“And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not from hence.”

Exodus 33:14-15. KJV

If there is one thing that Moses learned during his years of walking with the Lord, it was the necessity of having God’s presence.  God’s Presence is the unmistakable consciousness and awareness of God.  He is here.   He is in our midst.  He is with us!  That consciousness may be expressed and realized in a multitude of ways, but its reality is unmistakable!   It is undeniable. 

The Presence of God is beyond human words to describe.  It is the revelation of the Divine!   It is the consciousness of the Holy!  It is greater than all that we are and all that we know.  It brings awe and wonder!   It produces humility and joy!   It is the revelation of the “otherness” of God! Once we have experienced God’s Holy Presence, we are never the same again!   We are transformed.  We are changed.  And we forever long for a greater revelation of His Presence!   

When we are in God’s Presence, there is no fear.  There is no anxiety.  There is no burden. There is no consciousness of any need.  There is no insufficiency.   The cares of this world diminish to insignificance.  There is no desire for anything but Him!   There is the awareness that in His Presence,  we have everything!   

Moses understood that both he and the nation could not survive or even exist without God’s Presence.  What was true for Moses and the nation of Israel is also true for us!  We, the redeemed of God,  are completely dependent upon the Presence of God in our lives. 

The good news of the Gospel is that Christ has sent the Holy Spirit into our heart (our spirit, our inner man) to dwell. (Col.1:27).   We are blessed and privileged to be able to live each moment of each day with the consciousness of God’s indwelling Presence!   His Presence is revealed at various levels of intensity, but His Presence is there; quietly guiding us, speaking to us,  revealing truth to us and even correcting us when necessary.  His indwelling Presence is essential for living the life He intends for us to live!   (Rom.. 8:15).   Let us acknowledge and embrace His Presence that we might experience the fullness of His joy!  (Psalm 16:11).

Rev. James W. Black

“I have come as a Light into the world, so that whoever believes in Me [whoever cleaves to and trusts and relies on Me] many not continue to live in darkness.” 

John 12:46 AMPC

When Jesus entered our world, He brought Light into the midst of the darkness! (John 8:12). Our world was so accustomed to the darkness that no one knew there was any other way to live.   But when His Light came, we could see what we had never been able to see before.  For the very first time, we could begin to see life from God’s perspective.   We could see how God intended life to be lived and enjoyed!   Because of the darkness, we were blinded to it before!   

The Lord’s purpose in coming was not just to expose the darkness but to show us a better way to live.  However, He did more than merely show us the way.  His Light and His Life, which is released through the Holy Spirit,  actually empowers us to live the life He intended for us to live!   

Living in darkness is always a downward spiral of existence!   Living in the darkness always results in disappointment, disillusionment, discouragement, depression, despair, and finally death. (John 10:10).  Jesus came to reveal to us,  by His Light,  that there is a purpose and meaning in life.   He reveals to us that through Him, there is forgiveness, mercy, love, peace, joy, grace, satisfaction, and contentment in life through Him!  (Phil. 4:11).

His Light reveals to us that there is hope beyond the grave!   It is a sure and certain hope that is revealed by His Light and guaranteed by His resurrected Life! We know that for all those who are in  Christ,  death has been defeated!  The redeemed do not die!  We merely step into the Presence of His glorious Light where we shall remain forever!   (John 11:25). 

Rev. James W. Black

“So the children of Israel served Eglon  the king of Moab eighteen years. But when the children of Israel cried unto  the Lord, the Lord  raised them up a deliverer…” 

Judges 3: 14-15 KJV

The Lord is compassionate and merciful toward His people. But He is also a God who disciplines and corrects His people whenever they go astray (Heb. 12:6). God’s purpose in correction is to draw His people back to Himself;  for the Lord knows that the only place of safety in a dark and hostile world is with Him! 

Throughout the book of Judges, the examples of God’s chastening and correction are vividly illustrated.   It is important to note what moved the heart of God to deliver His people.   It only happened when His people became desperate enough to cry out to Him in humility, brokenness, and genuine repentance!    There is something about crying out to the Lord in desperation that touches His heart in a special way!     

This crying out was not simply the making of a lot of noise.  No. This crying out was born in the heart in response to the realization that their only hope was in God!    It came out of a Holy conviction of sin,  resulting in humility, brokenness, and repentance before God. Only then did they cry out to the Lord!  And only then did He answer!   

When the Lord saw the genuineness of their heart before Him, He was moved with compassion for them!    Only then did He deliver them from their oppression!   It is interesting to note that He could have delivered them at any time.  But in this case, He waited 18 years!   Why so long?   Because He was waiting for His people to become so desperate in their situation that they would cry out to Him in sincere humility, brokenness, and repentance.  Only then would the Lord bring about their deliverance.   In reality, the length of time they remained in their difficult circumstances depended on them, not God! 

Could it be that one of the reasons we have not yet seen revival in our community and nation is because  we have not yet become desperate enough to cry out to God in genuine humility, brokenness and repentance?   

Rev.. James W. Black

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” 

Psalm 90:2 KJV

The Word of God speaks much about eternity.  The word “eternal” means “having infinite duration”.   (Webster’s Dict.). Eternity is a powerful word that is used in reference to God.  It is used to describe God. It is used to describe His person, His Kingdom, and His relationship with mankind.  In fact, there is nothing about God that is not eternal.  He has no beginning and  He has no end!  (Rev. 1:8).  He is infinite in His Person, character, and nature.   The Scripture describes Him as “The Ancient of Days.”  (Dan.7:9) which is a metaphor for the eternity of God in His Person.

