Good Morning,
One of earliest memories I have of reading Psalm 121 was when I was in the seventh grade. I was preparing for finals, and one of teachers's who has now gone to be with the Lord read this Psalm and prayed for me. As I went away from my home at an early age to go to school, later traveled to far away places and finally to a far away country called the USA, my family members read this psalm before praying for me. At times we read this Psalm when our daughters travel to far away places. Today many people continue to recite Psalm 121 at the beginning of a journey. Its’ been called the “Traveler’s Psalm” and is an affirmation of God’s powerful and providential protection.
Isaac Bashevis Singer once confessed, “I only pray when I’m in trouble…but I’m in trouble all the time, and so I pray all the time.” Where do we turn when we are in trouble, when life hits us hard? Where does our help come from? There have been times in our lives when we can look back at an instance and say, “If it were not for God’s protection, I would have been killed.” What sustains us in our darkest hours? The reassurance of Psalm 121 brings us from fear to faith.
Many people have been blindsided by the beauty of the opening statement, and have misunderstood the author’s intent. We picture someone being inspired by a mountain range, finding strength in the rugged, hilly landscape. Part of the problem is the King James rendering: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” Yet the hills are exactly where the psalmist does NOT find strength. He looks higher than the hills. The NIV correctly puts it in the form of a question, “I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?” Then he gives the answer: “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” One name for God is El-Shaddai, “the most high God”. He is above all others; He is our “higher power”.
The Jewish composer of this Psalm considered his options. Back in Bible times, pagan shrines were built on hilltops, as they still do in India today, calling them “high places”. Groves of trees were planted and people were lured to these places by the false promise of spells, magic, and the immoral practices of cultic prostitution. There is no help or protection from Baal or Asherah, or any of the false gods. Don’t look to the hills—accept no substitutes.
Heathen/Gentile nations, like Hindu India today, worshipped and feared the sun and the moon, and people today continue to trust in the stars (as in astrology/horoscopes). The psalmist looks beyond the hills, beyond the sun, moon, and stars to the One who stood on the edge of nothing and spoke the universe into existence. We are assured, “the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night” (vs 4). Wiccan, Native American, and New Age religions, including some of the modern tree huggers, confused ecologists, continue to worship nature (the Created) instead of its Creator (pantheism). The prophet Jeremiah declares, “Truly the hills are a delusion—the idolatrous commotion on the mountains” (3:23). Jesus assures us, “I am with you always.” We don’t need any “supplemental help” from the sun or the moon.
We may not be worshipping nature or bowing down to idols, yet we are still susceptible to idolatry, which is trusting in anything other than God. An idol is anything we love, rely on, and obey more than God.
Our help is heavenward, not earthbound. We cry out for help, and our help comes “from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (vs 2). To look anywhere else ends in futility and disappointment. Vs. 3 declares that God “will not let your foot slip.” In God we find our security. Roads in ancient Israel were strewn with dangerous rocks and stones, and robbers were a constant threat. This was before the New Testament time of protected Roman roads which made travel much safer than previously. The brief book of Jude says that God is “able to keep us from stumbling” (vs 24). Peter assures us that we are “kept by the power of God” (I Pet 1:5). Though the paths of life are often difficult and perilous, God will not allow our feet to slip.
Psalm 121 helps us meet straight-on the issue of how to deal with fears and insecurities in a dangerous world. When the Israelites made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem their homes were unprotected. But we are assured in vs. 3 that God “will not slumber nor sleep”. He watches over us every step of the way. He is with us. Soldiers can rest from battle because guards are placed along the perimeter. In the same way, we are garrisoned by the eyes of God’s Providence night and day.
Verse 5 says that God is our “shade”on our right hand. The desert is an unforgiving place. I got some pictures the other day from Iraq, of soldiers fighting in a desert storm, where the sun burns and the unrelenting heat can sap our strength. In the Middle East it can get up to 120 degrees in the Summer months. Soldiers assigned there complain of boots and tires melting and the tarmac turning to mush. Heat injuries are a common threat. Yet God shades us, the shadow of His protection covers us.
Next, the moon will not harm us by night. People have long feared the power of the moon to affect their minds. People still say all sorts of craziness happens during a full moon. Being “moonstruck” is to become unstable, to lose one’s reason. The word “lunacy” comes from the word Luna, another name for the moon. They become lunatics. If we walk with God, He will guard and renew our minds (Rom 12:1-2). He changes us from the inside-out.
An executive was getting ready for a month-long business trip. He prayed with his wife before departing: “Lord, please protect Sharon and the children while I’m gone.” His wife looked up at him when he finished and said, “Who do you think protects us while you’re here?” I’ve been away from my family as well. God can help our family more in our absence than we can in our presence.” When we rely on any help other than God, we’re not getting enough protection. Looking to the hills ends in disappointment.
Verse 7 says that God will keep us from “harm”. This could be translated “evil” (RSV). The Christian life isn’t a quiet escape to a garden where we can walk and talk with our Lord; it’s finding strength in the midst of trying circumstances in a difficult world. Phillips Brooks, renowned pastor of Boston’s Trinity Church, stated: “Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger people. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.”
Sometimes God protects us even when we make dumb decisions. Yet there are times when we seem to be doing most things right, and bad things happen anyway. God hasn’t lost interest in us, He hasn’t deserted or forgotten us, and He isn’t sleeping. He has a purpose in all things, though often we’re unable to grasp the reason. We may stumble a bit along the way, but those who walk with the Lord Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, always reach their destination.
Thank You Jesus,
Brown
Here are some updates from the prayer list yesterday.
What a glorious day in the Lord we have today. As we enter into the Fall season we see the majesty of God and His wondrous works all around us, the beautiful colors, the fresh Fall air, oh such beauty from our Creator. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.
We have many prayer requests this morning but God has many more promises from His Word concerning each prayer request we bring to Him. In Isaiah we read: "How gracious He will be when you cry for help! As soon as He hears, He will answer you. Also we read in Job 22:27: "You will pray to Him, and He will hear you...so with that, I ask if you would make your request made known to God.
Patsy Carmon who had a stroke has been moved to General hospital for rehabiliation.
Eleanornore Skinner who has been hospitalized General hospital.
