“In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ…” (Ephesians 1:4-5)Imagine you’re a parent. Your child has been learning the piano. She’s got a school concert coming up. She chose the music carefully and has practiced a lot. You bought her a new dress. She is excited but nervous. So are you!The … Continue reading You may fail
mistakes
Integrity is a trajectory
If you are increasing in spiritual maturity you are going to have an increasingly honest understanding of yourself. Yes, you will grow in confidence that you are a child of God. But at the same time you will become increasingly aware of your own sin. This is one of the things that makes you more … Continue reading Integrity is a trajectory
Mid-course corrections and moving forward
In yesterday’s devotional I highlighted a Chinese proverb: “A millimeter discrepancy leads to a thousand mile loss.” To explain it, Christopher Yuan tells the tragic story of Korean Airlines flight 007 which veered off course. A problem had occurred with the autopilot. At first, a few degrees wasn’t such a big deal. But after a … Continue reading Mid-course corrections and moving forward
A direction, not perfection
“For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction” (Psalm 1:6). Psalm 1 is sometimes called the “gateway to the Psalms.” As if providing a general introduction to the 149 psalms that follow, it gives us high-level wisdom about life and foregrounds a very important … Continue reading A direction, not perfection
The God of second chances
After the resurrection, Jesus asked Peter if he loved him. Not once, but three times. “The third time [Jesus] said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I … Continue reading The God of second chances
Use what you learn to serve God
We’ve been talking about learning from our mistakes and failures. In fact, when it comes to serving God, they don’t disqualify you, they educate you. Let’s consider the example of Peter. Before Jesus’ crucifixion, he denied knowing him three times. That is a very serious offense, especially in Jesus’ time of need! After the resurrection, … Continue reading Use what you learn to serve God
Learn from your mistakes
“We all stumble in many ways” (James 3:2). We all make mistakes. Do you wallow in yours, or do you learn from them? A junior executive at IBM lost over ten million dollars in a risky venture. He was called into the office of Tom Watson Sr., the founder of IBM. The junior executive asked, … Continue reading Learn from your mistakes
Mistakes
Mistakes are a part of life. You know that. I know that. But some people dwell on their mistakes—and I mean dwellllll on them—as if they are the defining factor in their lives. Consider Babe Ruth. In his day he was the home run king. He hit an amazing 714 home runs and led the … Continue reading Mistakes
Failure doesn’t disqualify you
Jesus calls us to love one another. What’s more is that he provides himself as an example to emulate. “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). Since he would lay down his life for us, that’s a pretty tall order! We are summoned to self-sacrificial love. Today I’m here … Continue reading Failure doesn’t disqualify you
God’s work through you despite you
As a person of faith, you should be aware of (and honest about) your own sin. At the same time, you should be confident that God’s power is not handcuffed by your sin or weakness. Handcuffs are meant to stop someone from doing something. Do you really think your flaws and foibles can bind the … Continue reading God’s work through you despite you
