Brown's Daily Word 9-18-09

Good afternoon,
Praise the Lord for this beautiful day. I had a very blessed and beautiful day yesterday. Thank you so much for all your birthday greetings and well wishes from around the globe. I am so blessed. Sunita, along with the family in Orissa, India, visited the village and saw the ruins there. Sunita spent only 10 hours in G.Udayagiri, because of the security reasons. She was able to visit many relatives and the family. She visited briefly the children' homes and a refugee camp. I have been able to talk to Sunita few times since her arrival in India. Praise the Lord for satellites and cell phones, miracles of modern technology. She is back in Bhubaneswar currently, but she will be flying back to Washington, DC on Sunday morning, coming via New Delhi and Dubai. Thank you for praying for her.
Laureen left this morning, flying to Los Angeles where she will attend rehearsal camp, on her short term mission trip with the Continentals. Thank you for your support and prayers for her.
We extend Christian sympathy to our friends John and Lisa O'Neill, of Birmingham, Alabama. Lisa 's dad, Ron Thomas, died and went to be with Jesus, our Savior, this week. Lisa had flown to Illinois to be with her dad. Ron and Lisa are long-time Chicago Bears fans. In fact, Lisa and her dad watched the Bears game last Sunday. Best of all, Ron loved Jesus.
We have been studying the Book of Revelation where we read, “Then I heard a voice from heaven say, 'Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' 'Yes,' says the Spirit, 'they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.' (Rev. 14:13).
This is an important verse because of where it is found. It comes from the middle of the Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. Revelation is the last book of the Bible because in many ways it is Heaven’s last word about the world in which we live. In particular, this verse is in the middle of a discussion about judgment, battles between good and evil, the end of history, and how the Lord is going to make everything make sense. That’s what Revelation is all about. Because this particular verse comes right in the middle of that discussion it is important.
This verse is also important because of who says it. “I heard a voice from heaven say” is how it begins. What follows is a word from heaven. It is important primarily because of what it says about life and death, the future, and our loved ones. We ponder whether life is really worth all of the struggles and hardships that can come our way.
“Blessed are the dead.” Actually that term blessed is very religious sounding. How would you react if it said, “Happy are the dead?” That’s the sense of the word. That is counterintuitive, as we associate death and dying with sickness, suffering, heartache, and tears. We associate happiness with wealth, health, fame, and power - not with hospitals, funerals and cemeteries. What’s happy about death? The Bible makes the same association. The only place where the Bible says “Jesus wept” was at a graveside. The Bible calls death an enemy, but here the word coming from heaven says, “Blessed are the dead.”
The next part of the verse helps as it states, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.” This is not referring to unqualified happiness. Death is not blessed for everyone, as is seen in the preceding verse, where there is a powerful description of the unhappy future facing those who had no room for the Lord in this life. However, our verse looks at the other alternative, insisting that a person’s relationship with the Lord makes a difference. A genuine trust in Jesus Christ, who he is, what he did for, and what he promises provides a qualitative difference in people. The Lord makes a difference how a person thinks.
A life that has purpose and meaning is not just one big accident? The Lord makes a difference in how a person lives. The Bible says that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control all grow from the Lord’s presence in a person’s life. The Lord also makes a difference in how a person dies. I have been at the bedside of many dying people. I know that the Lord makes a difference. He also makes a difference in how a person grieves. Of course, we mourn the loss of a loved one, but their faith and ours make a qualitative difference.
The Spirit himself speaks with emphasis. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit.” They are blessed because of what has ended. It is promised, “They will rest from their labor.” Labor is a word which indicates struggles, or wearisome toil. It pictures the kind of activities that wear us down. All of that is over. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord …for they will rest from their labors.” Certainly the labor associated with sickness and pain is over. So are the worries and fears that are all too common in this life. The struggles with sin, temptation, and weakness end. The next to the last chapter of the Bible speaks of the same blessing. “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Rev 21:3-4).
Our verse says those who die in the Lord are blessed because of what will not be, but it also says something else. They are blessed because of what will continue. “Their deeds will follow them.” Our deeds follow us as they continue in this world. Many things end with death, but memories do not. Good times, good deeds, good words, and good works all linger in the hearts and minds of loved ones. Those who die in the Lord leave a legacy that continues to shine brightly in the lives of others for years, maybe even generations. Death does not end the legacy.
There is another reason for the blessing cited in the verse, undoubtedly the main one. The deeds of God’s people follow them into eternity. The Lord knows our lives. He sees our faith. Nothing will go unnoticed or unrewarded. That’s what makes the struggles and difficulties of life worth it all. Jesus taught us that a reward awaits in eternity. Blessed are those who are persecuted for his name’s sake, “for great is their reward in heaven” (Matt 5:12). He said that anyone who gives a cup of cold water in his name would not lose their reward (Matthew 10:42). That is promised at the end of the Bible in the words, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done” (Rev 22:12). The greatest reward will be the simple words of the Lord, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Blessed are those who die in the Lord for the deeds will follow them.
Eternity also means reunion. Our relationships with loved ones are the most important treasures anyone has. It will include loved ones and ancestors I have heard about but never have known. The great saints of the ages will also be there. The family reunion will include notables such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Daniel, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, Paul, and Peter—and every other sinner saved by grace through faith in the blood of Christ alone. It will be a grand reunion. That’s something to look forward to!
“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” I hope this verse also each of us take stock of our lives, but not to make them pass more quickly. These promises should make us want to make sure the Lord is a part of our lives here and now so that the future described here will be ours as well. It can be. It should be.
In Christ,
Brown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvrBQL8swLI

