Universal Life Church Monastery of Massachusetts: January 2013

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Refreshing Presence

Time of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Acts 3:19

In many parts of the world, countries experienced record-breaking heat waves. Triple-digit temperatures became the norm causing extreme drought, heat stroke and other heat-related afflictions. City, state and country officials issued warnings: stay inside and drink plenty of water. The instructions weren’t to drink fluids like soda, coffee or sugary drinks. The directive was clear: drink water and plenty of it. When our souls become parched or afflicted by triple threat situations on every side, we need to remember times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord. The presence of God refreshes our soul and spirit much like a cool glass of water refreshes our bodies on a hot, sticky day. “Drinking in” the presence of God has a cooling or calming down effect on our minds and emotions. In God’s presence, frustration melts away, angst dissipates and hope is restored.

Far too many of us are operating with a water deficit in our lives. Our reservoirs of patience, determination and grace are drying up. Our reserves are practically on empty. We sit looking to the sky for clouds or signs of rain, when all we truly have to do is spend some time with the One who makes the rain. The bible tells us that although times of refreshing are available to us right now, it can only be found and enjoyed in the presence of the Lord.

One day while in college, I found myself on the verge of tears. I was utterly exhausted. Eight hours of classes, 5 hours of work, and 3 hours of homework had finally caught up with me. I was recovering from the flu and I still had a few papers to write. While the day started off easily enough, but by night’s end I was physically and emotionally spent. Just as the tears touched my lids and I silently uttered “Lord, I can’t do this anymore,” I heard the Holy Spirit whisper: I’m so very proud of you. You’re doing a great job. Within minutes my resolve returned, my peace of mind was restored and my hope came alive.

God manifests His presence to us in many ways. It can be through a soft, audible assurance or by simply enlivening our souls from within. No matter how God moves, His desire remains the same. God wants us to step away from the busy-ness of life and make time to spend with Him.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Unfailing Love

“…as the heavens, through unspoken whispers, proclaim God’s glory, so too should my life be, that all who behold it would bear witness to the power of His unfailing love….”

Our lives—our very existence—are meant to be a testament to the glory of God. Not only are we crafted—fashioned—in the very image, likeness and character of God, we are chosen—set apart—by God to receive the very best He has for us. God’s love for humanity is unfailing. In times where Tsunamis, earthquakes, and widespread injustice are rampant in the land, it is often difficult for us to see or experience the love of God in the earth. But make no mistake, God loves us—you—with an unfailing love. How do I know? Behold the work of the cross.

“For God so greatly loved and prized the world, that He gave up His only son, so that whoever believes [trusts in, clings to or relies on] Him would not come to destruction or be lost but have eternal [everlasting] life.” John 3:16

Flogged. Beaten. Tortured. God the Son died for you that your sins would no longer condemn or constrict you. Instead, through Him you might embrace salvation and be made whole through Him. The Master of Heaven and earth loves you with an everlasting love. His desire is for us to look beyond the flickering emotions and circumstances in our lives and entwine ourselves in his wondrous presence. It is the warmth of His presence that preempts the anxieties, heart aches and disappointments that occur in life. God, the son, is the same yesterday, today and forever.

What does this mean in the 21st century? It means that when current events or the latest disasters take center stage, God’s love is still relevant. It means that when we are hopeless, despondent or emotionally damaged, God’s love still heals and restores. It means that when we’re tempted to accept the worldly stance that hope is all but dead, we simply close our eyes, envision a blood stained cross and accept that nothing could be further from the truth.

We’ll never know how much it cost, for the God the Father to see His only begotten son tortured and hung on a cross. The cross is Jesus’ ultimate act of love. He is truly God’s heaven-sent gift to humanity.

Much like the ---- which tells the story of one who came to redeem the wayward ways of the world, the word of God tells us that Christ’s love for is too wonderful to comprehend. For many of us, we cannot fathom a selfless or unconditional love. Friends fail us, loved ones hurt us and those who should be loyal abandon us. In spite of this, Christ’s work on the cross still stretches through time and space proclaiming once and for all: I love you just as much now, as I did when I died for you. My love never fades and it never fails. Ever.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

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DON’T WORRY BE THANKFUL

“Measure the gifts of God. Collect your blessings. Catalog his kindness. Assemble your reasons for gratitude and recite them.”

I remember the first time I read these words in the Every Day Deserves a Chance written by Max Lucado. I thought to myself, could joy really be as simple as learning to be grateful? Could happiness be found even during life’s most harrowing times? I turned to scripture for my answer.

