Caribbean Moravian Devotions

Back in 2004, because of an interview that JL King had with Oprah, the letters DL took on a whole new meaning. Within the popular culture they speak of a label that no man wants to have attached to him. Yet our FF today takes the risk of trying to disassociate these two letters from their current taboo meaning and to ‘re-baptize’ them. As we wrap up the month of September then, let’s consider how as Christians we are all one way or another living ON THE DL.

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Remember me, O Lord, with the favor you have toward your people. Oh, visit me with your salvation. Psalm 106: 4.

Is there a relationship between GodÂ’s favor and GodÂ’s salvation? An understanding of this Psalm would seem to say yes. According to the Harper Collins Study Bible, Psalm 106 is a hymn of praise to God by the people of God. They praise GodÂ’s constant faithfulness, even in light of their constant apostasy. TodayÂ’s text is a plea to God for continued help during times of distress. Help from God was need in the form of deliverance for their captors. They were a nation displaced and wanted to return to their homeland. The cry is echoed in a more direct way in verse 47: save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your Holy name and glory in your praise.
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On Wednesday of this past week, two men were executed within hours of each other in the US. Lawrence Russell Brewer, a white supremacist gang member was put to death in Texas after being found guilty for the 1998 dragging death of James Byrd Jr. a black man. Later that night in Georgia, Troy Davis was also put to death 22 years after being convicted for the shooting death of an off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail. It was the second of both stories that attracted more media attention because there were many supporters who believed that Davis did not DESERVE to die. While Brewer never claimed that he was innocent, Davis maintained his innocence till his last breath. Many believed that whereas Brewer got what he DESERVED, Davis didnÂ’t. Looking beyond the arguments for or against capital punishment and the potential racial overtones of both cases, IÂ’d like for us to reflect on the thought for our FF, YOU DESERVE IT!

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The Lord said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified”. Isaiah 49:3

Today’s text is a verse from what is known as the ‘Servant Songs’. Isaiah 49: 1 – 7 is the second of these songs and seeks to rekindle hope in Israel that despite its position and reputation among the nations, they were a people of special choice and significance who would be used by God to bring glory to the entire world. The identification of Israel as the servant is viewed in many lights by scholars. Some say the reference is to the nation of Israel, while others say Isaiah was speaking about himself. The majority of scholars however are in agreement that the attributes of the servant described in the rest of the passage points only to the Savior, Jesus. God therefore was telling the people of Israel, that regardless of their present circumstance, a change for the better would be coming their way that would cause them to glorify their God. God was going to pick them up and change their situation for the better, through His servant.

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The other day while dropping my kids off at school, I noticed that a few things had changed in the neighbourhood. One that was most noticeable to me was the old rotted wooden house at the end of the street was looking very different. Apparently, over the summer someone had taken sheets of plywood and basically boxed in the house that was actually falling to pieces. The nicely painted gray panels gave the structure a brand new look. A stranger to the area would never have believed that behind those plywood sheets was a condemned building. The OUTSIDE had been so well done over. But all of those OUTSIDE changes had not affected the INSIDE. It was still a rotten old house on the INSIDE but with a most pleasant view on the OUTSIDE.

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Shepherds After GodÂ’s Heart

I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. Jeremiah 3: 15

Jeremiah 3 is a call for the people of Israel and Judah to repent or return to the ways of God. This is the only hope for them as a people. The Lord promises them that they will receive shepherds after His own heart to lead them. In many instances in the Bible, including this one, the term shepherd is used to mean ‘king’. There was only one true shepherd in Israel. Their greatest King, David, paid homage to Him in Psalm 23, the Lord [Jehovah] is my Shepherd! God was the one true Shepherd in Israel. What Israel needed then were kings with a Godly heart, kings that would put themselves aside and rule according to the leading of God.
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As a boy growing up in a village in Antigua one of the most exciting activity during the summer was setting a TRAP for a mongoose. It was a simple box with a piece of meat as the bait to attract the mongoose in. Once the mongoose pulled at the bait the cage-like door would slam shut. It made no sense to set a TRAP without bait and if the bait wasnÂ’t firmly on the hook, the mongoose would escape with it. So you to put the bait all the way down in the TRAP so that just about all of the animalÂ’s body would be in by the time it took the bait. In thinking about those boyhood memories I reflected on how many times persons have walked into a TRAP all because of the bait that was dangling before them. Yet itÂ’s one thing when others set a baited TRAP for you. ItÂ’s a whole other matter when youÂ’re SELF-TRAPPED. ThatÂ’s our FF for today SELF-TRAPPED!

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It is late at night, or rather, early morning. As I finish reading assignments and reach for the Daily text, I wonder to myself, ‘what is this that I have gotten into, is it too much for me?’ Then my eyes fall on the watchword for today and I find a peace and comfort that only the word of God can give. Genesis 26: 24 Do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you. This was the word to a heavy hearted Isaac, son of God’s promise to Abraham. He had to leave the land of the Philistines where he had taken shelter during famine because the Lord had so blessed him that he was now envied by the Philistines. As he journeyed away, his progress was being thwarted by these Philistines. His response however is commendable and one worthy of emulation by Christians today. He did not retaliate but moved forward. It’s as Bob Marley sings, ‘when one door is closed, another door is open’. When he is allowed to reopen a well without it being claimed, he names it Rehoboth, ‘the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land’. [V22] It was that very night that God spoke our text to him in a vision.

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Have you ever found yourself in this awkward position? LetÂ’s say while on vacation some years ago, you visited a particular restaurant where the food was just out of this world. It left a permanent mark on your palate. Fast forward a few years and you at the same area vacationing and your mouth is just watering with anticipation as the memories of your last visit years ago come flooding back. You can hardly wait to relive the experience! But as you turn up to the spot where the restaurant was what you see in front of you almost takes your breath away. Where the restaurant was is now a dry cleaning store! God forbid if this was to have been the highlight of your vacation. For there to have been a dry cleaning where there was once a restaurant meant that somewhere over the years there was a CHANGE OF USE permit granted. ThatÂ’s our FF for today: CHANGE OF USE.

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