Praise the Lord
for this new day. We will gather for our mid-week service today at 6 PM with a
special meal. Rabbi Ron Goldberg will speaking at 6:30 PM. It will be a treat to
be together in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord to share, and to
rejoice.
Alice and I drove to
Tully Lake on the border of Massachusetts and New Hampshire last Sunday after
morning worship. We joined Janice, Jeremy, Micah, Simeon, and Ada in their camp.
Tully Lake camp ground is a rustic campground, intended for people to sleep in
tents, not in campers. We slept under tents under a great blue sky. We canoed
several times, and we also watched and listened to the birds. Doves serenaded
both in the early morning, as a wake up call, and in the late evenings as a
lullaby. We watched Micah and Simeon swim in the day time and in the evening
time in the waters of the big lake. We saw flocks of geese and goslings taking
an unhurried evening swim between the islands of the lake. We also met several
people at the campground. It was a treat. We drove back home yesterday afternoon
and participated in the wedding vow renewal service of a young couple. They had
invited their family and friends and lots of children. It was a great time of
celebration and joy.
It is a high
honor and privilege to serve the Lord in season and out of season. It is written
in 1 Peter 2:9-10 (Message Bible)—“But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen
for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s
instruments to do His work and speak out for Him, to tell others of the
night-and-day difference He made for you—from nothing to something, from
rejected to accepted.”
Most of us
wrestle with the purpose of this life on earth here and now.
When we consider this we usually place the emphasis on
ourselves, as if the focus belongs on us. What if we view this question from
another angle or perspective? Rick Warren, in his book, “The Purpose Driven
Life,” states, “The purpose of your life is far 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 widest 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.”
In later pages the author writes, “You must begin with God, your Creator. You exist only because God wills that you exist. You were made by God and for God—and until you understand that, life will never make sense. You were made for God, not vice versa, and life is about letting God use you for His purposes, not your using Him for your own purpose.”
We have been called to a holy calling, to be priests to God and to be His holy people. In other words, we have been called out from this world or culture. We are to no longer to live by the dictates of our old nature but to live by the dictates of our new nature (Romans 6:6; 2 Corinthians 5:17-18). Even through we are called out of this world we live in this world to reach those who know not the truth with the message of hope (1 Peter 3:15). In other words, believers are called out from the impurities of human cultures and sent back into the world as agents of change and transformation.
1 Peter 3:15-16, “Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath.”
Durin our camping in northen Massachusets we met several people. One of them was a woman who shared with us about her pssion for music. She invited us to her camp site to see and hear her play her drums. She was so passionate about her music and her drums. The Lord we love and serve is a passionate God. He passionately loves us. As we grow deeper in our walk with Him, He will give us a passion for the things of His. He wants us to be passionate in our walk with Him. When we are passionate about something we cannot keep quiet about it and that is what the Lord wants from us.
In later pages the author writes, “You must begin with God, your Creator. You exist only because God wills that you exist. You were made by God and for God—and until you understand that, life will never make sense. You were made for God, not vice versa, and life is about letting God use you for His purposes, not your using Him for your own purpose.”
We have been called to a holy calling, to be priests to God and to be His holy people. In other words, we have been called out from this world or culture. We are to no longer to live by the dictates of our old nature but to live by the dictates of our new nature (Romans 6:6; 2 Corinthians 5:17-18). Even through we are called out of this world we live in this world to reach those who know not the truth with the message of hope (1 Peter 3:15). In other words, believers are called out from the impurities of human cultures and sent back into the world as agents of change and transformation.
1 Peter 3:15-16, “Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath.”
Durin our camping in northen Massachusets we met several people. One of them was a woman who shared with us about her pssion for music. She invited us to her camp site to see and hear her play her drums. She was so passionate about her music and her drums. The Lord we love and serve is a passionate God. He passionately loves us. As we grow deeper in our walk with Him, He will give us a passion for the things of His. He wants us to be passionate in our walk with Him. When we are passionate about something we cannot keep quiet about it and that is what the Lord wants from us.
Teach me. O God, to use all the circumstances of my life to-day that they may bring forth in me the fruits of holiness rather than the fruits of sin.
Let me use disappointment as material for patience:
Let me use success as material for thankfulness:
Let me use su
Let me use danger as material for courage:
Let me use reproach as material for long-suffering:
Let me use praise as material for humility:
Let me use pleasures as material for temperance:
Let me use pains as material for endurance.
~John Baillie's A Diary of Private Prayer
In Christ,
Brown
Super
Summer Music Festival
Saturday, June 30, 2012 at 6:30
PM
Location: First United Methodist
Church
53
McKinley Avenue, Endicott
Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist
Church
Musicians include: Aric Phinney, Yancey
Moore,
David
Berry, Emma Brunson, Dianne Glann
Weekly Television outreach:
Friday
7:00 PM
Time
Warner Cable Channel 4.
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