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weekly devotional

Strength to Love

Strength to Love 

 

“Let us be practical and ask the question, How do we love our enemies?  

First, we must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.  It is impossible even to begin the act of loving one’s enemies without the prior acceptance of the necessity, over and over again, of forgiving those who inflict evil and injury upon us. It is also necessary to realize that the forging act must always be initiated by the person who has been wronged, the victim of some great hurt, the recipient of some tortuous injustice, the absorber of some terrible act of oppression. The wrongdoer may request forgiveness. He may come to himself, and, like the prodigal son, move up some dusty road, his heart palpitating with the desire for forgiveness. But only the injured neighbor, the loving father back home, can really pour out the warm waters of forgiveness. 

 Forgiveness does not mean ignoring what has been done or putting a false label on an evil act. It means, rather, that the evil act no longer remains as a barrier to the relationship.”     

-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

A Fresh Start

“A Fresh Start”

Ezekiel 37:22-32

 

The prophet Ezekiel announced God’s judgment upon the nation of Israel in the sixth century as they lived in the clutches of captivity and exile. The pronouncements were written in approximately 571 B.C. and were directed to the Jews who lived in Babylonia. He was a younger contemporary of Jeremiah who delivered prophetic messages to the people of the covenant in Judah, while Ezekiel prophesied to those already exiled in captivity.

The prophecy begins with messages of doom and the promise of correction for God’s people in their sinful condition and rebellious ways (1:1-24:27) and continues with messages of moral judgment against nations that doubted the intention or ability of a divine intervention to save and redeem the people of the covenant. But they themselves would later learn of God’s ability to save by facing their own predicaments and learning how crucial it is to get help from the Lord (25:1-32:32).

After the fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel prophesied a message of restoration and hope for the future (33:1-48:35). Through God’s holy standards and character, the people of faith can now experience a fresh start on their spiritual journey. The past was covered by the forgiving love of God, so they now stood with wonderful possibilities for personal, national, and relational deliverance. A significant aspect of the return to the priorities of covenant life was the restoration of worship at the center of their national life and their personal faith walk. But the fulfillment of these prophecies will be ushered in through the rule of the Messiah who will offer perfect fellowship with God and one another. When we focus our attention on Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and commit ourselves to worship in spirit and truth we will experience a fresh start.

Pastor Dumas A. Harshaw, Jr.

Waiting Together

“Waiting Together”
Acts 2:1-12

We find a glowing picture of the spiritual intimacy of the New Testament church in the second chapter of the book of Acts. Living on the edge of the crucifixion and the resurrection, they were now living in concert with the instructions from the risen Christ. The command was to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father. There was no turning back for them, instead, they were moving into a new future they could hardly imagine. For the Holy Spirit was coming upon them.

It was the designated time for a historic harvest celebration. It was the day of Pentecost. It is a religious festival deeply rooted in the history of God’s dealing with the people of the covenant for their spiritual enhancement. This enhancement was different from anything that had happened before in the biblical history of God’s work of salvation. “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.”

What a marvelous unity was displayed in this gracious act of God! They were all together in one place. This served as a miraculous act. It became a place of unity, a time of reminiscing, and a season of hoping for a renewed faith walk in a divine adventure that would change the world. “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to
speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” The early church community changed, each disciple who received the Holy Spirit changed, and we can give witness that the world has changed due to this empowering exhibition of the power of God’s Spirit. May the Spirit of God move upon us today.

Pastor Dumas A. Harshaw, Jr.

The Coming King

“The Coming King”

John 12:12-19

The crowd that gathered in Jerusalem for the religious celebrations, was poised and waiting for the arrival of a true king. In anticipation of the arrival of Jesus Christ as rumored, “they took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!”

From Psalm 118:25-26, this act of adoration constituted premature praise for the Messiah and Son of God the world could not truly perceive. For his identity was yet to be fully comprehended. Prophesy was fulfilled with the acquisition of a young donkey upon which he sat to make his humble entrance. It took time and deep experiences walking in faith for the disciples to utterly understand the meaning of these happenings.

