Brown's Daily Word 10/6/17

    Praise the Lord for this awesome Autumn season.   Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year to capture the beauty of the Lord in His creation.  Colorful leaves, bright blue skies, and the changing of the seasons create vivid, colorful scenes that beg to be photographed.  In the words of John Donne, “No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face."  Further, in the words of Albert Camus, “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”  The colors are unfolding fast and furiously.  The mountains and the hills are aglow and very alive.  Praise the Lord!  He is the Lord of History.  Indeed, history is His story.  Alice and I have been driving around by the farms, orchards, hills, and meadows.  Praise the Lord for the abundance of harvest.  Praise the Lord for season of abundance.  Our garden is still full of fresh vegetables.  Praise the Lord that He is the Jehovah Jireh.  He provides.  He replenishes us with His abundance and magnanimity.  He is is exalted and Lifted on high.

    We are getting ready for worship this coming Lord's day.  We will meet for Sunday school at 9:30 AM and for worship at 10:30.  Our church is hosting a church wide dinner on Sunday the 15th of October following the morning worship. We are also hosting an evening Hymn sing on Sunday the 22nd of October at 6:00 PM.  We are excited about this evening of great singing of the great hymns of the church.  Come and join us.  There will be a reception following the hymn sing.  We will be serving very seasonal refreshments including donuts and apple cider.

    Praise the Lord for the way he calls us to life in Him, through Him, and because of Him.  Often this life is paved with blessings  and battles.. triumphs and tragedies.. glorious moments and gloomy moments...  We all journey through joys and sorrows, joys of triumph and the anguish of defeat.  One of the great blessings of the life in Christ is that He walks and talks with us.  He is our constant and eternal companion and He is provides the finest bread and choicest wines for the journey.  Hebrews 4:14-16 reminds us that Jesus, our Great High Priest, can sympathize with our weaknesses as the man of sorrows.

    Andrew Peterson depicted this cry of lament well in his song, "The Silence of God."

"And if a man has got to listen to the voices of the mob
Who are reeling in the throes of all the happiness they've got
When they tell you all their troubles have been nailed up to that cross
Then what about the times when even followers get lost?
'Cause we all get lost sometimes …

"There's a statue of Jesus on a monastery knoll
In the hills of Kentucky, all quiet and cold
And he's kneeling in the garden, as silent as a stone
All his friends are sleeping, and he's weeping all alone …

"And the man of all sorrows, he never forgot
What sorrow is carried by the hearts that he bought
So when the questions dissolve into the silence of God
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not
In the holy, lonesome echo of the silence of God …"

    The beautiful thing is that even while we will feel this way there is rock solid truth to cling to, reminding us of the God who never leaves us or forsakes us.  Psalm 42:1 is the cry of any true believer.  This is an image of an animal in drought and, like such an animal, we have a desperate longing.  We love God, and his love has been poured into our hearts by the Spirit (Rom. 5:5).  There is a yearning for God deep in our souls that is being expressed (like in Psalm 84, where the psalmist yearns for God and says a day in his courts is better than a thousand elsewhere). The psalmist's soul—his inner being, the essence of who he is—deeply desires to meet with God in the sanctuary of the temple.  (Notice the psalmist refers to God 21 times in very personal ways, referring to him also as "my salvation [or Savior]," "my rock," and "Lord.")

    Two of the powerful Psalms that I love to read and reflect upon is Psalm  42 and   43, which speak of oppression and taunting from people around the psalmist David.  It would have been enough even if all he faced was the sense of God's absence, but his grief was heightened by the taunts of others (as Psalm 42:3 says, "People say to me all day long, 'Where is your God?'".  It is astounding that the psalmist prays this way and makes known his woes to the Lord, but this is instructive for our prayer lives.  It instructs that we can rightly bring our sorrows before the Lord.  He is there to hear our prayers, and he allows us to leave our anxieties and cares at his feet.  What we need when we are needy is God.  The psalmist, though in lament, is not in despair.  He deliberately turns his mind to God's grace and faithfulness and covenant.  It is here we come to remembrance.

