WEDNESDAY'S WORD - FRIEND - Sadell Bradley - 11/20/2024

WEDNESDAY'S WORD FRIEND 11/20/2024 “True friendship multiplies the good in life and destroys its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island...to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep them is a blessing." —Baltasar Gracian - Spanish Philosopher  Former President Thomas Jefferson said, "I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as a cause for withdrawing from a friend." Jefferson was a controversial figure; I wonder if this statement was as true for his companions. Today these divisive subjects, along with money, racism, sexism, sexuality, etc. are causing folks to 'cancel' and separate—not just from their friends, but from family, co-workers, and their Christian brothers and sisters. The time when we could disagree agreeably, is no longer. Proverbs 17:17 says, "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity." Do you have quality friends? They require years to develop. Australian poet John Leonard said, “It takes a long time to grow an old friend.”  In this season it can be hard to know who your real friends are. A FRIEND is defined as a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relations. The term is also used more loosely as a polite form of address or in ironic reference to an acquaintance or a stranger one comes across. Denominations like the Quakers and Methodists use the word friend as an identifier, or as a greeting. It can be off-putting to be given the salutation "friend" by an acquaintance who acts as if they know you deeply. We even call complete strangers "friends" on social media—taking the paradox even higher. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus, referenced Mosaic Law: 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your friends, hate your enemies.’ 44But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may become the children of your Father in heaven. For He makes His sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil. 46Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you? Even the tax collectors do that! 47And if you speak only to your friends, have you done anything out of the ordinary? Even the pagans do that! 48 You must be perfect—just as your Father in heaven is perfect." Matthew 5:43-48 That's a tall order. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said "Loving your enemies...Far from being the pious injunction of a utopian dreamer, this demand is an absolute necessity for the survival of our civilization. Yes, it is love that will save our world and civilization; love even for our enemies...Love is the only thing that can turn an enemy into a friend." Jesus taught His disciples in John 15:12-15, "12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14You are My friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you.." Jesus demonstrated this great love when He went to the cross to die for sinners who were at enmity with Him, so that we could enjoy eternal life. (Romans 5:8) At this tumultuous time in history, we can also reflect on the words of James when he asked: "1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4You adulterous people, a don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." We can ask ourselves if we're behaving as God's friends who do what He commands by loving others (even our enemies) enough to die for them...or if we have chosen to be an enemy of God. "A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." —Walter Winchell, American Journalist

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - RAGING - Sadell Bradley - 11/13/2024

WEDNESDAY'S WORD RAGING 11/11/2024 “There is only one secure foundation: a genuine, deep relationship with Jesus Christ, which will carry you through any and all turmoil. No matter what storms are raging all around, you'll stand firm if you stand on His love."  - Dr. Charles Stanley, American Clergy         “The Scripture is filled with examples of genuine masculinity; you could mine David's story for probably a year by itself. And we have to get the masculinity of Jesus back. Not the pale-faced altar boy, but the man who made a weapon and cleared the Temple, who boldly cast out demons, and calmed the raging sea.” -John Eldredge, American Author RAGE is violent, uncontrollable anger; or a vehement desire or passion. It's an instance of aggressive behavior or violent anger caused by a stressful or frustrating situation. Rage as it pertains to something in nature like the sea or a disease is great force or intensity, or a rapid, uncontrollable spread. People generally don't think of Jesus as someone who would exhibit rage, but in Mark 11 the Bible says: "15When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, 16and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. 17He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”18When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching.   In referencing the same incident, John 2:17 says, "His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for Your house will consume Me.” The Hebrew word qinah denotes a strong emotion of jealousy or zeal. It can refer to both positive and negative forms of jealousy. In a positive sense, it describes God's zealous protection of His people and His desire for their exclusive devotion. Jesus' frustration and rage were about the religious leaders substituting God's Worship, honor, and prayer for capitalistic enterprise and worldly gain. This is the same God who declared in the Ten Commandments: 3“You shall have no other gods before Me. 4“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Ex. 20:3-6) The idea that we as individuals, families, or corporately as the Church or a Nation...could do, say, plan, and intend things that would evoke God's wrath and rage seems lost on us. The possibility that we could be under judgment because we chose to worship individuals, idols, ourselves, power, and Mammon—the god of money...instead of exalting and reverencing the LORD Jesus Christ and living in holiness and love...may not have crossed our minds. King Solomon in Proverbs 14:34 clearly states that, "Righteousness [moral and spiritual integrity and virtuous character] exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people." The New Living Translation breaks it down for our current context by saying, "Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people." Selah.

