Reflections from Proverbs 4:20-23

How did you get here?

It is rare to find a case where items of extraordinary value or items that present an extraordinary threat of harm to others is left unsecured.

 

Security guards, security systems, reinforced walls…etc are strategically positioned and deployed to control access both in and out.  Anyone or anything that doesn’t have specific and vetted authority is not given access to the secured areas where those items are and even if they are given access, their every move is monitored in order to prevent theft, misuse and/or destruction.

Do you realize that you hold something of extraordinary value? Something that when handled appropriately will determine the success you have, your multi-generational impact, the quality of life that you will experience and will impact every relationship that you have?

This precious treasure is your HEART!

Your heart is the repository of your innermost treasure…your wisdom, your emotions, your passions, your appetites and it is also the divinely determined filter that information and experiences flow through in order govern the way you experience life as influenced by the choices you make under your heart’s influence.

 

Your heart impacts the depth of your perception, the degree of your participation and the development of your priorities.

So why don’t we take more responsibility for guarding our hearts like the precious treasure that it is?

We let negative thoughts linger…We entertain negative people…We cling to fear…We cling to doubt…We hold on to hurt…We allow an unforgiving spirit and vengeance to reside…We even allow feelings of unworthiness to dwell.

Instead of allowing what is true, edifying, hopeful and ultimately life giving to deeply penetrate our hearts we leave our hearts exposed and unguarded so that the enemy can steal, kill and destroy the seeds of wise and purpose-filled living and success before they even get a chance to take root.

I invite you to examine your heart.  Examine not only the choices that you have made but the underlying emotions or heart influences whose results are the choices that are limiting you from experiencing “the best of you”.  As you see “uninvited guests” in your heart, feel free to have a “Deborah Cox moment” and ask, “How did you get here?”  Well if you are honest…They got in because you had a breach, didn’t arm the system or left an entry point open or exposed.

I encourage you today to arm your systems and guard your hearts because your heart determines the course of your life.

 

Ask God to help you to bring your system up to date, to help you to evict any “uninvited guests” and to remedy any breaches.  Your heart is too valuable to give everyone and everything open and easy access.

Is your heart safe?

Proverbs 4:20-23 My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Be Blessed,

Soul of a Man (ZBJ)

Reflections from (Matthew 6:5-6)

Public Demonstration should be a reflection of Private Dedication!

Beware of the one who craves public performance without a commitment to a pursuit of perfection in private.

From Praying, to Preaching, to Teaching, to Speaking, to Playing an Instrument, to Coaching, to Managing Others….etc. Our true motivation will determine the eternal value of what we choose to do.  Pursuing a publicly praised persona as a primary priority renders our pursuit pointless.

 

NEVER CRAVE THE VOID VALIDATION OF THE CROWD. It is an illusion, with a time-stamped expiration date at best.

The allure of applause appeases the appetite of the immature and the self-righteous.  It is seeded in pride and produces poisonous fruit, pitiful productions, and painful personal engagements.

To make what you are doing really matter, it starts with an inspection of the Heart…it begins with introspection.

God inspects our hearts to determine the actual worth of our actions. He knows our hearts through the time that we spend with Him “during practice”, not by what we say or display concerning Him “during our performance”.

What are you doing in private to perfect that which God will get the glory from publicly? Does your public display mirror your private devotion or are you so concerned with the “Shine” that you have neglected” the “Grind”?

Matthew 6:5-6“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

I

Adam knew [Eve as] his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for [she said], “God has granted another child for me in place of Abel, because Cain killed him.” To Seth, also, a son was born, whom he named Enosh (mortal man, mankind). At that [same] time men began to call on the name of the Lord [in worship through prayer, praise, and thanksgiving]. GENESIS 4:25‭-‬26 AMP https://bible.com/bible/1588/gen.4.25-26.AMP

Some of the most vivid memories I have in life are of the moments when I experienced loss. Losing a relationship with a person who finally revealed disloyal, deceptive or destructive intentions... losing a game that I spent countless hours preparing for... losing a loved one to death or distance... losing some state of innocence due to a violation of trust. 

Loss hurts. 

No doubt. That's a fact but, how we respond to loss will define our ultimate legacy. 

In 2020, like every year, there have been and are wins and losses. We should take lessons from both. What we take from our losses tends to shape our character more deeply because it takes faith and hope to recover from a loss and to live with the expectation that you will ultimately win! 

After experiencing not only the loss of a child, but the loss of a child at the hands of another one of their children, Adam and Eve had to have been devastated. It was such a severe series of losses that they could easily justify blaming themselves, turning their backs on God, rejecting His command to be fruitful and to multiply and abandoning their legacy, but they didn't let the story end nor their legacy die with the loss. They took God at His Word, had another child and during his child's lifetime a unique period of worshiping God through prayer, praise and thanksgiving was born. 

In this moment...the second half of a challenging year, look what was lost dead in the eyes and proclaim: I am not defined by my losses! I will not abandon my legacy! I will WIN! 

