The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Tuesday, March 31, 2020.

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making the wise simple. Psalm 19:7

Follow The Instructions

When I got my first place on my own I needed furniture. I wasn’t sure where to go, so I went to this new place that I had just heard of. From what I was told the furniture was inexpensive, good quality, and very on-trend. There was just one little catch. You had to put the furniture together yourself. Being relatively good with tools I hopped in the car and headed off to Ikea to furnish my home. What I had heard was absolutely correct. The furniture was nice, it was in my budget, and after testing it out it seemed like it would last for a little while. I figured that I had hit the apartment furnishing jackpot until I got home.

When I got home and emptied out the box, I was amazed at how many pieces there were. There were planks, and rods, and screws and doodads, and all kinds of stuff. The only tool they gave me was a little hex screw. I figured if they had put the one in the store together so could I. So I went about assembling my furniture from my memory of what it looked like in the store. From memory, I figured I could get this to fit with that and at the end have a great piece of furniture. After a couple hours, I had something that resembled what I thought I had purchased and a bunch of extra pieces. It was at that point that I took apart what I had built, grabbed the instructions and actually put together a perfect piece of furniture.

Friends, many times in life we do the same thing I did with this furniture. We see what we want and think we are smart enough to build it ourselves. We assume that we can put the pieces together, make the right calls, and make it all work out in the end without just because we are that smart. The problem is we are not. Life is difficult, complex, and no matter how smart we think we are we all need help. Life actually does come with instructions in the form of the word of God. The instructions that God gives through his word are correct, trustworthy, and perfect. We can trust what He says because He knows best. It may require you to tear apart some of what you have built, but what you can rebuild with the instructions will always be better.

Be Blessed,

Rev

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Monday, March 30, 2020.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

Always Ready

I used to love the show Baywatch. Well, actually I have never seen a whole episode of Baywatch. I loved watching the opening credits to Baywatch. The opening credits were absolutely awesome. The theme song would start playing and then you would see helicopters, and boats, and lifeguards running to the rescue. In the background the song would be playing with the words, “I’ll be ready whenever you need me. Forever and always I’m always here.” It was great to watch because it showed the lifeguards always coming to the rescue for people in need no matter what the situation.

If you think about it, many of us need rescuing from time to time. We get ourselves in over our heads, we wind up in places that we shouldn’t be and we make mistakes that could cost us dearly. In those times it would be great to know that there is someone who is watching out for us, who can arrive in an instant if we wind up in trouble that we can’t get out of. Someone that has the training and the ability to save us, even if they are saving us from ourselves. Someone who is ever-present no matter what trouble we get ourselves into.

Friends, part of the greatness of God is that He shows up in the time of trouble. No matter what we have gotten ourselves into God promises to be the place that we can seek refuge and that he will be there when we are in trouble. The thing about God is he sees it all and can step in to get us out of it any time. So don’t be reckless, but take courage in knowing that he is always there and always ready to step in.

Be Blessed,

Rev

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Friday, March 27, 2020.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

We’re On The Same Team

One of the great things about playing sports is it is easy to know who is on your sides. No matter if it is organized sports or if it is your local rec league you always know who is with you. In organized sports, everyone has a jersey. The people who are dressed like you are the ones that you can depend on and count on because you are on the same side. They are your teammates. You all are working on the same things and trying to achieve the same goals so everyone is on the same page.

In the Church, this is not always the case. When I say Church, I don’t mean your local congregation although this might apply there as well, I mean the global church. Too often while we are all children of God, all should be walking in the light and have fellowship with one another, too often we can be fractured into our “own” teams. We can battle between the Baptist and the Episcopalians. We can have Methodist battling it out with Lutherans. We can even find ways to argue with each other about being too liberal, too conservative and everything in between. This is simply not how it is supposed to be.

Friends, when you become a disciple of Christ all the other jerseys you wear stop mattering. We all are now on the same team. We are the ones that believe in the savior. We no longer have different jerseys, we now all wear HIS jersey. By wearing His jersey we are all in fellowship with one another. We are all striving for the same goals and all on the same team. So never forget, we may look at the playbook differently, and each plays a different role, but we are all on the same team.

Be Blessed,

Rev

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Thursday, March 26, 2020.

The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? Psalm 118:6

Never Alone

Growing up in New York City you don’t just have friends in your neighborhood, you make friends all across the city. This means that you can simultaneously have friends in the ritziest neighborhoods in the city, the roughest neighborhoods in the city and every type of neighborhood in between. Every neighborhood has its own personality and its own reputation that you want to be aware of as you travel. There are some neighborhoods where there may be a specific group of people that “run” the neighborhood and protect it from outsiders. There may be other neighborhoods where if you are not a “known” quantity Ms. Polaski on the 5^th floor automatically puts in a call to the local police prescient to have you “checked out.”

Knowing all of these things about neighborhoods as you travel can make you a bit uncomfortable from time to time. So as I traveled I always had a plan as I went to a new neighborhood, call ahead. I would call the person I was going to visit and have them meet me at the train station. That way as I walked through their neighborhood, I had someone with me who ensured that I was known and had nothing to worry about. By walking with someone there was no need to worry, fret, or look over my shoulder because I was not alone so there was no reason to be afraid.

