Written & Published by Lolita Buck At the core of it all, God is supreme. He is over it all. That is, EVERYTHING. And Psalm 46:10 reminds us to stand still in reverence of not only who he is, but to also respect his power in the earth. But regardless of that power God assures us that he can become whatever we need him to be in any given circumstance. It appears as though God spoke to Moses prior to his attempt to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. Moses wanted them to feel comfortable knowing that it was God who sent him to their rescue. And so he asked God who should I tell them sent me? God's response is "I am that I am" tell them "I am" sent you. I find it very interesting that Moses was concerned about them feeling safe & secure in his care, as God's representative. Perhaps this was because they had been oppressed by Pharoah for many many years and he felt they may be sort of apprehensive following him. Or maybe this was his way of questioning his own ability to carry out the task at hand? But either way, God made it clear that he wanted his people set free & he would be whatever they needed him to be all throughout the journey. All Moses needed to do was show up & follow God's lead. Exodus 3:7-14 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you. I absolutely love this story! Although it took the children of Israel forty years to complete an eleven day journey & not all of the original crew made it to the promise land. God kept his word & saw them through, until the very end. Just to name a few examples of how God showed up & showed out. Anytime Moses raised his staff the Israelites had victory; just by raising it, come on you have to admit that's pretty dope. He also fed them continuously by raining down mana from Heaven & he instructed Moses to speak to a rock to produce water to quench their thirst. He parted the Red Sea so they could make it to the other side. Mind you this is the same Red Sea that swallowed up Pharoah & his army. Need i go on? I think you get my drift though. Whatever they needed God to be he was. And the same holds true for me & you. If you need him to be peace, joy, strength, hope, a healer, a deliverer, a comforter etc. just name it, & he will be the very thing you ask of him. It's just that simple my friend. It is in those moments where he proves himself to be the solution to your problem by morphing into just what you need at any given time, that you literally stand still & realize beyond a shadow of a doubt that he truly is God. Because we know & expect God to show up in every instance of our lives as the great "I am". This should give you and I the hope & assurance that with and through God absolutely nothing is impossible. Yes it took them forty years due to their own impatience & stubbornness to make it to the promise land. But God remained faithful & they eventually made it to their destination. A land flowing with milk & honey. That same opportunity presents itself to you & I as we learn trust him as the great "I am" in our lives each & everyday. Matthew 19:26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." As you go forward in your daily journey I extend love & peace to each of you. I pray that you find your "it" and that you OWN IT. That the chains of this world be broken off of you & that you walk in the light that God intended you to walk in.
With dedication & servitude -Lolita
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Written & Published by Lolita Buck Thank goodness we don't have a layaway or a down payment kind of God. When he goes all in, he's ALL IN for those he loves. That includes you my friend. No greater love than for a man to lay down his life for his friends. I don't even know how we can repay him for the ultimate sacrifice, his life? But the beauty of it all is that God doesn't require us to do so. He only asks that we accept him as our Lord & Saviour. Why wouldn't you though? When he put his one & only son on a cross for you. Here this man laid there bleeding & dying for your sins. It's kind of a no brainer to me. But sad to say it, it's not so much for others. He did all of this & still some aren't convinced of his love. But regardless, he still extends the invitation to everyone. If you take him up on his offer you too will have the opportunity to spend an eternity with him! John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." I can remember hearing the story of Christ's redemption as a little child in Sunday school. And instantly I was hooked. I thought it was super cool for God to love me in that kind of way. I don't know how at such a young age I was able to comprehend it all? But instinctively I knew there was something REALLY SPECIAL about God's love. If someone just randomly comes & pays off all of your debt I don't think you can just ignore that. No doubt about it that level of love & commitment would get anyone's attention. Most people don't pay off their own debt let alone yours. Of course we all know that God's demonstration of love wasn't random. In fact it was carefully planned & executed with each of us in mind. But the magnitude of his love is what draws us to him. Because in today's vernacular "who does that"? Absolutely no one. I know deep in my heart I can never fully repay him for all that he has done. But the legacy, the imprint, that I leave in the earth about how awesone & amazing he is, that's my way of showing gratitude & thanksgiving. By extending his love to others I'll help to ensure that his sacrifice wasn't in vain. I thank him daily for everything he has done because i certainly don't deserve it. The gift of eternal life awaits me on the other side simply because I chose to believe in heart & confess with my tongue that he is Lord. His death & resurrection makes the stamp "PAID IN FULL" possible. Because of him, my sins have been forgiven. Hallelujah, bless his holy name! Romans 10:9-10 "Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." As you go forward in your daily journey I extend love & peace to each of you. I pray that you find your "it" and that you OWN IT. That the chains of this world be broken off of you & that you walk in the light that God intended you to walk in.
