Obedience is the only response

Friends,

The commandments of God are clear and unambiguous. Man is forever seeking a way to negotiate them, interpret them, and weaken them. But they are the word of God, and they shall stand forever. When faced with this unrelenting fact, the only logical response to obey:

Exodus 19:7-8
So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the LORD commanded him. Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD. [NKJV]

The Israelite people were no different than you and I. They were rebellious, argumentative and inconsistent. And yet, when confronted with the obvious truth of God's power and authority, they humbled themselves and declared their intent to obey.

Everyday, brothers and sisters, we are faced with the truth of Almighty God's power and just authority. Rebellion does not change that. Arguments, negotiations and interpretations do not change that. There is but one response.

Let us humble ourselves and obey the LORD.

Be encouraged, Jose

Most? or Faithful

Friends,

Let's face it ... humble-ness is not man's greatest strength. The world idolizes those who excel at bringing attention to themselves. Too many are famous simply because they are famous.

Proverbs 20:6 [NKJV]
Most men will proclaim each his own goodness,
But who can find a faithful man?

It is easy to find someone who makes sure that all have heard about his most useful qualities. Go to the house of government. Turn on the television. You will see them everywhere.
You may have even seen one in the mirror this morning.

But seek a faithful man, and you will search long and hard before encountering one. Indeed, there is but One who is truly faithful. We are most wise when we put our faith in Him.

Be encouraged, Jose

There is danger in the building

Friends,

There are congregations all over the world in which the one at the top has amassed for himself great power and prestige. They expect to treated with great pomp and deference; and often their congregations all too willingly do so. They flatter godly men and women with offers of privilege, tempting them to set aside an effective ministry in favor of being treated like a big shot.

"Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, 'We are delivered to do all these abominations'? Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it," says the LORD.
Jeremiah 7:8-11 [NKJV]

These three verses pack a real punch, brothers and sisters. The LORD is calling us out for trusting in the flattery of those that have elevated themselves to powerful positions in the church. He rebukes all who allow that flattery to lead them to sin in any number of ways. And then, He declares His utter disgust of coming before Him to say, "We did all for You!".

To those who use the covering of "church" to do these things, the LORD declares that they have made His house a den of thieves... a hiding place for those who steal time, joy, and righteousness from those who are seeking the Lord.

Today is the day to repent of this. Examine the words and actions of those in leadership. Demand that they reflect the humility and courage of Jesus.

Be encouraged, Jose

Leaving it behind

Friends,

Over the past several years, people have been forced to reconsider the emphasis they place on material comforts and possessions. They see friends and countrymen survive the loss of jobs and homes. They may have lied awake at night, contemplating how they would deal with such circumstances, should they arise.

It is at times such as those that a man is forced to come to terms with his dependence on the stuff he has accumulated. Has he formed a bond with those things? Has he placed his trust on his job, his title, his accomplishments, his prestige, or his credentials? Has he become so reliant upon them that he might be unwilling to give them up should the Lord call upon him to do so?

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!”
Mark 10:23, NKJV

The word riches can be interpreted to mean many things. Of course, we recognize that it means wealth and possessions. But it can also mean the gifts that the Lord has lent us for this time on earth.

Would you give up a ministry if God called you to lay it down? Will you leave the church band to focus on your preaching, even though you are a fine musician? Will you forgo the mission fields of a far-off land so that He can speak through you at a local shelter? Will you stop leading a Bible study, even if you don't have any idea why He commands it?

These, too, are riches, dear brothers and sisters. And we must be willing to lay them down ... along with everything else ... to walk the narrow way that leads to deeper intimacy with Christ.

Be encouraged, Jose

Wisdom's Proof

Friends,

Do you remember the famous line from Forrest Gump ... "Stupid is as stupid does." Have you ever encountered folks who simply cannot restrain themselves from telling you how smart and enlightened they are? Let's face it. If your actions do not demonstrate your brilliance, then your boasting will only betray your ignorance.

James 3:13
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. [NKJV]

Of course, many modern men confuse meekness with weakness, and they therefore miss the blessings that flow from steadfast obedience to God's instruction.

