Reason #393
Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it. - Romans 11:11-12
I love His word, and I love the moments when I read something that pentrates my heart. I love the fact that I can read scripture over and over and get something new and different each time. And, I love when I stumble over verses and they make perfect sense. I am so grateful when He gives me the wisdom and insight to understand them.
We all make mistakes. Every single one of us have messed up at one point in our lives or another. I've messed up plenty of times, and I have yet to totally shake that habit. I hate making mistakes. I am a perfectionist and quite strict on myself, so when something doesn't pan out as I feel it should, I am totally and completely bothered by it forever. I have the memory of an elephant, and I'll be the first to tell you that I never forget about the mistakes I've made.
And what about the mistakes of others? What happens when their mistakes affect us? Maybe we're inncoent bystanders, or maybe we're totally unaware, and yet we can still be impacted by their mistakes. Maybe, sometimes, we actually benefit from the mistakes that we make and the mistakes that others make. Have you ever thought about that?
The truth is, we are prone to stumble. We are prone to wander. But there is never a mistake that God cannot correct or use. We can never be too far from redemption. And so often we make mistakes and learn from them, yet we can learn from the mistakes of others, too. We can learn what to do and what not do to. I've been thinking a lot about this lately. It stemmed from a conversation I had on Wednesday night. A conversation about mistakes that were made and simply being mistaken. And I have begun to realize how God has worked inspite of all of my mistakes. Because I was disobedient. I was stubborn and hard headed and completely set in my ways. And yet God, who is so good to me, took those mistakes and He brought such good things from them. He brought new life and restoration. Blessings overflowed from mistakes that were made. Just as God used the mistake of disobedience made by His chosen people, Israel, to benefit the rest of mankind, I have come to realize that God has used mistakes to benefit me more than once.
Now, I'm not promoting that we go out and intentionally mess up. I'm not encouraging anyone to be rebellious or disobendient. But as I read through my Sunday school lesson tonight and came across this passage in Romans, my heart was so overwhelmed and encouraged because we clearly see here how God redeems mistakes. We clearly see how mistakes, whether it be ours or someone elses, are so far reaching, and yet God, being so gracious as He always is, actually uses those mistakes to bring about much good. Good that has affected a countless amount of people. A good that has affected me. And I'm grateful to serve a God like that. A God who will even use our mistakes to bring about something better. A God who literally lets nothing be wasted. And I'm grateful for the lessons I've learned from the mistakes I've made. I'm grateful for how He has used them to mold me and change me. And I'm thankful that, if we'll let Him, He'll use those mistakes to turn things around and offer us abundant life.
#393 - Because God can even use our mistakes to benefit ourselves and others.
"For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead!" - Romans 11:22
I love His word, and I love the moments when I read something that pentrates my heart. I love the fact that I can read scripture over and over and get something new and different each time. And, I love when I stumble over verses and they make perfect sense. I am so grateful when He gives me the wisdom and insight to understand them.
We all make mistakes. Every single one of us have messed up at one point in our lives or another. I've messed up plenty of times, and I have yet to totally shake that habit. I hate making mistakes. I am a perfectionist and quite strict on myself, so when something doesn't pan out as I feel it should, I am totally and completely bothered by it forever. I have the memory of an elephant, and I'll be the first to tell you that I never forget about the mistakes I've made.
And what about the mistakes of others? What happens when their mistakes affect us? Maybe we're inncoent bystanders, or maybe we're totally unaware, and yet we can still be impacted by their mistakes. Maybe, sometimes, we actually benefit from the mistakes that we make and the mistakes that others make. Have you ever thought about that?
The truth is, we are prone to stumble. We are prone to wander. But there is never a mistake that God cannot correct or use. We can never be too far from redemption. And so often we make mistakes and learn from them, yet we can learn from the mistakes of others, too. We can learn what to do and what not do to. I've been thinking a lot about this lately. It stemmed from a conversation I had on Wednesday night. A conversation about mistakes that were made and simply being mistaken. And I have begun to realize how God has worked inspite of all of my mistakes. Because I was disobedient. I was stubborn and hard headed and completely set in my ways. And yet God, who is so good to me, took those mistakes and He brought such good things from them. He brought new life and restoration. Blessings overflowed from mistakes that were made. Just as God used the mistake of disobedience made by His chosen people, Israel, to benefit the rest of mankind, I have come to realize that God has used mistakes to benefit me more than once.
Now, I'm not promoting that we go out and intentionally mess up. I'm not encouraging anyone to be rebellious or disobendient. But as I read through my Sunday school lesson tonight and came across this passage in Romans, my heart was so overwhelmed and encouraged because we clearly see here how God redeems mistakes. We clearly see how mistakes, whether it be ours or someone elses, are so far reaching, and yet God, being so gracious as He always is, actually uses those mistakes to bring about much good. Good that has affected a countless amount of people. A good that has affected me. And I'm grateful to serve a God like that. A God who will even use our mistakes to bring about something better. A God who literally lets nothing be wasted. And I'm grateful for the lessons I've learned from the mistakes I've made. I'm grateful for how He has used them to mold me and change me. And I'm thankful that, if we'll let Him, He'll use those mistakes to turn things around and offer us abundant life.
#393 - Because God can even use our mistakes to benefit ourselves and others.
"For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead!" - Romans 11:22