What have you learned from what you have lost? What steps of faith must you take to resume your pursuit of destined legacy and purpose? What wins will be birthed from your losses? Don't let the pain of a loss lead you to abandon your true legacy! 

 Be Blessed! Soul of a Man 

Where is the Love???

Most of my weekdays start around 5am and usually end after midnight.  I start my days making sure that my kids are prepped and ready for the day, have had some type of meaningful communication and fellowship with God and then ensuring that they are delivered safely to their respective “drop zones”, so that the “cheddar buses” can transport them to school.  The rest of my day is filled with the usual tasks like work, splitting (dinner, kid transportation, kid activities...etc.)  responsibilities with my wife and completing the countless other tasks that a couple with an active teenage daughter and teenage son are required to handle.  I look for opportunities to help others along the way, coach youth football, serve in my local church and minister to both family and friends along the way.

By human standards, I’m a “good dude”…good husband…good father…good child of God, so why do I find myself at times feeling empty and taken for granted after doing so many “good things”?

I Corinthians 13:1-3 MSG) reads:

“If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.  If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.”

No matter what “good” I do, if I don’t do what I do out of a heart of love or from a compulsion, a deep urging, to release love, then not only are my actions empty, energy consuming  and meaningless but I’m literally “nothing”.  I’m nothing without love.  What a sobering statement!  I can be doing what appears on the surface to be significant and influential tasks for the Kingdom of God, within my community and even in my house, but those things are shallow at best if love isn’t the primary driver.  Only what I do for God and to serve others as provoked by love will last. 

It is definitely time for a perspective and a procedural shift!

No longer can I just do “good” things with love, in the back of my mind or as an afterthought.  I have to cover my thoughts and actions in love.  Love must saturate my being so much that “self” will have no room to set up camp.  I must choose to love before I actually engage in the loving deed.  Love must precede me before I take action, cover me while I’m acting and be the sweet residue that remains after my task is complete. 

Love adds meaning to life.  To love is to live!  

Are you tired of “loving” in vain? Are you tired of feeling empty after you have “served” or “loved“ others?  Why not begin to make your daily tasks more purposeful and pleasing to God by transforming them into acts of worship and honor to Him by saturating them in love.  Plan to love!  Do all that you do because of love and watch your life take on new meaning and your interactions become more meaningful.  You will only begin to live when you begin to practice a lifestyle of love! Are you ready for love?

Be Blessed,

B

More Than Just a Day at the Beach

Fun filled and drama free times of relaxation with family and friends, fresh Saltwater Taffy, a trip to Sweet Frog for some raspberry pomegranate sorbet, the relaxing melody sang by gentle waves tumbling as they meet the shore, the warmth of the sand beneath my feet…those are some of the things that I look forward to when welcoming Summer during a Memorial Day Weekend.  It is a time that we pray for and remember our troops, but it is also the traditional “start of summer”.

This year, the Jeffers Crew (JFAM as I call them), packed up and joined my Brother (In Law), Sister (In Law), three of my nieces and my only nephew for a mini vacation in Ocean City, Maryland. One of the amenities, of the community that they are a part of, is access to a small “private beach”.  This is a great spot to hang around, catch a nice breeze and partake in typical summer beach activities.

One afternoon during the weekend, the entire family was present at the beach.  As I was resting in my beach chair, my eye was drawn to my nephew as he passionately, meticulously, and energetically dug a hole in beachfront.  He was a little man on a mission.  As he dug this hole, he piled up the loose sand so that he could easily begin to mold and create a sand castle.  I was so drawn in by his efforts, that I left my seat of comfort and stood by him and talked to him about his project.  After about 15 minutes, I returned to my seat and continued to watch as he completed his task by creating a moat that even contained seaweed. 

I wasn’t the only one compelled to watch him.  I observed about a dozen people stop, stare and/or inquire about the project that he was diligently working on.  Similarly, when the kids caught and began to care for a turtle that they found, many people were drawn to them.

 

It intrigued me that out of all of the action taking place at the beach, the actions that attracted people to them were the activities where people could observe the passion and diligence of the participant (the building of the sand castle) or the love for others (a turtle in this case).  I began to think:

·         Am I drawing people to the Kingdom of God by the passion that I display toward Kingdom work?

·         Am I drawing people into the Kingdom by the love that I show toward others?

·         Does God’s character flow through me to the point that people are literally stopped in their tracks and take interest?

Matthew 5:14-16(NLT) 14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

John 13:35(ESV) By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

In a dark world, the shining of our light, should draw people in and usher them into the kingdom.  Our love for one another should also identify us with God.  Our Love should be so genuine and selfless that people will clearly identify it as being “supernatural”.  Our passions, gifts and talents should be used as tools not for our glory but for the glory of God and for the good of others.  If you don’t know what your passions and gifts are, speak to God and to Spirit lead people in your circle to discover what your “show stopping” qualities are.  Identify them and use them to “move the crowd” toward a closer walk with God.  

Draw a crowd this summer!!!  Life is more than a beach…

Be Blessed!

B

What Season is it?

Can somebody say SPRING!!!

