Brown's Daily Word 1-27-10

Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this Wednesday. We will gather for our Mid-week service this evening with a meal at 6 PM and with Bible Study at 6:30 PM. We are studying the Gospel According to Matthew. Today we will focus on Chapter 3.
We received an e-mail from Sunita this morning. Andy returned back to Washington on Sunday. Sunita had to stay a little longer with her work project in Jerusalem. She shared with us that she was given very special permission to visit Gaza Strip, the most densely populated piece of land per squire mile on earth. The Gaza Strip is the epicenter of all the clamor, and the turmoil in the Middle East. Our oldest daughter, Janice, sent us a note saying that she is planning to go to Haiti with a medical mission for a week. Praise the Lord that we can all be part of His healing and saving purposes on earth. It is a wonderful and extraordinary joy to serve our Lord and Savior in the world that is need of His healing grace and love.
Robert Louis Stevenson once entered in his diary what he considered to be an extraordinary thing. He said, "I have been to Church today, and (Surprisingly) I am not depressed." Christians are called to be joyful in all circumstances. Christian concepts of joy are different from the world's. The Joy of the Lord is the result of God’s work in our hearts (Galatians 5:22). Christ did not come that you might have sadness, but He came that you might have a full life. (John 10:10)
The Old Testament reading for last Sunday was taken from Nehemiah 8. The book of Nehemiah records a time when Israel was coming back into their homeland after spending 70 years in exile. They began to rebuild their home in the ‘land of promise’. Israel was regaining her homeland and returning to faith. The book of the law had been discovered and Nehemiah called together the people in order for Ezra to conduct a public reading of God’s law. The Israelites had different stages of reaction to the law. First, they fell into repentant sorrow. Second, they began to praise and worship the Lord. Third, they celebrated the “Feast of Booths” as the law commanded. The result was great joy! Nehemiah told them, “The Joy of the Lord is your strength.”
The Israelites learned three things in their understanding of the Word and their subsequent experience of joy in their hearts and life together. First, joy comes through experiencing God’s forgiveness in your life. Second, joy comes from relationship with God, not only knowing who we are but whose we are. Third, joy comes through knowing and living your life purpose and mission.
Joy can be found today for all Christians! It is found in the Word of the Lord, in the Worship of the Lord, and in the Will of the Lord!
In His Joy,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeY3XEJFGdw