But you and I do not need to be counted among them. We can let our words be few and our actions be bold. We can demonstrate our courage and our wisdom and our cunning merely by obeying the incomparable and infinite wisdom of Almighty God.

Be encouraged, Jose

The setup

Friends,

When I was a boy, my mother used to remind me that the best way to keep something from falling was to place it on the ground. It is the same principle that protects toddlers from injury when they stumble and fall. They simply don't have that far to go.

We know that the opposite is true, as well. Old adages like, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall," come to mind. And of course, all of this wisdom has its source in the Words of the One True Wise God ...

Proverbs 16:18 [NKJV]
Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall.

Pride is what puffs us up, seeking to make us bigger than we are. Humility keeps us grounded in the truth.

When the truth reveals the emptiness of pride, the aftermath can be devastating. For evidence, look no further than humiliation suffered by the wives and children of adulterous celebrities. On the other hand, humility has nothing to fear from the truth.

Pride takes many subtle and not-so-subtle forms. It is certainly bravado and arrogance. And it is demanding and stubborn. But pride also keeps score. Pride is envious.

The true believer has no time for pride. Seek the LORD and beseech Him to reveal every instance of pride in your life. A life of humility is a life of peace and contentment. Seek it, by seeking Christ.

Be encouraged, Jose

Humble yourself

So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of God grew and multiplied.
Acts 12:21-24 (NKJV)

The Lord will not share His glory with no one, not even a mere mortal being. All glory must and will always belong to Jehovah God. As custodians of Heaven's resources, we must never take ownership and forget who the real source of the resources are. King Herod crossed the line, he missed it to his own peril. When men even make mini god out of you and your resources, it is a fast forward route to damnation and destruction.

I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.
Isaiah 42:8 (NKJV)

The proud and haughty will not stand before the living God. Every person, people and nation that will not honor God must be ready to face the portion of the proud. Therefore humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Avert their eyes

Friends,

Our Lord performs miracles through you and me everyday. Sometimes, we recognize them, sometimes not. Sometimes, others recognize those miracles, too. And on those occasions, we might be tempted to downplay the importance of what has happened. By doing so, we are subtly taking credit for that miracle. We would do better to follow the example of our brother Peter ...

Acts 3:11-13
Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people:
"Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go." [NKJV]

Peter, filled with the power and insight of God, did not shy away from the attention of the people, nor did he dismiss the healing of lame man with an, "Aw shucks, it was nothing, man." He was humble, but not falsely so. He was blunt, direct, and absolutely truthful. By his words, Peter redirected every eye that was upon Him upward, to the Almighty God who healed that unnamed man.

Brothers and sisters, you and I are walking, talking, living miracles. Because Christ has chosen to live in us, we will be His instruments for remarkable things... even if some of them may even seem rather ordinary. But to those who would give us credit, we must respond as Peter did. Tell your would-be admirers about the true source of the miracle.

Be encouraged, Jose

Pastoral humility

Friends,

Because of our celebrity-driven culture, we are witnessing the emergence of what I call the "supreme pastor." This is a person who has attained an official leadership in a congregation and who has - for one or more of a multitude of reasons - come to expect highly deferential treatment. This could include a reserved parking space out front, a demand to be addressed using a title, or extravagant perq's. In the most horrendous of cases, such men (and sometimes women) will use their position to gain sexual favors from individuals in their congregation.

From the most innocuous of these to the most horrific, these leaders are ignoring the directive that Paul laid out from the Lord:

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another
Romans 12:10 [NKJV] - emphasis added

The Lord demands that we show appropriate respect to the authority He has ordained for each of us. Such authority, however, must be exercised in all humility and meekness. To do otherwise will humiliate and deeply wound any congregation.

But when a leader walks with the Lord, humbly, and with a deep passion to serve (not to be served), the people will be richly blessed.

Be encouraged, Jose

He is the Lord

Friends,

Jesus said ...

... that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
-- John 5:23 [NKJV]

We find this passage in the context of Christ's assertion of authority over the traditions and burdensome rituals of man. And at this point, the religious elite are looking for any and every excuse to rid themselves of the Messiah.

