“…baring confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” 

Philippians 1:6 NKJV

Have you ever started a project and never finished it?  Many years ago, when I was in my mid-twenties,  a close friend and I asked  a retired farmer if we could tear down a dilapidated old barn  that was on the back of his  property.  The barn was literally falling down.   Our goal was for each of us to  obtain enough usable lumber to build a small storage shed on the back of our property.  The farmer readily agreed.  It was a win win situation. The retired farmer  would get rid of an eyesore for free and we would get the lumber we needed to build our storage sheds.  However, as we began the project, doing it after work and on Saturdays,  we soon discovered,  after a few weeks, that the project was much bigger than we thought.  The work was taking much longer than we had anticipated.  And then  life happened!   Our jobs began requiring more of our time and our  ability to work on the project began to quickly diminish. Finally we had to abandon the project altogether because of limited time. That was a disappointing experience for us as well as the farmer.   I have always regretting not completing that project and fulfilling  our agreement.   I had to apologize to the farmer and ask his forgiveness.   The farmer gave the remainder of the usable lumber to someone else and burned the rest.

The wonderful thing about Jesus is that whenever He begins a project,  He always finishes it!   He is never caught by surprise or overwhelmed by  the size of a  project.  [After all He created the entire universe.  John 1:3].  He knows from the beginning exactly how long a project it will take and what is required to complete it.  Nothing  catches Him by surprise!  He is not limited by time and space.  He exists in eternity and always has the eternal perspective and the finished work in mind.   

Jesus has promised  that the work which  He began in us on the day of our redemption, will be fully and perfectly completed on the day when He returns and establishes His eternal Kingdom!   That is indeed good news!   

We may think that we are too old, too broken down, too unsightly, too messed up, too useless and too hopeless  for God to do anything with us.   We may wonder how God could possibly do anything with us in out condition!    But Jesus has promised to “make all things new”; including us!  (2 Cor.5:17; Rev.21:5). And because nothing is impossible with God, (Mark 10:27),  we can therefore trust Him to complete what He has begun in us!  We are not yet what  we want to be.  And we are not yet what we  are going to be.  But thank God, we are not what we were!  We are a work in progress!  And we can  rest assured that the work that He has begun in us will be completed  and it will be perfect! 

James W. Black   

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust…”

Psalm 18:2 KJV

David’s description here of God is from a warrior’s perspective. In this Psalm, David expressed his absolute confidence in the Living God. David had fought many battles. He had been attacked at various times by many different enemies who were intent on his destruction. But in every battle, in spite of the size and strength of his adversaries, he was victorious over them. If you study David’s life you will learn that he never entered into battle without first seeking the Lord (1 Sam. 23:4).

When David declared that the Lord was his rock, he was picturing a warrior standing upon a massive boulder. Standing on top of that rock, he could see his enemies
preparing to come against him. From the vantage point of the rock, possessing the high ground, David knew he could face and overcome a much larger force than his own. In standing upon the rock, David knew he could defeat them. Being firmly established on the rock enabled David to stand with confidence against his enemies.

David knew that the Lord, the God of Israel, was his fortress. The Lord Himself was David’s refuge. David knew that his strength was in the Lord, not himself. David knew from experience that the Lord was unshakable, unmovable, and unchanging. He knew that the Lord was completely reliable and dependable in every circumstance. That is why David could declare with confidence that God was the “rock of his salvation” (2 Sam. 22:47).

The good news is that this same Lord is also our rock! As He was with David, so He is with us! David demonstrated for us how to depend upon the Lord. If we take our refuge in Him (Psalm 91: 1-2), we too, will be able to stand against the assaults of the enemy. As David stood with confidence, so can we. For victory is assured. When we align ourselves with the Lord, the victory is already won! We simply have to stand and see the salvation of the Lord. (Exodus 14: 13-14; Eph. 6:13).

Rev. James Black

“But whosoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him.  This is the way we know that we are in union with him.”  (1 John 2:5 NASB). 

When we received the Lord Jesus as our Savior, the Spirit of God came to  dwell within us.  (Rom. 8:9).  That was the moment of our New Birth. (John 3:3).  For the first time in our life  we experienced  the indwelling love of God. (Rom.5:5).  That was the beginning of a new life and an entirely new way of living.  Before we lived in the darkness.  Now we live in His Light. (Col.1:13).