This past Sunday Afternoon (the 5^th Sunday in March…after the welcomed “calendar only” arrival of Spring), I had the pleasure of making a journey from East Baltimore to West Baltimore County.   While driving, I noticed that what was once rain transformed into sleet and snow.   It totally caught me off guard and from the chatter that it created on Social Media and in real life circles, it appears that I wasn’t the only one.  The sleet pounded my car like mini-meteorites and the snowflakes were large and fluffy like giant sized cotton balls.  It was a marvel to behold.  It snowed for several hours blanketing the cars, the grass, the trees and even some of the walkways and streets.

In about 24 hours, as the temperatures rose, there was little to no evidence of the “covering” that had occurred.  It was gone.  The environment did not sustain the conditions needed to allow the “covering” to last.  As quickly as it came…it went. 

Where is your covering?  Many of us were poured into this weekend through hearing the Word of God.  Our Souls and our Spirits were fed and empowered.  We were radiating from having a close encounter with God and were determined to make life changes; however after a day or two have passed, there is no evidence of change…no evidence of a close encounter with the Creator of the Universe…no power…and the Soul and the Spirit that were well fed this weekend are dying from starvation and pale from neglect.

James 1:22 (The Message MSG)

22-24 Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.

Romans 2:13(New Living Translation NLT)

13 For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight

In order to activate the Power of God we must put into action that which we have learned from God.  Life starts…when church (service) ends.  This means that it is up to us to be living testimonies as we feed our spirit and souls with the things of God.  As we feed our spirit, the influence of the spirit will change our choices and motivate us to do that which is pleasing to God.  The evidence of our growth is not in how loudly we praise on Sunday, but in how we live out His directives Monday-Sunday.

Our Sundays and our Mondays should not look like two different “seasons”.  Let our talk match our walk.  Let us feed the Spirit by spending quality time with God and by subjecting ourselves to wholesome/Godly inputs and stimulus.  Then the power of God will sustain our lives and even when life’s circumstances try to dictate a “winter weather event”, God will remind us that Spring has arrived and it is here to stay.

It’s time to GROW and SHOW!!!

Be Blessed!

B

Pile Up!!!

My wife is an awesome cook! One of the ways that she expresses her love to us is by preparing delicious dishes as part of mouth-watering and soul satisfying meals.  As we all know, dishes are always a byproduct of cooking a meal, so my wife, who loves a clean kitchen as well, will wash dishes as she goes along cooking the meal.  I’m the polar opposite.  My tendency is to pretty much use every pot, pan, measuring cup, measuring spoon and seasoning known to man.  I scatter them around the countertops while I go to work on the meal.  I usually don’t even think about cleaning a dish until I’m done eating.

Like my wife, my parents also used to tell me that it is much easier to clean as you go along than to wait until the end.  There were two primary reasons that they said that this was the wise way to go:

1.      It is easier to clean pots, pans, bowls utensils etc. while they are still warm or before the food gets a chance to dry up/cool down and stick to the surface of the item that they have rested on.

2.      The task can appear to be overwhelming if you wait until the very end to try to clean up.  There will be a mountain of dishes that you’ll have to climb and you won’t feel like climbing that mountain after you have finished your meal.

This wisdom has so many practical applications.  One is in our approach to dealing with our sin.  Our sin manifests itself in so many ways and if we don’t take an active approach to dealing with it immediately, it will “pile up”, cause deep lasting “stains” and bond to us making it very difficult to remove its residue.  Some of the benefits of taking an urgent approach to dealing with our shortcomings are evidenced in Psalms 32  

“Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is he who has forgiveness of his transgression continually exercised upon him, whose sin is covered. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silence [before I confessed], my bones wasted away through my groaning all the day long.4 For day and night Your hand [of displeasure] was heavy upon me; my moisture was turned into the drought of summer. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord [continually unfolding the past till all is told]—then You [instantly] forgave me the guilt and iniquity of my sin. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! For this [forgiveness] let everyone who is godly pray—pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely when the great waters [of trial] overflow, they shall not reach [the spirit in] him. You are a hiding place for me; You, Lord, preserve me from trouble, You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance”. 

When we get serious about dealing with our faults, are “broken by our brokenness” and are moved to change through God’s power, like David (the author of the Psalm above), we will be Blessed, be filled with joy, be overcome by inner peace and we will no longer have to run or hide from God because we will our find refuge in Him. 

Psalm’s 66:18 reminds us that God doesn’t even entertain our prayers if we try to “hide” unconfessed sin in our hearts…so what are you waiting for?  It is time to “knock out the soiled dishes” so that they won’t linger, stain, stink and eventually overwhelm you.  There is no benefit to continuing with destructive habits, “diseased” relationships, detrimental decisions and a daunting lack of forgiveness that aims to dominate you.  God is ready to wipe your slate clean, but you have to be willing to bring your “dishes” to Him.

Are you tired of letting life’s letdowns pile up?  Well it is time to let Go and to Let God deal with your dirty dishes.

Be Blessed!!!

B