The world is deeply
saddened and mourns the senseless violence and brutalities committed by the
Islamic extremists against innocent civilians and defenseless people. The
world needs Jesus and His grace to overcome the evil with His good. In
the midst of massive grief and unprecedented madness and insanity we call
on each other to turn to the One who is our refuge and strength, our very
present help in times of trouble. The Lord, in the midst of human frailty
and societal fragility, in the midst of spiritual and moral bankruptcy, invites
us to "Come to Jesus and live". In the midst of our
helplessness and hopelessness, Jesus comes and says, "Come unto me
all ye that labor and are heavy ladden and I will give you
rest". The world without Christ has gone desperately and
wildly insane.
Praise
the Lord for the Church; there are countless people who love Jesus around the
world and around the corner, serving in every season with the good News of
Jesus in Word and deed. Praise the Lord for pastors, evangelists,
and missionaries (both career and short term) serving Jesus in beautiful places
and also in hard places. Our Lord indeed makes all rough places
plain. Praise the Lord for Vacation Bible Schools, summer camps, Beach
ministries, Refugee centers, war torn places. . . may Jesus bring about
His great and grand harvest.
Plan
to be in the Lord's House this coming Sunday with joy and
thanksgiving. Celebrate the Lord's faithfulness and His
overcoming power.
During my undergraduate studies I majored in English Literature. I
loved the Brithish Authors. In my judgement some of the best literature
is rooted Biblical Theology and narrative. I love the writings of John
Milton. When John Milton had lost his eyesight, he penned a sonnet called
On His
Blindness. In it, he
reflected on what it means in the great scheme of things to lose something so
precious. At one point he said, “God doth not need man’s work or his own
gifts,” which is quite a rebuke to our very human pride. We think God
can't do anything without us. How wrong we are! God was doing fine being
the King of the Universe before we ever came along. He doesn't “need” us
to fulfill his duties. It is an honor that He should use us in any way
large or small. Seen in that light, Milton’s famous last line stands as a
very personal statement of what it means to serve God without your eyesight:
“They also serve who only stand and wait.”
At any given moment in history, particular people come to the forefront. There are presidents and kings, generals and famous people of all varieties. It is the same in the Christian world. Not every pastor leads a mega-church. Not every author becomes world famous. Not every evangelist speaks to crowds in stadiums. Jesus alluded to this when he talked about some who have one talent, some who have two talents, and some who have five talents (Matthew 25:14-30). While we like to say the ground is level at the foot of the cross—and it is, in the sense that we are all sinners in desperate need of a Savior—it’s not true that we all have the same gifts, connections, or opportunities. Some have more; some have less. God is not obligated to treat me the way he treats anyone else. In the vineyard and fields of Jesus we all are deployed with diverse gifts and talents to serve the Lord.
It
is well said that "those who “stand and
wait” in the shadows receive the same reward as the man or woman who receives
all the public acclaim." Those
who wait, those who serve, those who mow the grass, those who keep the
computers running, those who prepare the meals, those who open their home for
ministry are all vital to the work of the Kingdom. In the Christian world we may have our heroes, but those who serve alongside them win the same reward.
“Whoever gives just a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he
is a disciple—I assure you: He will never lose his reward!” Matt
10:v. 42). There are no limits to
"whoever" in this promise. You don’t need to be a pastor, missionary, or
professor. In context, when Jesus spoke of "one of these little
ones" He was talking about the least among his followers. There are
“little ones” everywhere. If you reach out to the hurting, to the
forgotten, to the marginalized, to the poor, to the homeless, to the
abused, to the woman trapped in sex trafficking, to a prisoner, to a
widow, to an orphan, Jesus sees your concern for the people the world can’t see
at all.
“Give
a cup of cold water.” This action is simple, inexpensive, and often unseen.
I love the
certainty with which Jesus spoke of the reward. “I assure you!”
For most of us, a cup
of cold water is no big deal. If we're thirsty, we go to the faucet and
fill a glass with water. If we want it cold, we get some ice from the
fridge. In many parts of the world, however, clean water is a
rare treat. On a hot day, nothing refreshes like a cup of cold water.
You
may forget, but Jesus does not. You may think nothing of it, but
Jesus remembers it forever. In Matthew 25:34-39, Jesus says this in a
different way:
"Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me.’
“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or without clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and visit You?’
Jesus
explained to them, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of
mine, you did for me” (v. 40). You see, what matters to Jesus are
the things we can't even remember: A cup of cold water. A quick phone
call. A friendly hello. A pat on the back. A prayer over the
phone. A word of encouragement. A visit with a sick friend. A
trip to the county jail. We
are called to be faithful in doing whatever God gives us to do and, as we are faithful day by day, there will be a thousand
chances, some big, some small, some momentary and almost microscopic, for us to
do good and show kindness to others around us. Some of those moments we will
forget.
Jesus
is worthy of our praise. He is worthy of our service. He is
worthy of our praise. He is certainly more than worthy of the small
things that we can do day by day.
Let goods and kindred
go, this mortal life also;
The body they may
kill, God's truth abideth still.
His Kingdom is
forever.
In Jesus our
Eternal Companion and the Anchor.
Brown.
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