God Can Use My Mistakes for His Good

In Romans 8:28 I read, “We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.” (GNT)

I need to face it. I do foolish things from time to time. I make mistakes.

But what I’m learning is that nothing I’ll ever do is beyond the capacity of God to use. I may make mistakes, but God doesn’t.

The Bible says it like this in Romans 8:28: “We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose” (GNT).

When I make a foolish mistake, God promises he can use it for good.

To be clear, this isn’t a promise for everyone. The verse doesn’t say that God works everything out for good for those living in rebellion against him or for those who aren’t living for his purposes.

The promise is for people who come to God and say, “I want to live for your purpose. I don’t always get it right. But I want to do the right thing. I want to trust you, and I want to follow you.” Do that, and God will take it all and use it for his good.

That’s a reason for joy.

When I put my life in his hands, it doesn’t mean I’ll never goof up again. I’ll still make bad decisions. I’ll still mess up. But God can fit it all into his plans.

There is no plan B for my life. God knew all the mistakes I’d make before I was born. He also knew he’d fit those mistakes into his plan.

That means I can relax. I can stop being anxious. I can rest. Do my best with what God has given me. He will work everything into his plan.

In summary, I do foolish things from time to time. I make mistakes. But nothing I’ll ever do is beyond the capacity of God to use. Romans 8:28 reminds me: “...in all things God works for good with those who love him...”. When I make a foolish mistake, God promises he can use it for good. This isn’t a promise for everyone. It doesn’t say that God works everything out for good for those living in rebellion against him or for those who aren’t living for his purposes. The promise is for people who come to God and say, “I want to live for your purpose. I want to do the right thing, to trust and follow you.” If I do so, God will take it all and use it for his good. When I put my life in his hands, it doesn’t mean I’ll never goof up again. I’ll still make bad decisions. I’ll still mess up. But God can fit it all into his plans. God knew all the mistakes I’d make before I was born. He also knew he’d fit those mistakes into his plan. So, I can do my best with what God has given me. He will work everything into his plan.

God works in "everything", not just isolated incidents, for my good. God is not working to make me happy, but to fulfill his purpose. I am learning to trust in God and not in life's treasures, my security is in heaven, not on earth. My faith should not waver in pain and persecution, because I know that God is with me.

Live in the Joy of Forgiveness

In Psalm 13:5 I read, “My heart rejoices in your salvation.” (NIV)

As a follower of Jesus, joy should be a way of life. Why? Because I’ve been completely forgiven. There’s no longer a reason for guilt or shame.

Sounds like a good reason for joy.

The Bible says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NIV).

Romans 8 was originally written in Greek. The word translated “no” is the strongest possible negative in Greek. It’s as if God was saying, “No, no, no—not in a thousand years, not in a million years, not a chance in your lifetime.”

That’s important—because one of the biggest reasons people lose their joy is guilt. Guilt and shame have the power to steal joy.

All of us make mistakes. But God doesn’t want me to live in self-condemnation, constantly telling myself, “I should be better.”

So how does God want me to handle my guilt? By coming clean and confessing my wrong. Go to God and say, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” And then he’ll wipe away my sin.

Jesus Christ died on the cross so my sins would be forgiven and I’d no longer have to live with guilt! And he didn’t just die for the sins I’ve already committed. He also died for the ones I haven’t committed yet. They’re all covered under the cross.

Jesus took my condemnation. That’s why he died. My sins have been paid for. I don’t have to pay for them again.

That’s salvation, and it’s my most important reason for joy. It’s the joy of a clear conscience.

I can experience the same joy as King David had when he wrote Psalm 13: “My heart rejoices in your salvation” (Psalm 13:5 NIV).

In summary, As a follower of Jesus, joy should be a way of life. Why? Because I’ve been completely forgiven. There’s no longer a reason for guilt or shame. The word translated “no” is the strongest possible negative in Greek. It’s as if God was saying, “No, no, no—not in a thousand years, not in a million years, not a chance in your lifetime.” One of the biggest reasons people lose joy is guilt. Guilt and shame have the power to steal joy. All of us make mistakes. But God doesn’t want me to live in self-condemnation, constantly telling myself, “I should be better.” God want me to handle my guilt by coming clean and confessing my wrong. Say, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” And then he’ll wipe away my sin. Jesus Christ died on the cross so my sins would be forgiven and I’d no longer have to live with guilt! And he didn’t just die for the sins I’ve already committed. He also died for the ones I haven’t committed yet. They’re all covered under the cross. Jesus took my condemnation. That’s why he died. My sins have been paid for. I don’t have to pay for them again. That’s salvation, and it’s my most important reason for joy. It’s the joy of a clear conscience. I can experience the same joy as King David when he wrote “My heart rejoices in your salvation”.

There are times when God appears to be slow on acting on my behalf. David felt this way also, but he continued to trust God no matter how long he had to wait. 

When I Ask for Something, Believe God Will Answer

In Mark 11:24 I read, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (NIV)

If I gave you a check today for a thousand dollars, would you withhold your thanks until you knew it wouldn’t bounce? Anyone who knows me would think, “This is a pretty good guy. I can trust that he has enough in his account to cover it. I’ll thank him right now.” You’d thank me first—and then you’d take the check to the bank.

God’s promises are better than any of our promises. Before I even receive what he has promised, I can say, “Thank you, God. I know that what you promised will happen and you’ll do what you say you will do.

There’s a great example of this in God’s “Faith Hall of Fame” in Hebrews 11. Remember how Joshua led the Israelites around Jericho, where the walls fell down? How did the walls fall down? Hebrews 11:30 says, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days” (NIV).

