Good Morning.
Praise the Lord for His riches of grace and glory. In Ephesians, Chapter 1:7-14, we are reminded about our place in the heart of the Lord, and our place in His eternal and perfect plans. In Him we live, move, and have our being. In Him we have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him, with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having also believed, were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.
Although it isn't clear from the English translation, the Greek text of Ephesians 1:3-14 is made up of one very long run-on sentence. Paul started this sentence in verse 3 with the phrase: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Then he proceeded to tell us what God has done. He did not stop to take a breath, but continued on until the end of verse 14. He could not stop talking about God. He spoke of all three members of the Godhead - the Father who planned our salvation from eternity past, the Son who accomplished our salvation on the cross, and the Spirit who signed, sealed and delivered us in our new relationship.
It was in the spring of 1844 when a young German scholar made a most remarkable discovery. His name was Konstanin Von Tischendorf and he had been traveling through the Middle East. He came one night to an old Greek Orthodox monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai. Knocking upon the door, he was invited in by the Russian monks who lived there and invited to spend the night. It was bitterly cold in the desert and the monks has baskets of old dry cordwood and vellum to throw into the fire place. Tischendorf was warming his hands at the fire when his eyes caught sight of one of the pieces of vellum and he did a double take. This particular piece of vellum had writing on it. Tischendorf had benefited from a classical education and he recognized the writing as a part of the Greek Bible. He began digging through the baskets of refuse and came up with 129 pages of what was to be the oldest manuscript of the Bible to be discovered up to that time.
The monks could see that he was excited and they became cautious. When he asked if he could take the manuscript with him, they allowed him to take only 43 of the 129 pages. The rest of the manuscript was sent to Mother Russia where it remained until after the Communist Revolution. It was not until 1933 that the Russian Communists, having no use for old copies of the Bible, agreed to sell the Codex Sinaiticus to Great Britain for a price of 100,000 pounds - one of the most expensive books in the world.
In Him we have redemption through His blood (Ephesians 1:7-8). This is what Christ has done for us. He came into this world of sin, and He paid the ultimate price for us - His own blood shed on our behalf. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.
In the 1930's, millionaire John D. Rockefeller used to dress up in a suit and a top hat and have his picture taken giving some poor boy a dime. A dime was a lot of money in those days. It would be the equivalent of $10 today. But even so, the most that could be said of Rockefeller is that he was giving OUT of the abundance of his riches. However, if he had gone to one of those boys and had purchased for him a mansion in the country and given him a chauffeur-driven limousine, then it could be said that he was giving ACCORDING TO his riches.
That is the way God has saved us. He redeemed us, not merely out of His riches, but according to His riches. How rich is God? How much grace does He possess? His is an inexhaustible supply. All of God's attributes are of infinite measure, so that if He has graced us according to the riches of His grace, then He has graced us very richly indeed.
Dr. Stanley Livingston had a medical condition in which he was required to drink goat's milk. He was visited one day by a tribal king and he noticed that the king was eyeing his goat. Livingston felt led of the Lord to give the goat as a gift to the king and, in return, the king presented him with the staff that he was carrying. Later that day, Livingston confided in a friend, "I don't know what I was thinking. How could I have been so foolish as to give my goat away. I don't know what I shall do with this stick." His friend replied, "You don't understand. That isn't a stick. It is a scepter. You don't just own one goat. Now you own all the goats in the tribe." The Lord has given us an inheritance. It is a scepter, and we have been walking around thinking that it is just a stick.
"In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth." (Ephesians 1:8b-10)
God has a plan for the universe. History is moving toward a goal. We do not have to guess at either the plan or the goal. It has been made known to us. Verse 9 says that "He made known to us the mystery of His will." We have the whole story. We have the beginning of the story in the Old Testament. We have the middle of the story in the coming of Christ and in His death and His burial and resurrection. We even had the end of the story, for we have His promise that one day He shall return. It will be at that time - the fullness of the times - that we shall experience the summing up of all things in Christ (1:10). When Christ returns, the entire universe - things in the heavens and things upon the earth - shall be brought into conformity and into submission to Him.
"In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:10b-12). We have an inheritance. Notice the use of the present tense. We are not merely heirs of a future inheritance. It awaits us as a present possession in the heavenlies. It is an inheritance that has been awaiting us for a very long time. It has been awaiting us since before we were saved. Before we were even born... "before the foundation of the world." ...You were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13b-14).
We are described as God's own special possession. We are a trophy of His grace. We are God's, not only because He created us in the first place, but especially because He purchased us.
