fail

Oh, there you are, Peter!

/ EllieJ

Read: Leviticus 14, Matthew 26:55-75

If you’ve never seen the movie Hook, watch it some day. Most everyone is familiar with the story of Peter Pan. In Hook, Peter is all grown up and has forgotten what it’s like to be a kid. He’s lost his happy thoughts. In utter disbelief that Peter Pan would have the nerve to grow up and have kids, the lost boys struggle to believe that Peter really has returned to Neverland. One boy, in an effort to find Peter, approaches the man and begins to pull and stretch his face until he sees something he recognizes. Eyes wide with wonder, he announces, “Oh, there you are, Peter!”

Peter had lost himself over the years, having completely forgotten his time in Neverland. But in the end, he was finally able to recall who he really was. He was Peter Pan. He could crow. He could fly. He could save Neverland from the evil Captain Hook.

A long time ago, another Peter forgot who he was. And on multiple occasions. The apostle Simon Peter was as passionate (and sometimes as foolhardy) as Peter Pan. No flying was involved, but there was some walking on water and crowing certainly had something to do with it.

But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Matthew 26:70 (NIV)

Peter did exactly what he told Jesus he would never do. Many would immediately disqualify Peter from ministry for his denial. But this wasn’t even close to being his first blunder. This man was rebuked and nearly drown. He assaulted a soldier and denied ever knowing or associating with Jesus. He, more than anyone, knew his own shortcomings. But what he didn’t know was that Jesus had already prepared for all of that.

But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.

Luke 22:32 (NIV)

Peter went on to be an effective missionary. Echoes of his work are still seen throughout the world today. He could have let his mistakes define him, but instead chose to believe what Jesus believed of him – that he would be able to strengthen others. Through his mistakes, he became stronger and, because he always turned back, he was able to strengthen others.

Like Peter Pan returning to Neverland to save the day, the disciple Peter returned to the faith he had been called to so that he could lead others to salvation.

Planned with purpose

/ EllieJ / Leave a comment

I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world.

Jeremiah 1:5 (NLT)

Though these words are spoken by God directly to Jeremiah, it is not the first time we’ve seen this idea. David, too, spoke of God knowing each of us before we were ever conceived.

You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

Psalm 139:16 (NLT)

When you make plans, when you set out to begin a project, what is your intended outcome? Do you plan to fail? Do you make certain that your project will never be suitable for its intended use? Of course not!

While you may have measures in place in case of failure, you don’t plan with it at the forefront of your mind. You plan for success. You do everything in your power to be sure that all of your time, energy, and effort does not go to waste.

God put a lot of thought, time, and effort into creating every human being. Psalm 139 talks about all of the thoughts God thinks about you. They are too many to count. We all began in God. As a thought. When He began to form you in your mother’s womb, His plans for you were all about success, never failure.

So when you make an excuse that you aren’t good enough or that you don’t have what it takes to answer the call of God on your life, you’re really insulting God’s plans. God didn’t create you with a failsafe or a kill switch or failure precautions because He created you exactly the way He needed you to fulfill His plans for you. You are what He intended you to be and you have all that you need to fulfill His purpose.

Do you get off track? We all do. But that doesn’t negate God’s plan or purpose. Remember that He knew all of your days before you even existed. The life you’ve lived, the mistakes you made can still be used for His glory. Nothing you can say or do can change the fact that God planned you with purpose.

Daily Bible reading: Jeremiah 1-2, 2 Thessalonians 2

Defender

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I’m not a hermit. Sometimes I wish I was. Because, if I were a hermit, it would mean that I wouldn’t have to deal with people. Let’s face it, sometimes people aren’t the most fun to deal with. But what is life without them?

I mess up. A lot. My neurological makeup is such that I miss out on a lot of social cues and conversational intricacies. As a result, I have been told I often say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Or I’ll say the right thing in the wrong way. Or I say nothing at all and come across as a complete jerk. More often than not, I don’t even know I’ve done it unless someone close to me points it out.

Neurological atypicalities aside, I often find myself alone. Close friends have been difficult to come by and even family isn’t always aware or understanding of my abnormalities. I feel alone.

That’s why this verse in Job stood out to me today.

You must defend my innocence, O God, since no one else will stand up for me.

Job 17:3 (NLT)

So what does it mean for God to defend me, stand up for me?

The Lord is for me, so I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me.
I will look in triumph at those who hate me
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in people.

Psalm 118:6-8 (NLT)

Even in my dark places, when I feel completely alone, God is still there. With me.

Even though I may feel like the entire world is against me, God is still there. For me.

If I am wrong, He will forgive me. If I am innocent, He will defend me.

Though the words and actions of people around me may hurt, they can have no eternal effect on my spirit. Those people and their words cannot take God, my defender, from me.

People have always failed and will always fail. But the Lord will not. In those times when we struggle in our relationships, we can put our trust in God knowing that He will remain sure even when everything else may not.

He is for me; He will help me.

Daily Bible reading: Job 16-18, Acts 9:1-22

Never fail

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Sometimes I like to look up words that I hear a lot. In the church, we often hear that God will neither fail nor forsake us. But what the heck does forsake really mean? It’s almost Shakespearean in nature.

FORSAKE: to quit or leave entirely; to desert; to abandon; to depart from; to renounce; to reject; to leave; to withdraw from.

As Moses’ time as leader over Israel is coming to a close, God is giving him a few parting words for Israel and for Joshua—the man who would take Moses’ place.

Be strong and courageous! Do no be afraid of them! The Lord your God will go ahead of you. He will never fail you nor forsake you.

Deuteronomy 31:6 (NLT)

All through the Bible, God tells His people that He will never leave us. He will never abandon us. He will never depart from us. He will never renounce us. He will never reject us. He will never quit us.

So why do we have churches full of people who feel far from God? God is incapable of breaking His Word. He can’t leave us. Could it be that we are the ones who have pulled away from Him?

Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites.

James 4:8 (NLT)

As soon as we turn toward sin, we turn away from God. In order to feel close to God, all we must do it turn to Him. How difficult we have made such a simple thing! There is no great secret to being close to God. Our relationship with Him works the same as our relationship with others—we have to pursue someone in order to have a relationship with them. If we aren’t pursuing God, how can we ever expect to feel close to Him?

Take courage, though! Be strong! God has already gone ahead of us. He may be just out of our line of sight, but it is never, ever too late to catch up. If we make it a priority to pursue Him, He is faithful. He will never fail us.

Daily Bible reading: Deuteronomy 31-32, Luke 1:1-23

Not one word

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Blessed be the Lord who had given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant.

1 Kings 8:56 (ESV)

I wish I could say that none of my words had ever failed. But, I’m human. I can’t. My words fail. My words fail more than I’d like to admit.

Do you ever find yourself comparing God to human standards? You know you fail and you know those around you fail so you just assume that God does, too.

He doesn’t fail. Ever.

How do I know that God never fails?

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 4:8 (NCV)

 

Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:8a (NKJV)

God is love. Love never fails. God never fails.

The next time your tempted to compare God to your own standards, take a moment to reflect on these verses. Just as Solomon declared that all God had promised to Moses came to pass, all God has declared over us already has or will come to pass.

Remember, just because people have let you down doesn’t mean that God will.

Daily Bible reading: 1 Kings 8-9; Luke 23:39-56

Forsake

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“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Mark 15:34b (ESV)

As Easter draws near, many people around the world are made more aware of the events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus, the death and resurrection being the main focus. And so they should be. Without either, our faith is nothing but an empty shell.

In reading this verse again, I began to think of what the cross really meant, not for us, but for Jesus. As he was held to wooden beams with thick, heavy nails driven through his flesh and bones, he not only experienced unbearable physical pain, but, as he cried out, he felt the pain of abandonment.

What does it really mean to be forsaken?

To quit or leave entirely; to desert; to abandon; to depart from.

To abandon; to renounce; to reject.

To leave; to withdraw from; to fail.

In scripture, God forsakes his people, when he withdraws his aid, or the light of his countenance.

How would it have felt to know that your father, The Unfailing God, failed you? To know the one who would never leave has left?

Jesus felt on the cross what no other human being in history ever felt – to be completely and utterly forsaken. Never once before or since has anyone ever been so thoroughly separated from the rest of the world. And never before or since was there anyone less deserving to have endured what Jesus endured.

Next time you feel alone, left out, abandoned, remind yourself that you are not alone. You are not left out. You are not abandoned. Jesus endured it all so we would never have to.

Daily Bible reading: Deuteronomy 28, Mark 15:27-47