Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this day, the last Friday of October, 2009. Tomorrow is Reformation Day and Sunday is All Saints Day. Praise the Lord for the special days in our calendar that we can celebrate and remember.
I spoke to Laureen yesterday. They drove through heavy snows from Colorado to New Mexico. The drive took many hours longer than they planned for, and they arrived at 6:45 PM for a 7 PM concert in Gallup, New Mexico, where it was snowing yesterday. Where is the "global warming"? The Continentals, in their worship and praise, focus on the Hope we have in Jesus Christ our Lord.
John Maxwell, in his book entitled, "Think on These Things", answered the question, “What does hope do for humankind?” by saying…
“Hope shines brightest when the hour is darkest.
Hope motivates when discouragement comes.
Hope energizes when the body is tired.
Hope sweetens while bitterness bites.
Hope sings when all melodies are gone.
Hope believes when evidence is eliminated.
Hope listens for answers when no one is talking.
Hope climbs over obstacles when no one is helping.
Hope endures hardship when no one is caring.
Hope smiles confidently when no one is laughing.
Hope reaches for answers when no one is asking.
Hope presses toward victory when no one is encouraging.
Hope dares to give when no one is sharing.
Hope brings the victory when no one is winning.”
When we open ourselves to Jesus Christ, the Hope of Glory, then He enables us to open our lives to the real lives of others, we then have the opportunity to offer hope in even the most hopeless situations.
I read an account some time ago about a couple who traveled to the offices of an Adoption Society in England to receive a baby. They had been on the waiting list a long time. They had been interviewed and carefully scrutinized. Now, at last, their dreams were to be fulfilled. But their day of happiness was another’s pain.
Arriving at the offices of the Society they were led up a flight of stairs to a waiting room. After a few minutes they heard someone else climbing the stairs. It was the young student mother whose baby was to be adopted. She was met by the lady responsible for the adoption arrangements and taken into another room.
The waiting couple heard a muffled conversation and a few minutes later footsteps on the stairs as the young mother left. They heard her convulsive sobbing until the front door of the office was closed. Then, there was silence.
The lady in charge then conducted them next door. In a little crib was a six week old baby boy. On a chair beside it was a brown paper bag containing a change of clothes and two letters. One of these, addressed to the new parents, thanked them for providing a home for her baby and acknowledged that under the terms of the adoption each would never know the other’s identity. Then the young mother added one request. Would they allow her little son to read the other letter on his eighteenth birthday? She assured them that she had not included any information about her identity. The couple entrusted that letter to a lawyer and one day the young man will read the message which his mother wrote on the day when with breaking heart, she parted with him.
I wonder what she wrote? If we had to condense all that we feel about life and love into a few precious words what would we say? I believe we would have no time for trivia. We would not be concerned about economics, politics, the weather, the size of house, or the type of car. We would want to dwell on what life was all about and what things were absolutely essential.
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and righteousness"
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8HgAVenbUU
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 10-29-09
Good Morning,
We had torrential rains yesterday that left many of the local streams flooding. (The Bible Talks about autumn rains). It is going to be calm and beautiful today.
A few years ago I met Elizabeth Elliott, the wife of Jim Elliot. She worshipped at the Church to which Janice and Jeremy belong near Boston. Jim Elliott, Elizabeth Elliot's husband, was one of five brave hearts who were killed by the natives of Ecuador on Jan 8 1956( Jim Elliot was 28 years old). Jim Elliott was great orator and prolific writer. He said, "He is no fool, who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he can not lose". It was great blessing for me to have met Elizabeth Elliot. The lives of people like Jim and Elizabeth Elliot, who follow Christ with great abandonment, provoke me to love Jesus with great passion. Elizabeth Elliot is also great and inspiring writer. Whenever I read her book, "Through the Gates of Splendor", I am brought to tears.
