Thoughts on the New Year

Happy New Year!

 Well kind of.  It is indeed January 2014, the start of a new year on the Gregorian secular calendar. And yes I am happy that God has allowed me to see a new day and year.  But…. May I share with you my dilemma?

 I live in a secular world that honors a calendar that its leaders came up with more than millennia ago.  However, though I live here I am not from here.  I am from a Divine kingdom whose ruler is the Almighty God that I worship.  His rules and calendar are different from the place in which I dwell. 

My life in this world and my challenge navigating its rules is a temporary condition. One day my life here will end. However one day I will dwell in the Divine Kingdom of my Creator forever and I want to be prepared for that eternal life.  So here comes my issue… whose calendar should motivate my choices and how I spend my time?

I have always had trouble with time.  It is my most valuable resource and how I spend my time- and with whom- give the casual observer a picture into what I consider important.  I only get twenty-four hours per day (hopefully eight of them I will spend sleeping) and none of them can be saved or reused at a later date.

I’m not talking about whether or not to celebrate a new year but whether in my daily life which calendar is the one that transforms my life and my future.  Yes I stayed awake with my family to watch the ball drop in Times Square and I watched the people in the square so full of excitement and expectation for a new beginning.  But as I looked out of the window and into the night’s sky at nature I realized nothing had altered. It was still a cold dark winter night (well its winter in my hemisphere)

You see in this Divine Kingdom I come from when my Creator says “Behold I make all things new” things change – His words are powerful and just His voice is enough to speak worlds into existence. When He simply speaks nature and the atmosphere begin to alter and make accommodation for what my God is about to do. When His new year comes nothing remains the same.

My God is so sweet He actually gives us more than one New Year a civil and a scared but I will stick with the civil year.  The Biblical civil New Year begins around September or October and three major feasts are celebrated during this time - the feast of trumpets, the Day of Atonement and feast of tabernacles.  A time of pronouncement, a day of restoration and a time of refreshing.  These feasts coincide with the fall harvest season.  A time when life’s cycle begins again.  The land releases its bounty and prepares for rest.  The Creator releases peace into my life and gives me another moment to rest in Him.  God pronounces blessing over my life; restores our relationship; and refreshes my soul, body and physical needs.  He takes the time to fill me until my cup runs over and I do not have room for any distraction. It is a time when He chooses to overwhelm me with His love for me. It’s a date I cannot miss.

You see, if you have said yes to Jesus Christ you are from the same Divine Kingdom that I am. The bounty He gives each New Year He wants to give to you.  He wants us to be fully satisfied; resting in Him.  He wants to recharge and restore you before you move out into your next season.

If you want to understand why He moves the way He moves you have to look at the way He chose to divide time and understand time on His terms.  Understanding His timing makes a new year fresh and full of expectation and a Sabbath rest more peaceful. As my music teacher always taught me, “Practice does not make perfect, practice makes permanent.”  Let us practice now for the eternal life we crave.

Be Blessed

xylia

Treasures in Jars of Clay - 2 Corinthians 4:7

by Xylia Sparks-Davis on 03/26/13

Treasures in Jars of Clay

2 Corinthians 4:7

I’m a student of Biblical History and am absolutely fascinated with the First century, the century in which Jesus lived and the church was born, its politics and culture and how those influences that surrounded the new believers affected the Jesus Movement and the growth of the church. So when I study the New Testament this happens to flow out of me whether I want it to or not.

Let’s read some of assignment together - 2 Corinthians chapter 4

4 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 

In reading our text, a certain verse rang true with me and I am going to park there for a minute.  Verse 7.  Here it is in the New International version.

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

When I read this verse, two things come to mind – one is an experience and the other is an image.  Do you mind if share them with you?  Thanks.  First the experience. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to see the Dead Sea Scrolls when they toured North Carolina.  In fact, it was my engagement present from my husband. 

These scrolls of Holy Scripture were persevered by a group called the Essences who lived in Qumran in the Judean desert.  They took upon themselves the task of copying the word of God with excellence. If a scroll had even one mistake, the entire scroll was banished to the fire. It had to be destroyed so it could not be later read and compromise the accuracy of the word of God.  When a scribe had completed a scroll without errors, the scroll was stored in a clay jar. 