The story is told of a little boy who built a toy sailboat. He loved that sailboat. It held a special place in his bedroom and he would imagine sailing on exciting adventures with his toy boat. One day, he was down and the lake and put the boat in the water when the wind changed and, much to his dismay, his boat was swept away. A few months later he was walking down the street and saw the same sailboat in the window of a pawn shop. "That's my boat!" he told the pawn shop owner. "It may have been your boat," replied the owner, "but it's mine now and it will cost you twenty dollars." The little boy went home and collected and saved until he had $20.00 and then he went back to the pawn shop and purchased the boat. "Little sailboat," he said, "You are mine. I made you and then I bought you back. You're twice mine."
The Lord is our Maker. He not only made us, He also bought us and paid for us. We are twice His. We are doubly blessed.
In His Blessings.
Brown
Weight Loss - Old Testament Style
The teacher in the bible class asked a woman to read from the Book of Numbers about the Israelites wandering in the desert.
"The Lord heard you when you wailed, "If only we had meat to eat!" she began. "Now the Lord will give you meat. You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, or ten or twenty days, but for a month until you loathe it."
The woman paused, looked up and said.... "Hey, isn't that the Atkins diet?"
Liberal Tendencies
A YOUNG woman teacher with obvious liberal tendencies explains to her class of small children that she is an atheist. She asks her class if they are atheists too. Not really knowing what atheism is but wanting to be like their teacher, their hands explode into the air like fleshy fireworks.
There is, however, one exception. A beautiful girl named Lucy has not gone along with the crowd. The teacher asks her why she has decided to be different.
"Because I'm not an atheist."
Then, asks the teacher, "What are you?"
"I'm a Christian."
The teacher is a little perturbed now, her face slightly red. She asks Lucy why she is a Christian.
"Well, I was brought up knowing and loving Jesus. My mom is a Christian, and my dad is a Christian, so I am a Christian."
The teacher is now angry. "That's no reason," she says loudly.
"What if your mom was a moron, and your dad was a moron. What would you be then?"
She paused, and smiled. "Then," says Lucy, "I'd be an atheist."
Monday, October 8, 2007
Brown's Daily Word 10-11-07
Good Morning.
Praise the Lord for His amazing grace that is fresh every morning. He gives us the measure of grace we need to meet the demands of what is happening in our lives at the moment. He does not give us grace for what might happen tomorrow; that would be tomorrow's grace. He gives us grace to meet the demands of our lives from moment to moment so that we would learn dependence upon Him.
The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11.9-10, "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.'" His grace is only experienced when we reach the end of our ability and move into total dependence upon Him.
7-9, "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you'".
Paul knew the joy of the forgiveness of sins. He knew what it was like to be used of God and to have his prayers answered by God. Yet, in this one prayer, God's answer to the Apostle Paul was in effect, "Paul, you're going to have to suffer and yet stay faithful to me. You're going to have to persevere on in the midst of everything that is wrong with your life. But, Paul, My grace is sufficient and I will see you through all of this.¨ Being a Christian will not always guarantee that your life will be forever blissful and problem free.
Isaiah 43:1a,c-3 reads, "But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior." "When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him." Isaiah 59:19b God's promise, in the midst of everything that is going wrong in your life, is: "My grace is sufficient;I will see you through this thing."
Romans 8:35-37 "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.' Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."
II Corinthians 11:9: "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities-ties, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
God's refusal to take away Paul's trouble was the motivation for Paul to seek the Lord more earnestly, to depend upon Him more fully, and to trust him more completely. When events occur in our lives His desire is just the same for us as it was for Apostle Paul. The Lord wants to draw us nearer to Himself. He wants to make Himself more real to us and to anoint our lives in a way that can happen only when we are completely dependent upon Him.
Hebrews 4:15,16 "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Psalm 50:15 "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." Psalm 91:14-16 "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation."
Jeremiah 29:12-14 "Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord."
Grace is an attribute of God. It is part of who He is. He always acts out of His character, and His character does not change: Malachi 3:6a "For I am the LORD; I do not change." Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Since God is consistent and constant, so also is His grace.
Isaiah 58:11 "The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Paul is proudly proclaiming his faith that the Lord will always be there and that He will be all that he will ever need. Apostle Paul's faith in God's grace is echoed over and over again in his writings. As the hour of his death approached Apostle Paul continued to affirm his faith in the Grace of God to see him through.
2 Timothy 4:5-8 "But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing."
In His Grace.
Brown
Oh, the fullness, pleasure, sheer excitement of knowing God on Earth! I care not if I never raise my voice again for Him, if only I may love Him, please Him. Mayhap in mercy He shall give me a host of children that I may lead them through the vast star fields to explore His delicacies whose finger ends set them to burning. But if not, if only I may see Him, touch His garments, smile into His eyes -- ah then, not stars nor children shall matter, only Himself.
... Jim Elliot
Rules for teachers in 1915
Rules for teachers in 1915
1. You will not marry during the term of your contract.
2. You are not to keep company with men.
3. You must be home between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless attending a school function.
4. You may not loiter downtown in ice cream stores.
5. You may not travel beyond city limits unless you have the permission of the chairman of the board.
6. You may not ride in a carriage or automobile with any man unless he is your father or brother.
7. You may not smoke cigarettes.
8. You may not dress in bright colors.
9. You may under no circumstances dye your hair.
10. You must wear at least two petticoats.
11. Your dresses must not be any shorter than two inches above the ankle.
12. To keep the school room neat and clean, you must:
* sweep the floor at least once daily
* scrub the floor at least once a week with hot, soapy water
* clean the blackboards at least once a day
* start the fire at 7 a.m. so the room will be warm by 8 a.m.
Praise the Lord for His amazing grace that is fresh every morning. He gives us the measure of grace we need to meet the demands of what is happening in our lives at the moment. He does not give us grace for what might happen tomorrow; that would be tomorrow's grace. He gives us grace to meet the demands of our lives from moment to moment so that we would learn dependence upon Him.
The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11.9-10, "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.'" His grace is only experienced when we reach the end of our ability and move into total dependence upon Him.
7-9, "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you'".
Paul knew the joy of the forgiveness of sins. He knew what it was like to be used of God and to have his prayers answered by God. Yet, in this one prayer, God's answer to the Apostle Paul was in effect, "Paul, you're going to have to suffer and yet stay faithful to me. You're going to have to persevere on in the midst of everything that is wrong with your life. But, Paul, My grace is sufficient and I will see you through all of this.¨ Being a Christian will not always guarantee that your life will be forever blissful and problem free.
Isaiah 43:1a,c-3 reads, "But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior." "When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him." Isaiah 59:19b God's promise, in the midst of everything that is going wrong in your life, is: "My grace is sufficient;I will see you through this thing."
Romans 8:35-37 "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.' Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."
II Corinthians 11:9: "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities-ties, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
God's refusal to take away Paul's trouble was the motivation for Paul to seek the Lord more earnestly, to depend upon Him more fully, and to trust him more completely. When events occur in our lives His desire is just the same for us as it was for Apostle Paul. The Lord wants to draw us nearer to Himself. He wants to make Himself more real to us and to anoint our lives in a way that can happen only when we are completely dependent upon Him.
Hebrews 4:15,16 "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Psalm 50:15 "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." Psalm 91:14-16 "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation."
Jeremiah 29:12-14 "Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord."
Grace is an attribute of God. It is part of who He is. He always acts out of His character, and His character does not change: Malachi 3:6a "For I am the LORD; I do not change." Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Since God is consistent and constant, so also is His grace.
Isaiah 58:11 "The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Paul is proudly proclaiming his faith that the Lord will always be there and that He will be all that he will ever need. Apostle Paul's faith in God's grace is echoed over and over again in his writings. As the hour of his death approached Apostle Paul continued to affirm his faith in the Grace of God to see him through.
2 Timothy 4:5-8 "But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing."
In His Grace.
Brown
Oh, the fullness, pleasure, sheer excitement of knowing God on Earth! I care not if I never raise my voice again for Him, if only I may love Him, please Him. Mayhap in mercy He shall give me a host of children that I may lead them through the vast star fields to explore His delicacies whose finger ends set them to burning. But if not, if only I may see Him, touch His garments, smile into His eyes -- ah then, not stars nor children shall matter, only Himself.
... Jim Elliot
Rules for teachers in 1915
Rules for teachers in 1915
1. You will not marry during the term of your contract.
2. You are not to keep company with men.
3. You must be home between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless attending a school function.
4. You may not loiter downtown in ice cream stores.
5. You may not travel beyond city limits unless you have the permission of the chairman of the board.
6. You may not ride in a carriage or automobile with any man unless he is your father or brother.
7. You may not smoke cigarettes.
8. You may not dress in bright colors.
9. You may under no circumstances dye your hair.
10. You must wear at least two petticoats.
11. Your dresses must not be any shorter than two inches above the ankle.
12. To keep the school room neat and clean, you must:
* sweep the floor at least once daily
* scrub the floor at least once a week with hot, soapy water
* clean the blackboards at least once a day
* start the fire at 7 a.m. so the room will be warm by 8 a.m.
Brown's Daily Word 10-10-07
Good Morning.
Praise the Lord for this new day. Praise the Lord for the way He is all-knowing and all-powerful. He knows our names. He sees every tear drop. He hears when we call. He knows our every thought. We can not wear any masks before Him.
Paul, a great servant of the Lord, was transparent in his writings and in his proclamation of the Gospel. We see his self-disclosure in his writings. He is like King David, who was very transparent in his victories and in his defeats, in his rejoicings and in his sufferings, in his temptations and in his triumphs. In 2 Corinthians Paul discloses about the suffering that persisted in him; it became chronic.
