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.