Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this glorious day. Today Americans will go to the polls for the General Election. May the Lord of all Nations and the King of the Earth, bless our nation, heal our land, and turn our nation back to Him. May we take our Constitutional privilege of voting very seriously, and prayerfully cast our ballots today.
A Collect for Guidance: O heavenly Father, in whom we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray thee so to guide and govern us by thy Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget thee, but may remember that we are ever walking in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
The prayer of St. Francis: "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury,pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHVz45n5a9M
An elderly woman returned to her home from an evening of Church services when she was startled by an intruder. She had caught a man in the act of robbing her home of its valuables. “Stop!” she yelled, “Acts 2:38!” (Repent and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven).
The burglar stopped dead in his tracks and froze while the woman calmly called the police and explained the situation. As the officer was cuffing him, he asked the burglar, “Just out of curiosity, why did you just stand there? All the old lady did was yell a scripture at you.” “Scripture?!” gasped the burglar. “She said she had an ax… and two 38’s!!”
It’s a funny joke, yes, but on a serious note — I think we often underestimate the power of the Word of God! We have the source so very close — it's right at our fingertips and should be right on our lips! Yet, we neglect to declare it over our circumstances, that we may see the victory! Hebrews 4:12 states, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
In Christ,
Brown
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
India update 11-04-08
Mon, 03/11/2008 - 11:09am STOP CONVERSION - SAYS RAJNATH TO CHURCH LEADERS IN BHUBANESWAR-
STOP CONVERSION - SAYS RAJNATH TO CHURCH LEADERS IN BHUBANESWAR YESTERDAY, BUT NOT RE-CONVERSION. CONVERSION IS THE MAIN REASON FOR KANDHAMAL VIOLENCE - HE SAID."
Bhubaneswar-3rd Nov-08 BJP President however was silent on the post Swamiji's murder violence across the State and more particularly in Kandhamal District for which the Chief Minister Navin Patnaik has thrown the blame on the Sangh ParivarClose on the heels of Kandhamal violence, the BJP on last Sunday asked the Church leaders to refrain from conversion activities and also asked the union Govt. to formulate Law to review cases of change in faith throughout the Country.Mass Conversion means there is motive behind it. "Those who are engaged in doing so should introspect," BJP President Mr. Rajnath Singh told the media persons here accompanied by the General Secretary and Orissa in charge Mr. Vinay Katiyar Singh who came on a day's visit to attend the Party's extended State Council meeting. Religion is the identity of the Country and freedom of Religion cannot be allowed to be misused," he quoted. Singh's reaction was in the line of debate on the Kandhamal issue at the meeting where the members linked the August 23 Killing of Swamiji to his continues campaign against conversion. He also stated that the OFRA in 1967 should be implemented strictly. The BJP leader said it was time the Central Govt. came up with Central Law to scrutinize all cases of conversion. The BJP President however was silent on the post Swamiji's murder violence across the State and more particularly in Kandhamal District for which the Chief Minister Navin Patnaik has thrown the blame on the Sangh Parivar. The CM has gone on record describing VHP and Bajrang dal as "fundamentalist organizations," with officials describing a number of persons arrested on the charges of rioting in Kandhamal dist. as member of Sangh Parivar. The BJP President chose to ignore all questions on the Chief minister's remarks. " I will talk to him in the matter," all that he said.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
read more newsman's blog 2 comments
Sun, 02/11/2008 - 7:14pm RSS involved in making bombs: Digvijay Singh
Bhopal (PTI): AICC General Secretary and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh on Sunday alleged that the RSS and its affiliated organisations were involved in making bombs and spreading communal ism in the country and demanded enactment of a tough federal law to deal with such elements.
"I have been saying this for long that RSS and its affiliated organisation are making bombs and spreading communal ism in the country and the same has been proved with the arrest of Sadhvi Pragya in connection with the Malegaon blasts case," Singh told reporters here.
"I demand from the Congress-led UPA government to make a strict federal law to deal with the growing menace of communalism," he said adding a bill was pending with the Lok Sabha's Standing Committee in this regard.
