Caribbean Moravian Devotions

Sometimes children ask questions that force you to think long and hard before you answer. Some weeks ago I was caught somewhat off guard when my last daughter innocently and sincerely asked me, “Daddy what does GOD look like?” How do you deal with a topic as dense and complex as GOD’s divine revelation but make it simple enough for a 6 year old to understand? After some awkward silence in which she naturally expected her father to know the answer, I replied, “Well GOD is a Spirit that means you can’t really see GOD. And yet everything that you see around you was created by GOD and paints a picture of what GOD looks like.” That led into another discussion about creation. I must admit that the drive was pretty long and I felt as if I was teaching an introductory course in theology. But the question still rings in my ears – what does GOD look like?

Continue reading "GOD IS REVEALED!"

Happy are those who fear the Lord, who greatly delight in His commandments. Psalm 112: 1

The world is filled with a strange kind of happiness. ItÂ’s the kind of happiness that can make you weep endlessly even when there are things to smile about. ItÂ’s the kind of happiness that has persons smiling from the lips while the hearts remain cold and bitter. ItÂ’s the kind of happiness that has created a society that grows more serious and bitter day by day. We search for the things to be happy about but find that there is little or no lasting happiness in the world. Listen to the Psalmist though as he gives us the secret to true happiness.
Continue reading "Godly Happiness is Found in Obedience"

Security companies have become big business these days. Whenever there is economic hardship, most often those who have the least suffer the most. At the same time those who have the most do all in their power to GUARD even more closely what they have. Some people will get GUARD dogs, install security cameras or erect higher fences. Celebrities hire body GUARDS to ensure their safety. GUARDING and protecting the lives of the world’s political leaders is the full time job of a core of people. It is not because these people can’t protect themselves but such persons are placed under GUARD because they are considered to be of great value – a VIP. In fact once we see somebody being GUARDED we immediately assume that the person must be important.

Continue reading "GUARD YOURSELF!"

Today’s text comes to us from Isaiah 2: 12. For the LORD of hosts has a day against all that are proud and lofty. This verse is part of a discourse concerning the Day of the Lord. This is understood to be the day of judgment, that time when God will judge both evil and good. The phrase “the day of the Lord” is used nineteen times in the Old Testament, and four times in the New Testament. The Old Testament passages dealing with the day of the Lord often convey a sense of imminence, nearness, and expectation: (Isaiah 13:6); (Joel 2:1). This is because the Old Testament passages referring to the day of the Lord often speak of both a near and a far fulfillment, as does a lot of Old Testament prophecy. The New Testament calls it a day of “wrath,” a day of “visitation,” and the “great day of God Almighty” The New Testament refers to a still future fulfillment when God’s wrath is poured out on unbelieving Israel and on the unbelieving world. The Scriptures indicate that “the day of the Lord” will come quickly, like a thief in the night (Zephaniah 1:14-15) As Christians we must be watchful and ready for the coming of Christ at any moment. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Matt 24: 44.



Continue reading "Be Ready For His Return!"

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

This verse, along with other verses in Psalm 37 (for example verses 25-26 ‘I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed’.), is often quoted by those Christians who believe in what is popularly called the ‘Prosperity Gospel’. As long as you are in a right relationship with God, they say, whatever your heart desires will be yours – houses, cars, money, etc. – name it and claim it, God promises to give you anything you want. This is a classic case of dishonest interpretation of Scripture.

Reading Psalm 37 carefully actually shows that the writer would be totally against the way his/her writing has been used in this way. The writer actually begins the Psalm by saying, ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity’. Contrary to the view that the righteous should be rich the writer states, ‘A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked’. (Verse16) explicitly demonstrating that the righteous will sometimes have little in terms of material possessions. Continue reading "Delight In The Lord"

How many times have you been told SORRY by someone close to you who hurt you. You offer forgiveness only to have the similar action repeated and again you hear the word SORRY. Depending on how often this pattern repeats itself you may eventually reach the point where SORRY no longer means anything. Over time you may reach a place where you withhold your forgiveness too. What if you’re the one who finds yourself constantly saying SORRY? You are not intentional about the hurt, pain or discomfort that you keep causing. Things just seem to happen and the habit you’ve developed seemed to have become imprinted and implanted on your character. In spite of your best efforts you still cause hurt and keep repeating the word SORRY. Whichever side of the fence you may be sitting today – the one saying SORRY all the time or the one hearing it – here’s our FF to consider: BE SORRY ENOUGH TO CHANGE!

Continue reading "BE SORRY ENOUGH TO CHANGE!"

Â… There is no perversion of justice with the Lord our God, or partiality, or taking of bribes. 2 Chronicles 19:7b

Jehoshaphat king of Judah made this declaration about God (that with God there is no perversion of justice, no partiality, and no taking of bribes) because he had experienced God’s Word being fulfilled on Ahab, King of Israel – even though Ahab had tried to trick God.

Ahab king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah had decided to make war against Ramothgilead. Four hundred prophets told them that they would be successful in battle. Only Micaiah prophesied that it would be a losing battle that they would be fighting, and that king Ahab was not going to make it. Ahab, although he was afraid, decided to go because he had a plan to trick God. He told Jehoshaphat to dress in royal clothing while he Ahab would enter the battle field in disguise. Continue reading "God Is Not Partial"

Truly, you are a God who hides himself, O God and Saviour of Israel. Isaiah 45:15

Without a proper understanding of the context in which this verse is found it is possible to come to the conclusion that it is totally impossible to know God. If God hides Himself how can we know anything about Him? How can we know His will for us? If God hides himself how can we love Him?