The large crowd swelled due to the news of the latest miracle performed by Jesus, that of raising his friend Lazarus from the dead. “Many people because they had heard that he had performed this sign went out to meet him.”

The religious power brokers of the day, the Pharisees, who had consistently attempted to derail the ministry and popularity of Christ, had to admit their carnal strategies failed to prevent the entry of the Savior into Jerusalem, the citadel of faith, and into the hearts of spiritually hungry people. “So, the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him.”

Thank God no human effort can prevent the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into the lives of those who seek him.

Pastor Dumas A. Harshaw, Jr.

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It is Impossible

“It Is Impossible”

Hebrews 10:4-10

 

The direct declaration of verse four in the Hebrews text dispenses with any thought about religious activity significantly addressing the issue and problem of sin. No religious traditions or rituals can solve human brokenness. No number of ritualistic observances can bring about the reality of closeness with God. No religious investment can provide spiritual transformation. “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

It is quite clear that the writer of the book of Hebrews is convinced that the incarnation is the divine initiative to address the depth of human distance from God. It was not a religion founded, not an organization with spiritual symbols, but the embodiment of God’s love, Jesus Christ. “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.”

God’s love created the solution to the problem of sin. It was God’s will and intention to offer salvation to the entire human race through the reality of the cross of Christ. Therefore, while the religious efforts have failed

to redeem the spirit of people, the establishment of the most effective solution has been accomplished by sacrificial love. “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ.”

 

Pastor Dumas A. Harshaw, Jr.

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Let Them Be

“Let Them Be”

Matthew 13:24-30

The thirteenth chapter of Matthew’s gospel is filled with powerful parables that highlight lasting principles which inform and guide our faith walk with God. The ‘Parable of the Weeds’ is no exception. It is a kingdom message about ministry, alertness, adversarial realities, spiritual wisdom, and divine intervention.

In this parable, the principles of the kingdom of God are contrasted with the principles of the world. We learn that being a citizen in God’s kingdom, authority and rule set a person apart from the confusing messages that are peddled by an oppositional world. The kingdom is about the work of sharing God’s love through the practice of mission and acts of kindness.

These aspects of servanthood require remaining awake and applying spiritual discernment with all we do for the Lord, which shows us what is right and what is wrong in our behavior and determines how we treat the people around us. This includes our knowledge that while good is being done, there will be obstacles, unfair attacks, and enemy strategies to distort the good we do as ambassadors of the kingdom of God. So, we are to remain alert as we let God fight our battles, with the clear understanding, that the harvest will come.

Our faith teaches us that God is watching, sees the work of the enemy, and protects the work of the kingdom. “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Pastor Dumas A. Harshaw, Jr.

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Tell Your Story

“Tell Your Story”
Psalm 107:1-2, 8,37-38

Book Five of Psalms is an accounting and sacred record of gratitude and
thanksgiving for the delivering hand of Yahweh. Set in the context of
the last division of the book, it focuses upon the readiness to praise
God for blessings and daily sustenance. Psalm 107 serves as a call to
worship for all people who believe in the existence and nearness of
God, to open their mouths and to tell their story.
God’s goodness, in this Psalm, is declared through all the cycles of life
with confidence and assurance. The journey of God’s people is not
without trouble and difficulty, and yet there is good reason to be
thankful for the divine intervention of help and hope. In the experience
of wandering, hungry, thirst, homelessness, bondage, rebellion,
foolishness, suffering, sickness, existential darkness, and the storms of
life, God’s love and redemption are manifested.
Repeatedly in the Psalm, those in trouble and those facing difficulty cry
out to the Lord and each time are met with holy joy as they experience
the deliverance of God. Those who have been lifted, comforted, fed,
healed, set free and housed do not hold back but give thanks to God,
for God is good. As they sow seeds in the fields and plant vineyards that
yield a fruitful harvest; and God blesses them.


What story will you tell?


Pastor Dumas A. Harshaw, Jr.

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Harvest Time

“Harvest Time”
Matthew 9:35-38

(NKJV) In Matthew’s gospel we find a powerful and relevant teaching for the times in which we live. In chapter 9, verses 35 to 38, Jesus informs his followers of the spiritual needs in the world and enlightens them of their duty as true disciples to be engaged and available.