Rosemary Bowen who had surgery is home recovering.
Ryan Kerr,who is in hospice care, he is the nephew of Dr. Douglas Kerr.
Trudy Wesner who had complete knee replacement surgery. She may be coming home today.
Justin Brown.
Linda Ayer, for total healing.
Jack Black.
Grant DeGaramo.
Don Harbecke, 52 years old is had a quadruple heart bypass yesterday in Illinois,
he came through the surgery well. Praise the Lord.
Leslie Broughton, is going for chemo treatment.
Larry, Jane, and family who just moved to their dream house. Larry is concerned that he might lose his job in Atlanta.
Geraldine Okes (Betty DuBois’s sister) who is hospitalized, she had a heart attack and a stroke in Columbia, SC.
Jovita Naik, who is a recent college graduate, looking for a job.
Janice, our oldest daughter, who is going back to work next week, after the birth of Simeon. She works for Healthcare for the Homeless in Boston.
Our youngest daughter Jessica, who will be finishing her assignment with the Americorps in Philadlphia in few weeks.
Sunita who is attending a weeklong conference in Haiti. Sunita will be coming home tomorrow.
Pray for Cameron Tyler, (Lee and Eunice Sanford’s grandson) born 8 weeks prematurely, weighing 4 pounds, in neonatal ICU in Boston.
Pray for Kristin, Becky, Shannan - our young expecting moms.
Jane Leoffler, she is doing well now but she is still at Wilson hospital. She and her husband Charles have been married for 65 years. WOW!
Andy Morse, (Mary Lou Horn’s grandson). Andy is waiting for the biopsy results. He is still at Sloane Kettering in New York City.
Kim, a young mom had an emergency appendectomy yesterday. Kim is home now recovering.
Brolin Parker... As he recovers from surgery in Albany last week.
Burt Sweet (Retired Pastor) is still recovering from lung surgery in Watertown, NY. Please pray for Burt and his family as his health continues to be fragile.
Geno DeAngelo, Binghamton Police officer, father of four children, battling lung cancer.
Praise the Lord for those who have gone to be with Jesus, having loved him on earth.
Betty Slade in KS, Burt Dunham, Joan Purdy, Hugh Dean, Seanne McPherson's uncle, Jim Gibbore.
Pastor Brown's uncle Mamdu Naik in India. He was a staunch Hindu, who accepted the Lord a few years ago. He was baptized last year. He died last week at the age of 85. He was the husband of my mom's oldest sister. They were blessed with 6 children. All of their children except one son love the Lord and are serving Him. The Lord has blessed the entire family. One of the grandsons is an evangelist and a pastor. He was formerly an insurance company executive. He left a very lucrative position to serve the Lord in full time ministry. The Lord is using him in a spectacular way. Over two hundred people have come to Christ from very staunch Hindu families through his ministry. The Lord is doing some amazing things in India. The church is exploding like wildfire. Praise be to God.
Pray for Jack Hoppes who is going for some tests on his liver today. Jack had open heart surgery nine years ago.
Pray for Jim Haas who is working with FEMA in Ohio. Liz is going down to be with him for a few days.
Pray for Eloise Tewksbury for continued healing.
Pray for Dave and Linda Barton and the team that is going to Central America on a short term mission trip in October.
Pray for this evenings television outreach on channel 4 at 7:00 p.m.
Plan to be in the Lord's house this Sunday to worship and celebrate, invite a friend.
The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.
Psalm 145:18,19
Friday, September 28, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Brown's Daily Word 9-27-07
Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for the way He is our eternal contemporary and our Eternal companion. In this vast world we are meant to never roam alone. He is the Way. He is our Guide. He is our Guardian. He is our Vision. He loves to lead us. He delights in ordering our path. We read Psalm 37:23, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord…" This can apply to us personally, to our families, finances, moves, businesses, and decisions. However, the “stops” and the detours of a good man are ordered by the Lord as well.
Sometimes God closes doors and puts up roadblocks, when we are going the wrong way. At times He paves detours for those who walk with Him. God sometimes uses outward circumstances to guide us, like a door closing, and the worst thing we can do is kick it down and barge through anyway. If we insist on having our way God may do something that we won’t like in the end…He may let us have our way!
Our disappointments are often God’s appointments! Our extremities are His opportunities. When God closes one door he opens another. As Anslem said"We all have a God-shaped void inside of us," and often people try to fill that void with things of the world, such as pleasure, sex, drugs and alcohol, material goods, achievement, money, relationships, and even good works and social involvement!
But the only thing that can fill the God-shaped void is the Lord of Life! As people try all these things they are really calling out, come and help me!
David Brainerd won many thousands of American Indians to Christ. He said, “I cared not where or how I lived, or what hardships I went through, so that I could but gain souls for Christ. While I was asleep I dreamed of these things, and when I awoke, it was the first thought that I had, the thought of this great work.”
He caught the vision, he heard the Indians crying, “come over here and help us!”
David Livingston, the first man to take the gospel into the heart of Africa, said, “I must open a way to the interior or perish!” It was do or die. He caught the vision, and he heard the Africans crying, “come over here and help us!” J. Hudson Taylor, pioneer Missionary to China, said, “I feel as though I cannot live if something is not done for China.” William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, said, "Oh, God, what can I say? Souls! Souls! Souls! My heart hungers for souls!"
The story has often been told of the little church in Germany situated near train tracks that carried Jews to their death. "Each Sunday Morning," the German man telling the story said, "we could hear the whistle in the distance and then the wheels coming over the tracks. We became disturbed when we heard the cries coming from the train as it passed by. We realized that it was carrying Jews like cattle in the cars! Week after week the whistle would blow. We dreaded to hear the sound of those wheels because we knew that we would hear the cries of the Jews en route to a death camp. Their screams tormented us. We knew the time the train was coming and when we heard the whistle blow we began singing hymns. By the time the train came past our church we were singing at the top of our voices. If we heard the screams, we sang more loudly and soon we heard them no more. Years have passed, and no one talks about it much any more; but I still hear that train whistle in my sleep. I can still hear them crying out for help. God forgive all of us who called ourselves Christians, yet did nothing to intervene."
