Brown's Daily Word 8-7-07

Good Morning.
The Epistle reading for Sunday, August 5, was taken from Colossians 3. We are invited to seek the things which are eternal .
One night a thief broke into the single-room apartment of French novelist, Honore de Balzac. Trying to avoid waking Balzac, the intruder quietly picked the lock on the writer’s desk. Suddenly, the silence was broken by a sarcastic laugh from the bed, where Balzac lay watching the thief. "Why do you laugh?" asked the thief. "I am laughing to think what risks you take to try to find money in a desk by night where the legal owner can never find any by day."
I think this story characterizes most people’s lives. They are trying to find money where there is no money. They are trying to find happiness where there is no happiness. They are trying to find comfort and security where there is none. They are trying to find something where there is nothing.
II Corinthians 4:18 states, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” What we see in this life is only temporary. It is not lasting. It is not eternal. It will never fully satisfy.
Every rusted wreck of a car in the junkyard was once new, shiny, sleek and desirable. All of those clothes we have thrown away or given away were once new, fashionable, and desirable, but not anymore.
We all need to look beyond this life and see the eternal. We need to see the big picture instead of our own little world. We need to see the eternal world more than this one. As Paul said in Colossians 3:2-3, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
Even though we have to live in this world we must see the next. We need to think more in the spiritual realm; we need to think about Christ, living for Christ both here and there.
Rick Warren hit the nail on the head in his book, "THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE". Warren said, “It’s not about you. The purpose of your life is greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by His purpose and for His purpose.” To put it simply, life begins with God. Life also ends with God. Somehow we must sandwich Him in the middle of our lives.
Rick Warren further says that life is about worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and mission.
WORSHIP - YOU WERE PLANNED FOR GOD’S PLEASURE- A congregation decided to have four worship services each Sunday. There was one for those new to the faith, for the FINDERS. Another for those who liked traditional worship, the KEEPERS. One for those who had lost their faith and would like to get it back, the LOSERS. The fourth was for those who had bad experiences with churches and were complaining about it, the WEEPERS. Hence, there were services for FINDERS, KEEPERS, LOSERS, WEEPERS. Regardless of who we are, whether we are finders, keepers, losers, or weepers, we all need to worship God. Regardless of where we are spiritually, we all need to worship God. This is God’s will or purpose for our lives.
In Hebrews 10:22-25 we read, “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Let us draw near to God. That is worship, and it pleases God when we worship Him. Why should we not worship Him? After all, He created us, He gives us life and breath and everything else, and He gives us the homes or houses we live in, the food we eat, the cars we drive, the clothes we wear, the luxuries we enjoy. IT IS ONLY RIGHT THAT WE WORSHIP HIM AS OUR CREATOR AND GIVING HEAVENLY FATHER! Worship is drawing near to God in faith and offering Him praise for who He is and what He has done.
Someone once said, “As a tear magnifies grief, as laughter magnifies humor, as a smile magnifies joy, so worship magnifies God.” Worship magnifies God in the sense that it enhances or multiplies our appreciation of Him. The more we focus on Him and praise Him, the more we think of Him and appreciate Him.
God desires that we should worship Him both publicly and privately. Every time you sit down to read your Bible, you are worshipping God. Every time you offer a prayer, you are worshipping. Every time you say, “Thank you, God” for something, you are worshipping. Every time you think or meditate about God and Christ or think about God’s Word, you are worshipping.
Let us not give up meeting together. That is public worship and we all need it. It is special, different, encouraging, stimulating, helpful, etc. There is something special about meeting together to worship God. We encourage one another in the faith. We are encouraged when we come together for a similar purpose.
At this time of the year we might be tempted to miss church for one reason or another. DON’T DO IT! If you’re in town, go to church. If you’re out of town, go to church. Engage in FELLOWSHIP - YOU WERE FORMED TO BE PART OF GOD’S FAMILY. Ephesians 3:14-15 “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.”
DISCIPLESHIP - YOU WERE CREATED TO BECOME LIKE CHRIST - II Corinthians 2:14 states, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” II Corinthians 3:18, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” A big part of discipleship is becoming like Christ. We all need the sweet fragrance of Christ in our lives. We all need to grow in His likeness.
Many Americans are interested in changing their appearance, according to an American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery survey. Among all Americans, 39 percent of women and 22 percent of men wish that they could change something about their appearance. Most of us want to look good, to look our best, or at least to be somewhat presentable. I think most of us would like to change something about our appearance. However, the most important thing that we could change is our character. The physical is temporary but the spirit is eternal. Your body is temporary but the real you, your spirit, is eternal.
Henry Drummond wrote, “To become Christ-like is the only thing in the whole world worth caring for, the thing before which every ambition of man is folly and all lower achievement vain.” Our greatest goal in life is to become more like Christ. That’s God’s purpose for us.
MINISTRY - YOU WERE SHAPED FOR GOD’S SERVICE - Ephesians 4:11-12 states, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” God’s people are supposed to be involved in works of service or all kinds of Christian service.
Someone asked John Wanamaker in 1890: “How do you get time to run a Sunday school with your four thousand scholars, in addition to the business of your stores, your work as Postmaster-General, and other obligations?” Instantly Mr. Wanamaker replied: “Why, the Sunday school is my business! All other things are just things. Forty-five years ago I decided that God’s promise was sure: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ ” (Matthew 6:33) Wanamaker made God’s business his business, which is something we all need to do. God’s purpose is that we all get involved in some kind of meaningful Christian service!
MISSION - YOU WERE MADE TO TELL OTHERS ABOUT CHRIST - Matt. 28:18-19, “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’” God has given us a mission in life. It’s called the Great Commission by some. Acts 8:4 “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.” The early Christians preached the Word wherever they went. They had a mission to fulfill and a message to proclaim.
Max Lucado wrote these words in his new book, "IT’S NOT ABOUT ME". "Squint eyes. Firm jawed. Rawboned. Who? Pony Express riders. They had one assignment – deliver the message safely and quickly. They seized every advantage: the shortest route, the fastest horse, the lightest saddle. Only the sturdy were hired. The young and the orphans were preferred. Those selected were given $125 a month (a good salary in 1860), a Colt revolver, a lightweight rifle, a bright red shirt, blue trousers, and eight hours to cover eighty miles, six days a week. Hard work, but the message had to be delivered!"
The apostle Paul was much like the Pony Express rider. He was a hard worker, laboring for long hours, but the message had to be delivered!
Romans 1:14-16 says, “I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”
Those who do know must tell those who do not know.
In Jesus our Lord,
Brown