A failure vs. a person who failsThe question is not whether we will fail, but how we will respond when we fail.Will failing be a stumbling block or a stepping sone (Proverbs 24:16)?Real failure is when you abandon your post.The one talent man (Matthew 25:24-30) assured his own failure by not pursuing success.Wicked: God considers inaction to be as evil as inappropriate actions.Slothful: Excuses for passivity are often just cloaks for laziness (Proverbs 22:13).Real failure is when you abandon your post.Paul had a stewardship entrusted to him (I Corinthians 9:16-17), and he was determined to be faithful in it.He knew from the beginning how much he would suffer for the Lord (Acts 9:16).He learned to endure, even appreciate, his “thorns” (II Corinthians 12:7-10).Are you willing to “take the shot”?Real failure is when you hedge your efforts.Demas was willing to be a “fellow worker” with Paul (Philemon 1:24).He “loved this present world” (II Timothy 4:9) and abandoned him.Was it the lust of the eye? The lust of the flesh? The pride of life? (I John 2:16)Whatever it was, it wasn’t his “first love” (Revelation 2:4-5).The widow (Luke 21:1-4).Her commitment to God’s work did not depend on her circumstances.Jesus cared about the hearts of the people, not the rocks of the temple.Are you committed or just involved?Real failure is when you “surrender to your past”.Judas did not see the significance of his betrayal until too late (Matthew 27:3-5).He could have been brought to repentance (II Corinthians 7:9-10).Instead he was driven to despair.If Jesus forgives us, we must find a way to forgive ourselves.“God is greater than our heart” (I John 3:20).Peter did not see the significance of his betrayal untill too late (Matthew 26:69-75).He trusted in Jesus, not himself (Matthew 14:28-32).
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