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WHAT DOES IT MEAN To "SEEK THE LORD"? By Rev. Maxwell Makimi Wunangi

Seeking the Lord means seeking his presence. “Presence” is a common translation of the Hebrew word “face.” Literally, we are to seek his “face.” But this is the Hebraic way of having access to God. To be before his face is to be in his presence.

But aren't his children always in his presence? Yes and no. Yes in two senses: First, in the sense that God is omnipresent and therefore always near everything and everyone. He holds everything in being. His power is ever-present in sustaining and governing all things.

And second, yes, he is always present with his children in the sense of his covenant commitment to always stand by us and work for us and turn everything for our good. “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

But there is a sense in which God’s presence is not with us always. For this reason, the Bible repeatedly calls us to “seek the Lord... seek his presence continually.” God’s manifest, conscious, trusted presence is not our constant experience. There are seasons when we become neglectful of the Lord and give him no thought and do not put trust in him and we find him “unmanifested”—that is, unperceived as great and beautiful and valuable by the eyes of our hearts.

His face—the brightness of his personal character—is hidden behind the curtain of our carnal desires. This condition is always ready to overtake us. That is why we are told to “seek his presence continually.” God calls us to enjoy continual consciousness of his supreme greatness and beauty and worth.

This happens through “seeking.” Continual seeking. But what does that mean practically? Both the Old and New Testaments say it is a “setting of the mind and heart” on God. It is the conscious fixing or focusing of our mind’s attention and our heart’s affection on God.

    “Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God.” (1 Chronicles 22:19)

    “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2)

This setting of the mind is the opposite of mental coasting. It is a conscious choice to direct the heart toward God. This is what Paul prays for the church: “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ” (2 Thessalonians 3:5). It is a conscious effort on our part. But that effort to seek God is a gift from God.

We do not make this mental and emotional effort to seek God because he is lost. That’s why we would seek a coin or a sheep. But God is not lost. Nevertheless, there is always something through which or around which we must go to meet him consciously. This going through or around is what seeking is. He is often hidden. Veiled. We must go through mediators and around obstacles.

The heavens are telling the glory of God. So we can seek him through that. He reveals himself in his word. So we can seek him through that. He shows himself to us in the evidences of grace in other people. So we can seek him through that. The seeking is the conscious effort to get through the natural means to God himself—to constantly set our minds toward God in all our experiences, to direct our minds and hearts toward him through the means of his revelation. This is what seeking God means.

And there are endless obstacles that we must get around in order to see him clearly, and so that we can be in the light of his presence. We must flee every spiritually dulling activity. We must run from it and get around it. It is blocking our way.

We know what makes us vitally sensitive to God’s appearances in the world and in the word. And we know what dulls us and blinds us and makes us not even want to seek him. These things we must move away from and go around if we would see God. That is what seeking God involves.

And as we direct our minds and hearts Godward in all our experiences, we cry out to him. This too is what seeking him means.

    “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.” (Isaiah 55:6)

    “If you will seek God and plead with the Almighty for mercy...” (Job 8:5)

Seeking involves calling and pleading. O Lord, open my eyes. O Lord, pull back the curtain of my own blindness. Lord, have mercy and reveal yourself. I long to see your face.

The great obstacle to seeking the Lord is pride. “In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him” (Psalms 10:4). Therefore, humility is essential to seeking the Lord.

The great promise to those who seek the Lord is that he will be found. “If you seek him, he will be found by you” (1 Chronicles 28:9). And when he is found, there is great reward. “Whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). God himself is our greatest reward. And when we have him, we have everything. Therefore, “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!”

Shalom 💚

PROVERBS 31: AN IMPOSSIBLE STANDARD? By Rev. Maxwell Makimi Wunangi

Many women, and men, too, avoid studying Proverbs 31:10-31 because they think it presents an unrealistic and unattainable standard for women. I can’t tell you how many articles I have read that describe this lady as ‘superwoman’ and, therefore, not applicable for the average female.

But would God really put a job description in His Word if it were unattainable? Surely our knowledge of Him says the description of the woman of noble character was placed in the Scriptures to encourage us, male and female. It’s for our edification; there is much we can learn from it about becoming wise women.

