Failure Isn't Final

When I was growing up I had sort of a "God's gonna get me" perspective on things.
I thought that if I sinned, I would be forgiven but I would certainly reap some bad stuff because I had done bad stuff.
If I had done something bad I would lay in bed thinking about all the bad things that could happen to me because of what I'd done.
I was basically waiting for God to squish me like a bug.
And really, that's what I deserved. What we all deserve.
We deserve nothing less than severe punishment because we are all sinners.
The Bible says that sin must be punished. Even "little" sin, as we so categorize it.
Next to a holy God all sin is an affront to His holiness. All sin is worthy of death when brought before a righteous and perfect judge.
And God, as Judge must lay done a sentence. He must require something to clear our record.
Adequate payment must be made for sin. And we can't pay it.
But Christ can. And He did.
He chose to take the punishment we deserved and pay the debt on our account.
He chose to give us His righteousness and take our sin so we could be seen as righteous before the Judge and we wouldn't experience the punishment, or squishing if you will, that we deserve.
We don't have to be punished because Christ was punished in our place.

There are ample examples in the Bible of the fact that God doesn't just want to "squish" us when we mess up and thinking that way can only come from a very misunderstood view of God and His grace.
When we fall, He readily and lovingly forgives.
"Squishing" us would be against the work He did on the cross and would defeat His overall work and purpose in our lives.
He takes the mess-ups and uses them to show us more of His grace and mercy so that we may better know Him and love Him and praise Him.
And then He begins again- molding and reshaping us to become more Christ-like, more holy.
For our good and for His glory.
We deserve to be "squished" but Christ wants far more from us than to give us what we deserve.
That's what He went to the cross for.

Failures may happen. In a moment, at a weak point. We may slip.
When they do- confess it, forsake it and move on.
When you fall- take the hand extended to help you back up, stand and continue on your way with Christ. The One who bore your sin so you could stand again.
The One who took your punishment so you could be forgiven and free from the sentence of death.

When you understand this, you begin to understand the true love of Christ, the richness of His grace, the fullness of His mercy, the completeness of His forgiveness.
And in understanding this, How can you not but go on from the place He picked you up and do mighty things for the One who has extended so much to you?
How can you not go on from there to serve Him with your whole heart in His Kingdom?
The Kingdom He created.
The Kingdom He rules.
The Kingdom He has given to you to share with Him.
The Kingdom made up of countless others who have failed- only to come face to face with His full and free forgiveness.

Paul found that forgiveness after a life of sin and spent the rest of his life proclaiming Christ to the world so they would find that forgiveness too.
Peter found that forgiveness after grave denial and went on to found the church.
David found that forgiveness after a huge mess up and became a man after God's own heart.

Praise the Lord life doesn't end when we are weak and fallen.
Praise God failure isn't final, because our flesh is prone to much faltering.
But in Christ-because of what He has done- there is more than just an escape from getting "squished".
The path from failure can lead to greater faithfulness and service, onward to become who God wants you to be, fulfilling His purposes in you. IF we accept the forgiveness He offers and choose to press on.
Failure can be but a stepping stone to a greater and higher calling in your life.
IF you let it go, leave it on the wayside and let God use it to refine you and reshape you to better become the instrument He desires you to be for His service.

He is faithful to forgive.
He is faithful to keep us from being "squished".
He is faithful in taking our mistakes and making miracles.
The definition of grace is receiving what we don't deserve. Our freedom from punishment.
Mercy is not receiving what we do deserve. Death.
Great is the Lord in both grace and mercy. Exceedingly, abundantly.

And it's for us. Each time we fail.

It is that grace that makes us stand when we have fallen.
Stand, not on wobbly legs, fearful of the consequences, but a confident, firm planting of the feet on the solid ground of His love.

One final thought from our pastor:
Grace is bigger than we can comprehend.
We can stand completely justified and completely righteous before a Holy King and Judge of all eternity only because of grace.

Have you thanked Him today for that grace?