Praise the Lord for this fabulous Friday. Praise the Lord for the Joy of knowing Him and serving Him. Jesus is the real joy giver. In the midst of clamor, calamities, crises, and confusion, the Lord dispenses His joy to His people. Robert Louis Stevenson once entered in his diary what he considered to be an extraordinary thing. He said, "I have been to Church today, and (Surprisingly) I am not depressed." Christians are called to be joyful in all circumstances. Christian concepts of joy are different from those of the world. The Joy of the Lord is the result of God’s work in our hearts (Galatians 5:22). Christ didn’t come that you might have sadness; He came that you might have a full life. (John 10:10) The book of Nehemiah records a time when Israel was coming back into their homeland after spending 70 years in exile. They began to rebuild their home in the ‘land of promise’. Israel was regaining her homeland and returning to faith. The book of the law had been discovered, Nehemiah called together the people, and he had Ezra conduct a public reading of God’s law. The Israelites had different stages of reaction to the law. First, they fell into repentant sorrow. Second, they began to praise and worship the Lord. Third, they celebrated the “Feast of Booths” as the law commanded. The result was great joy! Nehemiah told them, “The Joy of the Lord is your strength.” We often confuse sacred with solemn and somber. We sometimes think that to be holy is to be quiet and serious, but the Bible equates holiness with joy. The true worship of God is done with rejoicing and celebration. The most sacred times in our lives are filled with joy, including but not limited to our wedding, the birth of a child, Christmas, and Easter. God does not delight in sorrow but in joy. The joy of the Lord is our strength. Joy is the result of knowing who we are and whose we are.
What did the people discover as they read the Word of the Law? They heard the words, “I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45). They heard how God chose them, had loved them and delivered them from slavery. They learned how he gave them the promised land. They learned what their purpose was as a people in the world. They began to understand that they were not just a group of individuals, but they were the people of God. They were not a bunch of losers living in the same area, but they were the chosen people of God. They were not the product of chance and fate; they were the people of God — created by Him and loved by Him. They were also responsible to him. They were to be like Him. Because they were God’s people they were accountable to Him for their actions. They were to lead holy lives. These facts had awesome implications, but it also gave them a sense of identity and belonging. They finally understood that they had been created by God for a purpose and that their lives had a destiny. They were not just any people — they were the people of God. They were not to live just any way they chose — they were to live in such a way that their lives pleased God and glorified him. We are called to build our lives on the foundation of the word of the Lord as it is revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord. We will have trouble with self-esteem when we teach our children that they are not the creation of God, but the result of irrational fate — an accident of time and chance with no real purpose or meaning. Is it any wonder that we are having trouble teaching morals when we are taught that we are merely animals which have evolved over millions of years, and that it is unrealistic to expect people to control the animal passions within them? Is it any wonder that people are aimless when they buy the idea that there was no reason for their existence other than the forces of biology and animal chemistry? It has been taught to them that God is not their father and that their bodies are only the result of the evolutionary process. Some believe that human existence began in a primordial mud hole, and from there primitive life forms eventually crawled out and evolved through time until humans began to appear on the scene. Can we expect children and adults who have been taught this scientific fiction to value themselves and have a sense of purpose and meaning? It is not wonder that our culture is so lacking in direction. The Word of God has been lost in our lives. Many get their direction from Oprah and form opinions by watching Dr. Phil. In our generation it is common to look to the self-help books and the feel-good gurus of the day. We cannot and will not have direction in our lives when we have neglected the Word of God. The Bible says, “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). Joy comes as a result of God’s love and forgiveness — having our hearts right with him. Jill Briscoe, a Christian writer, told the story of how this works. She wrote, “I remember talking to a girl in my church two or three years ago. She said, ‘Jill, I’ve lost my joy. I’ve lost my peace, and I want it back.’ ‘Where did you lose it?’ I asked. ‘That has nothing to do with this,’ she replied. ‘Help me to get it back.’ ‘But where did you lose it?’ ‘I don’t want to talk about that.’ But eventually she did talk about it. She lost it when she moved in with her boyfriend. That’ll do it.” The things that promise to bring joy apart from God never do. You don’t find joy by living in disobedience to God. Joy comes through obedient love. The joy of the Lord is our strength. It is a joy that comes as we understand who we are and whose we are. It comes when we discover God’s will for our lives through his Word. It comes when we experience grace as a result of genuine repentance. You cannot have the joy of the Lord if you are living in disobedience. It just doesn’t work that way. You must surrender your life to God in obedience and then you will find a new strength coming into your life. That strength is the joy that comes from God. It is the strength that will carry us into eternity and usher us into the gates of heaven as our Lord says to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21).