Paul and Silas got into a boat and crossed the Aegean Sea. They began a new venture. We read in Acts 20:6— On the way over God must have been breathing into their sails to get them there! There’s no experience in the world like doing the will of God! The 1st church they established in Europe was in Philippi. When they got there they found a little group of women praying down by the river.
v. 12-13 It was a just a little prayer meeting, just a group of women. Some might have thought, that’s so small, that’s so silly, or some may have thought it was sweet. Let us not despise the small things. It’s from the tiny acorn that a mighty oak tree grows! And God heard these prayers and they are likely the reason for Paul’s vision. Paul saw a man in his vision, and responded, and when he got there, found out it was a woman! Lydia became the first convert on that side of the sea.
“Little is much when God is in it…” You have to remember something about the start of this first European church. That is, the apostle Paul, prior to his salvation, was a Pharisee. And everyday when a Pharisee woke up he would pray 3 things by custom. He thanked God he was not a woman, that he was not a slave, and that he was not a Gentile. Guess who the 1st 3 converts were in Europe? They were a woman, Lydia, a slave girl, and a Gentile! Isn’t that just like God? He breaks down our walls of prejudice and bigotry!
I expect to meet Lydia someday, but she won’t be wearing a purple robe. She will be wearing a robe made white by the blood of the Lamb!
In Christ,
Brown
Some one has said " Every addict is some one's beloved". In a deeper way every one who is sick is some ones' beloved". Pray for the following:
Ryan K ,who is in hospice care.
LA, for total healing
JB who will be going for drug rehabilitation
GD, who is battling chronic depression
Don Harbecke, 52 years old is had a quadruple heart bypass in Illinois,.
He came through the surgery well. Praise the Lord.
Jack B, experiencing heart problems,
Leslie Broughton, Receiving chemo therapy
Larry, Jane, and family who just moved to their dream house. Larry is concerned that he might lose his job in Atlanta
Geraldine who is hospitalized in with a heart attack and a stroke in Columbia, SC.
JN, who is a recent college graduate, looking for job,
Janice, our oldest daughter, who is going back to work next week, after the birth of Simeon. She works for Healthcare for the Homeless in Boston,
Our youngest daughter Jessica, who will be finishing her assignment withe the Americorps in Philadlphia in few weeks,
Sunita who is attending a weeklong conference in Haiti,
Pray for Cameron Tyler, born 8 weeks prematurely, weighing 4 pounds, in neonatal ICU in Boston
Pray for Kristin, Becky, Shannan - our young expecting moms
Jane Leoffler, who has been admitted to the hospital with multiple complications. She and her husband Charles have been married for 65 years. WOW!
Andy, in Sloane-Kettering Hospital in New York City.
Kim, is home after her surgery.
Patsie Carmen, suffred a stroke. She is in the Hospital .
Prudence Wesner, recovering from Complete knee replacement surgery
Brolin Parker... As he recovers from surgery in Albany last week.
Burt Sweet (Retired Pastor) is still recovering from lung surgery in Watertown, NY. Please pray for Burt and his family as his health continues to be fragile.
Geno DeAngelo, Binghamton Police officer, father of four children, battling lung cancer,
Depend on it! God's work done in God's way
will never lack God's supply.
There is a living God;
He has spoken in the Bible;
He means what He says
and will do all He has promised.
J. Hudson Taylor (1832-1905)
English missionary and founder of the China Inland Mission
Live so as to be missed when dead.
Robert Murray McCheyne (1813-1843)
Scottish minister
Live so as to be missed when dead.
Robert Murray McCheyne (1813-1843)
Scottish minister
The Confused Samaritan
A man was beaten up by robbers on a road to London. He lay there, half dead and in bad shape. A Vicar came along, saw him and passed by on the other side. Next, a monk came by but also walked quickly on the other side. Finally, a social worker came along, looked at the man and said "Whoever did this needs help!"
Goliath's Grief!
Why was Goliath so surprised when David hit him with a stone? Because nothing like this had ever entered his mind before.
The Brutal Truth!
A man called up a bible believing church and the church secretary answered the call. The man on the other end of the line said, "I’d like to speak to the head hog." The secretary replied, "That wasn’t a very nice thing to say about our beloved minister, Rev. Jones." Again the man replied, "I’d like to speak to the head hog, because I’m going to donate £75,000.00 to the church. She replied, "Hold on a moment, I think the big fat pig just walked in."
Praise the Lord for the way He is our eternal contemporary and our Eternal companion. In this vast world we are meant to never roam alone. He is the Way. He is our Guide. He is our Guardian. He is our Vision. He loves to lead us. He delights in ordering our path. We read Psalm 37:23, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord…" This can apply to us personally, to our families, finances, moves, businesses, and decisions. However, the “stops” and the detours of a good man are ordered by the Lord as well.
Sometimes God closes doors and puts up roadblocks, when we are going the wrong way. At times He paves detours for those who walk with Him. God sometimes uses outward circumstances to guide us, like a door closing, and the worst thing we can do is kick it down and barge through anyway. If we insist on having our way God may do something that we won’t like in the end…He may let us have our way!
Our disappointments are often God’s appointments! Our extremities are His opportunities. When God closes one door he opens another. As Anslem said"We all have a God-shaped void inside of us," and often people try to fill that void with things of the world, such as pleasure, sex, drugs and alcohol, material goods, achievement, money, relationships, and even good works and social involvement!
But the only thing that can fill the God-shaped void is the Lord of Life! As people try all these things they are really calling out, come and help me!
David Brainerd won many thousands of American Indians to Christ. He said, “I cared not where or how I lived, or what hardships I went through, so that I could but gain souls for Christ. While I was asleep I dreamed of these things, and when I awoke, it was the first thought that I had, the thought of this great work.”
He caught the vision, he heard the Indians crying, “come over here and help us!”
David Livingston, the first man to take the gospel into the heart of Africa, said, “I must open a way to the interior or perish!” It was do or die. He caught the vision, and he heard the Africans crying, “come over here and help us!” J. Hudson Taylor, pioneer Missionary to China, said, “I feel as though I cannot live if something is not done for China.” William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, said, "Oh, God, what can I say? Souls! Souls! Souls! My heart hungers for souls!"
