Brown's Daily Word 1-13-11

Praise the Lord for the gift of this new day. Praise the Lord for His tender mercies which are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness.
Sharon Corwin, one of the beautiful servants and saints of Jesus, died suddenly yesterday morning. When I heard of Sharon unexpected death I was stunned and deeply broken. Sharon and her dear husband Denny were in Church last Sunday worshipping the Lord. They attended the Sunday School together. Though it was wintry and snowy, hazardous to drive, Sharon got ready to go to her work. After she had her breakfast and was about to leave for work, she called her husband and said she experiencing excruciating pains and sat on chair and collapsed. They called for ambulance, but because of the snowy roads it took over one hour for the ambulance to come. Sharon was taken to the hospital and was pronounced dead.
I have known Denny and Sharon since 1990. Their two boys were very young when I first met them. I married their oldest son two years ago. Denny and Sharon attended the prayer conference in October in our church conducted by our dear friend Kelly Johnson. The Lord did something new in their hearts. It was the work of grace. Denny and Sharon and their two boys and daughter in law lived in the same house as an extended family. Sharon's mom also lived with them and Sharon cared for her. . . She died from home. Denny and Sharon and whole family did life together. Sharon was 59 years old. She was never hospitalized. She had a contagious smile and winsome eyes. She loved the Lord. She is in His presence now.
When I told Laureen our daughter about Sharon's death she wept. In tears she told me, "Daddy, let's sing a hymn and pray". She played the piano with much tenderness and we sang, "Be still my soul, the Lord on your side". Laureen ministered to me and together we praise the Lord for the "sure and certain hope of resurrection". It is given to us with assurance because of Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith. We are resolved to serve Jesus with Resolute hearts. As I was sleeping the Lord gave the word from Psalm 116:15, “Precious in the sight of the LORD, Is the death of His saints”. (NKJV)
To us death never seems under any circumstances to br a precious thing. We think of death as an enemy. We think of death as a loss, but the Apostle Paul says that it is gain. In order for us to understand how God can say that death is precious we must attempt to see things through His eyes. We see things as they appear to be, but God sees everything as it stands in his eternal order and purpose. The apostle Paul once said to his son in the faith, Timothy, “when I think of you I think of your sincere faith.” (2 Tim 1:5) The death of a Christian is precious not only because it causes us to reflect on the impact that person had on our lives buy because it releases us from the suffering and pain of this life. It is true that life in the here and now can be filled with trouble but God promises in Revelation 21:4, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (NKJV).
The death of a Christian is also precious because it is provides entrance into Heaven. For the person that has given his or her heart and life to Jesus Christ death is but a transition from earth to glory. Paul said, “So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:6, 8 NKJV)
Death is not merely death; for Christ has conquered death, for Himself, and for those who trust in Him. Death need not be, as one famous atheist said, “a fearful leap into the darkness.” Death to the prepared believer in Jesus Christ holds no such terrors. Sharon knew the truth of Scripture that to depart this life for her meant to be present with Christ. For Sharon death held no terror because she had a relationship with Jesus Christ as her personal Savior.
The truth that we must all face is this: We will spend eternity somewhere and this life is the only time that we will ever have to make the choice as to where we will spend eternity. Either an eternity with The Lord our Saviour, in the splendor of Heaven or an eternity separated from the Lord, in a place called Hell. Both Heaven and Hell are equally real.
All of us must meet death sometime. Hebrews 9:27 reminds us, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” In light of this we should all take great care to live in such a way that when it comes our time to die, we are ready to face The Lord who is the Resurrection and life. Some day each of us will face our final hour and nothing will be more important then than the ability to say, “I am ready.” Scripture warns us to also be ready. Readiness is in establishing a relationship with Jesus Christ by Faith. The promise of Jesus is that he has gone to prepare a eternal dwelling place for every person who by faith accepts Him as their personal Savior. Jesus said in John 14:2, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” (NKJV) The Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:1, “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (NKJV) Isn’t it marvelous that Paul reminds us that this body is a tent, and a tent was never intended to be a

permanent dwelling place. When this tent is worn out He has prepared a place for those with prepared hearts. This is not a “I hope so” or “I think so” proposition, Paul says, “I know.”

In Christ the Risen One,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9zHn4QSH-8

Saturday evening worship service.
Location: First United Methodist Church. Endicott
53 McKinley Avenue, Endicott.
Sponsored by the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128, Maple Drive, Endicott


Saturday 15, 2011
6 PM Gathering: Pizza,Chicken Wings, and Coffee.
6:30 PM Worship Service
Worship Music by a local worship Team, and Dave Berry
Speakers: Rev. Bill Turner,
Rev. Brown Naik,
Dr. Elizabeth Droz, PhD, Dean of Students at Binghamton University