Failures Aren't Fatal

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Failures Aren't Fatal

Andrew Stevens

January 21, 2020 • Linda Ray Center • Romans 6

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We all make wrong choices—we all sin. The struggle of a decision gone sour is real, but take heart. Mistakes don’t have to define us; they can refine us. Because of Jesus and what He did, God does not abandon those who make wrong decisions.

A wrong decision leads us to a new experience of God’s grace and an opportunity to learn something. We can treat mistakes as chances to grow. Remember, if we know Christ, God remembers our wrong choices no more (Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 43:25).

Even though we mess up daily, through God’s goodness, those unpleasant outcomes become something useful. Because of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, we are redeemed, despite our mistakes. Our failures aren’t the end of the road. They’re part of the growth process.

That means that, as we journey through life, we can go to Jesus and acknowledge our mess-ups (1 John 1:9–2:1). As God’s children in Christ, the Holy Spirit gives us wisdom, correction, and reminders of who we are in Jesus, allowing us to grow spiritually.

Before knowing Christ, we all are stuck under sin’s power. Even the Apostle Paul once built his life on persecuting Christians, a terrible decision that hurt many. God saw His heart and changed it, and Paul became a powerful witness for Christ. Through the Holy Spirit, Paul was able to live in victory over his sin, and so can we.

Even when we mess up, we can remember Jesus has raised us up above our failures, giving us a new identity apart from the sins we commit or are tempted to commit. Instead, our identity is in who Jesus is. • Linda Ray Center

• How does knowing about identity in Christ affect the way you view yourself and the things you do or don’t do?

• Read Hebrews 4:14-16 and 1 John 1:9–2:1. When you sin, what good comes from talking to Jesus about it?

We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. Romans 6:6 (NLT)

Flying Chariots

January 31, 2020 • Kevin Zeller • Psalm 20:7, Romans 8:22–28

The fleet of war machines hurtled through the air toward the city. . The leader smiled fiercely, hands on the controls of his ship. “This is the greatest military power in the history of humanity,” he said to his officers, not caring if it was true. . The leader’s ship went into a dive, and the fleet followed. The city darkened as the sun was blocked. Emergency sirens wailed, and fearful people ran from the streets. . “It is high time this city fell,” the leader shouted, “laid waste like all the others! We will build a great empire, and nothing can stop us now! Nothing can stop this fleet!” . The girl stood on the wall of the city, watching the approaching fleet. It filled the sky from east to west, and the noise of thundering rumbled her feet. . Then silence. Great, whooshing silence. . The girl gasped. The machines were plummeting from the sky, all at once in a great wave of wood and metal. . The first struck the ground not far from the city wall, scraping up great piles of earth as the ships disintegrated with bright explosions. . Soon the entire fleet lay in ruins, smoke rising up and up to the heavens. • Kevin Zeller . • What kinds of things do you put your hope in? . • What kinds of technology or other manmade things do people place their hope in? . • Reread Romans 8:22-28. As Christians, where is our hope? . Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20:7 (NIV)

Found

January 30, 2020 • Hope Bolinger • Luke 15:3–7

If you’d told me I’d get lost in New York City, I’d have begged you to wake me up from my nightmare. . But lo and behold, during my junior year on choir tour, with over one hundred students jam-packed into a few charter buses, I ended up lost in one of the biggest cities in the world. I and a handful of other friends followed a chaperone who, although they were invested in getting a picture with a person dressed up as Woody from Toy Story in Times Square, didn’t invest in a GPS. . But when we realized the time—thanks to the handy dandy screens in the Square—we scrambled toward the sidewalks to get back to the bus for our next tour stop. . None of us had a keen sense of direction, and the only ones with cell phones didn’t have our choir director’s number. It was a time before any of us had smart phones, so no luck in using a GPS. Swerving from street to street, I felt my chest contract as tears welled up in my eyes. . We’ll never get back to the bus. They’ll ditch us and pick up a couple of Broadway actors to take our place. I mean, there are more than one hundred students. Who needs a couple of spare altos and sopranos who can’t read a map? . At long last, our choir director called one of our phones (she must’ve gotten the number from another student) and discovered our location. She rushed over, directed us to the bus’s position, and made sure we climbed aboard before we took off to our next destination. . I had never related to Jesus’ story of the lost sheep until that day. Especially knowing that our choir teacher would not leave until she had all of us, even having to ditch the bus to locate where we’d gotten lost. And man, oh man, did it feel good to be found. • Hope Bolinger . • Have you ever been lost before? What did it feel like to be lost? What did it feel like to be found? . • Reread today’s Bible passage. Where do you see yourself in the story of the lost sheep? The one who is lost? One of the ninety-nine? . • To learn more about how we all need to be found by Jesus, check out our "Know Jesus" page. . What man among you, who has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open field and go after the lost one until he finds it? Luke 15:4 (CSB)

Waiting

January 29, 2020 • Melissa Yeagle • Lamentations 3:21–26, 2 Peter 3:2–9

Did you grow up playing “I Spy”? It’s a great game to play on long car rides. Because the hardest part of long car rides is the waiting till you get there. . Waiting is never fun. . As Christians, we have to wait for many things. We are waiting for Christ’s return, and, in the meantime, we often wait for answers to our prayers. A wise Christian once told me God always has one of three answers to prayer: yes, no, and wait. While we know God is good, waiting to see His answers and the unfolding of His promises is hard. . When we are in the midst of waiting, we can trust that God is good and we can stand on God’s promises in Christ. One of those promises? God is so good that He is working all things—the good and the bad—for good for all those who love Him (Romans 8:28). . And here’s some great news: God will never break His promises. We might have to wait for His timing, but He will always keep His promises. • Melissa Yeagle . • Can you think of a time when God answered your prayer with a wait? . • Why is it important to remember God’s promises when you are waiting for something? . It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. Lamentations 3:26 (NKJV)