The late great psychiatrist and author, Dr. Louis Edward Bisch (1885 - 1963), once said, "Illness knocks a lot of nonsense out of us; it induces humility, cuts us down to our own size. It enables us to throw a searchlight upon our inner selves and to discover how often we have rationalized our failures and weaknesses, dodged vital issues and run skulkingly away. For only when the way straightens and the gate grows narrow, do some people discover their soul, their God, or their life work. Even pain confers spiritual insight, a beauty of outlook, a philosophy of life, an understanding and forgiveness of humanity - in short, a quality of peace and serenity. Suffering is a cleansing fire that chars away much of the meanness, triviality, and restlessness of so-called ’health.’
The late great English poet, John Milton (1608 - 1674), declared "Who best can suffer, best can do." The proof is his work entitled, ’Paradise Lost,’ written after he was stricken blind."
Paul reminds us of the ailment he suffered, the ’thorn in the flesh.’ Commentators have been speculating for centuries on what this ailment might have been, but it doesn’t really matter. What matters is the effect it had on Paul and the reason it was given to him. Why was it given to him? "To keep me from being too elated (or conceited)." (12:7)
If you think about it, Paul had more reason than most to be conceited. He had more converts than almost anyone. He had certainly started more churches. He was a great teacher and evangelist, despite what his opponents in Corinth said. However, conceit, or pride, and Christian ministry just don’t go together. Our model is Jesus Christ who humbled himself to become a servant. The word commonly used for Christian ministry means service, that is, what a servant or a slave does.
God sent Paul this thorn to keep him humble. But notice at the same time that he describes it as a messenger of Satan. He obviously saw this thorn as something that was stopping him from doing all he could in the spread of the gospel. This was Satan doing what he could to hold Paul back. So he must have been doubly confused when God didn’t remove it.
You may have experienced something like this. Something happens that Satan obviously has a hand in, that is damaging to the kingdom or to the work of the gospel. Yet, God seems to let it continue, even when you pray about it. Maybe something is happening to us in a situation similar to what happened to Paul here. Even when he prayed that God would take it away, God said ’No.’ Whatever it was, it must have been bad, because he says he pleaded with God to have it removed. But look at what God’s answer was: "My grace is sufficient for you, for power (or my power) is made perfect in weakness." Paul may not have wanted to hear that answer. None of us want to hear that we will have to persevere in the face of suffering. He needed to hear it, however.
We need to hear the same message. That’s how we think, isn’t it? We will say to ourselves, "I have to work harder if I’m to see fruit." We’re no different from our secular friends in that respect, are we? We think that the harder we work the more results will come, and that the smarter we are the better results will be. (Or the more spiritual we are. Or the more disciplined. etc.) All of those things are good character traits to cultivate. But they don’t determine the success of our ministries. How will your ministry grow? How will my ministry grow? By God’s grace. God’s power, in fact will be shown to be perfect by our weakness.
By the way, notice that God’s grace is shown through our weakness. It isn’t that one follows the other. You will occasionally hear people talk about the need to go through a wilderness experience before you experience the heights of God’s power at work within you. It’s as though they are reading this as saying that first Paul experienced his thorn in the flesh, then when he called on God he began to experience God’s power again. But that’s not what he’s saying at all. He continued to experience the weakness of this ailment, but his weakness only served to show just how great the power of God is. How was that power shown? It was demonstrated through people being converted. It wasn’t that Paul was a great evangelist, as much as that when he shared the gospel, God was at work exercising his power through Paul’s weak words.
Here’s what makes the claims of Paul’s opponents so stupid. They thought he was a poor speaker, but they failed to realize that it didn’t matter. God was at work in him, showing his greatness by using those weak words to bring people to faith. Instead they would have done better to join Paul in rejoicing at his weakness, rejoicing that the God we worship is powerful to save and powerful to take our weak efforts and do miracles through us. In fact, I would like to look at chapter 3:1-3 to see how Paul knew that his weakness was not a hindrance to the gospel: "Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Surely we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all; and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."
Here’s the point of all this: when we think about our ability to serve the Lord , when we think about how useful we might be to the cause of the gospel, how successful we think we would be in sharing the gospel with someone, let us stop and first think about how powerful God is. Think about how the Lord in His grace could use our puny efforts if we let Him.
In Christ.
Brown
The sorest afflictions never appear intolerable, but when we see them in the wrong light: when we see them in the hand of God, Who dispenses them; when we know that it is our loving Father who abases and distresses us; our sufferings will lose their bitterness and become even a matter of consolation.
... Brother Lawrence
Why should men love the Church? Why should they love her laws?
She tells them of Life and Death, and of all they would forget.
She is tender where they would be hard, and hard where they like to be soft.
She tells them of Evil and Sin, and other unpleasant facts.
They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
By dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good.
... T. S. Eliot
"How Gullible Are We?"