The people of Israel were going into the Promised Land, where the powerful city of Jericho was located. God promised he was going to let the Israelites into the city and then gave them his plan. It went something like this: “I want you to go and march around Jericho for seven days. Then on the seventh day, I want you to march around the city seven times, thanking me for the victory that’s going to come.” And when they did that, the walls just fell. God did what he’d promised! 

What if I’d been one of those people marching around the walls for seven days?  I’m sure some of them must have been looking at the walls, getting more and more worried and wondering how God could ever bring the walls down. But a lot of those people had faith instead. And every day they looked at the wall and thought about what God could do and thanked him in advance.

This is the kind of life that God wants me to live, the thanking-God-in-advance kind of life. Jesus talked about it in Mark 11:24: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (NIV).

When I ask God for something, why even ask if I don’t believe? It’s an empty exercise.

Jesus said that if I pray and ask God for something, I should believe he’s going to do it. Thank him in advance for what only he can do. And then look for how he answers your prayer.

In summary, God’s promises are better than any of our promises. Before I even receive what he has promised, I can say, “Thank you, God. I know that what you promised will happen and you’ll do what you say you will do. There’s a great example of this in God’s “Faith Hall of Fame” in Hebrews. Hebrews 11:30 says, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell”. God promised he was going to let the Israelites into the city and then gave them his plan. He told them to go and march around Jericho for seven days. On the seventh day, I want you to march around the city seven times, thanking me for the victory that’s going to come.” And when they did that, the walls just fell. God did what he’d promised!  What if I’d been one of those people marching around for seven days?  I’m sure some I might have been looking at the walls, getting more and more worried and wondering how God could ever bring the walls down. But a lot of those people had faith instead. And every day they looked at the wall and thought about what God could do and thanked him in advance. This is the kind of life that God wants me to live, the thanking-God-in-advance kind of life. When I ask God for something, why even ask if I don’t believe? It’s an empty exercise. Jesus said that if I pray and ask God for something, I should believe he’s going to do it. Thank him in advance for what only he can do. And then look for how he answers your prayer.

My prayers are often motivated by my own interests and desires. I like hearing that I can have anything. But Jesus prayed with God's interests in mind. When I pray, I can express my desires, but I should want his will above my own. Check to be sure my prayers are focused on my interests or on God's. 

God Cares How I Give, Not What I Give

In Hebrews 11:4 I read, “By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings” (NIV)

It’s interesting that the first person who gets mentioned in Hebrews 11’s “Faith Hall of Fame” is Abel, one of Adam and Eve’s sons.

What did Abel do that caused him to be included alongside Moses and Abraham and other significant biblical heroes in Hebrews 11? As far as we know, Abel never did anything great. He never took any major risks. But he gave an offering in faith, and that pleased God. It’s not what Abel gave; it’s how he gave it. Abel gave with an attitude of faith.

Hebrews 11:4 says, “By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings” (NIV).

Giving and faith go together. God couldn’t care less about the amount I give. God doesn’t need my money. He wants my heart.

In fact, if I’m not giving in faith, don’t give. The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV).

There are two ways to give: I can give by reason, or I can give by revelation.

To give by reason is to sit down, look at the numbers, and figure out reasonably what I think it makes sense to give. But that approach doesn’t require any faith at all.

When I give by revelation, on the other hand, I let God reveal to me what he wants me to give in faith. I stop and take time to pray, asking, “God, how much do you want me to trust you for this time?” Then I do whatever he tells me to do. This is the kind of giving that stretches my faith because it’s not necessarily reasonable. It’s giving based on revelation. 

In the Bible, there was a group of early Christians that gave by revelation, not by reason. They lived in Macedonia, the same part of Greece that Alexander the Great came from. The Macedonian church had been through hard times and was extremely impoverished. Yet, when they heard that the church at Jerusalem needed help, they gave a sacrificial gift. Though the Macedonians had very little money themselves, they gave in faith to help their fellow Christians.

Paul says this about them: “They have been tested by great troubles, and they are very poor. But they gave much because of their great joy” (2 Corinthians 8:2 NCV).  

Notice why the Macedonians gave? Not out of guilt? No, but “because of their great joy.”

When I give in faith, I give with joy. And, as a result of my joyous, faithful giving, I grow and ultimately become more like Christ!

In summary, the first person who gets mentioned in Hebrews 11’s “Faith Hall of Fame” is Abel. What did Abel do? As far as we know, Abel never did anything great. He never took any major risks. But he gave an offering in faith, and that pleased God. It’s not what Abel gave; it’s how he gave it with an attitude of faith.Giving and faith go together. God couldn’t care less about the amount. God doesn’t need my money. He wants my heart. If I’m not giving in faith, don’t give. “Without faith it is impossible to please God”. There are two ways to give: I can give by reason, or by revelation. To give by reason is to sit down, look at the numbers, and figure out reasonably what I think it makes sense to give. But that approach doesn’t require any faith. When I give by revelation, I let God reveal to me what he wants me to give in faith. I stop and take time to pray, asking, “God, how much do you want me to trust you for this time?” Then I do whatever he tells me. This is the kind of giving that stretches my faith because it’s not necessarily reasonable. It’s giving based on revelation. When I give in faith, I give with joy. And, as a result of my joyous, faithful giving, I grow and ultimately become more like Christ!

Cain and Abel were Adam and Eve's first two sons. Abel offered a sacrifice that pleased God, while Cain's sacrifice was unacceptable. Abel's sacrifice (an animal substitute) was more acceptable to God, both because it was a blood sacrifice and, most important, because of Abel's attitude when he offered it.