Praise the Lord for Friday! Tomorrow will be the ninth anniversary of 9/11. Our nation is still in the midst of turmoil and commotion. We praise the Lord for our great nation and wonderful country, under His care and under His grace all these years. Praise the Lord for all those who serve Him faithfully and honor Him with their words and deeds. I was looking in Psalm 46 this morning, which was written in the context of uncertainty and stress and fear.As we read this Psalm, it declares that "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in time of trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the waters of sea, though its waters roar and foam, and the mountains quake with the surging."
When the world crashes in around us, God our heavenly father, who revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord, is still there, protecting us. The word "refuge" literally means to flee, as in running to a shelter. The idea is that the Lord wants us to turn to Him, and run to Him for protection. The word "strength" implies that we can fully rely on His might when we feel weak and defenseless. The phrase "ever present help" means God is quick to give us assistance and protection. Because of this, we do not have to fear. The word "trouble" can mean affliction, distress, or tribulation. Our Lord is calling us today not to live in fear because He is our refuge, strength and help. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God. God protects us when we seek refuge in Him. Fortunately, we don’t have to run far to find Him because His presence is right here with us. Verse 4 paints a picture that is easy for us to miss. First of all, the city of God is Jerusalem. While it was a very beautiful city, it had no river that ran through it like the other major cities and countries of that day. Babylon was built on the Euphrates. Egypt had the Nile. Rome had the Tiber. Jerusalem did not have a physical river but it had something even better the very presence of God.
God’s grace flows through like a river that brings gladness and joy to His people. While the ocean rages and foams, God’s presence is depicted as a calm and gently flowing stream. This image in Scripture is used to represent joy, abundance, and peace, even when everything else is falling apart.
God’s presence with His people is one of the central truths of Scripture. Verse 5 says that “God is within her” and verse 7 declares that the “Lord Almighty is with us.” This is from the root word “Immanuel,” which means “God with us” and was used in Matthew 1:23 to refer to Jesus. That means that when we put our faith in Jesus, we have “God with us” at all times.
There are no guarantees in this life for any of us. We are not safe, but we are loved — and that is our security. Frederick Buechner has written these words as though God were speaking to us: “You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn’t have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It’s for you I created the universe.” Life is not safe, but life is good. Life is good, because God is good. We can turn to him. He is with us. No matter where the journey takes us, he takes our hand and walks beside us. There is no better news. There is no greater security.
The New Living Bible puts it this way: “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? . . .No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39).
In Christ the Prince of Peace
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5K-3Fn74CA
Friday, September 10, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Brown's Daily Word 9-9-10
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. He blessed us with a wonderful Mid-week gathering yesterday. We looked into Mathew 15:21-25, where we have record of Jesus acting in manner that usually does not describe Him. Jesus allowed the Canaanite women to be attacked with discouragement. Jesus was silent upon hearing her request. Scripture says, “He, Jesus, did not answer her a word.” The silence of Jesus here in the pages of Matthew have been magnified one thousand fold in the minds of hurting Christians everywhere. When answers do not come when we expect them, it is easy enough to just lose hope and give up. Yet, this Canaanite woman did not give up!
Discouragement came not from Jesus but from the disciples! They said, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us!” In modern words we might translate that as, ‘She is a pain and she is annoying, so get rid of her!’ To make matters worse, Jesus did not rebuke his disciples for being so selfish. Often Satan tries to make us feel as if we have been bothering Jesus, especially when we pray over, and over, and over again. It is often difficult for us to recognize that discouragement can actually be a way for Jesus to strengthen and bless us. The woman, who remained humbled, persisted in prayer by saying, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from the masters table.” In other words, she was willing and ready to receive whatever crumbs Jesus tossed her way, because even those crumbs would more than enough to fulfill her prayerful request.