Singh demanded that such a law should also take care of distribution of pamphlets spreading communal hatred among the people.
He also demanded a probe into the sudden prosperity of Sadhvi's family and alleged that she also campaigned for Chief Minister Narendra Modi during the Gujrat elections.
RSS pracharak and follower of the slain Swami Laxmanananda in Kandhamal held for abduction
RSS pracharak in police net for ‘helping’ abductors of girlBhubaneswar, November 1 : The Orissa Police on Saturday arrested former RSS pracharak Paresh Nayak on charges of assisting and abetting the abduction and forced marriage of an 18-year-old girl who was missing since the last five months from her home in Kendrapara district.
Nayak was taken into custody after the missing girl was traced to a house in Bhubaneswar on Saturday morning along with one Rajesh Nayak, 45, said to be the associate of the one-time RSS pracharak and follower of the slain Swami Laxmanananda in Kandhamal.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, Central India
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Sun, 02/11/2008 - 1:16pm “Good will ambassador “of India honoured in America for his deafening silence of genocide of Christians in Orissa
Atlanta-1st Nov-08Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is on a 'Fall tour ' in three major American cities to show case his brand of Hinduism.In Houston, this new age guru Sri Ravishankar -according to his organizations media campaign, will be proclaimed as the honourary citizen and honorary Good will ambassador. In the city of Atlanta,the head quarters of CNN he will be presented with the Phoenix award.Sri Sri Ravishankar is reported to have signed an MOU with mayor of Houston ,Mr Bill white to conduct stress and relief programme ,the city youth ,returning war veterans.
Ironically, this New Age Guru maintained deafening silence when Christians were butchered and burnt alive in Kandhamal district of Orissa.Rev.Fr Bernard died as a result of the brutal assault a religious sister Sr Meena was savagely raped by the Hindutva activists in Orissa, and this pogrom to eliminate Christians in Orissa, was not even condemned by this self-titled messenger of peace and goodwill.
The Sangh Prarivar involvement in attacking nuns,priests and peaceful Christian are, suppressed, under-projected or forgotten with ease by the social thinking process.
A Social Audit should be conducted to investigate the use of the funds pouring into Sangh Pariviar coffers for Social work in India, these funds are being used by these radicals where thousands of impressionable minds are being fed- hate campaigns
His close association with Dr Praveen Togadia and other Hindutva outfits in Karnataka and Orissa confirm that he is the 'modern mask' the Bajarng Dal and other Hindutva outfits systematically carried out over 960 attacks against Christians ,as reported by Global council of Indian Christians (GCIC).
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, Other Countries
read more newsman's blog 4 comments
Sun, 02/11/2008 - 12:57pm Bajrang Dal, has succeeded in getting bail for its former criminal chief
Mahendra Kumar, ex-state convenor of Bajrang Dal, has succeeded in getting bail in all the cases booked against him in the state for inciting the attacks on Christian prayer centres. On release he directed the Karnataka state Government immediate enactment of anti-conversion law and anti-cow slaughter acts in Karnataka
He was released from the city sub-jail before noon on Saturday November 1.Kumar had already been granted bail in the cases filed against him in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts but he had opted not to go out on bail because of a body warrant issued against him by the Chikmagalur court.
The court in Chikmagalur granted him bail in the case pending against him there, on Friday October 31. His advocate P P Hegde had said on Friday that Kumar would be released as soon as the Chikmagalur court order reaches the court .
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, South India
read more newsman's blog 8 comments
Sat, 01/11/2008 - 4:22pm More army officers questianed in connection with Mumbai bomb blasts
Malegaon blasts registrar held for questioning
Saturday, November 01, 2008, (New Delhi)In the latest investigations into the Malegaon blast, the Maharashtra Anti-terrorism Squad has picked up Retd Col Raikar, the Registrar of Bhonsala Military school in Nashik, for questioning.