Please tune in tonight at 7:00 PM on Time Warner Cable Channel 4, and join us for our weekly television outreach broadcast.
Tomorrow, from 4-6 PM will be our annual Chicken Barbeque, made with love by our experienced team and served with joy. Join us for a hearty meal that includes barbequed chicken, salads, rolls, and dessert. You'll be glad that you came!
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxH2Ow3ep88Kindergarten for men, so women shop in peace
A German bar has come up with the perfect answer for women who like to shop in peace without the stress of moaning partners - a kindergarten for men.For a mere $11.80 a woman can dump her husband at the Noxbar in downtown Hamburg, while she can get on with her shopping.The woman can shop till she drops in the city's attractive boutiques, while her man is kept fully occupied and amused at the play pen for grown ups.The men are given a name badge and treated to a hot meal, two beers, televised football and games. Two trained 'nurses' are on hand to look after them. There are also plans in the pipeline to introduce miniature car racing.The 'Maennergarten' has proved a big hit in Hamburg and could be the start of a whole new movement across Germany and the rest of the world, to take the stress out of shopping for both sexes.Demand was very brisk in the first week of opening, no less than 27 women got rid of their partners there on Saturday. They are allowed leave the men there until 6 pm before collecting them to help carry the shopping home.The idea for the men's crèche came from a female customer who was too stressed shopping with her husband and wanted a way to shop in peace.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 7/9/09
Good morning,
We are in the middle of VBS week, here at Union Center United Methodist Church. The Lord has blessed us with a wonderful staff, and with beautiful children who have come nightly. Shannan Meilunas, who attended VBS here as a child, is now the director of the VBS program. Aric Phinney, the music minister at UCUMC for 18 years, is doing a great work in communicating the Gospel through music. We are preparing for our annual Chicken Barbeque, this Saturday with serving to begin at 4:00 PM. Bill Woodward, trained under the tutelage of his dad and uncles, is in charge of cooking the chicken. Kathy Dence is coordinating the salads, rolls, desserts, and other food items. Those who live in the area, please join us for "soul food".
I have now completed 23 treatments, and have 15 to go. Thank you for praying for me. I am doing well, and the Lord strengthens me every day. I drive myself in the morning and, after my treatment, I do some hospital calls.
Praise the Lord for Wilbur Wesner, who had quadruple bi-pass and double valve replacement surgery on Tuesday. He is doing well. This is his second open heart surgery. The first was 23 years earlier, to the day.
Praise the Lord for Gordie Glover, who received a pacemaker yesterday, and is now regaining his strength.
Pray for one of our family's friends, from Smyrna, NY - Joyce Ann Fuller - who will be going for triple bypass surgery at Wilson Hospital some time next week.
We praise the Lord for Jean and Leo Cornett, who celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary next week.
