Brown's Daily Word

It is the first Friday of Summer, 2007. We are reminded in the Word of the Lord that our days on earth are numbered. Life is short. Eternity is very long. Hell is for real. Heaven can be ours in through Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the Resurrection and the Life.
A Christian woman wrote to me yesterday that her Ex-Husband is dying of cancer. He is facing an imminent death. He does not know the Lord. She needs prayer for him, that he might come to surrender his life to Jesus, and thus discover new life, abundant and eternal.
I performed two funerals last Saturday, for one man and one woman, both of whom were in their 80's. I was asked at about midnight last night if I can officiate a funeral service for a young man who died tragically in a car accident yesterday. He was Jessica's high school classmate, just 23 years old.
Whenever I am in a cemetery, I walk between the tombstones and read the names and birth dates written there. I have come to realize that in those graves are many unsaved souls, disobedient children of God who never repented and came to Christ; children of God who had an opportunity to sit in the heights of Heaven, but instead chose to be tormented in the pit of Hell! Buried beneath the soil are dreams that never came to pass; books that were never written; songs never sung; children never born; ideas never shared; paintings never painted; inventions that were never invented; plans that never became reality; goals never fulfilled! Graveyards are filled with potential greatness that will externally remain potential. What a tragedy when you realize that so many have denied the Savior and died in their sins. Yet, "God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son so that whosoever believes in Him may not be lost, but have eternal life". (John 3:16)
You see even on the streets of our cities, towns, and villages the wasted, broken, disoriented lives of our people. Many are found standing on the corners, caught up in Substance Abuse; Alcoholism; Lack of Purpose; Poor Choice of Friends; Violence; Child Abuse; Lying; Murder; Prostitution and Total Despair. One of God’s awesome promises is found in 2 Corinthians 4:8,9 "We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We do not know what to do, but we do not give up the hope of living. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed."
Saul, the terrorist and accuser of the brethren, met Jesus on the way to Damascus. The light was so sudden that Saul fell to the ground, and he heard a voice from above asking, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? Saul asked, who are you?"
The voice answered, saying, "I Am Jesus! The one you are persecuting." Jesus commanded Saul to get up and go into the city and he would be told what to do!
The men with Saul were speechless- for they heard the voice, but saw no one!!
Saul fell to his knees, and when the command ended, he could no longer physically see. The first words that came out of his mouth were no longer words of persecution, but words of prayer he had never spoken before, "Oh Jesus, help me!!!!"
Saul was led to Damascus. All of Saul’s life up to that point he had been a blind man- spiritually blind- the blind leading the blind. But God had a plan for Saul because he had potential leadership ability. The Lord had another path for Saul to take and good works for him to do. Saul’s home boys took him to Judas' house and left him there. He had no food and no water, and for 3 days he could not see! He looked through a glass door darkly and all he had was Jesus as his guide and protector! Saul had a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he could see again!
It is amazing how the Lord works.... At that very same time, the Lord spoke to Ananias, who was a believer in Damascus, and told him in a vision, " Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas and ask for Saul of Tarsus. He is praying for me right now! Ananias didn’t want to go. He said, "Lord, I’ve heard about the terrible things that this man has done to believers!" But the Lord said, "Go and do it, for Saul is my CHOSEN instrument to take My message to the people. And I will show him how much he must suffer for Me."
Ananias went to Straight Street and found Saul, laid hands upon him, and instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, his sight was restored and Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit. He got up and was baptized, he ate food and was strengthened. Immediately Saul began preaching about Jesus to the kings, the Gentiles and to the people of Israel.
Saul used to be powerful and feared by many in the neighborhoods, but he was more powerful as a preacher and follower of Jesus Christ. He knew he’d been saved by grace and mercy and was not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Apostles of Christ accepted Saul as a Christian brother and they recognized his God-given potential to lead others to Christ. After that he was with them constantly.
.....that is what we as Christians need to do today! We need to go down to Straight Street, where the Lord is working on the blind. Everybody has potential! They are crying out on a Street called Straight- praying to Jesus for help!
In Him,
Brown


The vigour of our spiritual life will be
in exact proportion to the place held by
the Bible in our life and thoughts.

George Müller (1805-1898)
Prussian-born English evangelist and
founder of a Bristol orphanage

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 1 Thessalonians 5:21

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. 1 Timothy 3:16

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Pslam 119:105

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THE ANVIL OF GOD'S WORD

"Last eve I paused beside the blacksmith's door,
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
Then looking in, I saw upon the floor,
Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.

"'How many anvils have you had,' said I,
'To wear and batter all these hammers so?'
'Just one,' said he, and then with twinkling eye,
'The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.'

"And so, I thought, the Anvil of God's Word
For ages sceptic blows have beat upon;
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The Anvil is unharmed, the hammers gone."

—Attributed to John Clifford



Give Him A Strong Warning
On a street, where the speed is limited to 30 mph the police stop a driver.

"Not only have you been driving too fast, you've been passing cars where it is not allowed. Your lights don't work, your tires all completely worn out. This is surely going to cost you a lot. What's your name?"

"Schtrathewisizeski Vocgefastilongchinic."

"Well, I'll let you go this time but don't do it again."