He is said to be close to Lt Colonel Srikant Purohit -- a serving officer who has moved under Army supervision to Mumbai to facilitate the questioning by the Anti-terror Squad.
His brother is an Inspector with the Andheri Police. He was earlier with the Economic Offences Wing of the Crime Branch.
Retired major Ramesh Upadhyay of the Territorial Army who has been arrested is said to be one of the trainers at the Bhonsala Military School.
The other linkage is to Right wing Hindu group Abhinav Bharat -- a Pune based group revived by relatives of Veer Savarkar of which Major Upadhyay is a member.
And so is Sameer Kukarni, a Hindu activist from Bhopal. Abhinav Bharat openly professes a tit-for-tat policy when it come to terrorism.
Meanwhile, a team of policemen from Gujarat are in Mumbai to question accused sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, though initial investigations show neither she nor any of the Malegaon blast accused were involved in the Modasa blasts.
She has been taken to the Forensic Science Lab in Kalina where she's expected to undergo brain mapping and polygraph tests on Saturday. She has already gone through a narco test on Friday.
STOP CONVERSION - SAYS RAJNATH TO CHURCH LEADERS IN BHUBANESWAR YESTERDAY, BUT NOT RE-CONVERSION. CONVERSION IS THE MAIN REASON FOR KANDHAMAL VIOLENCE - HE SAID."
Bhubaneswar-3rd Nov-08 BJP President however was silent on the post Swamiji's murder violence across the State and more particularly in Kandhamal District for which the Chief Minister Navin Patnaik has thrown the blame on the Sangh ParivarClose on the heels of Kandhamal violence, the BJP on last Sunday asked the Church leaders to refrain from conversion activities and also asked the union Govt. to formulate Law to review cases of change in faith throughout the Country.Mass Conversion means there is motive behind it. "Those who are engaged in doing so should introspect," BJP President Mr. Rajnath Singh told the media persons here accompanied by the General Secretary and Orissa in charge Mr. Vinay Katiyar Singh who came on a day's visit to attend the Party's extended State Council meeting. Religion is the identity of the Country and freedom of Religion cannot be allowed to be misused," he quoted. Singh's reaction was in the line of debate on the Kandhamal issue at the meeting where the members linked the August 23 Killing of Swamiji to his continues campaign against conversion. He also stated that the OFRA in 1967 should be implemented strictly. The BJP leader said it was time the Central Govt. came up with Central Law to scrutinize all cases of conversion. The BJP President however was silent on the post Swamiji's murder violence across the State and more particularly in Kandhamal District for which the Chief Minister Navin Patnaik has thrown the blame on the Sangh Parivar. The CM has gone on record describing VHP and Bajrang dal as "fundamentalist organizations," with officials describing a number of persons arrested on the charges of rioting in Kandhamal dist. as member of Sangh Parivar. The BJP President chose to ignore all questions on the Chief minister's remarks. " I will talk to him in the matter," all that he said.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
read more newsman's blog 2 comments
Sun, 02/11/2008 - 7:14pm RSS involved in making bombs: Digvijay Singh
Bhopal (PTI): AICC General Secretary and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh on Sunday alleged that the RSS and its affiliated organisations were involved in making bombs and spreading communal ism in the country and demanded enactment of a tough federal law to deal with such elements.
"I have been saying this for long that RSS and its affiliated organisation are making bombs and spreading communal ism in the country and the same has been proved with the arrest of Sadhvi Pragya in connection with the Malegaon blasts case," Singh told reporters here.
"I demand from the Congress-led UPA government to make a strict federal law to deal with the growing menace of communalism," he said adding a bill was pending with the Lok Sabha's Standing Committee in this regard.
Singh demanded that such a law should also take care of distribution of pamphlets spreading communal hatred among the people.
He also demanded a probe into the sudden prosperity of Sadhvi's family and alleged that she also campaigned for Chief Minister Narendra Modi during the Gujrat elections.
