Knocked down?

(09.01.21– Just Plain Peace –Psalm 18:1-2)

My friend, may I ask you a question? If you're searching for spiritual peace, perhaps "losing in order to win" is a philosophy well worth adopting?

My friend, Life’s a story, welcome to This Passing Day.

I'm M. Clifford Brunner.

I'm a big Rocky fan and have watched all of the Sylvester Stallone movies about the fictional but very believable Rocky Balboa, many times. In Rocky III, Rocky loses his championship belt to another fighter who is hungrier for it than he is. Rocky is agitated, not a peace with himself, with wife, family and friends after this. Things are not going well for our hero until he looks deep within himself to discover this basic precept: losing is a part of winning; that in order to understand the importance of being a winner, he needed to experience the "peace" of first understanding and accepting what it means to lose. With that realization he rediscovers the hunger needed to take back the championship and quiet the hurt and sense of loss within.

If you're searching for spiritual peace, perhaps Rocky's "losing in order to win" philosophy is one well worth adopting.

Here's a thought from William Adams Brown: "The peace of Christ, spiritual peace, is a peace founded in trusting that failure may be the measure of what we are trying to accomplish in life; a steppingstone to a success that requires a loss. It is a peace of confidence in God when everything and everyone seems to be working against our succeeding. It is the peace that can accept unexplained mysteries, bear heartbreaking sorrows, that can see our best plans thwarted, holy longings unrealized, Christ-like purposes broken off, and yet be calm and ready to lose only to someday win. It is the peace of rejection, even by friends, knowing that someday they will understand. It is the peace of all those who have given their lives for causes too high and sacred for immediate success and who yet have been able to believe that even their failures were being used by God for his good purposes." (William Adams Brown)

"It isn't how hard you're able to get hit that makes a difference; it's how hard you can get hit and still get up and continue to fight that makes the real difference." More Stallone philosophy and good philosophy at that. Getting knocked down is one thing; being able to get up is another. God often uses "getting knocked down" to accomplish His good purposes. That's because our failures glorify His ability to create successes despite our failures. The more we fail, the more chances he gets to turn our failures into successes. King David called God his "strength" his "fortress" and "deliverer" (Psalm 18:1-4). When you and I look to God as the ONE who completes, the ONE who moves forward, the ONE who wins, it doesn't matter how often we lose, are knocked down and defeated. What matters is this: nothing and no one can keep us down once we've fallen; not when God is there to take the punches and win the fight.

We pray. Heavenly Father, we praise Your holy name because our failures often glorify Your ability to create successes despite them. The more we fail, the more chances You get to turn our failures into successes. With King David we can say You are our "strength" our "fortress" and “deliverer." When I look to You as the ONE who completes, the ONE who moves forward, the ONE who wins, it doesn't matter how often I lose, or are knocked down and defeated. What matters is nothing and no one can keep me down once I've fallen; not when You are there to take the punches and win the fight. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!

Therefore my friend, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself; each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:34) This Passing Day. May this passing day honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be a blessing to you and everyone you meet. Find a stranger and say hello. Don't let another day pass without your day blessing someone else.

If you have a special prayer request, please send your request to ”This Passing Day!”

<thispassingday@gmail.com> From Beech Springs, God bless you for Jesus sake.

Knocked down?

(09.01.21– Just Plain Peace –Psalm 18:1-2)

My friend, may I ask you a question? If you're searching for spiritual peace, perhaps "losing in order to win" is a philosophy well worth adopting?

My friend, Life’s a story, welcome to This Passing Day.

I'm M. Clifford Brunner.

I'm a big Rocky fan and have watched all of the Sylvester Stallone movies about the fictional but very believable Rocky Balboa, many times. In Rocky III, Rocky loses his championship belt to another fighter who is hungrier for it than he is. Rocky is agitated, not a peace with himself, with wife, family and friends after this. Things are not going well for our hero until he looks deep within himself to discover this basic precept: losing is a part of winning; that in order to understand the importance of being a winner, he needed to experience the "peace" of first understanding and accepting what it means to lose. With that realization he rediscovers the hunger needed to take back the championship and quiet the hurt and sense of loss within.

If you're searching for spiritual peace, perhaps Rocky's "losing in order to win" philosophy is one well worth adopting.

Here's a thought from William Adams Brown: "The peace of Christ, spiritual peace, is a peace founded in trusting that failure may be the measure of what we are trying to accomplish in life; a steppingstone to a success that requires a loss. It is a peace of confidence in God when everything and everyone seems to be working against our succeeding. It is the peace that can accept unexplained mysteries, bear heartbreaking sorrows, that can see our best plans thwarted, holy longings unrealized, Christ-like purposes broken off, and yet be calm and ready to lose only to someday win. It is the peace of rejection, even by friends, knowing that someday they will understand. It is the peace of all those who have given their lives for causes too high and sacred for immediate success and who yet have been able to believe that even their failures were being used by God for his good purposes." (William Adams Brown)

"It isn't how hard you're able to get hit that makes a difference; it's how hard you can get hit and still get up and continue to fight that makes the real difference." More Stallone philosophy and good philosophy at that. Getting knocked down is one thing; being able to get up is another. God often uses "getting knocked down" to accomplish His good purposes. That's because our failures glorify His ability to create successes despite our failures. The more we fail, the more chances he gets to turn our failures into successes. King David called God his "strength" his "fortress" and "deliverer" (Psalm 18:1-4). When you and I look to God as the ONE who completes, the ONE who moves forward, the ONE who wins, it doesn't matter how often we lose, are knocked down and defeated. What matters is this: nothing and no one can keep us down once we've fallen; not when God is there to take the punches and win the fight.

We pray. Heavenly Father, we praise Your holy name because our failures often glorify Your ability to create successes despite them. The more we fail, the more chances You get to turn our failures into successes. With King David we can say You are our "strength" our "fortress" and “deliverer." When I look to You as the ONE who completes, the ONE who moves forward, the ONE who wins, it doesn't matter how often I lose, or are knocked down and defeated. What matters is nothing and no one can keep me down once I've fallen; not when You are there to take the punches and win the fight. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!

Therefore my friend, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself; each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:34) This Passing Day. May this passing day honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be a blessing to you and everyone you meet. Find a stranger and say hello. Don't let another day pass without your day blessing someone else.

If you have a special prayer request, please send your request to ”This Passing Day!”

<thispassingday@gmail.com> From Beech Springs, God bless you for Jesus sake.