“We owed a debt because we didn’t keep God’s laws. The collection account had all the charges against us, but God forgave us the debt and nailed the account to the cross.” (Colossians 2:14, PDT)
You and I make mistakes from time to time. We don’t have to live with guilt, but we do have to live with our mistakes.
The Bible never hides this truth. She is painfully honest about her heroes’ failures. God saved the world from the flood through a man named Noah, who then got drunk, stripped naked, and ruined everything. Moses led the children of Israel through the Red Sea and to freedom, but his anger prevented him from entering the Promised Land. King David was a man after God’s own heart, but he also had an affair and murdered the woman’s husband so as not to be found out.
God is aware of our fragility. If it only used perfect people, the Bible would be a pretty short book. But, God has a solution for our failures: Grace.
The Bible says, “We owed a debt because we didn’t keep God’s laws. The collection account had all the charges against us, but God forgave us the debt and nailed the account to the cross.” (Colossians 2:14, PDT)
In fact, if you look at all those failures in the Bible, you get a clear picture. Like those heroes of the Bible, you and I are trophies of God’s grace. Your main testimony to the world around you is not all the great things you do for God. It’s how you handle the mistakes you’ve made. Do you mourn or do you delight in God’s grace?
People want to meet a God who turns failures into successes. People want to meet a God who can transform the lives of broken people.
What is sublime, what is extraordinary about God’s grace is not only his power to forgive. It is also the strength that gives us when we start over.
Prayer
Father, I thank You for loving me in spite of my failures. Help me to learn, give thanks for Your gift, and glorify Your name. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