And that, dear friends, is the danger that all men flirt with.

The carnal man desperately wants to avoid the reality of Jesus. So the carnal man studies the "historical Jesus" to bring Him down to our level. And the carnal man equates Jesus ... who declared that He is the Way, the Truth and the Light ... with all the other ways to salvation that man has invented. And on and on it goes. But to do these things is to dishonor Christ Jesus. And to dishonor Christ is to dishonor the Father.

Sisters and brothers, beware of any teaching or preaching that portrays our Lord as anything besides who He is ... The One True God. Remember that though He privileges us by calling us friend, He is our Lord, our Savior and our Master.

Be encouraged, Jose

The obedience of humility

Friends,

Mankind is constantly in an intense struggle with submission and humility. It doesn't matter what his background is, or what her personality is like. The struggle is universal. And so is God's answer ...

1 Peter 5:6-7 [NKJV]
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Have you bowed low before the Lord?
Have you truly acknowledged His might and authority?

No man, save for Jesus, has adequately conquered this foe. But by the grace of Christ, we can day-by-day come closer to the standard our Savior has set for us. It is a mark of true obedience. And therefore, it is the mark of true love.

Be encouraged, Jose

Know the path of those who walked before

Friends,

Certainly we know that man has changed very little across human history. We are still tempted by the same desires. We are still committing the same atrocities. We are still falling into the same old snares and stumbles as we did hundreds and thousands of years ago. Along those same lines, Paul instructs the believers in Corinth to study what happened to our ancestors as they navigated through the wilderness from Egypt to the Promised Land. He admonishes them, and us, to understand that what they did lead them to incur God's wrath. Their stories were recorded so that we would learn from them and not follow their unholy examples:

1 Corinthians 10:9-11
nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. [NKJV]

Sisters and brothers, it is time for us to ask ourselves the tough questions: Are we tempting Christ? Are we complaining about what God has chosen for our lives? Have we failed to learn from what our forefathers experienced?

We have their stories to learn from. Let us do just that ... learn from them. By doing so, we open our hearts to experience the mercy and blessing of our Father, the Great and Almighty God of Heaven and earth.

Be encouraged, Jose

Ready for Peace

Friends,

Jesus traveled to Jerusalem knowing what lay in store for Him there. Even His grand entrance to the city was ordained, down to the last detail, by Almighty God for us to understand the full meaning of Christ's work.

Matthew 21:7
They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.
[NKJV]

There are two ways that a king enters a city. He either enters mounted upon a horse, or he enters mounted upon a donkey. If he enters riding a horse, he enters to conquer. He is at war and expects to find his enemies awaiting his arrival. When a king enters riding a donkey, however, he expects to find his allies. He is not at war, but is at peace. He enters not to defeat his enemies, but to join together with his friends.

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
[NKJV]

Even though we lived our entire lives as an enemy of Christ, He enters our heart as a friend. It makes our salvation all the more remarkable doesn't it? It makes Christ's work of grace all the more amazing. That the Lord of all Heaven and Earth would call you and me His friend.

Be encouraged, Jose

Time and the way of humility

Everything Has Its Time To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV)

To everything in life, there is a season, a season which will not tarry or delay at its appointed time. The world today witnessed a smooth handover of power here in the United States of America. The event evokes different stories and meanings to different people, yet it reveals the trappings of a divine setup and execution. The son of an African immigrant rising up to lead the most powerful nation on the planet and ability to dine with kings and rulers. A Joseph-like story and a David-like episode which showcases the workings of God lifting sons and daughters from obscurity to prominence for the glory of God. Every human being is a container of possibilities - because they are an image of Jehovah God. He the Lord created both men and women and declared it was good. Every human being is God's creation and destined for a purpose. Every creation of God must be humble, driven by agape, God's true love. Loving our fellow human being as ourselves, patient and Christ-like towards a hostile world, merciful and gracious like the one who paid our price free of charge.

The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way.
Psalm 25:9 (NKJV)

We must redeem the times and the way of humility, we must embrace. In this will our way and path be guided to good success and fulfillment.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi