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He Will Use Us Despite Our Faults and Failures
Andrea Lende • January 29, 2021
Mark 16:14-15
He Will Use Us Despite Our Faults and Failures
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/He-Will-Use-Us-Despite-Our-Faults-and-Failures-eplm1h
Mark 16:14-15
“Afterward He appeared to the Eleven as they reclined at table; and He reproved and reproached them for their unbelief and their hardness of heart, because they had refused to believe those who had seen Him and looked at Him attentively after He had risen.”
“And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole human race].”
After Jesus had risen, Mary told the disciples she had seen Him.
Two other witnesses also said they saw Jesus.
However, the disciples did not believe any of them.
When Jesus finally appeared before His disciples, He scolded them.
He scolded them for their hard hearts and lack of faith.
But He didn’t take His plan for their lives away from them.
Although they didn’t behave as the Lord would have wanted them to, He didn’t alter the course of their lives.
He didn’t change the plan.
He just immediately told them what to do.
He said, “Go into all the world and preach the good news”.
Just as Jesus’ plan for the disciples didn’t change them, His plan for us hasn’t changed either.
Yes, we may take detours and winding roads during our lives.
Our faith may wane at times.
We may be disobedient in our walk with the Lord for a time.
Our hearts may even grow cold during the winters of our lives.
But the Lord still has a plan.
And His plan supersedes ours.
He is a BIG God.
He is big enough to bend our will toward His.
He is big enough to touch our spirits and bring us closer to Him.
He is bigger and stronger than we are.
We cannot run far enough or fast enough to ever outrun the Lord.
He will always reach down to us.
Why?
It isn’t because of us.
It is because of Him.
He loves us so much that He HAS to reach down and pluck us out of the mire.
He wants us to be with Him.
He wants us to be close to Him.
Just as we parents would do almost anything to keep our children close to us, the Lord will do the same and more.
We are His.
We have always been His and will always be His.
Today I am thankful the Lord has the perfect plan for my life, and He will not change it even though I am imperfect and fail at times.
May you find the Lord has a perfect plan for You and He will never stop working to make it come to pass.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for loving me beyond my faults. Thank You for molding and shaping me so I can be used by You. Thank You for chasing me when I ran away from You. Thank You for finding me when I was hiding from You. Thank You, Lord, for never leaving me alone or destitute. You have a plan for me, and it is perfect. Ready me for Your service, Father. Wrangle my spirit so I may be used by You. Help me serve You in all obedience, Lord. Help me do all You have for me to do. Do not let me run from You when I am scared. Strengthen me beyond my fears. May Your will be done for Your glory. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM always with you My child and will continue to carry out the plan I have for you.
Response: May You bend my will to Yours, Lord.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.