Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this glorious day. He blessed us with a wonderful evening of great fellowship, study, and prayer last night. When we come before Him, He infuses us with His grace and power, so that we can press on, no turning back, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. I was looking at the Book of Habakkuk this morning for my devotion. In the Book of Habakkuk the prophet asks the question that all of us have asked at times, “Oh Lord, if you are good, why is life sometimes so bad?”. We, like Habakkuk, sometimes wonder why God does the things He does. At times life doesn’t seem fair. We cannot understand why things turn out the way they do. If life was meant to be good, why do bad things happen? Why does God allow this to go on? Why do really good people sometimes have so many struggles, while some people who are really bad appear to have all the benefits of life? Habakkuk was posing the very same questions that we do. All of us have been in Habakkuk's mind-set. We have all been knocked off our feet by the circumstances of life, staggered by things which have occurred, and our minds have been sent reeling. Many of the Psalms were written because of unresolved questions in the psalmist’s life. He did not hold back his language and expression about how he felt, whether angry, sad, or joyful. The prophets also grappled with God over what He revealed to them. Yet, He honors those who seek to know him and to find the answers to life's deepest and most perplexing questions. Jeremiah said to God, “You are always righteous, O Lord, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?” (Jeremiah 12:1). Habakkuk had very much the same questions, and he was not afraid to come before the Lord with his questions and struggles. Through all of his questions, he did not abandon his faith. In spite of his questions, he was able to say, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17-18). In fact, the invading armies were going to destroy the crops of Judah, slaughter any animals they could not carry off, and cut down all the fruit trees. However, Habakkuk’s faith and security were not in the things in which other people placed their hope. Habakkuk knew that, “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). Because of his faith he knew that God was there and that God knew what he was doing. He understood that God was not punishing him personally. Most of all, he was strengthened by the knowledge of God’s love for him.
In Jesus who does all things well,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je-wFV4M9MU
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 6-10-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. Morning has broken; I heard the birds sing so sweetly starting around 4.35 AM. The moon was waning, making room for the brilliant sun, chasing away the darkness. Praise Jesus who is the author and the maker of this day. We will meet for our mid-week service starting at 6 PM, with a hot and happy meal followed by the Bible study and prayer meeting at 6:30. We will studying Revelation 3 this evening. Those of you living in the vicinity, please join us. It will be a great treat to feast on the Word of the Lord.
In his book, "In the Eye of the Storm", author Max Lucado described the following scene.. "An old man walks down a Florida beach. The sun sets like an orange ball on the horizon. The waves slap the sand. The smell of salt water stings the air. The beach is vacant. No sun to entice the sunbathers. Not enough light for the fisherman. So, aside from a few joggers and strollers, this gentleman is alone. "He carries a bucket in his bony hand. A bucket of shrimp. It's not for him. It's not for the fish. It's for the sea gulls. "He walks to an isolated pier cast in gold by the setting sun. He steps to the end of the pier. The time has come for the weekly ritual. "He stands and waits. "Soon the sky becomes a mass of dancing dots. The evening silence gives way to the screeching of birds. They fill the sky and then cover the moorings. They are on a pilgrimage to meet the old man. "For a half hour or so, the bushy- browed, shoulder-bent gentleman will stand on the pier, surrounded by the birds of the sea, until the bucket is empty. "But even after the food is gone, his feathered friends still linger. They linger as if they're attracted to more than just food. They perch on his hat. They walk on the pier. And they all share a moment together." This elderly gentleman is committed to the task of feeding the seagulls, though the task seems very mundane. We live in a society that both fears and avoids commitment. Nobody wants to be committed to anything these days. In fact, the operational attitude today appears to be, "I want to keep my options open. I don’t want to be tied down. I don’t want to commit to anything because life is a buffet, and I don’t want to get to the end and say, `Oh, I filled my plate up with the wrong stuff!’" This philosophy of life is tragic because the fact is that we cannot live without making commitments. Nothing truly great ever happens without the making of commitments. Lack of commitment leads to lack of focus, and lack of focus leads to a life of drifting along with the tide. "If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters; yes, more than your own life. Otherwise you CANNOT be my disciple. And you CANNOT be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me; No one can become my disciple without giving up EVERYTHING for me." (Luke 14:25,26,33 ) Jesus teaches us that we have to love Him more than our parents, more than our husband or wife, more than our kids, and more than our own lives. It calls for a strong commitment. Jesus Christ has a right to make such a call for commitment in our lives. He made us. He created us. He loves us. He has a plan for each of our lives. He died on the cross for us and fought the powers of death and hell for us. Nobody else has ever done that. Nobody else can claim those three things -- that you were made by them, that you were planned for a purpose by them, and that they died for you. Jesus, in essence, says, "I gave My life for you. I expect your life." He deserves first place in our lives.