The Canaanite woman was able to break through the discouraging words that came her way because of one simple truth. She trusted in all the things that she heard about Jesus. She knew him to be the Messiah, because she called Him the Son of David. She knew that He had the power to heal her daughter of the demon possession. She rested her hopes on all that she heard about Jesus. That is why Jesus eventually said, “Woman, your faith is great, it shall be done for you as you wish.”
Faith is not something that is hoped for, or something that we can earn through trial and error; it is a free gift given to us by the Lord through His Holy Spirit. It is God’s way of guiding us in our Christian walk and giving us hope in times of trouble.
Faith will bring us encouragement when the Holy Spirit moves us to rest our hope and our needs and all our prayerful requests upon the promises given to us by Jesus Christ.
This morning, there are crumbs of blessings available for all of His people. One crumb of blessing from the Master’s table can transform us and enable us to live the kind of lives that the Lord has always wanted us to have. Blessed be His glorious Name.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPPIFW_r1Ig
Every Saturday at 6:30 PM
Beginning Saturday, September 18, 2010
Location: First United Methodist Church,
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott, New York.
Sponsored by the Union Center United Methodist Church.
Pastor: Rev. Brown Naik
The first of our Saturday evening worship services will be held on Saturday September 18, 2010 at 6:30 PM, with Rev. Earle Cowden will preaching. The Worship and Praise Band from Davis College will be leading in worship. Ministry for the youth and the children will be provided. The public is invited to join us. For information call: 607-748-6329. 607-427-9098
Saturday , September 25, 2010
6 PM Gathering for Coffee and Refreshments
6.30 PM Worship Service
Special Music by " A Touch of Christ"
Message by Brown Naik
Praise the Lord for this new day. He blessed us with a wonderful Mid-week gathering yesterday. We looked into Mathew 15:21-25, where we have record of Jesus acting in manner that usually does not describe Him. Jesus allowed the Canaanite women to be attacked with discouragement. Jesus was silent upon hearing her request. Scripture says, “He, Jesus, did not answer her a word.” The silence of Jesus here in the pages of Matthew have been magnified one thousand fold in the minds of hurting Christians everywhere. When answers do not come when we expect them, it is easy enough to just lose hope and give up. Yet, this Canaanite woman did not give up!
Discouragement came not from Jesus but from the disciples! They said, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us!” In modern words we might translate that as, ‘She is a pain and she is annoying, so get rid of her!’ To make matters worse, Jesus did not rebuke his disciples for being so selfish. Often Satan tries to make us feel as if we have been bothering Jesus, especially when we pray over, and over, and over again. It is often difficult for us to recognize that discouragement can actually be a way for Jesus to strengthen and bless us. The woman, who remained humbled, persisted in prayer by saying, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from the masters table.” In other words, she was willing and ready to receive whatever crumbs Jesus tossed her way, because even those crumbs would more than enough to fulfill her prayerful request.
The Canaanite woman was able to break through the discouraging words that came her way because of one simple truth. She trusted in all the things that she heard about Jesus. She knew him to be the Messiah, because she called Him the Son of David. She knew that He had the power to heal her daughter of the demon possession. She rested her hopes on all that she heard about Jesus. That is why Jesus eventually said, “Woman, your faith is great, it shall be done for you as you wish.”
Faith is not something that is hoped for, or something that we can earn through trial and error; it is a free gift given to us by the Lord through His Holy Spirit. It is God’s way of guiding us in our Christian walk and giving us hope in times of trouble.
Faith will bring us encouragement when the Holy Spirit moves us to rest our hope and our needs and all our prayerful requests upon the promises given to us by Jesus Christ.
This morning, there are crumbs of blessings available for all of His people. One crumb of blessing from the Master’s table can transform us and enable us to live the kind of lives that the Lord has always wanted us to have. Blessed be His glorious Name.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPPIFW_r1Ig
Every Saturday at 6:30 PM
Beginning Saturday, September 18, 2010
Location: First United Methodist Church,
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott, New York.
