“Failure”
(This is an expansion on the notes from the conference call.)
Senior members of The Alliance are on a 30-day schedule for goal completion. This means that one member is chosen and this person is to set the goals they’d like to accomplish over a 30-day period. Then the other members of the senior team are responsible for calling the chosen person on a particular day to make sure the person is on track. Last month it was my turn. Regretfully, I didn’t do everything I’d set out to accomplish. Now in light of a lesson that A. Powell taught on a few months back on commitment, I was really frustrated that I didn’t cross the finish line in all my glory. Then I read the following:
Don’t be afraid to fail, my brother, if your labor involves a worthy endeavor and honest labor. Not all seeds produce the harvest we desire or grow crops that look like the picture in the seed catalogue. Learn from your mistakes and carry this harvest with you into a new venture, the next new spring of your life. It is here that we have to accept that something might not have been meant for us to do in the first place. Some crops may have been lost. It is important that we, as men, accept the fact that none of us can do everything correctly. Still, we have to appreciate success, learn from the failures, and garner the strength we received from both to prepare for winter and to impart the lessons to our sons.
T.D. Jakes, “He-Motions”
And then I believe it was placed on my heart to read the story of the ten lepers. The scriptures can be found in Luke 17 beginning at Verse 11.
Luk 17:11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
Luk 17:12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
Luk 17:13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
Luk 17:14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
Luk 17:15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
Luk 17:16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
Luk 17:17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?
Luk 17:18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
Luk 17:19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
There’s a lot of meat in this account, including being made whole versus being healed; acknowledging God’s glory and accounting it awesome versus being complacent and lacking reverence; and racism (Jew vs. Samaritan; interesting to note that even though the two were bitter enemies, in the misery of their condition, they were all together). Given where I was at, the second struck a cord.
And then I believe it was placed on my heart to read the story of the ten lepers. The scriptures can be found in Luke 17 beginning at Verse 11.
Luk 17:11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
Luk 17:12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
Luk 17:13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
Luk 17:14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
Luk 17:15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
Luk 17:16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
Luk 17:17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?
Luk 17:18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
Luk 17:19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
There’s a lot of meat in this account, including being made whole versus being healed; acknowledging God’s glory and accounting it awesome versus being complacent and lacking reverence; and racism (Jew vs. Samaritan; interesting to note that even though the two were bitter enemies, in the misery of their condition, they were all together). Given where I was at, the second struck a cord.
Nine of the ex-lepers failed to acknowledge God for their healing. The scripture says that “as they went, they were cleansed.” They were not healed first and then told to go, but told to go with no express promise that they would be healed. It was a walk of faith. And when God showed up and healed them, nine failed to give glory to the very God that did a miracle in their lives. Only one returned and he was a Samaritan.
Now how does the failure of 9 lepers tie in to T.D. Jakes’ words of wisdom from “He-Motions”? One of the chief reasons I failed was because I put too much on my plate at the time. I had too many projects items to complete. Thus, I learned something about myself. Learn to say “no” when a request conflicts with what’s already going on in my life, that is, don’t be afraid to miss an opportunity.
There are times when we miss God, in both the great things and the seemingly insignificant things. We become too busy with our own agendas and our own selves that we fail to recognize God’s glory.
In my goals, I failed to live up to certain commitments that I stated I wanted to do – time with the wife, time with the kids, completion of Jakes’ book, a few other items. While I was not completely without success, I didn’t measure up to the tasks I set before me. This raises an even more important issue. The goals I set before me were my goals, noble to be sure, but were they God’s agenda for me? If you are Christ’s, then you were bought for a price and it is no longer you who live for yourself, but for the Glory of God; Christ who lives in you.
Speaking for myself, as a man, there will be those times when I just plain believe that I know more than God. It sounds ridiculous to be sure. Where was I when He framed the universe or measured the depth of the sea? But, I am just arrogant enough to believe that there are times when I go it alone and make something happen in my own strength. Christ said that without me you can do nothing. He didn’t say anything, but nothing, which is to say that nothing significant and kingdom worthy can be done apart from him in his power. We can build empires, amass fortunes, invent incredible medicines that cure ailments plaguing society, but apart from him what are these things worth?
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