As part of my undergraduate studies, I studied English literature. My studies included British authors and one American author, Eugene O' Neil. In O’ Neil’s stage play, "The Iceman Cometh", a group of “regulars” are gathered in a bar. Their lives are pitiful illusions that they've created in order to survive. They plan celebrations to distract them from their depressing existence. O’Neil’s cynical point is that life is pointless, so give up your failed pipe-dreams. The saloon people resist surrendering their fantasies in vain hope for a brighter tomorrow. Their only escape is death or drinking themselves into oblivion. O’Neil had a difficult life and his plays reflect his struggles. Some people expect God to give them a comfortable life, so when hardship comes, they give up on God. People with childish faith want magical answers, not strength to handle hardships. People persist in treating prayer as a means of getting things from God, rather than reporting for duty. When we pray, “Thy will be done,” we leave the answers to God. If healing is what’s best, that’s what we get. We rest in His faithful and powerful heart and Hands, not arrogantly presuming how life should go. When People magazine presents its annual list of the most admired people, how many are noted for their faith and wisdom? The heroes of a society reveal much about the values of the people. In our celebrity-crazed culture, our nation honors those in the entertainment industry above all others. I cannot think of another industry with more awards ceremonies. When was the last time you read of someone from GE, Gillette, or Raytheon getting an award? If they do receive awards, we do not read of it in the news, because people are addicted to glitz and fluff. Our confused and Godless media has gone insane by focusing on the death of Michael Jackson. The news itself is turning into infotainment. Sadly, in many churches today, being entertained has become more important than prayer and focusing on the Word of the Lord. The underlying problems of our world have one source—sin. By rejecting God, people do whatever they please, which often ends up destroying them and hurting others. Psychologist Larry Crabb observes, “Brokenness isn’t so much about how bad you’ve been hurt but how you sinned in handling it.” Henri Nouwen writes, “Every well in the world, however refreshing, runs dry. Our souls thirst for the living water that springs from the throne of God.”
"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." (John 7:37-38)
Don't forget - the Heaven Now marriage seminar will be held on Saturday, July 18, 2009 at the First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Avenue, Endicott. The event, which teaches guidelines for a good marriage, will be held from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM, with lunch and daycare provided. The speaker for the event is Richard P. Larson, the Executive Pastor of the Sierra Bible Church in Sonora, California. To pre-register by phone, please call (607)748-6329. You may also register by e-mail at brownnaik@aol.com.
We are trusting the Lord to give us a great time of refreshment, blessing, and renewal as we come together. We praise the Lord for the gifts of marriage and family. We live in a confused culture that blatantly glamorizes homosexuality, gay marriage, lesbian marriage, and has become militant in trying to legalize them. We uphold the biblical standard regarding the institution of marriage, as God ordained it and Christ beautified it by His presence at the wedding of Cana in Galilee.
Those who live in this area, we extend a warm word of welcome to you, and invite you to join us.
Another upcoming event is a concert by the Continental Singers and Orchestra, to be held on Thursday, July 23, at 7:00 PM. This concert features a 33 member team of singers, instrumentalists, and technicians who will be performing a Christ-honoring program at the First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Avenue, in Endicott, NY.
Joyfully His,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY2Ugpst9VY
We are in the middle of VBS week, here at Union Center United Methodist Church. The Lord has blessed us with a wonderful staff, and with beautiful children who have come nightly. Shannan Meilunas, who attended VBS here as a child, is now the director of the VBS program. Aric Phinney, the music minister at UCUMC for 18 years, is doing a great work in communicating the Gospel through music. We are preparing for our annual Chicken Barbeque, this Saturday with serving to begin at 4:00 PM. Bill Woodward, trained under the tutelage of his dad and uncles, is in charge of cooking the chicken. Kathy Dence is coordinating the salads, rolls, desserts, and other food items. Those who live in the area, please join us for "soul food".
I have now completed 23 treatments, and have 15 to go. Thank you for praying for me. I am doing well, and the Lord strengthens me every day. I drive myself in the morning and, after my treatment, I do some hospital calls.
Praise the Lord for Wilbur Wesner, who had quadruple bi-pass and double valve replacement surgery on Tuesday. He is doing well. This is his second open heart surgery. The first was 23 years earlier, to the day.