Elizabeth Elliot told of two adventurers who stopped by to see her, all loaded with equipment for the rain forest east of the Andes. They sought no advice, just a few phrases to converse with the Indians. She wrote, "Sometimes we come to God as the two adventurers came to me, confident and, we think, well-informed and well equipped. But has it occurred to us that with all our accumulation of stuff, something is missing?" She suggested that we often ask God for too little. "We know what we need, a yes or no answer, please, to a simple question. Or perhaps a road sign. Something quick and easy to point the way. What we really ought to have is the Guide himself. Maps, road signs, a few useful phrases are things, but infinitely better is someone who has been there before and knows the way."
Furthermore, Elizabeth Elliot, in her book "Let Me Be a Woman", records the story of Gladys Aylward, who was unable to accept the looks God had given her. Ms. Aylward told how when she was a child she had two great sorrows. One was that, while all her friends had beautiful golden hair, hers was black. The other was that, while her friends were still growing, she had stopped. She was about four feet ten inches tall. But, when at last she reached the country to which God had called her to be a missionary, she stood on the wharf in Shanghai and looked around at the people to whom He had called her. “Every single one of them” she said, “had black hair. And every one of them had stopped growing when I did.” She was able to look to God and exclaim, “Lord God, You know what You’re doing!”
We can trust our guide with every word, every step, every counsel.
He will never steer us wrong. Earthly wisdom is not adequate and is often governed by the flesh. We need to look to the Lord for Godly wisdom and counsel.
Isaiah 58:11, "The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. We don’t have to worry that our guide will take off on His own adventure or leave us stranded. He will never abandon us, even when we sin (Hebrews 13:5). Indeed, "He is the Way , the Truth and the Life".
Blessed be His Name,
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHdcyue0bSw
We had torrential rains yesterday that left many of the local streams flooding. (The Bible Talks about autumn rains). It is going to be calm and beautiful today.
A few years ago I met Elizabeth Elliott, the wife of Jim Elliot. She worshipped at the Church to which Janice and Jeremy belong near Boston. Jim Elliott, Elizabeth Elliot's husband, was one of five brave hearts who were killed by the natives of Ecuador on Jan 8 1956( Jim Elliot was 28 years old). Jim Elliott was great orator and prolific writer. He said, "He is no fool, who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he can not lose". It was great blessing for me to have met Elizabeth Elliot. The lives of people like Jim and Elizabeth Elliot, who follow Christ with great abandonment, provoke me to love Jesus with great passion. Elizabeth Elliot is also great and inspiring writer. Whenever I read her book, "Through the Gates of Splendor", I am brought to tears.
Elizabeth Elliot told of two adventurers who stopped by to see her, all loaded with equipment for the rain forest east of the Andes. They sought no advice, just a few phrases to converse with the Indians. She wrote, "Sometimes we come to God as the two adventurers came to me, confident and, we think, well-informed and well equipped. But has it occurred to us that with all our accumulation of stuff, something is missing?" She suggested that we often ask God for too little. "We know what we need, a yes or no answer, please, to a simple question. Or perhaps a road sign. Something quick and easy to point the way. What we really ought to have is the Guide himself. Maps, road signs, a few useful phrases are things, but infinitely better is someone who has been there before and knows the way."
Furthermore, Elizabeth Elliot, in her book "Let Me Be a Woman", records the story of Gladys Aylward, who was unable to accept the looks God had given her. Ms. Aylward told how when she was a child she had two great sorrows. One was that, while all her friends had beautiful golden hair, hers was black. The other was that, while her friends were still growing, she had stopped. She was about four feet ten inches tall. But, when at last she reached the country to which God had called her to be a missionary, she stood on the wharf in Shanghai and looked around at the people to whom He had called her. “Every single one of them” she said, “had black hair. And every one of them had stopped growing when I did.” She was able to look to God and exclaim, “Lord God, You know what You’re doing!”
We can trust our guide with every word, every step, every counsel.
He will never steer us wrong. Earthly wisdom is not adequate and is often governed by the flesh. We need to look to the Lord for Godly wisdom and counsel.
Isaiah 58:11, "The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. We don’t have to worry that our guide will take off on His own adventure or leave us stranded. He will never abandon us, even when we sin (Hebrews 13:5). Indeed, "He is the Way , the Truth and the Life".