RSS pracharak and follower of the slain Swami Laxmanananda in Kandhamal held for abduction
RSS pracharak in police net for ‘helping’ abductors of girlBhubaneswar, November 1 : The Orissa Police on Saturday arrested former RSS pracharak Paresh Nayak on charges of assisting and abetting the abduction and forced marriage of an 18-year-old girl who was missing since the last five months from her home in Kendrapara district.
Nayak was taken into custody after the missing girl was traced to a house in Bhubaneswar on Saturday morning along with one Rajesh Nayak, 45, said to be the associate of the one-time RSS pracharak and follower of the slain Swami Laxmanananda in Kandhamal.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, Central India
read more newsman's blog add new comment
Sun, 02/11/2008 - 1:16pm “Good will ambassador “of India honoured in America for his deafening silence of genocide of Christians in Orissa
Atlanta-1st Nov-08Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is on a 'Fall tour ' in three major American cities to show case his brand of Hinduism.In Houston, this new age guru Sri Ravishankar -according to his organizations media campaign, will be proclaimed as the honourary citizen and honorary Good will ambassador. In the city of Atlanta,the head quarters of CNN he will be presented with the Phoenix award.Sri Sri Ravishankar is reported to have signed an MOU with mayor of Houston ,Mr Bill white to conduct stress and relief programme ,the city youth ,returning war veterans.
Ironically, this New Age Guru maintained deafening silence when Christians were butchered and burnt alive in Kandhamal district of Orissa.Rev.Fr Bernard died as a result of the brutal assault a religious sister Sr Meena was savagely raped by the Hindutva activists in Orissa, and this pogrom to eliminate Christians in Orissa, was not even condemned by this self-titled messenger of peace and goodwill.
The Sangh Prarivar involvement in attacking nuns,priests and peaceful Christian are, suppressed, under-projected or forgotten with ease by the social thinking process.
A Social Audit should be conducted to investigate the use of the funds pouring into Sangh Pariviar coffers for Social work in India, these funds are being used by these radicals where thousands of impressionable minds are being fed- hate campaigns
His close association with Dr Praveen Togadia and other Hindutva outfits in Karnataka and Orissa confirm that he is the 'modern mask' the Bajarng Dal and other Hindutva outfits systematically carried out over 960 attacks against Christians ,as reported by Global council of Indian Christians (GCIC).
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, Other Countries
read more newsman's blog 4 comments
Sun, 02/11/2008 - 12:57pm Bajrang Dal, has succeeded in getting bail for its former criminal chief
Mahendra Kumar, ex-state convenor of Bajrang Dal, has succeeded in getting bail in all the cases booked against him in the state for inciting the attacks on Christian prayer centres. On release he directed the Karnataka state Government immediate enactment of anti-conversion law and anti-cow slaughter acts in Karnataka
He was released from the city sub-jail before noon on Saturday November 1.Kumar had already been granted bail in the cases filed against him in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts but he had opted not to go out on bail because of a body warrant issued against him by the Chikmagalur court.
The court in Chikmagalur granted him bail in the case pending against him there, on Friday October 31. His advocate P P Hegde had said on Friday that Kumar would be released as soon as the Chikmagalur court order reaches the court .
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, South India
read more newsman's blog 8 comments
Sat, 01/11/2008 - 4:22pm More army officers questianed in connection with Mumbai bomb blasts
Malegaon blasts registrar held for questioning
Saturday, November 01, 2008, (New Delhi)In the latest investigations into the Malegaon blast, the Maharashtra Anti-terrorism Squad has picked up Retd Col Raikar, the Registrar of Bhonsala Military school in Nashik, for questioning.
He is said to be close to Lt Colonel Srikant Purohit -- a serving officer who has moved under Army supervision to Mumbai to facilitate the questioning by the Anti-terror Squad.
His brother is an Inspector with the Andheri Police. He was earlier with the Economic Offences Wing of the Crime Branch.
Retired major Ramesh Upadhyay of the Territorial Army who has been arrested is said to be one of the trainers at the Bhonsala Military School.
The other linkage is to Right wing Hindu group Abhinav Bharat -- a Pune based group revived by relatives of Veer Savarkar of which Major Upadhyay is a member.
