Brown's Daily Word 3-19-13

Praise the Lord for this last day of winter. March's "lion" is roaring this year, and it seems that Spring will come in tomorrow, roaring like a lion. It snowed last evening and overnight, making everything clean, clear, and crisp. Last evening I looked out of the living room window and saw five deer frolicking around the parsonage grounds, unafraid of winter. They knew that Spring is around the corner. They were dancing with jubilant feet, welcoming spring. This herd of five deer roam around the parsonage freely. We see them on a regular basis. As I saw them yesterday evening, gleeful and joyful, I was filled with joy and my heart was filled with a sense of victory.

I am reflecting on Isaiah 53, the " Suffering servant " who is the triumphant Savior. Our Lord's Mission Statement was “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save those who were lost.” That is exactly what he did. He sought ought the lonely, the hurting, the destitute, the forgotten ones, the guilty, the hopeless, and the rejects of society. Then His love transformed them. Everywhere He went, Jesus changed lives, though His methods were unorthodox.

People kept trying to force Jesus into a mold, and make Him conform to the status quo; He was unwilling. Jesus had obvious power. He could heal the sick, the deaf, the blind, the crippled, and the diseased. It seemed that His power was limitless. He performed miracles – He calmed a storm, turned water into wine, cast out demons – even raised the dead, but then He would confuse everyone after these awesome displays of power by saying things like, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” He claimed to be the Messiah, but about the time one would have expected Him to put on a crown and take the throne, He would pick up a towel and bowl and wash his disciple’s feet.

Jesus, the wounded Warrior may have seemed to those who watched him to be vulnerable and weak. From a divine standpoint, however, He was making every demon in hell tremble on a daily basis. One of Satan’s favorite side effects from sin’s entrance into God’s perfect world is sickness and disease. Jesus showed with every healing that He had power over every form of sickness and disease. When Jesus came to town, the blind could see, the deaf could hear, the leper was cleansed, and the crippled would leap for joy. The Warrior would walk right into the enemies’ camp and set captives free: free from sin, free from the past, free to start a new life. “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more!”. He commanded legions of demons to leave and they had no choice but to obey. They were powerless against Him. Even death, that last great enemy, was unable to stop him. When He, the dead came to life again! Everything Satan tried was useless as Jesus, the Warrior, was a one-man army against the forces of hell.

All of this was just the prelude to the final battle. He came, He saw, and He conquered. Blessed be His Name. We serve under a Captain who has never lost a battle. The Wounded Warrior will come again to the earth, not as the suffering Savior, but as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/ek04m5TGb48