Blessed be His Name,
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHdcyue0bSw
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 10-28-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. Thank you for praying for Sunita. I heard from Sunita by e-mail yesterday. She is excited to be in Jerusalem, and she is very busy with her work. She is currently staying at the Hotel of Seven Arches, built on the Mount of Olives. Our group that visited Israel in 1998 stayed at this very Hotel. You have a spectacular view of the City of Jerusalem from steps of the Hotel, including a clear view of Temple Mount. Laureen and her team are heading West, with just a few more concerts in the US - including New Mexico, Arizona, and California. They will be in California this coming Sunday and flying to Bangkok on Monday from Los Angeles.
Praise the Lord that we can do life and death well, because of Jesus who is the Resurrection and the Life. I have been visiting and praying with a woman who is in Hospice care. She shared with me with a smile that she has no fear of death, because she feels nearness to Jesus, who is her Lord and life. When we are very young we have fears of things like darkness, monsters, etc. In our teenage years we deal with fears of things like rejection, humiliation, and failure. Adulthood is also filled with possible fears of such things as disease, death, financial problems, broken relationships, loved ones being hurt, storms, failure, aging, crime, etc. I personally know what it is like to be filled with anxiety.
We are an anxiety-laden society, as the sales of many books on dealing with anxiety and the sales of calming drugs indicate. Fear is very unpleasant and it is very harmful physically, mentally, and even spiritually for as the Bible tells us in Matthew 13:22, fear or anxiety chokes out the word of God. Fear can be very displeasing and dishonoring God if we do not respond to it with faith in him. As the Bible says we will have anxieties but we are to "cast all of our anxieties on him." We all want solutions to the fear problem. We all want answers to anxiety. We look for something to relieve us from our fears and to reassure us. We look for some source of security that will instill a perfect confidence and peace within our hearts.
Some people look for that security in their possessions. Some seek that reassurance in a relationship. Others place their trust in the government, in the latest drug, in alcohol, etc. Not one of these things is a solution to anxiety and fear because none of them offer total security or absolute reassurance. No amount of money, success, or any position in life can truly give you peace in every situation. So the question becomes, "How can we have victory over fear?" That answer to this important question is given in Psalm 27 which says in effect "Focus on God and your fears will disappear!"
In Psalm 27:1-3 David expressed his confidence in God and an absence of fear though he found himself in a very fearful situation. He was fearless because he is focused on God as his Light, Salvation, and Stronghold. In verses 4-7 we see that David focused on God. David lived in the presence of God, looking at his beauty, and listening to his voice. Because of this focus on God and dwelling in his presence David could lift his head with confidence and sing with joy, as we see in verses 5,6. In verses 7-14 he again focused on God and prayed to him in the midst of this trouble, and he was reminded that God would never forsake him (vs. 10) and would always guide him (vs. 11), therefore even though he did not receive an immediate answer or relief he could still say in verse 13, "I am still confident..."
This is the consistent message of the Bible regarding fear. For example when Peter walked on water Peter’s fear was victorious only when he lost his focus on Jesus. In Isaiah 26:3 God has said "I will keep in perfect peace all who trust in me, who thoughts are fixed on me!" We also see the same idea and Philippians 4: 6-7 which says "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. Then the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
There will be times when anxiety and fear come into our lives. In those times we must make a choice - we can choose to focus on the problem and be overcome with fear, or we can choose to focus on God and are fear will disappear. We can say with David, in verse 14, "I will wait for the Lord and I will be strong..."
One tribe of native Americans had a unique practice for training young braves. On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, he was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then he had never been away from the security of his family and tribe. On this night he was blindfolded and taken miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of thick woods by himself... all night long. Every time a twig snapped, he probably visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. Every time an animal howled, he imagined a wolf leaping out of the darkness. Every time the wind blew, he wondered what more sinister sound it masked. No doubt it was a terrifying night for many of the young braves.
After what seemed like an eternity, the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was the boy’s father. He had been there all night long.
Best of all, Jesus our Savior, the Prophet, the Priest, and the King is with us .
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIAdgLR1ZGw
Praise the Lord for Chuck Loeffler who is celebrating his 90th birthday. Praise the Lord for Arlo Lawrence who is 94.