Sponsored by the Union Center United Methodist Church.
Pastor: Rev. Brown Naik
The first of our Saturday evening worship services will be held on Saturday September 18, 2010 at 6:30 PM, with Rev. Earle Cowden will preaching. The Worship and Praise Band from Davis College will be leading in worship. Ministry for the youth and the children will be provided. The public is invited to join us. For information call: 607-748-6329. 607-427-9098
Saturday , September 25, 2010
6 PM Gathering for Coffee and Refreshments
6.30 PM Worship Service
Special Music by " A Touch of Christ"
Message by Brown Naik
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Brown's Daily Word 9-8-10
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for the sizzling days of summer. I was able to barbeque lots of chicken for Labor Day. Somebody built me a very rudimentary barbeque pit made with concrete blocks. Someone else provided me with lots of firewood. I no longer use charcoal or gas for barbeque. I used very seasoned wood for cooking the chicken. It was great. It was also wonderful spending time with friends and family. As the summer comes to close people are returning home with their boats and campers.
I love to go to the beach. When I was in 10th grade a classmate of mine and I rode one bike 90 miles one way to got to the beach. When I saw the ocean for the first time I was blown away. The waves, coming one upon another, are an amazing spectacle. Our Lord Jesus spent much of His time by the Sea of Galilee. The Gospels record the miracle of of Jesus walking on the water - Mathew 14.. Life is often a storm, and Jesus asks us to get out of the relative safety of the boat and to join him in doing what he is doing even though there’s a storm raging on! There are a few quiet moments in life, but quite often life is one crisis after another, and it is within the crises of life that Jesus that calls us to join him.
Peter joined Jesus on the sea and, though he saw that Jesus was in the midst of the storm, Peter began to walk toward Him. Then Peter made a major mistake. He “looked around at the high waves” and fixed his eyes on them. Henry Blackaby, the author of Experiencing God, says that even when Jesus does call us to join him where he is and to do what he is doing we will experience a crisis of faith. A crisis of faith is the feeling that the obstacles and problems of life are more powerful than the One who told us to join him in the water. Peter had such a crisis of faith.
The tragedy of the crisis of faith is that we take our eyes of Jesus, and when we take our eyes off Jesus all that we can see are the waves, and there are waves all around us. Neither you nor I are a match for the storm waves of life if our eyes are not fixed on Jesus. We cannot fix our sight on more than one thing at a time, and we cannot focus on Jesus if we are focused on the tidal wave! But Jesus is the lifeline, the one who gave Peter the ability to walk on the water. He is the one who gives us the strength and courage to join him in what he is doing. When we take our eyes off Jesus we will begin to sink; our problems and crises will overwhelm us and keep us from joining Jesus where he is and in doing what Jesus wants us to do.
Even though Peter took his eyes off Jesus, Jesus never took his eyes off Peter so, when Peter began to sink and drown, Jesus immediately grabbed Peter’s hand and pull him into the safety of the boat. At one time or another, we are going to take our eyes off of Jesus. There is no doubt that we too will go through some crisis of faith that causes us to take our eyes off Jesus, but Jesus will not take his eyes off us! If Jesus calls us to join him, Jesus will not let the wind and waves of crisis get the better of us! Jesus is quick to save us even if we have a lapse in our faith in him!
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP4GFr0Idwk
Saturday Evening Worship Services.
Every Saturday at 6:30 PM
Beginning Saturday, September 18, 2010
Location: First United Methodist Church,
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott, New York.
Sponsored by the Union Center United Methodist Church.
