Brown's Daily Word 10-01-09

Good morning
Praise the Lord, for He is our life. He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He came to set the world right side up and upside down. In John 12 He declared,“He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
We need to stop trying to control, grasp, and hang on to our life and our security. We are called to place a higher value on eternal things than on the things on this earth. (Col 3:1-3) “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
The truth is that each of us will lose everything that we associate with this life at some point; it just a matter of time. We cannot hold onto our youth no matter how hard we may try. We cannot hold onto our athletic ability (of course some of never had any athletic skills and abilities). We cannot hold on to our mental capacity. We cannot even hold on to our loved ones. It’s just a matter of time before they slip away from us. Jesus tells to start shifting our attention from things of earthly value now. We are not to focus on grabbing and keeping everything that comes within our reach. Corrie ten Boom said, “I have learned to hold all things loosely, so God will not have to pry them out of my hands.”
In one of his books Watchman Nee said that we approach God like little children with open hands, begging for gifts. Because he is a good God, he fills our hands with good things—life, health, friends, money, success, recognition, challenge, marriage, children, a nice home, a good job, all the things that we count at Thanksgiving when we count our blessings. Like children, we rejoice in what we have received and run around comparing what we have with each other. When our hands are finally full, God says, “My child, I long to have fellowship with you. Reach out your hand and take my hand. But we can’t do it because our hands are full. “God, we can’t,” we cry. “Put those things aside and take my hand,” he replied. “No, we can’t. It’s too hard to put them down.” “But I am the one who gave them to you in the first place.” “O God, what you have asked for is too hard. Please don’t ask us to put these things aside.” And God answers quietly, “You must.”
"God orchestrates the affairs of life—both the good and the bad—to bring us to the place where our faith will be in him alone. Slowly, but surely, as we go through life, he weans us away from the things of the world. At first the process touches only our possessions (which we can replace), but eventually it touches our relationships (which may not be replaced), then it touches our loved ones (who cannot be replaced), finally it touches life itself (which is never replaced) until finally, there is nothing left but us and God." (Dr. Ray Pritchard)
In Jesus our Lord and Life,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMrAafe7Mns