So what have I learned from my failure?
- I have learned that I am not defined by my failures. I am defined by God's view of me--that I am loved and valued by Him as He sees me through the finished work of Jesus.
- I have learned that these humiliations are necessary to break me, to humble me, and keep me humble!
- I have learned that God's mercies are new every morning; with Him I get a fresh start everyday.
- I have learned that God is faithful and will not give up on me. He can make the worst things you have ever done work for your good, if you have faith in Him.
- I have learned that God uses those who have failed.
Thank God, we are not defined by the past, but by the eternal 'present' that Paul calls the "newness of life" (Romans 6:4). Though Paul had reason to be ashamed of his past, he says, "...forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on to the prize of the upward [high] call of Christ Jesus..." Let us do the same.
Remember: your failure is God's opportunity.
Greg,
ReplyDeleteLast year I heard a CD from one of my favorite preachers about the subject of God's perspective on His children's faliures. Though I don't have the CD now one thing I remember is the preacher's reference to Sarai, Abraham's wife, as a woman of faith! This point was a surprise to me because after reading in the Old Testament about her laughing at God's promise to Abraham, and then denying (read: "lying") that she said,
Oh, yeah, RIGHT!" when she heard the rehearsal of the promise, I just didn't see her as a role model for faith. From the biblical record her behavior was aligned with those who mock God ("God is NOT mocked!") and those who lie to God (like Ananias and Sapphira)--mighty risky, to say the least! And yet, here in the record of the heroes and heroines of faith as detailed in Hebrew chapter 11, is Sarah's name right alongside that of her husband. The record says she "received faith to conceive seed." Evidently that was after the confrontation by the angelic messengers. But heaven's record--not earth's--is the record of importance here. And here she is, up with the likes of Noah and Abraham and David and Enoch, etc.
If that's how God can treat the final record of someone who fails and falls short of His glory, but who does not accept this as a permanent condition of their heart, then there is indeed hope for me. My own greatest failures have come on the heels of my greatest achievements for God. Imagine that! Hardly even time for me to congratulate myself for a fantastic job, mind you!
I realize God did not orchestrate that failure but He sure can use it to remind me that no flesh--including mine--should glory in His presence. And that the only thing I am allowed to boast in is that I know Him and am known by Him (Jer.9:23,24)! And that's enough.
Stan
Greg,
ReplyDeleteYou commentary on the value of failure echoes that of your fellow, Zac Poonen, in his teaching on a similar subject. Both were a blessing to me and well-timed! Wield the sword, man of God!
Stan