Brown's Daily Word 6-3-13

    Praise the Lord for this new month.  Sunita and Andy returned back to Washington, DC after being away for over two weeks in Cyprus.  They came blessed beyond belief.  I talked to Sunita the moment she landed at the airport.  She was thanking Jesus profusely for the gift he gave her and Andy to be in  Cyprus and other parts of the Historic, beautiful, great Mediterranean Region.  Andy has remarked that ever where you go "Jesus has the best view".  Blessed be the Name Jesus our Lord who makes all things beautiful. 

    I attended the Annual Conference of our United Methodist Church that was held in Syracuse last week.  In our conference  we have 968 local churches, both small and large.  Over 3000 delegates attended the conference that was held at the Oncenter in Syracuse.  The City of Syracuse is, of course, the home of Syracuse University, which was founded by the Methodist Church.  The conference was a  time celebration and proclamation.  The Lord of the Church through the power of the Holy Spirit is doing something new and  powerful around the corner and around the globe.  I came home inspired, blessed, and committed to serve the Lord with joy and zeal. 

    Yesterday, we had a sweet Sunday conversation with our dear granddaughter, Micah.  She was on her way home after their first swim of the season at Walden Pond.  Our grandchildren are so excited to be coming this way in two weeks to spend some time at "Grandpa/Grandmom Camp" while their parents take photos at a wedding, and we are so excited as well.  It is one of our great blessings when we get to run, laugh, and play with our dear grandchildren.   

    I had a wedding to perform Saturday noon and I preached during three worship services yesterday.  It was a great thrill and blessing.  One of the readings for yesterday was taken from 1 Kings 18.  Throughout the Bible are recorded the stories of people who chose between faith in God and faith in something else. , King Ahab and his wicked wife, Jezebel(  The First Lady) had turned Israel to worship of the false god, Baal.  Then God sent Israel over three years of drought and famine. Though the people called upon Jehovah to deliver them, they continued to worship Baal. On top of Mt. Carmel, Elijah confronted Israel for wavering between a commitment to God and a life yielded to a false deity.  He called them to decide whom they would serve.  Just as in Elijah’s day, there are many that are uncommitted and unaware that their indecisive straddling is hazardous to their spiritual health. 

    There is a fable of a hungry donkey that was put between two bundles of hay. It looked first at the one, then at the other, and could not decide which to eat first, until it finally died of starvation. 

    1 Kings 18:21, "And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions?  If the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.  And the people answered him not a word."
 

    George Barna,  in his book, "The Frog in the Kettle", (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1990, 35.) wrote, "Commitment is viewed negatively because it limits our ability to feel independent and free, to experience new things, to change our minds on the spur of the moment and to focus on self-gratification rather than helping others. People willingly make commitments only when the expected outcome exceeds what they must sacrifice as a result of that commitment."

    It is written in Joshua 24:15, "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
It is written in Deuteronomy 30:19, "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:"

  We choose to worship and serve Jesus our Lord,

      In Him,

        Brown

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