Praise the Lord for this new day. The live concert by the Continentals Brass and Voices last night was a great blessing. The singers and the musicians were gifted, talented, and anointed. We are all refreshed, blessed, and filled. It was a great thrill to see once more some of the young people who have been here the past years for concerts. It was wonderful to reconnect with them. Praise the Lord for our church families who hosted these young people in their homes.
I attended a funeral service this morning for Tom Rushmer. Tom was a former New York State trooper. His granddaughter spoke during the service, and one of his younger sisters shared about her brother. What a great blessing he was to his family and friends. The pastor shared that when we walk with Jesus, the Lord, we never walk alone. When we love the Lord and live in Him we will never die alone.
Thomas Chalmers once said, "Live for something. Do good and leave behind you a monument of virtue that the storm of time can never destroy. Write your name in kindness, love, and mercy on the hearts of thousands you come in contact with year by year; you will never be forgotten. No, your name, your deeds will be as legible on the hearts you leave behind as the stars on the brow of evening. Good deeds will shine as the stars of heaven."
The late great hymnist, Rev. Frederick William Faber (1814 - 1863), once said, "To fill a little space because God wills it; to go on cheerfully with the petty round of little duties, little avocations; to accept unmurmuringly a low position, to be misunderstood, misrepresented, maligned, without complaint, to smile for the joys of others when the heart is aching, to banish all ambition, all pride, and all restlessness, in a single regard to our Saviour’s work; he [or, she] who does this is a greater hero than he [or, she] who for an hour storms a beach, or for one day rushes onward undaunted in the flaming front of shot and shell. His [or, her] works will follow him [or, her]. He [or, she] may be no hero to the world, but he [or, she] is one of God’s heroes!"
German Lutheran theologian and martyr, the Rev. Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906 - 1945), wrote, "I believe that [Almighty] God can and will bring good out of evil, even out of the greatest evil. For that purpose, He needs men [and, women] who make the best use of everything. I believe that God will give us all the strength we need to help us resist in all time of distress. But He never gives it in advance, lest we should rely on ourselves and not on Him alone. A faith such as this should allay all our fears for the future. I believe that even our mistakes and shortcomings are turned to good account, and that it is no harder for God to deal with them than with our supposedly good deeds. I believe that God is no timeless fate, but that He waits for and answers sincere prayers and responsible actions."
What a way to live in Jesus and for the sake of His Kingdom,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twuLr5rQmp0
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 7-23-09
Good morning,
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. We are excited for the Concert by the Continentals Brass and Choir this evening at 7 PM to be held at the First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Avenue, Endicott. Those of you who live in the vicinity please join us. You will be blessed.
Praise the Lord for summer season. Praise the Lord for the way He has put before us an open door to serve Him and glorify His name. Praise the Lord for the many who are serving Jesus as summer missionaries throughout the world. May Jesus bless their ministry and witness. May there be a great harvest of lives for the sake of the Kingdom. One of my best summers was the summer 1969, when I spent the entire summer withe Operation Mobilization, sharing the Good News of Christ, in North India.
San Jose, California is location of the Winchester Mystery House, a 160-room mansion built by an eccentric wealthy widow who just couldn't stop building--she kept on for 38 years. The house goes on and on, a maze of rooms with doors that open to blank walls and 40 staircases, some that go nowhere. The house is a monument to compulsive meaninglessness.
While attending the Passion Play in Germany in 2000, we visited Neuschwanstein, the most popular castle in Germany, a magnificent castle built by King Ludwig II. It sits atop a mountain overlooking the countryside and looks like something out of a fairy tale. In fact, it is the castle that was copied for Disneyland. Ludwig died under mysterious circumstances just a few months after Neuschwanstein was completed. He allegedly drowned--was it an accident, a suicide, or was he murdered? No one knows. He barely got to enjoy his castle, which became for him a tragic a monument to futility. Death, the ultimate reality, is here to remind us that we are mortal. No one gets off the planet alive.
King Solomon’s home took him 14 years to build, plus he built houses for his many wives. None of this brought him happiness; at best it was all a diversion. King Solomon admitted that he hated life. His accomplishments were never enough and failed to satisfy him. We cannot enjoy the things money can buy unless we possess the things money cannot buy.
