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- Apr 25, 2006
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Successful Failures
'These things happened ... as examples' 1 Corinthians 10:11
The politician caught with his pants down... The vicar with his hands in the church funds... The PE teacher sneaking a crafty cigarette behind the bike sheds... Life has a funny way of highlighting your hypocrisy, doesn't it?
Even the greatest heroes of the Bible had their 'caught with their hands in the till' moments. Abraham, the 'friend of God', lied about Sarah being his wife (Gen. 12:10-20). Moses, the mighty leader, got angry and disobeyed God. David, a man after God's heart, committed adultery and then tried to cover his tracks with murder (2 Sam. 11:15). Peter, head of the church, denied Jesus not once, but three times (Luke 22:54-62), and John Mark gave up and went home during a missionary trip (Acts 15:38).
They're all in there, warts and all, and as Paul says, 'we are just as capable of messing ... up as they were' (1 Cor. 10:12 TM). So don't get discouraged when you stumble. Admit your mistake, apologise to the people involved, ask God for forgiveness, forgive yourself, learn from what happened, and move on.
Abraham cleaned his slate with all parties and ended up with descendants more numerous than the sands. David repented, and is remembered as Israel's greatest king. John Mark's missionary legacy became one of only four completely trusted accounts of Jesus: Mark's Gospel. Tripping up doesn't have to stop you from running all-out for Jesus.
written by Bob Gass
'These things happened ... as examples' 1 Corinthians 10:11
The politician caught with his pants down... The vicar with his hands in the church funds... The PE teacher sneaking a crafty cigarette behind the bike sheds... Life has a funny way of highlighting your hypocrisy, doesn't it?
Even the greatest heroes of the Bible had their 'caught with their hands in the till' moments. Abraham, the 'friend of God', lied about Sarah being his wife (Gen. 12:10-20). Moses, the mighty leader, got angry and disobeyed God. David, a man after God's heart, committed adultery and then tried to cover his tracks with murder (2 Sam. 11:15). Peter, head of the church, denied Jesus not once, but three times (Luke 22:54-62), and John Mark gave up and went home during a missionary trip (Acts 15:38).
They're all in there, warts and all, and as Paul says, 'we are just as capable of messing ... up as they were' (1 Cor. 10:12 TM). So don't get discouraged when you stumble. Admit your mistake, apologise to the people involved, ask God for forgiveness, forgive yourself, learn from what happened, and move on.
Abraham cleaned his slate with all parties and ended up with descendants more numerous than the sands. David repented, and is remembered as Israel's greatest king. John Mark's missionary legacy became one of only four completely trusted accounts of Jesus: Mark's Gospel. Tripping up doesn't have to stop you from running all-out for Jesus.
written by Bob Gass
