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, April 22, 2019.

A lazy person claims, “There is a lion out there! If I go outside, I might be killed!” Proverbs 22:13

Excuses! Excuses!

I am a huge fan of the comedian Kevin Hart. While Kevin Hart is hilarious, what won me over to being a fan was a small outtake from one of his concert films. Kevin is with a group of his friends getting prepared for a show, and they start a call and response of their mantra, “Everybody wants to be famous, but nobody wants to do the work.” As funny as Mr. Hart is, his true genius shines through in this moment with his friends. Mr. Hart as it stands is the biggest comedian on Earth, but just a few short years ago he was a funny little guy, playing small clubs, for $125 per set. The difference in where he was then and where he is now is that Mr. Hart decided to do the work.

What stands between many people and their dreams is an excuse, or two, or ten. Excuses are what we use to justify not doing a thing or things that will move us onward and closer to the things that we want and that God has for us. It always starts with the excuse not to start. We don’t start because the time isn’t right. We don’t start because we have too much to do. We don’t start because we are not quite ready, and on, and on, and on. Excuse after excuse we find the reasons to justify our inaction and medicate ourselves with the thought that one day, we will get around to it and be great. Then one day finally comes, and we look back truly out of time and have nothing but a trail of excuses and the regret of wondering what might have been.

Friends, you either want it, or you don’t. If you don’t, that’s fine. You can just keep on doing what you are doing, but if you do want it, you have to let the excuses go. Letting the excuses go means doing one thing, trying. Trying involves work. It involves the work to get something together and see what happens. If it works, it involves the work of doing it again. If it doesn’t work, it involves the work of doing it again as well. When we start trying we start working. We start working on things that may or may not work, but are moving us closer to our dreams. We start working on things that we will always remember, experiences that we will never forget and efforts that get us that much closer to what we have always dreamed of. So if you really want it, whatever it is, today is the day to stop making excuses and try.

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, April 19, 2019.

The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!” Matthew 27:54

Now You See Me

The word that single-handedly encapsulates Good Friday is oxymoronic. An oxymoron is by definition, a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction with one another. Good Friday is an oxymoron because the day that we call good is the day that there was a state-sponsored, public execution of an innocent man who also happens to be the Son of God. When looking at those facts, one has to ask why on earth would that be a Good Friday? Wouldn’t a more appropriate term be Bloody Friday or Tragic Friday as opposed to Good Friday?

What made Good Friday, a good Friday is it was the day that people finally saw who Jesus was. The soldiers standing at the foot of the cross witnessed all of Jesus’ last words. They witnessed a wrongfully convicted dying man say, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” They saw a man being mocked tell another man, “Today, you shall be with me in paradise.” They saw a suffering man tell his best friend to take care of his mother for him. They saw a man in pain question God about why this was happening to him. They saw a man with physical needs ask for a drink and be given something that would not quench his thirst. They saw a depleted man say, “It is finished.” Finally, they saw a victorious man, hanging on a cross say, “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit.” They saw Him die, saw the sun refuse to shine and felt the earthquake with remorse. While all that was happening was bad, the soldiers saw something that some of those closest to Jesus never saw, the Son of God. That makes it a Good Friday.

Sometimes it takes a special event to see people for who they really are. Good Friday draws into focus who Jesus is for us. He is truly the Son of God. Good Friday reminds us that He gave His life so that we would not have our taken from us. He was the unblemished sacrifice that gave us eternal life. It is on this day that we can see most clearly who He is.

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, April 18, 2019.

13 Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. ² It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. ⁴ So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, ⁵ and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. John 13:1-5

Be Important

I love watching Undercover Boss. Undercover Boss is a television show where the heads of companies go undercover in disguise to see how their company really works. This means that they have to take off the suits and ties, leave the corporate suites and get down and dirty with the people who do other “dirty work” that makes the company run. One of my favorites showed the head of Waste Management, a garbage and waste processing firm, going undercover actually to deal with trash. It was fascinating to watch him deal with the trash, waste, and garage that makes his company what it is. He had to get down and dirty with the “regular” people and do the work that they do, smell the smells that they smell, and live the way they live. What’s most fascinating to me about the show is when the people that the boss worked with find out that the person they were working with was the boss. They are always shocked, amazed and typically impressed that the boss came to see how they live.

