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LOST & FOUND

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lost-and-found

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. Luke 15:20-24
The Gospels record 35 times that Jesus uses parables as a teaching aid. Literally, a parable is a story “cast alongside” a truth in order to illustrate that truth. In today’s vernacular a parable is as an inspired comparisons, or simply put an earthly story with a heavenly meaning!

Unlike like so many 21st Century preachers,  Jesus wasn’t just trying to spice up the message to keep the crowds entertained. His parables had a two-fold purpose. First, to reveal the truth to those who wanted to know it and to conceal the truth from those who were indifferent! You see, Jesus already knew that everybody who followed Him didn’t do so for the same reason. People are still people, huh?

You do know that everybody who comes into the church building doesn’t come looking to know Jesus, right? Some come just for a ‘kidz-size happy meal and a prize’! While others, like the Pharisee and the scribes, only come to pick up a few stones to throw at Jesus. Notice how they accused Jesus, “Look at Him, This man receives sinners and eats with them.” Spiritually blinded by their preconceived biases, Jesus already knew that they would dismiss His parables as irrelevant nonsense.  Yet, there were also a few sincere seekers of Truth who would eventually receive insight and reap the benefit and comfort of His Words!

Anything that you respect and honor you will pursue! Perhaps, that’s why the Pharisees could not understand why Jesus cared about ‘tax collectors and sinners’. Yall know how you go off when you can’t find your keys or the remote control. You put out an all-points-bulletin and nobody in the house can get any relief until it’s found! When you really desire something with all of your heart, mind, spirit and soul, whatever it takes to get it, is worth it all!

The text says that The Shepherd is so excited that He’s found the sheep that He throws a party to celebrate the safe return and everyone around Him is rejoicing with Him! (Ref. Luke 15:6-7)  Imagine that! I know we don’t get excited when folk get saved anymore, huh? But that’s exactly what happened back-n-da-day!

The next story is about a woman who loses a coin and refusing to give up, she searches until nightfall. Desperately she’s turning every piece of furniture upside-down, looking between the cushions on the sofa, behind the refrigerator, until she found it. You can imagine the joy and the relief she experience when she found it! (Ref. Luke 15:8-9)

This chapter ends with a the more familiar parable of the Prodigal Son! Sometimes we can get so caught up in the drama of the son’s partaayin so hard until he ended up in the pigs pen, that we miss the intensity of The Father’s Love and Compassion for his lost child. This is a picture of The Heavenly Father’s response to those who have yet to accept the glorious gift of Salvation purchased by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ! This is why God pursues sinners and why everyone of us should rejoice when a repented sinner returns to the sheepfold.

Recovering a lost sinner requires effort and patience! However, often times we develop an acute case of selective spiritual amnesia and forget what it took for us to get our testimony, huh? Do you know that most sinners have no idea that God is looking for them and even fewer believe that He loves them?  When you look at what Jesus gave up to save us, how should those of us, who call ourselves His disciples, be any less engaged in searching for the poor souls who have yet to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord! #ijs! No, it’s not always easy but  gratefully JESUS believed the reward  well worth the effort!

Shamefully, too many Believers still think that soul winning is the Pastors and Evangelist job! But that’s not what The Bible says! ‘And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation’ 2 Cor. 5:18

Jus wondering, what are you doing to bring the lost to Jesus? Are you content to enjoy the privileges of being saved? Is your heart burdened for those who are still lost? Are you willing to get up off the padded pew of do nothing and go into the field and hunt for those who are still outside of the house? (Ref. Matthew 9:37) If Jesus still associates with sinners, why don’t you? WOW! LOST & FOUND!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

BURN BABY, BURN!

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BURN BABY, BURN!

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the Knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His Divine power has given to us all things that pertain To life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue by which Have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be Partakers of the divine nature, having escaped The corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Peter 1:1-4

 

Didjakno?  Today’s scripture text is penned by The Apostle Simon Peter! You know Peter, right? He’s the same cussin’ Peter who rejected Jesus three times, cut off the soldier’s ear, stepped out of the boat on the stormy sea and walked on the water to Jesus. Well,  now Peter is a self-proclaimed bond-servant, Divinely ordained and authorized to speak on behalf of Jesus Christ! Now this really excites me! Why? Because it assures me of the unfathomable Mercies of our Loving Savior and that nothing in your past has the power to keep you from fulfilling your Destiny! Now to me that’s a good place to praise God, huh?  Hold my mule…Halleleujahhhh!

We, having no right to such loving kindness, yet have been graciously endowed with His Divine Power and given everything that we need to escape the corruption of this world and to live a holy and godly life, not in heaven, but in this present world! Didjaheardat? Unbelievable, I know; but it’s True!

God has equipped true Believers with indwelling Power of The Holy Spirit, transforming us into His Chariots of Fire in this earth!

