Good morning,
Praise the Lord for the summer season. Praise the Lord for the warmer and brighter days. I get excited about summer. It is written in Proverbs 10:5 (New King James Version), "He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame." Summer is not for slumbering. Summer is not for being slothful. It is time for sowing the seeds of the Gospel and gathering the harvest. There is a great thrill and joy in harvesting for the Lord of the Harvest who infuses us with His joy.
The Lord blessed us with a joyful and soulful weekend. Some men gathered for a spring clean up day at the church. The Lord has blessed us with gorgeous and beautiful grounds with lot of trees and flowering bushes. We have started a small orchard with a variety of fruit trees. They are growing luxuriantly.
On Saturday some of our people gathered to prepare and serve a meal to the needy at the First United Methodist Church at noon. It was a great blessing to serve and be a blessing to our neighbors in need. We served homemade lasagna, with homemade desserts and organic salads. In the evening we gathered to celebrated Fathers' Day with the whole family. Our friends, Lou Pasquale and his team (Rodney, Terri, Mary, and Rebecca) prepared a very special meal. We also served an assortment homemade pies and homemade rolls. It was a great time of celebration. Our youth waited on the tables and cleaned up afterward. There was a special musical celebration during and following the banquet. The music was provided by Aric Phinney, Laureen Naik and Mary Addo. Dave Hettinger gave a brief testimony on being father, grand father, and son. The Lord blessed us.
Yesterday we gathered for a great time of worship. One of our young fathers, Craig Sabin, preached. He preached on Loving obedience. Praise the Lord for the church and for the family.
I am reading this morning from 2 Samuel 13:4, where Amnon, the son of David, was depicted as a young man who had a lot going for him. At his disposal were all the riches of the kingdom. His father was the most famous and powerful man in the land. In addition, the possibility existed that Amnon would someday succeed his father. What a happy young man this should have been. The biblical portrait depicts him, however, not as a man of joy but in the depth of despair, overshadowed by sadness.
A question was asked “Why is a son of the king haggard?” This question carries with it the implication that Amnon certainly should have been happy. He had every reason to be. He had been ex-posed to all the privileges, prestige, and power that went along with his position as the king’s son. As a son of the king. He should have been happy.
As Christians we, too, are sons of the King. Our Father is not just any king, but God. As Christians, we are part of a Kingdom that can never be shaken. Through faith we are making investments that will pay their dividends through all eternity. We have been established in a new relationship with God. If anyone ought to be happy we should be, for we are sons of the King. We should experience real joy in Jesus.
Despite all that was at his disposal Amnon was in despair. To discover what interfered with the joy he should have experienced will help us understand why joy so often eludes us today. Sinfulness interfered with Amnon’s happiness. Amnon had raped his sister, defying the laws of both God and man. This incident in Amnon’s life is probably indicative of his general life-style. If so, we can conclude that his life was characterized by an indifference toward God that led at many points to specific acts of sin. The weight of that sin squeezed the happiness out of his life.
The most unhappy person in the world is not a person outside the family of God. The saddest person is one who is in God’s family but who is carrying in his life the burden of guilt over sins he knows he should not have committed.
Another interference was selfishness. Amnon put himself at the center of his life. His primary concern was the fulfillment of his own selfish desires. He must have looked haggard because he centered his world in himself, and that’s a mighty small package.
Dr. Brian Harbour, in his book "From Cover to Cover," wrote about two roommates in medical school who finished their course of study and went in opposite directions. One young man settled into a lucrative practice in a large city in the Midwest. He enjoyed all the benefits of affluence. The other doctor, drawn by a great need about which he had learned, went to Africa and established a practice in a densely populated area. Years passed. One day the doctor practicing in America took a tour of Africa and included on his itinerary a visit with his former colleague. The American doctor was appalled at the conditions under which his friend worked.
After the missionary doctor completed a surgery, his visitor asked, “How much would you have received for performing that surgery in America?” “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe $2,000, maybe more.” “And what did you get here?” The missionary doctor replied, “A few pennies and the smile of God!”
May the Lord smile on us as we serve Him this summer and invest our time, treasure, and talent in His Kingdom, which is eternal. When the smile of God is on our lives, then we will experience the true joy of our salvation.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz6DxdJw6Q4
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