Solomon indicated his concern over whether his son Rehoboam would continue his legacy. In fact, he did not. Rehoboam did not follow the wisdom of his father. Instead, he rejected his father and listened to foolish advisors who undermined Solomon’s counsel, and his subsequent actions divided the kingdom of Israel. At the height of his power, Rehoboam abandoned God. Solomon had once declared his fear, “What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun?”
Job satisfaction comes from God’s hand, a sense of divine calling, in knowing that we’re doing God’s will, fulfilling His purpose for our lives. We have a reason to work hard (and in an ethical manner) because we are not merely serving a corporation; we’re serving God. Paul states in I Timothy 6:17, “Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly provides us with everything we need for our enjoyment.” The “great life” is found in God..
The Bible declares that the cause of human desolation is an unwillingness to believe, which takes God out of the picture. We are restless until we find our rest and purpose in God. We trust the finite gods of pleasure and work, we seek economic security, but lack peace and purpose. God offers eternal security and a meaningful life. "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added un to you."
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Q5vVa0q8Q
In 1923, Who Was . . .
1. President of the largest steel company?
2. President of the largest gas company?
3. President of the New York Stock Exchange?
4. Greatest wheat speculator?
5. President of the Bank of International Settlement?
6. Great Bear of Wall Street?
These men were considered some of the worlds most successful of their days.
Now, 82 years later, the history books tell us what ultimately became of them.
The Answers:
1. The president of the largest steel company. Charles Schwab, died a pauper.
2. The president of the largest gas company, Edward Hopson, went insane.
3. The president of the NYSE, Richard Whitney, was released from prison to die at home
4. The greatest wheat speculator, Arthur Cooger, died abroad, penniless.
5. The president of the Bank of International Settlement, shot himself.
6 The Great Bear of Wall Street, Cosabee Livermore, also committed suicide.
However, in that same year, 1923, the PGA Champion and the winner of the most important golf tournament, the US Open, was Gene Sarazen.
So, what became of him?
He played golf until he was 92, and died in 1999 at the ripe old age of 95! He was very financially secure at the time of his death.
The moral here: Forget work. Play golf!
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. We are excited for the Concert by the Continentals Brass and Choir this evening at 7 PM to be held at the First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Avenue, Endicott. Those of you who live in the vicinity please join us. You will be blessed.
Praise the Lord for summer season. Praise the Lord for the way He has put before us an open door to serve Him and glorify His name. Praise the Lord for the many who are serving Jesus as summer missionaries throughout the world. May Jesus bless their ministry and witness. May there be a great harvest of lives for the sake of the Kingdom. One of my best summers was the summer 1969, when I spent the entire summer withe Operation Mobilization, sharing the Good News of Christ, in North India.
San Jose, California is location of the Winchester Mystery House, a 160-room mansion built by an eccentric wealthy widow who just couldn't stop building--she kept on for 38 years. The house goes on and on, a maze of rooms with doors that open to blank walls and 40 staircases, some that go nowhere. The house is a monument to compulsive meaninglessness.
While attending the Passion Play in Germany in 2000, we visited Neuschwanstein, the most popular castle in Germany, a magnificent castle built by King Ludwig II. It sits atop a mountain overlooking the countryside and looks like something out of a fairy tale. In fact, it is the castle that was copied for Disneyland. Ludwig died under mysterious circumstances just a few months after Neuschwanstein was completed. He allegedly drowned--was it an accident, a suicide, or was he murdered? No one knows. He barely got to enjoy his castle, which became for him a tragic a monument to futility. Death, the ultimate reality, is here to remind us that we are mortal. No one gets off the planet alive.
King Solomon’s home took him 14 years to build, plus he built houses for his many wives. None of this brought him happiness; at best it was all a diversion. King Solomon admitted that he hated life. His accomplishments were never enough and failed to satisfy him. We cannot enjoy the things money can buy unless we possess the things money cannot buy.
Solomon indicated his concern over whether his son Rehoboam would continue his legacy. In fact, he did not. Rehoboam did not follow the wisdom of his father. Instead, he rejected his father and listened to foolish advisors who undermined Solomon’s counsel, and his subsequent actions divided the kingdom of Israel. At the height of his power, Rehoboam abandoned God. Solomon had once declared his fear, “What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun?”
Job satisfaction comes from God’s hand, a sense of divine calling, in knowing that we’re doing God’s will, fulfilling His purpose for our lives. We have a reason to work hard (and in an ethical manner) because we are not merely serving a corporation; we’re serving God. Paul states in I Timothy 6:17, “Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly provides us with everything we need for our enjoyment.” The “great life” is found in God..