Brown's Daily Word 9/17/09

On this very day over 60 years ago I was born in a small, rustic, scenic, and very beautiful village. I was born in the house my grandfather had built years earlier. I was born in the living room, surrounded by grandmother, my aunt, and other women of the village. My mother told me that many people came to see me and bless me. I have been blessed from the very first day of life. My mom. who is 83 years old has gone back to the village today, along with Sunita, my brother Patel, and his two children. Sunita has loved the village and its scenic setting, which is just like those we would see in National Geographic Magazine, since she first saw it in 1996.
As we celebrate our lives and our days on earth, we live in Holy Anticipation of the Best that is going to be. It is written, "For the eye hath not seen and the ear has not heard nor the mind of man has conceived, what the Lord prepared for those who love Him". Our Lord is in control. He makes all things well and beautiful in His time.
I once read about two hillbilly brothers, neither of whom had much experience off the farm, who got tired of plowing corn behind a mule on their pa’s farm. They headed to the big city to find a job and make their fortune. Eventually they ended up a big trucking company that was looking to hire some new truck drivers. “Have you had any driving experience?”, the manager asked. “We used to drive pa’s old pickup to town every Saturday to pick up vittels,” Joe explained. Jim chimed in, “I used to haul moonshine for Cousin Zeb before the revenuers blew up his still.” “That’s quite interesting,” the manager responded. “Let me describe a few situations so explain to me what you would do?”
He proceeded to ask Joe and Jim what they would do if they had a flat tire, if they ran out of fuel, and several other common trucking situations. Finally, he asked, “Jim, what you do if you were driving and Joe was asleep in the sleeper compartment. You are pulling a tanker of jet fuel when your rig stalls crossing a railroad track. You try and try to restart the truck. It won’t go. You look up and see a high speed train heading straight for you. What’s the first thing you would do?” Jim doesn’t bat an eye. He immediately responds, “I’d wake up Joe.” “Very good! Andwhy would you wake up Joe?” “Cause Joe ain’t never seen nothin’ like that before.”
The Bible invites us to wake up from slumber. In 1 Thessalonians 5:6 it is written, “So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.” Those who sleep don’t have a clue about what’s happening around them. If they did, they would try harder to stay awake. Those who are awake more likely understand what’s happening around them. They know what’s at stake.
It’s time to wake up! Something big is going to happen. You have never seen anything like it before, and you won’t want to miss up. It’s time to wake up.
C. S. Lewis, the author of, "The Chronicles of Narnia", spoke well on this in another of his works, “Mere Christianity”. He said, “God is going to invade this earth in force, but what is the good of saying you are on his side then when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else, something it never entered your head to conceive, comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing. It will be the time when we discover which side we have really chosen whether we realized it before or not. Now, today, this moment is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last forever. We must take it or leave it.”
In Christ,
Brown


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cyqn2LxKVk

Brown's Daily Word 9-16-09

Good morning,
We had dinner with some friends last night. There were two couples, one of which has been married for 62 years, the other for 63 years. Both couples grew up during the great Depression and both husbands served in Second World War. It was a great blessing to hear them share stories of God's Great Faithfulness in their lives.
There are some things in life that are only fully appreciated with a few years under our belt. Longfellow, the poet, expressed it like this:

"Age is opportunity no less
Than youth itself, though in another dress
And as the evening twilight fades away,
The sky is filled with stars invisible by day.
(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

Though one’s eyes may dim with the years, some things become clearer. That is part of the reason Scripture can say that “gray hair is a crown of splendor” (Proverbs 16:31). It is also why the Lord would tell Abraham that he would live to a “good old age” (Gen 15:15)
One of the most beloved Psalms, the 23rd, speaks of sheep and the Shepherd. The Psalm is obviously about something more profound. It is about a God who knows us, who cares about us, and who never abandons us, no matter what! Most of all, the words of the 23rd Psalm express what those who have lived long know well by personal experience. It is that which the years teach us about God. God is faithful all the time in His Presence, in his Provision, and in his Protection. Note how verses 1 and 6 express this. “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. …Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” God is faithful in his presence!
God will never abandon us, no matter what. This is a lesson that usually takes years to learn. Only a man or woman who has been through some hard times really understands what it means for God to be faithful. Before we have been tested and tried, we may be tempted to think that God is not really capable of seeing us through hard times. Younger folk are more prone to give up on faith when difficulty comes, but many older folk have learned better.
James probably had some gray hair when he wrote, “Consider it pure joy, my brother when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (1:1-4). Years can teach us that God takes care of the problems of life, and he does a good job. Paul spoke from this experience later, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Phil. 4:11-13).
God is faithful in the toughest times of life, even in the face of death itself. Listen to the central part of the psalm: "He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. God is faithful in his protection".
The most emotionally gripping phrase in the Psalm comes in this central section—though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. That is an appropriate image, as the descent into a valley can be pretty scary. I remember going down the one of the steepest valley's of the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania few summers ago. One of the biggest problems about a valley is the limited vision. In the valley, you can’t see much. Your vision, though, is limited. Of course, the valley is also the place where the fog collects first. The deeper the valley, the denser the fog. In the valley there are also shadows. The sun rises late and sets early on the valley floor. Valleys are like that, especially the valley of the shadow of death. Still, it is good to remember that it is in the darkest of times that God does some of his great work in our lives.
It is also true that the climb out of a valley can be hard work. The quick descent can be scary, but the trip back up is hard work and a lot slower. Grief and sorrow are natural, but never easy! The valley is where things grow. Mountains provide beautiful vistas and a sense of freedom, but that’s not where the tallest trees and the best fruit grow. The valley can make you stronger and better. Valleys are like that.
Donald Barnhouse was the pastor of Philadelphia’s Tenth Presbyterian Church at the time when his wife died. He was left with young daughters to raise by himself. He did something that I could never do. He preached his own wife’s funeral. It was while driving to that funeral that he realized that he had to say something to comfort his girls.
They stopped at a traffic light while driving to the funeral. It was a bright day, and the sun was streaming into the car and warming it. A truck pulled up next to them, and the shadow that came with the truck darkened the inside of the car. It was then that he turned to his daughters and asked, "Would you rather be hit by the shadow or by the truck?"
One of them responded, "Oh, Daddy, that’s a silly question! The shadow can’t hurt you. I would rather be hit by the shadow than by a truck."
It was then that he tried to explain to them that their mother had died and that it was as if she had been hit by a shadow. It was as if Jesus had stepped in the way in her place, and it was he who had been hit by the truck. He quoted the familiar words of Psalm 23: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." (Leith Anderson, "Valley of Death’s Shadow," .)

Our God is faithful: The poet was right.
"Age is opportunity no less
Than youth itself, though in another dress
And as the evening twilight fades away,
The sky is filled with stars invisible by day.

" Indeed, some things do become clearer with age."