And so is Sameer Kukarni, a Hindu activist from Bhopal. Abhinav Bharat openly professes a tit-for-tat policy when it come to terrorism.
Meanwhile, a team of policemen from Gujarat are in Mumbai to question accused sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, though initial investigations show neither she nor any of the Malegaon blast accused were involved in the Modasa blasts.
She has been taken to the Forensic Science Lab in Kalina where she's expected to undergo brain mapping and polygraph tests on Saturday. She has already gone through a narco test on Friday.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Brown's Daily Word 11-3-08
Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. Today our granddaughter Micah turns 3. We praise the Lord for her life. We thank Jesus for the way He has blessed us through her life. She loves Jesus. She loves to go to Sunday School and church. One of her favorite hymns is "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing". She has memorized most of the words of the hymn. One of her worship songs is "Indescribable" by Christ Tomlin (or Mr. Tomlin).
Praise the Lord for the first Sunday of November yesterday. The Lord blessed us. Some of our friends forgot to change the clocks Saturday night. They showed up at the regular time and realized much later that the time has changed. They said they had an extra hour for prayer and praise. One of the readings for yesterday was taken from Joshua 3. It is the story of the Israelites crossing the River Jordan during the flood stage.
For Christians today the crossing of the Jordan represents passing from one level of the Christian life to another. Canaan is a picture of entering into spiritual warfare to claim what God has promised. It was the very time that the Hebrew people were faced with tremendous difficulties and they knew that they were at the end of their own resources. That was when God would be able to show his power. It is never about what we can do; it is always about what the Lord is able to do. The apostle Paul said in Ephesians, (3:20) ”Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us”. Previously, under Moses' leadership, God had used “the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night” as symbols of his leading, presence, and protection. Now God has chosen to lead the people in a new way, by the “Ark of the Covenant.” The ark came to symbolize the presence and power of God with His people. The presence of the Ark represented the person and promises of God. Having it lead the way, pointed to the fact that as the people of Israel set out to cross the Jordan, to invade and possess the land, they must do so not in their own strength, but in God’s, for it was God Himself who was going before them as their source of victory. When we face times of crisis or when we need direction in life, we need to learn to be sensitive to the movement of the Lord in and around us. When God is at work among us and around us we cannot help but expect to hear the call to go forward. When God is at work, we are sometimes moved right out of our comfort zones into the path of new opportunities. “And Joshua said to the people, 'Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.' (6) Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, 'Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over before the people.' So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people. (7) And the LORD said to Joshua, 'This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. (8) You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan.’' “So Joshua said to the children of Israel, 'Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God.' (10) And Joshua said, 'By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites: (11) Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan. (12) Now therefore, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from every tribe. (13) And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.'" “So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, (15) and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), (16) that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. (17) Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.”
What faith it must have required for the priests to step out into the water. The priests were called upon to put one foot in front of the other and step in the water. Unless we are willing to step out on faith and get our feet wet, we are not likely to make much progress in those cross-over times of life. So as the priest followed in obedience, step by step, the river waters disappeared and they were walking on dry ground. Earlier, in the parting of the Red Sea, (Exodus 14 & 15) when Moses lifted his rod the water begin to part. When Israel crossed the Jordan River, it was not the obedient arm of the leader that brought the miracle but the obedient feet of the people. Most of us are not risk takers; we are people that are comfortable with our padded pews and predictability in serving the Lord. We don’t like it much when we are facing those defining moments, when God asks us to cross over. We, as humans, like to hold on to the familiar. God wants us to be people who are willing to grow and expand, and claim new territory. The most life-changing crossover is the moment we make the spiritual decision to open our hearts and lives to Jesus Christ, to recognize the destructiveness of our lives, and to turn to him and receive his forgiveness. Death is the ultimate crossover moment. The apostle Paul called it the last great enemy. The reality, however, is that Christ has promised us that he has taken the sting out of death. The victory is His. Christ walks through even “that” Jordan with us. Remember this as we stand to face our crossover moments, whatever they may be, as we are confronted and challenged with what is frightening but also thrilling in terms of opportunity. The end result of the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River was that God was magnified; Joshua was exalted (v. 5), the people were energized and motivated, and the people of Canaan were terrorized (1:9).
