WEDNESDAY'S WORD - PORTION - 11/28/18 - Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

   

"A daily portion is really all we need. We do not need tomorrow's supply, for that day has not yet dawned, and its needs are still unborn." -

Charles Spurgeon  

Benjamin Franklin wrote,"Who is rich? He that rejoices in his portion." When we think about PORTION we usually think - a part of a whole; an amount, a section or piece of something divided between two or more people; or a part or share of an estate given to an heir. When going to worship God in sacrifice at Shiloh, a man named Elkanah would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and all her sons and daughters, "But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb." (1 Samuel 1:5) Though Elkanah's gesture of love was nice, Hannah sought God fervently in prayer for a child. The LORD opened Hannah's womb and gave her a son, the prophet Samuel. Isaiah 61:7 prophesied, "Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance." The recompense of a double portion for your hardships is pretty nice, isn't it? 

 

There is another meaning for this word that is even more satisfying. PORTION means a person's future as allotted by fate; one's destiny or lot in life. The psalmist Asaph declared:

 

21When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, 22I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. 23 Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. 24You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. 25Whom have I in heaven but You?And earth has nothing I desire besides You. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:21-26) 

 

God is my PORTION or chalaq (Hebrew): my tract - an area of indefinite extent, my territory, my legacy, my inheritance, and my reward. Abram had just rescued Lot from Sodom when God made this pronouncement, "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." (Genesis 15:1) Abram and Sarai had been barren into their old age. He cried out his longing for an heir to the LORD. God not only promised that He would be his portion, but that his reward would be very great. Someone from he and Sarai's own flesh and blood would be the heir...and he would not just have one, "5He took him outside and said, "Look up at the sky and count the stars-if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 6Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:5-6)   

 

Sometimes we feel barren, ashamed, rejected and alone.  It is a blessing  to know that despite the circumstances or how we feel...God sees us, He cares, and He Himself will be our PORTION.  He will bless us beyond what we can imagine, ask or think!

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - UNTHANKFUL - 11/21/18 Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

Tomorrow is the Thanksgiving Holiday. In the United States we set aside a day to express our gratefulness for the bountiful blessings bestowed upon us. These benefits are not just food, clothing, shelter and transportation. We also celebrate love and friendship as we gather together over a meal with anyone with whom we can share our appreciation. UNTHANKFUL is not a word that is used too often this week. It means not feeling or showing pleasure, relief or gratitude. Did you realize thankfulness is a pleasurable and relieving virtue? Gratefulness takes the pressure off and brings joy. Unthankfulness is a negative characteristic of carnal people in the last days:   This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy... (2 Tim. 3:1-2) I'm not sure we see our complaints, discontent, and lack of gratitude as manifestations of the flesh. The LORD has given us a beautiful gift called life, but our insatiable appetite makes us look at it with disgust exclaiming, "It's not enough," because we didn't get what we expected. In the US we compare, compete and possess so much, yet we're never satisfied. Thankfulness can curb our disgruntlement and restlessness.    The holidays can be difficult. Those who have lost loved ones experience grief. Others may feel forced to engage folks they don't know or like. Jesus understands. He gave His life for people who were at enmity with Him. Christ loved and served those who worship this world more than God. (James 4:4) Jesus instructed His disciples how to treat even those who are hostile toward us:  But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. (Luke 6:35)

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - LIFT - 11/14/18 Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"I'll lift you and you lift me, and we'll both ascend together."  

- John Greenleaf Whittier    

 

Tomorrow night we celebrate our monthly Thursday night worship, prayer and prophetic service at the home of a sister church in Cincinnati  We'll also be worshiping with them this Sunday. (See flyers below) We call our Thursday service LIFT - which means to raise to a higher position or level; to move one's eyes or face upward to look at someone or something; to increase; to raise a person's spirits or confidence. We believe as we lift up our eyes to the LORD Jesus - focusing our attention on Him, we will be elevated in the Spirit. As we lift our hands and our voices in praise, the spirit of heaviness will disappear. As we ascend into God's holy hill, His grace and mercy will increase us in every way. As we bask in His presence and love one another, burdens will be lifted and yokes will be destroyed. The Bible says:  

 

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.

