Jesus is exalted and praised and, above all, worshiped and
adored. He is the author of life, liberty, and peace. He removes the mountains, exalts the valleys,
and fills the empty places. He makes all rough places plain. I am
listening to “Oceans” by Hillsong. It is powerful and provoking. Praise the Lord for this new day which paved
with His fresh grace. Praise the Lord for sweet rest and sleep, given out
of His great love and mercy. It is going to be a mild and beautiful
today. Alice and walked yesterday
evening, gazing at the winter skies, and anticipating the return of Spring
along with all the birds, flowers, and new vegetation. Praise the Lord
for our daughter Sunita who arrived safely in Manila. It was a long flight flying via Seoul, South Korea.
I was in Seoul, South Korea in March of
2003. It is one of the most beautiful Airports in the world.
I have been looking at some of the pictures of the village of
Muklingia, where I was born and raised. These were posted by Mrs. Sushmita Pradhan,
one of my relatives. She had ventured towards my village on a picnic expedition.
In the region where I come from it is
the season for picnics and outings. People welcome the New Year by indulging in
picnics and outdoor revelries. They make
any occasion a celebration. The village where I was born is situated
around 3500 feet above sea level. The village is surrounded with majestic
mountains and endless beauty. A man-made
reservoir just 2 miles East of the village is the playground for people of
all ages. This is indeed the epicenter for the picnics. Churches use the
reservoir for Baptismal services. It is also a place for fishing and
other water sports. Less than a mile from my house there is huge Coffee
plantation, where it is harvest time for coffee. The Coffee growers also grow
all kinds of aromatic spices, such as black pepper, cinnamon, bay leaves, etc.
The village farmers grow ginger, turmeric, and other cash crops. The
Village is not far from some rain forest in the area which is the habitation of
wild elephants, wild buffaloes, and other big Game. Tigers also frequent
this region, wreaking havoc on cattle. My dad, who was a farmer, also was
an avid hunter. To his credit he killed
tigers, water buffalo, and all kinds of small and big game.
Growing up in the village life was simple but very rich. The total population of the village was around
100. The village is surrounded with some breathtaking scenery and
settings. British Missionaries frequently
used surrounding spots for their picnic settings. Whenever dignitaries came to the area they
were ushered to these sights. Praise the Lord for the beauty of His
earth. We are blessed to be the
recipients of His matchless love and peerless salvation.
The Good News is that we are made to worship. If we do not worship the Lord God who has made
us then we begin to worship the idols we have made with our own hands
in our own image. In worshiping the true
and living God we find freedom, we discover joy, and we are imbued with His
divine power. In the narrative of the
Magi traveling to seek Jesus, they announce to King Herod that they have come
to worship Jesus, the King of the Jews, the New Born Prince. The story continues by saying that once they
come to Jesus they are filled with exceeding joy and they worshiped Jesus and
offered to Him their treasures, gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Once we surrender our lives to Him, and worship and serve Him as
Lord and Savior, our God will not leave us unattached in life. He has sent His Holy Spirit to stand with us
and walk with us in the gray and gloomy days. He will give us perseverance and encouragement
as He escorts us through the down days, never leaving your side. As Chuck Swindoll
has observed, “Discouragement may be awful, but it is not terminal.” Something wonderful happens when we begin
worshiping God either in private or as a community of believers.
Someone wrote, “Worship is used as an act of homage or reverence”
(W.E. Vine). Another definition of
worship is that it is our response to God’s revelation to humankind. Worship magnifies God, lifts our horizons
from the burdens that weigh us down, changes our gloomy perspective, and renews
and refreshes our spirits.
Let us take a few moments today, whether or not we are discouraged, and
worship.Let us look up to God, who is always
near. He stands by us now! As you
begin to worship and feel His presence, we will be lifted beyond. The good news is that even in the midst of our
gray and gloomy days, salvation is still ours, and it comes to us when we
recognize who Jesus is in life . He brings redemption from sin to anyone who
asks through resurrection faith .
Albert Palmer wrote, “Salvation is not something that is done for
you but something that happens within you. It is not the clearing of a court
record, but the transformation of a life attitude.”
God will encourage us in our lives today if we let Him. He brings people, circumstances,, and love
along our journeys. Our job is to
recognize Him along the way. Let encouragement be our new word for the new year! Shout it out, and pass it along to others. Be encouraged in Christ!
Brown
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