– Scripture:

When Jesus saw that a curious crowd was growing by the minute, he told his disciples to get him out of there to the other side of the lake. As they left, a religion scholar asked if he could go along. “I’ll go with you, wherever,” he said. Jesus was curt: “Are you ready to rough it? We’re not staying in the best inns, you know.” Another follower said, “Master, excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have my father’s funeral to take care of.” Jesus refused. “First things first. Your business is life, not death. Follow me. Pursue life.” Then he got in the boat, his disciples with him. The next thing they knew, they were in a severe storm. Waves were crashing into the boat—and he was sound asleep! They roused him, pleading, “Master, save us! We’re going down!” Jesus reprimanded them. “Why are you such cowards, such faint-hearts?” Then he stood up and told the wind to be silent, the sea to quiet down: “Silence!” The sea became smooth as glass. The men rubbed their eyes, astonished. “What’s going on here? Wind and sea come to heel at his command!”

                              Matthew 8:18–27 MSG

 – Reflection:

               Your Business is Life, Not Death

We all face dreams and obstacles that seem too big for us, but God has all the power in the world. The key is our faith. God works through our faith. If you believe little, you’ll receive little. If you think small and talk small, you’ll get stuck where you are. Trust and believe in GOD and his son Jesus Christ. With that belief you can go farther than you ever thought you could, and it can all be attributed to your belief in our savior.

 Where do we go from here?

The Scripture talks about different levels of faith. The disciples were in a boat with Jesus when a huge storm arose and the waves swept over the boat. They woke Jesus up and cried out, “We’re about to die!” He responded, “Why do you have such little faith? You’ve seen the miracles I’ve done. You know I can do anything. Why are you still stuck at this low level of faith?” If you’re going to reach the fullness of your destiny, it’s not going to happen with weak faith, doubting faith, or average faith. It’s going to take great faith. The good news is, it’s in you, but you have to awaken your great faith. You have to dare to believe big, to take the limits off. Remember what he did for us and the miracles performed by him to help others.

Our Prayer for Today

Father, thank You that You bring obstacles across my path so big that only You can make it happen. Help me to be bold, to dare to believe, to dare to take some new steps of faith. I declare that I will not stay stuck at a low level of faith. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 – Scripture:

Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you’ve got, be resolute, and love without stopping.

                                     1 Corinthians 16:13–14 MSG

 – Reflection:

                   Speak Responsibly

I mean, the mess and complexity of life can make speaking truth in love daunting and uncomfortable for example, when it requires we challenge a brother or admonish him; when it requires we call-out a brother or call him back from sin. So it’s a rare group of men indeed who are willing to speak truth in love even when it’s hard. We’ve got to be that kind of men. Whether it’s two of us or twelve of us or more, when we gather in Christian community, are to speak truth to one another, truth motivated by love.

 Where do we go from here?

Do you know one another’s stories? If you haven’t already, give each person an hour—at least—to tell his story, completely. Have each person start at the beginning and bring his story current. Encourage transparency. Ask no questions. Give no advice. Just listen. For us to be that kind, though, we must first be another kind: men who take time to know one another. You see, except in a few cases, it’s irresponsible to “speak truth” to any man without knowing his story. We’re one body, all following our King, Jesus Christ, but we’re also all different, with different designs, different functions, different experiences.

 Our Prayer for Today

Father, being the creator of al things including community. You know that for community to work, for truth to actually flow freely we must be honest. It is with that honesty that we are all able to help each other become the best versions of ourselves, to complete the best work; the work you have for us. We can’t fix anyone all we can do is help to lead those people to you the father by showing them our savior Jesus Christ. With that grace that is given to us by God, we can all say. Amen.

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

                                     Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 MSG

– Reflection:

                    Who Can Handle The Truth

Can you handle the truth? A truth that is so blinding that all you can do is pay attention. Would you be able to handle that? I thought I could, but I am not so sure now. There have been times when I knew where the boat of life was taking me. Now that I have this nonprofit and helping young people become their best selves, the truth I thought I was driving toward looks different. We are normally prepared for whatever change happens. God’s work takes you by surprise and makes you take notice. It blinds you and doesn’t let you look away until you understand all that needs to be done. My path is now busy; as I try to complete both paths, mine and the one GOD has placed me on, there will be a choice. I know what I must do and will do to honor GOD and the work he has placed before me. When that light blinds you, I hope you choose the correct path the first time. I didn’t, but hopefully, you will be better than I am.

Where do we go from here?