But the New Birth is just the beginning of our journey.  The Lord desires for His love, which we have received, to be perfected within us!   What does that mean?  The word “perfected” here is translated  from the Greek word “telioo” which literally means:  “to complete, accomplish, consummate, finish, or fulfill.”  (Strongs #5048). 

We know that God’s love in and of itself is already perfect and complete! Nothing can be added to it and nothing can  diminish it.  But  while God’s love is perfect, we are not. Now that  we are  in union with Him, we  are on a journey of  being perfected. (Phil. 1:6). What  the Lord is wanting to do is to complete,  finish  and  fulfill the work that  His love began in us on the day we were truly  born again.  That completion will take place when we finally see him face to face in glory!  (1 Cor. 13:12).

God’s love, which is already in us, is revealed and released more and more as we learn to walk in obedience to His Word!    Each time we obey we experience His pleasure and we see the power of His Word released in our lives and circumstances.   That in turn reveals more of His love to  us.  Our understanding of His love deepens.  And our love for Him grows. 

In essence, God’s love is perfected in us as we learn to walk in obedience.  That makes it simple.  Just do what He says and His love will be perfected in us.  (John 14:15).

Rev. James W. Black 

A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.”

Psalm 37:16 KJV

It is interesting to observe that although we live in the wealthiest nation on earth, there are so many who have not discovered joy and contentment in life.   What I mean by that is simply learning to enjoy and be thankful for what we have instead of being envious, bitter, resentful, or angry about what we do not have.  It is easy to be discontent if our focus is upon ourselves and upon things.  In the pursuit and acquisition of things, we often find that once a particular “thing” is acquired, the joy and contentment it brings does not last very long.

We are often like children on Christmas morning who are excited about the gifts they have received, but within a few days, the excitement has worn off and they are bored with the new toys and now wish for something else. 

Contentment, satisfaction, and fulfillment in life is not found in possessions or achievements but ultimately in a Person. (Luke 12:13).   And that Person is Jesus!   He is the embodiment and example of contentment and the ultimate provider of contentment. (John 7:38).    When Jesus lived in His physical body on the earth, the only thing He owned were the clothes that He wore. (Matthew 8:20).   He had nothing else.  And yet His joy in life was so contagious that multitudes of people flocked to hear  Him and wanted to be around Him. (Matthew 13:2).

 His contentment was the result of His relationship with God the Father. (John 10:30).   He knew the Father intimately.   He trusted the Father completely.  He depended on the Father totally for everything. And  He wanted to please the Father in all things.  Everything He did was always with the Father’s will in mind. His focus in life was not upon Himself, but rather in doing the will of the Father.  (John 5:30).

Our contentment is found in having the same relationship with the Heavenly Father.   Jesus came to enable us to have that relationship.  It is in the intimacy of that relationship that we discover that in Him, we have everything that we need. (Psalm 23:1). 

Rev. James W. Black

“And he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put  in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:43-44 NLT).

Jesus was observing people as they gave their offerings in the temple. Many who were wealthy were giving large sums.  But this poor widow cast in two copper coins worth only a penny.  That was quite a small sum compared to all the others.  But in the eyes of the Lord, what she gave was of greater value than anyone else because she gave everything that she had. 

Have you ever felt totally inadequate?  Have you ever felt that your talents, gifts, and abilities were so small in comparison to others that what you do and what you give is irrelevant and won’t make any difference?   Most everyone experiences this at one time or another.  After all, our adversary is constantly reminding us of our inadequacy!

It is important to remember that the Lord is the One who created us!  He is the One who has given us our abilities and resources.   He does not expect us to measure ourselves against others.   He simply wants us to offer unto Him that which we have.  This widow gave more than anyone else because she gave everything that she had.  She held nothing back.

Finding joy, fulfillment, and contentment in Christ, and in life,  begins by offering unto Him everything that we have.  In return, He offers unto us everything that He has!  That is a great exchange!  We become the greatest beneficiary!  While all that we have is small in comparison to the Lord, what He gives in exchange is immense!   We literally exchange our inadequacy for His adequacy!   We exchange our weakness for His strength.   We exchange our inability for His ability.  (Phil. 4:13).  The Lord takes that which is offered, and multiplies it and uses it for His glory!   And what is done is far greater than anything we could have possibly accomplished on our own! 