Proverbs is a textbook on wise living. The phrase “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” is found 14 times in Proverbs and notably, the book closes with a flesh-and-blood example of one whose whole life has been given to the pursuit of wisdom—the Proverbs 31 woman. She demonstrates in daily life that wisdom is not an esoteric idea dispensed to learners; it is living in wise ways, living in harmony with God’s creation and His laws. Wisdom is right living, good decisions, and honorable choices.

The poem opens with the idea that a wise woman—one who fears the Lord—is valuable, though quite rare. And she is worth the search! For when found, she will be of the highest personal character and fiscally responsible. She is described in verse 10 as being of “noble character” and “worth far more than rubies.” Verses 11-12 speak of her financial savvy. Her husband has “full confidence” in her and “lacks nothing of value.” Those are monetary words. And so are these: “she brings him good, not harm.” She not only guards the family assets; she also brings in a significant amount of income. She’s a moneymaker!

The first major section of the poem, verses 13-19, delineates how hard this woman works to provide for her family and to earn income. It’s arranged in a chiastic structure, with ideas leading up to the main idea and then backing away with parallel ideas. Kinda like the way my sister and I communicate. If you hear us talking, you may be confused—we give each other an idea, and then another and maybe one more before we finally get to the main point. Then we back out, repeating our ideas as we go. That is what the chiasm does.

So as we work our way in and out the chiasm, we see that the wise woman works hard to provide and to bring in income for her family. She works hard with wool and flax (verse 13), using the distaff and spindle (verse 19), tools that enabled her to make the sheep’s fleece into woolen thread and the flax plant into linen so they could then be woven into fabrics. Wool, of course, was the winter fabric, snuggly guarding its wearer against the chill. And linen was the comfortable, breathable cloth for warm summer time.

She plans and trades, using her resources well and bringing profit from her endeavors (verses 14 & 18). And she works vigorously at all she does—rising early—using the strength of her body to finish her tasks (verses 15 & 17).

All this is done to turn a profit so she can invest the money in a vineyard; this is the climax of the chiasm in verse 16. She buys a property she has been eyeing—one that would bring grapes, wine, and income to her family.

As this first section of this beautiful poem ends, we see a younger woman, intent on blessing her family with her skills by acquiring wealth for her husband and herself. It reminds me of our early marriage. My ‘vineyard’ was a public school where I taught to provide for our family of two while my husband pursued his seminary degree and two doctorates. The investment I made in his education has blessed us financially for many years since because he has had options for ways to support our growing family. Both of us look back with joy on the years that I supported our family.

In the next section we learn what the woman who fears the Lord does with the profit from all her hard work and planning. Yes, it has taken her a number of years to get here, but now she has wealth and wisdom and she uses it to bless others, in verses 20-27. She has accumulated much, not to be greedy, but so that she can give it to others. She has, not only wealth to give, but she also has wisdom to give. The point of this second section, which is also a chiasm, is that this the kind of woman who brings honor to her husband. He is known in town as “noble woman’s lucky husband.”

Again, we see the corresponding ideas as we work to and from the central point. The first idea is that she gives—of her wealth to the poor and of her wisdom to those who need it (verses 20 & 26-27). To the poor, she is benevolent, actively involving herself for the needy in her community. To her household, she gives wisdom laced with kindness. She wisely watches over her household, ruling it with kindness. These two endearing qualities are the hallmark of her mature years—she is benevolent and she is kind.

She faces the future with confidence in verses 21 and 26; she has provided for her family, as fully as she can, for predictable essentials (the children will grow and will need new clothes for school) and unforeseen events (while it snows only rarely in Jerusalem, her household is prepared for it). She does not fear the future. She goes into old age smiling with confidence in her God.

She continues to use her talents to enrich the family as she trades the quilts and linen garments that are manufactured in her household (verses 22 and 24).

And her greatest gift is to her husband, because the respect she has earned in their community brings honor to her husband when he meets with the leaders of the township. They are well aware of her contributions and her talent for making money. They recognize that she is a kind and benevolent woman who has blessed their entire community. He receives reflected honor from her achievements, though he has achievements of his own as a leader in the community.