The story has often been told of the little church in Germany situated near train tracks that carried Jews to their death. "Each Sunday Morning," the German man telling the story said, "we could hear the whistle in the distance and then the wheels coming over the tracks. We became disturbed when we heard the cries coming from the train as it passed by. We realized that it was carrying Jews like cattle in the cars! Week after week the whistle would blow. We dreaded to hear the sound of those wheels because we knew that we would hear the cries of the Jews en route to a death camp. Their screams tormented us. We knew the time the train was coming and when we heard the whistle blow we began singing hymns. By the time the train came past our church we were singing at the top of our voices. If we heard the screams, we sang more loudly and soon we heard them no more. Years have passed, and no one talks about it much any more; but I still hear that train whistle in my sleep. I can still hear them crying out for help. God forgive all of us who called ourselves Christians, yet did nothing to intervene."
Paul and Silas got into a boat and crossed the Aegean Sea. They began a new venture. We read in Acts 20:6— On the way over God must have been breathing into their sails to get them there! There’s no experience in the world like doing the will of God! The 1st church they established in Europe was in Philippi. When they got there they found a little group of women praying down by the river.
v. 12-13 It was a just a little prayer meeting, just a group of women. Some might have thought, that’s so small, that’s so silly, or some may have thought it was sweet. Let us not despise the small things. It’s from the tiny acorn that a mighty oak tree grows! And God heard these prayers and they are likely the reason for Paul’s vision. Paul saw a man in his vision, and responded, and when he got there, found out it was a woman! Lydia became the first convert on that side of the sea.
“Little is much when God is in it…” You have to remember something about the start of this first European church. That is, the apostle Paul, prior to his salvation, was a Pharisee. And everyday when a Pharisee woke up he would pray 3 things by custom. He thanked God he was not a woman, that he was not a slave, and that he was not a Gentile. Guess who the 1st 3 converts were in Europe? They were a woman, Lydia, a slave girl, and a Gentile! Isn’t that just like God? He breaks down our walls of prejudice and bigotry!
I expect to meet Lydia someday, but she won’t be wearing a purple robe. She will be wearing a robe made white by the blood of the Lamb!
In Christ,
Brown
Some one has said " Every addict is some one's beloved". In a deeper way every one who is sick is some ones' beloved". Pray for the following:
Ryan K ,who is in hospice care.
LA, for total healing
JB who will be going for drug rehabilitation
GD, who is battling chronic depression
Don Harbecke, 52 years old is had a quadruple heart bypass in Illinois,.
He came through the surgery well. Praise the Lord.
Jack B, experiencing heart problems,
Leslie Broughton, Receiving chemo therapy
Larry, Jane, and family who just moved to their dream house. Larry is concerned that he might lose his job in Atlanta
Geraldine who is hospitalized in with a heart attack and a stroke in Columbia, SC.
JN, who is a recent college graduate, looking for job,
Janice, our oldest daughter, who is going back to work next week, after the birth of Simeon. She works for Healthcare for the Homeless in Boston,
Our youngest daughter Jessica, who will be finishing her assignment withe the Americorps in Philadlphia in few weeks,
Sunita who is attending a weeklong conference in Haiti,
Pray for Cameron Tyler, born 8 weeks prematurely, weighing 4 pounds, in neonatal ICU in Boston
Pray for Kristin, Becky, Shannan - our young expecting moms
Jane Leoffler, who has been admitted to the hospital with multiple complications. She and her husband Charles have been married for 65 years. WOW!
Andy, in Sloane-Kettering Hospital in New York City.
Kim, is home after her surgery.
Patsie Carmen, suffred a stroke. She is in the Hospital .
Prudence Wesner, recovering from Complete knee replacement surgery
Brolin Parker... As he recovers from surgery in Albany last week.
Burt Sweet (Retired Pastor) is still recovering from lung surgery in Watertown, NY. Please pray for Burt and his family as his health continues to be fragile.
Geno DeAngelo, Binghamton Police officer, father of four children, battling lung cancer,
Depend on it! God's work done in God's way
will never lack God's supply.
There is a living God;
He has spoken in the Bible;
He means what He says
and will do all He has promised.
J. Hudson Taylor (1832-1905)
English missionary and founder of the China Inland Mission
Live so as to be missed when dead.
Robert Murray McCheyne (1813-1843)
Scottish minister
Live so as to be missed when dead.
Robert Murray McCheyne (1813-1843)
Scottish minister
The Confused Samaritan
A man was beaten up by robbers on a road to London. He lay there, half dead and in bad shape. A Vicar came along, saw him and passed by on the other side. Next, a monk came by but also walked quickly on the other side. Finally, a social worker came along, looked at the man and said "Whoever did this needs help!"
Goliath's Grief!
Why was Goliath so surprised when David hit him with a stone? Because nothing like this had ever entered his mind before.
The Brutal Truth!
A man called up a bible believing church and the church secretary answered the call. The man on the other end of the line said, "I’d like to speak to the head hog." The secretary replied, "That wasn’t a very nice thing to say about our beloved minister, Rev. Jones." Again the man replied, "I’d like to speak to the head hog, because I’m going to donate £75,000.00 to the church. She replied, "Hold on a moment, I think the big fat pig just walked in."
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Brown's Daily Word 9-26-07
Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for His audacious claims. He is the Resurrection and the Life . Those who believe in Him, though they die they shall live for evermore. During the last few weeks I have conducted several funeral services. I am reminded that life on earth is very short, and eternity is very long. Hell is real and heaven can be ours in and through Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul, who encountered the Risen Lord and was changed for ever, could say " for me to live is Christ and to die is gain". John Wesley said, "Christians die well". Jesus our Lord taught us how to live and how to die and how to live again.
Paul Harvey tells the true story of a lady who went to a newspaper to report the death of her husband. She took a glowing four page report to the obituary counter. Upon seeing it, the news clerk said, "Ma’am, you should know that it costs $.50 a word to put that in the paper." Stunned, the wife took it back and re-wrote it. It now said, "Sam Brown dies." The clerk said, "I’m sorry ma’am, but there’s a 7-word minimum.” The widow took it back & counting on her fingers wrote:"Sam Brown dies... ’88 Ford for sale."
