As we were getting ready this Sunday to listen to the pastor give the message, someone asked to give a testimony and admonition about how God was with them during a difficult week. One story led to another and the pastor never got to give his full message because most of our congregation was compelled by the Spirit to share how God got them through trying times. As the people shared, we all came to the conclusion that the testimonies that seem to give the greatest encouragement were the ones where we shared how we fell, how we blew it, or otherwise made a mess of things; yet through all of that God is still with us, loving us and lifting us back up and putting us back on the right path.
I am sure most of you have heard those sanctimonious church members that “testify” of how great their faith was, how blessed they are, and how their unerring obedience has garnished them with God’s deserving love. Quite honestly those kind of testimonies never encouraged me, they did the exact opposite. It was very discouraging to hear how perfect they were and how they never did anything wrong. I always thought, what was I doing wrong because my life was never as spotless and blessed as theirs.
So what is the difference? It’s all about who we boast about, who is going to get the glory from the stories; God or us. All of us go through things in this life. And we all need God to get us through those ordeals. When I hear about how others get through trying times; it makes me feel like I am not alone, or I am not the only screw-up in this world struggling to make it through. But when I hear about how supremely spiritual someone claims to be, it leaves me downtrodden and without hope that I can do anything as good as they supposedly can.
Ultimately, we all need to remember that without Jesus we can do nothing. It's because of him we can "approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.” (Heb 4:16) He did it all for us, He offered His perfection for our brokenness. What we do and how we act is completely dependent on His grace - His love and strength flowing through us to accomplish what we can never do on our own. So yes, I messed up last week , today, and odds are I’ll fall tomorrow. But God still loves me, He never leaves me, and He gives me the strength to carry on. God will always see me through.
Ultimately, we all need to remember that without Jesus we can do nothing. It's because of him we can "approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.” (Heb 4:16) He did it all for us, He offered His perfection for our brokenness. What we do and how we act is completely dependent on His grace - His love and strength flowing through us to accomplish what we can never do on our own. So yes, I messed up last week , today, and odds are I’ll fall tomorrow. But God still loves me, He never leaves me, and He gives me the strength to carry on. God will always see me through.
John Clark
John Clark is a husband to Julie, a father of one son living in Valrico, Florida. He has an Associate Degree of Theology from Life Christian University, and serves at Life Center of Brandon where he is a teacher and writer.