The Bible declares that the cause of human desolation is an unwillingness to believe, which takes God out of the picture. We are restless until we find our rest and purpose in God. We trust the finite gods of pleasure and work, we seek economic security, but lack peace and purpose. God offers eternal security and a meaningful life. "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added un to you."
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Q5vVa0q8Q
In 1923, Who Was . . .
1. President of the largest steel company?
2. President of the largest gas company?
3. President of the New York Stock Exchange?
4. Greatest wheat speculator?
5. President of the Bank of International Settlement?
6. Great Bear of Wall Street?
These men were considered some of the worlds most successful of their days.
Now, 82 years later, the history books tell us what ultimately became of them.
The Answers:
1. The president of the largest steel company. Charles Schwab, died a pauper.
2. The president of the largest gas company, Edward Hopson, went insane.
3. The president of the NYSE, Richard Whitney, was released from prison to die at home
4. The greatest wheat speculator, Arthur Cooger, died abroad, penniless.
5. The president of the Bank of International Settlement, shot himself.
6 The Great Bear of Wall Street, Cosabee Livermore, also committed suicide.
However, in that same year, 1923, the PGA Champion and the winner of the most important golf tournament, the US Open, was Gene Sarazen.
So, what became of him?
He played golf until he was 92, and died in 1999 at the ripe old age of 95! He was very financially secure at the time of his death.
The moral here: Forget work. Play golf!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 7/22/09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for the gifts of friendship and hospitality. We had Rick Larson and his wife Linda over to the house on Sunday for dinner. It was a great time of fellowship and sharing. Over the years the Lord has blessed us with many servants of Jesus who have similarly joined us around the table for a time of fellowship.
We are looking forward for the Continentals Brass and Voices concert tomorrow at 7 PM at First United Methodist Church, in Endicott. It will be a great blessing - with a select group of singers and instrumentalists. Those of you live in the area do not miss this event. You will be blessed. We have hosted concerts by the Continentals since 1978. Our children have grown up loving Christian music and loving Jesus. Thank you, Jesus! We have hosted Continentals in our home all these years. Alice love to cook and bake huge, and pamper them. Laureen is going to host some Continentals this year, too. She is an awesome hostess, and she loves to host friends and family in her house. She also hosts a weekly Bible study in her house. Janice and Jeremy love to entertain friends and family in their house in Boston. Sunita and And are blessed with a very spacious home, where they also love to host. They have entertained many friends and colleagues from overseas, in their home in Washington, DC. Jessica also loves to entertain her friends in her home in Philadelphia.
The Bible declares that Christian hospitality is a gift of the Holy Spirit. The Bible declares further that we may be entertaining angels unaware. We had a great honor and privilege of hosting Dr. Ravi Zacharias for dinner in the parsonage in Nichols several years ago. Ravi Zacharias recently wrote: “In the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde describes an exceptionally handsome young man so captivating that he drew the awestricken adulation of a great artist. The artist asked him to be the subject of a portrait for he had never seen a face so attractive and so pure. When the painting was completed, young Dorian became so enraptured by his own looks that he wistfully intoned how wonderful it would be if he could live any way he pleased but that no disfigurement of a lawless lifestyle would mar the picture of his own countenance. If only the portrait would grow old and he himself could remain unscathed by time and way of life. In Faustian style he was willing to trade his soul for that wish. One day, alone and pensive, Dorian went up to the attic and uncovered the portrait that he had kept hidden for so many years, only to be shocked by what he saw. Horror, hideousness, and blood marred the portrait. The charade came to an end when the artist himself saw the picture. It told the story. He pled with Dorian to come clean, saying, “Does it not say somewhere, ‘Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow’?” But in a fit of rage to silence this voice of conscience, Dorian grabbed a knife and killed the artist. There was now only one thing left for him to do; he took the knife to remove the only visible reminder of his wicked life. But the moment he thrust the blade into the canvas, the portrait returned to its pristine beauty, while Dorian lay stabbed to death on the floor. The ravages that had marred the picture now so disfigured him that even his servants could no longer recognize him.” Ravi closed by saying, “We too, face Dorian Gray’s predicament. Sooner or later, a duplicitous life reveals the cost. The soul is not forever invisible. But there is one who can cleanse and restore us. The Scriptures give us extraordinary insight into this subject of our soul-struggle, and God deals with the heart of the issue one life at a time. Indeed, hear the words of the prophet Isaiah to which Oscar Wilde alluded: ‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red as crimson, they shall be like wool’ (1:18). So come, friend, willingly and obediently, and find God’s rejoinder to the marred portrait within. The greatest artist of all speaks even today.”
