Hi GuysLast week I wrote about the glory of the third temple, and the majesty of what this temple contains, all the power of the universe, listen to what Philip Brooks wrote at the turn of the century.................. Slowly, all through the universe, that temple of God is being built. Wherever, in any world, a soul, by free-willed obedience, catches the fire of God's likeness, it is set into the growing walls, a living stone. When, in your hard fight, in your tiresome drudgery, or in your terrible temptation, you catch the purpose of your being and give yourself to God, and so give Him the chance to give Himself to you, your life -- a living stone -- is taken up and set into that growing wall. Wherever souls are being tried and ripened, in whatever commonplace and homely ways, there God is hewing out the pillars for His temple. Oh, if the stone can only have some vision of the temple of which it is to be a part forever, what patience must fill it as it feels the blows of the hammer, and knows that success for it is simply to let itself be wrought into what shape the Master wills. ... Phillips Brooks (1835-1893), The Law of Growth [1902]I have been visiting a man in hospital for some weeks now. Robert is a pitiful sight to behold. A man whose circulation has all but shut down, his left leg has been removed, his right foot is gangrenous and if he lives, which is unlikely, this leg too will be removed. Just before they wheeled him into surgery, he was warned he may not awake. This awoke him to cry out Jesus, and right there and then he was saved in a moment of time, not unlike the thief on the cross. Since the surgery he has not had an easy time, and will probably not survive the week, and yet the Lord has walked through this darkest of valleys and supported Robert. No sign of any self pity, just a simple trust in Jesus. Oh how sweet and bright the light is in the darkest of valleys, the light of Jesus shines even in the darkest moments because He Himself walked through the valley of the shadow of death. We serve a God that "even if we make our bed in hell, behold He is there. "Robert is a stone that is part of the temple forever. Pray for Robert this night, it is time for Robert to take his rightful place in the glorious temple. The stone has been shaped in the masters hand, the chiseling is over and now Robert, as we all will, is about to take his place in the temple of the Living God, a temple not made with any human hands, a temple in which only the Lord Himself is glorified. There is such a richness to this life, no matter what our circumstances. If we can grasp the glory and the potential in every single situation to see the treasures of this life unfold. We will find the gold and the silver in the strangest of places, not where you would think to look, but in the majesty of the human experience touched by a God whose ways are so much higher than ours. We look at men with "great ministries," yet there is no greater ministry than where you are right now, and the treasure you can unearth, right where you are, will astound you and send your spirit soaring.You made the sun and the moonAnd all this with LoveYou put the stars in the heavensAnd the clouds high above I see the mountains so highThey stand in your nameI see the birds in the skyI hear them sing of your fame Man praises man for painting these thingsYet it is because of God that the bird singsOpen your eyes and watch the dolphin dance upon the wavesOpen your heart and know that our creator Jesus saves Watch a baby crawlHear a man laugh and singSee a mothers tears of anguishAnd know that life is not a simple thing To laugh, to cry, to feel, to seeI am truly amazed just to beTo hear, to touch, to breathe, to sighA walking miracle from the one on high. As you live your lives no matter whereDancing or crying, always be awareIts better to have lived than not at allFor this is your chance to hear the Masters call. In the beauty of Holiness Frank