Giving thanks is so important to being able to hear God’s voice. Why? Because just like our praise or worship, gratitude is something God responds too. When we make gratitude our default emotion, we find ourselves able to express the deepest levels of gratitude even in tough situations. Scripture tell us that God inhabits the praises of His people. That means when we create an atmosphere of praise, worship and thanksgiving, we can expect God to inhabit, or dwell in the midst of, our praises. When the presence of God floods your circumstance, everything—including you—changes for the better.

According to Philippians 4:6, everything we ask of God should be accompanied by thanksgiving. By developing an attitude of thanksgiving, we position ourselves to receive greater blessings from God. It creates the right recipe to induce greater intimacy with God as well as sets the stage for us to operate in His will for our life. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, admonishes us to “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

There it is in black and white. Thanksgiving, continual prayer and perpetual joy are the will of God for our lives! So stop worrying about tomorrow and focus on the goodness of today. Gratitude is always an option, so let it be yours! When life tosses you around like a ship without a sail, learn to stop, take a deep breath and focus on all the things that didn’t go wrong. Not too long ago, I experienced several ship-tossing ordeals that came in the form of a flat tire, loss of electricity, betrayal of a close friend, and death of a co-worker. At the end of the day, I was ready to jump overboard until my focus changed. Instead of focusing on all the negative things, I began to thank God for all of the good things. I thanked him for the stranger that changed my flat tire. I thanked him for the candle-lit family time at dinner. I even thanked him for sending me new friends who would treat me with respect. In no time at all, my sorrow was lifted and I found myself laughing and enjoying life.

Friday, January 18, 2013

OBEDIENCE IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE

God has countless blessings He’d love to give us. He has new opportunities and creative ideas that He knows will yield abundance and prosperity in our lives. To receive these blessings, we must be able to hear God when He speaks and take the necessary steps needed to do what He has said.

Several years ago, the presence of God filled my room. As I sat, receiving what can only be described as the inbreathed power of God’s glory, God began to speak. I wrote down all He said. What I saw was a beautiful poem about His love for humanity. His instructions were simple: send the poem to specific people. I was hesitant. These were people I didn’t really know and they were prominent community leaders. Surely, God was joking, right?

Sometimes, in order to receive the blessings God has for us, we have to learn to do the things He asks of us. This means that even when we don’t understand why God is asking us to do something; we trust Him enough to do it. It means that while we may not feel like doing the thing or even think it is important, our reverence of God must be greater than what we think or feel.

When we look at Luke 5, we see Peter and some of the disciples. They had been fishing all night without any success. They were tired, exhausted and probably ready to call it a night until Jesus showed up. He instructed them to launch their nets out again. Peter did not want too but he did so simply because the Lord asked him too. The result? They caught so much fish, it almost sank their boat.

Through obedience, Peter and the disciples were able to receive God’s blessing for their lives. While I may not have thought sending the poem to prominent leaders was a good idea, sending it positioned me to receive God’s best for my life. This is the train of thought that God expects us to have. Despite how we feel or think about a particular thing, we must be willing to hear and obey God when He speaks to us. Much like the Yoruba faith which teaches that we can align our inner thoughts with those of the Creator, obedience allows us to yield to God’s voice, thereby, allowing us to align with His will and desires for our lives.

Throughout Old or New Testament scripture, we see a common theme emerge: obedience is better than sacrifice. Whether we’re focusing on King Saul and his refusal to wait for the prophet to officiate a sacrifice or Jesus’ plea in the garden of Gethsemane, we see how the importance of obedience and yielding to God’s voice.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

CLEAN HANDS AND A PURE HEART

“Who may ascend and stand before the Lord?” He that has clean hands and a pure heart.

I love this scripture verse. It doesn’t say that I have to be perfect before I come to the Lord. It doesn’t say I have to get it right all of the time. It simply says that if my heart is right and my hands are clean, then I, much like the priest of old, may also stand before the God of the Universe.

Having clean hands and a pure heart takes work and much of that work belongs to the Triune God. Ezekiel 11:19 says this:

“I will give them on heart [a new heart] and I will put a new spirit within them; and I will take the stony [unnaturally hardened] heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh [sensitive and responsive to the touch of their God]. You mean I just can’t will myself into having a pure heart? According to scripture, that’s exactly what it means. Only the Almighty God can give us a new heart, one that is sensitive and responsive to His touch and His voice. Contrary to popular Hollywood depictions, God speaks to us in a still, small voice. While He is well able to speak in a loud audible voice, the truth is most times He doesn’t. This is why having a pure or sensitive heart is important. It allows us to hear God when He speaks to us.

When our heart grows hard or stony, it puts us in danger on two fronts. First, hardened hearts often mean we’re more likely to hurt other people. Have you ever seen an animal that’s been wounded over and over again? It typically tries to attack anyone that comes near it, even those who have the means to heal it. Such is the case with human beings. We tend to lash out at anyone that approaches us, be they friend or foe.