Dear friends of LeRoy and Peg Jones,
On Thursday morning at 9:15 I am scheduled for joint replacement surgery in my right hand, plus carpal tunnel correction, and a nerve in my right elbow which restricts my little finger on the same hand. The reason LeRoy and I made this decision at this time is that my desire is to serve the Lord through the musical (and other)gifts He has invested in me. In the present state of my right hand...... this is now impossible. The surgery will be performed at the Moses Cone Surgical Center, Greensboro, NC.
Please pray for me, my surgical team, Dr. Robert Sypher and his assistant, Robert. and the approximate recovery time of 6 weeks. I need your prayers very much.
Down through these many years of ministry we have prayed for so many people for healing. Now we appeal to the same Healing Jesus for our present needs.
Thanks for praying and remembering LeRoy also during this time.
God bless you abundantly,
Peg
Praise the Lord for this new day. Thank you for praying for Sunita. I heard from Sunita by e-mail yesterday. She is excited to be in Jerusalem, and she is very busy with her work. She is currently staying at the Hotel of Seven Arches, built on the Mount of Olives. Our group that visited Israel in 1998 stayed at this very Hotel. You have a spectacular view of the City of Jerusalem from steps of the Hotel, including a clear view of Temple Mount. Laureen and her team are heading West, with just a few more concerts in the US - including New Mexico, Arizona, and California. They will be in California this coming Sunday and flying to Bangkok on Monday from Los Angeles.
Praise the Lord that we can do life and death well, because of Jesus who is the Resurrection and the Life. I have been visiting and praying with a woman who is in Hospice care. She shared with me with a smile that she has no fear of death, because she feels nearness to Jesus, who is her Lord and life. When we are very young we have fears of things like darkness, monsters, etc. In our teenage years we deal with fears of things like rejection, humiliation, and failure. Adulthood is also filled with possible fears of such things as disease, death, financial problems, broken relationships, loved ones being hurt, storms, failure, aging, crime, etc. I personally know what it is like to be filled with anxiety.
We are an anxiety-laden society, as the sales of many books on dealing with anxiety and the sales of calming drugs indicate. Fear is very unpleasant and it is very harmful physically, mentally, and even spiritually for as the Bible tells us in Matthew 13:22, fear or anxiety chokes out the word of God. Fear can be very displeasing and dishonoring God if we do not respond to it with faith in him. As the Bible says we will have anxieties but we are to "cast all of our anxieties on him." We all want solutions to the fear problem. We all want answers to anxiety. We look for something to relieve us from our fears and to reassure us. We look for some source of security that will instill a perfect confidence and peace within our hearts.
Some people look for that security in their possessions. Some seek that reassurance in a relationship. Others place their trust in the government, in the latest drug, in alcohol, etc. Not one of these things is a solution to anxiety and fear because none of them offer total security or absolute reassurance. No amount of money, success, or any position in life can truly give you peace in every situation. So the question becomes, "How can we have victory over fear?" That answer to this important question is given in Psalm 27 which says in effect "Focus on God and your fears will disappear!"
In Psalm 27:1-3 David expressed his confidence in God and an absence of fear though he found himself in a very fearful situation. He was fearless because he is focused on God as his Light, Salvation, and Stronghold. In verses 4-7 we see that David focused on God. David lived in the presence of God, looking at his beauty, and listening to his voice. Because of this focus on God and dwelling in his presence David could lift his head with confidence and sing with joy, as we see in verses 5,6. In verses 7-14 he again focused on God and prayed to him in the midst of this trouble, and he was reminded that God would never forsake him (vs. 10) and would always guide him (vs. 11), therefore even though he did not receive an immediate answer or relief he could still say in verse 13, "I am still confident..."
This is the consistent message of the Bible regarding fear. For example when Peter walked on water Peter’s fear was victorious only when he lost his focus on Jesus. In Isaiah 26:3 God has said "I will keep in perfect peace all who trust in me, who thoughts are fixed on me!" We also see the same idea and Philippians 4: 6-7 which says "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. Then the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
There will be times when anxiety and fear come into our lives. In those times we must make a choice - we can choose to focus on the problem and be overcome with fear, or we can choose to focus on God and are fear will disappear. We can say with David, in verse 14, "I will wait for the Lord and I will be strong..."