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyoVJfADlwo
Praise the Lord for the gifts of friendship and hospitality. We had Rick Larson and his wife Linda over to the house on Sunday for dinner. It was a great time of fellowship and sharing. Over the years the Lord has blessed us with many servants of Jesus who have similarly joined us around the table for a time of fellowship.
We are looking forward for the Continentals Brass and Voices concert tomorrow at 7 PM at First United Methodist Church, in Endicott. It will be a great blessing - with a select group of singers and instrumentalists. Those of you live in the area do not miss this event. You will be blessed. We have hosted concerts by the Continentals since 1978. Our children have grown up loving Christian music and loving Jesus. Thank you, Jesus! We have hosted Continentals in our home all these years. Alice love to cook and bake huge, and pamper them. Laureen is going to host some Continentals this year, too. She is an awesome hostess, and she loves to host friends and family in her house. She also hosts a weekly Bible study in her house. Janice and Jeremy love to entertain friends and family in their house in Boston. Sunita and And are blessed with a very spacious home, where they also love to host. They have entertained many friends and colleagues from overseas, in their home in Washington, DC. Jessica also loves to entertain her friends in her home in Philadelphia.
The Bible declares that Christian hospitality is a gift of the Holy Spirit. The Bible declares further that we may be entertaining angels unaware. We had a great honor and privilege of hosting Dr. Ravi Zacharias for dinner in the parsonage in Nichols several years ago. Ravi Zacharias recently wrote: “In the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde describes an exceptionally handsome young man so captivating that he drew the awestricken adulation of a great artist. The artist asked him to be the subject of a portrait for he had never seen a face so attractive and so pure. When the painting was completed, young Dorian became so enraptured by his own looks that he wistfully intoned how wonderful it would be if he could live any way he pleased but that no disfigurement of a lawless lifestyle would mar the picture of his own countenance. If only the portrait would grow old and he himself could remain unscathed by time and way of life. In Faustian style he was willing to trade his soul for that wish. One day, alone and pensive, Dorian went up to the attic and uncovered the portrait that he had kept hidden for so many years, only to be shocked by what he saw. Horror, hideousness, and blood marred the portrait. The charade came to an end when the artist himself saw the picture. It told the story. He pled with Dorian to come clean, saying, “Does it not say somewhere, ‘Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow’?” But in a fit of rage to silence this voice of conscience, Dorian grabbed a knife and killed the artist. There was now only one thing left for him to do; he took the knife to remove the only visible reminder of his wicked life. But the moment he thrust the blade into the canvas, the portrait returned to its pristine beauty, while Dorian lay stabbed to death on the floor. The ravages that had marred the picture now so disfigured him that even his servants could no longer recognize him.” Ravi closed by saying, “We too, face Dorian Gray’s predicament. Sooner or later, a duplicitous life reveals the cost. The soul is not forever invisible. But there is one who can cleanse and restore us. The Scriptures give us extraordinary insight into this subject of our soul-struggle, and God deals with the heart of the issue one life at a time. Indeed, hear the words of the prophet Isaiah to which Oscar Wilde alluded: ‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red as crimson, they shall be like wool’ (1:18). So come, friend, willingly and obediently, and find God’s rejoinder to the marred portrait within. The greatest artist of all speaks even today.”
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyoVJfADlwo
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 7-21-09
Recently I read the poem by Francis Thompson entitled, "The Hound of Heaven". Once he was an drug addict, died of tuberculosis. "The Hound of Heaven" is a 182 line poem. It depicts the Lord as the "Hound of Heaven."
