Brown's Daily Word 3-17-10

Top of the morning to you all,


Happy St. Patrick's Day. Praise the Lord for the faith and witness of St. Patrick. Raised in an age much like our own, gripped by a "culture of death" and filled with a spirit of lawlessness, he was kidnapped by Irish Pirates and taken to the Emerald Isle. Patrick could have become embittered. Instead, he completely surrendered his life to Jesus.

Patrick chose to reject "victim-hood" and self-centeredness. Instead, he embraced the way of the Cross, carrying on the redemptive mission of Jesus. He fell in love with the Lord by developing a profound and transforming inner life, and a personal relationship with the Risen Lord. He did this through deep, constant and abiding prayer. In this way of life, the Christian way, he learned to discern the voice of the Lord in his daily life, developed the eyes of faith, and responded with perseverance to the call to become an ambassador for Jesus our Lord. St. Patrick risked his life in a great adventure with Jesus. He walked by faith with Jesus for His Kingdom sake.

When the Lord Jesus invited Peter to walk on the water He said, "Come." Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus said, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matt. 14:29-31)

A Canaanite woman came crying to Jesus, "Lord, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession. The disciples said, ’Send her away’. She then came and knelt before Jesus and said, "Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted. And her daughter was healed was healed from that very hour." (Matt. 15:22-28) This woman was an example of being willing to take a risk in order to see God work great things.

Jesus sent 72 disciples out two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was to preach. He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers into his harvest field. He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me. The 72 returned with joy and said, ’Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’"(Luke 10:1,16,17) Jesus said, "Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me." (John 12:24-26) In order to see greater things we must be willing to lay aside some of our comfortable lifestyle and surrender it fully to follow our Lord and His ministries.

"Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me King of my heart; Christ within me, Christ below me, Christ above me never to part. Christ on my right hand, Christ on my left hand, Christ all around me shield in strife; Christ in my sleeping, Christ in my sitting, Christ in my rising light of my life. Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me King of my heart; Christ within me, Christ below me, Christ above me never to part."

In Christ.
O'Brien McNaik

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQxHvBtR7hs