Pastor: Rev. Brown Naik
The first of our Saturday evening worship services will be held on Saturday September 18, 2010 at 6:30 PM, with Rev. Earle Cowden will preaching. The Worship and Praise Band from Davis College will be leading in worship. Ministry for the youth and the children will be provided. The public is invited to join us. For information call: 607-748-6329. 607-427-9098
Saturday , September 25, 2010
6 PM Gathering for Coffee and Refreshments
6.30 PM Worship Service
Special Music by " A Touch of Christ"
Message by Brown Naik
Praise the Lord for the sizzling days of summer. I was able to barbeque lots of chicken for Labor Day. Somebody built me a very rudimentary barbeque pit made with concrete blocks. Someone else provided me with lots of firewood. I no longer use charcoal or gas for barbeque. I used very seasoned wood for cooking the chicken. It was great. It was also wonderful spending time with friends and family. As the summer comes to close people are returning home with their boats and campers.
I love to go to the beach. When I was in 10th grade a classmate of mine and I rode one bike 90 miles one way to got to the beach. When I saw the ocean for the first time I was blown away. The waves, coming one upon another, are an amazing spectacle. Our Lord Jesus spent much of His time by the Sea of Galilee. The Gospels record the miracle of of Jesus walking on the water - Mathew 14.. Life is often a storm, and Jesus asks us to get out of the relative safety of the boat and to join him in doing what he is doing even though there’s a storm raging on! There are a few quiet moments in life, but quite often life is one crisis after another, and it is within the crises of life that Jesus that calls us to join him.
Peter joined Jesus on the sea and, though he saw that Jesus was in the midst of the storm, Peter began to walk toward Him. Then Peter made a major mistake. He “looked around at the high waves” and fixed his eyes on them. Henry Blackaby, the author of Experiencing God, says that even when Jesus does call us to join him where he is and to do what he is doing we will experience a crisis of faith. A crisis of faith is the feeling that the obstacles and problems of life are more powerful than the One who told us to join him in the water. Peter had such a crisis of faith.
The tragedy of the crisis of faith is that we take our eyes of Jesus, and when we take our eyes off Jesus all that we can see are the waves, and there are waves all around us. Neither you nor I are a match for the storm waves of life if our eyes are not fixed on Jesus. We cannot fix our sight on more than one thing at a time, and we cannot focus on Jesus if we are focused on the tidal wave! But Jesus is the lifeline, the one who gave Peter the ability to walk on the water. He is the one who gives us the strength and courage to join him in what he is doing. When we take our eyes off Jesus we will begin to sink; our problems and crises will overwhelm us and keep us from joining Jesus where he is and in doing what Jesus wants us to do.
Even though Peter took his eyes off Jesus, Jesus never took his eyes off Peter so, when Peter began to sink and drown, Jesus immediately grabbed Peter’s hand and pull him into the safety of the boat. At one time or another, we are going to take our eyes off of Jesus. There is no doubt that we too will go through some crisis of faith that causes us to take our eyes off Jesus, but Jesus will not take his eyes off us! If Jesus calls us to join him, Jesus will not let the wind and waves of crisis get the better of us! Jesus is quick to save us even if we have a lapse in our faith in him!
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP4GFr0Idwk
Saturday Evening Worship Services.
Every Saturday at 6:30 PM
Beginning Saturday, September 18, 2010
Location: First United Methodist Church,
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott, New York.
Sponsored by the Union Center United Methodist Church.
Pastor: Rev. Brown Naik
The first of our Saturday evening worship services will be held on Saturday September 18, 2010 at 6:30 PM, with Rev. Earle Cowden will preaching. The Worship and Praise Band from Davis College will be leading in worship. Ministry for the youth and the children will be provided. The public is invited to join us. For information call: 607-748-6329. 607-427-9098
Saturday , September 25, 2010
6 PM Gathering for Coffee and Refreshments
6.30 PM Worship Service
Special Music by " A Touch of Christ"
Message by Brown Naik
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Brown's Daily Word 9-7-10
Praise the Lord for one of the hottest summers He gave us here in the Northeast of the USA. Praise the Lord for the Gentle Autumn that is upon us. My wife will be going back to school today. The students will be returning back to school tomorrow. Our granddaughter Micah is home-schooled for the time being. Praise the Lord for the seasons and the transitions that the Lord leads us through in this life. Though we go through the web and flow of life our Lord remains our constant companion and our Eternal Contemporary. Many of our friends have retired from active ministries in their fields. May the Lord continue to bless them and enrich their lives as they will continue to serve Him. Those who serve the Lord never retire from serving Him. John Wesley never retired A week before His passing in to glory He was preaching with boldness and zeal. May the Lord anoint us all to finish it well.