In the Essences day as well as Paul’s, a clay jar was where a person would hide their dearest treasures. Clay jars were the ancient equivalent of safe deposit boxes.  Whether it was wine, oil, or jewels -  anything of high value was placed in a clay jar.  These jars were not adorned. The jars were chosen not because they were beautiful. You could walk right past these jars and never know there was a treasure inside.  It was what was inside the jars that solely gave them value.

We are jars of clay.  Our true beauty does not come from our outward appearance, but from the indwelling of the Word of God (who is Jesus) and the Holy Spirit.  Though the clay jars of the first century were meant to hide treasures, our prized possession, the word of God, is meant to be seen, touched and felt.  Our jars our meant to be cracked.

Just our Creator commanded light to shine out of darkness so are we to shine as light in a darkened world. The cracks in our jars allow His light to be revealed.  What cracks our jars?  The challenges of life and the persecution of the adversary.  Poor Satan, he thinks that when brings trouble into our lives to weigh us down and make us give up on Christ. Instead the issues our allowed in our lives to reveal the glory of God under pressure and unblind the eye of the unbeliever.  We can say like Paul that

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

The treasure inside us is too precious for us to let go.

I want to leave you with the image I spoke of at the beginning. Click the link to see the image http://www.umilta.net/veneranda1.jpg. The photo is of a wall relief found in the underground catacombs of Domatilla in Rome.  Domatilla’s husband was a Christian and was martyred by her uncle- the Emperor Domitian. Her catacomb was place where the early church hid from persecution.  The painting in her catacomb dates back to that era.  The woman on the right is believed to be Petronilla, the daughter of the apostle Peter. Scrolls were usually painted in the types of artwork to state that the person was a teacher or proclaimer of the message of Jesus. 

Pertornilla was a believer in Christ, just like you and me.  She witnessed the change that Christ had in the life of her father. She knew of His healing power through the restoration of her grandmother. Just as we have seen Him change our lives and the lives of people, we love.  She did more than take her family’s word for it; she stood for Christ on her own and shared His goodness to those she encountered.

Why am I telling you about Petronilla? Because she did not hold high office in the church neither did she have any secret knowledge about God that we do not possess.  She did not say that because “I am not a leader” that my testimony is less valuable.  She just shared what she knew about her Jesus. Like Pertonilla, it is our personal testimonies that make the life changing power of God real for others.

We speak not of ourselves but of Christ. We are called to do the same as Pertonilla. It is because of her testimony about Christ that Petronilla is remembered.  That painting is the one that covered her grave for 8 centuries To embrace the Great Commission that she embraced to tell to others the story of the Christ who changed our lives. The treasure inside us is too precious to keep to ourselves.

Pausing to Give Thanks

by Xylia Sparks-Davis on 11/21/12

This holiday season is already becoming challenging for me.  The materialism of my society grates on my nerves on any given day but from October to the end of the year, it is especially painful. It is as if advertisements move from promoting Halloween straight into pushing the must have gift for Christmas.  We move from give me candy to give me  gifts.  Black Friday sales are now starting on Thursday evening to insure as many sales as possible. Thanksgiving is run over in the process.  It seems that there is an incessant need for more without true satisfaction or contentment in what we already possess. When did we stop giving thanks? 

Thanksgiving is not a one day event filled turkey and all the trimmings but a way of life.  It is the way of the content.  Giving thanks and celebrating others places us on the path toward fulfillment.  True satisfaction comes from Jesus.  True peace comes from releasing  our problems to Him and exchanging them for His joy.  When our burdens are lifted, we feel grateful.  It is better than any gift exchange policy that Macy’s can devise.  The woman with the issue of blood used this exchange policy. She didn’t even need a receipt. She just touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and sickness was exchanged for wholeness and joy.  David learned this lesson. He praised his way from his father’s sheepfold all the way into a kingdom of his own.  He saw his cup run over with God’s blessings and mercy follow him to the end of his days.

Filling our cup with joy starts with counting our blessings.  What or who are you thankful for this year?  Write them down and see how fast they begin to flow. As we navigate through this holiday season let us not forget to thank the source of all of our blessings.

Lord as I move through this holiday season, let me not take you for granted. You are the source of my joy. I am thankful for You this year and every year.  Thank you for the opportunities You sent me so I could grow and change. Thank you for the restoration of my health.  That you for saving my life when I didn’t know it was in danger.  Thank you for letting me know that no matter how devastating the problem that You are bigger than my issues.  Thank you for letting me know that through you I can overcome anything and through You I am truly blessed.

