Praise the Lord, for
the Lord grants us His rest and ushers us into another new day to live and
celebrate His grace, His realness, His nearness, His dearness, and, best of
all, His faithfulness and tender mercies. We live on Main Street in our town.
I have never used alarm clocks to make me up in the morning. During my
younger days (childhood days) we had roosters who gave the clarion call of
a new dawn. In our new location, soon after 4:00 AM heavy trucks come
rolling in to remind us the day has already begun. If you are sleeping
beyond 4:00, you are wasting the precious moments of the morning.
Alice
and I walked yesterday evening. We had some ice formation in the
morning, causing schools to be delayed. After the sun was up for a couple
of hours, the snow and ice began to thaw briskly. We walked at
our favorite site again. We walked over some green grass covered
by some melting snow. I felt like the Spring is not far away.
(At least more January thaw is not far away). The Spring fowl will
return to their natural warm weather habitats. The Canadian geese will
return. They all will make melodious sonnets accompanied by holy
Honks. It is all beautiful May Jesus be praised!
- When
morning gilds the skies,
My heart awaking cries:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Alike at work and prayer,
To Jesus I repair;
May Jesus Christ be praised! - Does
sadness fill my mind?
A solace here I find,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Or fades my earthly bliss?
My comfort still is this,
May Jesus Christ be praised! - When
sleep her balm denies,
My silent spirit sighs,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
When evil thoughts molest,
With this I shield my breast:
May Jesus Christ be praised! - The
night becomes as day
When from the heart we say:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
The pow’rs of darkness fear
When this sweet chant they hear:
May Jesus Christ be praised! - In
heav’n’s eternal bliss
The loveliest strain is this,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Let earth, and sea, and sky
From depth to height reply,
May Jesus Christ be praised! - Be
this, while life is mine,
My song of love divine:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Sing this eternal song
Through all the ages long:
May Jesus Christ be praised
I
once read a book called "The Book of Failures". It is filled with
all kinds of failures that people have made. For instance, the book
introduces Arthur Pedrick, who patented 162 inventions, but not one of them was
ever taken up commercially. These inventions include a car that could be driven
from the back seat, a golf ball that could be steered in flight, and a plan to
irrigate the deserts of the world by sending a constant supply of snowballs
from the polar region through a massive network of giant
peashooters.
One
of my favorite stories in "The Book of Failures" is
about an elderly lady in South London who called a group of firefighters to
rescue her cat from a tree. They arrived with impressive speed and
carefully rescued her cat. The lady was so thankful that she invited them
in for tea. So they had tea, received another round of thanks from the
woman, and drove off, waving goodbye. As they backed out of her driveway,
they drove right over her cat!
Most
failures are not funny. They are painful, wounding, leaving scars that
throb with pain. A lot of people want to know where God is when we fail
morally. I think we would want God to meet us where we are, as a failure,
and give us a second chance. The Word of God records the story and
witness of those who have loved the Lord and have served Him, followed Him, and
yet failed miserably. I was reflecting on the lives of David and
Peter. Peter screwed up beyond belief and then came face-to-face with
Jesus. Peter was one of the most intimate and trusted followers of
Jesus. Jesus personally called Peter to come and follow him.
Peter spent three years with Jesus by his side, listening and learning from his
teaching, witnessing his miracles, watching every move that Jesus made.
He was personally mentored, molded, and developed for a life of impact and
significance.
David,
the Shepherd King, is known as the man after God's own heart. He was
a singer, musician, and lover, who was blessed with a beautiful
mind and a brave heart. He had a deep desire to follow the Lord and serve
Him. His heart belonged to the Lord. He was committed and loyal but
just like all of us he had the propensity to sin. He messed up. He blew
it repeatedly.
Both
David and Peter, giants of the faith, were frail and fragile, and they
messed up just as we do. They were loved, they were called, they were
commissioned, they were sent out. They would fail, they would
falter. The Hound of Heaven was relentless in pursuing them. The
wonderful grace, the matchless of grace, of Jesus that is beyond human
comprehension, far beyond human understanding, pursued these men.
They were forgiven sinners. This is the God's Good News for the new
year. We can begin anew. We can be propelled into the orbit of
grace again and afresh with no condemnation. The Lord of grace of mercy beckons us
all of to join the great cloud of witnesses, running the race well and
finishing it well, looking unto Jesus the Author and the finisher of our
faith and begin the adventure with Jesus the trailblazers for the fallen,
reluctant, hesitant servants and soldiers.
"This then is the message which
we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no
darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in
darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is
in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ his Son cleanse us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness." 1 John 1:5-9 Once We stand at the foot of
the Cross , forgiven , restored , we hear the words of Jesus again "I love
you. . Now get into the game, and follow me."
In
Christ,
Brown
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