I am reflecting on one of the very familiar passages in the Word of God. “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His…” II Chronicles 16:9 The Lord is searching for a people that He may powerfully strengthen through every circumstance, trial, and difficulty. This verse, in the Revised Standard Version reads, “to show His might in behalf of those..” The Lord daily searches those who need His strength, grace, and power demonstrated on their behalf. He sees every hurt, every trial, hardship, and circumstance that we face and He desires to strengthen weary hearts and weakened faith. Through our situations the Lord wants to show His mighty power and faithfulness. He searches for hearts that cry out to Him and acknowledge their need of Him.
Throughout the Scriptures we find those whom God powerfully strengthened and helped. MOSES, when afraid to go to Egypt and face Pharaoh, received the Lord's promise, “I will be with you”. The Lord demonstrated His might and faithfulness to Moses and Israel. He ultimately delivered them out of Egypt by the parting of the Red Sea.
SHADRACH,MESHAC AND ABEDNEGO, three Hebrews who refused to bow down to the golden idol of Nebuchednezzar, remained true to worship the One True God. As a result they were thrown into the furnace of fire. They refused to compromise in the face of death. The Lord intervened by being present with them in the fire and He delivered them out alive and unburned.
DANIEL was another who refused to compromise the law of Almighty God for the law of a human king. He prayed to and worshipped God alone. As a result, he was cast into a den of lions. The Lord sent His angel to shut the mouths of the lions and thus kept Daniel from harm.
PETER, as recorded in Acts 12, was imprisoned for preaching about Jesus. As Peter sat in a prison sleeping at night under heavy guard—an angel of the Lord came and released him and set him free to continue preaching.
These are all examples given to us to increase our faith in the faithfulness and power of God. Whatever situation we may face, the Lord desires to “strongly support” us. He will come to us, minister to us, and strengthen us with His grace to keep believing and keep holding on to Him. This is the same Lord who says to us in Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you”.
His promise is true in Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”.
His Presence will be with us through all things. When we are weak and weary—not only does He promise to be with us, but He upholds us with His mighty hand.
He will be our Strength. He will support us and show Himself faithful.
In Jesus our Lord,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I_VwA4d44g
I am reflecting on one of the very familiar passages in the Word of God. “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His…” II Chronicles 16:9 The Lord is searching for a people that He may powerfully strengthen through every circumstance, trial, and difficulty. This verse, in the Revised Standard Version reads, “to show His might in behalf of those..” The Lord daily searches those who need His strength, grace, and power demonstrated on their behalf. He sees every hurt, every trial, hardship, and circumstance that we face and He desires to strengthen weary hearts and weakened faith. Through our situations the Lord wants to show His mighty power and faithfulness. He searches for hearts that cry out to Him and acknowledge their need of Him.
Throughout the Scriptures we find those whom God powerfully strengthened and helped. MOSES, when afraid to go to Egypt and face Pharaoh, received the Lord's promise, “I will be with you”. The Lord demonstrated His might and faithfulness to Moses and Israel. He ultimately delivered them out of Egypt by the parting of the Red Sea.
SHADRACH,MESHAC AND ABEDNEGO, three Hebrews who refused to bow down to the golden idol of Nebuchednezzar, remained true to worship the One True God. As a result they were thrown into the furnace of fire. They refused to compromise in the face of death. The Lord intervened by being present with them in the fire and He delivered them out alive and unburned.
