Brown's Daily Word 1-31-08

Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this brilliant new day, the last day of January, a gift from the Lord. In the Gospel of John we have a record seven miracles performed by our Lord. They are called signs. The first miracle our Lord performed was done in the setting of a wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. There was emptiness, but the Lord brought about fullness in abundance.
We serve a Lord that specializes in filling emptiness! In John 2, He filled some empty wash pots at a wedding feast, a village event that the whole city came out for in those days. Here's the background: there was a festive mood until the unthinkable happened. The host ran out of wine and the people began to scurry about, whispering about the problem, until the whole crowd knew and the host was embarrassed! The Lord allowed them to scramble for a while before bringing the solution. He allowed them to feel their emptiness and inadequacy. He waited until they ran out of options, and then He took empty water pots, filled them with water, and then worked the miracle! He took control of the situation.
He is the Christ in every crisis. Jesus is the Joy of man's desiring. The joy that the world has to offer is just temporary. It always runs out, and the result is always a void left over - emptiness. But the joy of the Lord is ever new and ever satisfying! The Joy of the Lord is our strength.
The world offers you its best at first until you get hooked, and then it’s all downhill from there. Somebody once said, “The best day you’ll ever spend in sin is the 1st day.” The bread of deceit is sweet to a man, but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel. But Jesus gives a miraculous joy that never ends. He gives us His best from the start, and somehow, miraculously, makes the joy grow and get even better! Truly, every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before, and the longer we serve Him the sweeter He grows!
Jesus took water pots that were used in those days for external washing, and made them useful for something internal, something deeper and more satisfying. He created something fulfilling, and He used emptiness to do it! We serve a Lord that specializes in filling emptiness!
George Mueller exemplified emptiness of self. Known for his great prayer life, he was often asked about it. He once answered, “there was a day when I died…I died to George Mueller, his opinions, his preferences, his tastes, his will…I died to the world and it’s approval…I died to the approval of my friends…and since then I have studied only to be approved unto God!” Total, complete surrender and intimacy with Christ go hand in hand!
William Booth, the founder of Salvation Army, was asked for the secret of his success. With tears he answered, “God has had all there was of me to have. There have been men with greater opportunities, but I made up my mind that God was going to have all there is of William Booth. If there is truly any power in the Salvation Army today, it is because God has had all the adoration of my heart, all the power of my will, and all the influence of my life.” Nothing blinds our spiritual vision like self-will! Nothing clears our spiritual vision like total surrender!
May Jesus, our Lord and Savior, fill our emptiness and heal our brokenness.

In Him,
Brown


Hi Pastor Brown,

Thank you so much for praying for us. L. and I enjoyed talking on the phone with you. A week ago Friday you sent out a message on Joseph. I think I told you that a few years ago, the Lord put it on my heart to pray that L. would be like Joseph and that God would grant him success in whatever he did and in the fullness of time God would raise him up. Your message that day was very encouraging to us. On that Friday, L. met with a builder to provide information on Levitt and Sons so they could make an informed decision on whether or not to buy it. They were very pleased with all his information and gave him a very generous consulting fee that can carry us another 6 or 7 weeks. He was also interviewed for a position with the company that would be a big promotion if he got it. We thought this was God’s answer for us but we have not heard anything. Please pray for Greg and Tom who would be over that decision. It is a big disappointment to not get it but then we know by faith that the Lord has something better in store. I am so glad we met in the Poconos. I can’t imagine life without Pastor Brown. You’re a blessing. I just spent quite a bit of time catching up on your e-mails. I feel uplifted.

God Bless you.

Love,

J.

"HIS MERCIES ENDURETH FOREVER"
Today I saw Dr. Kloss and he seemed quite amazed that my blood counts were excellent. Everything was above average and my platelets were 418,000 which he said was wonderful. He suggested I continue with the maintenance program which is 3 weeks of chemo and then my next PET scan. I asked him if he would be surprised if the tumor is gone and he said not really. We took that to mean that our faith would bring it about. Just the way he said it led us to that feeling. In any event, I started what I believe to be my last series of chemo, God willing. I feel stronger and my faith even stronger that physically. All those who agree with me and Jo for my healing, please stand up.
God bless all of you for continuing to hold me up to the ruler of this universe. I wish I could give you all a great big hug.
Jack