In the night that He was betrayed, Jesus took a minute to do one last act of service. Although He was the most important person at what we know as the Last Supper, Jesus came down from His place of prominence and took the place of a servant. After the meal, He took the lowest job, washing the feet of His disciples. Jesus while He was the Son of God and at what was His party, picked up a basin and a towel and washed the feet of His friends. In this act of service, Jesus made it clear that there was no job He was too good to do, so there should be no job that we are too good to do. If Jesus could come down to serve, so can we.

Friends, we should never see ourselves as too good to serve. Serving allows us to remember that we are simply not that important. No matter your job title, education, or accomplishments, you simply are not that important. On Ash Wednesday we are all reminded that “From dust, we came, and to dust, we shall return.” When we keep that in mind we realize that we may be blessed, educated, or have a high position but we should never see ourselves as too important to serve others.  We can all, no matter how important we are, take the lower place and serve those who others would see as less than us, not as important as us, or those who should be serving us. So when you have the opportunity, remember to serve, because that is ultimately what will make you important.

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, April 17, 2019.

“Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father save me from this hour? But this is the very reason I came! Father, bring glory to your name.” John 12:27-28

Living on Purpose

Have you ever had second thoughts about something? Most of us have. When we face a big decision or a life-changing event, we will often wonder if this is the right thing. It does not matter how sure you were about it a week ago, or how certain you are whenever people ask you, when the big moment gets closer, we all wonder if this is really what we are supposed to be doing. It is only natural. The big things in your life are always life-changing. Life changing events destroy what was, and create what will be, but there is always a moment when we wonder, what if this doesn’t work. Is there some way around this? Is this the right decision?

Even Jesus faced this moment. We would think that Jesus as the Son of God would never have any concerns or any doubts, yet this is not the case. For some time Jesus had been telling His disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and die, and then rise on the third day. As he got closer to the moment of truth Jesus wonders, should I try to find a way out of this? Even Jesus has a moment where He wonders, has second thoughts and considers that there might be a different choice for Him to make. But then He has a moment of clarity and remembers His purpose. And when He remembers His purpose all of his doubts go away.

Friends, it has been said that the two most important days in a person’s life are the day they are born, and the day they discover why they were born. When you know your purpose, it gives you clarity, courage, and perseverance. Knowing your purpose allows you to be clear about what you should do, shouldn’t do and what you have to do. That clarity takes away doubt because it reminds you of what you have to do. Purpose also gives you courage. It gives you the courage to be brave in the face of uncertainty and brave in the face of challenges. When you know what God put you here for you realize that there is nothing to be scared of, you have something you have to do. Finally, purpose gives you perseverance. No matter who you are or what you do, there will be a time you want to give up. When you remember you have a purpose for your life, you know that giving up is not an option. When you know your purpose, through the hard times, the dull times, and the challenging times so that you can get to see who you are supposed to be. So be strong my friends, know who you are and what you have to do so you can live out your purpose.

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, April 16, 2019.

²¹ So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God.²² Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” ²³ But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, ²⁴ “Show me a denarius.^[e] Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” ²⁵ He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” ²⁶ And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent. Luke 20:21-26

Dedication

I have never met anyone who liked paying taxes, ever! I have met thousands of people from all over the world, and not a single time has anyone ever said, I just love paying taxes. I remember my first grown-up paycheck. I had worked for weeks to get to my first check. I opened it and was shocked at the number I saw. You see, I knew my hourly wage, and I knew what it was multiplied by 40, and the number I was looking at was not the number that I expected to see. So my dad sat me down and walked me through all the taxes that had been taken out of my pay before the check even got to me. I was less than thrilled, but I accepted that there was nothing I could do about it.

That day I began to understand the nature of dedication. You see our taxes are dedicated to the government for government work. Before we get our pay, that certain part is set aside to make sure that it gets to where it is supposed to go.  Those taxes are dedicated no matter who is in power. Those taxes are dedicated if you voted or if you stayed at home. Those taxes are dedicated regardless of your color, your political affiliation or lack thereof, your viewpoints on issues or anything else. No matter what, those taxes are set aside for the work of the government and as a citizen that is what you are required to give.

