Devotional Songs: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a video of Don Moen singing God Will Make A Way … declaring the reality of God’s willingness to take our failures and use them to show us His way … and THEN ON TO THIS LINK with Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing He’ll Do Whatever It Takes, showing God’s desire to use His grace to reshape us into His own image … no matter how many times we’ve failed Him in the past.
Highlight Passage John 18: 26-27 [NIV] …
26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” 27 Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.
… But this “failure” was not Peter’s undoing … see John 21 and beyond after Acts 2
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Highlight Context -John 18: 15-18, 25-27 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Peter’s failure … leads ultimately to the Apostle’s great success for Christ
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Reference Passage #1 - Lamentations 3: 22-23 [NKJV] …
22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness.
… Just because WE fail, … doesn’t mean God will …
Reference Passage #2 - John 21: 15-19 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus restores Peter fully after the Apostles failure
Reference Passage #3 - Acts 2: 14-47 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK ...
… Look at how Peter, “the failure,” after his denial of Christ, preaches with power at Pentecost
Reference Passage #4 - 1st Corinthians 10: 13 [NKJV] …
13 No temptation [or “test, trial, trouble, or tribulation”] has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
… No matter what test or trial we go through, even in seeming failure, … God’s will make a way [listen to the Don Moen song, linked above]
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Cindy Hess Kasper, writes of God’s willingness and grace to take our failures and turn them into His launching pad for our future service in His Name and for His glory.
Kasper’s ODB entry today made me think of several of the great American Baseball stars of the past, like Reggie Jackson, pictured in the attached photo. … Jackson was inducted into the USA Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993; and he was known as “Mr. October. ” His nickname came because. on several occasions during his career, even after mediocre years from April-September, Jackson would come alive in October, usually during the World Series in October, to have spectacular games, hitting home runs to win big games in the Series. In fact, looking at Jackson’s career, he struck out more than any other batter in MLB history; but his often spectacular home runs - especially late in the season - caused baseball writers - and certainly fans - to forget all his strike outs; and he was selected for the Hall of Fame.
Think of biblical “failures,” who ended up in God’s “hall of faith.” (see Hebrews, Chapter 11). There we so many who failed in life, like the Apostles Peter and Paul; but God turned their “strike outs” into “home runs,” leading them to live spectacularly successful lives for Christ, even though they had failed miserably in God’s eyes in their past.
Perhaps, like me, someone reading here has been a “failure” in the past; but, I’m here to tell you that we can all turn our “strike outs” into “HOME RUNS” for Christ … and it can begin today!!
My Prayer Today: Oh Lord, … I pray that I, and any here with me today, remember that Your mercies are new every morning; and they when there seems to be no way, You can … and will … make a way! Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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