"Blessing,
and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the
throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever". Revelation 5. We
live day by day in confidence and in mission knowing that Jesus is the
victorious Lamb and yet He is the Shepherd of His people. Praise the
Lord, for the He ushers in every new day on earth and in His kingdom.
We
are saddened by the unbridled violence, defenseless brutality, and bloodshed
that took place at Westminster, London yesterday. Innocent people died.
I have been several times to London, and while there I have walked
on the Westminster bridge over the river Thames, and stood by the
British Parliament house, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Central Hall,
and the Methodist Cathedral. As I looked out on my surroundings, I stood
in awe, for Great Britain is the birthplace of John and Charles Wesley, William
Carey, David Livingstone, Amy Carmichael, William Shakespeare, Sir Winston
Churchill, and so many luminaries in History. We are called to pray
for our leaders whom the sovereign Lord places in authority over us
for such time as this. We need to pray for Donald Trump, the President of
this great Nation, for Theresa May, the Prime Minister of Great
Britain, and for the leaders of the world, that the Lord would endow and anoint
them with the wisdom of King Solomon, the Faith of Abraham, the strength and
courage of Samson, the love for the Lord, of King David, the boldness
of Peter, and the passion and courage of St Paul. We know, believe, and
declare that His Truth is marching on.. Glory, glory, Hallelujah.We are called
with a divine imperative to pray for those victims of Satan, the enemy of the
Cross,those who are driven and bent on brutality, terror ,bloodshed and
senseless blindness and madness that they may see the Light of Jesus and begin
to walk in genuine freedom and Light. The Lord is at work. The
godless Communism that reigned and brutalized soviet union collapsed
after 70 years. The barbaric and brutal reign of Hitler that was supposed
to last 1000 years lasted only 1000 days. It was few years ago some American
youth were visiting Jerusalem. One evening they invited some Arab youth for a pizza
party. They shared about Jesus the Messiah. One of the young man was open to
the Gospel. In an going conversation and witness this young man gave his
heart and life to Jesus. He was the son of the radical Islamist the
founder of the Hamas . This young man was sponsored by the church to
immigrate to America “the land of the free and
the home of the brave.”. This young man is a committed Christian with a life long
mission of witnessing Moslems. His kingdom shall never end. His love
never fails.
One
of my favorite pastor/authors has written, "We have the
opportunity to look at life two ways - from the bottom-up or from the
top-down. From the top down means to start with God and then go to the
problems of life. From the bottom up means to start with my problems and
then work upwards to God. Most
of us instinctively start from the bottom and go up if we can. What difference does it make? Only all the
difference in the world. Maybe the difference between keeping your faith
and losing it. The difference between joy and bitterness, between
self-pity and victorious faith." - Ray Pritchard
If we start with us, we will end with us and be no better off. If we start with God, we started in the only possible place to find any lasting answers. This may be the central message of the book of Job. In the beginning Job faces unimaginable loss, a series of catastrophes that left him scratching his sores on the ash heap, with a wife urging him to curse God and die. The largest part of the book is a dialogue with his friends over why these things have happened.
I love to read the Book Job from time to time. Here’s the most amazing fact.. Job never found out why God chose him for such suffering. His central question remains unanswered. He apparently never found out about Satan’s part in the whole scheme. So, in terms of specific answers, he is left in the dark. But by the end of the book there is a huge difference. When he at last bows before the Lord, he acknowledges God’s sovereignty. “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you” (Job 42:2 NLT).
I suppose the question might be put this way: Am I willing to believe that God knows what he’s doing in my life when I don’t have a clue? In his book “If God is in Charge,” Steve Brown tells the story of a class his associate pastor was teaching in which he said that God is sovereign, God is love, and no matter how bad things get, Christians should praise Him. He went on to say that the real test of praise is not when things are going well but when they are going badly. During the question and answer period that followed, a man raised his hand and said, “I just can’t buy what you say about praising God in the midst of evil and hurt. I don’t believe that when you lose someone you love through death, or you have cancer, or you lose your job, that you ought to praise God.”
The associate pastor then offered a simple, yet profound, answer. “What other alternatives do you propose?” This question begs for an answer. If God is not sovereign, then who is? If God is not in control, who’s running the show? But the good news is this. Our God is in control. “The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.” I admit that it doesn’t always appear to be so, but it is true.
There are two choices we can make. We can reject God’s sovereignty, which ultimately leads to despair and frustration, or we can bow before him in humble submission, which leads to praise and freedom. He made us, and although we left him, he found us and bought us with the price of Jesus’ blood. Now we are his forever.
This is God’s record. “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31) We know with certainty that his throne is in heaven, he rules over all, and he loves us so much that he gave his Son that we might have everlasting life. He who upholds the universe holds me in the palm of his hand. He who guides the stars guides my life too. He who knows all things from beginning to end knows me, and I entrust my life to him. Amen.
In Christ,
Brown
https://youtu.be/9k8jesR05zA
No comments:
Post a Comment