Thought for September 14

 History:

• 1716: First lighthouse in the colonies lit--Boston Harbor
• 1741: Handel completes "Messiah" after 23 days
• 1752: Britain and the colonies adopt Gregorian calendar-this is the first day, skipped from September 3 to the 14th
• 1814: Francis Scott Key writes the poem "Defence of Fort McHenry"
• 1847: Marines enter the Halls of Montezuma [Mexico City]
• 1848: First department store, The Marble Palace" opens in NYC
• 1867: Marx publishes "Das Kapital"
• 1899: First automobile fatality in the US--Henry Bliss 
• 1939: Sikorsky's VS-300 helicopter flies--first practical helicopter
• 1944: Great Atlantic Hurricane hits the East Coast killing 300-400
• 1955: Little Richard records "Tutti Frutti"
• 1963: Fischer quintuplets are born
• 1975: Elizabeth Ann Seton becomes first US born saint
• 1981: People's Court with Judge Wapner premiers
• 1985: Golden Girls premiers
• 2021: US Covid death toll reaches 663,000
• 2021: Lowest percentage of people living in poverty in US since records began--9.1%
• Born: Robert Raikes [Sunday School pioneer], Margaret Sanger, Sam Neill, Amy Winehouse, Tony Finau
• Died: John Chrysostom ["Golden mouth"; archbishop of Constantinople], John Harvard, Dom Perignon, Aaron Burr, James Fenimore Cooper, William Burroughs [invented adding machine], William McKinley, Isadora Duncan, Grace Kelly, Janet Gaynor, Patrick Swayze, Henry Gibson [Laugh In], Charles Gabriel

You might Google John Chrysostom today. Born in Antioch, became a lawyer, then became serious about his faith. Memorized the Bible while standing almost two years. Eloquent proclaimer of the Gospel.

Charles Gabriel wrote between 7,000 and 8,000 hymns, many of which we sing today. In 1890, while working at Grace Methodist Episcopal Church in San Francisco, he was asked to write a song for Easter. He wrote "Send the Light." He also wrote words and music for "That Will be Gory for Me", "I Stand Amazed in the Presence", "More Like the Master",  and the music for "Brighten the Corner Where You Are" "Higher Ground", "Will the Circle Be Unbroken", "Since Jesus Came into My Heart", "The Way of the Cross", "His Eye in on the Sparrow." 

Thought:

Thinking about Joshua 1:5 this morning. If you want a promise that will change your day, read this verse and believe it. Moses has died and been buried. Now a new leader is chosen to lead the Israelites across the Jordan and into the Promised Land. The days of wandering have ended, those who refused to listen to Joshua and Caleb have died in the wilderness. The day of march has come. How would you like to be the leader who followed Moses. Moses was protected at birth, preserved in the bullrushes, raised as a prince, carried the staff of God, proclaimed the plagues on the most powerful nation on earth, raised the staff to part the sea, met the Lord in person on the mountain, talked to God face to face, spoke God's blessings and curses, delivered the tablets of the law. Now its your turn. what can you possibly do to match or meet the legacy left by Moses? Makes me think about coaches who follow legends like Wooden and Bryant. How do you meet the expectations of the people? 

Some of you have that problem. How can I ever be the man my father was, the woman my mother was. Or perhaps you have lived as a younger child to a sibling that has always excelled at everything and you have felt inadequate or second best. Or you have been the backup at work, never quite as good as the star. Think about he pastor that followed Charles Stanley or Dwight Moody or WA Criswell or Adrian Rogers.

So here is Joshua, called by God to lead the people. What could God possibly say to him as encouragement and affirmation? "Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. I will not fail you or forsake you." Well, that is what I think God says to each of us who know Jesus and are filled with His Holy Spirit--I am with you just like I was with Moses. You have the power of the Holy Spirit, the comforter, the helper, the guide, the teacher, the reminder. Just as Moses was guided by the fire and cloud, so the Spirit guides you. Just like Mose had the power to overcome Pharaoh, the Spirit gives you power to conquer in the name of Christ. Just like God never abandoned Moses [even when Moses failed], God will not abandon you. 

Today, be encouraged. The same God that walked with Moses is walking with those in Christ Jesus. So how do we respond to that amazing truth--Be strong and courageous. In chapter 1 of Joshua, God tells Joshua three times--be strong and courageous [1:6, 7, 9] Today, we can be strong and courageous because God promises to be with us like He was with Moses and never fail or forsake us. That's good news.

Blessings

Larry