Thought for September 8

 History:

• 1504: Michelangelo's "David" is unveiled in Florence
• 1565: First permanent European settlement in US founded--St. Augustine
• 1636: Puritans found Harvard College to train ministers
• 1900: 6000 killed in hurricane in Galveston
• 1921: First Miss America crowned--Margaret Gorman
• 1930: First appearance of "Blondie" comic strip
• 1930: Scotch tape invented--Richard Drew
• 1941: Seige of Leningrad begins [lasts 28 months]
• 1944: First V-2 rockets hit London
• 1952: Old Man and the Sea published
• 1960: Wilma Rudolph wins her third Gold at the Rome Olympics
• 1966: Star Trek premiers
• 1971: Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts opens
• 1974: President Ford pardons Nixon
• 1974: Evel Knievel fails in attempt to jump the Snake River
• 2021: Robert E Lee statue removed in Richmond
• Born: Richard the Lionheart, Antonin Dvorak [New World Symphony], Charles Guiteau [assassin,  James Garfield], Jimmie Rodgers, Buck Leonard [Baseball HOF], Peter Sellers, Harlan Howard, Patsy Cline, Bernie Sanders, Pink, 
• Died: Ann Lee [founded Shakers], Huey Long, Richard Strauss, Bud Collyer [Beat the Clock], Percy Spencer [invented microwave oven], Zero Mostel, Willard Libby [radiocarbon dating], Truett Cathy [founded Chick-fil-A], 

You may have read about the founding of Harvard. On this day in 1636, the legislature of the colony of Massachusetts voted to create the first college in America and allocated four hundred pounds to begin the work.  The following year, 12 trustees were named. John Harvard was a young Puritan pastor in Boston. He died of TB in 1638 and left half of his estate and his library of 300+ volumes to the college. The first student handbook said, " Every one shall so exercise himself in reading the Scriptures twice a day, that he shall be ready to give such an account of his proficiency therein." 

Thought:

Reading in Numbers 12 this morning. I marked 12:6-8. You may recall the story. Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses for marrying a Cushite woman [12:1-2]. They pose a question in 12:2--Does the Lord only speak through Moses? What about us? The Lord speaks through us too. God calls Moses, Aaron and Miriam and brings them out of the tent of meeting and God appears in a pillar of cloud. I don't know about you, but if I am in church and the voice of the Lord speaks and tells me to come out of the church and He appears to me in a cloud, I am truly in fear. Perhaps you have had the experience of saying something that you did not think was heard by your parents, a teacher, your boss--then from the other room, they say come here! And I panic. When I was in high school, we had an intercom system. We had a young English teacher who was not very good and I took great joy in asking her questions and trying to make her look foolish in front of the class. Then one day from that box on the wall came the voice of Mt. Keith, the principal. I can still recall, "Larry, come to my office." How long had he been listening? What was going to happen? So when I read this story about Aaron and Miriam, I reflect on how I felt. 

This story always reminds me to be careful who I criticize, who I challenge, who I put down or complain about. For God may come to me and say, Larry, I hear you speaking about my servant--who do you think you are to speak against one of my servants. And something I notice in this passage, God makes the point of telling us that Moses is the most humble man ever. He saw God on the mountain, God spoke to him directly, yet he is humble. Aaron and Miriam spoke out of pride and ego. So if I decide to criticize God's servant, to challenge his/her authority, to complain, I need to ask myself, what is my motive, my attitude--to encourage and build up or to tear down so that I look more important. Focusing on this passage ought to help me be a better follower in the church. 

Lord, help me put down my ego and pride, humble myself as Your servant, and build up and encourage others. 

Blessings

Larry