For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.

(Ecc. 4:9-10)

 

In Psalm 24, King David speaks of ascension into the presence of the LORD which requires clean hands, a pure heart, and the removal of all idols from our lives. (vs. 3-4) This lifting of the entire person toward God, seeking His face not just his hand, will bring both a blessing and vindication from Him (vs. 5-6) Scholars suppose that this psalm marks the carrying of the Ark of the Covenant into the City of Zion. Upon reaching the zenith, the following was chanted to open the doors wide for the King: 

 

7Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 9Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty, He is the King of glory. (Psalm 24:7-10)  

 

Now, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 6:19-20) We can open wide our hearts to receive the weight of Christ's splendor. His glory, and reputation is displayed though His Word with miracles, signs, wonders, salvation and deliverance as we worship. When we lift Him up, El Shaddai - the LORD God Almighty, sets a guard against our enemies. Jehovah Sabaoth, the LORD of Hosts, the captain of angelic armies favors and fights for us.  As we call on the resurrected (lifted) Savior Jesus Christ, He will draw all men to Himself. (John 12:32) We hope to see you at LIFT tomorrow night!  

 

   

   

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - ENTHUSIASM - 11/07/18 - Sadell Bradley New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"The real secret to success is enthusiasm." - Walter Chrysler       I don't remember anyone telling me this stuff.  Perhaps it's because I'm a Gen X'er raised by sisters who were a part of the Greatest Generation and the Silent Generation respectively. They'd endured the depression, suffrage, world wars, Jim Crow and many other atrocities. These generations are characterized by their self-sacrificing nature. They grew up experiencing and expecting a hard life. ENTHUSIASM -intense and eager enjoyment, interest, or approval was often not available in spades. Larry David, a popular comedic writer, advocated for you to... Curb Your Enthusiasm. That's just a TV show, but it reflects back to us that enthusiasm is something that we culturally want to restrain or keep in check. People who display excessive enthusiasm are deemed  'crazy.' There are few things that evoke this emotion in me, which is a bit sad. I have been inbred with more than enough skepticism, cynicism and evil forebodings. Can others tell when we're enthusiastic? or do we hold back those feelings in case something goes wrong? If enthusiasm is the secret to success, our thoughts and expressions need to be retrained to embrace this very valuable emotion.    I was reading the book of Haggai about the remnant of exiled Israel's God-ordained project to rebuild the Temple. Haggai describes that for an extended period of time, Israel had allowed God's place of habitation to be neglected while they built and attended to their own houses. There were some who remembered the Temple in its former glory. For them, the decay of this glorious edifice represented Israel's departure from prioritizing the LORD in worship and brought feelings of dismay and grief.  They had reaped consequences for abandoning the LORD: disconnection, loss, and a lack of fruitfulness. God, who is a jealous God, had allowed them to receive the negative result of their idolatry. The small remnant of Israel who were left heard the LORD's voice, repented from their wickedness, and were ready to rebuild the Temple. They were promised that God would be with them, that He would fight for them, and that He would use other nations to amply supply what they needed. As I read Haggai 1, a single verse stood out:   14 So the Lord sparked the enthusiasm of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the enthusiasm of Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the enthusiasm of the whole remnant of God's people. They began to work on the house of their God, the Lord of Heaven's Armies...(NLT)    Spark means to ignite a sense of liveliness or excitement. It was God who provided their eagerness and passion for this challenging work despite the imminent opposition. The Greek word enthousiasmos actually means possessed by God, but after a lengthy time of loss and uncertainty, sometimes it's hard for us to regain enthusiasm. There's good news. God can and will set an unquenchable fire within us that enables us to effectively do His will!

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