Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this beautiful and brilliant day. Our daughter Janice wrote us a note yesterday saying it is just 7 weeks until spring. It is going to be a spring like day today. Thank you Jesus. Spring has almost arrived in Orissa, India. I have been talking to my friends and family members and they tell me the mango trees have started to blossom again. The spring birds, the harbingers of spring, have migrated back to announce the arrival of spring in Orissa. Praise the Lord for the seasons and the times of our lives.
In John’s Gospel we read about some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus. They wanted to be close to Him, to learn from Him, to check Him out, maybe to follow Him. There was something about Him that attracted them and gave them hope. It reminds me of Don Quixote’s sidekick, Sancho Panza, in Man of LaMancha. Sancho, when asked why he stuck with and followed Don Quixote in his fantasy world, replied, “I like him…I really like him.” The rich young ruler, the Greeks, and many others FOLLOWED JESUS BECAUSE THEY REALLY LIKED HIM; something about Him gave them hope.
According to Jesus our Lord, LIFE COMES THROUGH FOLLOWING. “Whoever serves me must follow me…” John 12. We live as servants. The Book of John repeatedly shows Jesus teaching that WE HAVE A GOD-GIVEN PURPOSE OF SERVANTHOOD. We are to serve Him. He came not “To be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28). As evangelist D. L. Moody once said, “The measure of a man is not how many servants he has, but how many men he serves.”
In 1903, a young, bright man named William Borden graduated from high school – a millionaire. He was the heir to the Borden Dairy fortune. Following graduation William traveled around the world. Everywhere he went he was touched by the needs of people. He eventually wrote his parents to announce he would give up his fortune and devote his life to missionary service. In his Bible he wrote two words: NO RESERVES. After enrolling in Yale in 1905, William quickly became the spiritual leader of the entire campus. He spearheaded a revival movement that led, by his graduation, to 1,000 of Yale’s 1,300 students becoming involved in weekly Bible fellowships. He led off campus, inner-city ministries as well. Upon graduating from Yale he repeated his intention to be a missionary and enrolled in seminary. Upon receiving his ministerial degree he decided to take a one-way trip to Egypt where he would learn Arabic in order to reach Muslims with the Gospel. Leaving all his fortune behind, he set sail. On the way he wrote two more words in his Bible: NO RETREATS. He arrived in Egypt full of anticipation and immersed himself in the tasks at hand. But within days of his arrival he became very weak and was soon diagnosed with spinal meningitis. A short time later, William Whiting Borden died at the age of 25. Human logic can never understand his death, yet an ocean away hundreds were impacted because of his joyful, willing, sacrifice. That’s the way William would have wanted it. During the last fleeting days of his life, in labored handwriting, he had penned two more words in his Bible: NO REGRETS. No reserves, no retreats, no regrets.
In 1903, a young, bright man named William Borden graduated from high school – a millionaire. He was the heir to the Borden Dairy fortune. Following graduation William traveled around the world. Everywhere he went he was touched by the needs of people. He eventually wrote his parents to announce he would give up his fortune and devote his life to missionary service. In his Bible he wrote two words: NO RESERVES. After enrolling in Yale in 1905, William quickly became the spiritual leader of the entire campus. He spearheaded a revival movement that led, by his graduation, to 1,000 of Yale’s 1,300 students becoming involved in weekly Bible fellowships. He led off campus, inner-city ministries as well. Upon graduating from Yale he repeated his intention to be a missionary and enrolled in seminary. Upon receiving his ministerial degree he decided to take a one-way trip to Egypt where he would learn Arabic in order to reach Muslims with the Gospel. Leaving all his fortune behind, he set sail. On the way he wrote two more words in his Bible: NO RETREATS. He arrived in Egypt full of anticipation and immersed himself in the tasks at hand. But within days of his arrival he became very weak and was soon diagnosed with spinal meningitis. A short time later, William Whiting Borden died at the age of 25. Human logic can never understand his death, yet an ocean away hundreds were impacted because of his joyful, willing, sacrifice. That’s the way William would have wanted it. During the last fleeting days of his life, in labored handwriting, he had penned two more words in his Bible: NO REGRETS. No reserves, no retreats, no regrets.
May the Lord of this world and the King of Angels grant us His courage and His grace that we might be able to declare: No reserves, no retreats, no regrets.
In Christ,
On FEBRUARY 11, 2012 Saturday, at First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott, at 5:30 PM - There will be a Special Banquet prepared by Joe Walker, including a variety of international Cuisine... It will be a great celebration. At 6:30 PM there will be a Hymn Sing with Aric Phinney at the Grand Piano and Yancey Moore at the Organ. Dave Berry will lead the Hymn Sing.
On FEBRUARY 4 & 5, the Movie, “Courageous” is to be shown. On Saturday, at First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Ave, Endicott the Doors will open at 5:30. On Sunday the movie will be shown at Union Center UMC, doors opening at 2:00. As vividly illustrated in COURAGEOUS, the impact of fathers in the lives of their children is immense. This powerful film has been the starting point for a movement of fathers creating a legacy of Godly families. A free will offering will benefit the youth retreat in April. For Information call : 607-748-1358. 607-748-6329
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