Brown's Daily Word 2-27-08

Good Morning.
Praise the way the Lord of the time reminds us to number our days. On Thursday of this week I will be conducting a funeral service for a man who died early part of this week. He was 49 years old. Also, a sixth grader from one of our local schools died a tragic death this past week. The Lord reminds us to lay up our treasures in a place where they are beyond decay and corruption. In Luke 12:32-40, the Lord is asking us, "Where Is Your Treasure?"
Long ago, in a kingdom far, far away, a rich king hired a “fool” to entertain him and make him laugh when he was sad. He gave the fool a golden scepter and told him that when he met a greater fool than he, to pass the golden scepter to that person. Years passed and one day the king grew very ill. As he neared death, the king called for his “fool”, wanting to be made to laugh one last time. “I'm going on a very long journey,” said the king to the fool. “Have you made preparations and arranged for accommodations at your destination?” asked the fool. “No,” answered the king. “I’ve been too busy and I didn’t think I would be leaving so soon.” The fool handed the king his golden scepter and said, “Sire, you are a greater fool than I since you have made no plans for your long journey.”
The story leads me to ask you - are you a fool? How big a fool are you? Have you made preparations for your journey? Do you even know where you are going?
In verses Luke 12:32-33, Jesus gives instructions on the attitude a Christian should have toward treasures, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Verses 34-38, "Some people live as if there will be no tomorrow. Live it up and do it all today! "
We all know that when the boss isn’t around, and no one else is around, people tend to goof off on the job! A recent email circulated sharing excuses people used when caught with their head down taking a nap. A few of my favorites are: “I was just resting my eyes for a moment.” --- “I think best with my eyes closed.” --- The number 1 best thing to say is, “in the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.”
Contemporary Christians have become complacent. There excuses include, "Jesus hasn’t returned yet, so maybe we have a few more days. . . Besides, that’s why we have the pastor. . . He’s supposed to be watching and warn us".
While touring Europe a tourist visited a lovely estate in Italy. He admired the beautiful garden and, encountering the gardener, he said, “You’ve done a beautiful job. How long have you worked here?” "Twenty-five years", came the answer. “How often has the owner been to this estate?” "Four times", came the response. The tourist continued to inquire, “When was he here last?” The gardener replied, "Twelve years ago, sir". The fascinated tourist continued, “You keep the garden so lovely one would assume you were expecting the owner tomorrow.” Thoughtfully, the gardener said, “Today, sir, today!”
In Verses 39 – 40, The gardener couldn’t let the weeding and planting go until he "heard the owner’s car in the driveway". He had no way of knowing when he would arrive. “The Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
In her book, “Favorite Stories,” by Heather A. Hannam, she quotes Oswald Chambers as saying, “God does not call us to be successful, only faithful.”
We tend to worry about all the “what ifs”, such as --- What if our money doesn’t last until the next paycheck?; What if I get laid off?; What if my marriage is on the rocks?; What if my kids get caught up in drugs?; What if I died tomorrow?; WHAT IF!?
God has promised through Christ to care for us, to redeem us, to provide for us. Yet, you and I want to rely on ourselves. We want to be assured that things will turn out the way we want, when we want.
God’s question on the last day will not be, “How much were you noticed?” or “How much did you do?” or “How much did you give?” God’s question to each of us will be, “Were you faithful in fulfilling your calling where I placed you?” He will ask if we were faithful not just once in a while, not just when we were younger, but throughout our entire life. We need to live as if we will stand before the Lord today.
In Christ,
Brown



A father wanted to read the paper, but was being bothered by his little
daughter, Vanessa. Finally, he tore a sheet out of his magazine, on
which was printed the map of the world. Tearing it into small pieces, he
gave it to Vanessa, and said, "Go into the other room and see if you can
put this together."

After a few minutes, Vanessa returned and handed him the map correctly
fitted together. The father was surprised and asked how she had
finished so quickly.

"Oh," she said, "on the other side of the paper was a picture of Jesus.
When I got Jesus in His place, then the world came out all right."


three boys were talking about their fathers exelence. One of them said:my father is a great professor. When he is talking about a subject, only 10 persons in the world can understand him!The second boy said: my father is great brain surgeon, when he is talking about his surgery only 5 person in the whole world can realize what he is saying.The third boy said:my father is a pastor, when he is preaching nobody can understand what he is saying.