We  love to sing Donnie McKlurkin’s song, “We fall down, but we get up, we fall down, but we get up…because a saint is just a sinner who fell down, and got up”! Don’t get me wrong, I like that song too. However, we can get a little twisted in our mindset, because of the craftiness of the devil, and without knowing it, we can actually be masking a spirit of rebellion behind the cloak of faith!

“Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound…GOD FORBID!” Romans 6:1-2

As disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, every one of us has been commissioned by God to reflect His Glory to this lost, dark and dying world. Yet, if we keep falling to the same old temptations over and over, flippantly counting on the favor of God to show up in our pit to rescue you out of the same old mess, how’s God’s Glory being manifested? #ijs

According to The Holy Ghost, True Glory is manifested when a believer demonstrates righteousness thru faithful obedience. When you make a genuine commitment to deny the ungodly appetites of your flesh, rather than to bring reproach to the Name of His Lord and Savior, not only are you relying upon God’s Power to deliver you, you’re also proving your love and gratitude for all that Jesus did to redeem you back to your Heavenly Father.

Our journey to Heaven is plagued with unexpected, trouble, chaos and tragedy, however knowing that The Promise Keeper is able to open up pathways that you know not of, make ways out of no way, open doors that have been shut and carries us triumphantly  thru every valley to the mountaintops, we’re fortified with Hope! As we experience His miraculous deliverances, it develops our confidence so much so that when our faith is challenged by difficulties, we don’t give up, we look up!

A true carrier of God’s Glory plants his faith in the Word of God’s Grace! Having done all to stand, stands therefore, steadfast, unmovable, always abounding, continuously expanding, exceeding all natural expectations, daring to taunt and frustrate the evil plans of the wicked, with holy boldness, testifying ‘Satan, I might have to Bend, but I refuse to Bow”!

NOW, YOU’RE JUS WHAT THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR! GO AHEAD…LIGHT UP THE WORLD PROCLAIMING, ‘TO GOD BE THE GLORY! KEEP THE FIYA BURNING!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

TRIAL-SIZED gODZ!

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TRIAL SIZED gODS

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. (Exodus 20:3-5)

I recognize that the sheer suggestion of idol worship tends to rattle the righteous indignation in the spirit of a true Believer! As followers of Christ, we know how despicably foul such worship is in the nostrils of The Holy God of Heaven and Earth. And for the most part, we’d never consider breaking this Commandment. After all, we don’t bow down before carved images of God nor do we display at the entrances or scatter stone replicas of God throughout our homes or businesses, right? Yet, will closer investigation of our lives reflect closely guarded idols formed in the recesses of our imaginations?

According to the scriptures  ‘O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.’ (Ref. Matthew 12:24) Hence, while man will attempt to hide the true intents, insights and purpose for being, ultimately, his lifestyle will reflect the secret things of his heart and clearly define where their loyalty lies!

Do we worship our personal ‘trial-sized’ images of God?

I see further explanation is in order! We have a tendency to make up our own images to represent who God is to us. The problem is we will never be able to fit “The All Encompassing Is-ness of GOD” into the small-minded-frail-framed-carnal-comprehension of our temporal-flesh. In other words, it’s absolutely impossible for us to fathom “Unlimited Presence, Power and Potential” within the limitations of our humanity!

While The Living God is Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient, HE can only be known through Revelation!

GOD reveals His character, His purpose and His plan for each of as we traverse through our individual life experiences. It’s the knowledge gained through following The Good Shepherd’s lead, cautiously climbing cloud-covered mountaintops and timidly trembling through the death-valleys of our everyday lives that we learn the rewards of faithful trust, patient obedience and the security of resting in The Eternal Hope! 

Today’s takeaway?

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his… 2 Timothy 2:19

Therefore, Beloved, as you continue to set the Lord  before you, you shall walk in HIS Everlasting JOY! 

AMERICA, WHO IS YOUR GOD?

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

WHAT DID HE DO?

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WHAT DID HE DO

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

“O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south,” Psalm 107:1-3

 

Do you know how many times we, who claim The Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, are admonished by the Sacred Scriptures to exalt Him in exuberant praise and heart-felt adorning worship? Suffice it to say numerous times in each of Its 66 Books, huh? And for the most part, we’re all faithfully obedient to comply, particularly when we’re all assembled together in the Sanctuary, with the choir singing, the high-sounding instruments blasting in our ears, ushering us into The Presence!

Yet, inspite of His Absolute Worthiness, there are still times when even the most seasoned-elect, find it difficult to mutter even a whisper of ‘Glorrraaa’ out of a heart overwhelmed by the cares of this world, through the muted lips frozen by the temptation of mumuring complaints!

Let it be known, that mine is the first hand lifted in affirmation, Amen!