A number of years ago a freshman at Eagle Rock Junior High won first prize at the Greater Idaho Falls Science Fair. He was attempting to show how conditioned we have become to alarmists practicing junk science and spreading fear of everything in our environment. In his project he urged people to sign a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical "dihydrogen monoxide."
And, for plenty of good reasons, since:
1. it can cause excessive sweating and vomiting
2. it is a major component in acid rain
3. it can cause severe burns in its gaseous state
4. accidental inhalation can kill you
5. it contributes to erosion
6. it decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes
7. it has been found in tumors of terminal cancer patients
He asked 50 people if they supported a ban of the chemical.
Forty three (43) said yes,
six (6) were undecided,
and only one (1) knew that the chemical was.
Dihydrogen monoxide is water!
The title of his prize winning project: "How Gullible Are We?"
Praise the Lord for this new day. Praise the Lord for the way He is all-knowing and all-powerful. He knows our names. He sees every tear drop. He hears when we call. He knows our every thought. We can not wear any masks before Him.
Paul, a great servant of the Lord, was transparent in his writings and in his proclamation of the Gospel. We see his self-disclosure in his writings. He is like King David, who was very transparent in his victories and in his defeats, in his rejoicings and in his sufferings, in his temptations and in his triumphs. In 2 Corinthians Paul discloses about the suffering that persisted in him; it became chronic.
The late great psychiatrist and author, Dr. Louis Edward Bisch (1885 - 1963), once said, "Illness knocks a lot of nonsense out of us; it induces humility, cuts us down to our own size. It enables us to throw a searchlight upon our inner selves and to discover how often we have rationalized our failures and weaknesses, dodged vital issues and run skulkingly away. For only when the way straightens and the gate grows narrow, do some people discover their soul, their God, or their life work. Even pain confers spiritual insight, a beauty of outlook, a philosophy of life, an understanding and forgiveness of humanity - in short, a quality of peace and serenity. Suffering is a cleansing fire that chars away much of the meanness, triviality, and restlessness of so-called ’health.’
The late great English poet, John Milton (1608 - 1674), declared "Who best can suffer, best can do." The proof is his work entitled, ’Paradise Lost,’ written after he was stricken blind."
Paul reminds us of the ailment he suffered, the ’thorn in the flesh.’ Commentators have been speculating for centuries on what this ailment might have been, but it doesn’t really matter. What matters is the effect it had on Paul and the reason it was given to him. Why was it given to him? "To keep me from being too elated (or conceited)." (12:7)
If you think about it, Paul had more reason than most to be conceited. He had more converts than almost anyone. He had certainly started more churches. He was a great teacher and evangelist, despite what his opponents in Corinth said. However, conceit, or pride, and Christian ministry just don’t go together. Our model is Jesus Christ who humbled himself to become a servant. The word commonly used for Christian ministry means service, that is, what a servant or a slave does.
God sent Paul this thorn to keep him humble. But notice at the same time that he describes it as a messenger of Satan. He obviously saw this thorn as something that was stopping him from doing all he could in the spread of the gospel. This was Satan doing what he could to hold Paul back. So he must have been doubly confused when God didn’t remove it.
You may have experienced something like this. Something happens that Satan obviously has a hand in, that is damaging to the kingdom or to the work of the gospel. Yet, God seems to let it continue, even when you pray about it. Maybe something is happening to us in a situation similar to what happened to Paul here. Even when he prayed that God would take it away, God said ’No.’ Whatever it was, it must have been bad, because he says he pleaded with God to have it removed. But look at what God’s answer was: "My grace is sufficient for you, for power (or my power) is made perfect in weakness." Paul may not have wanted to hear that answer. None of us want to hear that we will have to persevere in the face of suffering. He needed to hear it, however.
We need to hear the same message. That’s how we think, isn’t it? We will say to ourselves, "I have to work harder if I’m to see fruit." We’re no different from our secular friends in that respect, are we? We think that the harder we work the more results will come, and that the smarter we are the better results will be. (Or the more spiritual we are. Or the more disciplined. etc.) All of those things are good character traits to cultivate. But they don’t determine the success of our ministries. How will your ministry grow? How will my ministry grow? By God’s grace. God’s power, in fact will be shown to be perfect by our weakness.
By the way, notice that God’s grace is shown through our weakness. It isn’t that one follows the other. You will occasionally hear people talk about the need to go through a wilderness experience before you experience the heights of God’s power at work within you. It’s as though they are reading this as saying that first Paul experienced his thorn in the flesh, then when he called on God he began to experience God’s power again. But that’s not what he’s saying at all. He continued to experience the weakness of this ailment, but his weakness only served to show just how great the power of God is. How was that power shown? It was demonstrated through people being converted. It wasn’t that Paul was a great evangelist, as much as that when he shared the gospel, God was at work exercising his power through Paul’s weak words.
