Brown's Daily Word 6-7-11

Good morning,
Praise the Lord for His victory. Praise the Lord for the way He grants His victory to those belong to Him, and who are called by Him, with His prior claim upon their lives. It is written "in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us ."
I love the phrase, "the sacrament of failure". Paul, like all of us, experienced failure in his life. Failures become blessings when they push us toward higher goals. Paul stated in Philippians 3:13-14, “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have arrived. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
The Apostle Paul could say, “I am forgetting past hurts, past rejections, humiliations, suffering for righteousness, and I am forgetting that for years my life was on the wrong road.”
Someone has written concerning what they prayed for and how God answered:

I asked for health that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked God for strength that I might achieve;
I was made weak that I might learn to obey.
I asked for riches that I might be happy;
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power and the praise of men;
I was given weakness to sense my need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing I asked for but everything I hoped for;
In spite of myself, my prayers were answered—
I am among all men most richly blessed.

The Apostle Paul lived in the light of eternity. When you and I can begin to see the big picture - life in the light of eternity - we then know how to handle failures and change.
Charles Colson in his book, “Loving God” told about his experience in prison. While in prison he remembered his life before prison, honors he earned, court cases he won, and prestige in government positions. His life had been the perfect success story, the great American dream fulfilled. But while in prison he had time to think and pray. He realized all his achievements meant nothing in God’s economy.
His greatest victory was his biggest failure, being sent to prison was his greatest humiliation – but prison was the beginning of God’s greatest work in his life. God chose the one experience in which he could not glory for His glory.
The Apostle Paul could say, “In my weaknesses God is glorified. When I am weak then I am strong.” We all need to see failures from God’s perspective. If failure and change causes us to look up and make new commitments and surrender to the Lord – then we can praise His Holy name. Toward the end of Paul’s life he was in Rome under house arrest. As some people come to the end of their life’s journey they become bitter and angry at life, but this was not true of Paul. Paul understood his future was not long on earth. Cruel Nero was emperor of Rome and Paul knew he was about to face death for his commitment to Christ.
He could say to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:6-8, “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day---and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
A common truth is that everyone experiences some kind of failure and change at some time in their lives. To God, however, the important truth is how we respond to failure and change. Failure is a blessing if it pushes us to humble ourselves, before the Lord and begin to live in the light of eternity.
In Christ,
Brown

http://youtu.be/34yPZiD8OMs

Saturday evening worship service.
Location: First United Methodist Church
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott
Sponsored by the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128, Maple Drive, Endicott

Saturday, May 28, 2011

6 PM Dinner (at First UMC Endicott)

6:30 PM Worship Service
Worship Music: Emma Brunson
Speaker: Rev. Bill Turner