We find in this passage of scripture that the Lord is moving from one town to another, one village to another, teaching in the places where people gather for worship seeking a word from the Lord. He is armed with the good news of God’s plan of salvation and the sovereignty of the kingdom of God. Jesus not only teaches, but he teaches with awesome power to bless and heal, to confront and free, to help and not harm.

In addition to teaching, the Lord of life, is proclaiming the ethics of the reign of God in the world. That is, Jesus preaches the essence of the kingdom of God, with all its influence and authority. This message comes with the capacity to heal all disease and sickness with miracle working power. Jesus brings good news indeed!

The good news of the kingdom comes with, a divine eye, the observation of the conditions people face, the burdens they bear, and the challenges they face. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed, helpless, weary and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd.”

The love of God is the driving force for entrance into the human condition in order to introduce the dynamics of the kingdom of God. And as Christ had compassion, he calls his followers, the disciples, to do the same and to work the harvest to the glory of God. “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Will you work for the Lord in the harvest field?

– Pastor Dumas A. Harshaw, Jr.

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The True Light

“The True Light”

John1:1-14

 

The prologue to the gospel of John is a fitting introduction to the drama of God’s provision for our spiritual well-being. It is a glorious exposition of the divine identity of Jesus Christ. And it speaks of the eternal nature of our Lord and the intention of God to salvage what has been created, and this means our eternal spirits. This is not a new story but is a story from the beginning of all things.

 

The central figure in John’s story is the Word, who is God, and the Word’s saving work in the world to redeem the lost destiny of the human family. It is the story of God’s love incarnate and universal for whomsoever will, this means for everyone, and of course, for you and me.

 

Wonderful attributes and benefits are given through the loving incarnation of Christ. By God’s grace we have access to life in the abundant sense and with this life comes the light that banishes all darkness, rebellion and evil. The promise is that no power in the universe can interrupt this plan of God to restore what has been created in the image of God. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

 

This story is brought to us through the agency of human affirmative response to God and a willingness to participate with God. Therefore, we have a witness, not the source of salvation, but a witness to the One who brings it. John the Baptist was sent from God, and “came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.”

 

This light of love, that results in health of spirit and provides spiritual adoption into the family of God comes with glory, grace and truth. And it is available for all of us today. Why not come to the light?

 

– Pastor Dumas A. Harshaw, Jr.

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A Spiritual, Social, Significant Event

A Spiritual, Social, Significant Event

Luke 1:46-55

The Christ event and the Christmas message continues to change lives and shape history! The spiritual component is profound, the social impact beyond imagination and the significance extraordinary. What a moving story we find recorded in Luke’s gospel which is joyfully told countless times to eager hearts seeking peace and the light of love. It’s power and attraction do not diminish. There are so many aspects of this precious gospel story that speak loudly to us today. A magnified soul is at the center of this narrative when Mary upon hearing of her divine partnership in the history of God’s plan of salvation, responds, “My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Mary, the young servant of God, from a place of humility, responds in praise and adoration. Her spirit is magnified, and her gratitude abounds. But the territory of spiritual advance was not hers only to enjoy. The divine visitation is marked for all people of faith, and all those seeking spiritual fulfillment. Everyone who is longing for renewal of spirit and searching for hope to overcome are included as part of this magnificent plan of God. The effect of the story is not relegated to the past, for its message is relevant even from generation to generation. “For the Mighty One has done great things for me, holy is his name, His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.” In addition to personal private salvation, the message of Christ’s birth and mission clearly addresses the extension of justice on the world stage. Social structures that oppress and haunt the steps of so many are exposed, confronted and brought down. Those who rule from egocentric motives and those who disregard the needs of the common populace will be scattered. The evil leaders who possess astounding power and have great influence will be brought down, so the least of these, the overlooked, the wounded, the discounted, the marginalized and the abused will be lifted up. And even the hungry of the world, those who carry the burden of food scarcity will be filled with plenty, and the covenant people of God will be helped. If this is not enough, the mercy of God will be applied to all and every circumstance. Let us praise the Lord!

– Dumas A. Harshaw, Jr.

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