DANIEL was another who refused to compromise the law of Almighty God for the law of a human king. He prayed to and worshipped God alone. As a result, he was cast into a den of lions. The Lord sent His angel to shut the mouths of the lions and thus kept Daniel from harm.
PETER, as recorded in Acts 12, was imprisoned for preaching about Jesus. As Peter sat in a prison sleeping at night under heavy guard—an angel of the Lord came and released him and set him free to continue preaching.
These are all examples given to us to increase our faith in the faithfulness and power of God. Whatever situation we may face, the Lord desires to “strongly support” us. He will come to us, minister to us, and strengthen us with His grace to keep believing and keep holding on to Him. This is the same Lord who says to us in Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you”.
His promise is true in Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”.
His Presence will be with us through all things. When we are weak and weary—not only does He promise to be with us, but He upholds us with His mighty hand.
He will be our Strength. He will support us and show Himself faithful.
In Jesus our Lord,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I_VwA4d44g
Monday, September 6, 2010
Brown's Daily Word 9-6-10
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for the way He lavishes His grace and mercy upon us day by day. Jessica and Tom came home for the long weekend. Sunita and Andy returned back to their home in Washington, DC yesterday after spending their vacation in the state of Oregon. Praise the Lord for this Monday. It is celebrated as the Labor Day in the USA. Praise the Lord for the work the Lord has called us to do on earth with our time and talent.
I did read some time ago that during the middle of the 1800’s there was a popular set of rules for the office that showed up in one form or another across the nation.
1. Office employees will daily sweep the floors, dust the furniture and showcases. Each day they must fill lamps, clean chimneys, & turn wicks
2. Windows must be washed once a week.
3. Each clerk will bring in a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day’s business.
4. Make your pens carefully. You may whittle your nibs to your individual taste.
5. This office will open at 7:00 am and close at 9:00 p.m. daily, except on Sunday, on which day it will remain closed. Each employee is expected to spend Sunday attending church and contributing liberally to the cause of the Lord.
6. Men employees will be given an evening off each week for courting purposes, or 2 evenings a week if they go regularly to church.
7. After an employee has spent 13 hours of labor in the office, he should spend the rest of his time reading the Bible any other good books while contemplating the glories and building up of the kingdom.
8. Every employee should lay aside, from each pay, a goodly sum of his earning, so that he will not become a burden upon the charity of his betters.
9. The employee who has performed his labors faithfully and without fault for a period of 5 years in my service, and who had been thrifty and attentive to his religious duties, is looked upon by his fellowmen as a substantial and law-abiding citizen, will be given an increase of 5 cents per day in his pay providing a just return in profits from the business permits it.
Martin Luther spoke of the "priesthood of all believers", a theological concept that points to the fact that ministry is not just the work of the pastor. Luther reminded the laity (non-clergy) to be "little Christs" to each other. According to Luther, God’s people are to pray for each other. "They are to listen to their sisters’ and brothers’ confessions of sin and cries of distress. They are to speak God’s cheering word of forgiveness and consolation. They are to be agents of God’s overflowing goodness by ministering to the poor and oppressed". In Matthew 5:13-20, we who are Christians are defined as being salt of the earth, light to the world, and a lamp placed on a lamp stand.
First of all, Christians are to be the salt of the earth. We don’t know which aspect of salt Jesus was referring to in this analogy, but think about all the uses of salt. Salt preserves; salt flavors; salt cleanses; salt has value. Salt was even used in the Old Testament covenants made with God. Salt has been so important in the history of the world that it was sometimes used as money. In our dealings with those around us (even in the workplace), we must show compassion, respond to people in need, and be like "little Christs" to one another. Our "saltiness", our "acts of faith" will minister to others. Whether we work in face-to-face customer contact or in data processing behind a desk all day, there are opportunities to do the best job we can, with the best attitude we can, with the greatest amount of integrity we can. When an opportunity arises to be a good listener, to forgive as God forgives, to show compassion as Jesus showed compassion, we can act as the salt we are, listening, forgiving, and showing compassion, as we are able. As Christians we should be preserving, flavoring, cleansing, valuable additions to the world around us, no matter whom we come in contact with.
