Failure

​This past week, Christians around the world remembered what Christ did for us over 2,000 years ago on the cross. We were also celebrating the fact that He did what no other god has done or ever will do; He rose from the dead and conquered the grave! Why? He loves us! 

Here at Carolinas Cornerstone, we all prayed and tried to make preparations for our services. Our prayer was that people who do not know Jesus as Savior and Lord would accept him. We also prayed that people who are Christians but not living the life would come back to Jesus and get back on the right track with him. Every prayer, every ounce of work that was done was worth it. We received texts, emails, and letters praising the Lord for what God did in our Easter services.  Thank you, Jesus, for moving on us!

But please do not stop investing, inviting, and sharing the Good News about Jesus. Salvation is only the beginning of a lifelong journey, a journey of an abundant life. God wants the best for every single one of His children, and that will only happen when believers, new and old, choose to grow and put effort into their relationship with Him. Please remember that salvation is only the beginning of a lifelong journey, a journey of an abundant life!

This coming Sunday I want to share a message called “Jesus can’t use me!” The scene is the Sea of Galilee. Here in that beautiful symbolic way that John frequently employs, we have a picture of what Jesus wants to teach us about the work of fishing for men. These followers are really struggling. They feel like losers. They are thinking Jesus cannot use me.

Failure is a very demoralizing thing. Many of you have tried hard to accomplish something. Like these fishermen, you have expended energy and utilized all your resources but gained nothing in return. However, although failure is a painful experience, valuable lessons can be learned from it.

All too frequently, committed Christ-followers believe that God will not reveal Himself or use anyone who does not have life “all together.” An important question is this: Do you believe that God expects perfection from His followers?

While God’s people are to pursue a godly life, no one is perfect, and we all struggle with sin's grip on our lives. (1 John 1:8 NLT) Yet we need to embrace ourselves as we are: both saint and sinner, with strengths and weaknesses; successes and failures; victories and defeats. When we acknowledge our brokenness, struggles, and our need for God, He will use us. When we embrace our weaknesses as part of who we are and put our confidence in Christ's work in our lives, He will use us.

Make Every Day Count!

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