Praise the Lord for Gordie Glover, who received a pacemaker yesterday, and is now regaining his strength.
Pray for one of our family's friends, from Smyrna, NY - Joyce Ann Fuller - who will be going for triple bypass surgery at Wilson Hospital some time next week.
We praise the Lord for Jean and Leo Cornett, who celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary next week.
As part of my undergraduate studies, I studied English literature. My studies included British authors and one American author, Eugene O' Neil. In O’ Neil’s stage play, "The Iceman Cometh", a group of “regulars” are gathered in a bar. Their lives are pitiful illusions that they've created in order to survive. They plan celebrations to distract them from their depressing existence. O’Neil’s cynical point is that life is pointless, so give up your failed pipe-dreams. The saloon people resist surrendering their fantasies in vain hope for a brighter tomorrow. Their only escape is death or drinking themselves into oblivion. O’Neil had a difficult life and his plays reflect his struggles. Some people expect God to give them a comfortable life, so when hardship comes, they give up on God. People with childish faith want magical answers, not strength to handle hardships. People persist in treating prayer as a means of getting things from God, rather than reporting for duty. When we pray, “Thy will be done,” we leave the answers to God. If healing is what’s best, that’s what we get. We rest in His faithful and powerful heart and Hands, not arrogantly presuming how life should go. When People magazine presents its annual list of the most admired people, how many are noted for their faith and wisdom? The heroes of a society reveal much about the values of the people. In our celebrity-crazed culture, our nation honors those in the entertainment industry above all others. I cannot think of another industry with more awards ceremonies. When was the last time you read of someone from GE, Gillette, or Raytheon getting an award? If they do receive awards, we do not read of it in the news, because people are addicted to glitz and fluff. Our confused and Godless media has gone insane by focusing on the death of Michael Jackson. The news itself is turning into infotainment. Sadly, in many churches today, being entertained has become more important than prayer and focusing on the Word of the Lord. The underlying problems of our world have one source—sin. By rejecting God, people do whatever they please, which often ends up destroying them and hurting others. Psychologist Larry Crabb observes, “Brokenness isn’t so much about how bad you’ve been hurt but how you sinned in handling it.” Henri Nouwen writes, “Every well in the world, however refreshing, runs dry. Our souls thirst for the living water that springs from the throne of God.”
"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." (John 7:37-38)
Don't forget - the Heaven Now marriage seminar will be held on Saturday, July 18, 2009 at the First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Avenue, Endicott. The event, which teaches guidelines for a good marriage, will be held from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM, with lunch and daycare provided. The speaker for the event is Richard P. Larson, the Executive Pastor of the Sierra Bible Church in Sonora, California. To pre-register by phone, please call (607)748-6329. You may also register by e-mail at brownnaik@aol.com.
We are trusting the Lord to give us a great time of refreshment, blessing, and renewal as we come together. We praise the Lord for the gifts of marriage and family. We live in a confused culture that blatantly glamorizes homosexuality, gay marriage, lesbian marriage, and has become militant in trying to legalize them. We uphold the biblical standard regarding the institution of marriage, as God ordained it and Christ beautified it by His presence at the wedding of Cana in Galilee.
Those who live in this area, we extend a warm word of welcome to you, and invite you to join us.
Another upcoming event is a concert by the Continental Singers and Orchestra, to be held on Thursday, July 23, at 7:00 PM. This concert features a 33 member team of singers, instrumentalists, and technicians who will be performing a Christ-honoring program at the First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Avenue, in Endicott, NY.
Joyfully His,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY2Ugpst9VY
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 7-8-09
George Muller said, “Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends.” God searches for the faithful as we can read in 2 Chronicles 16:9 which says, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” The Lord is constantly searching for the faithful. God is intent on seeking those who realize that faith begins where man’s power ends, and that God is bigger than mere human beings and man’s limited wisdom. He looks for those who walk in obedience.