The poem concludes with her rightful receiving of the love and respect from her family in verses 28-31. They have observed this woman in all the seasons of her life and they give her praise and bless her. This probably didn’t happen when her children were small. So, those of you with small children, don’t hold your breath! But as the children grew up, they realized what she had done for them and they expressed appreciation. Some of you reading this may need to make a phone call or write a letter to your mom to tell her how glad you are for the good job she did. It will encourage her to hear that from you.

The author concludes by noting that all of this didn’t just randomly happen; this was a life lived in fearing the Lord. The woman of noble character shows us what it looks like to live a life of wisdom, from the beginning of adulthood to the end. She is the embodiment of wisdom, right living.

And she is in the Scriptures as an example, and an encouragement to us 21st century women, that we might fear the Lord and live as wise women.

Shalom💚

WHO IS IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT? By Rev. Maxwell Makimi Wunangi

A great many saints today have pride of race, pride of face, and pride of grace - they are even proud they have been saved by grace! My friend, your salvation ought not to make you proud, it is not even something to brag about. It is something about which to glorify God, and it is something that should humble you. Aren't you ashamed of yourself that you have to be saved by grace because you are such a miserable sinner? I wish I had something to offer God for salvation, but I have nothing. Therefore, I must be saved by grace, and I cannot even boast of that.

Pride is that which is destroying the testimony of many Christians and has made them very ineffective for God. They go in for show, but the thing they are building is a big haystack. They are not building on the foundation of Christ with gold and silver and precious stones. Pride has a great many saints down for the count of ten; it has pinned the shoulders of many to the mat today.

What is pride? Pride of heart is the attitude of a life that declares its ability to live without God. We find in the Book of Obadiah that pride of heart had lifted up the nation of Edom just like Esau who had despised his birthright. Even in the home of Isaac, where there was plenty to eat, he liked that bowl of soup, and he liked it more than he liked his birthright. He didn't care for God at all. In despising that birthright, he despised God. And now Esau had become a great nation that had declared its ability to live without God.

"Thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?" (Obadiah 1:3). They dwelt "in the clefts of the rock." They were living in great buildings which were hewn out of solid rock inside this great canyon and up and down the sides of it. They were perfectly secure - at least they thought they were. The Edomites had signed a declaration of independence. They had a false sense of security and had severed all relationship with God. They had seceded from the government of God. They had revolted and rebelled against Him.

Now what is God going to do in a case like this? "Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord" (Obadiah 1:4). The eagle is used in Scripture as a symbol of deity. The Edomites were going to overthrow God as Satan had attempted to do, and they were going to become deity. They were going to handle the business that God was supposed to handle. "And though thou set thy nest among the stars" - this was the sin of Satan, for he sought to exalt his throne above the stars. God says, "Thence will I bring thee down."

How many people today are attempting to run their lives as if they were God? They feel that they don't need God, and they live without Him. The interesting thing is that when God made us He did not put a steering wheel on any of us. Why? Because He wants to guide our lives. He wants us to come to Him for salvation first, and then He wants to take charge of our lives. When you and I run our lives, we are in the place of God. We are in the driver's seat. We are the ones who are the captains of our own little ships or our own little planes, and we are going through the water or the air just to suit ourselves. That is pride, and anyone who reaches that position, if he continues in it, is committing a sin which is fatal because it means he will go into a lost eternity.

Shalom💚

SERVE GOD NO MATTER WHAT

SERVE GOD NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS

JOB 1:9-11

9 So Satan answered the Lord and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!" NKJV

    The devil thought that it was because God has blessed Job and is protecting him that was why Job was worshipping and serving God but although Job complained a lot, he still proved the devil wrong. He stayed faithful to God even when he lost everything in life. He stayed faithful even when he was in pain caused by the sickness the devil inflicted on him. Job remained faithful to God.

    That is how faithful we should be as Christians. In good or bad times, we should remain faithful to God and trust Him most. We should continue to serve in His vineyard and continue to do what we were created to do: to worship Him.