In Christ,
Brown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k1WhFtVp0o

Brown's Daily Word 9-15-09

Good morning,
Praise the Lord for another glorious day in Jesus's kingdom. It is still like Summer. Sunita called from Dhaka, Bangladesh a few times. She shared that the Lord blessed her work in Bangladesh. Dhaka is a city with 13 million people. The country of Bangladesh struggles with chronic poverty and natural disasters. Our US government spends millions of dollars in terms of foreign aid to Bangladesh. Much of this funding is given through the work of World Vision. Sunita and her team are in charge of monitoring that these funds are used properly and are invested in the area where they are intended to be. Sunita will be in Orissa, today . She is planning to visit G' Udayagiri, one of the sites of intense persecution of Christians by the Hindu Extremists. She will be meeting with some Christian leaders of the area. She will be visiting the Moorshead Memorial Hospital and the Nursing training School, along with the staff and the doctors there.She is staying for four days with my mom, my brother, and his two children, in a rented house in Bhubaneswar. She will be flying back to Washington, DC, arriving this coming Sunday.
One of the great blessings of summer 2009 for us was Janice,Micah and Simeon spend almost two weeks with us here in New York. Laureen, our resident musician and pianist, spent lots of time playing piano and singing hymns with Micah and Simeon. Their parents sing hymns before their bed time and Micah has memorized some hymns. One of her favorite hymns is, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing". This hymn is based 1 Samuel 7:12, “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far has the LORD helped us.”
This event occurred over eleven hundred years before the time of Jesus. The people of Israel had conquered much of the Promised Land, but it hadn’t been easy. The infant nation was still surrounded by many powerful enemies. In fact, twenty years before the event in this text was one of the darkest days in ancient Israel. In a single day, Israel not only suffered a terrible military defeat but also lost the Ark of the Covenant into enemy hands. The Ark was the symbol of God’s presence among them. This was the worst disaster imaginable. Though Israel soon regained the ark nothing was the same again. The terrible memory of that day would continue to discourage the nation for a generation.
Twenty years later Samuel, the great prophet of the nation, called a meeting of the nation’s leaders to tell them that if they want to experience the blessings of God, they need to return to their faith in him. Times had been hard, but they would never be any better until they turned to God. The entire nation responded positively. At Mizpah, the nation gathered in prayer to seek God’s blessing again. Just at that moment, the Philistine army, the dreaded enemy, saw an opportunity to attack while Israel’s warriors were in prayer, but Samuel learned of the treachery. The soldiers formed battle lines. This time the Philistines turned back in defeat. It was a great victory for Israel!
To mark the occasion of the great military victory and the day of their great return to faith, Samuel raised a memorial marker. From that day on, whoever saw the marker would be reminded of the great events of the day. Samuel gave the marker a name, calling it Ebenezer, a term that meant “the help of the Lord.” “Thus far has the LORD helped us,” he said. It was a memorial to God’s faithfulness. Here we raise our Ebenezer because “Thus far has the Lord helped us.”
Israel didn’t need a memorial to the tough times they had been through. After all, they had experienced them personally. As humans we don’t need a memorial to our loss and grief. Some things you never forget, so the ancient Israelites were not likely to forget the twenty years of discouragement.
Memory is an amazing thing. Psychologists tell us that we never really forget anything. Every experience, both good and bad, is filed securely in our mental memory banks. The problem is that sometimes we forget where we put it. Nevertheless, it is still there.
It is good that we forget some things. It is a part of our created survival mechanism. Yet, we never forget most of the really important things in life. Even when the memories start to grow dim, there are always many memorials to bring back our recall.
Israel didn’t need a memorial to remind them of what they had been through, any more than you need a memorial to remind us of our loved one and the loss we still remember all too well. They did need a special reminder of something that they could too easily lose in the darkness. That was the reason for the memorial that Samuel raised before them that day. The song says it well. “Here I raise my Ebenezer. Hither by thy help I’ve come.”
The memories of the hard times remain, sometimes very vividly. Sometimes too, the memory of God’s faithfulness remain. That was Samuel’s challenge. He wanted his people to not only remember what they had been through, but to never forget the Lord who had seen them through.
Robert Louis Stevenson, in one of his stories, told of a passenger ship crossing the Atlantic. It encountered a harsh storm that threatened to overwhelm the ship. The captain ordered the passengers below while the crew battled the storm above. At one point, the passengers grew impatient. They hadn’t heard a word from the bridge in the longest time. Finally, a volunteer ventured out to see how things were going. A short time later, the man returned to the huddled passengers. “Did you see the captain? What did he say? Are we going to make it?” The messenger responded, ‘I didn’t talk to the captain. But I saw him. He looked at me and smiled. All is well!” And that was enough!
In the midst of our heartache and loss, the God of heaven smiled. The storm still raged, but our Captain smiled. All is well. Here we raise our Ebenezer. Thus far, the Lord has helped us.
In Christ,
Brown


