Thought for August 29

 History:

• 1786: Shay's Rebellion in Massachusetts--against increased taxes
• 1831: Faraday demonstrates first electric trnasformer
• 1862: Second Battle of Bull Run/Manassas
• 1883: First Carnegie Library opens in Dunfermline Scotland--eventually 2,509 Carnegie Libraries
• 1896: Chop suey invented in NYC by chef of visiting Chinese Ambassador
• 1898: Goodyear Tire founded
• 1909: Glenn Curtiss wins first air race--Rheims France
• 1928: W.A. Criswell ordained
• 1945: MacArthur named Supreme Allied Commander in Japan
• 1954: San Francisco International Airport opens--many flights from there
• 1967: Final episode of "The Fugitive" on TV
• 1997: Netflix founded
• 2005: Katrina makes second and third landfalls
• 2017: Hurricane Harvey drops nearly 52 inches of rain in Cedar Bayou
• Born: John Locke, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. [Old Ironsides], Ingrid Bergman, Isabel Sanford [Jeffersons], Charlie "Bird" Parker, Richard Attenborough, John McCain, Elliott Gould, James Brady [Brady Law], Robin Leach, Wyomia Tyus [Olympic Gold], Bob Beamon [Long jump], Temple Grandin, Michael Jackson, Will Perdue, Neil Gorsuch, 
• Died: Brigham Young, Ingrid Bergman [on her birthday], Lee Marvin, Archie Campbell, Gene Wilder, Ed Asner, 

Yesterday marked the anniversary of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech

Thought:

Reading again the story of Abraham offering Isaac to the Lord this morning from Genesis 22. You know the story well. Today, 22:12 hit me hard. Consider these words, "Now I know you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me" A couple of things struck me. 

• Do I fear the Lord? Psalm 111:10 tells me that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If I want to be wise, I first must understand who God is and who I am. And when I understand who God is, fear and awe are my first response. Read that Psalm this morning for the author tells us why fear and awe are the beginning of wisdom:
• The works of the Lord are great [111:2]. We kneel in awesome wonder at the works of the Lord. All honor and respect is owed to the Creator and His creation declares His majesty, power, wisdom, glory. This verse tells me that when I study His works, my only reaction can be awe.
• The works cause us to remember [111:4]. If I ever forget His awesome power and divine wisdom, I can sit in my chair on the porch and watch the hummingbird come for the sugar water Jan has prepared. Watching it fly and pause mid-air--who but God could create this. Or consider the birth of a child [I was talking to a friend on Sunday who delivered his daughter], who but God can mold this masterpiece. His creation causes us to remember who He is. Paul tells us this in Romans 1:20--"Since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, His eternal power, and divine nature have been clearly seen."
• The works cause us to obey His commandments [111:10]. When when I understand who God is and what He has done, I understand that the only wise response is praise, adoration and obedience. 
• Have I withheld anything from His control? Abraham did not withhold Isaac because He obeyed God and trusted in God's plan, purpose and power. So for me today, the question is what part of my life am I withholding from God. Do I not trust Him? Do I think I am wiser? Do I think He lacks the power? Do I distrust His motives and purpose? What part of my will have I chosen to keep from His control? What idol have I held onto for my pleasure, my security, my protection? Lord, help me sing with an open heart--"I surrender all."

Blessings

Larry