Alexander Maclaren has stated, “Unbelief is the mother of . . . disobedience. Faith is voluntary submission [to God] . . . If faith is not exercised . . . it lies in the . . . pride of independence, which says, ‘Who is Lord over us? Why should we have to depend on Jesus Christ?’ As faith is obedience and submission, so faith breeds obedience, but unbelief leads on to higher-handed rebellion . . . the less one trusts, the more he disobeys; the more he disobeys, the less he trusts.” God really wants to demonstrate to us that He is strong on our behalf – that He really wants to work through us. He will, however, only work through those who are obedient and faithful.
God searches for those whose hearts are “loyal” to Him. Henry Blackaby says the Lord likes to give us “God-sized” tasks, or assignments that are too big for us to do in our own strength so that we will rely on Him, and so that He receives all the glory. Being obedient to what God asks of us, and making sure that he is our source of strength will enable the Lord to fight on our behalf, and to “show Himself strong” – or to bring glory to himself. God will show himself strong through those who lean wholly on Him for their strength. If we ask God for help, He will answer us in order to show the world that He is faithful and powerful. Jesus stated in John 14:13, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” God wants to be shown strong – he wants to be “glorified!”
Expect great things from God and attempt great things or God" William Carey
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9bC9CRv9oU
Barbara Walters, of Television's 20/20, did a story on gender roles in Kabul, Afghanistan several years before the Afghan conflict. She noted that women customarily walked five paces behind their husbands. She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk behind their husbands. From Ms.Walters' vantage point, despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women now seem to walk even further back behind their husbands, and are happy to maintain the old custom.
Ms. Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, 'Why do you now seem happy with an old custom that you once tried so desperately to change?'
The woman looked Miss Walters straight in the eyes, and without hesitation said, 'Land Mines.'
BEHIND EVERY MAN, THERE'S A SMART WOMAN
Alexander Maclaren has stated, “Unbelief is the mother of . . . disobedience. Faith is voluntary submission [to God] . . . If faith is not exercised . . . it lies in the . . . pride of independence, which says, ‘Who is Lord over us? Why should we have to depend on Jesus Christ?’ As faith is obedience and submission, so faith breeds obedience, but unbelief leads on to higher-handed rebellion . . . the less one trusts, the more he disobeys; the more he disobeys, the less he trusts.” God really wants to demonstrate to us that He is strong on our behalf – that He really wants to work through us. He will, however, only work through those who are obedient and faithful.
God searches for those whose hearts are “loyal” to Him. Henry Blackaby says the Lord likes to give us “God-sized” tasks, or assignments that are too big for us to do in our own strength so that we will rely on Him, and so that He receives all the glory. Being obedient to what God asks of us, and making sure that he is our source of strength will enable the Lord to fight on our behalf, and to “show Himself strong” – or to bring glory to himself. God will show himself strong through those who lean wholly on Him for their strength. If we ask God for help, He will answer us in order to show the world that He is faithful and powerful. Jesus stated in John 14:13, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” God wants to be shown strong – he wants to be “glorified!”
Expect great things from God and attempt great things or God" William Carey
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9bC9CRv9oU
Barbara Walters, of Television's 20/20, did a story on gender roles in Kabul, Afghanistan several years before the Afghan conflict. She noted that women customarily walked five paces behind their husbands. She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk behind their husbands. From Ms.Walters' vantage point, despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women now seem to walk even further back behind their husbands, and are happy to maintain the old custom.
Ms. Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, 'Why do you now seem happy with an old custom that you once tried so desperately to change?'
The woman looked Miss Walters straight in the eyes, and without hesitation said, 'Land Mines.'