One tribe of native Americans had a unique practice for training young braves. On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, he was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then he had never been away from the security of his family and tribe. On this night he was blindfolded and taken miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of thick woods by himself... all night long. Every time a twig snapped, he probably visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. Every time an animal howled, he imagined a wolf leaping out of the darkness. Every time the wind blew, he wondered what more sinister sound it masked. No doubt it was a terrifying night for many of the young braves.
After what seemed like an eternity, the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was the boy’s father. He had been there all night long.
Best of all, Jesus our Savior, the Prophet, the Priest, and the King is with us .
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIAdgLR1ZGw
Praise the Lord for Chuck Loeffler who is celebrating his 90th birthday. Praise the Lord for Arlo Lawrence who is 94.
Dear friends of LeRoy and Peg Jones,
On Thursday morning at 9:15 I am scheduled for joint replacement surgery in my right hand, plus carpal tunnel correction, and a nerve in my right elbow which restricts my little finger on the same hand. The reason LeRoy and I made this decision at this time is that my desire is to serve the Lord through the musical (and other)gifts He has invested in me. In the present state of my right hand...... this is now impossible. The surgery will be performed at the Moses Cone Surgical Center, Greensboro, NC.
Please pray for me, my surgical team, Dr. Robert Sypher and his assistant, Robert. and the approximate recovery time of 6 weeks. I need your prayers very much.
Down through these many years of ministry we have prayed for so many people for healing. Now we appeal to the same Healing Jesus for our present needs.
Thanks for praying and remembering LeRoy also during this time.
God bless you abundantly,
Peg
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 10-27-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this glorious day. It is going to be one of the ten best days of October. Praise the Lord for the life we have because of Christ. Praise the Lord for the gifts He gives us so that we can use these gifts to serve Him and be a blessing to others. St. Paul, though he had handicap, could say, "Handicapped But Still Capable!" He loved the Lord with great passion and served Him great zeal and obedience.
"And He said unto me, ’My Grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the Power of Christ my rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Unless we are very rare exceptions, we are all handicapped in some way. We are deaf or hard of hearing, we need eyeglasses, we are crippled, or we have some form of bodily illness or ailment. Yet, we are still capable of greatness! Countless numbers of individuals are mentally handicapped in one form or another. Still others are handicapped by their circumstances. Unfortunately, too many people let their handicaps chain them to inertia or despair! They become incapable of reaching for the best that the Lord of life ,has to offer. Still others turn their handicaps into blessings!
The late great Scottish Christian minister, author, and poet George Macdonald (1824 - 1905), once wrote, "No words can express how much the world owes to sorrow. Most of the Psalms were born in a wilderness. Most of the Epistles were written in a prison. The greatest thoughts of the greatest thinkers have all passed through fire. The greatest poets have ’learned in suffering what they taught in a song.’ In bonds Bunyan lived the allegory that he afterwards indited, and we may thank Bedford Jail for the ’Pilgrim’s Progress.’ Take comfort, afflicted Christian! When God is about to make pre-eminent use of a man [or, a woman], he puts him [or, her] in the fire."
The late great Roman Catholic Archbishop and Cardinal, Henry Edward Manning (1808 - 1892), once said about strength, "We never have more than we can bear. The present hour we are always able to endure. As our day, so is our strength. If the trials of many years were gathered into one, they would overwhelm us; therefore, in pity to our little strength, He sends first one, and then another, then removes both, and lays on a third, heavier, perhaps, than either; but all is so wisely measured to our strength that the bruised reed is never broken. We do not enough look at our trials in this continuous and successive view. Each one is sent to teach us something, and altogether they have a lesson which is beyond the power of any to teach alone."
The Apostle Paul had a handicap which he referred to as a "thorn in the flesh!" Three (3) times he prayed that Almighty God might take it away! However, Almighty God denied his request! On the contrary the Lord Jesus gave Paul great courage and an amazing grace to overcome his handicap. Paul could write, in Romans 8:
35"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
He is our or Prophet, He is our Priest, and He is our King. In Him we have everything we need for life and for righteousness.