With dedication & servitude -Lolita Written & Published by Lolita Buck Sometimes in the hustle & bustle of life we tend to overlook God's amazing grace. It is in solitude & stillness that we get an opportunity to reflect, so that we can appreciate his love. I am learning this first hand with each new day. The beauty of God's grace is that it isn't about what he does for us. Instead, it's about him doing things for us when we actually don't deserve them. This is what we call the unmerited favor of God. It is only by the grace of God that I stand before you today the woman that I am. Everything about my story says who & what I've become probably shouldn't have been. But I am, who I am, because of the God who lives within me. Jeremiah 31:2-3 Thus says the LORD: "The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you." Often times in life we don't get a choice regarding the hand we're dealt. But we do get to choose who or what we will serve & honor in this life. I figured if God extends his love to me daily why not extend that love to others? It is only by the grace of God that I even have the opportunity to do so. I don't think many people fully understand the significance of God's grace. As the scripture above suggests it's an everlasting love. So whether you're deep in the valley or on the mountain top his faithfulness towards you remains. What a mighty & awesome God we serve! This simply means that the hand you're dealt in life is irrelevant. Regardless of your card suit, God's love trumps them all. I'm telling you this today because I'm a living, breathing, testament to this. God's love overshadows it all. He has the power & authority to make your name great among men even in the most deplorable circumstances. Genesis 12:2 " I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing." It's sort of amazing to me how your life can blossom into something you never imagined. Simply because you take a chance on God. You trust him to do his part while you do yours. To know he's got your back no matter what, is a pretty good feeling. One day I hope to hear each of your stories about how God's amazing grace helped you to flourish. And what it means to you to be wrapped in his unconditional love. But until then... As you go forward in your daily journey I extend love & peace to each of you. I pray that you find your "it" and that you OWN IT. That the chains of this world be broken off of you & that you walk in the light that God intended you to walk in.
With dedication & servitude -Lolita Written & Published by Lolita Buck I've always been told there are three things you should never discuss. Religion, money, & politics. So how ironic is it that in light of mid-term elections tomorrow I'm doing a post today that will blend the two? My love for God is always on display, but let me say this. Flip the coin heads or tails it's God; roll the dice odd or even it's God; democrat or republican it's God; libereral or conservative it's God; when it all boils down to it, it is God who is running the show. I'd give my vote to God on any day of the week. He is the "who" & the "what" that this country, is founded upon. I figured since we've been bombarded with all things politics these last few months why not give respect to the real Commander in Chief my Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ! Not that I'm implying which political party Jesus would have been associated with today had he lived in this era. But he certainly was for the people. So I'm kind of leaning towards democrat. But that's neither here nor there because that's not what this post is about. Today I'd like to focus on God's love & the fact that he is the way, the truth, & the life. Bottom line he is the only hope we have to bring peace back to our nation. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Psalm 86:15 "But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness." We've somehow gotten extremely complacent & lackluster about the importance of God & the role he plays in the sustainability of our nation. I do believe our votes count for something. However, they don't trump God's mighty hand & our ability to trust him to govern the world. It is only when we go back to the basics, meaning understanding the necessity of God in our lives that we can begin the healing process that this nation so desperately needs. He is very clear in his word that if we humble ourselves, turn from our evil ways, & seek him he will heal our land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." I think the signifance of voting especially in the African American community is mainly because it's such a privilege today as so many of our ancestors weren't given the opportunity to do so. It's definitely a way for our voices to be heard. But also our spiritual ears need to be in sync with God's voice so that he can guide us regardless of who's in office. And that's where we've dropped the ball in my opinion. No doubt about it, this is one of the strangest times in politics that I've ever witnessed. But the God that I serve is the same yesterday, today, & forever. That simply means that his love is unchanging regardless of the times that we're living in. Voting is significant if we want to change political climate, but trusting God is essential in determining the direction that this country is headed in. So although the two rarely mix these days God & politics, that is. I'll put my money on God any time because I believe deep down in my heart that he knows what's best for our country. Last but certainly not least, I'd like to pay homage to our ancestors who paved the way for each of us to have the opportunity to vote. On some level they each have allowed us to have a voice in this time & space. As you go forward in your daily journey I extend love & peace to each of you. I pray that you find your "it" and that you OWN IT. That the chains of this world be broken off of you & that you walk in the light that God intended you to walk in.
With dedication & servitude -Lolita |