Deaf Cafe Devotion for 3/6/2009

World class failures and World class opportunities:

When does failure become opportunity? When God shows us a way to continue.

When does failure become failure? When we give up trying.

There was a man, a General in the Army, who lost two-thirds of all the battles he fought in the American Revolution. George Washington. He led the American Army and because of his leadership, they won the war. He became President.

There was another guy who graduated 42nd out of a class of 43. Then he went out and conquered Europe. Napoleon.

There’s a guy who lost almost every election he ran for – 10 or 12 – until finally he was elected President. Abraham Lincoln. He lost more than he won.

Thomas Edison tried over 200 different examples before he figured out what was exactly right for him to use to invent the light bulb. Over 200 failures before he had a success.

In 21 years, Babe Ruth hit 714 home runs but he struck out 1330 times. He struck out nearly twice as often as he hit a home run. He once said, "Never let the fear of striking out keep you from taking a swing."

The novelist Charles Dickens, received 753 rejection slips from publishers before he published his first book. He went on to publish many famous and successful books. Can you imagine the patience of the man putting up with over 700 rejections before his first book got published and then went on in his lifetime to publish so many more?

R.P. Macy failed seven times as a business man and then he started Macy’s department store.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. For each of these individuals there are many, many more that are unseen and unknown. Any one of these individuals could have quit at any time they hit a roadblock or experienced failure. It’s always too soon to quit. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28 NLT) It turns out to be true for the most part that people who are very good at making excuses are rarely good at anything else.

What is our next success that will bring glory to God? How is God using roadblocks and failure to shape our future for His purpose and glory? With Jesus we are not failures. In God there is no failure. In Jesus there is no failure. Nothing is wasted when it is done for the Name of Jesus or for His purpose. There is only opportunity.