Some people imagine that Jesus is just a piece of their lives. Their lives are compartmentalized, with a section labeled "career", a section labeled "relationships", a section labeled "family", etc. Jesus does not desire to be just a small part of our lives. He wants to be our life. When a pilot taxi’s a 747 down the runway, there’s a point of no return, a point in which that plane has to commit to the air, because if it doesn’t commit to the air after that point it’s going to crash; there’s not enough runway for it to slow down. There is that point at which it has to make the commitment to go airborne or face destruction. "You call me 'Teacher’ and 'Lord’, and you are right, because it is true. And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them. You know these things--now do them! That is the path of blessing." John 13:12-17 (NLT) In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR8rlTIU8_Y
Actual Sentences Found In Patients' Hospital Charts
Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.
On the second day the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.
The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.
The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.
Discharge status: Alive but without my permission.
Healthy appearing decrepit 69-year-old male, mentally alert but forgetful.
The patient refused autopsy.
The patient has no previous history of suicides.
Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.
Patient's medical history has been remarkably with only a 40-pound weight gain in the past three days.
She is numb from her toes down.
While in ER, she was examined, X-rated, and sent home.
The skin was moist and dry.
Occasional, constant infrequent headaches.
Patient was alert and unresponsive.
Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.
She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life, until she got a divorce.
I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.
The patient was to have a bowel resection. However, he took a job as a stockbroker instead.
Skin: somewhat pale but present.
The pelvic exam will be done later on the floor.
Patient was seen in consultation by Dr. Blank, who felt we should sit on the abdomen and I agree.
Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities.
Praise the Lord for this new day. Morning has broken; I heard the birds sing so sweetly starting around 4.35 AM. The moon was waning, making room for the brilliant sun, chasing away the darkness. Praise Jesus who is the author and the maker of this day. We will meet for our mid-week service starting at 6 PM, with a hot and happy meal followed by the Bible study and prayer meeting at 6:30. We will studying Revelation 3 this evening. Those of you living in the vicinity, please join us. It will be a great treat to feast on the Word of the Lord.
In his book, "In the Eye of the Storm", author Max Lucado described the following scene.. "An old man walks down a Florida beach. The sun sets like an orange ball on the horizon. The waves slap the sand. The smell of salt water stings the air. The beach is vacant. No sun to entice the sunbathers. Not enough light for the fisherman. So, aside from a few joggers and strollers, this gentleman is alone. "He carries a bucket in his bony hand. A bucket of shrimp. It's not for him. It's not for the fish. It's for the sea gulls. "He walks to an isolated pier cast in gold by the setting sun. He steps to the end of the pier. The time has come for the weekly ritual. "He stands and waits. "Soon the sky becomes a mass of dancing dots. The evening silence gives way to the screeching of birds. They fill the sky and then cover the moorings. They are on a pilgrimage to meet the old man. "For a half hour or so, the bushy- browed, shoulder-bent gentleman will stand on the pier, surrounded by the birds of the sea, until the bucket is empty. "But even after the food is gone, his feathered friends still linger. They linger as if they're attracted to more than just food. They perch on his hat. They walk on the pier. And they all share a moment together." This elderly gentleman is committed to the task of feeding the seagulls, though the task seems very mundane. We live in a society that both fears and avoids commitment. Nobody wants to be committed to anything these days. In fact, the operational attitude today appears to be, "I want to keep my options open. I don’t want to be tied down. I don’t want to commit to anything because life is a buffet, and I don’t want to get to the end and say, `Oh, I filled my plate up with the wrong stuff!’" This philosophy of life is tragic because the fact is that we cannot live without making commitments. Nothing truly great ever happens without the making of commitments. Lack of commitment leads to lack of focus, and lack of focus leads to a life of drifting along with the tide. "If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters; yes, more than your own life. Otherwise you CANNOT be my disciple. And you CANNOT be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me; No one can become my disciple without giving up EVERYTHING for me." (Luke 14:25,26,33 ) Jesus teaches us that we have to love Him more than our parents, more than our husband or wife, more than our kids, and more than our own lives. It calls for a strong commitment. Jesus Christ has a right to make such a call for commitment in our lives. He made us. He created us. He loves us. He has a plan for each of our lives. He died on the cross for us and fought the powers of death and hell for us. Nobody else has ever done that. Nobody else can claim those three things -- that you were made by them, that you were planned for a purpose by them, and that they died for you. Jesus, in essence, says, "I gave My life for you. I expect your life." He deserves first place in our lives.