     Let us make our requests known to God and cast our cares upon him.  As we do so, there are promises that he will care for us.  His peace will guard our hearts as we dwell on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Phil. 4:6-8). We must consciously, forcefully remember God, his character, and his work on our behalf. In verse four, the psalmist remembers what it is like to worship the living God. He remembers the love of God that remains with him and directs him (v. 8) and God's truth that leads him home to worship God, the joy of all his joys (43:3-4). Amid pain and sorrow, we  remember : God is sovereign, loving, and in the midst of our sorrows. He has spoken to us definitively, decisively, and directly in his Word.  We are invited to Hope in God! Wait for God! Hope is confident expectation based on the truth that we have. This is no mindless meditation: a closing of the eyes or a passive twiddling of the thumbs. Rather, we are to engage in ongoing, expectant, straining anticipation for God's deliverance. This is a spiritually aggressive confidence that God will act and show himself faithful, based on past performance and future grace seen in his promises.

     We hope in God because of his character and attributes.  He is merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, holy, just, exerting wrath toward sin.  He is for, not against, those who are in Christ.  Christ is infinite in power, worth, and perfection, all-knowing, everywhere-present, unchanging in character, our rock and salvation, sovereign over all things, Creator, sustainer, altogether great, and altogether good.  In the history of redemption, he has created all things and shown grace to humanity again and again.  In His grace He gave a child to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, brought 10 plagues upon the mighty Egyptians, parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to walk across, provided food and drink for Israel in the wilderness, defeated nations, made the sun stand still, disciplined his people for their sin, brought them back to the land in his mercy, and brought his Son Jesus Christ as the way and truth and life and the only means of salvation, propitiation, expiation, redemption, and reconciliation with God.

    Jesus has given his Spirit to His  church and promised a coming day when all will be made right, when he will dwell with his people forever, and there will be no more sorrow, sickness, tears, or death.

In Christ,

 Brown

https://youtu.be/e8HgAVenbUU

Brown's Daily Word 10/6/17

"Let there be glory and honor and praises, glory and honor to Jesus. Glory, honor, glory and honor to Him." "Keep your light shining brightly as the darkness covers the earth. For a people that walk in darkness They shall see, they shall see a great light" In a world of darkness Jesus shines brightly. In a world of chaos and confusion He is the Christ. In a world of sin and sadness He is the Savior. In a world filled with wars and rumors of wars He is the Captain who has never lost a battle. He is the Lord of the hosts. We live under His grace and serve Him under His authority.

The Lord blessed us with an awesome and stunning Autumn season thus far. My brother Patel and my first cousin Amos are visiting us from India. We are spending some beautiful times with them. We spent a few days in Washington, DC with Sunita, Andy, Gabe, Addie and Asha. We were blessed with some spectacular weather for sight seeing in our Nation's Capitol. We have had a brief interlude of cold nights. It is otherwise looking like a lingering summer. Our garden is still prolific with beans, peppers, Swiss chard, onions, beets, and potatoes. Alice has been busy canning. She made over 30 jars of peach jam/ peaches from our own tree. Praise the Lord for His abundance and prodigality. We are so blessed.

Our Nation has been struck by the barbaric massacre that shattered the lives of so many this week. In the midst of massive grief and loss the Lord brings out the best in so many who step out to serve with great self abandon and sacrifice. In the midst of the abyss of darkness the Lord of Light shines on His people and through them as His candles of hope and grace. In the face of great demonic acts the Lord raises His people to move out to serve. The churches in the area were filled with praying and worshipping people. Countless people gave with generosity to bless the families of the victims. America is a city built on a hill. America is filled with people of good will and generosity. America is the home of the brave and free. May Jesus continue to bless America and the world. We need to beware of the trials, tragedies, and tribulations that come to all of us. There is no way that a human being living in a troubled world, in troublesome times can avoid real trouble.

