WEDNESDAY'S WORD - RESOLUTION - 12/31/14 Sadell Bradley

 At the close of one year and the beginning of the next, millions of people evaluate where they are and seek to make changes in their lives. Hopefully you've had time to express your gratefulness to God for all He's brought you through in 2014, the many blessings you've received, and the fact that you're still alive to thank Him! Gratefulness is important!

A RESOLUTION is a firm decision to do or not do something.  According to Forbes Magazine, 40% of Americans make New Year's resolutions, but only 8% of them keep them. They desire to make changes in vices, sins, bad habits, economic woes, and relationships, but 'resolution' means the quality of being determined or resolute; and the action of solving a problem, dispute, or contentious matter.  It's from the Latin resolvere - to loosen, or release; to resolve.

What does it take to be firm, resolute, and determined? How do we make decisions, solve problems and bring conflicts to and end? Much of our growth is a matter of an inward work that manifests in outward action. Perhaps we fail because we're unwilling to do that inward work with the Lord, addressing deeper questions like, "What am I afraid of?" "Why am I emotionally eating?" "How did I become undisciplined?" "What beliefs do I have that cause these financial woes?" "Is this relationship really meant for me at this time?" "What will it take to forgive?" We often struggle because our thoughts, feelings and spirits are unsettled.

David begged the Lord, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10) He realized that major things inside of him were going wrong and manifesting behaviors and outcomes that were not just ungodly, but not who he really wanted to be.  He also knew that on his own, he was unable to change.  He needed God's creative power to give him what he could not give himself - a new heart, spirit, right motivations and grace for proper action.

As you embark on this year with hopes and desires to make changes in your life, don't neglect that the Holy Spirit's power and the application of the Word of God is what promotes true and lasting transformation. These gifts enable us to make prudent and wise decisions, give us insight and revelation to solve problems, and grace us to release and resolve relational issues. If you're looking for any of those things, I suggest you cry out FIRST to the Lord for His help.

 May Jesus' blessings be upon you as you resolve to live like HIM in 2015! 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - THE INCARNATION- 12/24/14 -SADELL BRADLEY

Incarnate means to embody or represent a deity in human form, or to put an idea into concrete form: Latin 'made flesh.' The Incarnation in Christian Theology is the embodiment of God the Son in human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. The Apostle John states:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being...And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1: 1-3, 14)

The WORD or Greek logos, means a word as embodying an idea, or the expression of a thought.  Jesus Christ re-presents or embodies the idea of the Divine. "This is what God is like." Paul explains to the Colossians, "For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body."(Col. 2:9 NLT)  Luke confirms that Jesus Christ was no ordinary baby in his account in the gospels:

"Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means 'God is with us.'"( Matthew 1:23)

Isaiah prophesied that this sign would not just be the miracle of a baby being born to a virgin, but that GOD'S OWN SON would be sent by His Father in human form to rule and establish a reign of peace!  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isa. 9:2

John said Jesus Christ would show mankind the greatest love that ever existed. He would live a perfect life, minister to the broken, die as the ultimate sacrifice for all of our sin once and for all, and rise from the dead to give us hope for eternal life. He would not condemn us, but use His life as a ransom to save us!  (John 3:16-17) 

We are great at imagining the baby Jesus, and good with Christ on the cross.  But do we really believe GOD Himself is with us?  How would our lives change if we did? What if we believed He was not only WITH us, but IN us? (John 14:17) What if we are here to live out the incarnation as sons and daughters of God? to represent the idea of what God is like to the world!

A wonderful discussion to have with your family this holiday season! We pray that You will experience Him as IMMANUEL in your life today and always! 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - CATALYST - 12/17/14

In chemistry a catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change.  Figuratively, it is a person or thing that precipitates an event: (E.G. the governor's speech acted as a catalyst for debate.) To catalyze means to cause or accelerate (a reaction) by acting as a catalyst, or to cause an action or process to begin.

At Sunday's Black Lives Matter celebration at New Life Covenant, we discussed the times and seasons of God. (Ecc. 3) Certainly the recent slayings of Eric Garner, Tamar Rice, and Michael Brown were the not the first or only incidents that have resulted in the death of an African-American male. Yet these incidents catalyzed a national and worldwide multi-ethnic, multi-class movement of protests, die-ins, media, and hopefully legislation to curb police brutality.  When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus in the Jim Crow South, she was not the first young woman to do so. Her treatment on that particular day sparked the Montgomery bus boycott, which eventually led to the Civil Rights Movement. We are a better Country and people as a result of her bravery as a change-agent.

There are several ways the Bible refers to time, but here are two: 

CHRONOS - or chronological - time viewed in sequence, a succession of moments.  Time in duration in the physical space world - quantitative. (E.G. The time came for Elisabeth to bear her son Luke 1:57); and KAIROS - the fitting season,  time as opportunity to be taken advantage of - qualitative. It is when things come to a head, the right moment. Jesus said 'His time' was near, speaking of His destined work on the cross for our sins. (Matt 26:18)

Daniel worshiped and praised the God of wisdom and might who changes the times and seasons. He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to men of understanding. (Daniel 2:20-21 paraphrase)  1 Chronicles 12:32 describes the sons of the tribe of Issachar who understood the times and seasons and therefore knew what Israel should do...at the opportune time.  Oh, for us to have the wisdom to see, understand and act when Kairos moments present themselves.  Christ followers expect and anticipate seasons changing,  favorable opportunities, and Divine intervention in difficult situations.  Hallelujah!