   

Dan 6:4-13

4 So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. 5 Then these men said, "We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God."

6 So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him:"King Darius, live forever! 7 All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter." 9 Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.

10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.

11 Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. 12 And they went before the king, and spoke concerning the king's decree: "Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?"

The king answered and said, "The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter."

13 So they answered and said before the king, "That Daniel, who is one of the captives* from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day."  NKJV 

Daniel never stopped being faithful to God when he started facing crises. When the other leaders were against him serving God, he still served and prayed to God.

    In the end, both Job and Daniel were vindicated and glorified by God once again. 

    Another example is Paul. Even in prison, he still saw a big God he serves (Acts 21). Stephen, at the point of death was still worshipping God. The list can go on and on but all I want to say is, never give up in serving God (Isaiah 3:10)

    Bible records in 1 Corinthians 15:58 that our labor in Him will never be in vain. Our father in heaven sees everything and acknowledges our effort in Him and He is a faithful God who appreciates every good work done. At the appointed time, He will surely reward you for your service to Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 says He who called you is faithful, He will do it.

PRAYER – HOW TO PRAY ON DAILY BASIS - Minister Kendra Hammond

            Prayer is sharing in fellowship with God. To share interest in fellowship with God. Talking to Him at all times and anything and He also talking to you. Prayer can also be a requesting or pleading with God. It also means to surrender to God and to let His will be done.

THE MODEL PRAYER

            Jesus’ teaching on prayer was not necessarily a routine prayer for each day but it served as a model; a guide on how to pray effectively.

It teaches that effective prayer begins with worship.it puts the glory and interest of the Kingdom before mere personal interests.

It teaches that God is the believer’s father, meaning you can see God from the ‘fatherly’ point of view. A father has a lot characteristics which include love, provision etc. if God is your father, then other believers are your siblings and family. This teaches us love. To love one another and be each other’s keeper. If God is our father, then it pin-point to the fact a believer has a source. The source of provision for our needs.

·         Matthew 6:25-34 (basic needs)

·         Hebrews 2:18 (love)

·         Hebrews 4:15-16 (provision)

·         Proverbs 27:1 (care)

·         2 Timothy 1:7

·         1 Corinthians 3:16-20

The model prayer teaches that we should pray directly to God but not through any medium, person or other gods. God is not a respecter of persons, He does not show favoritism and so anyone that comes to Him, He will answer.

It makes us understand that when we pray, not if you pray. This means that prayer is a necessity and not optional. You need to pray or talk to God at all times whether the times are good or bad.

HOW TO PRAY – LUKE 11:1-4

ü  Pray and praise His name first

Hallowed means “to be counted holy”- to be counted and treated differently. “Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name”. This model teaches us to first give praises and adorations to God. Praise God for all that He has done.

ü  Pray for the ruler ship of God

“Thy kingdom come”, meaning He should rule in the hearts of those in authority, He should rule in our lives. He should rule in the lives of all men… Romans 13:1-7.

ü  Pray that the will of God be done

“Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven”. This means the will and intentions and rule and plans of God concerning our lives now and beyond should prevail. The ‘earth’ signifies that, His will and plans should reign over the whole earth and not just in the lives of men. He should do with everyone as He pleases…. Ephesians 2:10

TYPES OF WILL THAT INFLUENCES MAN

v  Will of man – Romans 7:15

v  Satan’s will – John 8:44

v  God’s will – Philippians 2:13

v  Other people’s will – 1 Peter 4:2

ü  Pray for provision

“Give us this day our daily bread”. Bread is the symbol for our needs and necessities for a good life. Bread is not just food but the other things we need as well like peace, joy, shelter, clothing etc. This means we need to pray every day. Jesus told his disciples not to worry about tomorrow but to be focused on today (Matthew 6:25). So this prayer focuses on today only. It also teaches us to pray for others as well.

