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The Lord will comfort Israel again and have pity on her ruins. Her desert will blossom like Eden, her barren wilderness like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found there. Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air… Rise from the dust, O Jerusalem. Sit in a place of honor. Remove the chains of slavery from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
(Isaiah 51:3, 52:2)
For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! (Ephesians 5:8)
Read: Isaiah 51:1-53:12, Ephesians 5:1-33, Psalm 69:19-36, Proverbs 24:7
Relate: What do Moses, David, and Paul all have in common? If you guessed that they are all murderers, congratulations, you are right! Poor Peter, this is one list he wasn’t able to manage to get added to. He really did try, but he couldn’t manage to get it right. When he swung that sword to cut off some poor guy’s head, but all he managed to do is temporarily displace an ear. No worries, though. Jesus put it back on.
As bad as these four “heroes of the faith” are, they are not the exception to the rule. You know Joseph? He did jail time. His dad Jacob was a thief. Jesus used another thief as a treasurer during his entire ministry career. Another one of His disciples was a terrorist. Almost everything God did through Sampson only occurred because the thug was doing the wrong thing (or doing the wrong person) at the wrong place and the wrong time. The prophet Elisha once threw a temper tantrum when a group of kids started making fun of his bald head. He should have been proud of his bald head. I’m proud of my bald head. If you’re not familiar with the story, and what happened when he called down curses on those kids, you are in luck. Somebody managed to catch the whole thing on video. Watch this:
React: We are all failures. Every one of us should be disqualified for heaven and disqualified to be used by God. That’s why His grace is so amazing. As bad as I have been, as much as I have failed, I’m not a murderer so I have a leg up on David, Paul, and Moses. Yet those three men we today regard as some of the greatest men in the Bible. Paul doesn’t just own up to the fact he was a failure, he uses it. If you were to sum up his gospel presentation in ten words, it would be: “Christ died to save sinners of which I’m the worst.”
I am not proud of my failures, but I am amazed at how God has used them to change who I am today. He has taken my pitfalls and turned them into platforms. I now have empathy and compassion for those who have similar struggles. In the same way, a recovered alcoholic is best able to deal with recovering alcoholics. An abuse survivor is best able to work with those in abusive situations. Where have you failed? What are your pitfalls? God wants to use them as opportunities to spread His amazing grace around to those that need it most.
Respond:
Dear God,
I am so grateful for Your amazing grace. I am so undeserving of Your mercy. I have failed. I have sinned. What is worse, I keep on sinning. I want to follow You but as I walk this road I keep on tripping. Dear God, I ask that every time I do let Your grace wash over me again. Don’t let me try to hide my failures in guilt and shame. Help me to be open and vulnerable to the world around me because they need to receive the grace that You have so richly lavished on me. Help me to turn my pitfalls into platforms.
Amen
THE RIVER WALK 
I was drawn to read this post when I signed on even though I am so far behind on keeping up. It is the perfect post to end my day! I just spent the last two hours in the word and writing in my journal some things that I will post tomorrow. I was writing, believe it or not, about feeling like a failure, not being good enough, etc. and how the Lord is leading me out of that! This verse, in particular, For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! (Ephesians 5:8) fits perfectly! Obviously God is hard at work, leading his flock to the right places at the right time! I, also, am grateful for his Amazing Grace. (one of my favorite hyms by the way)
Wow, I needed to be reminded of this principle today. That God uses imperfect folks to are saved by grace to do His work. I am definitely not disqualified from that. Although, I often feel ashamed of what I don’t know about the Lord, I am willing to obey and learn of Him; doing His bidding, where ever He calls.
Great Post! Thanks for the reminder today.
Amen! I can well relate!
I really appreciate this post. It helps when we put our past into His perspective. Thanks so much for the encouragement.
Great article. Thanks.
Your post really rings true to be, thanks for sharing! I did a similar (thematically), post about this a few weeks ago. Mine was not quite as well supported or eloquently presented, but hey… Thanks again, especially for reminding me that the biblical giants had their issues too.
http://jwolffblog.wordpress.com/
Great post – and great blog! I love what you are doing over here. I love seeing uncompromising voices for Christ out here in the blog world! Keep it up, brother! Thank you!
an awesome point…
many tend to idealize heroes but never really pay attention to the flaws (realities) that make them able or willing to stand up in faith and speak (of God’s Grace) and why they believe (and trust) as they do
Wow. I like how Peter tried to get into the list. Never thought in those lines.
Article is helpful.keep writing:)
We are so unworthy and yet He loves us–Amazing Grace!
We’re all in the same boat BJ, and because of the new covenant (testament) that Jesus provided, covered by grace. Thank you.
Amen! Great post.. We need to be reminded of his amazing love from time to time.. Thank you.. 🙂
Reblogged this on ChristianBlessings and commented:
Through it all I have learned to trust Him (Andrae Crouch)
Great post. . . 🙂 God loves us all. It’s amazing to know that we are all God’s children…:-)
inspirational blog…keep going…
Really needed to hear this today, thank you.
Very inspiring post!
I love to use that point. You’re absolutely right. Moses, David, and Paul are considered three of the holiest, most sold out for God. All murderers.
If there is hope for them there is hope for all of us.
God is good…ALWAYS.
Because I once was a failure too, I could relate with them. I related the more, when God inspired me to write about the good things He has bestowed on me. Great post!
Thank you for sharing this! So true!
Beautifully written!! I want to follow –
Isn’t it a wonder how we all are not good enough according to the standards of God, yet He chooses to love and embrace us regardless? I will never understand the reason behind this unfailing love, but I am oh so grateful for it.
Thanks for the good post
I wish there was a live button. I really like this. Well done. It is easy to fall into the haughty trap of “look at him/her, I am not a sinner like them”.
Let me see people as God sees them, broken and hurting..just like me.
Thank you for this post.What an amazing God we serve.May we extend grace to others as HE does us.Amen
What an awesome page you have! I love your prayer at the end. Did you write it? If so, you are totally cool. Yes, we are sinners all, but Jesus Christ in his Mercy, God the Father and the Holy Spirit forgive and even cleanse us. God bless you!
Thank you and yes I did.
Well I think it’s a great prayer and I plan to say it during my prayers with my beloved Uncle TR. He’s 97 years of age. All his life he’s been a very devout Catholic. Just for the record (ha!) our morning routine includes a Glory be… Our Father… and then 3 Hail Mary’s. We pause and make an intention for our departed loved ones and then say a fourth (and final) Hail Mary. God bless you!Love, Russell