I am now in a brotherhood of those who have the work of Christ in their hearts, too, so I am no longer alone and can accept the truth of the work of Christ. Support and encouragement are crucial for friendship, of course. But by themselves, they aren’t enough and are not even close. True friendship requires more. The kind of friendship God intends requires that we look deeper and try to see things only friends can see. And it requires that we tell the truth. So, when friends are stuck or struggling with denial, passivity, or sin, true friendship requires that we face awkwardness, embarrassment, or fear of rejection head-on, name problems honestly (though gently, too), and make every attempt to challenge, push, rescue, and restore. True friendship requires that we go “all in.” We must be willing to initiate tough conversations when they are needed. I can handle the truth now; if you haven’t been able to, hopefully, you gain a group of people around you who are willing to hold you accountable, and you them.

Our Prayer for Today

Father, you empower all men or groups of people to search for and know you. Thank you for encouraging us all. You have allowed us to know your entire story and explicitly empowered us to speak honestly into one another’s lives. For those who haven’t, stand on your courage and take that step. It’s one most men or women will never take. Amen.

– Scripture:

The apostles then rendezvoused with Jesus and reported on all that they had done and taught. Jesus said, “Come off by yourselves; let’s take a break and get a little rest.” For there was constant coming and going. They didn’t even have time to eat.

                                Mark 6:30–31 MSG

– Reflection:

                 Stay In Balance

Everywhere Jesus went, He was healing people, teaching in the Jewish Churches, pouring Himself into His disciples. People made constant demands on His time and energy. Imagine how He felt. As the Son of God, He had this incredible power, anointing, wisdom, and much to offer. Yet, when He was exhausted at times, He would go away from the crowds and get alone so He could be refreshed. Despite the pressing needs around Him, Jesus knew He had to take care of His temple.

Where do we go from here?

The Son of God had to be alone and rest; if He couldn’t meet all the demands of the people around Him, why do we think we can go all the time and be everything for everyone? You get depleted no matter how special, strong, smart, or gifted you are. Despite all the needs around you, you have to get alone and recharge your batteries. There will always be needs, always be something to do, and always be someone who needs your attention. You have to make it a priority to stay in balance.

Our Prayer for Today

Father, thank You for knowing our needs and making provisions for us throughout our life journey. Thank You for the example of how Jesus would get away and be refreshed when He was tired. Help us to be wise about taking care of ourselves and living balanced. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

– Scripture:

He told his disciples, “Hard trials and temptations are bound to come, but too bad for whoever brings them on! It’s better to wear a millstone necklace and take a swim in the deep blue sea than give even one of these dear little ones a hard time! “Be alert. If you see your friend going wrong, correct him. If he responds, forgive him. Even if it’s personal against you and repeated seven times through the day, and seven times he says, ‘I’m sorry, I won’t do it again,’ forgive him.” The apostles came up and said to the Master, “Give us more faith.” But the Master said, “You don’t need more faith. There is no ‘more’ or ‘less’ in faith. If you have a bare kernel of faith, say the size of a poppy seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, ‘Go jump in the lake,’ and it would do it.

                                         Luke 17:1–6 MSG

– Reflection:

                     A Kernel of Faith

We all want our lives to matter. We want these few days we spend here to mean something. We want to have some sort of impact. Well, if we really want impact, we’ve got to allow the amplifying power of the Holy Spirit to work through us by being willing to act in faith. When we act alone (as we so often do), we do so with our own strength. But when we act in faith, our actions are amplified by the strength of a great and powerful God. Men and women acting in faith have “stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.”

Where do we go from here?

The surprising thing about acting in faith is that unlike when we act alone, our skill or cleverness does not determine the magnitude of impact. When the Apostle Paul worked to start the church in Corinth, he spoke “in weakness and fear,” lacking “plausible words of wisdom.” He must have doubted whether he’d had any impact at all. But the church was established nonetheless. “God’s Spirit and God’s power did it,” through Paul’s seemingly unimpressive actions, taken in faith.

Our Prayer for Today

Father, You wake us every day ready for the work You have for us. Please watch over us as we go about our day. We will definitely have some ups and downs because of our human condition. Please help us to keep you on our minds as we do what we are supposed to and continue helping those who are further away from you than us. As I end this prayer, I want to honor my Aunt Vera for the loss of her son “Deron Thompson.” Keep her and my cousin Shunda safe, as well as the family’s little ones. Keep them safe and protect them for the rest of the day. In Jesus’ name, we all said. Amen.