Blessed be His Name,
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qEjRLlL9iE
Praise the Lord for this glorious day. It is going to be one of the ten best days of October. Praise the Lord for the life we have because of Christ. Praise the Lord for the gifts He gives us so that we can use these gifts to serve Him and be a blessing to others. St. Paul, though he had handicap, could say, "Handicapped But Still Capable!" He loved the Lord with great passion and served Him great zeal and obedience.
"And He said unto me, ’My Grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the Power of Christ my rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Unless we are very rare exceptions, we are all handicapped in some way. We are deaf or hard of hearing, we need eyeglasses, we are crippled, or we have some form of bodily illness or ailment. Yet, we are still capable of greatness! Countless numbers of individuals are mentally handicapped in one form or another. Still others are handicapped by their circumstances. Unfortunately, too many people let their handicaps chain them to inertia or despair! They become incapable of reaching for the best that the Lord of life ,has to offer. Still others turn their handicaps into blessings!
The late great Scottish Christian minister, author, and poet George Macdonald (1824 - 1905), once wrote, "No words can express how much the world owes to sorrow. Most of the Psalms were born in a wilderness. Most of the Epistles were written in a prison. The greatest thoughts of the greatest thinkers have all passed through fire. The greatest poets have ’learned in suffering what they taught in a song.’ In bonds Bunyan lived the allegory that he afterwards indited, and we may thank Bedford Jail for the ’Pilgrim’s Progress.’ Take comfort, afflicted Christian! When God is about to make pre-eminent use of a man [or, a woman], he puts him [or, her] in the fire."
The late great Roman Catholic Archbishop and Cardinal, Henry Edward Manning (1808 - 1892), once said about strength, "We never have more than we can bear. The present hour we are always able to endure. As our day, so is our strength. If the trials of many years were gathered into one, they would overwhelm us; therefore, in pity to our little strength, He sends first one, and then another, then removes both, and lays on a third, heavier, perhaps, than either; but all is so wisely measured to our strength that the bruised reed is never broken. We do not enough look at our trials in this continuous and successive view. Each one is sent to teach us something, and altogether they have a lesson which is beyond the power of any to teach alone."
The Apostle Paul had a handicap which he referred to as a "thorn in the flesh!" Three (3) times he prayed that Almighty God might take it away! However, Almighty God denied his request! On the contrary the Lord Jesus gave Paul great courage and an amazing grace to overcome his handicap. Paul could write, in Romans 8:
35"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
He is our or Prophet, He is our Priest, and He is our King. In Him we have everything we need for life and for righteousness.
Blessed be His Name,
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qEjRLlL9iE
Monday, October 26, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 10-26-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord that He is able to save to the uttermost. He is more than wonderful. The people who have not known Him, are looking for life in wrong places. They are searching for answers from the wrong sources.
It was reported a couple of weeks ago that three people died tragically in a sweat lodge experience. People went to a retreat site for new age experiment, where they paid $9000 per person for a week of spiritual cleansing and renewal. One of those who died was a young woman in her thirties, in great physical condition. She was bright, yet she was deceived by Satan, who comes to steal and destroy.
One of the readings for yesterday was taken from Hebrews 7. Verse twenty-five says, “He is also able to save to the uttermost”, which says literally “He is always able.” The sacrifices, under the Old Testament, never did more than temporarily cover sin. They never even partiality or temporarily removed sin. Even though the High Priests down through the years may have wished to remove the people’s sin they were simply unable to do so. Jesus, however, is not only able, but He is the only one who is able to do so.
Bible-believing Christians are sometimes criticized as narrow-minded or intolerant for maintaining that Jesus is the only way to God. Yet, the reason that we make this claim is because that is what the Bible teaches. Jesus himself said in (John 14:6), “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus is not only able to save; He is the only one able to save. He is the only one with the power of salvation. The Apostle Peter is quoted as saying in Acts 4:12, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
The last portion of Hebrews 7:25 says, “… He always lives to make intercession for them.” One of our struggles is wondering if we are praying for the right things and in the right way. Jesus hears out awkward, ill-worded prayers, and then goes before the Father to speak on our behalf.