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - CITIZENSHIP - Sadell Bradley - 11/06/2024

WEDNESDAY'S WORD CITIZENSHIP 11/06/2024 “The burden of citizenship is accepting that what is neither your fault nor your responsibility may be your problem.” -Anand Giridharadas - American Author

The right of every American to first-class citizenship is the most important issue of our time. —Jackie Robinson, American Athlete Jackie Robinson was the iconic first basemen for the Brooklyn Dodgers who broke through the color-barrier that prevented Blacks from becoming professional baseball players. African-Americans also know him as a formidable businessman and Civil Rights leader. Robinson fought for 'first-class citizenship' for us in a time when it was being denied. People of color (and women) were deemed 'second class citizens'—persons belonging to a social or political group whose rights and opportunities are inferior to those of the dominant group in a society. Jackie Robinson and many heroic others put their lives, families, and careers at risk to align themselves with citizens, both born in the USA and naturalized, who were not receiving promised human rights and respectful treatment. CITIZENSHIP is the position or status of being a citizen of a particular country. Whether this is 'status' in terms of high rank or social standing is debatable depending on how the particular country engages with the citizen—a legally recognized subject or national of a state or commonwealth, either native or naturalized. Most in America consider US citizenship to be particularly valuable. People from other nations attempt to come to this Country by various legal and illegal means in hopes of procuring this most precious identification. They engage intense study and testing on the history and values of the US before they are ceremonially sworn in as citizens. Many pursue dual citizenship to live in both their home country and the US, which they believe offers more opportunity and freedom. True Christ followers hold dual citizenship. We have a TEMPORARY earthly nation in which we live, work, play, and exercise civic duties like obeying the law, serving on juries, paying taxes, and being willing serve in the military. However our PRIMARY and ETERNAL citizenship is in the Kingdom of God and of our LORD Jesus Christ. That makes us Heavenly Citizens. When we pray the LORD's prayer, we say "Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." (Matthew 6:10) Sadly, some who claim to be Christians are in love with this world's systems, structures, mores, and values, which are run by Satan, who is called the god or the ruler of this world, even by Jesus (2 Cor. 4:4; John 12:31). The Bible clearly tells us NOT to love the world or anything in it. This world is not of the Father and it is passing away, but whoever does God's will abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17) Christ followers are to bring the virtues of Heaven here. This earth is not our home. We are strangers in exile. (Heb. 11:13) Paul told the church at Philippi about the earthly treasures, status, education and notoriety he had forsaken, calling them garbage, in order to gain Christ. (Phil. 3:10) It was his aim to forget the past (good and bad) and "press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (vs. 14). He admonished the church to: 17Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. 18For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in Heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. For Christ followers, it doesn't matter who is in the White House. It matters who is on the Throne. We will all have to answer to the LORD for what we do about our Heavenly citizenship. Are you more oriented toward Heaven or earth?

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - RUMINATE - Sadell Bradley- 10/30/2024