Second, stony-hearted individuals tend to miss the will and voice of God. Because we’re unable to hear God, we tend to rely on our own wisdom and understanding which often results in increased anguish, frustration and heart ache. The Talmud says that the highest form of wisdom is kindness. True kindness can only be released from a softened heart. God desires to soften our hearts so that we can hear his voice and receive the many blessings He wants to give us. Without a heart that is sensitive to God’s voice we run the risk of becoming rebellious or stiff-necked. Remember when Moses was on the mountain with God and the people rebelled by having Aaron build them a golden-calf? How about when they were in the wilderness and complained about God’s miraculous provisions of quail and manna?

Having a hardened or impure heart causes us to look at the miraculous provisions of God and scoff at or rebuke them. It causes us to become ungrateful, narrow minded and foolish.

Friday, January 11, 2013

NO MORE CHAINS – FORGIVE AND BE FREE

Un-forgiveness, bitterness, resentment or any other type of offense have one thing in common: they all strip us of the ability to hear from God. The word of God is very clear. If we want God to forgive our sins, trespasses or offenses against Him, we must forgive others of their offenses and sins. In Ephesians 4:30-32, we are encouraged to be tenderhearted, compassionate and understanding of others, forgiving one another as God forgave us. When we harbor feelings of anger, ill-will or offense toward others, we grieve the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

When we refuse to let go the hurt, pain or offense caused by others, it hardens our heart and creates a barrier between us and God. In essence, un-forgiveness prevents us from being sensitive to God’s voice and promptings. It causes us to inflict undue harm and pain upon ourselves. Recently, I read a saying on Facebook, “refusing to forgive someone is like taking poison and hoping the other person dies.”

When we don’t let go of the hurt or anger caused by others, we literally poison ourselves. The well of love, joy, peace of mind and grace that once flowed freely in our lives, is now contaminated, bitter and void of life. Its rancid waters now carry rancid nutrients to the thirsty areas in our hearts. Un-forgiveness robs you of the ability to enjoy the many blessings of God. It causes you to become spiritually constipated and unable to release the impurities in your heart. In order to worship God in the beauty of holiness—in the spirit of truth—forgiving those who have hurt, mistreated or used you is essential. Worshipping God, similar to the Bhakti, requires active involvement. Holding on to anger, animosity or offense, blocks your ability to worship and receive from God. For many of us, this is our story. But ask yourself this: why would you allow someone to live in your heart rent free while robbing you of your prized possessions? The answer is you wouldn’t.

We have to be willing to give ourselves the gift of forgiveness. When Paul and Silas were chained in prison, their simple act of worship caused their chains to loose and the jail doors to fly open. The same holds true for us. By embracing forgiveness, we cause the chains and shackles that bind us to fall powerlessly to the ground. This simple act of faith and courage, releases us to walk in power and live victoriously. We don’t have to fall prey to un-forgiveness. We can let the peace from Christ rule our hearts. This peace empowers us to release the hurts of offense and embrace the fruit of the spirit: patience, kindness, love, joy, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, peace and self-control. We must allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. We must learn to be “responsive to and guided by the Spirit,” as stated in Galatians 5:16. Forgiveness is an act of worship that allows God to bless and heal us.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

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Tuesday, January 8, 2013

BE STILL

For many of us, the art of being still is a foreign concept. We’re used to dabbling with our smart phones, perusing websites while we chat or eating dinner with the television on. We inundate ourselves with sounds and pictures that occupy space in our hearts and take priority in our minds. In short, we’re busy being busy. “Let be and be still, and know, recognize and understand that I am God.” The practice of being still before God is a skill that must be learned, developed and practiced. Many of us find difficulty with the concept of sitting still because our flesh likes to be busy. Like Taoist principle suggests, we expend a great deal of energy trying to do everything, when in essence, we’re not doing anything at all. In short, the flesh tries to convince us that being active means we’re being productive—not so. Spiritual productivity comes as a result of sitting quietly in the presence of God and listening to what He has to say to us. Contrary to what we like to think, sitting quietly before God does not entail rattling off a list of our latest wants, desires or let downs. God is not a modern day Santa Claus. He is the one who loves you and desires for you to allow Him to show His love without reservation. God longs for you to embrace Him, and receive Him. How can you do this? By sitting in His presence.

Sometimes sitting in God’s presence means you sit and say nothing. By sitting silently, you are practicing how to listen intently to God. One of the best ways I’ve learned how to listen is by asking God if there is anyone He’d like me to pray for or encourage. Often times, God will respond by impressing someone on my heart: my child’s teacher, a friend or even someone I don’t know that well. Regardless of who the person is, I try to listen to God and wait for specific instructions on what I can do to pray or bless the person. Doing a good thing at the wrong time is still the wrong thing to do. Waiting for God’s instructions, will help ensure that words of encouragement are received in the way God intends.

