Brown's Daily Word 3-8-13

Praise the Lord for this new day. There is dusting of fresh and friendly snow on the ground this morning. The crocuses and daffodils are popping up anyway. Spring is almost here. Best of all Easter is just over 3 weeks away. The celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord drawing near.

Those of you live in the area, join us for our weekly Television presentation this evening at 7 PM on Time Warner Cable Channel 4. The Lord has blessed us in this ministry. The Camera man is a professional videographer. He is also a committed Christian, who has been to Orissa , India and had made a documentary on the Persecution of Christians in the State of Orissa. He is producing this Friday Evening's Television ministry. I am so grateful, humbled, and blessed. Please pray with us that this ministry will be a blessing to many.

The Old Testament reading for last Sunday was taken from Isaiah 55. It is written “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6,7).

The Gospel reading for this coming Sunday is the parable of the prodigal son. Sin took him to a far away country where life had more in common with pigs than human beings. You might say that he was speaking pig Latin. He was destitute and devastated. The results and wages of sin are devastating. Somebody has aptly said the most difficult words to utter are, "I have sinned". The prodigal son declared, "I have sinned" Prevenient and amazing grace was at work. The forgiveness of the Lord came upon the prodigal son like a food. Even as the Church affirms, "I believe in the forgiveness of sins", so the prodigal son was forgiven.

Amy Carmichael, the notable missionary and author, said: “There is no need to plead that the love of God shall fill our heart as though he were unwilling to fill us. He is willing as light is willing to flood a room that is opened to its brightness; willing as water is willing to flow into an emptied channel. Love is pressing round us on all sides like air. Cease to resist, and instantly love takes possession.” So we do not have to plead for his forgiveness either. As soon as we open the door of repentance, it floods in.

Joni Erickson quoted Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” and then wrote, “My friend, Dan Earl, is a bee-keeper. Recently he presented me with a gift basket of his bee byproducts - creams, candles, and best of all, his top-selling honey. That Sunday I enjoyed a cup of Earl Grey tea and toasted crumpets with butter and honey. I was almost in heaven. It was so delicious.

The Puritan, Jonathan Edwards, drew a parallel between honey and Psalm 34:8. One can conclude that honey is honey because it is golden, has a certain viscosity, and has bits of comb in it. Therefore, it must be honey. But Edwards said there is a superior way to know. Put a drop on your tongue, and you'll see that knowing honey involves much more than understanding facts about it. To truly know honey is to taste and see that it is sweet, delicious, and delightful. There's nothing quite like it!” There are all kinds of facts that can be known about forgiveness, but it was meant to be tasted. Its sweetness meant to be experienced.
In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/eOY0mjjmx8Y

Brown's Daily Word 3-7-13

As the day the Lord gave us is dying in the west, I was remoinded of one of the beautiful hymns of the Church, "Day Is Dying in the West". Though the night approaches here in the Western Hemisphere it is alreay a new day in the Eastern Hemisphere. Our family and friends, brothers and sisters in Christ who live in that region, have already begun a new day in the Lord .

Alice and I walked on one of the local trails this evening. It was cool and exhilarating. We saw and heard a flock of Canadian Geese returning to the natural habitat in the North. They were flying, making a V formation and praising the Lord with their Holy Honk. We saw and heard a flock of blackbirds praising the Lord with an evening song. We also saw Big Hawk sitting on the top of a tree, dauntless and unafraid. We saw some cardinals and woodchucks. Though the winter is lingering here, the Spring has already arrived in parts of the Eastern Hemisphere and it is the late summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

Praise the Lord our God, the maker of heaven and earth. When we pause and ponder about the beauty and blessings of this day we can say, "It's a wonderful world"' created by our Lord, who is wonderful and beautiful beyond description. Our Lord is in control so let us not freak out.

May we all rest in His presence. May He grant us refreshing sleep. May He speak to us through dreams and visions. "May all His little lambs be safe tonight in His eternal keeping".Psalm 4:8

In Christ,

Brown

1. Day is dying in the west;
Heav'n is touching earth with rest;
Wait and worship while the night
Sets the evening lamps alight
Through all the sky.

2. Lord of life, beneath the dome
Of the universe, Thy home,
Gather us who seek Thy face
To the fold of Thy embrace,
For Thou art nigh.

3. While the deepening shadows fall,
Heart of love enfolding all,
Through the glory and the grace
Of the stars that veil Thy face,
Our hearts ascend.

4. When forever from our sight
Pass the stars, the day, the night,
Lord of angels, on our eyes
Let eternal morning rise
And shadows end.

Chorus:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts!
Heav'n and earth are full of Thee!
Heav'n and earth are praising Thee,
O Lord most high!

Brown's Daily Word 3-6-13

Yesterday afternoon turned out to be brilliant, balmy, and beautiful. I walked on the banks of the charming Chenango River for over four miles. It was invigorating and thrilling. I saw the countless geese and ducks, including mallards, taking an unhurried plunge and a swim on the river. The waters looked crystal clear and clean, exposing the smooth stones of all sizes and colors on the surface. The trees by the bank of the river standing steadfast and triumphant, having come out of another winter. Joyful squirrels were frolicking. Birds, the harbingers of spring were making a melodious sonnet. As I walked with a joyful heart and jubilant feet I paused and pondered on the extravagant grace of our Lord and on His magnificent beauty that He displays in every season. I was blessed in contemplating a how all beautiful creatures of our Lord "join with all nature in manifold witness, to His great and matchless faithfulness, mercy, and love."

We will gather for our midweek Fellowship, Bible study, prayer, and choir practice starting at 6 PM. We will be looking at the Suffering servant passages recorded in Isaiah 52 and 53.

This Suffering Servant is a man of contrasts. There is the contrast between the Servant’s exaltation and accomplishment and His suffering and humiliation. There is also the contrast between what people though about the Servant and what was actually the case. Though man would cast Him down and humiliate Him, God would lift Him up and glorify Him. This servant, Jesus Christ, would be "marred beyond human likeness", but through His suffering He would cleanse the nations (Hebrews 10:14; 1 Peter 1:2). Before Him every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He alone is Lord.

Many years ago on the south coast of China, high on a hill overlooking harbor of Macao, Portugese settlers built an enormous CATHEDRAL. They believed it would weather time, and they marked their achievement with a massive bronze cross as the centerpiece of its front wall. Not too many years later, a typhoon came, and the edifice was destroyed, leaving only a portion of the front wall and the cross. Centuries later a shipwreck stranded hundreds of men not far out in the same harbor. Some died; some lived. One man hanging onto wreckage from the ship was disoriented and frightened, having lost sight of land in the storm. Yet, each time the ocean swells lifted him out of the waves, he spotted the cross, which eventually guided him to safety.

To countless millions, that is what the cross means. It is a glowing symbol of rescue, leading stranded souls shipwrecked on sin’s jagged reefs from the shadow of death’s darkness to the new dawn shining out of new life.
It is also a place of hope to countless Christians who come back to the cross, bringing the scattered debris of their lives. There, because of the violent suffering of Christ, amazing grace is offered. The suffering Christ experienced for us was beyond comprehension, but He experienced it for our redemption and our restoration. By His stripes we are healed. Therefore, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2 ).

In Christ,

Brown.

http://youtu.be/y140eAMitJ4