Quote from Forum Archives on September 25, 2002, 9:16 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Do you learn from your mistakes, or do you simply repeat them
over and over? I've done some of both. I am eternally grateful
that my life has been bought with a great price and my soul has
been spared. I need not be mired in the memory of failure after
failure, except to realize what God has done in my life, right in
the midst of those failures, and transformed me into something
and someone whom God can use.

Today's message is all about that - transforming from failure
into one who is deeply loved and used by God. It's not a
constant win... life isn't that way, either, is it? But God is
with us, through it all. Larry Davies has a great message this
week to share about this very topic, and we'll be hearing more
about this in the week ahead. I encourage you to read and pray
about the message that Larry has to share with us.

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

Sowing Seeds of Faith...

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"Moses, Failure and 'Ever After'" Larry Davies

Enthusiasm can be misleading especially for ministers. We are
tempted to promote the victory of Christianity without warning of
the cost: to broadcast the glory exclusive of the pain. "Become a
Christian and live happily ever after," we too quickly say but
fail to explain what ever after means.

Readers Digest told of two seminary students who decided to go
door-to-door sharing their faith. At one house the students
walked through a gauntlet of screaming children and barking dogs.
A tired mother opened the door. "We would like to tell you how to
obtain eternal life," they proclaimed. She hesitated, then looked
at the yard full of toys, at her house full of children and
softly sighed before replying, "Thank you, but no thanks. I don't
believe that I could stand it!"

I don't know of a single person who became a Christian and
actually lived happily ever after. There are times of defeat and
failure for us all. There are still days and weeks where I feel
like an utter failure, no matter how hard I try to be otherwise.
I sometimes let down my family, my church and yes... I let down
God. Have you felt that way too? Sure you have!

In the Bible, the experience of failure is often when God teaches
unforgettable lessons. The hero's of scripture are ordinary human
beings who become heroic as God teaches and uses them despite
their flaws. Would you like an example? How about Moses?

Moses? Wasn't he God's man who rescued his people from Pharaoh?
Didn't he part the Red Sea and receive the Ten Commandments?
Wasn't Moses... Charlton Heston? As a baby, he was rescued by
Pharaoh's daughter and raised as an Egyptian noble with the best
education available. For the first forty years of his life...
Moses literally had it made. So, what happened?

"...Moses went out to visit his people, the Israelites and he saw
how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an
Egyptian beating one of the Hebrew slaves. After looking around
to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and
buried him in the sand." (Exodus 2:11-12)

Thinking he had won respect from his people, Moses was shocked to
find he was scorned and in a matter of days, forced to flee for
his life, an utter and complete failure. For the next forty
years, Moses would hide out in the desert as a lowly shepherd.
Where did Moses go so wrong?

1. He committed murder. You don't cheat on your taxes and then
give a portion to God.

2. Moses did it his way not God's way. Moses looked around but
he never looked up.

3. Spiritual leadership only comes from God so you can never
just reach out and grab it.

4. Burying your mistakes in the sand never erases them; it only
postpones the discovery.

So Moses spent forty years in the desert contemplating his
blunders and wondering what might have been if only... Wait! This
would all be depressing if we didn't know how it ended. But we
know at the tender age of eighty, God called Moses from a burning
bush to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. This time Moses was ready
to listen and rely upon God and the rest is... history.

Yes, the life of a Christian promises exciting times on the
mountaintop and painful lessons learned only in the desert. Maybe
you've been there recently and you're still feeling the hot sand
between your toes. Yet, God has not forgotten you and may be
preparing a burning bush now. Whether you are eight or eighty,
God is never absent. Such is the real promise of "ever after."

Andre Crouch wrote it best: I've had many tears and sorrows. I've
had questions for tomorrow. There've been times I didn't know
right from wrong! But in every situation, God gave blessed
consolation that my trials come to only make me strong. Through
it all; through it all; I've learned to trust in Jesus. I've
learned to trust in God. Through it all; through it all; I've
learned to depend upon God's word.

If you like this devotion you will love the book: "Breaking the
Peanut Butter Habit: Following God's Recipe for a Better Life"
now on sale only through this website. Click here for more
information: www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/peanbutt.htm

Join our prayer ministry by clicking here:
www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/sign-up.htm

Jesus said: "You are the light of the world--like a city on a
mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your
light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine
for all." (Matthew 5:14-15)

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--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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