Christians are to be the light of the world. That is, we are to be the light that points to Jesus, the Light of the world. Light illuminates; light helps us see what’s really there; light allows us to see our way. If we Christians were living as light to the world, we would be illuminating the way for people who are in darkness. We would be telling people how following Jesus has illuminated our lives. We would be sharing our faith because this news is too good to keep to ourselves. The church’s service in the world is carried out through our hands and feet. When we tell someone about Jesus, the Light of the World, we shine a light on their path that could bring them hope, joy, and peace. We are to be little lights that point people to Jesus, the Light of the World.
Christians are lamps, not hidden under a "bushel", but on the lamp stand for all to see. Just as a lamp on a lampstand brings light to the whole house, we are told to let our light shine "so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven". Everything we do, we do to the glory of God. It goes beyond our own ability or reputation. What we do reflects on our heavenly Father. The way we carry out our jobs can give glory to God or cause God pain. Our faith can not be removed from our daily work. We cannot compartmentalize our faith into Sunday behaviors and Monday behaviors. The different roles in our life cannot be dissected apart and parceled into this arena or that. Our work is, in a sense, a prayer to God. Hopefully, our work is meaningful and helps to accomplish God’s mission.
Brother Lawrence, a French monk who lived from 1611 to 1691, might be considered to have archaic ideas, with very little to say to today’s working people. However, he had some great insights into our theme of ministry in daily life. Brother Lawrence (The Practice of the Presence of God, pg. 81) wrote: "It is not necessary to have great things to do. I turn my little omelette in the pan for the love of God; when it is finished, if I have nothing to do, I prostrate myself on the ground and adore my God, who gave me the grace to make it, after which I arise, more content than a king. When I cannot do anything else, it is enough for me to have lifted a straw from the earth for the love of God. People seek for methods of learning to love God. They hope to arrive at it by I know not how many different practices; they take much trouble to remain in the presence of God in a quantity of ways. Is it not much shorter and more direct to do everything for the love of God, to make use of all the labors of one’s state in life to show Him that love, and to maintain His presence within us by this communion of our hearts with His? There is no finesse about it; one has only to do it generously and simply."
May God’s glory shine through you as we seek to minister to all those who we see daily so that they may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d9RJMOP9Tw
Praise the Lord for the way He lavishes His grace and mercy upon us day by day. Jessica and Tom came home for the long weekend. Sunita and Andy returned back to their home in Washington, DC yesterday after spending their vacation in the state of Oregon. Praise the Lord for this Monday. It is celebrated as the Labor Day in the USA. Praise the Lord for the work the Lord has called us to do on earth with our time and talent.
I did read some time ago that during the middle of the 1800’s there was a popular set of rules for the office that showed up in one form or another across the nation.
1. Office employees will daily sweep the floors, dust the furniture and showcases. Each day they must fill lamps, clean chimneys, & turn wicks
2. Windows must be washed once a week.
3. Each clerk will bring in a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day’s business.
4. Make your pens carefully. You may whittle your nibs to your individual taste.
5. This office will open at 7:00 am and close at 9:00 p.m. daily, except on Sunday, on which day it will remain closed. Each employee is expected to spend Sunday attending church and contributing liberally to the cause of the Lord.
6. Men employees will be given an evening off each week for courting purposes, or 2 evenings a week if they go regularly to church.
7. After an employee has spent 13 hours of labor in the office, he should spend the rest of his time reading the Bible any other good books while contemplating the glories and building up of the kingdom.
8. Every employee should lay aside, from each pay, a goodly sum of his earning, so that he will not become a burden upon the charity of his betters.
9. The employee who has performed his labors faithfully and without fault for a period of 5 years in my service, and who had been thrifty and attentive to his religious duties, is looked upon by his fellowmen as a substantial and law-abiding citizen, will be given an increase of 5 cents per day in his pay providing a just return in profits from the business permits it.