It matters not how long you’ve been walking with the Lord, life has a way of placing you smack dab in the middle of crisis and suddenly you find yourself coming down with an acute case of spiritual amnesia! It’s during these moments that we need to attack the demonic spirits with a direct hit drawn from the arsenal of weaponry that God has given to every believer. A personal testimony! (Ref. 2 Corinthians 10:4 and Revelations 12:11)

Backndaday, The Ol’ Mothers used to open up Tuesday Nite Bible Study with a Testimony Service. One of my favorite songs they saang was, “When I think of the goodness of Jesus and alllll He’s done for me, myyyyyyyy soul cries out Hallaleujah, I thank God for saving me!” Remember? And when you took the time to reflect back over your life and began to count how many times God stepped in, right in the nick of time, and delivered you from all manner of maladies, you can’t help but the give Him praiz!

Come to think of it, the Bible is filled with countless mind-refreshing BUT by The Grace of God testimonies of triumphant conquerers who acknowledge that they never would’ve made it over into the Land of Promises if the Lord had not been with them all the way!

There’s another ol’ song, that comes to mind; ‘Count your blessings, name them one by one, count your blessings, see what The Lord has done”! WOW! Didjaheardat?

Truthfully, one of those most difficult times for a believer to praise GOD is in the meantime! I’m talking about while you’re waiting for God to move on your behalf and every demon assigned to your region is blasting threatening what-if’s soundtracs in your mind! That’s when you need to deliberately take authority over your thoughts. Instead of focusing on what it is you need Him to do, make a faith-conscious-decison to set your affections on those things JESUS HAS ALREADY DONE!

Okay? There you were wandering around in the desert, lost in the wilderness of sin, stumbling through life, homeless, hopless, confused yet desperate for change, starving for love, parched for peace and joy and you cried out for help, knowing perfectly well there was nobody to hear, much less care! BUT GOD heard you and sent Jesus to lead you out of that barreness, placing your feet on a Straight Path to The Good Life, filling your belly with The Living Bread and Living Water of Holy Spirit to the point of unimaginable satisfaction and sustaining strength!

And you gotta remember, it wasn’t that long ago that you were locked in a self-induced cell of darkness, imprisoned by an evil consciousness of guilt and shame, condemned and sentenced to a lifetime of isolation and hard labor, eternally separated from God! But you cried out to God and He came for you, breaking through the prison bars as if they were match sticks, opened up the Gates that had you trapped and led you out into the Light of Freedom!

What about that storm? Despite of how hard you tried to navigate your way, there you were lost on the Sea of Life, desperately struggling to keep your head above water, being tossed by contrary winds, finding yourself swept away by towering turbulent waves, until the bottom dropped out and finally, not knowing what else to do, you called out to God who faithfully showed up just in the nick of time, commanded the wind and the waves to quietly surrender to Peace and so graciously drew you out and carried you safely to His Harbor!

NOW! Beloved, rest assured, confidently trusting that Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever. IF HE DID IT BEFORE…HE’LL DO IT AGAILN! SO, THINKABOUT IT…WHAT DID HE DO! O Give Thanks unto The Lord, my Beloved! 

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

A LIVING TESTIMONY?

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A LIVING TESTIMONY

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:11-12

Have you heard that old cliché, “ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS”? Well guess what, according to today’s scripture text, The Bible said it first! Seriously! That kinda sheds a whole new light on parenting, huh? Perhaps, this might even explain the outbreak of blatant rebelliousness so prevalent amongst of our youth.

Studies have concluded that children whose parents eat nutritious foods and exercise daily also grow up to become adults who eat right and exercise daily. Uuummm! Unfortunately, this trending does not necessarily carry over into our spiritual lives. Hence, often times there’s a discerning disconnect between our religious persuasions and our real-life saunter.

While the scriptures enumerates the importance and the responsibility that we, who have confessed our faith in the Saving Grace of Jesus Christ and accepted the Gift of His Righteousness, have to represent Our Master to a lost and dying world! However, sometimes we relegate this obligation to mean only ‘card-holding’ church delegates. Now who do you think started that lie?

The Bible says in Acts 1:8, Jesus himself testifies, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Didjaheardat? Who shall be witnesses? Sounded like it says it’s the believers! Oh Yeah! Those who have God living in them will be called to the witness stand to testify to the Living Truth of The Gospel!

Have you heard that other one, (most often attributed to St. Francis Assisi) “Preach the Gospel Always, and if necessary use words”?

Apparently, we’ve been charged to spread The Good News everywhere we go. No, that doesn’t mean that the saints are to act like an elite force of bible-tote’n secret service agents, armed and ready to attack unsuspecting unbelievers, beating them over the head with your scripture quoting. But rather, it tells us that our very lifestyle should exemplify Christ-likeness. In other words, we’re commanded to walk circumspectly! (Ref. Ephesians 5:15-16) Our demeanor, our character, integrity, our love, kindness and our patience should blasts “This is a Child of The Most High God”!

Beloved, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Didjahear the one, “God is Real! The Gospel is True and Salvation is Still Available!”? If not, don’t doubt the veracity of The Message because of its erroneous misrepresentation! A LIVING TESTIMONY!

SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee