Good Morning,
One of my favorite passages from the Bible is found in Romans 8:18-25, (King James Version), "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in hope. Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberation of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstborn fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." Throughout life, we hope for many things! Sometimes, we lose hope, because we find ourselves having to deal with tragedies beyond our imagination, such as cancer, loss of a loved one, loss of a job, failed relationships, and so on. As we experience these different tragedies of life, it is difficult to deal with them, both emotionally and spiritually. Who hasn’t struggled with demoralizing seasons of dark depression? Some get so low and stay there so long, that they contemplate suicide, taking their own lives, because that pathway seems better than enduring the depression any longer. Others seem to go in and out, up and down, seemingly able to get back up after every tragedy. Someone once described depression as "a black hole, an abysmal cave." It certainly includes discouraging feelings that simply refuse to go away. Yet, even in the midst of turmoil and strife, tragedy and despair, Christians have "Perfect Hope!" We can do that because we find ourselves focused on the greater reality of what is yet to come as a result of our relationship with Jesus, the Christ! Paul’s confidant hope was that, in the future, the cloud of suffering would burn off and reveal a day of blazing glory. Whatever sufferings we might go through in this life, even though they are difficult, will fade into insignificance when Almighty God pulls the covers off what He has planned for His people. The Apostle Paul tells us, in Romans 8:19 (NLT), "For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children are." The words "waiting eagerly" are a translation of one word which carries the idea of watching with the head erect and outstretched. It’s like waiting for your best friend, whom you haven’t seen for years, to arrive on the plane. You keep going to the arrival window and craning your neck to see if the aircraft is arriving yet. The Apostle Paul personifies creation as waiting eagerly for the revealing of the children of God. Why would the created universe be anxiously looking forward to that future day when the children of God are revealed? In Revelation 21:4 (NLT) we read, "He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever."
The French clergyman and author, Thomas Merton (1915 - 1968), once wrote, "’Perfect Hope’ is achieved on the brink of despair when instead of falling over the edge, we find ourselves walking on the air. Hope is always just about to turn into despair, but never does so, for at the moment of supreme crisis, God’s power is suddenly made perfect in our infirmity." Christians are not exempt from the suffering that came into the world when Adam sinned. We are not strangers to tragedy and calamity; we are no strangers to decline and decay. Current global and national events have been a staggering reminder, a wake-up call, to the fact that the world we live in is a fallen one. That is why we look forward so eagerly to the time of adoption as sons and daughters of Almighty God! Those who have been honed and buffeted, bruised and melted in the furnace of affliction, but who have then emerged with emotional stabilty and inner fortitude, are the ones who have a ministry in the lives of others. Their weakness is like a magnet, for when they were weak, our Lord God Almighty was strong! He is ever strong and ever faithful.
In Him,
Brown
All the blessings we enjoy are Divine deposits, committed to our trust on this condition, that they should be dispensed for the benefit of our neighbors. ... John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Brown's Daily Word 5-20-08
Good Morning,
About a year ago I received an email entitled "Whose Hands". This is what it said: A basketball in my hands is worth about $19. In Michael Jordan’s hands it’s worth about $33 million. It depends upon whose hands it’s in. A baseball in my hands is worth about $6. In Mark McGuire’s hands it’s worth about $19 million. It depends upon whose hands it’s in. A tennis racket in my hands is a tennis racket. In Pete Sampras’ hands it’s a Wimbledon Championship. It depends upon whose hands it’s in. A rod in my hands will keep a wild animal away. A rod in Moses’ hands parted a mighty sea. It depends upon whose hands it’s in. A sling shot in my hands is a child’s toy. A sling shot in David’s hands is a mighty weapon. It depends upon whose hands it’s in. Two fish and five loaves of bread in my hands is lunch. Two fish and five loaves of bread in Jesus’ hands fed thousands. It depends upon whose hands it’s in. Nails in my hands will produce a birdhouse. Nails in Jesus’ hands produced salvation for the world. It depends upon whose hands it’s in. Shouldn’t we place our cares in His hands? It really does depend upon whose hands it’s in. Let us notice a few things about some "whose hands" were significant:1. Moses’s hands (Exodus 17:8-12) A) His hands were available. (v.11) B) His hands were useful. (v.11) C) His hands became tired. (v.12) D) His hands needed support. (v.12)* Sometimes we need an Aaron and a Hur to help with our hands.2. The Church’s hands. A) The Disciple’s hands. (Acts 9:20-25) 1) Their hands were available. 2) Their hands were useful. 3) Their hands worked together. 4) Their hands held the rope.* Do you need to hold the rope for someone in your life? B) Dorcas’ hands. (Acts 9:36-43) 1) Her hands were available. 2) Her hands were useful. 3) Her hands had ceased their labor (Because of her death) 4) Her hands were revived. (To labor again)* What talents has God placed in your hands to use for His glory? C) The Apostle’s hands. (Acts 13:1-3) 1) Their hands were available. 2) Their hands were useful. (Do you see a pattern developing?) 3) Their hands ministered a blessing. 4) Their hands sent forth laborers to the mission field.
One of the beloved hymns of the church is, "Take My life and let it be consecrated Lord un to Thee. Take my hands, let them move at the impulse of Thy love." Let that also be our desire today.
Pray for the following:
In New York we are voting for local school budgets and the election of School Board members.
Sunita, together with her team, is going to Uganda for two weeks, leaving this Thursday.
The short term Mission trip to Orissa, India that is leaving on June 16.
Please pray for the following friends of mine for healing and restoration: Jerry, Grayson, Irene, Connie, Jack H, Jack B, Gail, Sarah, Bruce, Joyce, Harvey, Wilbur, Alfred, Ron, David, Ron H, Bob
Pray for those working on behalf of Jesus our Lord, with the victims of the natural disasters in China and in Burma (Myanmar).
Congratulations to our dear friends George and Marion Cameron, of Vermont, who are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary on May 29, 2008 .
The Hands of Jesus are kind hands.
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4dRLFFADKQ&feature=related
About a year ago I received an email entitled "Whose Hands". This is what it said: A basketball in my hands is worth about $19. In Michael Jordan’s hands it’s worth about $33 million. It depends upon whose hands it’s in. A baseball in my hands is worth about $6. In Mark McGuire’s hands it’s worth about $19 million. It depends upon whose hands it’s in. A tennis racket in my hands is a tennis racket. In Pete Sampras’ hands it’s a Wimbledon Championship. It depends upon whose hands it’s in. A rod in my hands will keep a wild animal away. A rod in Moses’ hands parted a mighty sea. It depends upon whose hands it’s in. A sling shot in my hands is a child’s toy. A sling shot in David’s hands is a mighty weapon. It depends upon whose hands it’s in. Two fish and five loaves of bread in my hands is lunch. Two fish and five loaves of bread in Jesus’ hands fed thousands. It depends upon whose hands it’s in. Nails in my hands will produce a birdhouse. Nails in Jesus’ hands produced salvation for the world. It depends upon whose hands it’s in. Shouldn’t we place our cares in His hands? It really does depend upon whose hands it’s in. Let us notice a few things about some "whose hands" were significant:1. Moses’s hands (Exodus 17:8-12) A) His hands were available. (v.11) B) His hands were useful. (v.11) C) His hands became tired. (v.12) D) His hands needed support. (v.12)* Sometimes we need an Aaron and a Hur to help with our hands.2. The Church’s hands. A) The Disciple’s hands. (Acts 9:20-25) 1) Their hands were available. 2) Their hands were useful. 3) Their hands worked together. 4) Their hands held the rope.* Do you need to hold the rope for someone in your life? B) Dorcas’ hands. (Acts 9:36-43) 1) Her hands were available. 2) Her hands were useful. 3) Her hands had ceased their labor (Because of her death) 4) Her hands were revived. (To labor again)* What talents has God placed in your hands to use for His glory? C) The Apostle’s hands. (Acts 13:1-3) 1) Their hands were available. 2) Their hands were useful. (Do you see a pattern developing?) 3) Their hands ministered a blessing. 4) Their hands sent forth laborers to the mission field.
One of the beloved hymns of the church is, "Take My life and let it be consecrated Lord un to Thee. Take my hands, let them move at the impulse of Thy love." Let that also be our desire today.
Pray for the following:
In New York we are voting for local school budgets and the election of School Board members.
Sunita, together with her team, is going to Uganda for two weeks, leaving this Thursday.
The short term Mission trip to Orissa, India that is leaving on June 16.
Please pray for the following friends of mine for healing and restoration: Jerry, Grayson, Irene, Connie, Jack H, Jack B, Gail, Sarah, Bruce, Joyce, Harvey, Wilbur, Alfred, Ron, David, Ron H, Bob
Pray for those working on behalf of Jesus our Lord, with the victims of the natural disasters in China and in Burma (Myanmar).
Congratulations to our dear friends George and Marion Cameron, of Vermont, who are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary on May 29, 2008 .
The Hands of Jesus are kind hands.
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4dRLFFADKQ&feature=related
Monday, May 19, 2008
Brown's Daily Word 5-19-08
Good morning,
This is the day the Lord has made! Let us praise the Lord together, and rejoice, and be glad in it! We were blessed with a wonderful weekend of fellowship and worship. The women's banquet on Saturday was a blessing. The Lord provided wonderfully and marvelously. The food prepared by chef Joe Walker and his team was excellent, and the message brought by Rev. Jan Devine was inspiring. The Lord blessed us through worship yesterday, Trinity Sunday. We praise the Lord, who is revealed to us as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We worship an immortal, eternal, invisible God, who is the God in three persons, the blessed Trinity.
In Genesis 1, Psalm 8, and the last portion of Matthew 28, we are given a brief glimpse into the person, the nature, the majesty, and the authority of God. Though the world we live in is both complex and complicated, with problems and crises that can be daunting, overwhelming, and often oppressive, we have a God who is more than able to overcome. He is beyond. As Karl Barth said, He is "wholly other". Psalm 8 speaks of God's greatness and man's little-ness. We are reminded that we cannot box God in, with our little minds and thoughts. Praise the Lord for the way He is beyond us, fully transcendent. Yet, He is imminent, God with us through Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit, even now. In such a world as the one we live in, we have such a God, in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Psalm 8 also speaks of the beauty and splendor of God, as revealed in nature and the Universe. As Chris Tomlin wrote, God is indescribable; He is an amazing God.
As we look around in the Season of Spring, we see the beauty of the Lord's hand, bursting forth all around us. John Keats wrote, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever".
It was a blessing to have Sunita and Andy with us for the weekend. Praise the Lord for our son-in-law Jeremy, who graduated yesterday from Boston University School of Law. He has accepted a job offer to work for a firm located in downtown Boston, beginning in August.
Psalm 8
A David Psalm
1 God, brilliant Lord, yours is a household name. 2 Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you; toddlers shout the songs That drown out enemy talk, and silence atheist babble. 3-4 I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry, Moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, Why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way? 5-8 Yet we've so narrowly missed being gods, bright with Eden's dawn light. You put us in charge of your handcrafted world, repeated to us your Genesis-charge, Made us lords of sheep and cattle, even animals out in the wild, Birds flying and fish swimming, whales singing in the ocean deeps. 9 God, brilliant Lord, your name echoes around the world.
In His Mercy,
Brown
This is the day the Lord has made! Let us praise the Lord together, and rejoice, and be glad in it! We were blessed with a wonderful weekend of fellowship and worship. The women's banquet on Saturday was a blessing. The Lord provided wonderfully and marvelously. The food prepared by chef Joe Walker and his team was excellent, and the message brought by Rev. Jan Devine was inspiring. The Lord blessed us through worship yesterday, Trinity Sunday. We praise the Lord, who is revealed to us as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We worship an immortal, eternal, invisible God, who is the God in three persons, the blessed Trinity.
In Genesis 1, Psalm 8, and the last portion of Matthew 28, we are given a brief glimpse into the person, the nature, the majesty, and the authority of God. Though the world we live in is both complex and complicated, with problems and crises that can be daunting, overwhelming, and often oppressive, we have a God who is more than able to overcome. He is beyond. As Karl Barth said, He is "wholly other". Psalm 8 speaks of God's greatness and man's little-ness. We are reminded that we cannot box God in, with our little minds and thoughts. Praise the Lord for the way He is beyond us, fully transcendent. Yet, He is imminent, God with us through Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit, even now. In such a world as the one we live in, we have such a God, in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Psalm 8 also speaks of the beauty and splendor of God, as revealed in nature and the Universe. As Chris Tomlin wrote, God is indescribable; He is an amazing God.
As we look around in the Season of Spring, we see the beauty of the Lord's hand, bursting forth all around us. John Keats wrote, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever".
It was a blessing to have Sunita and Andy with us for the weekend. Praise the Lord for our son-in-law Jeremy, who graduated yesterday from Boston University School of Law. He has accepted a job offer to work for a firm located in downtown Boston, beginning in August.
Psalm 8
A David Psalm
1 God, brilliant Lord, yours is a household name. 2 Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you; toddlers shout the songs That drown out enemy talk, and silence atheist babble. 3-4 I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry, Moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, Why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way? 5-8 Yet we've so narrowly missed being gods, bright with Eden's dawn light. You put us in charge of your handcrafted world, repeated to us your Genesis-charge, Made us lords of sheep and cattle, even animals out in the wild, Birds flying and fish swimming, whales singing in the ocean deeps. 9 God, brilliant Lord, your name echoes around the world.
In His Mercy,
Brown
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