Rev. James W. Black

“How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord?  Forever?  How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?”   

Psalm 13:1 KJV

David was in a desperate situation.  King Saul and his army had surrounded  David and his small band of men in the wilderness. Although they had not yet been discovered, there was a real possibility that he, and all those who were with him, were going to die! (1 Sam. 23: 24-28).  He did not know what to do.    David had cried out to the Lord, but the Lord had not answered.

Have you ever been there?  If you haven’t, you will.  Life has a way of forcing us into difficult situations.  There are times when our circumstances can be overwhelming.   And in the midst of them, we can feel as if God has abandoned us!   Our adversary will certainly be quick to tell us that He has!   What can we do in those times?

We must learn to do what David did. We must choose to trust the Lord in spite of the circumstances. We must intentionally fix our eyes upon the Lord instead of the circumstances. (2 Chron. 29:12).  In the midst of this trial David declared:  “But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.  I will sing unto the Lord because he hath dealt bountifully with me.” (Ps. 13: 5-6 KJV).

Even though God had not yet answered, David believed that He would!  Because the Lord had answered in the past, David believed that He would somehow answer him now!  He continued to trust!  And he determined to sing praises to the Lord for his faithfulness both in the past and even now in the present! 

So, let us continue to trust in the Lord and continue to worship Him, honor Him, and walk with Him!  He has not abandoned us!  Nor has He forsaken us!  (Deut. 31:6, Heb. 13:5).  The Lord will answer at the best possible time!   And that time will be so amazing that He alone will get all the glory! 

Rev. James W. Black 

“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even a he is pure.” (1 John 3:3 KJV).

In this passage, the Apostle John explains to the followers of Christ what our hope in Christ actually does for us.  If we have truly put our hope (our confident expectation)  and trust in Christ (that is knowing who He is and who we are in Him) then we are motivated to live a life that is a reflection of Christ. In other words, we will desire to live a godly life that represents Him to an unbelieving world.

That does not mean that we are perfect.  None of us are. But it does mean that we seek to honor the Lord to the best of our ability with His help.  It means that we surrender to the Holy Spirit and allow His fruit to be manifested in us and through us. (Gal. 5: 22-25).  And whenever we fail, and there are times when we all do,  we then do everything we can to make things right with the Lord and with others.  It means that we walk in humility before the Lord and before men; not boasting in ourselves, but boasting in Christ alone.

The NLT makes this very clear.  “And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure just as he is pure.” (1 John 3:3 NLT).  If we are hoping to see Jesus soon (and we will because life is short) then we will not be engaged in things that would dishonor Him or bring a reproach to His Name!  We will live in joyful expectation of His coming! 

Knowing that we will see Him soon motivates us to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord so that we will not be ashamed to see Him when He returns or when He calls us home! That is what our hope in Christ does for the redeemed people of God. 

Rev. James W. Black

“And Jesus said unto them, ‘I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me  shall never thirst.” 
John 6:35 KJV

Bread has been an important staple of life for thousands of years. There are few foods that are more satisfying than warm fresh bread!  Most people enjoy bread of some kind. One of the things that we do in the South when we hear that a snow event is coming is to go out and buy bread so that we will have bread to eat during the storm.  Bread fills, nourishes, and satisfies us.

Jesus made this statement about bread the day after  He had fed over 5000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish. (John 6: 1-13). The news of that miracle quickly spread throughout the region. Many more people had now come out to see and hear Him.  Some hoping,  perhaps,  to also be given free bread.

This time, however,  instead of providing them with free physical bread that is only temporary, He offered them bread that would last forever.    Jesus offered them Himself!  Jesus wanted them to know that He had come to do more than satisfy their physical hunger. He had come to fill and satisfy the emptiness of their soul.   

What Jesus offered to them, He still offers to us!   He offers us Himself!  Jesus alone fills the emptiness of our heart.  We were created to be filled with the joy of His abundant life!  We were created to know Him and to fellowship with Him!   Unlike the natural bread, Jesus never grows stale.  His Life is always fresh and new each day! 

It was no accident that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. (Luke 2:4). The meaning of Bethlehem is “House of Bread”.  It was a declaration,  from the very beginning,   of His purpose for entering our world.   He came to offer us only what He can offer.  That is eternal life.   May each of us “taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8).