WEDNESDAY'S WORD - COMPLEX - 04/27/19 -Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

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"I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter." - Walt Disney    The other day I watched a documentary on the life of Walt Disney. I was raised on classics like Snow White, Pinocchio, Mary Poppins and the Lion King.   Floyd Norman, Disney's first African-American animator. So Disney's stories greatly impacted my childhood. My mom took me to Disney World when I was little. It was the happiest place on earth, lol! The finished products of Disney's imagination look so natural, it seems they would be easy to produce. When you discover the actual creative process, the business acumen, and the financial and personal risk it took for Disney to establish both the Studios and his creations-you find that the truth is much more complex. COMPLEX means consisting of many different and connected parts; not easy to analyze or understand; complicated or intricate. It's hard to believe Disney's vision for 'The Disney Florida Project,' (Epocot and Disney World) was in his mind in the '50's, or that his chain smoking caused his death at 65.        Our God is LORD of both the simple and the complex. When people say that the LORD isn't into complexities, I remind them of His instructions to Noah, Moses, David and Solomon for the construction of the Ark, the Tabernacle and the Temple. (Gen. 6; Ex. 25-31;1 Chron. 28-2 Chron. 5) God can allow us to discover something in the simple flow of faith or He can tell us in intricate detail what, who, when, where, how, and sometimes even why He wants something...and we still won't comprehend fully all that He's doing. Paul exclaimed, " Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!" (Romans 11:33) So glad the Holy Spirit reveals His mind!     On the flip side, our lives are often too complex. Solomon said, "God made man simple; man's complex problems are of his own devising." (Eccl. 7:30, JB) I crave a life of simplicity! When life is as complex as the picture to your left, you can get a COMPLEX - a disproportionate level of concern or anxiety. This is not from the LORD. Distractions turn our focus to many other things outside of Christ, and all that activity can become an idol. It's my desire to rid myself of this type of complexity, so that I can be open to receive God's complex and creative ideas.

 

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - REMEMBER - 03/20/19 Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

   

"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." - Henry Ford 

 

Our Church's Anniversary was Sunday. So I showed our congregation a series of slide shows of many things God has done through us over the years. In the midst of trials, we can forget how good God has been despite our faults and failings. Tears began to well up in our eyes after seeing hundreds of photos of all kinds of ministry to the young and old, the rich and poor, and people of every ethnicity. We fed the hungry, clothed the naked and equipped ministers of all kinds. We saw salvations, baptisms and re-commitments. We watched our children grow before our eyes and celebrated giving gifts and service to the community. We are SO blessed! After recalling these things, our worship was palpable. We gave God all the glory, honor and praise! and looked forward to our next chapter with anticipation. An atmosphere of gratefulness, joy, peace and even relief entered. "By remembering all these good things, we can see that our lives have counted for something." Our awesome photographer, Anthony Tribble, powerfully tells our story through his lens. The Levites in Scripture were called to record what God had done, to thank and to praise Him.(1 Chron. 16:4) REMEMBERING God's goodness is like a fuel that keeps us full of joy and strong.    

 

One of our greatest problems is that we forget the things we should remember, and remember the things we should forget. This causes many to be stunted in emotional and spiritual immaturity. I love the visual above because it reminds me that I can fill my mind with any type of memories I choose. To REMEMBER means to be able to bring to one's mind an awareness of something one has seen, known, or experienced in the past. Which things do you want to remember? What would you prefer to forget? David asked God not to remember the sins of his youth, but to remember him according to His love. (Psalm 25:7) We also have the capability to remember love and forget trespasses and sins for the best possible relational outcomes. Throughout Scripture, people prayed for the LORD to forgive and forget their transgressions. In Hebrews 10 God promised, "their sins and iniquities I will remember no more."  (vs.17) Amazing how God doesn't remember our sins or the sins of others...but we can't forget them.  

Sometimes the LORD wants us to forget former things. He doesn't want us to dwell on the past because He wants to do something new. (Isaiah 43:18; Phil 3:13-14) At other times, He wants us to put a marker on a good thing. "Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me." (Isaiah 46:9) Here's a great challenge. This week, rid your mind of your own sins, and the failings of others, and fill your mind with good remembrances.   

