Today, I want to encourage you as we consider our New Year. We are making a point of “making the most of every opportunity.”
Eph. 5:16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. NLT
With an eye on this imperative, let’s consider this text as we approach this goal. Let’s look at the text:
Eph. 5:10 ¶ Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. NLT
The Apostle Paul teaches us from his letter to the Ephesians that we should consider what pleases God as a paradigm for our life. We should search the scriptures and engage in prayer and fasting to gain clarity on what “pleases God.” The nuance in the NLT version tells that we should “carefully determine.” Make a point of understanding fully, do not leave out anything, and do not trust people, especially when they have no relationship with God.
It is possible for you to find what pleases the LORD in your life is different from your brother or sister. Whatever you see, go after it with diligence. Pleasing God takes faith. (Heb. 11:6) Pleasing God means you believe God’s word and put it into practice. Remember, faith in God and in his word is not blind faith because God has always been faithful to us, and his word has always been right. Trust God, Believe God, and do what pleases him. I want to please God, do you? Remember, your orthopraxy is informed by your orthodoxy. Meaning that what you do is informed by what you believe. You will please God because you believe there is a benefit to doing what God wants and doing it his way. Please God!
Bless you, beloved. Today is Day number four (4). For some of you, it is Day number five (as some have informed me). You are doing outstanding. Keep it up; either way, we only have one day and a wake-up to get to victory. Let’s look again at today’s text:
“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment,
because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.”
“And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”
“This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free
of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s.
There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.”
Yesterday, we spoke about living in God. Have you spent your day Living in God? Making every decision in such a way as to ask God how to handle this current situation. Treating people as your brother or sister. Being conscious of your place in the kingdom of God. According to our text, this is how “our love grows more perfect.” NLT More τελειος in the Greek.
This does not mean you will never lose it in the love category. Wouldn’t that be great? Perfect in this context means your love would be more mature and more complete, and your love would achieve more. Let’s look at that.
When you are more mature, you operate with better information. You are informed by experience when you are a mature person. Childishness is recognized by the idea that one should have known and done better in that circumstance. When an adult is childish, they operate in a way that suggests their experience should have equipped them to make better decisions. When one is mature, one avoids pitfalls. Both obvious ones and obscure ones. Maturity means making wise decisions because you know the problems associated with unwise choices. Maturity then would extend to every part of your life and yourself.
Yes, mature love means loving yourself maturely as well. The same desire to see others do well also means you love yourself enough to do well. Mature love means the same passion you have for others you have for yourself. Love yourself enough not to settle for childish things. We can do better. Do we maturely love ourselves? Is our love mature enough to make those hard decisions?
One of the young ladies in our church spoke for our women’s conference, and she said something intriguing. She said, “Often we show up for everyone else, but seldom do we show up for ourselves.” We celebrate everyone else, but seldom do we celebrate ourselves. We encourage everyone to love themselves enough to engage in the rigor of self-care, but we allow ourselves to be abused. Where is the maturity to say, “I MATTER!” This is mature love. Your love for your loved ones should also extend to you. Do you celebrate someone getting a new house? Have you thought about treating yourself to a new home? You are celebrating someone’s graduation. Have you decided where you are is not worth celebrating, and will you do something about it?
Maturity does not mean your love is mature for others and not for yourself. I want to love with perfection. I want to be a perfect, mature friend, someone my friends can count on for wise counsel. I also need to count on me. I also need to be there for myself. I need to show up for me.
As we live in God, our love grows more perfect. (1 John 4:17a NLT-SE)
“Therefore let us go on toward perfection, leaving behind the basic teaching about Christ, and not laying again the foundation: repentance from dead works and faith toward God,”
Bless you, beloved. Today is Day number three (3). For some of you, it is Day number four (as some have informed me). You are doing outstanding. Keep it up; either way, we only have two days and a wake up to get to victory. Let’s look at today’s text:
“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment,
because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.”
“And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”
“This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free
of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s.
There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.”
Today, I wanted to encourage you from the word of God, and I used the text in 1 John 4:17-18 to illustrate perfect love from John’s perspective. We have adapted the theme “Let us go on Towards Perfection” as our theme for the year. To diligently pursue perfection, we must understand it in a biblical context. Jeremiah Wright credits Cornell West with saying, “We do not define terms, so we talk all around them.” Perfect love is defined by the Apostle John in this text.