Some people imagine that Jesus is just a piece of their lives. Their lives are compartmentalized, with a section labeled "career", a section labeled "relationships", a section labeled "family", etc. Jesus does not desire to be just a small part of our lives. He wants to be our life. When a pilot taxi’s a 747 down the runway, there’s a point of no return, a point in which that plane has to commit to the air, because if it doesn’t commit to the air after that point it’s going to crash; there’s not enough runway for it to slow down. There is that point at which it has to make the commitment to go airborne or face destruction. "You call me 'Teacher’ and 'Lord’, and you are right, because it is true. And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them. You know these things--now do them! That is the path of blessing." John 13:12-17 (NLT) In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR8rlTIU8_Y
Actual Sentences Found In Patients' Hospital Charts
Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.
On the second day the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.
The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.
The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.
Discharge status: Alive but without my permission.
Healthy appearing decrepit 69-year-old male, mentally alert but forgetful.
The patient refused autopsy.
The patient has no previous history of suicides.
Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.
Patient's medical history has been remarkably with only a 40-pound weight gain in the past three days.
She is numb from her toes down.
While in ER, she was examined, X-rated, and sent home.
The skin was moist and dry.
Occasional, constant infrequent headaches.
Patient was alert and unresponsive.
Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.
She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life, until she got a divorce.
I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.
The patient was to have a bowel resection. However, he took a job as a stockbroker instead.
Skin: somewhat pale but present.
The pelvic exam will be done later on the floor.
Patient was seen in consultation by Dr. Blank, who felt we should sit on the abdomen and I agree.
Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 6-9-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for His Majesty. He is upon the Throne. His grace is sufficient for every need we have. Today I will begin my treatment, which I will receive at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton. Thank you for praying for me fervently and faithfully. Our Lord forgives us all our sins and He heals all our diseases. He redeems our lives from destruction. He crowns us with His tender mercies and loving kindness. Blessed be His glorious Name. In Psalm 139 David writes, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast” (verses 7-10). Praise the Lord for His faithfulness and His trustworthiness. CS Lewis wrote that in spite of God’s silences we have a marked advantage over non-believers in that we know that we live in a fallen world. Many things fit into place when we understand how Paradise became polluted. This world is not as God originally made it. A truck driver expressed it best: “Man, the world ain’t supposed to work like this!” The world has been corrupted by sin and death. God is not hidden; people have simply forgotten and forsaken Him. The ancient Greek philosophers viewed God as impersonal, remote and indifferent. The Bible paints a different picture, revealing God as intimately involved…yet at times He is distinctly silent and seemingly absent. Pope Benedict has written that “God’s silence is part of His revelation.” When we are leaning on God’s promises we can bear His silences. God has not abandoned us. Even though we cannot understand His ways, we trust Him. It has been said that “the direct presence of God would overwhelm our freedom, with sight replacing faith” (Phillip Yancy). God wants us to find Him with the eye of faith. The irony is that He is with us always; He is our Emmanuel, God with us. To search for Him is like hunting for our eyeglasses while wearing them. Oswald Chambers wrote, “Has God trusted you with His silence, a silence that has great meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers. His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into an even more wonderful understanding of Himself." God is never really silent--we just are deaf to what He has to say to us. Like Job, but we sometimes judge God before the final sentence is completed. On a wall in a cellar in Köln, Germany, where Jews had hidden from the Nazis, an inscription was written by an anonymous author, stating, "I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when not feeling it. I believe in God even when he is silent." We must prepare ourselves for times when God seems absent. Eugene Peterson has written, “The story in which God does His saving work arises among a people whose primary experience of God is His absence.” Jeremiah 32:17, 26-27 (King James Version): 17Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: 26Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, 27Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o1wEevo2Y0
