Caribbean Moravian Devotions

Some years ago Disney Channel had an animated series called The REPLACEMENTS. There were these two kids who had access to a special phone which allowed them to call and REPLACE anybody they wanted to. Although the REPLACEMENT was supposed to be to their advantage, there were many times when instead of things getting better with the REPLACEMENT it got worse. They usually ended up having a better appreciation of who they had before the REPLACEMENT. This past week, all across America, football fans were wishing for such a phone so that they too could call up and REPLACE the REPLACEMENT referees who just can’t seem to make the right decisions. But no matter how invaluable and irreplaceable we think we are, the circle of life dictates that one of these days somebody will REPLACE us. After all, it is quite possible that where we are right now is due to our being another person’s REPLACEMENT. And so there is value in making a decision to PREPARE YOUR REPLACEMENT! That’s our FF for today – PREPARE YOUR REPLACEMENT!

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Let us continue to lift up Br. Trevor in prayer. He has shown marked improvement but remains hospitalized. Continue also to pray for the McDaniel Family and all who mourn the loss of loved ones.

My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. Isaiah 55: 8

The prophet Isaiah speaks of the ways of God in comparison to the ways humans as he points out how willing God is to pardon the sins of humans. We find it difficult to pardon in this life. We will harbor malice and seek revenge for years. Forgetting is a difficult task for us therefore we are slow to forgive. At times we are patient, hoping that the offence will come to an end and the offender will change, but constant repeat eventually lead us to a place where we are no longer willing to forgive. Even the number of offenders will sometimes become a hindrance to our ability to forgive. Then there is the seriousness of the offence. For some of us this will be the deciding factor in whether we will forgive or not.

Continue reading "GodÂ’s Way of Thinking."

Superman is quite a story book character. As a superhero he has the POWER TO PREVENT just about anything bad from happening. Because of his super speed and super strength, he has the POWER to stop a passenger filled out of control train from jumping the tracks or to hurl an atomic bomb into outer space saving the world from destruction. But even Superman is not perfect and all it takes is a little bit of kryptonite to rob him of his super POWERS. For him to continue being Superman and doing what only Superman can do then he has to avoid the one thing that can lead to his destruction. With that in mind our FF today invites us to consider how like Superman we all have within us the POWER TO PREVENT. ThatÂ’s today FF - POWER TO PREVENT!

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Br. Canute Mc Daniel has gone on ahead of us. A servant of God to the very end. I still remember the first time I heard him preach at a Missionary at Dober while I pastored there. ‘The Beast, the Barrel and the Brook’. His messages were always blessings to us. We remember Doreen, Pete and wife, Brenton and fiancée, along with the rest of the family and church family in prayers. Remember also Br. Trevor Dawkins who continues to be in a serious state at the KPH. May God comfort, strengthen and heal.

Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God. Psalm 95: 2 – 3.

We find in this Psalm a call to praise and thanksgiving. The Psalmist exhorts us to come "before His presence ["face"] with thanksgiving ["praise"]." We do this by shouting joyfully [v 1] with "psalms" or "songs." ‘Ps. 95:3 explains why we worship God our Rock in [v 1] : "For the LORD is the great God." The adjective great separates Yahweh from all other gods. Solomon speaks of the temple: "And the temple which I build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods" (2Ch 2:5). The same thought also appears in Ps. 86:10, "For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God."’ This greatness elicits praise. Continue reading "Live to Worship God."

In recent times bullying has become an issue that is being talked about quite a bit in the media. The message being pushed is that those who are being bullied for whatever reason must do SOMETHING about it. Why that message? Well very often those being bullied are so afraid that instead of doing SOMETHING about the situation, they end up doing NOTHING. But by doing NOTHING very often the situation goes from bad to worse. What is true of bullying is true of so many other situations in life. Things happen to us and deep down inside of us we know that we should say SOMETHING or do SOMETHING in response. But instead we do NOTHING either because of fear or maybe we believe that there’s NOTHING that we can do. But here’s a bit of a twist that I invite us to reflect on today in our FF. It is this – NOTHING IS SOMETHING! That’s our FF for today, NOTHING IS SOMETHING.

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Brother Trevor Dawkins was hospitalized yesterday while in Kingston. Up to 11 pm last night he was still unconscious. Br. Canute McDaniel remains in serious condition. Remember both brothers and their families in prayer.

Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely. Psalm 139: 4

Eleven years ago today the landscape of New York City was brutally altered. The world watched in horror as the twin towers were destroyed. It was a tragic moment not only for the USA, but for the entire world. People came together in prayer and tears as the seemingly senseless act unfolded right in front of us. I invite you to pause for a moment and breathe a prayer for those family members who have been left behind, known and unknown. Even before the words can roll of the tipoff our tongue, God will be moving to act on our behalf. Sometimes we don't let people get to know us completely because we are afraid they will discover something about us that they won't like. But God already knows everything about us, even to the number of hairs on our heads. Matt.10:30, and still he accepts and loves us. God is with us through every situation, in every trial—protecting, loving, guiding. He knows and loves us completely.

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In our house Disney Channel is a very popular station. And one of my most loved Disney animations is the show Phineas and Ferb. If youÂ’ve never watched you donÂ’t know what youÂ’re missing (sure IÂ’m not the only adult who thinks so). These two brothers are always embarking on some major summer project that is beyond our imagination. In the mean time their sister Candace is always trying to get their mom to catch them in the act. But somehow sheÂ’s never successful. Anyhow, before I get carried away, Phineas has a secret admirer in the person of Isabella. Usually whenever, the friends come over, Isabella always utters the same line, WHAT YUH doing? With this in mind, our FF for today, as kids head back to schools and colleges and parents back to work, is the question WHAT YUH CHASING?

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Pray for the Br. Canute McDaniel and family at this time as he has been hospitalized again.

The earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. Psalm 33: 5

TodayÂ’s watchword is from a Psalm/hymn praising God for the goodness of GodÂ’s creation, done through GodÂ’s righteous and powerful word. When we reflect on the world in which we live, we see the strong possibility of there being so much evil, madness and mayhem that it may be impossible to see GodÂ’s goodness at work. The Psalmist assures us however that this is not so. Indeed GodÂ’s love is present everywhere. Whether you are a follower of astronomers, geologists, naturalists, botanists, chemists, miners or any other who study the works of God, know that the truth they declare is not theirs, but testimony to the love of God. Every creature, real or imagined, bear testimony to GodÂ’s love and every square of ocean depth or land mass bears witness to GodÂ’s goodness. Think of all we have discovered so far, and then think of how much more we are yet to discover. It is sad therefore when we consider that there are some persons who live daily in the presence of GodÂ’s merciful love but fail to see it.

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