BEHIND EVERY MAN, THERE'S A SMART WOMAN
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 7-7-09
Praise the Lord for His love that endures for ever. His love never fails. He blessed us abundantly this past weekend. It was a great treat to have Janice, Sunita, Laureen, Jessica home all together. This happens very rarely - usually only at Christmas-time. Micah and Simeon are growing up too quickly. Alice and I, and all their aunties, tried to spoil them. Micah got up early Sunday morning. She then picked her Sunday clothes and dressed herself up. She asked me if she could preach that morning. I said yes, she could preach. She walked with me to the church and sat with me by the pulpit. After some reflection she said, "Grandpa, let me preach next year; I am too little this year." Laureen played the key board and sang one of my favorite praise songs, "Mighty to Save". It was anointed. I preached from Leviticus 25:10, " Proclaim Liberty throughout the Land". The Lord blessed us. I say once again, "Better is one day in your house, O Lord, than thousand elsewhere".
There was once an elderly gentleman who loved playing golf. But he was almost eighty, and his vision was not very good anymore. He always had partners with him when he went out to play so they could watch his ball and tell him where it went. One day his buddies did not show up. It was a beautiful day for golf, and as he waited at the clubhouse he got more and more upset that he wasn’t going to get to play his round. Another elderly man in the clubhouse saw him and asked, “What’s wrong?” The man explained his predicament: “I was really looking forward to playing golf today. But I don’t see very well anymore, so I need someone to watch the ball after I hit.” The second man was even older than he was, but he said, “That’s no problem. I’ll be glad to ride around with you. I’ve got 20/20 vision. I can see like a hawk. You just hit the ball, and I’ll watch it fly right down the fairway.” So they went out on the first tee, and the old man hit the ball right down the center. He turned to his spotter. “Did you see it?” The man replied, “I saw it all the way until it stopped rolling.” “Well, where did it go?” The older man paused for a moment and then said, “I forgot.”
That just goes to show that even the best-laid plans don’t always work out – a message that we have seen over and over throughout the Book of Ecclesiastes. How are we to live in the face of the uncertainly of life? 1 Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days. 2 Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, For you do not know what evil will be on the earth. 3 If the clouds are full of rain, They empty themselves upon the earth; And if a tree falls to the south or the north, In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie. 4 He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap. 5 As you do not know what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, So you do not know the works of God who makes everything. 6 In the morning sow your seed, And in the evening do not withhold your hand; For you do not know which will prosper, Either this or that, Or whether both alike will be good. 7 Truly the light is sweet, And it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun; 8 But if a man lives many years And rejoices in them all, Yet let him remember the days of darkness, For they will be many. All that is coming is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 11:1-8 (NKJV)
The author is using the casting of bread on the water as an illustration of doing something risky that won’t make sense to others who observe what is going on.
Our natural tendency in the light of uncertainty is to hoard our resources in order to protect our own interests. But the Bible instructs us to do just the opposite – to be generous with others. Both verses 1 and 2 emphasize that principle. In verse 1, we are instructed to “cast” or to “send”, not to “keep” or to “store”. Notice that the farmer could not consume all his bread corn himself as he would be left with nothing to sow. And in verse 2 we are instructed to “give”. We are invited to give to “seven and also to eight.” Remember that seven is the Hebrew number that indicates something that is complete, like seven days in a week. And then the number eight is intended to picture something that is even beyond that which is complete. So the idea here is that when we face uncertainty, we are to give completely and then even beyond that. In other words, we are to give generously. That is a principle that is confirmed in both the Old and the New Testament.
One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Proverbs 11:24, 25 (NIV)
Jesus, our Lord, spoke often about the importance of giving generously and freely. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ lend to ’sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
Luke 6:30-35 (NIV)
Most of us don’t have a problem giving to those that our close to us – family, friends and fellow believers. But Jesus took it a step further. We are even to give to those who are enemies – both our enemies as well as those who are enemies of the Kingdom of God.
Much of what the Bible commands us to do really doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to most of the world, or sometimes even to us. When uncertainty is rampant, it doesn’t make sense to give to others rather than hoard for ourselves. The only way we are able to move beyond our fears is to trust God.
