Brown's Daily Word 4-30-09

Good Morning, I love to read the Book of Revelation. We have been studying the Book of Revelation in our Wednesday evening study. Though the Book of Revelation speaks much about tribulation and suffering, the main focus of the Book is on the Risen Christ and His majesty, authority, and power. We read in Rev 19: 6, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the almighty reigns". In Revelation 5 :12 it is written, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain."
A story is told of a man who loved old books. He met a friend who told him he had just thrown away an old Bible he had found stored in the attic of his ancestral home for generations. “Somebody name Guten-something had printed it.” “Was it Gutenberg?!”, the friend exclaimed in horror. “Why yes, I think it was.” “That Bible was one of the first books ever printed. A copy has sold for as much as $2 million.!” “His friend was unimpressed. “Mine wouldn't have brought a dollar. Some fellah name Luther had scribbled all over it in German.” --- Some people can know the cost of everything; but the worth of nothing. “… Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” Worthy is, of course, related to the word worth. Who determines the worth of an item? In this passage the angels, living creatures, and the elders, numbering in the myriads, thousands and thousands, proclaim the worth of Jesus, the Lamb. He is worthy because of who He is, what He did, and what He is able to continue to do . Fritz Kreisler was a master violinist born in Vienna in 1875. Prior to WW II he gained great acclaim as a person who could play the violin as no one had before. A story has been told of how he acquired his Stradivarius. He was invited to the home of a wealthy Englishman who owned the instrument. After dinner, Mr. Kreisler asked if he could see the instrument and hold it. It was brought from the safety of its location and placed in his hands. He asked his host if he could play the instrument. After being granted permission, Mr. Kreisler play so beautifully and the owner of the violin was moved to tears. He presented the Stradivarius to Kreisler saying that because of his virtuosity, Kreisler was more worthy of its ownership than he himself. Kreisler was worthy of the violin because of his love of music and his finely honed skill in playing the instrument.
We are worthy of the love of Christ because of His love for us. Verse 13: “Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing, ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!’”
Many on earth struggle for self worth and self esteem. Often people look for self worth and self esteem in wrong places and wrong sources. As followers of Christ, our worth and self esteem come from Jesus the Lamb of God. Once we put our trust in Him when He becomes our Good and Winsome Shepherd, He pours upon us His Worth, His grace, and His beauty. Once we surrender our lives completely to Him, we live under His sovereign power and His merciful authority. We do not need to strive for self esteem, we do not need contend for self worth, and we cannot earn it. It is given freely and abundantly. He gives us His triumph, His Lift, and His Joy.
Worthy is the Lamb,
In Him,
Brownhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR4CCLnmf1Q