Here’s what makes the claims of Paul’s opponents so stupid. They thought he was a poor speaker, but they failed to realize that it didn’t matter. God was at work in him, showing his greatness by using those weak words to bring people to faith. Instead they would have done better to join Paul in rejoicing at his weakness, rejoicing that the God we worship is powerful to save and powerful to take our weak efforts and do miracles through us. In fact, I would like to look at chapter 3:1-3 to see how Paul knew that his weakness was not a hindrance to the gospel: "Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Surely we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all; and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."
Here’s the point of all this: when we think about our ability to serve the Lord , when we think about how useful we might be to the cause of the gospel, how successful we think we would be in sharing the gospel with someone, let us stop and first think about how powerful God is. Think about how the Lord in His grace could use our puny efforts if we let Him.
In Christ.
Brown
The sorest afflictions never appear intolerable, but when we see them in the wrong light: when we see them in the hand of God, Who dispenses them; when we know that it is our loving Father who abases and distresses us; our sufferings will lose their bitterness and become even a matter of consolation.
... Brother Lawrence
Why should men love the Church? Why should they love her laws?
She tells them of Life and Death, and of all they would forget.
She is tender where they would be hard, and hard where they like to be soft.
She tells them of Evil and Sin, and other unpleasant facts.
They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
By dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good.
... T. S. Eliot
"How Gullible Are We?"
A number of years ago a freshman at Eagle Rock Junior High won first prize at the Greater Idaho Falls Science Fair. He was attempting to show how conditioned we have become to alarmists practicing junk science and spreading fear of everything in our environment. In his project he urged people to sign a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical "dihydrogen monoxide."
And, for plenty of good reasons, since:
1. it can cause excessive sweating and vomiting
2. it is a major component in acid rain
3. it can cause severe burns in its gaseous state
4. accidental inhalation can kill you
5. it contributes to erosion
6. it decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes
7. it has been found in tumors of terminal cancer patients
He asked 50 people if they supported a ban of the chemical.
Forty three (43) said yes,
six (6) were undecided,
and only one (1) knew that the chemical was.
Dihydrogen monoxide is water!
The title of his prize winning project: "How Gullible Are We?"
Brown's Daily Word 10-9-07
Good Morning,
This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in Him. Sometime last year while reading for my devotions, the passage for the day was this one in Nehemiah1:1. The words of Nehemiah, son of Hacaliah: In the month of Kislev (the 9th month of their year, Zech. 7:1) in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men." If you and I were writing this it would read more like, "In September of our twentieth year of captivity ..." -
(Kislev actually corresponds more with our month of December.) Nehemiah is saying, "Twenty years after the Persian invasion of Judah and the abduction of prisoners, my brother came to the palace and I asked him about the Jews left in Jerusalem. I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem."
Nehemiah asked about these people. He was concerned about their condition. Sometimes we do not know the needs others have because we have not asked. True, they could volunteer the information but the fact is often they do not. We don’t want to be nosy, and they don’t want to complain. It is a stand-off unless one side or the other breaks the silence. Take time to ask how someone is doing. You may be surprised - either for good or bad.
verse 3: They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire."
verse 4: "When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven."
We know nothing of prayer like that. What news would cause you to weep for others? (Especially those with whom you were only slightly acquainted.) They were in Jerusalem; he had been in exile for 20 years. How well could he have known them? What issue moves you to this degree? What is it that makes you cry? What would impress you to fast? Nehemiah mourned, fasted, and prayed for some days. A few? Several? It is an indiscriminate amount of time; a prolonged time. This is long, lengthy, prolonged, sustained prayer.
verse 5: "Then I said" . . . Then he began to pray. It is almost as though this marks the starting point of his praying. I wonder if he would consider the bulk of his praying until now to have been scattered prayers, a general unburdening of his soul of all he had heard. Then he began to pray. That is, then he got earnest with his prayer - he got down to business. He did not consider the "some days" of praying, fasting, and mourning as the body of his intercession, but merely as the introduction - the prologue- to his prayer. He was not concluding after some days. But instead, after some days he was just getting started. That unspecified period of time had been the warm-up phase of his praying.
We know nothing of this kind of praying. We give up if nothing happens after a few seconds of prayer. At the end of a week of praying we say, "I prayed about it for a whole week." We consider that long-term praying. We have been conditioned to microwave praying. We figure if nothing happens within a few minutes we are doing something wrong and need to change our strategy. We never even think about prayer in the same light as Nehemiah does. We don’t anticipate extended vigils in prayer. We don’t think at the outset of a problem that we may need to settle in and prepare for the long haul. We want quick answers to quick prayers. When we don’t see the answers we want, we question the value of prayer. We should question our failure to perceive microwave praying as a malady of our age and a flaw of human nature that God wishes to address in patient praying.
