2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore, if anyone be in Christ, they are a new creature; old things have passed away, all things have become new.

THEME OF THE DAY: FAILURE DOES NOT DEFINE US. One of my favorite Puritan pastors is Thomas Goodwin. He was so full of Christ and his writings reveal such. He was a pastor/theologian which every pastor should be; sound in doctrine while being a tender-hearted, self-denying, and loving shepherd to Christ’s sheep. One short biographical book of him which contains some of his choice Christ-centered writings is titled, “A Habitual Sight of Him: The Christ-centered Piety of Thomas Goodwin”. The phrase in the title “A Habitual Sight of Him” is the very essence of being a Christian; learning to gaze upon Jesus spiritually by the Spirit in the Word and prayer through faith. Or basically being a Christian is regularly experiencing this marvelous text in the book of Hebrews – Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Friends, is that our regular experience? Are we getting spiritual glimpses and encounters with the living Christ as we “look to Him” in the Word, prayer, and church? Or are the weights of the world and our undealt with sin clinging so close to us that our spiritual eyesight is so cloudy we go days, weeks, months, maybe years, not having those “habitual” and refreshing times of seeing Christ’s glory in our souls? Think for a moment. Are we meeting with God regularly in His Word, prayer and church? We might ask, “How would we know?” A couple of ways. First, humility and holiness are developing within us. This means we are seeing, hating, and fleeing sin more as we experience more and more of Christ’s loving and holy Person. Another sign we are regularly meeting with God is a growing detachment from the world. We long for heaven more and more as we invest more and more of ourselves in spiritual things over worldly things. Now, I know. I know. We fail in this area. The things of the world, the busyness of life, sadly even by choice, steal away sacred times of seeking and seeing the Lord. And in the end, we feel like spiritual failures. Well, don’t be discouraged. Our Puritan pastor of the day, Thomas Goodwin, offers some encouraging words about us spiritual failures; words which show us the mercy of God and help us see failure does not define us.

Goodwin writes, “No sins before, and I may add to it, nor yet after conversion, can hinder God’s free grace from using men (and women) in the highest employments in the church, but magnify it the more. David, after his adultery, was a penman of scripture; Psalms. Solomon, after his fall, of Ecclesiastes. Peter, after his conversion, denied Christ with oaths and curses, is a chief apostle, and converts three thousand fifty days after with the same mouth he had denied Christ. And Paul, after he had been a blasphemer was made an apostle.”

God has said, “And I will remember their sins no more” (Hebrews 10:17). He also said, “I have removed their sins as far as this east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). Try to “connect” those dots. We cannot. The east and west never meet and neither will our sins with us in the eyes of our God. What God chooses not to remember and has removed from us, we must fight to do likewise; not remember past failures and not continue in past failures. Yes, the devil and conscience accuses us, but we are overcomers of both through Christ. Failure doesn’t define us. It should refine us and that for the glory of the God of all grace who takes our failures and uses them for our good and His purposes.

PRAYER: “Father, please show me Your desire and my need to be intimately involved in the lives of other Christians.”

QUOTE: “Go alone in the Christian life and you are on your way to becoming lukewarm and worldly.”