Brown's Daily Word: Brown's Daily Word 2-21-12

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Brown's Daily Word 2-21-12

Good morning,

Praise the Lord for this new day. Alice and I spent the weekend in beautiful Boston, visiting Janice, Jeremy, Micah, Simeon, and Ada. Micah and Simeon are growing up so quickly. Ada is now 13 months old. She is walking all over with confidence - totally toddling. We spent most of the time during the days with our grandchildren. On Sunday morning we attended worship service with them at their church, Christ the King Presbyterian Church, located in Cambridge between Harvard and the MIT. The congregation is primarily constituted of young families. I was one of the oldest persons present at the worship. Micah and Simeon love to attend worship and then go to children's church.

It was a great treat being with our grandchildren. Part of the time I was wrestling with Simeon, and part of the time we spent walking in park system of the city. Alice and I also read several books to Micah and Simeon, and Micah read some to her grandmom. Early morning yesterday we spent some time in the local park just across from the Condo where Jeremy and Janice live. I heard and saw a beautiful cardinal sing and making a melodious song to Jesus.

On the way home from Boston yesterday I called some of our friends, one of whom shared with me that he attended a worship service this past Sunday where there were 4 people in attendance. He conveyed to me that it was a very powerful worship event. They met the Risen Lord afresh and anew during the worship experience. While I was away Jack Black, Michael Wingard and Shannon Meilunas preached at Union Center and Wesley. The Lord visited His people with His blessings.

   Evvie Binder, who has entered the Church Triumphant, used quote to me a powerful passage from Ephesians 3. “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
    Evvie and Her husband Al Binder has accepted Jesus Christ as they were watching Billy Graham telecasting from the Madison Garden in New York City over 55 years ago. I have often been reminded by these servants of Jesus that to be in Christ is to live a life full of surprises. The Lord delights to surprise us on time, in time for our needy time interventions.  This is exactly what the Apostle Paul promised in one of the greatest “He is Able” statements, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church BY Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21).
    Consider the words: able and exceedingly abundant. God is able to do for us and answer our prayers according to His efficiency, sufficiency, richness, and power working in us. Here is a translation that is helpful: Now to the One who is able to do beyond all things, superabundantly beyond and over and above those things we are asking for ourselves and considering, in the measure of the power which is operative in us.
    Consider the circumstances in which we live and the problems we face. Do we have the Lord’s vision for each of these circumstances for ourselves, our families, our homes, our work, our neighborhoods, this church, or in the mission projects He has given us to do? Have we taken time to allow Him to impart His vision, the power to believe it, and the freedom to trust Him completely to achieve it? It is Christ’s way to go beyond the best that He has done in our lives previously. All that we have learned up to this time is not the end of growth. Whatever we have experienced in our personal relationship with Christ is only a fraction of what is in store for us; whatever we have accomplished is only a foretaste of what Christ has planned. Our Lord promises wonders He has never done before in our lives. There is no limit to his transforming power, no end to His redeeming grace, no exhaustion of His enabling courage when we throw caution to the wind and, as a result of a new-found intimacy with Him, dare to trust Him to do mighty things in our future.
    There is a poem written ay Annie Johnson Flint. I think the reason I find it so moving is that it was written in tough times in her life when she trusted the Lord with her physical pain and received strength to press on.
    HE GIVETH MORE GRACE WHEN THE BURDENS GROW GREATER.
    HE SENDETH MORE STRENGTH WHEN THE LABORS INCREASE.
    TO ADDED AFFLICTION HE ADDETH HIS MERCY,
    TO MULTIPLIED TRIALS HIS MULTIPLIED PEACE.

    WHEN WE HAVE EXHAUSTED OUR STORE OF ENDURANCE,
    WHEN OUR STRENGTH HAS FAILED ERE THE DAY IS HALF DONE,
    WHEN WE REACH THE END OF OUR HOARDED RESOURCES,
    OUR FATHER’S FULL GIVING HAS ONLY BEGUN.

     HIS LOVE HAS NO LIMIT, HIS GRACE HAS NO MEASURE,
    HIS POWER NO BOUNDARY KNOWN UNTO MEN;
    FOR OUT OF HIS INFINITE RICHES IN JESUS
    HE GIVETH AND GIVETH AND GIVETH AGAIN!

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday in our Church calendar. I am reminded of the children's ditty, "Ashes, ashes, we all fall down" which should be followed by, "Easter, Easter, we all rise up". Wow!