CNN’s recently featured an article about Frank Warren, editor of the book, "The Secret Lives of Men and Women: A Post Secret Book. After a troubling period in his own life, he handed out 3000 self-addressed stamped postcards to people on the street, asking them to anonymously mail him their secrets. It began as a sort of public art project in 2004. To his surprise, the cards started pouring in. He does n’t have to hand out cards anymore. He has received over 100,000 cards, many of which are works of art in themselves. It has led to PostSecret.com, and there are now many sites like it where you can confess your sins or tell your deepest secret anonymously. One postcard had an old picture of a Santa Claus with two boys on his lap. On the picture were written the words, “I wish my sons would contact me.” Another that I was particularly drawn to was one where a man had taken a picture of his hands praying, and written on the picture: “I don ’t know how to go back to God, and I want to more than anything else in the world.” Both cards were about finding your way back home. One from a father’s perspective who missed his sons, and the other from a lost son who could not find the way back to his heavenly Father.
What makes it so difficult for us to find our way back home? First is the natural rebellion of the human heart. Jacob wanted to get away from his older brother, and maybe he just needed to get away from home and have a change of scenery. However Jacob created most of his own problems through his deceit and self-centeredness.
Many people today would rather continue to live dysfunctional lifestyles than to turn their lives over to the Lord of life. They want God to help them with some of their problems, but they have no intention of surrendering their lives to Him. They are caught up in webs of self-destruction, but they would rather live with the results of destructive choices than give up the control of their lives.
What else makes it difficult for us to find our way back home? In short, many do not know the way. Jacob was a man who needed to find his way to God, but he did not know how. His father, Isaac, and his grandfather, Abraham, both had life-altering encounters with God, but up until this moment in time, Jacob had experienced none of it. He had heard all of the stories of Abraham and Isaac, but had not lived out his own life story. He had grown up as a shepherd and lived a serene existence. Jacob had not yet felt much need for God. We never read about any conversations between Jacob and God. We never read about him worshiping God until he met God at Bethel. But Jacob desperately needed God. After he swindled his brother out of his birthright and inheritance, the conflict between them escalated to the place where he was in fear of losing his life. He needed to go home to God, but he did not know the way.
The good news is that when we cannot find our way to God, God comes to us. Jacob ran from his brother and his problems — the problems he himself created. Finally, on the run, the night came and he fell asleep. A rock pillowed his head, and above his head were the open heavens. As he slept, God revealed himself to Jacob. In his dream there was a ladder, or staircase, the top of which reached heaven and the very throne of God. God revealed Himself and promised Jacob that he would inherit the promises which God had made to his father Isaac, and his father Abraham before him. The Lord repeated those promises to him personally saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth... All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (Genesis 28:13-15).
Jacob called the place “Bethel,” which in Hebrew means ‘House of God.’ This special place was to him the very dwelling place of the Lord. Jacob met God. It was purely by God's grace. Meeting God was probably the last thing on his mind. He was only thinking of getting away from his brother. His mind was full of thoughts about where he was going and what was ahead of him. But God broke into Jacob’s self-absorbed world in a dramatic way. God opened his world to Jacob, even when Jacob had closed his world to God.
This whole incident tells us something very important about God. Isaiah the prophet quotes God as saying, “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I’” (Isaiah 65:1). God is full of surprises. Just when you do not expect to meet him, he comes to you. God can interrupt our self-centered lives in the most amazing ways, even when we do not want to hear from Him.
Thank you Jesus.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjZEDg9ZGKQ
CNN’s recently featured an article about Frank Warren, editor of the book, "The Secret Lives of Men and Women: A Post Secret Book. After a troubling period in his own life, he handed out 3000 self-addressed stamped postcards to people on the street, asking them to anonymously mail him their secrets. It began as a sort of public art project in 2004. To his surprise, the cards started pouring in. He does n’t have to hand out cards anymore. He has received over 100,000 cards, many of which are works of art in themselves. It has led to PostSecret.com, and there are now many sites like it where you can confess your sins or tell your deepest secret anonymously. One postcard had an old picture of a Santa Claus with two boys on his lap. On the picture were written the words, “I wish my sons would contact me.” Another that I was particularly drawn to was one where a man had taken a picture of his hands praying, and written on the picture: “I don ’t know how to go back to God, and I want to more than anything else in the world.” Both cards were about finding your way back home. One from a father’s perspective who missed his sons, and the other from a lost son who could not find the way back to his heavenly Father.
What makes it so difficult for us to find our way back home? First is the natural rebellion of the human heart. Jacob wanted to get away from his older brother, and maybe he just needed to get away from home and have a change of scenery. However Jacob created most of his own problems through his deceit and self-centeredness.
