God Wants Us To Fail

I've often wondered the reason and purpose for which God called us out. I thought it must be to serve Him. Isn't that ultimately why God created us? Then I realized God doesn't need me to do anything for Him. He was happy and good even before creation and no human served Him. He chooses to let us serve Him. And like a kid helping their mother to clean and just ends up making more of a mess, she still allows him/her to help so they feel accomplishment in something and it's a teaching experience. What about the thief on the cross who never did anything good for God? He never served God a single minute of His life. He was granted mercy because he repented as he hung there. Besides, even my best efforts for Him are like filthy rags.

I thought it was to show the world God is real and on my side by how much He blessed me and how healthy I was. The more successful I could become, the more I had would show others God really was on my side. Then I realized Jesus didn't have much, Paul gave up wealth and esteem and was often sick and those who are greatest in the Bible many didn't have much of anything at all and suffered terribly. What about those in countries where Christianity is illegal and they're persecuted? They're neither wealthy or healthy. In fact they suffer terribly for the faith, but suffering is what we're called to endure and will be richly rewarded. If Christ learned obedience through suffering (Hebrew 5:8) even though He was perfect and the Son how much more are we, imperfect, sinful creatures to learn obedience through suffering.

I thought God just wanted me happy because He loved me. If I could love me and be happy with me that's what He's most concerned with. Then I realized I was sinful and could never be happy with myself and more often than not I was thoroughly disgusted with myself. I realized as a father disciplines his kids so God disciplines us. Sometimes He has to beat the daylights out of me to get me back on track! I realized if He doesn't discipline me then he doesn't love me therefore I'm not one of His.

Then I realized what God is most concerned with as I stumble through this life falling flat on my face so often...it's to conform me to the image of Christ. I'll never reach perfection here and neither will you, but that is God's only purpose for us once He calls us. I don't have to be successful by worldly standards, rich, powerful, beautiful, intelligent or anything else. He loved me anyway not because of anything I had done or ever will do. He loved me for what He has done. I was looking for all the wrong things, an abundant life now when I realized He was working death in me...death to myself and to the world to gain life in His Son. Everything we suffer or have ever suffered, every failure, every pain, every disappointment is working death and conforming us to the image of Christ. That's not something that brings discouragement. That's a beautiful thing and gives us hope.

I can't do anything. Everything I do, everything I say, everything I plan...even just waking up in the morning or taking another breath depends on Him. God wants us to face failure so we eventually look up, become dependent on Him and realize we have nothing else but Him. Everything we are, do, all of our joy, hopes, dreams, peace, actions, comfort comes from Him alone. But here's the beauty of it...in our failures He still loves us. 

That may not line up with your idea of reaching God. You may not like that...but to someone like me it means everything.I don't know of anything I do well. Sometimes I can't even walk into a place without smacking into a doorway. Sometimes I can't say anything right or do anything right but He still loves me. What he did for me wasn't something I earned so I can boast about myself. It was a gift...a gift I could never come close to earning no matter how many lifetimes I lived or what I ever do.

When we have been emptied of ourselves and our own efforts is when God works greatest through us. When we are at our weakest then He shows Himself strong.

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God, He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be Just and the Justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith." Romans 3:23-27

God lets us face so much failure in every area so that we eventually realize that there is absolutely nothing we can do, say or think for Him anywhere or in anything where we don't need Him. We need Him just to pray, to read the Bible, to serve Him, to praise Him, to think about Him. Everything good inside of us is Him. There is nothing in our flesh deserving of confidence, security or trust. All we have is Him.

Do you feel like a total failure? Do you feel like a total loser? Have you realized that everything you try to do for God or just in life you fail in? Do you feel like you are just one sin away from Him deserting you because you've failed so many times? Let me tell you something...God loves you. He not only loves you, He likes you. His love isn't dependent on how well we perform or what we can do like human love is often. That's Law not grace.  He loved you and me long before we were even saved or even knew of Him. He proves it in that while we were yet sinners, while we were depraved and hostile toward Him, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). And He still loves you despite all your failures. God knew what He was getting Himself into with you long before you were called. He will never leave you or forsake you. Believing Him when he says He loves you, even if you don't know or understand how He still could, is faith. Even that faith comes from Him and therein lies your confidence.

God wants us to fail. He wants us to realize just how unholy, unrighteous, weak, lacking and unstable we are. In that do we understand our deep need of Him and begin to depend on Him for all things as Christ lived every moment fully dependent on Him. No matter how many mistakes you've made and how many failures you're facing, He still loves you, and me and every other huge failure walking around in Christ. Our walk, our lives, our service, our obedience is completely and wholly dependent on Him. He has upheld you your entire life even before you knew Him and He will continue to. That's what His love is. That's the Gospel and it's beautiful...