Praise the Lord for His Majesty. He is upon the Throne. His grace is sufficient for every need we have. Today I will begin my treatment, which I will receive at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton. Thank you for praying for me fervently and faithfully. Our Lord forgives us all our sins and He heals all our diseases. He redeems our lives from destruction. He crowns us with His tender mercies and loving kindness. Blessed be His glorious Name. In Psalm 139 David writes, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast” (verses 7-10). Praise the Lord for His faithfulness and His trustworthiness. CS Lewis wrote that in spite of God’s silences we have a marked advantage over non-believers in that we know that we live in a fallen world. Many things fit into place when we understand how Paradise became polluted. This world is not as God originally made it. A truck driver expressed it best: “Man, the world ain’t supposed to work like this!” The world has been corrupted by sin and death. God is not hidden; people have simply forgotten and forsaken Him. The ancient Greek philosophers viewed God as impersonal, remote and indifferent. The Bible paints a different picture, revealing God as intimately involved…yet at times He is distinctly silent and seemingly absent. Pope Benedict has written that “God’s silence is part of His revelation.” When we are leaning on God’s promises we can bear His silences. God has not abandoned us. Even though we cannot understand His ways, we trust Him. It has been said that “the direct presence of God would overwhelm our freedom, with sight replacing faith” (Phillip Yancy). God wants us to find Him with the eye of faith. The irony is that He is with us always; He is our Emmanuel, God with us. To search for Him is like hunting for our eyeglasses while wearing them. Oswald Chambers wrote, “Has God trusted you with His silence, a silence that has great meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers. His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into an even more wonderful understanding of Himself." God is never really silent--we just are deaf to what He has to say to us. Like Job, but we sometimes judge God before the final sentence is completed. On a wall in a cellar in Köln, Germany, where Jews had hidden from the Nazis, an inscription was written by an anonymous author, stating, "I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when not feeling it. I believe in God even when he is silent." We must prepare ourselves for times when God seems absent. Eugene Peterson has written, “The story in which God does His saving work arises among a people whose primary experience of God is His absence.” Jeremiah 32:17, 26-27 (King James Version): 17Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: 26Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, 27Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o1wEevo2Y0
Monday, June 8, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 6-8-09
Good morning,
The Old Testament reading for yesterday was taken from Isaiah 6:1-8. The prophet Isaiah was given a vision of God and of His holiness. When we come in contact with the Holy, one thing is for certain…we will never forget it. Look at verses 1-4. “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.” In this passage we see that God was on the throne. Though King Uzziah had died God was still on the throne. The fact that the throne was high and exalted meant that it was greater than and exceeded all other thrones. The train (just the train) of His robe filled the entire temple. His royalty far surpasses anything we have known or can imagine. The angels praised the Lord with "three times holy". They declared that He is supremely holy. As they spoke, the words "holy" reverberated against the walls, getting stronger with each echo until their voices were shaking the doorposts, adding to the sense of awesomeness and power. All of these images are designed to point us to God's majesty, which should provoke reverence and awe. They point us to His holiness. It is Holiness which most defines God. [Originating in God’s nature, holiness is a unique quality of His character. The Bible emphasizes this divine attribute. “Who is like you, O LORD?” (Ex. 15:11). “There is none holy like the LORD” (1 Sam. 2:2). “Who shall not fear You, O Lord . . . For You alone are holy” (Rev. 15:4). God’s high expectations of His people flow out of His own holy nature: “You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6); “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).] There is no one like God. He is so far above mankind that we cannot even comprehend His vastness or greatness. A.W. Tozer says, “We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible, and unattainable. The natural man is blind to it. He may fear God’s power and admire his wisdom, but his holiness we cannot even imagine. He is unique in His power, and also in His purity. " God is untainted by sin and He despises evil. The burning angels of Isaiah's vision and the smoke, a symbol of the judgment of God, must have sent shivers down Isaiah’s spine. The holiness of God caused Adam and Eve to hide from God in the Garden of Eden. When confronted with the holiness of God, Moses covered his face and the children of Israel kept at a safe distance. When confronted with the holiness of God Job’s accusations turned into adoration. When confronted with the holiness of God the Apostle John “fell at his feet as though dead”. The response of an unholy person to the holiness of God is an acute awareness of personal sin. When the unholy confronts the holy we become very conscious of our own sinfulness. It is as if we live most of our lives with the lights turned off, and we feel as if we are able to hide some of our wickedness in the dark.Then, in God’s light, we begin to see ourselves as we are. When we realize the awful reality that we are sinners and that God is a holy God who punishes sin, and when we know that we are guilty, we tremble in fear and in horror we cry out like Isaiah, “Woe is Me!” However, something amazing happened to Isaiah. When he trembled before the Lord, and saw his own sinfulness, God gave Isaiah grace. In Verse 6-7, “Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." How can mankind stand before a righteous and just God?, except by the grace of God. Isaiah did nothing to deserve this grace. It was all God’s doing. There is nothing that any human being can do to earn God’s grace. You can’t do it and neither can I. Isaiah, stained and covered in sin, was unable to cleanse himself, but God in His grace took the initiative and made Isaiah clean.
