming more common and intense in our culture as our nation continues to abandon God.   But like Abraham, we have nothing to fear!  The Lord told us that such things would happen (Luke 21:17).  But  like Abraham, we can take great comfort in the fact that “the Lord is our shield and our great reward!”  The promise that God made to Abraham also belongs to us, because we are the spiritual children of Abraham.  (Gal. 3:29).

Therefore in an increasingly hostile culture, we do not need to fear.  We are still His light and His witness in a dark world.   He will be “our shield and our great reward!”   He will help us, direct us, and guide us.  He will take care of us no matter what!  And Christ Himself is our greatest reward!   

James W. Black