Pray For My Failures

And I will pray for yours.

John 15:5: I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

I have had immeasurable joy in sharing the gospel, hearing professions of faith and seeing changed attitudes and lives. But I sometimes have the awful burden of a broken heart. I have failed the Lord and myself and others multitudes of times. Blessedly, the joy of just one of the Lord*s countless victories is worth more than the burden of a hundred of my failures. The joy of His victories overwhelms the disappointment of my failures. He knows when I need to be aware of my failures and He knows when I need to be aware of His victories.

I have known that I should share the gospel with someone and didn*t do it. I have shared the gospel with some who had a changed life for a time and then seemed to fall away. I have shared the gospel with some who made a profession of faith but showed no evidence whatsoever of a changed life. I have shared the gospel with some who seemed to reject more Biblical truth after their profession of faith than before. I have shared the gospel with some who made a profession of faith and then later flat out told me or others that they were not saved. Sometimes I have known that I failed to present the gospel to them properly. Sometimes I learn from my failures. Sometimes I don*t know if the problem was my failure or their unbelief. Either way, it is heart-breaking. I have a growing prayer list of my failures.

I am encouraged that the rich young man went away sad even from the Lord Jesus Himself. I am encouraged that John Mark and Demus even went away from the great Apostle Paul.

Mark 10:22: And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

Acts 15:37-38: And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. 38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.

2 Timothy 4:10a: For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; . . .

I am also encouraged that even though the sower seemed to have wasted some precious seed in infertile places, some of the seed that he sowed bore fruit an hundredfold.

Luke 8:5-8, 11: A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

I*ve been taught by several Biblical teachers that the only true failure is not trying to serve the Lord. I have often been sorely burdened by the wrong things. I should not be broken-hearted when there is not as much fruit as I would like. I should be burdened when I do not try to serve Him. Victory is trying to serve Him. How often do I fail to try? And how often do you?

Care to discuss Pray For My Failures with Ron?

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