The passage in Isaiah from which this verse is taken speaks to the fact that, although God could be ‘seen’ in creation, God had not made a full revelation of Himself to human beings. The watchword for today (Isaiah 45:15) was actually a prophesy that Egyptians and Ethiopians who, like the Israelites, only experienced a partial revelation of God and were therefore using their own means, including idolatry, to try to get close to God, would come to the realization that they really did not know God as much as they thought they did. Continue reading "A God Who Hides Himself?"

The Lord knows our thoughts, that they are but an empty breath. Psalm 94:11

Ever looked at someone and begin to think things about that person that you could never reveal to that person, or anyone for that matter? Hmmm! The human mind is so secretive. We can recluse into the distant reaches of the mind and be so far from everyone around us. The mind is probably the most private place any of us will ever have. While satan and his evil forces may be able to influence our thoughts and know our weaknesses, he cannot read our minds. If he could, he would have known he was going to have a losing battle against Job. There is one however who knows our inward thoughts. God!

Continue reading "POWERLESS BUT HARMFUL."

He shall be great to the ends of the earth. Micah 5:4b

One of the foundations on which the credibility of the Bible is built is the fulfillment of prophesy. Generally speaking, the Old Testament can be viewed as prophesy about the Messiah, Jesus. From as early as the book of Genesis the Bible points to the fact that one would come to deal with the situation of sin, which entered the Garden of Eden due to the disobedience of Adam and Eve.

A careful reading of that Bible will reveal a unity which is amazing when one considers the fact that the different books of the Bible were written many years apart in some instances and by many different authors from different places. To read the prophesies, and to read their fulfillment, is nothing short of witnessing a Divine plan. As Christians this fact gives us great comfort in our belief, knowing that the Bible was not the work of an individual or group which had a very fertile imagination. Continue reading "He Will Come Again"

Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth! Isaiah 42:10



Our attitude to life is directly related to how we perceive God. If we do not believe in God, or if we believe that God is not concerned about human affairs, the actions that we take will not have God factored into them. So if we are suffering we may seek the support of family and friends, we may go to the doctor, but will we not think about God. If we are cheerful, because it is our birthday or we got a promotion, we will probably spend the time partying without the thought of God. Continue reading "Praise God In All Circumstances"

I proclaimed a fast, Â… so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey. Ezra 8:21 (part) (NIV)



In the Post-Modern world in which we live there has been a de-emphasizing of the importance of certain religious practices. One such practice which has been ‘placed on the back burner’ of our religious lives is that of fasting. Fasting seems to be spoken of now more by health experts, who emphasize the cleansing effect of fasting, than by religious persons who should be emphasizing the spiritual benefits of doing something Jesus commanded by word and deed.

Fasting is much more than abstaining from food, and its benefits go way beyond cleansing the body of impurities. The religious reason for abstaining from food, or anything else that we may choose, is firstly, to bring into focus our total dependence on God, and secondly, after being totally reliant on God, to do what God requires of us. Fasting then is not about torturing ourselves or to test the limits of our self-control. Fasting is not about the lack of food but the provision of God. It is not about what we are capable of accomplishing but what God is able to accomplish through us. Continue reading "Are You Fasting?"

On Tuesday of this past week, we here in the US Virgin Islands joined other Americans on the US mainland in casting our ballots to decide who should be our elected political leaders. During the weeks leading up to the general elections we were bombarded with campaign ads through every possible means - radio, television and newspaper. Plus there were persons walking around with t-shirts bearing the name of their candidate of choice. Others had stickers on their cars or banners flying signaling who they were supporting. Then there were the foot soldiers, distributing pamphlets trying to convince you why you should vote for a particular candidate. I was struck by just how SOLD OUT some persons were about why candidate X would do better than candidate Y. They were so SOLD OUT that they were constantly witnessing to others about why they should throw their support behind a particular individual.

Continue reading "BE SOLD OUT!"

God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. The joy of Jerusalem was heard far away. Nehemiah 12:43b



Patriarchy (a form of social organization in which men rule) was prevalent in the Old and New Testament world, and so it is significant that in Nehemiah 12:43 women and children were identified as part of the group which “rejoiced with great joy” at the dedication of the newly built wall. It is also significant that it was the healing of a woman in Luke 13:17 (the New Testament reading for today) that prompted the rejoicing of the entire crowd.

We are living in a world where many persons look to material wealth for happiness. A very popular song, among our young people especially, states “I want to be a billionaire so … bad”. That is the dream of many today – to get rich, very rich, as it is assumed that with this wealth will come happiness. Continue reading "Source Of Your Joy?"

Have you ever wanted something so badly that you would promise the Lord anything if He would only give to you what you so desperately needed? Our text come from the story of Hannah recorded for us in 1 Samuel 1. In v. 15 we find these words, I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD. Hannah was one of the two wives of Elkanah. Even though her husband did everything to show her that he loved her more than his other wife, it bothered her that she did not have any children for him, while the other wife had sons and daughters. In addition, the other wife used the fact that she was childless to laugh at her. Hannah cried constantly, and at the times of the yearly sacrifice, as the family went to make their offerings, she refused to eat. Hannah fervently prayed to God for the miracle she needed in her life. Always her prayer was the same. Give me a son Lord, and I will give him back to you, to serve you all his life. One day as she was praying, the priest, Eli, noticed her. Convinced that she must be a drunkard since she just stood there weeping and not saying anything, he confronted her. It is in response to the priest that Hannah says ‘I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD’.
Continue reading "Pour Out Your Soul Before God!"