True worship always begins with an awareness of God’s holiness. We have lost something of that awareness in our worship services. There was a time when people were so aware of this aspect of worship that the very churches themselves were being constructed in ways that emphasized the awesomeness of God. It is difficult to walk into one of the cathedrals of Europe built centuries ago without feeling awe and wonder. The quiet, the slight aroma of incense or candles, the artistry of stained glass windows, and the classical music moves one to stand in awe and wonder. In recent years, we have emphasized the personal nature of God, the love God, and joy of God to such a degree that many have forgotten that our God is an awesome God. He is not a “little buddy” or someone to pal around with. God is such an awesome and holy God that to be in His presence is to be filled with wonder. God is powerful, holy, and just. He will not stand for evil, but He is patient and kind. He is the God of love and compassion. What His justice demands of us, His grace provides.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWnLnZsrvnA
The Old Testament reading for yesterday was taken from Isaiah 6:1-8. The prophet Isaiah was given a vision of God and of His holiness. When we come in contact with the Holy, one thing is for certain…we will never forget it. Look at verses 1-4. “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.” In this passage we see that God was on the throne. Though King Uzziah had died God was still on the throne. The fact that the throne was high and exalted meant that it was greater than and exceeded all other thrones. The train (just the train) of His robe filled the entire temple. His royalty far surpasses anything we have known or can imagine. The angels praised the Lord with "three times holy". They declared that He is supremely holy. As they spoke, the words "holy" reverberated against the walls, getting stronger with each echo until their voices were shaking the doorposts, adding to the sense of awesomeness and power. All of these images are designed to point us to God's majesty, which should provoke reverence and awe. They point us to His holiness. It is Holiness which most defines God. [Originating in God’s nature, holiness is a unique quality of His character. The Bible emphasizes this divine attribute. “Who is like you, O LORD?” (Ex. 15:11). “There is none holy like the LORD” (1 Sam. 2:2). “Who shall not fear You, O Lord . . . For You alone are holy” (Rev. 15:4). God’s high expectations of His people flow out of His own holy nature: “You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6); “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).] There is no one like God. He is so far above mankind that we cannot even comprehend His vastness or greatness. A.W. Tozer says, “We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible, and unattainable. The natural man is blind to it. He may fear God’s power and admire his wisdom, but his holiness we cannot even imagine. He is unique in His power, and also in His purity. " God is untainted by sin and He despises evil. The burning angels of Isaiah's vision and the smoke, a symbol of the judgment of God, must have sent shivers down Isaiah’s spine. The holiness of God caused Adam and Eve to hide from God in the Garden of Eden. When confronted with the holiness of God, Moses covered his face and the children of Israel kept at a safe distance. When confronted with the holiness of God Job’s accusations turned into adoration. When confronted with the holiness of God the Apostle John “fell at his feet as though dead”. The response of an unholy person to the holiness of God is an acute awareness of personal sin. When the unholy confronts the holy we become very conscious of our own sinfulness. It is as if we live most of our lives with the lights turned off, and we feel as if we are able to hide some of our wickedness in the dark.Then, in God’s light, we begin to see ourselves as we are. When we realize the awful reality that we are sinners and that God is a holy God who punishes sin, and when we know that we are guilty, we tremble in fear and in horror we cry out like Isaiah, “Woe is Me!” However, something amazing happened to Isaiah. When he trembled before the Lord, and saw his own sinfulness, God gave Isaiah grace. In Verse 6-7, “Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." How can mankind stand before a righteous and just God?, except by the grace of God. Isaiah did nothing to deserve this grace. It was all God’s doing. There is nothing that any human being can do to earn God’s grace. You can’t do it and neither can I. Isaiah, stained and covered in sin, was unable to cleanse himself, but God in His grace took the initiative and made Isaiah clean.
True worship always begins with an awareness of God’s holiness. We have lost something of that awareness in our worship services. There was a time when people were so aware of this aspect of worship that the very churches themselves were being constructed in ways that emphasized the awesomeness of God. It is difficult to walk into one of the cathedrals of Europe built centuries ago without feeling awe and wonder. The quiet, the slight aroma of incense or candles, the artistry of stained glass windows, and the classical music moves one to stand in awe and wonder. In recent years, we have emphasized the personal nature of God, the love God, and joy of God to such a degree that many have forgotten that our God is an awesome God. He is not a “little buddy” or someone to pal around with. God is such an awesome and holy God that to be in His presence is to be filled with wonder. God is powerful, holy, and just. He will not stand for evil, but He is patient and kind. He is the God of love and compassion. What His justice demands of us, His grace provides.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWnLnZsrvnA
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