Many people today would rather continue to live dysfunctional lifestyles than to turn their lives over to the Lord of life. They want God to help them with some of their problems, but they have no intention of surrendering their lives to Him. They are caught up in webs of self-destruction, but they would rather live with the results of destructive choices than give up the control of their lives.
What else makes it difficult for us to find our way back home? In short, many do not know the way. Jacob was a man who needed to find his way to God, but he did not know how. His father, Isaac, and his grandfather, Abraham, both had life-altering encounters with God, but up until this moment in time, Jacob had experienced none of it. He had heard all of the stories of Abraham and Isaac, but had not lived out his own life story. He had grown up as a shepherd and lived a serene existence. Jacob had not yet felt much need for God. We never read about any conversations between Jacob and God. We never read about him worshiping God until he met God at Bethel. But Jacob desperately needed God. After he swindled his brother out of his birthright and inheritance, the conflict between them escalated to the place where he was in fear of losing his life. He needed to go home to God, but he did not know the way.
The good news is that when we cannot find our way to God, God comes to us. Jacob ran from his brother and his problems — the problems he himself created. Finally, on the run, the night came and he fell asleep. A rock pillowed his head, and above his head were the open heavens. As he slept, God revealed himself to Jacob. In his dream there was a ladder, or staircase, the top of which reached heaven and the very throne of God. God revealed Himself and promised Jacob that he would inherit the promises which God had made to his father Isaac, and his father Abraham before him. The Lord repeated those promises to him personally saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth... All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (Genesis 28:13-15).
Jacob called the place “Bethel,” which in Hebrew means ‘House of God.’ This special place was to him the very dwelling place of the Lord. Jacob met God. It was purely by God's grace. Meeting God was probably the last thing on his mind. He was only thinking of getting away from his brother. His mind was full of thoughts about where he was going and what was ahead of him. But God broke into Jacob’s self-absorbed world in a dramatic way. God opened his world to Jacob, even when Jacob had closed his world to God.
This whole incident tells us something very important about God. Isaiah the prophet quotes God as saying, “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I’” (Isaiah 65:1). God is full of surprises. Just when you do not expect to meet him, he comes to you. God can interrupt our self-centered lives in the most amazing ways, even when we do not want to hear from Him.
Thank you Jesus.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjZEDg9ZGKQ
Monday, July 20, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 7-20-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. It is the 40th anniversary of the first landing on the moon by Neil Armstrong and his team. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when the news of the moon landing came on the radio. (There was no television in the State of Orissa at that time, so all news came via radio or newspaper). I was on a bus, going home from my senior year of college. That night I visited a woman, blind and in her 80's, and told her that Americans had landed on the moon. She was stunned because many Hindus worship the moon as a god.
"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth His handiwork." (Psalm 19:1)
The Lord blessed us with a glorious weekend. The Heaven Now Marriage Seminar that was held last Saturday was a huge blessing. The presentation by Rick Larson was anointed, refreshing, and renewing. We are really blessed. The Lord continued to bless us as we gathered in His house yesterday for worship and fellowship. Rick Larson preached yesterday, continuing his theme, "Christian Marriage, the Lord's Very Best Gift to Man and Woman". Rick Larson used Ephesians 5 as the foundation model for Christian marriage.
In the culture and the world we live in, we are seduced by the temporal. We need to move from the temporal and focus on the eternal. When we give in to the temporal, we fall into traps of self-indulgence, self centeredness, and selfishness. Somebody once said, "God made people to be loved and He made things to be used, but in our sinful state we love things and use people to get the things that we love".
Without Christ ruling in our lives we are prone to become self-indulgent. We have nothing else to live for. Life is simply a matter of pleasing and satisfying ourselves. So, we indulge, pamper, and please ourselves. If other people fit into that plan it is fine, but if they do not we shut them out of the circle of our lives. The result is that our lives become smaller and smaller until we are the only ones left in the circle.
Many of us remember the story of Dennis Kozlowski. In June of 2005, Dennis Kozlowski the former executive of Tyco walked out of a Manhattan courtroom through a swarm of photographers. He had just been convicted on multiple counts of embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars from Tyco. Kozlowski’s lifestyle included unbelievable excesses. There was the $2.2 million dollar birthday party for his wife, Karen, complete with dancing nymphs and an ice statue of Michelangelo’s David pouring out vodka. Kozlowski was raised in a poor section of Newark, New Jersey, but after working his way through college, he went to work for Tyco. He eventually became CEO and doubled the company’s business. Kozlowski lived in extravagance and self-indulgence — much of it at the company’s expense. He had homes in New York, Nantucket, and Colorado. He bought a $30 million racing yacht, and installed his mistresses in Tyco-owned apartments. But, eventually, trouble came. The New York State Banking Commission tracked a series of unusual bank transfers. New York’s district attorney investigated and it led to Kozlowski’s indictment on charges of corporate corruption. His indulgence literally led to bondage.
