needhope's Journal

Devotion---Losing the Way---Gini Andrews

From top to bottom, our society is succes oriented, however one may define that in terms of one's goals. Christians are not immune.; "Everything comes out okay for Christians," "The King's kids are always winners" are misleading slogans to live by. We develop unrealistic expectations of the Christian life and of ourselves; and then when our wings get broken, we think failure ends our usefulness.

For those of us who know too well the salt taste of failure, it helps to remember that even the great ones of faith failed, yet God continued to use them, often in a deeper way after their fall.

Some of David's greatest psalms came after his greatest mistakes. God called him "a man after his own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14). Abraham lied, perhaps to save his skin, yet he is the towering example of faith for three major religions and is called "God's friend" (James 2:23).

It is those who have plumbed the depths of failure to whom God invariably gives the call to shepherd others. This is not a call given only to the gifted, the highly trained, or the polished as such. Without a bitter experience of their own inadequacy and poverty, they are quite unfitted to bear the burden of spiritual ministry. It takes a person who has discovered something of the measure of his own weakness to be patient with the foibles of others.

Too often we live in a quid-pro-quo relationship with God: "I've been faithful to you, I've worked hard, so please give me this or that." Or, "I've failed again; I can't expect any blessing." We forget that the whole of our life is grace.

Too many sincere Christians, facing their failures, berate themselves unmercifully and keep asking God for forgiveness. Each of us should memorize, hang on the mirror, and make forever our own ringing truth: "There is now no [repeat no] condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).

Not only does he not condemn us; he even brings blessing from the ashes of our failures.

Verse for the day-Psalm 51:3-4