Failure Isn’t Final

Originally I didn’t plan on watching last Sunday’s Super Bowl. I wasn’t fond of either team playing and had no interest in seeing Lady Gaga’s halftime show. But after practicing a sermon, I decided to walk over to a nearby church that previously hosted a Super Bowl party. The church itself was closed but some men living in the dormitories were preparing to watch the big game and I got to join them. The channel was changed during halftime to briefly watch the Harlem Globetrotters on ESPN2.

We ended up seeing a historic game. The New England Patriots came back from a 25-point deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons in the first Super Bowl that went into overtime. The Patriots overcame two costly turnovers to win their fifth Vince Lombardi trophy. The game illustrated that failure isn’t final…or in the famous words of Yogi Berra, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

The Bible has accounts of people who made major mistakes but God still used them to advance His kingdom. Moses killed an Egyptian in a premature attempt to free the children of Israel but later presented the Ten Commandments. Paul was also a murderer but still wrote a large portion of the New Testament. King David committed both adultery and murder yet we recite many of his Psalms today plus sing about how he danced before the Lord.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were liars but today are considered fathers of our faith. Hosea’s wife Gomer was a prostitute but God used that marriage to illustrate His faithfulness to us. Peter denied Jesus three times but later preached the gospel on the Day of Pentecost that brought salvation to thousands. 

Noah got drunk. Jonah ran from God. Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal as well as Elijah. Martha was a worrywart. Feel a little better about yourself now?

Regardless if you messed up before or after becoming a Christian, hope is available as long as you’re quick to repent.

“being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ:” - Philippians 1:6

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