As we listen for God’s directions and guidance, He will give us ideas, revelations or creative answers to our circumstances that we never even considered. God is our provision and our present help, we need only look to Him and wait for His answer. It may take a few minutes or a few days, but God will always answer. So, don’t be too quick to dismiss the practice of stillness as futile just because you haven’t heard from God in the first 30 seconds of your quiet time. The truth is you have to take the time to listen. You have to practice releasing your cares, worries and concerns so that you can hear clearly from the God of Heaven.

Friday, January 4, 2013

ARE YOU WILLING TO FOLLOW?

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12 Can you imagine? Here is Jesus, the carpenter, boldly proclaiming to the people that He is the light of the world. He unequivocally declares that anyone who will follow him will never walk in darkness. His voice does not tremble. His words are not muttered. He simply declares with all power and authority that darkness is now defunct.

To the masses, this posed a serious problem. Who was this man that spoke with such authority? Sure he healed people and taught in the synagogues but what gave him the right to declare that he was the light of the world? For some in the audience, the message simply went over their heads. For others, it seemed like he unjustly placed himself on a pedestal. To the believer, however, the message was loud and clear: darkness, and all it stood for, was a defeated foe.

The believer discerns that darkness comes in the form of job loss, sickness or maybe even death of a loved one. The believer understands that darkness materializes in the form of depression, debilitating fear or anxiety attacks. The believer knows first-hand that darkness is birthed by life’s valley experiences, pit persecutions and fiery furnace moments. Believers know all about darkness; but they also know about living in the light.

Regardless of the kind of darkness that materializes in your life, Jesus promises that believers—those who follow him—will never walk in darkness. Instead, we will have light in the form of peace, healing, guidance and love. We will have our answer and light of the world—Jesus—walks with and edifies us during the most hopeless times in our lives. Never again will we be subject to live a life void of faith and hope.

Similar to Judaism which teaches that God seeks to bestow kindness and love unto His people, Jesus declares that those who believe in and follow him will experience his love and kindness in a new and profound way. His followers will experience this love through his provision of guidance, hope, and strength. The psalmist proclaims, “Oh, how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who trust in you.” Trusting God is an inner expression of our faith and hope in God. Following Jesus, the Lamb of God, is an extension of that faith and trust. When believers understand that the dark places in our lives are no match for the light of the world, we can begin to receive and experience the effects of Jesus’ light in powerful ways. Healing of old wounds, joy in the midst of turmoil, peace of mind and grace are Jesus’ to share with those who follow him—with those who love him. Will you follow Jesus today? If you do, darkness will never triumph over you again.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

SPEND TIME WITH GOD

Like a giddy little girl, I climbed into the rocking chair with my Nanna trying to find the right spot on her lap. After a few tummy tickles, a kiss on the nose, and a few bounces on her knee, I finally found it. There I sat, safely nestled in her arms as she spoke to me in soft whispers, feeding me stories of eras long past. She shared her plans for the day, the places we would visit and her hopes for the future. She spoke and I listened. Such is how our relationship with the Father should be.

In James 4:8, we are admonished to come to the Father with outstretched hands. The scripture says that when “we come close to God, God will come close to us.” God wants us to wiggle through the chaos and valley experiences in our life and find the perfect spot on His lap. He wants us to make time to rest safely in His arms while we listen to Him reveal His plans, hopes and direction for our lives. If we truly desire to hear from God and conduct ourselves in a manner that is pleasing to him, then we must make spending time with Him a priority. But what does spending time with God look like?

Spending time with God is as simple as having a conversation with an old friend. It can be as long or as short as you want it to be. You can discuss something major or something minute—the choice is yours. Spending time with the Father can also include meditation, a staple in the way of life for Christians as well as Buddhists.

Meditation is simply allowing the word of God to root itself in the inner parts of your mind and soul. It is during meditation of the word, that we hear God’s voice through scripture. We read the verse, think about its meaning and pray for revelation of how to apply its principles or power to our lives. In essence, you allow the word of God to illuminate the dark areas of our minds. Once these areas are illuminated, we can then begin to “course correct” our lives. What does this mean? It means we do an about-face. We stop walking, turn around and adjust our steps accordingly. In other words, we repent for the things that we’ve done and we recommit ourselves to living a God-inspired life.

In Psalms 27:4 David says, “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that I will seek…that I may behold and gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to meditate, consider and inquire in his temple.” For David, the only thing that truly satisfied the longing within him was to spend more time with God—it’s what David wanted.

Like David, we need to want more of God all the days our lives. We need to pursue God if we are to hear His voice, receive His blessings and draw closer to Him.