Midweek Meditation

By Elder Gregory L. Edmond 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  NKJV Picture, if you will, a line of people. These people are from different backgrounds and families. Only one thing unites them and that is the fact that all are incredibly thirsty. Each of them longs for a cup of cold water. Now, imagine the first in this great line being given a case of ice cold water. With great anticipation, they grab a bottle and begin to quench their overpowering thirst. The dryness and pain that came with the thirst is quickly forgotten as they embrace the refreshing liquid. After enjoying the comforts of the water, the person is then refreshed and ready to pass on this wonderful gift. With great joy, they proceed to hand a bottle of wat

By Presiding Elder Rev. Gregory L. Edmond Esther 3:2 "And all the king's servants who were within the king's gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai would not bow or pay homage." NKJV What do you worship? Let me ask it this way, "What or who controls you?"  Chances are that the person or thing that controls you is also the thing you worship. In our "enlightened" society we may not create idols of gold or silver but we still have 50 inch flat screens that we sit in front of for hours at a time. It may not be an object, it may be a person. Husband, wife, child or even a boyfriend or girlfriend could be elevated to the point of our worship. In short, anything we place above God in importance is an idol we are worshiping. In the book of Esther, Mordecai was commanded to worship Haman and yet he refused because he knew it was wrong. He was not going to allow himself to be controlled

by  Elder  Rev. Gregory L. Edmond 2 Corinthians 12:10 "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." NKJV "I take pleasure in infirmities." This is a very odd statement from the Apostle Paul. How is it possible that we can take pleasure in the hardships and trials of life?  We can take pleasure in these things because when we are being attacked & our strength is disappearing, we can know that the power of God is about to break through in our lives. When we are weak, God is strong on our behalf. When we find ourselves at the end of ourselves, God is there to carry us the rest of the way. He is our hope when we get those bad diagnoses because we know that healing is coming in this life or the next. He is our power when faced with temptation because we know that He will provide a way out. He is our source of love when facing an unloving

by Presiding Elder Rev. Gregory L. Edmond   1 Corinthians 12:7 "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:" NKJV Can you imagine what it might have been like on the Day of Pentecost? Hearing a rushing wind, you look around to see tongues of fire upon each person assembled with you. Then as soon as you're filled with God's Spirit you begin speaking in other languages. As incredible as it all sounds, imagine what it might have been like hours before. Many of these men and women had seen or heard Jesus and knew of His resurrection. They also were aware of His great commission and were probably wondering how in the world they were supposed to go into all the world and share the Gospel. After all, they were a small group and, it was a big world. The good news is that God did not leave them there to strive in vain. They were not going to have to rely on their own strength to accomplish what Jesus had instructed them to do.

By Rev. Gregory L. Edmond Haggai 1:12 "Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of God's people began to obey the message from the LORD their God. When they heard the words of the prophet Haggai, whom the LORD their God had sent, the people feared the LORD." NKJV Sometimes in life, it can be difficult to make decisions. When it comes to larger choices, it becomes even more difficult. Things like, "Who should I marry" and "What job should I take," can overwhelm us and even sometimes paralyze us from action. In those moments where we are uncertain, we can still remain obedient in what we know we should be doing. ·           Read God's Word ·           Pray ·           Fellowship with other believers ·           Love others As we walk in obedience with these things, we will find that God will lead us into wise decisions on the big things. After all, if you are in God's

by Rev. Gregory L. Edmond 2 Corinthians 7:4 "Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation." NKJV It's hard to think of a trial as a good thing, but in  2 Corinthians 7 , Paul indicates that we can find joy in our trials. How can this be? After all, trials are painful. Trials may be painful, but they are also great opportunities to see how God has changed our lives. Remember in school when you took a test and knew the material? You looked forward to it. It was a chance to exercise what you were learning. The same is true in our faith. We can see what we are learning through our trials. Another joyful purpose of a trial is to learn from it. God will use difficult situations to teach us about ourselves or about other people. We can learn how to respond in a situation or how not to respond. Sometimes when we don't learn the lesson, we repeat the trial