John explicates that perfect love is achieved through the process of “living in God.” In the New Living Translation, the text is rendered, “As we live in God.” This alone is a process. How does one live in God? The notion of living speaks to the ability to exist in a particular context. For a long time, I lived in Brooklyn, New York. I was born there and spent my formative years there. I do not live there now, but I have lived there for over half my life. In a very real way, Brooklyn defines me. I have travelled all over the world, literally, but all the places I have been do not define me. The places I have been may affect me, but they don’t define me. I enjoy Paris, I enjoy the people I have met there, the food I have enjoyed there, Selah. That notwithstanding, I would be a fraud to suggest that I am Parisian.
Today, I am still comfortable in Brooklyn. I recognize Brooklyn; even when things change, I still am from Brooklyn. This defines my mindset to a certain degree. It defines my tastes, and Brooklyn defines my sense of community.
Imagine what it would mean to be able to say, I am defined by my “living in God.” God defines my tastes; God defines my thoughts. I am comfortable with what God says is right. I detest what God says is not correct. I dress like I am from God. I may love my neighbor who does not know God. I can communicate with them, but they do not define me. Their tastes and politics are different because I live in and am defined by God. This is the process by which love is perfected.
I want to be perfected and live in God. Let’s look at more of this text tomorrow.
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our LORD. Today is day number two (2). You are doing very well. Remember, drink all the water you can today and have one bowl of soup after 3 PM. Let’s take a look at today’s scripture.
Matt. 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (KJV)
Matt. 5:48 ¶ “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you. (Message Bible)
If we are going to move on toward perfection, we owe it to ourselves to do it on purpose. Remember, our theme for the year of Moving on toward perfection comes to us from the text in Hebrew 6:1. Since we need at least two texts to form a doctrine, let’s look at this text in Matthew as a reference. What is God saying?
Matthew 5:48 Be ye Perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (KJV)
Again, the word in Greek for perfect is the word τελειος. Be mature, complete, an achiever, perfect as your God is perfect, complete, mature, an achiever.
In the Message Bible, it is iterated in four mandates for us.
Grow Up.
You’re Kingdom subjects- Live like it.
Live out your God-created identity.
Live generously and graciously toward others.
Then he tells us the reason why we should, because it is “the way God lives towards you.”
I will take the time to deal with each of these iterations on Sunday, so don’t miss church, but I will take the time to just say this. I need to consider how God lives towards me and remember that this Christian Life is not a joke. I need to do better, and I will.
Not just in my prayer life but in my business life. Imagine if I approached my entire life as if I wanted to honor God with my life. Are you seriously honoring God with your whole life? How did God live toward you?
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our LORD. Today, we begin our yearly Beginning of The Year Fast. Remember, drink all the water you can today and have one bowl of soup after 3 PM. Let’s take a look at today scripture.
Heb. 6:1 ¶ Therefore let us go on toward perfection, leaving behind the basic teaching about Christ, and not laying again the foundation: repentance from dead works and faith toward God, NRSV.
This is an excellent time of year. Today, January 2nd, 2024, many are making resolutions, promises to themselves, and big plans, and that is a good thing if you have a plan to follow through with them. I have been inspired by this scripture, and I intend to move on toward perfection.
With that being said, it is also customary for many to begin to look forward. What does my 2024 look like? I have decided to “Go on Toward Perfection.” This agreement between Pastor Paul and the church interests me because of how the phrase is rendered. In the Greek, it reads, ἐπὶ τὴν τελειότητα φερώμεθα. The word I need to bring to our attention is the Greek word for Perfection, which is τελειοτητα. It is a word we are very familiar with in the lexical form. It is τελειος. The word we associate with “Achievement.” In this context, we can understand the text as saying Let us go on toward achievement/perfection/maturity/completeness. They all carry real meaning in this text.
The text also makes something clear to us. In order to move toward this, we need to be willing to leave something behind. This text tells us we must leave behind the “basic teaching.” Not that the basics are unimportant, but they will not get us to achievement if we are not ready to leave the foundational things.
I am committed to leaving behind anything that will not help me get to achievement, towards perfection, towards maturity, towards completeness. 2024 will be a year of τελειος for me. How about you?
Some years ago a little girl in the sixth grade was making poor grades. She was very tired and often came to school with incomplete homework. The teacher, looked at the little girl and brought her to her desk. She took out a Hebrew necklace with symbols that meant “life”. She explained to the little girl that sometimes what we want to do and what we are up against doesn’t line up. “ I know you are really an A student”. The young lady went on to become valedictorian of her class and grew up to become a teacher never forgetting those powerful words. Today , she remembers to encourage her students in the same manner.