In poetic language, the psalmist in Psalm 46 described the way trouble can come. He spoke about the earth being removed, and the mountains being carried into the midst of the sea. . . “though the waters thereof roar and be troubled.” Here he spoke about the trouble which comes with the sheer fury of a storm. What do you do when trouble comes with a fury of a storm from every angle? In the end of Psalms 46:3, he says, “Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.” Here you have a picture of everything shaking, with the swelling of the flood and everything being absolutely overwhelmed. “God Is Our Refuge and Strength, a very present Help in trouble.”

There are things outlined for us in Psalms 46 that we should do when troubles come into our lives. We are called to realize when trouble comes that God is a Refuge for His people. This suggests to us the idea of something like the Cities of Refuge that they had in the Old Testament. We can read about them in the book of Numbers. God, who gave instructions for the building of His ideal nation in Israel, insisted that they should have certain cities dotted around that land that were “Cities of Refuge.” In the Cities of Refuge, there was a touch of mercy. This is the picture that we have of God being a Refuge who is continually available to His people. The Lord Jesus Himself said that all of us who are weary, and heavy laden must come to Him and He will give us rest. There is no way trouble can come into a person’s life — however overwhelming it might be —which can be greater than the strength of God to enable you to survive it. There is no way trouble can come your way outside the permissive will of God!

Satan can throw all the forces of Hell at you, but God is your strength. The Risen Lord is more than adequate to our deepest needs. Not only is God our refuge and our strength, but God is “a very present help” in trouble. We must realize that God is resident among His people. Verse 4: “There is a river, the streams whereof, make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved.” The term “The City of God,” as far as the psalmist was concerned, was a picture that he loved to use of Mount Zion — his favorite place. Mount Zion was the place where The Temple was going to be. Mount Zion was the place where the Tabernacle of the Most High was going to be.

I run to God as my Refuge and I come to Christ, who opens His arms, and who says, “Come unto Me all ye who are weary and heavy laden” and at the same time I relate to Christ who, by His Holy Spirit, is in me. I say, “What a joy the Lord is actually resident in me! This old body of mine, this old mind of mine, this old house of mine is cracking at the foundation. Under pressure the floods are coming, the earthquake is coming, the storm is coming, but the glorious thing about it is this: God is resident within me!”

Psalms 46:11 repeats the same verse. “The Lord of hosts is with us!” The most High is in the midst of us, and I remember that the Lord of Hosts is with us. That helps me to get the whole scene of my trouble into perspective. Not only do I see the God of purpose seated on the Throne above all thrones acting on “my behalf”, but I also see that God has unbelievable power “alive” in might within the very context of my life, and that’s where trouble gets into perspective.

Psalms 46:4, “There is a river, the streams thereof shall make glad the city of God.” It is a vast river with many, many tributaries. God’s a Refuge, God’s a Resident, God’s a River”. God is resident; the City of God is immovable. Psalm 46:5 says, “God is in the midst of her, or within her, she will not fall.” What a God we serve! 
In Him,
Brown
https://youtu.be/-8mZpGj29qw

Brown's Daily Word 9/18/17

    The Lord of all ages and Eternity, yet the Lord of our days and our lives, blessed us with one of "the Ten best days" yesterday.  It was sunny, stunning, super, and, best of all, it was Sunday, the Day of the Lord.  Sunday is called, "the little Easter".  I was privileged to celebrate my 70th birthday on a such fabulous, fantastic, and brilliant day.  The Lord blessed in His House with His joy, laughter, and grace.  It is always a thrill and blessing to be in the Lord's house.  I praise the Lord that I was able to preach on my 70th birthday.  We were blessed with very special music. There was a banquet  with assortments of tantalizing foods.  Best of all there was wonderful fellowship.  I was reading the temperature on one of the outdoor signs. It was reading in the high 80's.  I said, "this is my kind of day". 

    Alice and I drove in the afternoon to enjoy the panoramic colors and brilliant autumn.  We walked in the evening for over a mile.  It was all refreshing and exhilarating.  Praise the Lord for all of you who took time to extend and express your love and affection on my birthday.  I heard from so many from around the corner and around the globe.  I was deeply moved and pleasantly overwhelmed by the depth of your love and affection.  Thank you for your telephone calls, cards, and gifts.  In the late evening I had calls from our older grandchildren from Boston,  and I talked with them half an hour each.  It was  sweet and beautiful.  They are becoming quite the conversationalists.  Praise the Lord for each and every one of you.  "I thank my God at every remembrance of you."  This is my desire - to honor Him and serve and run the race well.  Praise the Lord for your faithful intercession on my behalf over these years.  I am the recipient of His grace and love.

