Saturday: Day 34

Luke 24:25-26: Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” 


            I saw a list recently of explanations that were filed in police reports after traffic accidents.


            The telephone pole was approaching fast, and I attempted to serve out of its path when it struck my front end.


            I pulled away at the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and headed over the embankment.


            I was coming home, pulled into the wrong driveway, and hit a tree I didn’t have.


            The indirect cause of this accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.



            Sometimes people act in the same way; they make silly mistakes, try to avoid responsibility, and get stuck on the “failure freeway” and don’t know how to get off. They tend to forget that if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten!



            But there are others who deal with failure as a part of a larger plan. They see failure as a way of learning how to do things differently in the future. Many people whom we regard as genius could have been failures. Wolfgang Mozart, a musical genius, was told by Emporer Ferdinand that his opera The Marriage of Figaro was far too noisy and contained way too many notes. Vincent Van Gough sold only one painting in his lifetime. Thomas Edison was considered unteachable as a young child. Albert Einstein was told by his school teacher that he would never amount to much.



            What made the difference was their response to failure. They refused to see failure as a self-definition. They saw the larger picture and looked beyond their immediate circumstance.




            The disciples “had hoped” that Jesus would be the one to redeem Israel, and they looked back and saw Jesus as a failure. But Jesus told the disciples that it was necessary that he must suffer in order to enter into his glory. His suffering and death was all a part of God’s larger plan and purpose for his life.

           Jesus wasn’t a failure. He triumphed over death, and now promises new life to all who believe in him. It was necessary. It was a part of God’s larger plan. Knowing that makes all the difference in the world!

 

Questions to Ponder:

• · How do you respond to failure in life? Do you ever feel stuck on the failure freeway of life?
• · Think back on some of the things that you failed at in your early life. What were some important life lessons you learned? What have you done differently because of those experiences?

Prayer for Today: Dear gracious God, in the low times of my life, let me praise you. In my weak moments, give me strength. When I fail, give me faith. Help me see you, and let my life be one that brings you praise. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

It's Palm Sunday tomorrow!  Hosanna!  Hosanna!  Praise is Rising!