Friends, there are always going to be times when we will be in places that are unknown or uncomfortable. In those situations, choose not to be afraid. In the same way that I would walk through the unknown with a friend, we always have the Lord to walk with us. You never have to be afraid or worried about what people may do because you have the Lord with you. He is your protection, your escort, and all you need to make it through. So fret not, and walk boldly because you are never alone.

Be Blessed,

Rev

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Wednesday, March 25, 2020.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Ask Him

You ask him. No, you ask him. I’m not gonna ask him. Why can’t you just ask him? If it’s so easy, then you just ask him. Fine, I’ll just ask him. This is the round and around that most children go through when they want to ask someone in authority for something. They go back and forth about who should do the asking until one of them gets up the nerve to walk over and make the big request. It doesn’t matter if the request is for ice cream money or just to go somewhere special, the song and dance is still the same. Unless one of the kids is asking their parents. Then they will stroll boldly up to them and ask for what they want.

Our confidence in asking for something often depends on our relationship with the person that we are asking and what we are asking for. When you are asking someone that you know well, you are more willing to ask because you know them well. You know their character. You know their capabilities. You know their willingness to help you. So you are more willing to ask them without hesitation. By contrast, people that you don’t know well you are less willing to ask for things. You don’t know them well and are not sure what may happen. So you may not ask them or you come to them with fear and doubt when asking.

Friends, how do you approach God when you need something? Do you approach him as if he is someone who you don’t know and are not sure how they will respond or do you approach him like a parent who you are close to and know you can ask for anything? How you view God and your relationship with him will influence how you approach him. When you become a believer you become a child of God. That means that you have access to him, and a relationship with him. So approach your father with confidence knowing that you will receive grace and help with whatever you need.

Be Blessed,

Rev

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Tuesday, March 24, 2020.

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.” Acts 16:31

A Good Influence

Influence is an amazing thing. I remember growing up that Michael Jordan was who everybody wanted to be like. Even before the Be Like Mike ads, we all wanted to be like Mike. I remember playing basketball with people wearing knee supports who did not have knee problems, but Mike wore one so they wore one. I remember teenagers shaving full heads of hair because when Mike’s hairline started to recede and he shaved his head they did too. It was because of who Michael Jordan was, what he was achieving and how he carried himself that he influenced a generation, and generations to come to be like Mike.

As people of faith, we are called to be influencers in the world. There should be something about us that people see and say, “I want to be like them.” It could be the attitude that you carry when things are going wrong or the diligence of your work effort, but people should be able to see us as people of faith and say two things: 1) they are different and 2) I want to be like them. The problem is, too often we want to fit in with the world as opposed to standing out and influencing the world. Influence doesn’t come by being like everyone else. Influence comes from being different in a way that makes people take notice and want to immolate what you have.   Nobody wants to be like Mike if Mike is like everyone else.

Friends, we are called to be different. We are called to be light in a dark world. We are called to live in a way that others will take notice and want to have what we have. It is not that we are special we are just followers of a special God. So don’t hide your faith and certainly don’t try to blend in. Just live in a way that influences those around you so that they can see the God you serve through you. Live in a way that makes people say, they are different and I want some of that. When you do this, you will be a good influence on those around you and possibly the reason they change their lives too.

Be Blessed,

Rev

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Monday, March 23, 2020.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

You’re Not The Only One

I am amazed at how the world changes every time I am on a healthy eating kick. I make the decision that I am going to do better and everything changes. It is as if people all around the world know that I am trying to do better and get together to test me. Suddenly, there are more commercials for my favorite foods that I have sworn off. Suddenly, there are new billboards popping up with pictures of delicious delicacies that would violate my healthy eating ritual. Out of nowhere, my email inbox is full of offers for free deserts, price fix menus and all manner of things tempting me to go back on what I said and dive back into old habits.

If we are honest that doesn’t only happen with food. When we decide that we want to start living right and serving the Lord temptations begin to pop up as well. You decided that you were going to get up half an hour earlier so that you could read your bible and join the church prayer call then all of a sudden your favorite movie is on late tempting you to stay up well past your bedtime. You swore off toxic relationships that tear you away from the Lord, but all of a sudden your DMs are blowing up and you’re getting WYD texts at all hours of the night from people you haven’t thought about in months. What is one to do with all of these temptations.

Friends, temptation is a part of life. You are not alone and you are not special. When you decided to do better the enemy decided to find out if you were serious. What the enemy knows is that you will finally be who God wants you to be when you finally do what you are supposed to do. That is why he decides to throw temptation after temptation at you to get you off course, hold you back and turn you away from the things that you are trying to accomplish. It is in these times that we have to remember that God is with us. God won’t take away the temptation, but he will give you the strength to handle whatever is thrown at you. So hang in there and don’t give up because you’re going to make it through.

Be Blessed,

Rev