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Another Part of Preparing by Rodney Howard Browne
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Now as they were traveling along, He entered a hamlet ; and a girl named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations ; and she came up to Him and claimed, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all of the serving alone? Then let her know to help me.” ( Luke 10:38-40 ). Right away , we are able to see the difference between those 2 sisters—one was satisfied to sit and visit with Jesus, relaxing in His presence, while the other was all bent unfit over “all her preparations.” Pissed off and put out with Mary, Martha made a decision to unload on Jesus, informing him to order Mary to get herself in the kitchen and help her out. Did not He see that “all her preparations” needed a large amount of effort? Definitely there had been no problem with Martha’s need to be hospitable—she just took things too far, attempted to mend too much, and authorized her work to keep her from relaxing and enjoying one of those rare occasions to be with Jesus. She merited high marks for motive, but she permitted her responsibilities to keep her from making the maximum of the possibility.
The Lord answered and expounded to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and worried about so many things ; but only 1 thing is mandatory, for Mary has selected the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” ( Luke 10:41-42 ). Being keenly keen, Jesus saw beyond Martha’s pressing need to prepare something for them to eat as He put His finger on the difficulty : she was making an attempt to do too much. That led straight to her losing patience with her sister and feeling the necessity to tell Jesus what to do to modify things. There had been not much wrong with her desiring to prepare and serve something—she just did not have to go overboard. That would have authorized Martha time to sit and relax with them during Jesus’s visit. She also would have stayed calm, instead of gotten “worried and bothered” about things. As we consider our goals for living a healthy way of life, it is important that we keep our balance. You may do far better in the long run if you set reasonable goals, stay calm and steady, pace yourself, and refuse to make the acute your standard. Preparation has just as much to do with the thoughts you put in your mind’s eye as it does with the food you put in your mouth.
Have you become “worried and bothered” about too many things—or are you staying calm and realistic? If your intensity level is too high, back off ; you will be a lot happier.
Keep your Heads Up by Rodney Howard Browne
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It could have been a refreshing relief for the Master to have 1 home in which He could sit and visit, start His sandals, and actually relax. Luke recorded the scene for us in the last few verses of the tenth chapter in his gospel account.
Now as they were traveling along, He entered a hamlet ; and a girl named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations ; and she came up to Him and claimed, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all of the serving alone? Then let her know to help me.” ( Luke 10:38-40 ). Right away , we are able to see the difference between those 2 sisters—one was satisfied to sit and visit with Jesus, relaxing in His presence, while the other was all bent unfit over “all her preparations.” Pissed off and put out with Mary, Martha made a decision to unload on Jesus, informing him to order Mary to get herself in the kitchen and help her out. Did not He see that “all her preparations” needed a large amount of effort? Definitely there had been no problem with Martha’s need to be hospitable—she just took things too far, attempted to mend too much, and authorized her work to keep her from relaxing and enjoying one of those rare occasions to be with Jesus. She merited high marks for motive, but she permitted her responsibilities to keep her from making the maximum of the possibility.
The Lord answered and expounded to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and worried about so many things ; but only 1 thing is mandatory, for Mary has selected the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” ( Luke 10:41-42 ). Being keenly keen, Jesus saw beyond Martha’s pressing need to prepare something for them to eat as He put His finger on the difficulty : she was making an attempt to do too much. That led straight to her losing patience with her sister and feeling the necessity to tell Jesus what to do to modify things. There had been not much wrong with her desiring to prepare and serve something—she just did not have to go overboard. That would have authorized Martha time to sit and relax with them during Jesus’s visit. She also would have stayed calm, instead of gotten “worried and bothered” about things. As we consider our goals for living a healthy way of life, it is important that we keep our balance. You may do far better in the long run if you set reasonable goals, stay calm and steady, pace yourself, and refuse to make the acute your standard. Preparation has just as much to do with the thoughts you put in your mind’s eye as it does with the food you put in your mouth.
Have you become “worried and bothered” about too many things—or are you staying calm and realistic? If your intensity level is too high, back off ; you will be a lot happier.
Strengthening Your Faith by Rodney Howard Browne
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Since our lives are full of trials, we want to remember there are always more to come.
Job admits, “For man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward” ( Job 5:7 ). Trials are inescapable, so do not be shocked.
Be advised that our enemy, Devil , is on the loose. Since our world is fallen, we want to understand that those that love us may give us wrong recommendation. In the many years of my life, I have received wrong recommendation on many occasions from folks who really love me. They did not mean to be wrong, but they were. Since our God is sovereign, we must prepare ourselves for both blessing and adversity. Because our God is sovereign, we must prepare ourselves for blessing and grief. He hasn’t got to step into a hospice room and say, “Now let me offer 5 reasons this has occurred to your son.” Understand, God is full of compassion, but His long term, divine plan is beyond our short term, human understanding.
“It is simpler to lower your perspective of The Lord God than to raise your faith to such a height,” writes a keen writer. He then adds, “We shall watch the fight as Job’s religion is strained every way by enticements to see the reason behind his setback in something less than God.” God is fully, fully, and fully in control. Please accept and submit to that teaching. How wonderful it is to find those that trust Him to the end of this vale of suffering exclaiming, “And may His name be praised. However , may His name be praised.” that’s worship at its highest level.
May God allow you to raise your religion to such heights instead of lower your perspective of Him.
I Don’t Know Myself by Rodney Howard Browne
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He calls some folks to do the gutsy work in the ditchs. He calls some folks to compose and conduct music. God has all sorts of creative methods to use us—ways we will not even imagine and definitely can’t see up there round the next bend in the road.
One of the toughest things to hear is that God is going to use some other person to do something that you thought was your role to fill. “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what’s my home, that You have brought me this far? And yet this was unimportant in Your eyes, O Lord GOD, for You have talked also of the house of Your servant concerning the distant future. Again what else can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord GOD.
It is important that once in a while we sit down, take a long look at our short lives, and count our blessings. Who are we to have once been shielded from the rains that slipped and the robust winds that annihilated regions, leaving hundreds homeless? Who are we that He has sanctified our home and kept it safe? Warm in winter. Who am I, Lord, that you must give me health and strength to be in a position to hold a job or pursue this career or get this degree? Or to have parents who have inspired me? Or to have these great youngsters and to see them grow? Who am I? “Dream or no dream, I am a sanctified person,” asserts David.
Here is more proof that David was a person after God’s own heart.
God’s Disapproval by Rodney Howard Browne
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“David, you may know the pleasure of having a child by whom this church will be built. Not thru your work, but through your child the dream will be fulfilled.”. It isn’t God’s judgment that’s coming on David as a consequence of wrong.
It is just God’s redirecting David’s plan and pronouncing, “This is a great resolve, but I say ‘no’ to you and I say ‘yes’ to your boy.
Well, was David not right to begin with—wrong in thinking about building the temple? It’s an issue of accepting God’s “no” and living alongside the poser of His will. And we predict God to package His plan for us just like we would. We’d like the logic that we use to be His logic. And when it’s not, we wonder what is wrong as it’s not working out like we might have worked it out. When God asserts no it isn’t always discipline or refusal. You have pursued His will ; you have wished to do His will.
With all good inclinations you announced, “By God’s grace I’m going to follow this.” And here you are, 30 or 40 years on, or perhaps only 5 years after, and it has not materialized. Now if you hear some folks, you can be put on a guilt-trip.
“You see there,” they are saying, “you set your heart on God, but you have run from Him. Maybe the road they’re traveling is God’s will for them, and it took His exclaiming “no” to get them on that right road. The thing we have got to do in our walk with the Lord God is to listen punctiliously from daily.