 (That is my list; you’ll have to write your own.)

Happy Thanksgiving

Until next time

Xylia

My prayer for you today

by Xylia Sparks-Davis on 11/02/12

O Lord God, King of the Universe, be with my sister today. Overshadow her with Your love. Heal her deepest afflictions. Place upon her Your balm of Gilead and bind her ever wound. Refresh her thirsty soul.  Protect her from her enemies as she walks in Your way. Increase her faith. Restore her joy this day and every day.

Esther – The Power of Intercession

by Xylia Sparks-Davis on 10/25/12

Esther is only one of two women who have a book of the bible named after her. Orphaned and raised by extended family, she is plucked from obscurity to become queen of one of the most powerful empires in the world. Esther’s story brings to mind the classic rags to riches tale.  However, her story has a twist. Women of God are not randomly moved.  We live lives of divine purpose.  God strategically moves a woman of God to be in the right spot at the perfect time to effect change for His Kingdom.  Esther was moved from the outskirts to the center of national influence to be an agent of divine protection.

The agent sent to cause havoc in your life sometimes comes in a benign or even and appealing package.  Esther’s nemesis was Haman, a man who rose in the political ranks to become chief advisor to her husband, Xerxes.  Haman had the look. He fit in with the right connections, fine clothes, on trend hair coming off the pages of GQ. He came across as trustworthy and made himself indispensable all while carrying sinister motives.  Was power Haman’s goal?  No, it was destroying the people of God.

Haman was so trusted that Xerxes did not even ask questions when Haman recommended that an entire people be wiped out for being out of step with mainstream Persian life.  They think differently. They worship different gods. They are causing national disturbance. They must go.  Xerxes did not have any details.  Beware of leaders with vague solutions to serious problems.  Xerxes didn’t know which group he had just scheduled for execution – all because he had unwavering trust in a man who could not be trusted.

Since the palace was Esther’s home and the seat of governmental power, Haman walked in and out of her home on a regular basis.  A person and grin in your face and seek to take your life and you can be completely in the dark. Esther was in the dark until the death edict was read to her. Can’t you just feel the enormity of this weighting upon her shoulders? Her future and future of every Jew in the empire was in the balance. I believe that Esther in that moment she remembered the words of the prophet, “If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray…” She knew what must be done. Only a move of God could turn the tide.  It was time to call a fast.

Some things can only be remedied by prayer and fasting.  When we seek God things change, answers are given, lives are transformed.  I don’t know what scriptures recited to herself and to her maids as she prayed and encouraged those around her that God would indeed fight this battle.  Maybe she quoted Psalm 23 for she was in the shadow of death but evil should not be feared.  Maybe she remembered Isaiah 59:16-18:

And he [GOD] saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. 17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. 18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.

Just as God dressed in His garments of war to bring salvation in Isaiah, Esther dressed for battle.  Empowered by being in the will of God she executed the weapons of grace and hospitality to soften the heart of Xerxes to hear the request of her people. The door was opened and Haman was exposed for what he truly was – a vindictive destroyer.  He was executed on very gallows he had constructed to kill a child of God. The prayers of the righteous saved a people.

Haman was more than just a man, but a spirit from the enemy who seeks to destroy in every generation. In the 20th century, he introduced himself as the leader of the Nazi party. Hitler gained political power in order to decimate and destroy millions. 

In each generation, the Lord calls for someone to stand in the gap. In one generation, he called Esther. In the 20th century, he called Oscar Schindler.  This time the Lord is calling you.  It is time for a nation of Esthers to rise up and pray. The spirit of Haman is loose in the land once again. He is seeking to devour God’s chosen ones through emotional imbalance, economic despair, religious and political oppression.  You have been placed right where you are – in your home, on your job, in your class- in order to bring glory to God and intercede for those who think they have no hope.

If Haman is active in your life and seeking to devour your purpose, please allow me to intercede on your behalf right now. “ May the Haman in your life be routed. May he fall into trap he has set for you.  May his plans for your demise come to pass in his life.  May a hedge of protection encircle your life on the ones you love.  May your paths be made straight. Your purpose from God will not be overset by the evil one but will be fulfilled in the fullness of God’s timing.”

Until next time,

Xylia