WEDNESDAY'S WORD RUMINATE 10/30/2024 “We ruminate on suffering, regret, and sorrow. We chew on them, swallow them, bring them back up, and eat them again and again. If we’re feeding our suffering while we’re walking, working, eating, or talking, we are making ourselves victims of the ghosts of the past, of the future, or our worries in the present. We’re not living our lives.” -Thich Nhat Hanh - Vietnamese Monk   RUMINATION is the act or process of regurgitating and chewing again previously swallowed food. Think about a cow chewing its cud. Cud is partly digested food returned from the first stomach to the mouth for further chewing. Scientists say that dairy cows spend almost 8 hours a day chewing their cuds for a total of almost 30,000 chews daily...and they told us we only had to chew our food 32 times! This enables the cows to take in large quantities at first. Then the rumination process helps them fully digest the food and take in all of its nutrients. Figuratively, rumination is obsessive thinking about an idea, situation, or choice especially when it interferes with normal mental functioning. Pessimistic rumination steals our sleep and disrupts our joy and peace. Specifically, harmful ruminating focuses one's attention on negative or distressing thoughts or feelings. When excessive or prolonged—this may lead to or exacerbate an episode of depression. (Webster's) Do you do a lot of ruminating? Some folks say, "I need to chew over that..." Synonyms are: to consider, mull over, muse about, or meditate. Psalm 1 refers to positive and repetitive rumination on the Word of God as key to a life that has stability, maturity, fruitfulness and prosperity. Perhaps you've listened to a sermon or read a book of the Bible, do you then invest time and energy chewing, contemplating, or examining that Word? The psalmist writes, 1Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. Self-help guru Napoleon Hill once said, "What you think most about is who you become." Bills. Inflation. Politics. Wars. Health Issues. If we tracked the last 72 hours of your life...who would your thoughts say you have you been? This question deserves deep reflection because we too often ruminate on our problems and concerns more than we do on the Word of God. Negative RUMINATION is essentially anxiety, brooding, and worry. Unbridled rumination can lead to hopelessness. Jesus asked His disciples in Matthew 6:27, "And who of you by worrying can add one hour to [the length of] his life?" The NKJV says, "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?" Paul admonished the church at Philippi to always rejoice! If you have joy and you lose it for some reason...JOY, again! He gave them these instructions about anxiety and rumination. 6Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 8And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. (Phil 4:6-9)

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD- INTREPID- Sadell Bradley- 10/23/24

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD INTREPID 10/23/2024 "Thanks to generations of curious, intrepid explorers of the past, we know enough, soon enough, to chart passage for ourselves far into the future." -Sylvia A. Earle - American Marine Biologist and Oceanographer   I am currently a tri-vocational pastor and doctoral student. I know, I know...Nevertheless, for just this year, I am serving part-time at two churches, and at a secular job at a non-profit called MORTAR Cincinnati. MORTAR was founded in 2014, and also has locations in other states. We primarily support entrepreneurs of color from disenfranchised neighborhoods— offering these daring souls a tightly-knit community, small business education, access to capital and resources, and the connections they need to test out their ideas in real time. Entrepreneurship is not an easy task. Armed with an idea, these dauntless folks defy societal norms to pursue their dreams. The U.S. Small Business Association says only 9.29% of the population can be considered entrepreneurs. That means over 91% of us enjoy the 'safety and security' of working 40 hours for someone else, while just under 10% have chosen the risk and freedom of working sometimes 80 or more hours for themselves. One word that describes these outliers is INTREPID, which means fearless; or adventurous. It derives from the Latin intrepidus which means not alarmed. Webster's Dictionary defines intrepid as bold and brave; characterized by resolute fearlessness, fortitude, and endurance. Entrepreneurs are examples of living by faith. The same INTREPID spirit is found in church planters like us and missionaries. We follow the call of God to start ministries in new places and challenging seasons with a vision to tell the world that Jesus Christ is LORD and King. Our friends Joe and LouAnn Luken left the U.S. to follow a dream they'd had since their 20's. They decided to raise their own financial support each year to minister to human trafficking victims in Thailand in their 60's. The Lukens moved their entire life, and learned Thailand's language and customs to love hurting people in Jesus' name. Paul wrote, "I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation, but as it is written: “To whom He was not announced, they shall see; And those who have not heard shall understand.” (Rom 15:20-21) We underestimate the courage it took to start the New Testament Church, and the boldness, faith, and perseverance it takes to obey the LORD's voice even today. In many places across the world, to identify yourself as a Christ-follower brings persecution, imprisonment, or even death. This is the climate early Believers in Jesus faced when Paul told his protege Timothy, 3I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, 4greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, 5when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. 6Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. Paul's admonitions to Timothy prepared him to be a dauntless and daring leader in the face of trying times. King Solomon wrote, "If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small." (Proverbs 24:10) Paul advised Timothy not to give up, cave in, or quit, but to endure in the face of tribulation. He assured his mentee: 7For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 8Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began... (2 Tim. 1:3-9) Have you lost or retained your sense of adventure in life? Would you call yourself fearless or fearful? Are you intrepid—willing to risk it all to proclaim and follow Jesus?