 

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - MERRY - 03/13/19 - Sadell Bradley- New Life Covenant Cincinnati

 

"I had rather have a fool to make me merry than experience to make me sad and to travel for it too!" - William Shakespeare 

It's a shame when a great word like MERRY is relegated to use only once a year. When I googled merry, all I got was Christmas images. The word MERRY means to be cheerful and lively; characterized by festivity and rejoicing. The word cheerful denotes that one is noticeably happy and optimistic, thereby causing happiness by their very nature and appearance. In these times where anxiety, pessimism and cynicism abound, cheerfulness is a much sought after quality. The colloquialism, 'the more the merrier' implies that the more people there are, the better or more enjoyable a situation will be. To 'go on one's merry way' means to carry on with a course of action regardless of the consequences. Wouldn't it be great to be just a little more carefree? 

King Solomon said it best, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." (Prov. 17:22) Simply put, when you are cheerful and full of joy, it brings healing. When you're depressed, and heartbroken, it saps your strength.  I watched episodes of Jerry Seinfeld's show, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Not only have I laughed quite a bit at his interviews, but I was also struck by how much these merrymakers enjoy each other's company. They said when they enter rooms of strangers, they search for another comic - someone who understands the importance of jocundity. Merriment was so important that Solomon advised it more than once, "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken." (Prov. 15:13) You can tell when we're up or down; we wear it on our faces. Like some of you, I grew up in a home where anxiety and joy were opposing forces with the former as the default. So I have to resist being fretful and actually choose gladness daily.   

God promised to turn our mourning into dancing and our sorrow into joy. He gives us the oil of joy in exchange for mourning and the garment of
praise for our heaviness. (Isaiah 61:1-3) Sometimes rebounding requires our participation. Paul instructs us to "Rejoice in the LORD always, and again I say rejoice!" (Phil. 4:4) So, whenever you get down, get up and 'Joy again!' We know how to make ourselves miserable, by ruminating on the negative. Did you know that you can make yourself merry?  Merrymaking is defined as the process of enjoying yourself with others. Process is a series of action steps taken in order to achieve a particular end. When's the last time you made merry? Too often we try to handle our woes alone. Have you considered a good dose of merriment...fun, recreation, or amusement with friends or family as a restorative remedy? It'll do you good!  

   

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - JUBILEE - 03/06/19 -Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"The build-up of personal and collective debt in America and Europe should have sent warning signals to anyone familiar with the biblical institutions of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years, created specifically because of the danger of people   being trapped by debt." -Jonathan Sacks - British Clergyman  On Sunday, we sang William Murphy's "The Sound," I LOVE this song not just because it's slammin... but for it's spiritual significance. When I started as a worship leader we were taught that God was not just looking for us to sing songs, but to release a sound of the Spirit. At the release of that sound by true worshipers, we could expect to encounter God's presence in significant and tangible ways. The lyrics to "The Sound" chronicle and reinforce this idea in such Biblical accounts as: the sound of the trumpets and the shout when the walls of Jericho fell, and the sound of praise at midnight that loosed the shackles of Paul and Silas. This sound emanates from us when we are desperately crying out to God. Murphy exclaims, "It's the sound that You will use to set Your people free!" The hook declares,"It's the sound of JUBILEE, set Your people free, release my destiny-I want it all back!"        In Leviticus 25:39-41, JUBILEE was a year of emancipation and restoration celebrated every fifty years. It's based on the Hebrew yobel - or ram's-horn trumpet, with which the Jubilee year was proclaimed. One stipulation was that those who were in indentured servitude because of debt were released from that bondage and returned to their families. Sadly, the practice of bond-slavery is intact in countries where people work off what they owe.       In America, we choose to subject ourselves to the slavery of debt every day. According to Nerdwallet.com, our bondage is to the tune of $135,768 per household - a combination of mortgages, student loans, auto loans, and approximately $7k of credit card debt for each family. We are working, not just for ourselves or for God, but for our creditors every day.  Our LORD, in His providential care, knew that debt was getting the Israelites into trouble. He ensured through the Jubilee year that later generations would not have to suffer for the decisions of their predecessors. Lands that families had lost were restored and debts were forgiven. If you've ever been under a weight of debt, you know what a burden it is. If you've had a debt canceled, you've experienced that tremendous sense of release and relief. I'm sure some of us wish this practice was still in place. Spiritually, it's the kind of relief we experience when Jesus Christ cancels our sin-debt and removes the weight of our guilt once and for all...as far as the East is from the West. We pray, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. In Scripture we find that God cares about both our natural and spiritual indebtedness. That's why Jesus is our JUBILEE!

Join us! Service Sunday at 10:00 AM with the Church of the Living God 434 Forest Ave. Cincinnati OH 45229