We need to understand that, realistically, grief will not go away that quickly. Ecclesiastes 3:4 says: "There is a time to cry and a time to laugh, a time to grieve and a time to dance." The author of Psalm 116 went through the process of grief and was able to find comfort. Grief is defined as: "An involuntary emotion you experience when you lose something or someone that is valuable to you." Now, since it is involuntary we need to understand that grieving is not a sin. It is not wrong to express grief. In fact, it’s natural. Paul, a man who experienced loss, wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:13- "We do not want you to grieve like other people who have no hope." He doesn’t say, "don’t grieve," but he does tell us, in your grief, remember to place your hope in God. Grief is an honorable emotion because it is borne out of love. You must grieve. Most commentators describe Psalm 116 as a “Psalm of Grief,” indicating that the writer either is or has been grieving. We are not sure of the exact circumstances but just look at some of the words he uses. Vs:3: "The danger of death was all around me; the horrors of the grave closed in on me; I was filled with grief and fear." Vs:10 he says, "I am completely crushed." So, the Psalmist was grieving, and although we don’t know specifically the cause of his mourning, we do know that grief can come in a variety of ways.
The most common grief is from the loss of a loved one. I believe this is the source of the Psalmist’s sorrow. In vs:15 he says, "How painful it is when one of the Lord’s people die." The loss of loved ones, especially if they are young or the death is sudden may be the hardest kind of grief, but it’s not the only source. The loss of possessions can cause grief. Just ask those who try to take their own lives when the stock market crashes or go into a hermit-like existence when their life savings are lost. The loss of health can cause grief. Soldiers that lose a limb or athletes who lose their careers due to injury certainly grieve over that loss. Some commentators feel that when the Psalmist says in vs:3 that "the danger of death was all around me," that maybe he was referring to his health. A loss of health can cause grief.
Maybe the clearest Biblical example of someone who lost all of these things is Job. Job was an upright, righteous man of God but he went through a series of tragic losses that may be unparalleled in human history. The late Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross wrote a ground breaking book in 1965, (I was in college), entitled On Death and Dying, in which she suggested a cycle of grief. That book is still widely quoted. However, today’s mental health professionals, when talking about grief, say that maybe a better word than “cycle” is the word “journey.” It is one with many twists and turns. But it’s important to understand that the grieving process is not some neat progression. A person may repeat a stage or skip one and go right into another.
Bob Russell, a preacher in Louisville, took a survey of those who have gone through the grieving process, and then gave 10 practical suggestions of "do’s" & "don’ts" to help you help someone who is grieving.
(1) Don’t avoid the person who mourns. We worry sometimes about, "I don’t know what to say." "I’ll feel so awkward at the funeral home." The worst thing we can do when someone is grieving is to do nothing.
(2) Don’t think you have to say the "right thing." These people said consistently that the person who helped the most was the close friend who was just there. sitting next to them or just close by them, just listening. The poet wrote- "When trouble comes your soul to try... You love the friend who just stands by... It helps somehow to pull you through, although there’s nothing they can do. But just to have a friend, whose sympathy endures until the end, gives a heart the fervent cry: ‘God bless the friend who just stands by.’"
(3) Don’t treat the survivor differently. For example, if you would of invited the couple to the party, then invite the widow or widower to the party.
(4) Do understand that the grieving process takes a long time. Be patient.
(5) Don’t think it’s necessary to bring it up every time you’re with them. Don’t say, "How are you really doing?" Don’t push.
(6) Do expect their emotions to fluctuate. The survivor is not always going to feel badly. Let them be happy, let them be sad, maybe all in a matter of moments.
(7) Do be willing to reminisce. Sometimes we think they won’t want to hear something about their loved one. But I know from experience that some of the things that brought my wife and I the most comfort after the death of her father were those who came up and said, "You know, one time Frank and I were.." -OR- "I remember how Frank used to love to teach.." Let them talk about the loved one.
(8) Do be personal in your remembrances. If you know something nice to say, say it. "O, you’re mother was so wonderful to me.” Your Dad’s strong faith was such an inspiration to me."
(9) Do keep your sense of humor. Don’t be flippant. But at the same time the Bible says, "A cheerful heart does good like medicine." (Prov. 17:22 LB) Vance Havner, a famous preacher, recalled when someone would come up to him after the death of his wife and say, "Sorry you lost your wife." He’d smile and say, "Well, don’t be.. after all something’s not lost, if you know its location! And I know right where to find her!" But remember, Prov. 14:13 also says: “Laughter can conceal a heavy heart; when the laughter ends, the grief remains.”(NLT) So, even though we should keep a sense of humor, don’t think that laughter means the pain is completely over.
10) And Do remember that the time you are needed most is not immediate. Oh, you need to be there from the start but everybody comes immediately. 6-8 weeks or 6 months later, when everyone else is gone, that’s when you’re needed most.
It is important that those going through grief understand the Lord offers some incredible resources to help heal. The Psalmist here mentions several.
(1) God promises compassion. Vs:5- Our God is compassionate." You are not going through your grief alone. Jesus knows how you feel because He’s been where you are. Hebrews 4:15 says: “We don’t have a priest (Jesus) who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all - all but the sin.” God knows exactly how you feel and offers His compassion.
(2) God promises protection- Vs:6- "The Lord protects the helpless; when I was in danger, He saved me." Allow the loss, whatever it is, to draw you into deeper dependence on Him. Cry out to Him.. He’s there for you, protecting you, holding you. Heb .13:4- “God assures us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you.”(MSG)
(3) God promises deliverance- Vs:8- "The Lord saved me from death, he stopped my tears and kept me from defeat." Yes, it will take time to make progress through the journey but God is with us in every step of that process and He will deliver us. We will have to experience some depression in all likelihood, but not total defeat.
