COMPETITIVE
Carey Madding
Today's Scripture: “For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.” Proverbs 24:16, ESV
Theme: When I fail, I won’t quit.
FAKING IT
Have you ever decided to just quit before you actually failed? I have. I dropped out of Calculus because I just couldn’t understand it, even after paying for a tutor. A friend of mine admits she would purposely trip and fall rather than lose the race outright. Sometimes, we don’t even start the class/race/project because we are just too afraid to fail. It’s embarrassing how far we go to avoid failure.
A GREAT TEACHER
However, when things are going great, I know I get complacent. When things go badly, I dig in, trying to figure out what went wrong, and even how I can prevent it in the future. Troubleshooting where I erred, what my team needed to succeed, or how that event could have been better: these things are the best teachers! I learn more from my failures than my success. Even more importantly, other people can connect with the Gospel and the rescue of Jesus Christ more readily when I am sharing how He has rescued me. It's okay to share how He has blessed me, also; but only after I am transparent enough to share the struggle and failure.
WEEBLES
One song that reminds me of this is “Weebles” by Insyderz. As believers, we may make mistakes. We may wobble. It may seem as though we are down, but God is able to make us stand. We know this! We’ve experienced it! No matter what someone else thinks or even says about your situation or your chances of success, God is with you. Romans 14:4 (ESV) reminds us, “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”
Make It Personal: No one knows what you are going through better than the Lord. He not only knows, but He is for you and able to make you stand. Make the decision not to give up. Make the decision to get up off the mat. Rise up off the track. Keep taking the hard class. Keep working to reconcile that relationship. God is able to give you the victory, if you keep getting up. “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9, ESV).
Pray: Father, I need You and Your strength. I need to remember that You are for me and not against me. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Help me not to quit or become discouraged, but repeatedly and continually focus on You and the joy which is before me in Your presence. Give me patience and perseverance, even long-suffering, as I strive to live in and for You. Amen.
Read: Isaiah 58:11-12, 54:17; Galatians 6:1-2, 9-10
Weekly Memory Verse: “For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.” Proverbs 24:16, ESV