Wednesday, September 22, 2010

FAILURE THAT LEADS TO GODLINESS

"All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered
around him, and he became their leader...." - 1 Samuel 22:2

God uses broken things to accomplish His greatest work. When David was
anointed to be the next king, he was just a boy, the youngest among all
his brothers. Little did he know that the next several years would be
years of fleeing from Saul whose successes turned into obsessions as a
leader who had fallen from God's anointing. Perhaps David thought, "Why
am I living a life as a fugitive?" I am the next king of Israel. Yet,
his life was filled with adversity after adversity before he ever
fulfilled the ultimate calling God had for him. Others began to hear of
David's successes and identify with his plight. But, it wasn't the
successful and polished who came to join him. It was "those who were in
distress or in debt or discontented" who would be part of his army-and
an army it was! His army would become known throughout the world as the
greatest ever assembled, not because of their skill, but because of the
God behind the army. God turned David's men into "mighty men of valor"
(see 1 Chron. 11:10).
God often uses failure to make us useful. When Jesus called the
disciples, He did not go out and find the most qualified and successful
people. He found the most willing, and He found them in the workplace.
He found a fisherman, a tax collector, a farmer, and a doctor.
The Hebrews knew that failure was a part of maturing in God. The Greeks
used failure as a reason for disqualification. Sadly, in the Church, we
often treat one another in this way. This is not God's way. We need to
understand that failing does not make us failures. It makes us
experienced. It makes us more prepared to be useful in God's Kingdom-if
we have learned from it. And that is the most important ingredient for
what God wants in His children.

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