Kent Hughes offers us help on this point. “How does he intercede for us? He, along with the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26,27) takes our feeble prayers, cleans them up, ennobles them, and presents them to the Father. St. Chrysostom, the great fourth-century preacher, provided a helpful analogy. A young boy whose father was away on a trip wanted to present his father with something that would please him. His mother sent him to the garden to gather a bouquet of flowers. The little boy gathered a sorry bouquet of weeds as well as flowers. But when his father returned home, he was presented with a beautifully arranged bouquet, for the mother had intervened, removing all the weeds.
The prayers of the church, prevailing, acceptable, and fruitful as they are, are not a thing of beauty as they leave the lips of saints. As they start their way heavenward, they are a mixed bag of weeds with a few stray flowers. When they arrive, however, thanks to the intercession of Christ they are nothing but beautiful flowers. What blessed, comforting thoughts these are as we, amidst our frailties, pray [[R. Kent Hughes. Hebrews: An Anchor For the Soul. Vol 1 ( Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1993) page 208].
We have an example of the intercession of Jesus in his prayer for Peter when Satan wanted to destroy him (Luke 22:32) and his High Priestly prayer in John 17.
He is a better high priest because of His prayers, “For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.”
The problem of sinful men attempting to mediate for sinful men is that it leaves sinful men in their sin! John Philips portrayed an imaginative scene in which an unbelieving pagan (Moabite) was observing the annual Day of Atonement in Jerusalem. The man saw the high priest in his distinctive garments and asked who he was. He then noticed the large crowd of onlookers and asked if it was a special day. He was told yes, that it was the Day of Atonement, on which animals that have specially prepared are sacrificed for the sins of the people. The man looked around and said, “I see some animals tethered over there. …. There is a bullock and a couple of goats, as well as some rams. I suppose that they are going to be sacrificed.” His informant told him that he was correct, and then pointed to the Tabernacle where he pointed out the pillar of cloud above it that indicated the presence of God. He said, “The high priest will go over there. Then he will come out and he will take those two goats. He will slay one of them and then he will go back into the Holy of Holies with the blood, which he will sprinkle on the mercy seat. Then he will come back out again and take the remaining goat. He will confess all our sins over the head of that goat. Then he will be given into the hands of ritually clean man who will lead it out into the desert, bearing our sins, there to be abandoned and alone. Thus our sins are cleansed and carried away of another year.
That is very interesting, said the man, but what’s that big bullock for? He seems like a fine animal. It’s the biggest bullock I have ever seen. ‘Oh, I forgot to tell you about that. That bullock is for the priest. Before He can do anything about our sin, he has to do something about his own. That’s what the bullock is for.’
The visitor “looked astonished, ‘Two small goats take care of all the sins of the vast crowd…and a great bullock for the sins of the priest. Why is that?’
‘Well, you see,’ said his friend, ‘sin in us is bad enough but sin in him is far more serious. His sin looms larger in God’s sight than all of ours!” [John Philips. Exploring Hebrews. (Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers, 1992) pp. 84-85]
Unlike the priest who descended from Aaron, Jesus is “holy” – “blameless” –and “unstained” –
Jesus is indeed,the prophet, the priest an the King. We are blessed beyond belief to know Him as our Lord and Saviour.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-zJHgaoVa4
Praise the Lord that He is able to save to the uttermost. He is more than wonderful. The people who have not known Him, are looking for life in wrong places. They are searching for answers from the wrong sources.
It was reported a couple of weeks ago that three people died tragically in a sweat lodge experience. People went to a retreat site for new age experiment, where they paid $9000 per person for a week of spiritual cleansing and renewal. One of those who died was a young woman in her thirties, in great physical condition. She was bright, yet she was deceived by Satan, who comes to steal and destroy.