With God, things can change in a moment.  We get stuck in chronos -thinking about how long it's been, but we're in league with the greatest catalyst the world has ever known. He inserts Himself into situations and people and they transform! Just like the chemical catalyst -  HE changes things...but HE NEVER CHANGES. (Heb. 13:8) 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - TENACITY 12/10/14

Tenacity is the quality or fact of being able to grip something firmly; being very determined, continuing to exist; persistence. Tenacious implies keeping a firm hold of something; clinging or adhering closely to it. A tenacious person does not readily relinquish a position, principle or course of action. It derives from the Latin tenere - to hold.  A notorious example of tenacity is a dog or a pit bull locking it's jaws and gripping it's subject.  Metaphorically, it is an attitude or behavior that says, "I'm holding on for life," "I won't release this thing until it's done."  

Tenacity, determination and persistence are celebrated qualities in Scripture. Jacob wrestles with the angel so hard for so long that the socket of his thigh was permanently dislocated.  The angel cries out, "Let me go for the dawn is breaking," to which Jacob replies, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." (Gen. 32: 25-26)  The Angel changes his name and states, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed." (vs, 27)

Luke 18:1-8 is Jesus' parable of the Persistent or Importunate woman. She kept coming to the unjust judge, who was apathetic about God and people, for justice in her case. With tenacity she cried out again and again pleading to be avenged against her adversary. Initially he refused, but because she kept bothering him, he thought, "I'll see that she gets justice, so she won't eventually come and attack me." Jesus' intention in telling this parable was to show US that we should always pray and not faint or give up - specifically in our cries for justice.  

And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?  I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Jesus equates faith with prayerful persistence and tenacious action.  He wonders out loud, if He will find anyone on the earth whose jaws are so locked that they will not give up until they see justice for His chosen ones.  The season that we are in requires this kind of tenacity.  Isaiah said the consequences of our sin and rebellion against the Lord affect our ability to administer and receive justice, "So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter." (Isaiah 59:12-13)

Christ followers are not unfamiliar with unjust trials. Our Savior Jesus, suffered an unjust trial: betrayal and abandonment by His closest companions, clandestine arrests and tribunals by night, falsifying of testimonies, fear of His rising influence authority and power, collusion and back door dealings from parties that were opposed but came in cahoots. He endured mocking, scourging, flogging, and questions surrounding His identity and purpose.  (Luke 22-23; Mark 14-15)  Through most of this...He answered not a word.  Isaiah said He was led like a lamb to the slaughter (Isaiah 53) only affirming that 'It is as you said," when asked if He was the Messiah.  Pilate didn't want to convict Him, his wife had warned him not to.  Through the deception, spin and propaganda of the religious leaders the people were put into a frenzy - persuaded to crucify an innocent man and let a known murderer and insurrectionist, Barabbas, go free.

If this type of injustice and corruption occurred in Scripture with our Lord, it is not implausible for it to happen today. Though there are many just and righteous proceedings... unscrupulous men and women still exist. Prosecutors and defense attorneys are paid to skew 'facts' to  determine outcomes. We are constantly being spun by politicians and media. We REALLY are not privy to ALL of the truth.  All the more reason whether looking nationally at a case like Eric Garner's, or locally at a case like Judge Tracie Hunter's (btw...the most tenacious person I've ever known): to cry out to the LORD and plead with the powers that be, day and night for justice!  but when Jesus comes, will He find that kind of faith in us?



  

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - COUNTERFEIT - SADELL BRADLEY 12/3/14

Counterfeit - to make in exact imitation of something valuable or important with the intention to deceive or defraud; to pretended to feel or possess an emotion or quality; sham; a fraudulent imitation of something else; a forgery. From Old French contrefait - to make in opposition. Counterfeit products are fake replicas of a real product.  They are cheaper, less quality imitations that may even include toxic elements.

Abram and Sarai received a PROMISE from God that they would bear children in their old age. Up to that time, they had borne no children and had no heir. Abram had intended to use his servant Eliezer as a substitute heir, but God said NO, a son from your own flesh and blood will be your heir.  Abram believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:1-6)  However, many years passed and what God had promised still had not happened.  Sound familiar?

God was too slow and she wasn't getting any younger... So Sarai, Abram's wife suggests a surrogate.  'Let's start the family through my servant Hagar,' she told her husband.  He agrees to the counterfeit. An 86 year old Abram sleeps with Hagar and she conceives a son, Ishmael. (Gen. 16) This action to fraudulently imitate God's promise through human means sets in motion jealousy, mistreatment, exile and hostility for Hagar and her son Ishmael for perpetuity. (Gen. 17)  God also puts Abram and Sarai and their promise on the shelf for another 13 years, then returns and calls for Abram to "walk before me faithfully and be blameless."  He reiterates His first promise (Gen. 12:1-3) to greatly increase his offspring. Abram, now 99 years old, agrees and enters into an everlasting covenant initiated by God for generations that includes the promise, a name change to Abraham, and the promised land!  Sarai is 90 and she will have her PROMISED son Isaac, her name will change to Sarah, and Isaac will continue the legacy of covenant with God. 

I have a situation or two...or 5, where my promise from God is taking too long and I'm not getting any younger.  In my creative ingenuity, I have looked into and I almost devised a plan to help God along to fulfill HIS PROMISE with a faster and certainly easier way of handling the situation. As I reflected on the course of action I was about to take, something in my spirit didn't set right and I had to admit...I'm afraid what God said might not work out.  I, like Sarai want to see God's promise, but my faith is not where it should be. The only way I saw it happening was if I help God out a little - surely that would be ok. The set up seems good, and after all, what I'm devising is close to what He said...NO, it's really a counterfeit.  Thank you, Holy Spirit, for saving me from myself by revealing this before I engaged it further. I don't want any more shelf years!!  I will wait for the legitimate, authentic, valuable  promise I have from You!!