ü  Pray for forgiveness of sins

“Forgive us our sins”.  You need to ask for forgiveness sins and also forgive those who offend you. In this way, you are free from the accuser(satan). It also ensures that your heart is free from bitterness and anger. It then paves way for all your prayers to be answered.

v  Gracefully God forgives us our sins – 1 John 4:9

v  So you have to forgive others – Matthew 6:14-15

v  Understand why the person did so – Proverbs 15:21

v  Forbear, do not retaliate – Col. 3:13, Eph. 4:2

v  Forgive and forget – Philippians 3:13

ü  Pray for protection

“Lead us not into temptation”.  God does not tempt us (James 1:13). Temptation is not a sin but it becomes a sin if you yield to it. So you pray for deliverance or dismiss any thoughts that are unholy or evil (1 Peter 5:8)

ü  End the prayer with praises and worship.

“For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever, amen.” The last word is ‘Amen’ meaning let it be so or it is done. The Word of God teaches us that anything we ask in the name of Jesus will be done so it is best to end your prayer “In Jesus Name”.

Follow this guide and pray the right and effective way…………. SHALOM!!!!

HOW COME THE GENTILES ARE ALSO SAVED- Minister Kendra Hammond

                                        

Rev 7:1-9(NKJV)

7 After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying,"Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:

5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;* 

of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;

6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;

7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;

8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.

9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

    The sealed are from the twelve (12) tribes of Israel; 12 thousand from each tribe totaling 144,000 but Bible records that there was a great multitude of Gentiles in the verse 9. These multitude had suffered greatly from the tribulation and had washed their clothes in the lamb’s *(Jesus) blood meaning they have accepted Christ and are now saved (verse 14).

    This is what we mean by Grace. The Gentiles were not part of the picture from the beginning but in the end a multitude of them will be saved. If you are not from any of the 12 tribes of Israel, then you are a Gentile.

     

Matt 15:22-28(NKJV)

22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed."

23 But He answered her not a word.

And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."

24 But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"

26 But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."

27 And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."

28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

This scripture makes it clear that the main reason why Jesus came to earth was for the ‘’lost sheep of the house of Israel’’; the Israelites who were living in unbelief. The Gentiles were not part of the picture and the Canaanite woman was an example. She wanted healing for her daughter but Jesus was not willing. It took the faith of the woman to get healing for her daughter.

    The great news is that she got healing for her daughter out of faith. The Gentiles are not totally lost. We also have hope of getting salvation and from the Word of God in Revelation 7:9; the great multitude of Gentiles. In fact many Gentiles are saved today because of the unbelief of the Israelites. Just like the story of the Canaanite woman, the Gentiles require faith to obtain salvation. Without faith in the finished works of Jesus, it is impossible to get salvation. To the Gentiles, it is not about works or self-efforts or self-righteousness. It is all about our faith in Christ’s work.

    In Matthew 22:1-14, the king got angry when all his invited guests gave excuses and didn’t come to his party. He therefore sent his servants to the streets to invite anyone they see, Hallelujah, these people were the Gentiles.

    The reason for the parable above is this; in Matthew 11:20-24, Jesus rejected some of the cities in Israel because these people rejected Him and did not believe in Him as the Son of God and the way to salvation even upon all the miracles He did. The comparison He made in the verse 21-23 made it clear that the Gentiles can also receive salvation as soon as we believe in Jesus and accept Him into our lives, ‘’washing our clothes in His blood’’. So here the scriptures in Matthew 22 means that the unbelief of the Jews made grace abound to the Gentiles.

    Though Jesus came to the earth to save the Israelites, He couldn’t have done that without dying on the cross. That work has been done but real salvation is to believe in Christ as the Son of God and only way into salvation is to confess Him into your life. This is what the Jews did not do.

    After His resurrection, He left His work in the hands of His disciples (Mark 16:15) to continue to preach to them till they believe. The good news is, when Jesus died on the cross, the Gentiles were also made partakers of the glory of God. So whenever the good news is preached and they believe, they are saved. Therefore, God chose Paul (who was called Saul) as an apostle to the Gentiles because the Gentiles were willing and eager to hear to hear the good news and to believe. All that it takes is faith in Jesus Christ and His finished works.  

        GREATER GRACE!!! SHALOM!!!