Never under estimate the power and effect of an encouraging word. The words that we use towards ourselves and other have a direct correlation to what we are able to accomplish in the earth. The bible says “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit” (provebs 18:21). Encouragement is the act of speaking life into a situation or person in the act of a particular task. The bible warns us to guard our tongues because of the biblical principle that has been handed to us by God. God established that man’s word would have power in the earth and that power through man’s word would be translated by God himself in the heavenly realm.
For the believer Jesus said this. “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:18-20).
So we as believers must exercise this power each day in what we say to ourselves and others.
Encourage one another and encourage your self by speaking positively about who you are and what you will produce on earth, knowing all of heaven is backing you up!
Beloved, grace and Peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ, our LORD. Today, on Monday, our new weekly fast day, Evangelist Sandra Huff has written an encouraging word and I am privileged to share it with you today. Thank you, Sandra Huff for the offering.
Luke 23:18 “And they cried out all at once saying away with this man and release onto us Barabbas.”
Accept Responsibility
At the Time Jesus was being offered up to be crucified, Pontius Pilate was a bit concerned. He knew that Jesus was innocent, and he sensed that there was something special about him. However, Pontius Pilate had already taken an oath that he would crucify a criminal today. Rather than accept the responsibility himself, Pilate puts the question to the people. He decides he would spare someone today. He asked the people should I spare Jesus or spare Barabbas, a known thief throughout the community. The people chanted with great enthusiasm, “Give us Barabbas.”
Familiarity
When you look at the situation, you realize that the people would prefer to have a thief among them rather than a savior. Why would they desire to have a known thief instead of Jesus, who was healing the sick, raising the dead, and giving words of wisdom directly from the father? The answer is they were comfortable with Barabbas.
They were familiar with the sinful life and the wicked deeds that he did. Jesus made them uncomfortable with their sin. He made them feel that they needed to make changes.
Fear of Change
Sometimes God offers us a better way, a better solution, a higher level of thinking, a higher level of existence. Still, we may choose rather than take what God has for us or keep what is comfortable and familiar. This is why some people hang onto the past, remain in volatile relationships, and continue with habits that are causing the destruction. The same people will reject the good people that God puts in their lives. They leave the great opportunities the new chances that God gives them because they are too afraid to let go of what they are used to.
Let Go
Examine yourself today. What are the Barabbas is in your life? What people and habits are you afraid to let go of? Although you know it’s not good for you and that there is something better offered to you, why do you continue to hold onto that which is causing your demise? Accept Jesus today, experience the better way, the answer, a new fresh way of thinking in Christ Jesus’s eternal life promise.
My prayer for you is that you receive Christ into your life and find the courage to let go of people and things that take you away from God’s desire for your life.
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus, our LORD. I pray this missive finds you well.
Allow me to say, I have been over whelm with school work and as a result, I have been unable to post, but I am will do my level best to keep to my regular schedule. I love our interactions and they are important to me. Please subscribe to this blog and share it. I believe it will bless you. Today’s word:
Rom. 4:19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. NRSV
Faith is not and has never been easy. When you deal with God is not unusual to find yourself dealing with the fear that you either heard God wrong or that God may let you down. We know that God can and will tell us no, but what do you do when God has given you a word or scripture that causes you to wait on God’s promise.
This is how we Abraham in this text. Paul is teaching us how faith works, causes us to examine and reexamine Abraham’s faith. God had promised to make him the “father of many nations.” The tension is that Abraham was one hundred years old and had no child. Especially daunting was that he had no child through Sarai, whom God had promised he would have a child.
What do you do when your promise does not match actuality? How do I synthesize the problem of my inability and God’s promise? Sometimes our issue is God made me a promise that was absolutely plausible when we were young, but now it’s too late.
This was the case for Abraham. He was indeed a bit old for believing his body could respond to God’s promise, but here is what the Bible says. “He did not weaken in faith when he considered his body.” Can you avoid weakening your faith when your present circumstance does not match your expected word? You may have received this word when it seemed plausible, but sometimes God makes us wait till it is impossible for us, then he does what no one else could do.
Beloved, don’t weaken your faith because of what the world calls proof of our inability, or even what we may call our failure. God’s word is more powerful than our now. What you see now is not the possibility of God’s word. We see obstacles, facts, truth, and they all add up to impossibility. None of these things limit God. The reality is you did just get fired, but God does not need your job to keep his promise. He does not need your approval to come through. Here is a word from the Prophet Isaiah to you.