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Q5vVa0q8Q

Brown's Daily Word 9-14-09

Good morning,

Praise the Lord for this new day. I trust that you had a very blessed and beautiful Sunday yesterday, the Lord's day. "Better is one day in Your house, O Lord, than a thousand elsewhere." It is always a great thrill to be in the house of the Lord to worship Him and honor Him. One of the readings for yesterday was taken from Psalm 19. The Psalm 19 is one of the very familiar psalms. Mark Twain once wrote, “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it’s the parts that I do understand.” Looking at verses 1-2, the first thing the Psalmist tells us is that creation declares God’s glory and creativity. Here, it talks specifically about the heavens and the skies. We get a picture of the sun marching across the sky in verses 5-6, an image of majesty. However, this is only a symbol indicating the broader sweep of creation. Everything in creation declares God’s glory and presence. Paul, in Romans 1:20, makes the point, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power, his divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made...” It is important to note that the psalmist says, “the heavens are telling the glory of God”. He clearly did not say, “the heavens are God”. This Psalm maintains a firm distinction between creation and the Creator. This is one of the distinguishing tenets of Christianity. Creation is not God. If you look around you today, you will see a lot of people who want to embrace spirituality. Many, in fact, have forsaken the Living God and worship the creation, "Mother Earth". We see these people trying to revive paganism.

The first part of Psalm 19 talks about God revealing himself through creation, which theologians call “general revelation”. The second part of the Psalm talks about God revealing himself in a special way through Scripture. Verses 7-11 focus on this special form of revelation. This section gives us more detail about how God reveals himself through his Scriptures. Through creation God reveals glory. Through the Scriptures God reveals his will in His law, statues, precepts, commands, and ordinances. The Scripture is said to be perfect, trustworthy, radiant, and more precious than gold. Scripture reveals details about God’s character and his expectations of his creatures. Psalm 19 shows that God’s revelation in creation is enough to show that He exists and that He is glorious. It also shows that God’s revelation in Scripture is trustworthy and is our guide for life.

Francis Schaeffer, one of the great thinkers of the Twentieth Century, explained the relationship between revelation in creation and revelation in Scripture this way:

"Finite man in the external universe, being finite, has no sufficient reference point if he begins absolutely and autonomously from himself and thus needs certain knowledge. God gives us this in the Scriptures. With this in mind the scientist can understand, in their ultimate relationships, the truths that he is looking at. "
In other words, because we are finite creatures we cannot grasp the foundational truths of the universe without God’s direct help.

Ultimately it is God’s Word that gives us certain knowledge about His character and desires. When we come to worship, seeking an encounter with this living God, it only makes sense that we hear his Word proclaimed. By hearing the Word of God proclaimed in worship, we come to a deeper understanding of who God is and prepare our hearts for a deeper relationship with Him. As we listen to God’s Word, we cannot help but be affected. In Isaiah 55:11 God speaks to his people, “... my word that goes forth from my mouth, it will not return to me empty, but I accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” God will accomplish his ends through his word. Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The Word gets inside of you and it will affect you. It will either soften you towards God or harden you against God. Therefore, the more exposure you have to the Word, the more it gets inside you, the more it shapes you into the creature God intended you to be.

Just as God reveals his glory through creation, He reveals his character through Scripture. God uses this knowledge to shape his worshipers. In Psalm 19:12-14 we have a prayer for forgiveness of sin. Here also we have a prayer that our words and thoughts might be pleasing to God. David is praying that the Scriptures would have their effect on him. In response to God’s revelation, He has repentance for his sin and a desire for doing what is right. Now he asks for God to forgive him and to empower him for Christian living.

We all know the story of Helen Keller, the little girl who was blind, deaf, and unable to speak. We know about how Anne Sullivan persisted in teaching her how to communicate, first by writing letters on her hand, then by reading Braille. Anne even taught her how to speak by the time Helen was 10. Shortly thereafter, Helen Keller was introduced to Phillips Brooks, the famous Episcopal preacher from Boston. They sat knee to knee, and Brooks began to tell Helen, while writing the letters on her hand, the story of Jesus. Suddenly, Helen jumped up and croaked out, “I knew him. I knew him. I just didn’t know his name!” Somehow she knew him. She knew he was there, but only in the shadows. It took Phillips Brooks proclaiming the story from Scripture to for it to click. The shadows that she knew in that dark and quiet world became clearer through the light of Scripture proclaimed to her. If it was so for her, will it not also be so for us?

In Christ,

Brown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAerTz_c8nc