In light of the uncertainties we face, our natural tendency is to withdraw and to try and protect that which we already have. However, we are to do just the opposite. We need to take a risk - to sow into the lives of others, to be generous with our time, talent and treasure, to make a decision and work hard and trust God for the results, and to enjoy whatever days God gives us on this earth.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR8rlTIU8_Y
There was once an elderly gentleman who loved playing golf. But he was almost eighty, and his vision was not very good anymore. He always had partners with him when he went out to play so they could watch his ball and tell him where it went. One day his buddies did not show up. It was a beautiful day for golf, and as he waited at the clubhouse he got more and more upset that he wasn’t going to get to play his round. Another elderly man in the clubhouse saw him and asked, “What’s wrong?” The man explained his predicament: “I was really looking forward to playing golf today. But I don’t see very well anymore, so I need someone to watch the ball after I hit.” The second man was even older than he was, but he said, “That’s no problem. I’ll be glad to ride around with you. I’ve got 20/20 vision. I can see like a hawk. You just hit the ball, and I’ll watch it fly right down the fairway.” So they went out on the first tee, and the old man hit the ball right down the center. He turned to his spotter. “Did you see it?” The man replied, “I saw it all the way until it stopped rolling.” “Well, where did it go?” The older man paused for a moment and then said, “I forgot.”
That just goes to show that even the best-laid plans don’t always work out – a message that we have seen over and over throughout the Book of Ecclesiastes. How are we to live in the face of the uncertainly of life? 1 Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days. 2 Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, For you do not know what evil will be on the earth. 3 If the clouds are full of rain, They empty themselves upon the earth; And if a tree falls to the south or the north, In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie. 4 He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap. 5 As you do not know what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, So you do not know the works of God who makes everything. 6 In the morning sow your seed, And in the evening do not withhold your hand; For you do not know which will prosper, Either this or that, Or whether both alike will be good. 7 Truly the light is sweet, And it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun; 8 But if a man lives many years And rejoices in them all, Yet let him remember the days of darkness, For they will be many. All that is coming is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 11:1-8 (NKJV)
The author is using the casting of bread on the water as an illustration of doing something risky that won’t make sense to others who observe what is going on.
Our natural tendency in the light of uncertainty is to hoard our resources in order to protect our own interests. But the Bible instructs us to do just the opposite – to be generous with others. Both verses 1 and 2 emphasize that principle. In verse 1, we are instructed to “cast” or to “send”, not to “keep” or to “store”. Notice that the farmer could not consume all his bread corn himself as he would be left with nothing to sow. And in verse 2 we are instructed to “give”. We are invited to give to “seven and also to eight.” Remember that seven is the Hebrew number that indicates something that is complete, like seven days in a week. And then the number eight is intended to picture something that is even beyond that which is complete. So the idea here is that when we face uncertainty, we are to give completely and then even beyond that. In other words, we are to give generously. That is a principle that is confirmed in both the Old and the New Testament.
One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Proverbs 11:24, 25 (NIV)
Jesus, our Lord, spoke often about the importance of giving generously and freely. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ lend to ’sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
Luke 6:30-35 (NIV)
Most of us don’t have a problem giving to those that our close to us – family, friends and fellow believers. But Jesus took it a step further. We are even to give to those who are enemies – both our enemies as well as those who are enemies of the Kingdom of God.
Much of what the Bible commands us to do really doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to most of the world, or sometimes even to us. When uncertainty is rampant, it doesn’t make sense to give to others rather than hoard for ourselves. The only way we are able to move beyond our fears is to trust God.
In light of the uncertainties we face, our natural tendency is to withdraw and to try and protect that which we already have. However, we are to do just the opposite. We need to take a risk - to sow into the lives of others, to be generous with our time, talent and treasure, to make a decision and work hard and trust God for the results, and to enjoy whatever days God gives us on this earth.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR8rlTIU8_Y
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