Saints of previous generations understood prayer to be a extended endeavor. They were prepared to settle in for seasons of prayer for stubborn situations. Read the works of E. M. Bounds and the biography of David Brainerd. Examine for yourself the kind of praying spoken of in the Scriptures.
2:1 In the month of Nisan (the 1st month of their year - 4 months later) in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. If you track this on a Jewish calendar you will find that this incident transpires four months after Nehemiah began to pray. He had not been sad in his presence before.
2 So the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart." Why? Why had he not been sad in the king’s presence? Had he never had bad days? I suppose it’s possible, but it’s not likely, is it? I think it’s because he didn’t think it was a good thing to wear his feelings on his sleeve. Not a word in this whole book is said about whiners and complainers, but what is underscored for us is the fact that Nehemiah was not a whiny-baby. A point is made to spell it out for us; he had never been sad before the king.
No doubt the king did not want to be surrounded by a bunch of glum faces - so this may have been for job security - but the fact remains his behavior was so strikingly different from normal that it caught the king’s attention. Regardless, the burdens of others both physically and emotionally affected Nehemiah to the point he could no longer visibly conceal the effects of caring for others.
"I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, 'May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?' 4 The king said to me, 'What is it you want?' Then I prayed to the God of heaven".
It was a short, quick prayer silently thrown to the Lord. When the king asked what he wanted, he silently breathed a prayer as he formulated his response. I know that I have said a good deal about extended prayer, and now I am drawing attention to a very brief, unuttered prayer. It may seem like a contradiction but my intention is to show that if long seasons of prayer are our habit they will have bearing on those occasions when there is no time for a lengthy prayer. On the other hand we are woefully inept if the bulk of our praying is dependant upon brief moments of prayers.
Verse 5: "And I answered the king, 'If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.' 6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, 'How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?' It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. The 6th verse concludes, It pleased the king to send me. God granted my petition! He answered my prayer! I got what I prayed for! He had prayed to God for mercy for his people and God’s own blessing on his project to assist them.
Brown
Who Needs the Better Education?
These are real notes written by parents in a Tennessee school district... (spellings have been left intact.)
1. My son is under a doctor's care and should not take PE today. Please execute him.
2. Please exkuce lisa for being absent she was sick and i had her shot.
3. Dear school: please ecsc's john being absent on jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and also 33.
4. Please excuse gloria from jim today. She is administrating.
5. Please excuse roland from p.e. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip.
6. John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face.
7. Car! lo! s was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in the growing part.
8. Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins.
9. Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre in his side.
10. Please excuse ray friday from school. He has very loose vowels.
11. Please excuse pedro from being absent yesterday. He had (diahre, dyrea, direathe), the runs. [note: words in ( )'s were crossed out]
12. Please excuse tommy for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea, and his boots leak.
13. Irving was absent yesterday because he missed his bust.
14. Please excuse jimmy for being. It was his father's fault.
15. I kept billie home because she had to go christmas shopping because i don't know what size she wear.
16. ! Pl! ease excuse jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it monday. We thought it was sunday.
17. Sally won't be in school a week from friday. We have to attend her funeral.
18. My daughter was absent yesterday because she was tired. She spent a weekend with the marines.
19. Please excuse jason for being absent yesterday. He had a cold and could not breed well. [Might be a good thing?]
20. Please excuse mary for being absent yesterday. She was in bed with gramps.
21. Gloria was absent yesterday as she was having a gangover.
22. Please excuse brenda. She has been sick and under the doctor.
Now we know why parents are screaming for better education for our kids. They too may be parents some day!
This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in Him. Sometime last year while reading for my devotions, the passage for the day was this one in Nehemiah1:1. The words of Nehemiah, son of Hacaliah: In the month of Kislev (the 9th month of their year, Zech. 7:1) in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men." If you and I were writing this it would read more like, "In September of our twentieth year of captivity ..." -
(Kislev actually corresponds more with our month of December.) Nehemiah is saying, "Twenty years after the Persian invasion of Judah and the abduction of prisoners, my brother came to the palace and I asked him about the Jews left in Jerusalem. I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem."
Nehemiah asked about these people. He was concerned about their condition. Sometimes we do not know the needs others have because we have not asked. True, they could volunteer the information but the fact is often they do not. We don’t want to be nosy, and they don’t want to complain. It is a stand-off unless one side or the other breaks the silence. Take time to ask how someone is doing. You may be surprised - either for good or bad.
verse 3: They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire."
verse 4: "When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven."