The one phrase I hear again and again from Christian people who grieve is: "I don’t how people go through this without the Lord. I don’t know how people go through this without the church and Christian friends." "It hurts," they say, "but I’m am so comforted by God’s promises." That’s a huge difference. Christian’s have hope, something better is coming. 1 Peter 1:6, in talking about our reward, says- "In this you greatly rejoice, (the knowledge of heaven) though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials."(NIV)
Please understand, the grief, no matter how hard, is temporary. There is going to come a time when there will be no more sorrow, no more death. In Ripley’s Believe It or Not in Gatlinburg, TN, they have famous tombstones with unique epitaphs. I have been told there is this one from Watumca, Ala., obviously believed in someplace better: "Here lies Solomon Peas. Peas is not here, only the pod. Peas shelled out and went home to God." That’s funny, but it’s not all that far from what Jesus said in John 11:25-26, “Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. 26They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish." In other words, those who have a relationship with Jesus will be able to shed off this pod and go to be with Him..
In the late 1800’s Horatio G. Spafford, a Christian lawyer from Chicago, experienced the death of his infant son. Within weeks of that devastating loss came the infamous Chicago fire of 1871, which destroyed all his real estate holdings that he had on the shores of Lake Michigan, leaving him almost desolate. In 1873 Spafford, with the help of a friend, planned a trip to Europe, to just get away for a few weeks. And so, on Nov. 19 he placed his wife and four daughters on a luxury liner headed for France. Spafford was going to join them in about a week, after he took care of some urgent business. But on Nov. 21, 1873, the ship the Spafford’s family was on collided with another vessel and within 12 minutes, sank in the northern Atlantic. In the chaotic moments after the collision, all four daughters were swept away from Mrs. Spafford. She was knocked unconscious but was somehow rescued as one of the few survivors. Back in Chicago, Horatio, heard of the accident and waited anxiously for news about his family. Finally, ten days later, a telegram came to his home, sent from his wife, who was in the hospital. The telegram contained just two words: "Saved - Alone." He knew that he had lost all four of his girls. Horatio Spafford was devastated. He began to shake uncontrollably and was comforted by his best friend and neighbor, Major Whittle.
With Whittle’s help Horatio Spafford, took a ship to France, to meet his wife and bring her home. On the journey he asked the captain to wake him in the middle of the night when they came to the approximate location of the accident. The captain did and as Horatio Spafford looked down in those cold, dark waters, which covered up his four girls, he wept unashamedly. And then he went to his cabin and penned the words to what has become one of our most famous hymns. "When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll- Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul." Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate and hath shed His own blood for my soul." The only way that Horatio Spafford could hold on to his faith in midst of devastating grief, was to put his absolute faith in Jesus Christ. That’s the only way you’ll hold up too. Trust Him and you’ll learn like the Psalmist, that God will listen and help. And then you can say as he did in vs:7- "Be confident my heart, because the Lord has been good to me." And know, no matter what, “It is well, with my soul.”
In Christ,
Brown
Some updates:
Some one has said " Every addict is some one's beloved". In a deeper way every one who is sick is some ones' beloved". Pray for the following:
Ryan K ,who is in hospice care.
LA, for total healing
JB who will be going for drug rehabilitation
GD, who is battling chronic depression
Don Harbecke, 52 years old is had a quadruple heart bypass yesterday in Illinois,.
He came through the surgery well. Praise the Lord.
Jack B, experiencing heart problems,
Leslie Broughton, in the intensive care
Larry, Jane, and family who just moved to their dream house. Larry is concerned that he might lose his job in Atlanta
Geraldine who is hospitalized in with a heart attack and a stroke in Columbia, SC.
JN, who is a recent college graduate, looking for job,
Janice, our oldest daughter, who is going back to work next week, after the birth of Simeon. She works for Healthcare for the Homeless in Boston,
Our youngest daughter Jessica, who will be finishing her assignment withe the Americorps in Philadlphia in few weeks,
Sunita who is attending a weeklong conference in Haiti,
Pray for Cameron Tyler, born 8 weeks prematurely, weighing 4 pounds, in neonatal ICU in Boston
Pray for Kristin, Becky, Shannan - our young expecting moms
Jane Leoffler, who has been admitted to the hospital with multiple complications. She and her husband Charles have been married for 65 years. WOW!
Andy, who is going for surgery today in Sloane-Kettering Hospital in New York City.
Kim, a young mom had an emergency appendectomy yesterday
Brolin Parker... As he recovers from surgery in Albany last week.
Burt Sweet (Retired Pastor) is still recovering from lung surgery in Watertown, NY. Please pray for Burt and his family as his health continues to be fragile.
Geno DeAngelo, Binghamton Police officer, father of four children, battling lung cancer,
Praise the Lord for those who have gone to be with Jesus, having loved him on earth.
Betty Slade in KS.
My uncle Mamdu Naik in India. He was a staunch Hindu, who accepted the Lord a few years ago. He was baptized last year. He died last week at the age of 85. He was the husband of my mom's oldest sister. They were blessed with 6 children. All of their children except one son love the Lord and are serving Him. The Lord has blessed the entire family. One of the grandsons is an evangelist and a pastor. He was formerly an insurance company executive. He left a very lucrative position to serve the Lord in full time ministry. The Lord is using him in a spectacular way. Over two hundred people have come to Christ from a very staunch Hindu families through his ministry. The Lord is doing some amazing things in India. The church is exploding like wildfire.
Jude 1:24 -
Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
Jude 1:25 -
To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
"God, grant me the Serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the Courage to change the one I can, and the Wisdom to know it's me."
The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember...
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer, Rahab was a prostitute, Jeremiah and Timothy were too young, David had an affair and was a murderer, Elijah was suicidal, Isaiah preached naked, Jonah ran from God, Naomi was a widow, Job went bankrupt, John the Baptist ate bugs, Peter denied Christ, The Disciples fell asleep while praying, Martha worried about everything, The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once Zaccheus was too small, Paul was too religious, Timothy had an ulcer...AND Lazarus was dead!
No more excuses now. God can use you to your full potential.
Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger!
Praise the Lord for His audacious claims. He is the Resurrection and the Life . Those who believe in Him, though they die they shall live for evermore. During the last few weeks I have conducted several funeral services. I am reminded that life on earth is very short, and eternity is very long. Hell is real and heaven can be ours in and through Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul, who encountered the Risen Lord and was changed for ever, could say " for me to live is Christ and to die is gain". John Wesley said, "Christians die well". Jesus our Lord taught us how to live and how to die and how to live again.
