Failures Are Not Fatal

Thursday, July 24, 2008
“We must pay more careful attention…to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”
Hebrews 2:1 NIV

I don't want to say that Max seems to sugar-coat his messages because although it seems that way, he is just constantly giving us the message that God wants us to hear- no matter how often or how far we turn away from God, by his grace, our mistakes are not fatal.  With that being said, our mistakes do have consequences.  In Hebrews 2:3 it says: "So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation...".  There are many things about God and his creation that are so far beyond us- things that are far beyond our comprehension but the guidelines he has laid down for us don't fit into this category.  There is a logic to it.  He gave us a set of rules to follow for our own good.  As Max says, "If you lose your faith, you will probably do so gradually. You will let a few days slip by without consulting your compass. Your sails will go untrimmed. Your rigging will go unprepared. And worst of all, you will forget to anchor your boat. And, before you know it, you’ll be bouncing from wave to wave in stormy seas".  God knows and we need to be aware that when we make one bad decision, it may seem like just that, one simple mistake that we can let go but there are consequences.  This does need to be "the wrath of God"- look at drinking alcohol- too many drinks can seem like such a harmful and innocent mistake but there are so many consequences that we don't think of.  Virtually every mistake we make, if we look at it carefully, we can see that there are consequences that result from it.  Aside from the direct consequences of one mistake, we also start a process of moral decay that Max mentions- one mistake often leads to another.  I know for myself this is so true.  One day without prayer and devotion often leads to another and when I fail to include these things in my day, I notice the difference that day...funny how quickly the devil can get a hold on us.  Thankfuly, God is always waiting at the door.  We simply need to open it and let him back in!