As much as we may not like paying taxes they help us to understand what it is like to have something that is yours, reserved for someone else. You see, there are some things that we give the government because it is reserved for them, but there are some things that we should also give to the Lord because they are reserved for Him as well.  There should be a place in your heart that is put aside and reserved every day for the Lord. There should be a level of praise, worship, and attention that is not allowed to go to anyone else because it is reserved for and dedicated to God. As believers, we must always remember, the government gets what the government gets, our families should get what our families should get, but we must always make sure that God gets what he is supposed to get as well. So there are some things, even though they belong to us, that are dedicated to the Lord.

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, April 15, 2019.

¹² And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. ¹³ He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” Matthew 12:12-13

 

 

 

 

 

 

Something Has To Change on The Inside

On the Monday of the original Holy Week, Jesus attends a worship service at the temple and it was one that nobody there would ever forget. Upon entering the temple Jesus does not pray, He does not sing, He does not open a scroll and teach, instead he according to one account braids a whip, starts turning over tables and driving people out of the temple. This is not what we would expect from Jesus. We would expect Him to be loving and kind, not causing a huge ruckus and driving people out. Yet, that is exactly what Jesus does.

Jesus understood that for the temple to be what it needed to be, something would have to radically change on the inside of the temple. He knew that some things would have to be turned over, other things would have to be driven out and a new way of being would have to come into existence. Jesus knew that for a radical shift to happen in the temple, slight exterior modifications would not do. It would not be enough to work around the edges or to make incremental changes, but that for the temple to be what it must be, it would have to be changed from the inside out.

Friends as we enter into this Holy Week, perhaps it is time for something to change on the inside with you. You have tried to make exterior modifications; new clothes, new shoes, better diet working out, but that has still left you wanting for more. The truth is, the real changes that take us towards happiness, purpose, and fulfillment are never external they are always internal. They are always changes of the heart. They are the changes that nobody will see you making but everyone will know when they have been made. So let me encourage you to take a look inside and make some changes. Flip over some things that are not working. Drive out some things that are not doing you any good. Then turn your heart towards prayer and see how different things can be from the inside out.

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, April 12, 2019.

As a deer pants for water, so my soul pants for you, my God. Psalm 42:1

Thirsty

In my younger days, there was nothing better than a great pick up basketball game after school. After a full day of learning and expanding our minds we looked forward to hitting the local playground, choosing teams, and getting a good run in. While there were no trophies at stake, no agents or scouts watching, we played like everything was on the line. Every game was life and death. Every bucket mattered. Every possession had history hanging in the balance. Someone would win. Someone would lose and no matter what we would run it back and play again. Before we knew it, we had typically played three or four games in a row, and it was time to head home. The only problem was we were exhausted and thirsty after all of that playing.

That kind of thirst does not go away easily. That kind of thirst sends you from store to store hunting for the right flavor of Gatorade like your life depended on it. We would go to the closest store and hope for the best, but if they were sold out, we would make our way to the next store. No matter how far we had to go, how many places we had to look, we were not going to give up until we found what we needed to quench our thirst. Looking back, the search for the right thirst quencher sometimes took almost as long as another game would have, but it was worth it when the sweet taste of liquid refreshment hit your tongue. No matter how much you had to look, it was worth it to find what you needed.

Friends, there will be times in your life when you will be thirsty. Not thirsty in a physical sense but thirsty in a spiritual sense. You are going to feel like life has pulled everything out of you. You are going to feel spiritually spent, mentally drained and emotionally crushed. It is in those moments that you are going to have to realize that you are thirsty and go back to God and get filled up. It may mean that you are going to have to look high and low to find a way to reconnect with Him. You may have to go to church for more than two weeks in a row to connect with Him. You may have to read The Daily Dose and your Bible to connect with Him. No matter what you have to do, you keep looking until you find Him because when you find Him, He will restore ALL that has been drained out of you and quench your thirst.

Be Blessed,

Rev