What Really Matters is How You Finish

 

Robert Robinson was a popular preacher in the late 1700’s. Today, he is best known as the author of the classic hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” But what a lot of people don’ t know is that later in his ministry he began to backslide. To the point where people said there was hardly a resemblance of anything Christian left in him. After years of living apart from God, one day he found himself riding a stagecoach with a lady who was joyfully humming the hymn he had written many years before. At one point she asked him if he was familiar with the song, which had given her so much joy. He responded to her by saying, “Madam, I am the poor unhappy soul that wrote that hymn, so many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds to have that joy again.” The encounter so impressed Robinson that it sparked a work of repentance and revival in his life. He went on to finish his life boldly proclaiming the gospel and leading souls to Christ. As the hymn says “prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.” Praise God there are “streams of mercy never failing.” Remember, it’s not how you start that matters. It’s how you finish. God is always waiting for you to return home, no matter where you’ve been or how long you’ve been gone. – Pastor Brad Brandon

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Boldly Ask Big

There was once a philosopher who was privileged to be in the court of Alexander the Great. He was a philosopher of exceptional ability, but had little financial means. Needing money, the philosopher asked Alexander the Great for assistance and was told to draw whatever he needed from the royal treasury. He then went to the treasury and requested an amount equal to $500,000. The treasurer immediately refused the large sum, wanting to verify such a withdrawal. When Alexander the Great heard that the money was refused he responded by demanding, “Pay the amount at once. The philosopher has honored me by the largeness of his request. In this, he shows that he fully understands both my generosity and my wealth.” God is glorified when we seek him in the impossible. Don’t ever be afraid to boldy ask God for the big things. – Pastor Brad Brandon

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Success In Failure

A few years ago a Georgia peach farmer had his entire crop destroyed by an early frost. He was devastated and was in danger of losing his entire estate. Because of this hardship, he became very discouraged and stopped going to church. After a few weeks his pastor went to check on him. When the pastor kindly asked him why he had been absent. The man replied, “I just can’t serve a God that would allow my entire peach crop to be destroyed.” The Pastor nodded his head and gently replied, “But you know, God’s not in the business of growing peaches, He’s in the business of growing Christians.” No matter what you are going through, please know God has a much greater purpose for your life. He has called you to do great and mighty things, in His name. The greater the trial, the greater your purpose. – Pastor Brad Brandon

James 1:3 “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”

Be Ready-Minded

Christians are constantly told that we need to be more open-minded. To the point where we think that there are only two options. Either we are open-minded or we are closed-minded. We are told being open-minded is virtuous and good and being closed-minded is evil and bigoted. But the Bible says we are to be neither open-minded nor closed-minded. It tells us to be “ready-minded”. Being open-minded is to be unguarded allowing thoughts, unfiltered by God’s Word, into our thinking. Being closed-minded is to foolishly close ourselves off from truth. Ready-mindedness allows us to guard against that which is false, while allowing the light of truth to illuminate our minds. So, If someone ever accuses you of being closed-minded, just respond by saying, “I’m not closed-minded, I am just ready-minded.” We must be vigilant to guard our minds against anything that is not inline with biblical truths. – Pastor Brad Brandon

Acts 17:11 “they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily”

The Perfect Church

I once met a man who told me he would never go to church, “because church is full of hypocrites.” I quickly responded by saying, “so is Wal-Mart, but you’d go there.” You see, where ever people gather your going to find faults and imperfections. Churches are filled with people, and people are filled with flaws. Churches are made up of people, who have all kinds of struggles and we all make plenty of mistakes. If you expect people to be perfect, then expect to be disappointed. Perfection is reserved only for Christ. So, at church today, enjoy the fact that you are in good company with people who are flawed just like you. Never forget that the only perfect church is one with no people in it. But, one day Christ will present us without spot or blemish. What a glorious day that will be. – Pastor Brad Brandon

Ephesians 5:27 “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

Plastic Preachers

Many people don’t know that the fake diploma industry is a huge problem in the United States. In fact, it is an industry that has exceeded $450,000,000. It became such a problem that the United States Congress got involved and formed a committee to investigate. From their investigation, the Congressional committee concluded that there were currently more than 5,000 fake medical doctors practicing in the United States and that people have even died at the hands of these untrained fraudsters. The Apostle Paul essential warns Christians of the same thing, spiritually. He tells us to watch out for false teachers and apostle, who will disguise themselves as something they are not. Just like the fake doctors, these false teachers and apostles operate undetected and there are many more than anyone truly realizes. Make sure that you watch out for them and always test them against God’s Word. Never be afraid to confront false teaching where ever you find it. – Pastor Brad Brandon

2 Corinthians 11:13 “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.”

Don’t Stay Down

When Thomas Edison was in school his teachers said he was “not intelligent enough to learn anything”. By the time he was twenty, he was fired from two jobs for being “non-productive”. Later in life he failed over 1000 times at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked him what it was like to fail over 1000 times, Edison responded by saying, “I didn’t fail a thousand times, the light bulb was an invention with a thousand steps”. Don’t ever let failure keep you down. It doesn’t matter how many times you fail. It only matters how many times you get back up. – Pastor Brad Brandon

Proverbs 24:16 “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again”

The Value of You

Claude Monet is the father of impressionism. He is one of the most famous artists in the world. When this painting went on sale at Christie’s, in London, it was expected to sell for around $30 million. But the value of a painting is not soley determined by who created it. The value of a painting is also determined by how prominent and wealthy the owner is. It’s called “provenance” in the art world and is essentially a pedigree for great works of art. This Monet was owned by Bill and Melinda Gates. This fact caused the value to sky rocket and was sold for a record shattering $80.4 Million. So, think about your value as a Christian. You were created by God, and you are owned by Christ. You have a spiritual “provenance”, which makes you priceless. – Pastor Brad Brandon

1 Corinthians 6:20 “For ye are bought with a price”