In Christ,
Brown
Praise the Lord for this new day. Today our granddaughter Micah turns 3. We praise the Lord for her life. We thank Jesus for the way He has blessed us through her life. She loves Jesus. She loves to go to Sunday School and church. One of her favorite hymns is "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing". She has memorized most of the words of the hymn. One of her worship songs is "Indescribable" by Christ Tomlin (or Mr. Tomlin).
Praise the Lord for the first Sunday of November yesterday. The Lord blessed us. Some of our friends forgot to change the clocks Saturday night. They showed up at the regular time and realized much later that the time has changed. They said they had an extra hour for prayer and praise. One of the readings for yesterday was taken from Joshua 3. It is the story of the Israelites crossing the River Jordan during the flood stage.
For Christians today the crossing of the Jordan represents passing from one level of the Christian life to another. Canaan is a picture of entering into spiritual warfare to claim what God has promised. It was the very time that the Hebrew people were faced with tremendous difficulties and they knew that they were at the end of their own resources. That was when God would be able to show his power. It is never about what we can do; it is always about what the Lord is able to do. The apostle Paul said in Ephesians, (3:20) ”Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us”. Previously, under Moses' leadership, God had used “the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night” as symbols of his leading, presence, and protection. Now God has chosen to lead the people in a new way, by the “Ark of the Covenant.” The ark came to symbolize the presence and power of God with His people. The presence of the Ark represented the person and promises of God. Having it lead the way, pointed to the fact that as the people of Israel set out to cross the Jordan, to invade and possess the land, they must do so not in their own strength, but in God’s, for it was God Himself who was going before them as their source of victory. When we face times of crisis or when we need direction in life, we need to learn to be sensitive to the movement of the Lord in and around us. When God is at work among us and around us we cannot help but expect to hear the call to go forward. When God is at work, we are sometimes moved right out of our comfort zones into the path of new opportunities. “And Joshua said to the people, 'Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.' (6) Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, 'Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over before the people.' So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people. (7) And the LORD said to Joshua, 'This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. (8) You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan.’' “So Joshua said to the children of Israel, 'Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God.' (10) And Joshua said, 'By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites: (11) Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan. (12) Now therefore, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from every tribe. (13) And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.'" “So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, (15) and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), (16) that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. (17) Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.”
What faith it must have required for the priests to step out into the water. The priests were called upon to put one foot in front of the other and step in the water. Unless we are willing to step out on faith and get our feet wet, we are not likely to make much progress in those cross-over times of life. So as the priest followed in obedience, step by step, the river waters disappeared and they were walking on dry ground. Earlier, in the parting of the Red Sea, (Exodus 14 & 15) when Moses lifted his rod the water begin to part. When Israel crossed the Jordan River, it was not the obedient arm of the leader that brought the miracle but the obedient feet of the people. Most of us are not risk takers; we are people that are comfortable with our padded pews and predictability in serving the Lord. We don’t like it much when we are facing those defining moments, when God asks us to cross over. We, as humans, like to hold on to the familiar. God wants us to be people who are willing to grow and expand, and claim new territory. The most life-changing crossover is the moment we make the spiritual decision to open our hearts and lives to Jesus Christ, to recognize the destructiveness of our lives, and to turn to him and receive his forgiveness. Death is the ultimate crossover moment. The apostle Paul called it the last great enemy. The reality, however, is that Christ has promised us that he has taken the sting out of death. The victory is His. Christ walks through even “that” Jordan with us. Remember this as we stand to face our crossover moments, whatever they may be, as we are confronted and challenged with what is frightening but also thrilling in terms of opportunity. The end result of the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River was that God was magnified; Joshua was exalted (v. 5), the people were energized and motivated, and the people of Canaan were terrorized (1:9).
In Christ,
Brown
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