    From time to time I go back to the Book of Esther, which is a strange book.  It doesn't even mention the name of God anywhere in the entire book.  You find in it no miracles, no prophets showing up to deliver God's word, there are no plagues sent from heaven.  There is not one prayer breathed anywhere in this book.  As a result, it has been largely ignored, sometimes altogether disregarded.  If you go to The Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem, Esther is the one book from the entire Old Testament that isn't found—not even a fragment—in the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Qumran community.  John Calvin didn't include Esther in his biblical commentaries, and he only referenced it once in the Institutes.  Yet, although God may seem to be completely absent from the book, we are stunnned and provoked by the powerful and memorable verse where Mordecai tells Easther, "You've come to the kingdom for such a time as this, it's time for you to stand up and to be counted and to make a decision."  The name "Esther" is a corruption of the name of a false deity.  She doesn't admit she's a Jew.  She and Mordecai have grown so comfortable in Persia that even though under the decree of Cyrus which permitted the Jews to return back to their homeland, they don't go.  She never seems to pray. She joins the harem.  She is so enticing, alluring, and appealing.

    We  can relate to Esther's imperfections and compromises.  Sometimes we get to the place where we have to trust God that he's going to use us in spite of our broken past.  As Scripture reveals, Esther was not of impeccable character.  Though she was a gorgeous young woman, she was not of the character that she ought to have.  She's not characterized as a woman of prayer or of the Word. Although she was chosen to be the queen, her life was, for want of a better word, messy.  I've learned this after years of living and pastoring that everybody's lives are messy.  Praise the Lord for His sovereign grace, power, and mercy over our messes and compromises.

 The reality  and the truth are that we often don't live life well until our lives are challenged, maybe even tormented.  We are far less open to God when we think we have it all together, when we think somehow we have accomplished, achieved, or  attained what we desire.  But we need to trust that God will use us, but not because of what we have done, not because of our goodness.  God uses us  in spite of our broken past.  Not only that, we have to trust that he will use us  in spite of our imperfections.

     Again in the book of Esther God is not explicitly seen.  He is not mentioned. There is no prayer to him—even when Esther decides that she's going to do what she can to go to the king and save her people.  She tells Mordecai to tell all the Jews to fast, although she does not hasten to add, "And pray"?  God is simply hidden, as though the author is intentionally keeping God obscured, eclipsed, hiding in the shadows.  Yet, just because we don't see God in Esther does not mean he's not there.  We need to learn to trust that God is with us in spite of our dim vision.  Sometimes our vision will be dimmed by our own sinfulness, sometimes by circumstances, sometimes by the pain and grief that envelop  us . But God does some of his best work in the shadows, hidden from view, obscured by the dim vision of those whom he is dealing with. 

    For every Daniel who sees a clear vision of the Son of Man, there must be a thousand Esthers who come stumbling, staggering, reluctantly dragged into the will of God by desperation and a lack of alternatives.  I have often found myself in the same situation.  I have nothing else to do. There's nowhere else for me to go. The choice for me is true, complete, and utter failure or potential failure but trusting in God.  Then I turn to him and I say, "Lord, I don't understand why this stuff has happened, I don't understand how you are at work, I don't understand why you've allowed this grief into my life.  I don't know, Lord, why you allowed me to make bad choices.  I don't know any of that but I know I have nowhere else to go."  That's the God we serve.  He is the same God who has brought us through everything in our lives—our failures, tragedies, grief, bad decisions, and sinful choices.  He has brought us  to this moment so that we  may come to him in our imperfect place and with our broken past, so that we can know that the King of Kings holds out not a golden scepter but a bloody cross, and see that he is not hidden in the shadows but on his throne.

In Christ,

 Brown

https://youtu.be/HlD3Gaq4cN0