Because God is eternal, His character is eternal, His love is eternal,  His ways are eternal,  His purposes are eternal and His judgments are eternal!  Everything God does always has the eternal perspective in mind.  He never changes.  (Malachi 3:6).  His love never changes.  His grace never changes.  His mercy never changes.  His joy and His peace never changes. His power never changes.   And His eternal purpose never changes. 

That means His purpose toward us never changes.   His purpose toward us is always for our good.  (Rom. 8:28).  In a world that is constantly changing, He is the constant that never changes. He is the anchor of our soul and the constant light and beacon of hope in the midst of a dark world. 

Because God is our creator and we are made in His image or likeness (Gen. 1:26), He has also “put eternity in our hearts.”  (Ecc. 3:11 ESV).  There is this innate longing in our hearts for life!  We all long to live forever!   It is God who gave us that longing!   And the Good News of the Gospel is that  Christ has made that longing a present reality!  The Redeemed of God do not die! (John 11: 25-26).   We simply move from this finite life into eternal life!  What a blessed hope we have!   What a joy we have!  What an awesome God we have! 

Rev. James W. Black 

“When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.”   

2 Timothy 1:5 NKJV

There is not a more powerful ministry anywhere than the ministry of a godly mother. The ministry of bearing children and raising them is difficult and challenging.   It is hard.  It is often thankless.  It is not in the limelight.  It often goes unrecognized.  But a godly mother has the opportunity of impacting the next generation for the glory of God!  When a godly mother teaches her children the Word of God, how to know  God, the ways of God, and the truth of God and seeks to model that before them,  she will equip her children with a foundation that will carry them and sustain them throughout the rest of their lives. 

Timothy’s life had been profoundly impacted for the Lord by his mother and grandmother. It demonstrates the powerful influence a mother has on her children. 
Timothy’s mother, Eunice, had no doubt been impacted by her mother Lois.  Lois taught her grandson Timothy the importance of knowing the Lord and following the Lord.  Three generations had been impacted by a godly mother!   Timothy, no doubt, was used of the Lord to impact the lives of others for the Christ as he ministered alongside the Apostle Paul. Paul entrusted his ministry to Timothy when he knew that he would soon lose his life for Christ.  Only eternity will reveal the full impact of Lois on her family.  And her ultimate impact upon the world!   The world never noticed it, but the Lord did!   

And that is the most important thing to remember.   The Lord sees what you do as a mother.   He knows the sacrifices that you make.  He is aware of the work that you do.   He sees your frustrations, your disappointments, your challenges, and your tears.  He knows your burdens and your concerns.    But He also sees how you love and care for your children through all of it.  It is important to remember that He entrusted you with the care of specific children!   He designed you and gifted you for that purpose. And as hard as it can be at times, He knew that you could do it with His help! 

James W. Black 

“And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed his last.  Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” 

Mark 15: 37-38 NKJV

The veil in the Temple was a massive curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.  It was the most sacred place in the Temple.  God’s Presence filled that place!  Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies.  He could only enter once a year on the Day of Atonement, when the sacrificial lamb was slain for the sins of the nation.  The High Priest would then take the blood of that lamb that had been slain and place it upon the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies. Scholars tell us that the thickness of that curtain was as much as 6 inches.   The veil separated the people from the Presence of God.

When Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the Temple in Jerusalem was torn in two from top to bottom!   It was torn from top to bottom because God was the One who tore it open.  Not man! Jesus had become the sacrificial Lamb of God on the cross!   The torn veil signified that access into God’s Presence was now open for everyone!   

Now that the veil is torn, anyone who has surrendered to Christ has the Blood of the Lamb applied to their heart!   That Blood now makes one Holy in the sight of God!  Because the redeemed have been made holy through the Blood of Christ,  we now have access into the very Presence of the Living God.   We can come without fear, guilt, shame, or condemnation!   What a great blessing it is to have access into the very Presence of God!   May we take the opportunity of entering into His Presence daily. 

“I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Gal. 2:20 KJV

In this passage, Paul uses the present tense to describe the genuine reality of the Christian life. He declares, “I am crucified with Christ…”.  Crucifixion meant death!   The crucifixion of his own life was not something that was going to happen.  It had already happened!   It was a past, present, and ongoing reality in his life.   Paul had experienced the power of the crucified life!  

All of his life, Paul had sought to please God by being religious, knowing and keeping the Law of God. But he was also painfully aware of his inability to fully keep the Law. He sought to find acceptance before God by striving to keep the Law better than anyone else. But despite all his efforts, he still was not certain he had done enough to be pleasing and acceptable to God.

But when the risen Christ confronted him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9,) everything changed. For the first time in his life, he understood the full weight of his sinfulness. And at the same time, he understood the powerful grace of God that forgave him and cleansed him of his sin!   On that road to Damascus, Paul had died.  He had been crucified with Christ.  And a new man was now alive in him, the risen Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).   As a result, Paul was radically transformed by the power of Christ. 

To be crucified with Christ means that we have died (in Christ) to the old life of the old man and are now surrendered to the new life of Christ who now lives within us!  This life is an ever-present, daily, ongoing reality in our lives. (1 Cor. 15:31).  It is the only place of liberty and the only place of life (Rom.14:8).  To be crucified with Christ means we have died to ourselves and are now alive in Christ and have the privilege of knowing Him, following Him, and experiencing Him in our daily life!   

James W.Black