Paul Harvey tells the true story of a lady who went to a newspaper to report the death of her husband. She took a glowing four page report to the obituary counter. Upon seeing it, the news clerk said, "Ma’am, you should know that it costs $.50 a word to put that in the paper." Stunned, the wife took it back and re-wrote it. It now said, "Sam Brown dies." The clerk said, "I’m sorry ma’am, but there’s a 7-word minimum.” The widow took it back & counting on her fingers wrote:"Sam Brown dies... ’88 Ford for sale."
We need to understand that, realistically, grief will not go away that quickly. Ecclesiastes 3:4 says: "There is a time to cry and a time to laugh, a time to grieve and a time to dance." The author of Psalm 116 went through the process of grief and was able to find comfort. Grief is defined as: "An involuntary emotion you experience when you lose something or someone that is valuable to you." Now, since it is involuntary we need to understand that grieving is not a sin. It is not wrong to express grief. In fact, it’s natural. Paul, a man who experienced loss, wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:13- "We do not want you to grieve like other people who have no hope." He doesn’t say, "don’t grieve," but he does tell us, in your grief, remember to place your hope in God. Grief is an honorable emotion because it is borne out of love. You must grieve. Most commentators describe Psalm 116 as a “Psalm of Grief,” indicating that the writer either is or has been grieving. We are not sure of the exact circumstances but just look at some of the words he uses. Vs:3: "The danger of death was all around me; the horrors of the grave closed in on me; I was filled with grief and fear." Vs:10 he says, "I am completely crushed." So, the Psalmist was grieving, and although we don’t know specifically the cause of his mourning, we do know that grief can come in a variety of ways.
The most common grief is from the loss of a loved one. I believe this is the source of the Psalmist’s sorrow. In vs:15 he says, "How painful it is when one of the Lord’s people die." The loss of loved ones, especially if they are young or the death is sudden may be the hardest kind of grief, but it’s not the only source. The loss of possessions can cause grief. Just ask those who try to take their own lives when the stock market crashes or go into a hermit-like existence when their life savings are lost. The loss of health can cause grief. Soldiers that lose a limb or athletes who lose their careers due to injury certainly grieve over that loss. Some commentators feel that when the Psalmist says in vs:3 that "the danger of death was all around me," that maybe he was referring to his health. A loss of health can cause grief.
Maybe the clearest Biblical example of someone who lost all of these things is Job. Job was an upright, righteous man of God but he went through a series of tragic losses that may be unparalleled in human history. The late Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross wrote a ground breaking book in 1965, (I was in college), entitled On Death and Dying, in which she suggested a cycle of grief. That book is still widely quoted. However, today’s mental health professionals, when talking about grief, say that maybe a better word than “cycle” is the word “journey.” It is one with many twists and turns. But it’s important to understand that the grieving process is not some neat progression. A person may repeat a stage or skip one and go right into another.
Bob Russell, a preacher in Louisville, took a survey of those who have gone through the grieving process, and then gave 10 practical suggestions of "do’s" & "don’ts" to help you help someone who is grieving.
(1) Don’t avoid the person who mourns. We worry sometimes about, "I don’t know what to say." "I’ll feel so awkward at the funeral home." The worst thing we can do when someone is grieving is to do nothing.
(2) Don’t think you have to say the "right thing." These people said consistently that the person who helped the most was the close friend who was just there. sitting next to them or just close by them, just listening. The poet wrote- "When trouble comes your soul to try... You love the friend who just stands by... It helps somehow to pull you through, although there’s nothing they can do. But just to have a friend, whose sympathy endures until the end, gives a heart the fervent cry: ‘God bless the friend who just stands by.’"
(3) Don’t treat the survivor differently. For example, if you would of invited the couple to the party, then invite the widow or widower to the party.
(4) Do understand that the grieving process takes a long time. Be patient.
(5) Don’t think it’s necessary to bring it up every time you’re with them. Don’t say, "How are you really doing?" Don’t push.
(6) Do expect their emotions to fluctuate. The survivor is not always going to feel badly. Let them be happy, let them be sad, maybe all in a matter of moments.
(7) Do be willing to reminisce. Sometimes we think they won’t want to hear something about their loved one. But I know from experience that some of the things that brought my wife and I the most comfort after the death of her father were those who came up and said, "You know, one time Frank and I were.." -OR- "I remember how Frank used to love to teach.." Let them talk about the loved one.
(8) Do be personal in your remembrances. If you know something nice to say, say it. "O, you’re mother was so wonderful to me.” Your Dad’s strong faith was such an inspiration to me."
(9) Do keep your sense of humor. Don’t be flippant. But at the same time the Bible says, "A cheerful heart does good like medicine." (Prov. 17:22 LB) Vance Havner, a famous preacher, recalled when someone would come up to him after the death of his wife and say, "Sorry you lost your wife." He’d smile and say, "Well, don’t be.. after all something’s not lost, if you know its location! And I know right where to find her!" But remember, Prov. 14:13 also says: “Laughter can conceal a heavy heart; when the laughter ends, the grief remains.”(NLT) So, even though we should keep a sense of humor, don’t think that laughter means the pain is completely over.
10) And Do remember that the time you are needed most is not immediate. Oh, you need to be there from the start but everybody comes immediately. 6-8 weeks or 6 months later, when everyone else is gone, that’s when you’re needed most.
It is important that those going through grief understand the Lord offers some incredible resources to help heal. The Psalmist here mentions several.
(1) God promises compassion. Vs:5- Our God is compassionate." You are not going through your grief alone. Jesus knows how you feel because He’s been where you are. Hebrews 4:15 says: “We don’t have a priest (Jesus) who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all - all but the sin.” God knows exactly how you feel and offers His compassion.
(2) God promises protection- Vs:6- "The Lord protects the helpless; when I was in danger, He saved me." Allow the loss, whatever it is, to draw you into deeper dependence on Him. Cry out to Him.. He’s there for you, protecting you, holding you. Heb .13:4- “God assures us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you.”(MSG)
(3) God promises deliverance- Vs:8- "The Lord saved me from death, he stopped my tears and kept me from defeat." Yes, it will take time to make progress through the journey but God is with us in every step of that process and He will deliver us. We will have to experience some depression in all likelihood, but not total defeat.
