Winning Failures

An odd title but it's true!  If you have the right perspective.

Was reading in 2 Corinthians of Paul describing his sorrow and joy at someone's failure before he was coming that direction to see them. 

Was reading in Blackaby's devotional about how God often uses failure as a breakthrough to someone altogether new.

Peter had been fishing all night.  It wasn't just a necessity, it was his profession.
Jesus sort of jokingly says something about Peter's long face.  It's obvious that they knew each other. Peter must have been listening to Jesus for some time to be calling Him 'Master'. So here is a Carpenter telling a Fisherman how to fish.
He reluctantly listened to Jesus and almost sank the boat trying to haul it in!

It changed Peter from that point forward.

We often get wrapped around the axle when we fail.  I know that I do.
We turn inward.  We remove ourselves from people.  We get caught up in a loop between the beginning of the failure to its end in our minds.

Yet that's not what we should be doing, obviously.  We should seek God's point of view.

Peter is but one example.  All the Disciples weren't exactly the best of the best. Neither will we be!

How did Jesus react to that? He praised the Father for His choice of people!

At the end of His ministry, in His final recorded prayer He mentions again that of all those who the Father gave Him, He lost none but the one whom it was predestined to betray Him.

Ordinary men and women are whom Jesus uses.  The Father's Plan worked and Jesus & the Holy Spirit continued to use Ordinary people.

Look back at the people who were called to go around Jericho.  The Lord kept sending people away because there were too many.  The numbers were too high for it to be shown that this deliverance was to be from God.

We will fail God daily.  But our Advocate, Jesus Christ, is always there to get us back on our feet. Clean us up, and get us moving again. It's to us to ask for forgiveness. To turn and repent. To keep on living in obedience.  Be the reflected light of Christ in this world.

Sure a fully successful life would feel better.  But no tree that's never faced a storm can survive one. The roots of affliction are too shallow.  Only by weathering a storm does the wood of a tree have character. 

So keep your eyes on the cross.  You will stumble and fall today.  Call out to Jesus as soon as possible. He will be there.

The Disciples were the Greatest group of failures of all time...and God used them to change the world.  Imagine what He can do with you!