We know nothing of prayer like that. What news would cause you to weep for others? (Especially those with whom you were only slightly acquainted.) They were in Jerusalem; he had been in exile for 20 years. How well could he have known them? What issue moves you to this degree? What is it that makes you cry? What would impress you to fast? Nehemiah mourned, fasted, and prayed for some days. A few? Several? It is an indiscriminate amount of time; a prolonged time. This is long, lengthy, prolonged, sustained prayer.
verse 5: "Then I said" . . . Then he began to pray. It is almost as though this marks the starting point of his praying. I wonder if he would consider the bulk of his praying until now to have been scattered prayers, a general unburdening of his soul of all he had heard. Then he began to pray. That is, then he got earnest with his prayer - he got down to business. He did not consider the "some days" of praying, fasting, and mourning as the body of his intercession, but merely as the introduction - the prologue- to his prayer. He was not concluding after some days. But instead, after some days he was just getting started. That unspecified period of time had been the warm-up phase of his praying.
We know nothing of this kind of praying. We give up if nothing happens after a few seconds of prayer. At the end of a week of praying we say, "I prayed about it for a whole week." We consider that long-term praying. We have been conditioned to microwave praying. We figure if nothing happens within a few minutes we are doing something wrong and need to change our strategy. We never even think about prayer in the same light as Nehemiah does. We don’t anticipate extended vigils in prayer. We don’t think at the outset of a problem that we may need to settle in and prepare for the long haul. We want quick answers to quick prayers. When we don’t see the answers we want, we question the value of prayer. We should question our failure to perceive microwave praying as a malady of our age and a flaw of human nature that God wishes to address in patient praying.
Saints of previous generations understood prayer to be a extended endeavor. They were prepared to settle in for seasons of prayer for stubborn situations. Read the works of E. M. Bounds and the biography of David Brainerd. Examine for yourself the kind of praying spoken of in the Scriptures.
2:1 In the month of Nisan (the 1st month of their year - 4 months later) in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. If you track this on a Jewish calendar you will find that this incident transpires four months after Nehemiah began to pray. He had not been sad in his presence before.
2 So the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart." Why? Why had he not been sad in the king’s presence? Had he never had bad days? I suppose it’s possible, but it’s not likely, is it? I think it’s because he didn’t think it was a good thing to wear his feelings on his sleeve. Not a word in this whole book is said about whiners and complainers, but what is underscored for us is the fact that Nehemiah was not a whiny-baby. A point is made to spell it out for us; he had never been sad before the king.
No doubt the king did not want to be surrounded by a bunch of glum faces - so this may have been for job security - but the fact remains his behavior was so strikingly different from normal that it caught the king’s attention. Regardless, the burdens of others both physically and emotionally affected Nehemiah to the point he could no longer visibly conceal the effects of caring for others.
"I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, 'May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?' 4 The king said to me, 'What is it you want?' Then I prayed to the God of heaven".
It was a short, quick prayer silently thrown to the Lord. When the king asked what he wanted, he silently breathed a prayer as he formulated his response. I know that I have said a good deal about extended prayer, and now I am drawing attention to a very brief, unuttered prayer. It may seem like a contradiction but my intention is to show that if long seasons of prayer are our habit they will have bearing on those occasions when there is no time for a lengthy prayer. On the other hand we are woefully inept if the bulk of our praying is dependant upon brief moments of prayers.
Verse 5: "And I answered the king, 'If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.' 6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, 'How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?' It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. The 6th verse concludes, It pleased the king to send me. God granted my petition! He answered my prayer! I got what I prayed for! He had prayed to God for mercy for his people and God’s own blessing on his project to assist them.
Brown
Who Needs the Better Education?
These are real notes written by parents in a Tennessee school district... (spellings have been left intact.)
1. My son is under a doctor's care and should not take PE today. Please execute him.
2. Please exkuce lisa for being absent she was sick and i had her shot.
3. Dear school: please ecsc's john being absent on jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and also 33.
4. Please excuse gloria from jim today. She is administrating.
5. Please excuse roland from p.e. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip.
6. John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face.
7. Car! lo! s was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in the growing part.
8. Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins.
9. Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre in his side.
10. Please excuse ray friday from school. He has very loose vowels.
11. Please excuse pedro from being absent yesterday. He had (diahre, dyrea, direathe), the runs. [note: words in ( )'s were crossed out]
12. Please excuse tommy for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea, and his boots leak.
13. Irving was absent yesterday because he missed his bust.
14. Please excuse jimmy for being. It was his father's fault.
15. I kept billie home because she had to go christmas shopping because i don't know what size she wear.
16. ! Pl! ease excuse jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it monday. We thought it was sunday.
17. Sally won't be in school a week from friday. We have to attend her funeral.
18. My daughter was absent yesterday because she was tired. She spent a weekend with the marines.
19. Please excuse jason for being absent yesterday. He had a cold and could not breed well. [Might be a good thing?]
20. Please excuse mary for being absent yesterday. She was in bed with gramps.
21. Gloria was absent yesterday as she was having a gangover.
22. Please excuse brenda. She has been sick and under the doctor.
Now we know why parents are screaming for better education for our kids. They too may be parents some day!
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