One of the readings for yesterday was taken from Hebrews 7. Verse twenty-five says, “He is also able to save to the uttermost”, which says literally “He is always able.” The sacrifices, under the Old Testament, never did more than temporarily cover sin. They never even partiality or temporarily removed sin. Even though the High Priests down through the years may have wished to remove the people’s sin they were simply unable to do so. Jesus, however, is not only able, but He is the only one who is able to do so.
Bible-believing Christians are sometimes criticized as narrow-minded or intolerant for maintaining that Jesus is the only way to God. Yet, the reason that we make this claim is because that is what the Bible teaches. Jesus himself said in (John 14:6), “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus is not only able to save; He is the only one able to save. He is the only one with the power of salvation. The Apostle Peter is quoted as saying in Acts 4:12, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
The last portion of Hebrews 7:25 says, “… He always lives to make intercession for them.” One of our struggles is wondering if we are praying for the right things and in the right way. Jesus hears out awkward, ill-worded prayers, and then goes before the Father to speak on our behalf.
Kent Hughes offers us help on this point. “How does he intercede for us? He, along with the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26,27) takes our feeble prayers, cleans them up, ennobles them, and presents them to the Father. St. Chrysostom, the great fourth-century preacher, provided a helpful analogy. A young boy whose father was away on a trip wanted to present his father with something that would please him. His mother sent him to the garden to gather a bouquet of flowers. The little boy gathered a sorry bouquet of weeds as well as flowers. But when his father returned home, he was presented with a beautifully arranged bouquet, for the mother had intervened, removing all the weeds.
The prayers of the church, prevailing, acceptable, and fruitful as they are, are not a thing of beauty as they leave the lips of saints. As they start their way heavenward, they are a mixed bag of weeds with a few stray flowers. When they arrive, however, thanks to the intercession of Christ they are nothing but beautiful flowers. What blessed, comforting thoughts these are as we, amidst our frailties, pray [[R. Kent Hughes. Hebrews: An Anchor For the Soul. Vol 1 ( Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1993) page 208].
We have an example of the intercession of Jesus in his prayer for Peter when Satan wanted to destroy him (Luke 22:32) and his High Priestly prayer in John 17.
He is a better high priest because of His prayers, “For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.”
The problem of sinful men attempting to mediate for sinful men is that it leaves sinful men in their sin! John Philips portrayed an imaginative scene in which an unbelieving pagan (Moabite) was observing the annual Day of Atonement in Jerusalem. The man saw the high priest in his distinctive garments and asked who he was. He then noticed the large crowd of onlookers and asked if it was a special day. He was told yes, that it was the Day of Atonement, on which animals that have specially prepared are sacrificed for the sins of the people. The man looked around and said, “I see some animals tethered over there. …. There is a bullock and a couple of goats, as well as some rams. I suppose that they are going to be sacrificed.” His informant told him that he was correct, and then pointed to the Tabernacle where he pointed out the pillar of cloud above it that indicated the presence of God. He said, “The high priest will go over there. Then he will come out and he will take those two goats. He will slay one of them and then he will go back into the Holy of Holies with the blood, which he will sprinkle on the mercy seat. Then he will come back out again and take the remaining goat. He will confess all our sins over the head of that goat. Then he will be given into the hands of ritually clean man who will lead it out into the desert, bearing our sins, there to be abandoned and alone. Thus our sins are cleansed and carried away of another year.
That is very interesting, said the man, but what’s that big bullock for? He seems like a fine animal. It’s the biggest bullock I have ever seen. ‘Oh, I forgot to tell you about that. That bullock is for the priest. Before He can do anything about our sin, he has to do something about his own. That’s what the bullock is for.’
The visitor “looked astonished, ‘Two small goats take care of all the sins of the vast crowd…and a great bullock for the sins of the priest. Why is that?’
‘Well, you see,’ said his friend, ‘sin in us is bad enough but sin in him is far more serious. His sin looms larger in God’s sight than all of ours!” [John Philips. Exploring Hebrews. (Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers, 1992) pp. 84-85]
Unlike the priest who descended from Aaron, Jesus is “holy” – “blameless” –and “unstained” –
Jesus is indeed,the prophet, the priest an the King. We are blessed beyond belief to know Him as our Lord and Saviour.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-zJHgaoVa4
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