Martin Luther spoke of the "priesthood of all believers", a theological concept that points to the fact that ministry is not just the work of the pastor. Luther reminded the laity (non-clergy) to be "little Christs" to each other. According to Luther, God’s people are to pray for each other. "They are to listen to their sisters’ and brothers’ confessions of sin and cries of distress. They are to speak God’s cheering word of forgiveness and consolation. They are to be agents of God’s overflowing goodness by ministering to the poor and oppressed". In Matthew 5:13-20, we who are Christians are defined as being salt of the earth, light to the world, and a lamp placed on a lamp stand.
First of all, Christians are to be the salt of the earth. We don’t know which aspect of salt Jesus was referring to in this analogy, but think about all the uses of salt. Salt preserves; salt flavors; salt cleanses; salt has value. Salt was even used in the Old Testament covenants made with God. Salt has been so important in the history of the world that it was sometimes used as money. In our dealings with those around us (even in the workplace), we must show compassion, respond to people in need, and be like "little Christs" to one another. Our "saltiness", our "acts of faith" will minister to others. Whether we work in face-to-face customer contact or in data processing behind a desk all day, there are opportunities to do the best job we can, with the best attitude we can, with the greatest amount of integrity we can. When an opportunity arises to be a good listener, to forgive as God forgives, to show compassion as Jesus showed compassion, we can act as the salt we are, listening, forgiving, and showing compassion, as we are able. As Christians we should be preserving, flavoring, cleansing, valuable additions to the world around us, no matter whom we come in contact with.
Christians are to be the light of the world. That is, we are to be the light that points to Jesus, the Light of the world. Light illuminates; light helps us see what’s really there; light allows us to see our way. If we Christians were living as light to the world, we would be illuminating the way for people who are in darkness. We would be telling people how following Jesus has illuminated our lives. We would be sharing our faith because this news is too good to keep to ourselves. The church’s service in the world is carried out through our hands and feet. When we tell someone about Jesus, the Light of the World, we shine a light on their path that could bring them hope, joy, and peace. We are to be little lights that point people to Jesus, the Light of the World.
Christians are lamps, not hidden under a "bushel", but on the lamp stand for all to see. Just as a lamp on a lampstand brings light to the whole house, we are told to let our light shine "so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven". Everything we do, we do to the glory of God. It goes beyond our own ability or reputation. What we do reflects on our heavenly Father. The way we carry out our jobs can give glory to God or cause God pain. Our faith can not be removed from our daily work. We cannot compartmentalize our faith into Sunday behaviors and Monday behaviors. The different roles in our life cannot be dissected apart and parceled into this arena or that. Our work is, in a sense, a prayer to God. Hopefully, our work is meaningful and helps to accomplish God’s mission.
Brother Lawrence, a French monk who lived from 1611 to 1691, might be considered to have archaic ideas, with very little to say to today’s working people. However, he had some great insights into our theme of ministry in daily life. Brother Lawrence (The Practice of the Presence of God, pg. 81) wrote: "It is not necessary to have great things to do. I turn my little omelette in the pan for the love of God; when it is finished, if I have nothing to do, I prostrate myself on the ground and adore my God, who gave me the grace to make it, after which I arise, more content than a king. When I cannot do anything else, it is enough for me to have lifted a straw from the earth for the love of God. People seek for methods of learning to love God. They hope to arrive at it by I know not how many different practices; they take much trouble to remain in the presence of God in a quantity of ways. Is it not much shorter and more direct to do everything for the love of God, to make use of all the labors of one’s state in life to show Him that love, and to maintain His presence within us by this communion of our hearts with His? There is no finesse about it; one has only to do it generously and simply."
May God’s glory shine through you as we seek to minister to all those who we see daily so that they may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d9RJMOP9Tw
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