The Success of Failure – kenbarnes.us
for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, Proverbs 24:16a ESV
Elon Musk’s SpaceX company exploded more rockets than any other aerospace venture, yet each explosion was a data point on how not to do it. They ended up being the most innovative and prolific space travel enterprise on planet Earth.
Someone once said, “Life is like photography, you need the negatives to develop”. This certainly is true in our spiritual development. Success comes with challenges and temptations. We can start to believe that it is through our own abilities that we have achieved success. Or we can start to worship the objects of our success, such as fame and fortune. Success has a way of deceiving us into believing we really do not need God. It can sow the seeds of self-sufficiency. Or it can lead us to believe that the blessings of God will fulfill us more than God himself. You cannot serve God and mammon (money), Matthew 6:24 ESV. John D. Rockefeller, probably the richest man of his time, was once asked. How much money do you need? His answer was, “Just a little more.”
On the other hand, failure has a way of taking the scales off our spiritual eyes. Hardship can humble us and teach us that “man does not live by bread alone, ” Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV. When we lack bread, God can teach us to rely on His provision through manna, and we live by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Let’s be real: nobody likes God’s discipline. Hebrews 12:11 ESV tells us that discipline is painful but produces the “peaceful fruit of righteousness.” Pat Robertson, the founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network, after going through some severe hardship, said, ” You could not give me a million dollars for the things I have learned through this ordeal, but I would not give you ten cents for one just like it.
Yet, James 1:8 ESV tells us to count it joy for our trials, because it is the testing of your faith. And if your faith has never been tested, it is not genuine faith. CS Lewis once said,” Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.”
The image is provided by Microsoft.
Ken Barnes, the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places” YWAM Publishing and Broken Vessels through Kindle Direct Publishing.
Ken’s Website— https://kenbarnes.us/
Ken blogs at https://kenbarnes.us/blog/
Email- [email protected]