The one phrase I hear again and again from Christian people who grieve is: "I don’t how people go through this without the Lord. I don’t know how people go through this without the church and Christian friends." "It hurts," they say, "but I’m am so comforted by God’s promises." That’s a huge difference. Christian’s have hope, something better is coming. 1 Peter 1:6, in talking about our reward, says- "In this you greatly rejoice, (the knowledge of heaven) though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials."(NIV)
Please understand, the grief, no matter how hard, is temporary. There is going to come a time when there will be no more sorrow, no more death. In Ripley’s Believe It or Not in Gatlinburg, TN, they have famous tombstones with unique epitaphs. I have been told there is this one from Watumca, Ala., obviously believed in someplace better: "Here lies Solomon Peas. Peas is not here, only the pod. Peas shelled out and went home to God." That’s funny, but it’s not all that far from what Jesus said in John 11:25-26, “Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. 26They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish." In other words, those who have a relationship with Jesus will be able to shed off this pod and go to be with Him..
In the late 1800’s Horatio G. Spafford, a Christian lawyer from Chicago, experienced the death of his infant son. Within weeks of that devastating loss came the infamous Chicago fire of 1871, which destroyed all his real estate holdings that he had on the shores of Lake Michigan, leaving him almost desolate. In 1873 Spafford, with the help of a friend, planned a trip to Europe, to just get away for a few weeks. And so, on Nov. 19 he placed his wife and four daughters on a luxury liner headed for France. Spafford was going to join them in about a week, after he took care of some urgent business. But on Nov. 21, 1873, the ship the Spafford’s family was on collided with another vessel and within 12 minutes, sank in the northern Atlantic. In the chaotic moments after the collision, all four daughters were swept away from Mrs. Spafford. She was knocked unconscious but was somehow rescued as one of the few survivors. Back in Chicago, Horatio, heard of the accident and waited anxiously for news about his family. Finally, ten days later, a telegram came to his home, sent from his wife, who was in the hospital. The telegram contained just two words: "Saved - Alone." He knew that he had lost all four of his girls. Horatio Spafford was devastated. He began to shake uncontrollably and was comforted by his best friend and neighbor, Major Whittle.
With Whittle’s help Horatio Spafford, took a ship to France, to meet his wife and bring her home. On the journey he asked the captain to wake him in the middle of the night when they came to the approximate location of the accident. The captain did and as Horatio Spafford looked down in those cold, dark waters, which covered up his four girls, he wept unashamedly. And then he went to his cabin and penned the words to what has become one of our most famous hymns. "When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll- Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul." Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate and hath shed His own blood for my soul." The only way that Horatio Spafford could hold on to his faith in midst of devastating grief, was to put his absolute faith in Jesus Christ. That’s the only way you’ll hold up too. Trust Him and you’ll learn like the Psalmist, that God will listen and help. And then you can say as he did in vs:7- "Be confident my heart, because the Lord has been good to me." And know, no matter what, “It is well, with my soul.”
In Christ,
Brown
Some updates:
Some one has said " Every addict is some one's beloved". In a deeper way every one who is sick is some ones' beloved". Pray for the following:
Ryan K ,who is in hospice care.
LA, for total healing
JB who will be going for drug rehabilitation
GD, who is battling chronic depression
Don Harbecke, 52 years old is had a quadruple heart bypass yesterday in Illinois,.
He came through the surgery well. Praise the Lord.
Jack B, experiencing heart problems,
Leslie Broughton, in the intensive care
Larry, Jane, and family who just moved to their dream house. Larry is concerned that he might lose his job in Atlanta
Geraldine who is hospitalized in with a heart attack and a stroke in Columbia, SC.
JN, who is a recent college graduate, looking for job,
Janice, our oldest daughter, who is going back to work next week, after the birth of Simeon. She works for Healthcare for the Homeless in Boston,
Our youngest daughter Jessica, who will be finishing her assignment withe the Americorps in Philadlphia in few weeks,
Sunita who is attending a weeklong conference in Haiti,
Pray for Cameron Tyler, born 8 weeks prematurely, weighing 4 pounds, in neonatal ICU in Boston
Pray for Kristin, Becky, Shannan - our young expecting moms
Jane Leoffler, who has been admitted to the hospital with multiple complications. She and her husband Charles have been married for 65 years. WOW!
Andy, who is going for surgery today in Sloane-Kettering Hospital in New York City.
Kim, a young mom had an emergency appendectomy yesterday
Brolin Parker... As he recovers from surgery in Albany last week.
Burt Sweet (Retired Pastor) is still recovering from lung surgery in Watertown, NY. Please pray for Burt and his family as his health continues to be fragile.
Geno DeAngelo, Binghamton Police officer, father of four children, battling lung cancer,
Praise the Lord for those who have gone to be with Jesus, having loved him on earth.
Betty Slade in KS.
My uncle Mamdu Naik in India. He was a staunch Hindu, who accepted the Lord a few years ago. He was baptized last year. He died last week at the age of 85. He was the husband of my mom's oldest sister. They were blessed with 6 children. All of their children except one son love the Lord and are serving Him. The Lord has blessed the entire family. One of the grandsons is an evangelist and a pastor. He was formerly an insurance company executive. He left a very lucrative position to serve the Lord in full time ministry. The Lord is using him in a spectacular way. Over two hundred people have come to Christ from a very staunch Hindu families through his ministry. The Lord is doing some amazing things in India. The church is exploding like wildfire.
Jude 1:24 -
Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
Jude 1:25 -
To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
"God, grant me the Serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the Courage to change the one I can, and the Wisdom to know it's me."
The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember...
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer, Rahab was a prostitute, Jeremiah and Timothy were too young, David had an affair and was a murderer, Elijah was suicidal, Isaiah preached naked, Jonah ran from God, Naomi was a widow, Job went bankrupt, John the Baptist ate bugs, Peter denied Christ, The Disciples fell asleep while praying, Martha worried about everything, The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once Zaccheus was too small, Paul was too religious, Timothy had an ulcer...AND Lazarus was dead!
No more excuses now. God can use you to your full potential.
Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger!
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