Is. 14:24 ¶ The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand: KJV
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. I pray that your week has gone well. This week I would like to encourage you from the book of Ephesians again. In the sixth chapter, he begins to close the letter by pressing this group of outlaws to stand their ground. Allow me to contextualize that statement. We understand that the Christian testament was written to Christian believers while Christianity as a faith was illegal. This growing church was unlawful. The exciting thing is he was encouraging the church to stand. As an illegal church, they were absolutely going to face challenges. They were going to face a society that will devise schemes and plans to secure their ruin, and in this, God has sent the Apostle Paul to encourage you. Let’s look at the text:
Eph. 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. NRSV
Your armor is essential. Your armor says and speaks volumes about you and what you are expecting. A simple correlation: a football player wears a particular armor. The football player wears the armor that announces what his/her intentions are. Let’s examine it.
When I wear football armor and uniform, my intention is being broadcasted. I understand that, first of all, I don’t put on this armor to sit in the bleachers and watch the game. If I were to walk into the bleachers to watch the game and not play, why would I need to put on armor? I put on armor to get on the field. If I put on armor, I intend to get on the field. I know that I am going on to the field, which means that there are people who have plans to hit me. They plan to tackle me. They plan to knock me down. This is why I have on the armor. The armor is not put on, so I can determine I will not be hit. It does not mean I should try to be hit because even with the armor, it is possible to I can be hurt.
As a Christian, I plan to get on this field called life. I did not put this armor on to stay off the field. Being a Christian means some people have designs to hit me and cause me harm. With this armor, I will continue to move forward. Continue to fight, continue to stand, and I stand ready to fight.
You are well equipped to achieve your purpose. You are well able to succeed. Before you go on to the field, put on the full armor of God.
I pray this blog was an encouragement to you. Plan now to bring someone to church with you this week, even virtually. This is part of what we are called to do. This, too, is wisdom. If you are not a member of a church, you need a place to run to as if every step matters. Be a part of In His Presence Family Worship Center at 1673 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY, every Sunday at 8 AM and every Wednesday at 7:30 PM. Some of the best people in the world are there, and we would love to have you as our guest. During the pandemic, join us for our weekly services at http://ihpfwc.org/livestreaming-and-video.html.
If you would like to sow into this word, please obey what God is saying and give. Go to this link, http://ihpfwc.org/online-giving.html. You can give by downloading our ‘Givelify’ app and going to In His Presence Worship Center. This gives you a one-step option. Also, you can give using Zelle @ pastor@ihpfwc.org. Honor the LORD with your substance. Proverbs 3:9
Also, new this year, download the IHP app. Go to where you obtain your apps, Google Play for Androids or the App Store for iPhones, and look for In His Presence FWC. Download the app and stay connected.
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus, our LORD. I pray this missive finds you well. Today the 18th of January, 2021, we are at the precipice of history. We have the first woman, first Cushite American, first South Asian American, being inaugurated as Vice-President. While historical, we should make a point to be wise, as the scriptures demands. Meaning, we should not sit on the sideline and trust that everything will be what we hope. Even the Vice-President-elect would say we need to hold all our politicians accountable. We need to live as wise people. We need to behave as wise people. This would mean to me; we should know what the scriptures say about wisdom. Let’s look at one of the scriptures guiding us in our pursuit this year:
Eph. 5:15 ¶ So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. NLT
Jesus was seen as wise.
Mark 6:2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? NIV
Jesus tells his disciples that when they are persecuted for their belief, that he will give them wisdom and not one will be able to withstand them.
Luke 21:15 for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. NRSV
Wisdom is yours for the asking:
James 1:5 If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.
James continues to encourage us about our lives:
James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. James 3:14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. James 3:15 Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. James 3:16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. NRSV
More scriptures about the value of wisdom. NRSV
Prov. 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Prov. 16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. Prov. 16:17 The highway of the upright avoids evil; those who guard their way preserve their lives. Prov. 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Prov. 16:19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit among the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. Prov. 16:20 Those who are attentive to a matter will prosper, and happy are those who trust in the LORD. Prov. 16:21 The wise of heart is called perceptive, and pleasant speech increases persuasiveness. Prov. 16:22 Wisdom is a fountain of life to one who has it, but folly is the punishment of fools. Prov. 16:23 The mind of the wise makes their speech judicious, and adds persuasiveness to their lips.
Prov. 4:7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever else you get, get insight. Prov. 4:8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her.
Prov. 2:2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; Prov. 2:3 if you indeed cry out for insight, and raise your voice for understanding; Prov. 2:4 if you seek it like silver, and search for it as for hidden treasures— Prov. 2:5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. Prov. 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
Prov. 3:35 The wise will inherit honor, but stubborn fools, disgrace.
Prov. 15:7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the minds of fools.
Prov. 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools suffers harm.
Today, I want to encourage you as we consider our New Year. We are making a point of “making the most of every opportunity.”
Pastor Leo Colon's Blog 