“And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” 

Matthew 11:6 KJV

We live in a world of paradox. On the one hand, people say they do not want to be offensive.  They believe in tolerance and acceptance.  Yet at the same time, many of those same people take great pleasure in offending the Followers of Christ.  We saw this recently in the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Paris when the Olympic Committee took great pleasure in mocking and defaming the Name of Christ.  The Followers of Christ are ridiculed, vilified maligned, and marginalized with impunity by many different individuals, groups, and institutions.  Such intolerance has become openly accepted and fully embraced by those who proclaim tolerance as one of their highest virtues.  Their hypocrisy and double standard is blatantly obvious.   But they do not realize that Christ will ultimately have the final word!  (Psalm 37: 1-2).

Although such things offend us,  we must remember that this is nothing new.  The Followers of  Christ have experienced this throughout history.  It continues in our day.  Currently, some 80 countries around the world persecute those who follow Christ.   Jesus was hated in His day!   And He promised that those who followed Him would also be hated as well. (John 15:18, 1 John 3:13).   The reason for this hatred is that those who are enslaved by darkness are offended when the Light of Christ exposes their sin.  No one likes for their sin to be exposed.  It makes one uncomfortable.   It can even make one angry.   

They do not realize that the purpose of the Light of Christ is not to bring condemnation (John 3: 17-20) but instead to bring salvation and deliverance from the darkness that has enslaved them.  His Light illuminates the path they are on.  It helps them to see the path of destruction they are traveling and enables them to find the only way of escape.   If we were driving down a road whose bridge had been washed out by a storm, we would want someone to warn us of the danger that lay ahead.   That is exactly what Jesus does when He exposes our sin!  He is warning us of the danger we are facing and is seeking to save us from certain destruction.

https://www.bible.com/bible/1/jhn.3.16His shining Light gives hope where there was none before.  His Light points the way to a life that is full of meaning, purpose, and destiny!  (John 10:10).  It is a life that one can experience now and all throughout eternity.   (John 3:16).   

James W. Black

“Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!”

Phil. 4:4 KJV

In Philippians 4 the Apostle Paul encouraged the Followers of Christ to “stand fast in the Lord” (vs 1) and to “rejoice always”!   The word “rejoice” here is taken from the Greek word “chairo” which means “to be glad, to be full of joy or to be elated”.   

We are familiar with being elated and full of joy over such things as getting a desired job, a raise, or when our favorite sports team wins a championship.  During those times our hearts overflow with gladness. And there is nothing wrong with expressing joy over those things. But if we can be filled with joy over secular things, how much more should the people of God be able to rejoice over the reality of the living God;  expressed and revealed to us in and through His Son, Jesus! The secular events in life are fleeting. They do not last. But the reality of God’s love is a constant and ever-present reality for the redeemed! 

To rejoice does not mean that we are always giddy with physical, animated expressions of excitement such as one might experience at a sports event.  But it does mean that we live with a consciousness of God’s Presence. We can see and sense His Presence revealed in creation as we take time to observe it.  And we can sense HIs quiet, gentle indwelling Presence within us when we take time to be still and focus our heart and mind upon Him.  Each day we can be conscious of Him.  Most often this consciousness is simply a quiet,  gentle “knowing” on the inside of us.   

This rejoicing is something that we can “always” do.  This rejoicing is not based upon our ever-changing circumstances in life.  Nor is it based upon our fickle feelings or emotions. Rather it is based upon the unchanging Person of Christ!  It is anchored in the sure and certain knowledge of Who He is!  We can rejoice in His grace. We can rejoice in His mercy.  We can rejoice in His love.  We can rejoice in His salvation.  We can rejoice in His peace.  We can rejoice in His provision. We can rejoice in His goodness and a multitude of other things that are found only in Him. As we become conscious of His ongoing engagement in our lives we can always find something in Him for which we can rejoice!  

Rev. James Black

“The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open unto their cry.”

Psalm 34:15 KJV

Have you ever wondered if the Lord hears you? The Word of God declares that He does! The Lord sees and hears both the good and the bad in everyone’s life.  Nothing escapes Him!   

But His ear is especially attentive to those He has redeemed!  The redeemed are those who have been made righteous by the precious blood of Christ (1 Pet. 1: 18-19).  The redeemed are His children.  No good parent ignores the cry of their child!  How much more then does our Heavenly Father hear the cry of His children!   

The question arises, however, as to why the answer to our cry has not yet come. There are many reasons. Sometimes the Lord is working in the lives of others in order to bring them to a place where they will respond.   This is especially true concerning our lost loved ones and our prodigals.  All of them are resistant to the drawing of the Holy Spirit.  It takes time for Him to break through their barriers of resistance. Sometimes He is working to orchestrate situations and circumstances that will meet our needs.  That too involves others. They too must respond to the Lord’s nudging in their heart.   Sometimes the answer is no because He knows that what we are asking for is not the best thing for us.

And sometimes, He is working to prepare us for the answer.   The delay deepens our faith; strengthens our perseverance and deepens our trust in Him and His Word!   If we continue to persevere and not waver, the Lord will respond with exactly what is needed at exactly the right time.

James W. Black

“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.”

Psalm 145:18 NKJV

One of the most amazing things about the Lord Jesus is His longing to be near us!  Sin separated us from God.  Because of our sin,  His holiness would not permit Him to have close, intimate fellowship with us!   Yet He longed for us to experience His nearness!  Through His sacrificial death and powerful resurrection, He satisfied the just demands of a Holy God and bridged the gap that had separated us from Him!  He dealt once and for all with the sin problem on the cross and reconciled us unto Himself! (Col. 2: 13-15).  Now, it is possible for anyone who truly desires to know Him and fellowship with Him to enter into His Presence.  He has made it possible for anyone who truly wants to be near Him!   

 The Lord makes it clear that the experience of His nearness depends on whether one truly wants to be near Him!   He has already demonstrated that He longs to be near us!  So the question is do we really want to be near Him?  Unlike the false, secular, and pagan gods, He is not distant!  He is near.  But His nearness is only revealed to those who truly desire to be near Him!   (James 4:8).

His promise is definite, specific, and sure!  He is near to all those who call upon Him in truth!   To call upon Him in truth means that we truly repent of our sin, turn from our sin, and turn unto Him with the desire to know Him, follow  Him,  honor Him, walk with Him, and obey Him.  His will for us is clearly laid out for us in His Word. (Micah 6:8 & Ex. 20: 3-17).  Through the Person of The Holy Spirit, He empowers us to obey (Rom. 8:9-11), which means that His nearness is as close as our next breath! 

Rev. James W. Black

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