I've been stuck on Psalm 51 for awhile now, like 3 weeks if not more. For some reason I just can't move from there. Guess there's a message for me in there somewhere. Funny thing is I've gotten several messages from it in the weeks I've been there and continue to get them. Guess I'll just stay here til I feel like I can move on to the next Psalm. Anyway, there was also this reading that went along with it that I thought I would post. Hope it speaks to someone else as powerfully as it has spoken to me. (Underlining, bold and italics are mine as well as the questions for reflection).
Losing The Way
From top to bottom, our society is success oriented, however one may define that in terms of one's own goals. Christians are not immune; "Everything comes out okay for christians," and "The King's kids are always winners", these 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 use who know too well the salt taste of failure, it helps to remember that even the great ones of the faith failed, yet God continued to use them, often in a deeper ways after their fall.
Some of David's greatest writings came after his greatest mistakess. 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 3 major religions and is called "God's friends" (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 blessings." 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 our mirror, and make forever our own the 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 blessings from the ashes of our failures.
author: Gini Andrews
Losing The Way
From top to bottom, our society is success oriented, however one may define that in terms of one's own goals. Christians are not immune; "Everything comes out okay for christians," and "The King's kids are always winners", these 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 use who know too well the salt taste of failure, it helps to remember that even the great ones of the faith failed, yet God continued to use them, often in a deeper ways after their fall.
Some of David's greatest writings came after his greatest mistakess. 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 3 major religions and is called "God's friends" (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 blessings." 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 our mirror, and make forever our own the 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 blessings from the ashes of our failures.
author: Gini Andrews
Questions for reflection:
1. What do you consider some of your greatest failures or what comes to mind when you think of how you have failed (jot these down)?
2. When you have failed, do you feel as though people have encouraged you and helped to lift you up OR judged, condemned and punished you? (often times we will translate how people have treated ius into the thinking of ,that is how God is or would treat us and often times, most times, that couldn't be farther from the truth)
3. Do you tend to want to redeem your mistakes or quit and do something else?
4. Is it "ok" to lie if you are saving your own skin or someone elses?
5. Is honesty (complete honesty) always "the best policy"?
6. Do you have a healthy understanding of your own strengths and weaknesses inorder for both of those to be used for your good and the good of others?
7. If a quid-pro-quo relationship is not the way, then how do we attain a life well lived and a life flowing with blessings recieved and blessings given away?
8. WOW! What do you think about the statement "....the whole of our life is grace."?
9. Do you berate yourself unmercifully and keep asking for forgiveness? Is that necessary? Healthy? And would God speak to you like you speak to yourself in that way?
*remember these important points.....there is no condemnation! AND he not only condemns us, he even brings blessings from the ashes of our failures! Cool!
Have a BLessed Day and Rest of the Week,
myra
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3 comments:
One of my friends continues to not be able to comment??? and has asked me to post her comment for her, here it is. Great example Carla, thanks!
I'm just responding to your latest post on God's grace:
Today, just this morning,I have failed and done something stupid. I upset a dear friend by saying something that came out all wrong. I didn't mean to hurt her feeling. I just couldn't say what I wanted to say in different words. Sometimes I can't seem to find the right words and they come out all wrong.
So instantly after I had upset her I apologized and tried to fix my mistake and realized that I couldn't undue what I had done. I left even before church started and cried and beat myself up for just being human. I'm still doing it now. I don't ever want to speak to her again for fear of not knowing the right words to say or something coming out wrong. I have learned to be very guarded with my words but sometimes I feel that my vocabulary may not be broad enough or I haven't quit learned how to frase things. Sometimes that is why I don't say anything and just listen.
Satan uses these times to keep us down and tricks us into believing that God can never use us. But God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. We must remeber that.
you can post this as one of your comments. take care
Carla D.
I find myself feeling like Moses at the burning bush when I feel God asking me to lead out in places of my life where I've failed -- I ask WHY ME? CAN YOU SEND SOMEONE ELSE? And fight him by explaining how unqualified I am because of my prior mistakes. I'm learning that He can use me regardless of my past as long as I'm willing -- and your post continued to encourage me in that! Thanks for your insight - I enjoy reading your blog!
John Claypool said that we can experience the forgiveness that is ours in Christ by handling our failure appropriately. He suggested that we own it, then disown it. In other words, when our failures come to mind, admit and acknowledge our responsiblity for our actions, LEARN ALL YOU CAN FROM IT, and then give it back over to God. (Emphasis mine.)
Of course, with our human memory, and our enemy who likes to remind us of our mistakes, this is a process that may have to be repeated over and over - even for the same mistake. Faith comes in the realization that, when our failures come back to mind, there may be yet more to learn - not that I am once again guilty before God or rejected by him. And, faith comes in the act of giving it back (even again and again) to God.
BTW, Claypool was an interesting man of God...this idea came from his book, MENDING THE HEART.
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