What made Kozlowski do it? What makes many people do the same thing, though perhaps on a smaller scale? What would make me want to please and indulge myself? It is the lack of an eternal perspective. It is looking at this world as though this is all there is. It is the lack of a relationship with Jesus, that makes us set up ourselves as God. If we don’t live for Jesus, we only live for ourselves. If we don’t obey the Lord, we obey our own desires — and those desires eventually enslave us. Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. [And here is the key!] But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:25-33).
Paul, the apostle, encouraged us to have an eye on eternity when he wrote: “What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who. . . buy something, [should live] as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:29-31).
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAerTz_c8nc
Praise the Lord for this new day. It is the 40th anniversary of the first landing on the moon by Neil Armstrong and his team. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when the news of the moon landing came on the radio. (There was no television in the State of Orissa at that time, so all news came via radio or newspaper). I was on a bus, going home from my senior year of college. That night I visited a woman, blind and in her 80's, and told her that Americans had landed on the moon. She was stunned because many Hindus worship the moon as a god.
"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth His handiwork." (Psalm 19:1)
The Lord blessed us with a glorious weekend. The Heaven Now Marriage Seminar that was held last Saturday was a huge blessing. The presentation by Rick Larson was anointed, refreshing, and renewing. We are really blessed. The Lord continued to bless us as we gathered in His house yesterday for worship and fellowship. Rick Larson preached yesterday, continuing his theme, "Christian Marriage, the Lord's Very Best Gift to Man and Woman". Rick Larson used Ephesians 5 as the foundation model for Christian marriage.
In the culture and the world we live in, we are seduced by the temporal. We need to move from the temporal and focus on the eternal. When we give in to the temporal, we fall into traps of self-indulgence, self centeredness, and selfishness. Somebody once said, "God made people to be loved and He made things to be used, but in our sinful state we love things and use people to get the things that we love".
Without Christ ruling in our lives we are prone to become self-indulgent. We have nothing else to live for. Life is simply a matter of pleasing and satisfying ourselves. So, we indulge, pamper, and please ourselves. If other people fit into that plan it is fine, but if they do not we shut them out of the circle of our lives. The result is that our lives become smaller and smaller until we are the only ones left in the circle.
Many of us remember the story of Dennis Kozlowski. In June of 2005, Dennis Kozlowski the former executive of Tyco walked out of a Manhattan courtroom through a swarm of photographers. He had just been convicted on multiple counts of embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars from Tyco. Kozlowski’s lifestyle included unbelievable excesses. There was the $2.2 million dollar birthday party for his wife, Karen, complete with dancing nymphs and an ice statue of Michelangelo’s David pouring out vodka. Kozlowski was raised in a poor section of Newark, New Jersey, but after working his way through college, he went to work for Tyco. He eventually became CEO and doubled the company’s business. Kozlowski lived in extravagance and self-indulgence — much of it at the company’s expense. He had homes in New York, Nantucket, and Colorado. He bought a $30 million racing yacht, and installed his mistresses in Tyco-owned apartments. But, eventually, trouble came. The New York State Banking Commission tracked a series of unusual bank transfers. New York’s district attorney investigated and it led to Kozlowski’s indictment on charges of corporate corruption. His indulgence literally led to bondage.
What made Kozlowski do it? What makes many people do the same thing, though perhaps on a smaller scale? What would make me want to please and indulge myself? It is the lack of an eternal perspective. It is looking at this world as though this is all there is. It is the lack of a relationship with Jesus, that makes us set up ourselves as God. If we don’t live for Jesus, we only live for ourselves. If we don’t obey the Lord, we obey our own desires — and those desires eventually enslave us. Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. [And here is the key!] But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:25-33).
Paul, the apostle, encouraged us to have an eye on eternity when he wrote: “What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who. . . buy something, [should live] as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:29-31).
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAerTz_c8nc
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