Brown's Daily Word 2-12-13

Praise the Lord for this day. Tomorrow is the Ash Wednesday. Last Sunday was Transfiguration Sunday. The Transfiguration event is recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Jesus took Peter, James and John up to very High Mountain. While He prayed there, suddenly, He was transfigured before Peter, John, and James. The three disciples had been asleep prior to the amazing spectacle of our Lord's Transfiguration. As the disciple opened their eyes they saw Jesus conferring with Moses and Elijah. The disciples were afraid.
One of the interesting things is that at the Transfiguration, although God affirmed Jesus as his Son whom he loves, and with whom he is very pleased, and said that we are to listen to him, he said nothing to or about Moses or Elijah. Peter, James, and John were overcome with fear. They did not know what to do or say, but Peter impulsively blurted out: “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters — one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Matthew 17:4 Then he was interrupted by the voice from the cloud of glory saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” Matthew 17:5
Peter was impetuous and did not realize what he is saying. Jesus was not among equals (as important as Moses and Elijah are). Three tents would not have been appropriate, because Jesus was not merely on par with Moses as another law-giver, and neither was he one of the prophets like Elijah. He was different — completely different - and far above Moses and Elijah. He is the Son of God. He is without equal.
Interestingly, Matthew recounted that when the disciples looked up after falling to the ground and cowering in fear, “they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.” Moses was gone, and Elijah was gone, and Jesus stood alone. No one is like him. No one can compare with him. He is one of a kind. He alone is the unique and universal Savior of the world. The transfiguration answers the question: “Who is Jesus?”. The law and the prophets had served their purpose, and Jesus came to fulfill all that they had said.

In the event of Transfiguration we have the glimpse of Jesus Christ, the Living and the Holy God. He gave a foretaste of His divine nature and power. We have a glimpse of the Kingdom of God present in the person and the ministry of Jesus Christ our Lord. He is in with us now.
Dallas Willard has shared, “The Gospel is not about getting into heaven when we die, it is getting into heaven before we die.” We get to participate in the life of God and take on his image and character before we die.
Peter, James, and John had their eyes opened to see that the Kingdom was not a future event, but a present reality. We are daily surrounded by the Kingdom of God. Whether we see it or feel it is irrelevant – it is there. Our part is to be aware of it, to live in that reality, and to actively participate in the life of God as it surrounds us and is within us.
“The Christian faith is not just about looking forward to an eternity in heaven, it is about living a Jesus-led life that brings a bit of heaven on earth.” -- Jamie Gump
David Yarborough has told the story from one of Max Lucado’s books of a lady who had a small house on the seashore of Ireland at the turn of the century. She was quite wealthy but also quite frugal. The people were surprised, then, when she decided to be among the first to have electricity in her home. Several weeks after the installation, a meter reader appeared at her door. He asked if her electricity was working well, and she assured him it was. “I’m wondering if you can explain something to me,” he said. “Your meter shows scarcely any usage. Are you using your power?” “Certainly,” she answered. “Each evening when the sun sets, I turn on my lights just long enough to light my candles; then I turn them off.”

Yarborough went on to say, “She tapped into the power but did not use it. Her house is connected, but not altered. Don’t we make the same mistake? We, too — with our souls saved but our hearts unchanged — are connected but not altered. Trusting Christ for salvation but resisting transformation. We occasionally flip the switch, but most of the time we settle for shadows.”

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/rB7xCTJe6Hw

Brown's Daily Word 2-11-13

Praise the Lord for this new day. The Lord blessed us with a wonderful weekend. The storm arrived in our area Friday afternoon. Alice's school, along with all the area schools, had an early dismissal. We were spared from an avalanche of snowfall. We received around 6-7 inches of snow. We did not lose power in our area. Micah, Simeon, Ada and their parents in Boston received over 2 feet of snow. The children spent much time Saturday playing in the snow. Laureen was in a wedding ceremony and celebration this weekend. Sunita and Andy spent the weekend in Washington, DC, visiting some of their friends and also hosting house guests for the weekend. Jessica and Tom are still in Nicaragua, planning to return to Pennsylvania tomorrow. They missed the storm entirely.

The Lord blessed us in His House with His presence and grace. Praise the Lord for the world that we live in. Praise the Lord for all the beautiful and brilliant seasons. Praise the Lord for His Church, which is under the same management for over 2000 years,. Praise the Lord for His blessing and grace at all times.

I received an e-mail this morning, from a woman, a pastor's wife, in Bali, Indonesia, whom I met in the streets of Bali during my recent visit there. She and her husband and family serve the Lord in the City of Bali along with many churches praising the Lord and worshipping Him and proclaiming His as the Lord of Lords and the King kings. Praise the Lord that He is at a work around the corner and around the globe. We have this assurance from Him that the gates of hell can not prevail against His church.

