Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - A MAN OF FAILURE?

 

A MAN OF FAILURE?

Looking at the church today and comparing it with the church of old it may appear as if the church is failing in its’ message. The number of people attending church appears to be lessening and churches all over seem to be closing. But is it the same all over the world? Perhaps God is not interested just in numbers of people but in the dedication of those people who are involved. The Bible does say:

 

“…whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

(Romans 10:13)

However, it seems that fewer people are doing that each year. Perhaps we should not be surprised at that, as the Bible also states that:

…narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life, 

and there are few who find it. 

(Matthew 7:14)

It implies that many who should be saved may not be and perhaps we should expect this considering Jesus spoke to thousands during His time on earth but, in the end, there seemed to be only about 120 true disciples left.

And in those days Peter stood in the midst of the disciples 

(altogether the number of names was about one hundred and twenty)… 

(Acts 1:15)

It would seem that Jesus Himself was a man of failure at the time but look what happened when those disciples became excited, invigorated, and energized. They changed the world.

Often we look at ourselves and feel as if nothing of importance is being done. Too often people feel as if they accomplish little and give up - often turning to unhealthy or harmful means to try and console themselves and forget their failure. Too many accept this as their fate and refuse to continue trying to see if they can, as Robert Schuller used to say, turn their “scars into stars.” These people also seem to give up on God as well, believing that He has given up on them.

The disciples of Christ did not give up when they were only few and the rest is history. By giving up too easily, in many cases, people often miss out on what God may have had in store for them. We should try to avoid becoming men (and women) of failure as the following illustrates. One person in:

• 1831 - failed in business
• 1832 - was defeated for the legislature
• 1833 - failed in business again
• 1834 - was elected to the legislature
• 1835 - suffered the death of his sweetheart 
• 1836 - suffered a nervous breakdown
• 1838 - was defeated for speaker of the legislature
• 1840 - was defeated for elector
• 1848 - was defeated for congress 
• 1855 - was defeated for Senate
• 1856 - was defeated for Vice-President 
• 1858 - was defeated for Senate
• but in 1860 was elected for President of the United States

The man? Abraham Lincoln* 

The disciples did not give up even when some may have felt their cause a failure. God did not give up on them and he doesn’t give up on us even when we may consider ourselves to be less than successful. It is God’s will that all should be saved and unless we ourselves will it otherwise no person should be a “man of failure” and be lost.

The Lord…not willing that any should perish, 

but that all should reach repentance 

(2 Peter 3:9)

If everything is not now as it should be, we need to keep trying. It is not God’s desire that we should fail - it should not be ours.

Something to think about. 

*Keister-Williams Newspaper Services, 1987