Douglas Copeland wrote a book titled "Girlfriend in a Coma". In the book a young woman comes out of a coma that she has been in since ‘79. After she has been out of the coma for quite awhile, someone asks about her impressions of people who live in the ‘90s. She says, “A lack. A lack of convictions, of beliefs, of wisdom, or even of good old badness. No sorrow, no nothing. The people I knew when I came back, they only, well, existed. It was so sad.” But what would you expect from people who have crammed their lives with everything but God?
Corrie Ten Boom, a survivor of the Holocaust, talked about the goodness of God even in the terrible circumstances she faced. She wrote in her book: “Often I have heard people say, ‘How good God is! We prayed that it would not rain for our church picnic, and look at the lovely weather!’ Yes, God is good when He sends good weather. But God was also good when He allowed my sister, Betsie, to starve to death before my eyes in a German concentration camp. I remember one occasion when I was very discouraged there. Everything around us was dark, and there was darkness in my heart. I remember telling Betsie that I thought God had forgotten us. ‘No, Corrie,’ said Betsie, ‘He has not forgotten us. Remember His Word: “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him.”’” Corrie concluded, “There is an ocean of God’s love available — there is plenty for everyone. May God grant you never to doubt that victorious love — whatever the circumstances.”
The words of the Psalmist tell us: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name” (Psalm 100:4).
At the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C there is a large wooden altar from a Jewish synagogue. The synagogue was vandalized by Nazi soldiers who had come to remove all Jews from that city. The soldiers had tried to destroy the altar. You can still see the hack marks of their axes, but still decipherable across the altar is a single phrase of Hebrew carved deeply into the wood. Though the axes of man attempted to delete the words, the phrase is still reads: “Know before Whom you stand.” The problem with our pagan culture is that we do not know before whom we stand. The Psalmist knew God, and therefore understood the world and what life was to be like in the world. He said, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:1-3).

In Christ,

Bown
http://youtu.be/DXDGE_lRI0E

Brown's Daily Word 2-8-13

Praise the Lord for this Friday. A super snow storm and blizzard has been forecast the Northeastern US, especially centered on New England. Our region is expected to receive up to a foot of snow as well. They are forecasting two feet of snow for Boston where Micah, Simeon, Ada, and their parents live. Micah and Simeon are snow birds in the truest sense. They do not fly away from snow but toward it. They are eagerly looking forward to the snow storm.

Storms and sorrows, trials and tribulations come into our lives uninvited. Adversities and afflictions flood our way, uncontrolled and unhindered. Praise the Lord we have a Savior who is our hiding place. Psalm 91 has been and continues to be a source of strength, hope, promise, and encouragement to those who have put their trust and faith in Lord Jesus, who is our Rock and our Refuge.
One missionary said that her family would have literally lost their minds had it not been for the help and strength of the 91st Psalm.

Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

Proverbs 18:10 reminds us that “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”
In 1960, the Mau Mau uprising gripped Kenya. During that time, missionaries Matt and Lora Higgens had to drive through hostile territory on their way to Nairobi, well aware that many had met violent deaths at the hands of Mau Mau terrorists in that area. After dark, about 17 miles from Nairobi, the Land Rover they were driving failed. Matt tried in vain to repair the vehicle. The couple was forced to lock the doors and pray for safety. They awoke safely, repaired the car, and traveled on to Nairobi.
Some days later, they heard an interesting story from an individual who was in contact with terrorist groups: As Matt and Lori had slept that night three terrorists had come upon them and intended to kill them. Suddenly, though, the terrorists had seen 16 strong men surrounding the car, and fled in fear! Matt and Lora were puzzled about the identity of the 16 men-- until they returned to America several weeks later and heard the thrilling testimony of a friend: “On March 23, God burdened my heart for you. I called the men at our church, and SIXTEEN of us met together for emergency prayer on your behalf!” – Bill Bright, “How You Can Pray With Confidence” (1995 Campus Crusade for Christ), pp. 32-33.
Bill Hybels, in his book Too Busy Not To Pray wrote "Sometime when you’re in an airport, observe the difference between passengers who hold confirmed tickets and those who are on standby. The ones with confirmed tickets read newspapers, chat with their friends or sleep. The ones on standby hang around the ticket counter, and pace back and forth. The difference is caused by the confidence factor. "
Psalm 32:10-11 “Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!”
We have no idea how long an onslaught of trouble might last in our lives or how deep the troubled waters may get, but they will pass and we will have ultimate deliverance. Remember the Eternal, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Ever-Present God is not only our Refuge but is our Deliverer.

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/ZIUCRXMM4pE