Do you feel like a failure?
Anyone who has felt those troubled feelings of failure, knows that it’s not a good feeling. It can feel like the end of something. Or the loss of something. It can feel like being “stuck.” It can feel like some kind of accusation coming at you. It may even feel like a broken heart.
But did you know that these feelings may be a blessing in disguise?
If you feel like a failure today, you’ve come to the right place. Allow me to help you work through this, from a completely different perspective.
If you can finally find the end of yourself, and are willing to let go, you can find something far better—far surer than what you were even hoping for.
Does God give a promise of a new beginning, born out of the ashes of a failed and fragile life? He certainly does.
But first, He wants you to understand—even if it’s painful—that you will never be “good enough.”
If we can be honest with ourselves, we can see that it really doesn’t require much “goodness” at all, just to live here on planet earth. We can pretty much be as good or as bad as we choose. There might be some consequences for our actions. But basically, we get to live our lives any way we choose to live. As long as we live with relatively good behavior and with decency toward others, we are “good enough.”
But God, in His Heavenly realm, holds us up to an infinitely higher standard. It’s a completely different definition of “good enough,” with completely different requirements. Many people think they have met these requirements by doing good deeds for others, being kind, and following the Ten Commandments.
But the truth is, every one of us is an utter and complete failure.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
(Romans 3:23)
Sin. It’s such a nasty little word. We avoid talking about it, but God doesn’t. God wants us to know how serious Sin is.
It is the hard clang of a steel prison door, slamming against your freedom. It is the raging voice of condemnation, growling in the ears of anyone in a quiet moment of introspection.
In short, Sin is the stranglehold of death, held around the proverbial neck of all humankind. It emerged upon our world long ago, back when our very first ancestors decided that siding with Satan might prove more profitable for themselves than obeying their Creator, God.
How foolish they were to believe it. How defeated they became. How cursed with hardship and despair.
And for every generation of humanity since, Sin would be the sickness born within every mother’s precious child. It is the universal fall of humankind, this sobering sense of failure we feel within our innermost being. For “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
All.
I was recently involved in a wood working project in my garage. The work included the making of sixteen identical pieces. I had measured the first one, cut it out, then placed it up against my wood stock, as a measurement for the rest of the pieces.
Everything looked just fine, until I attempted to use them the next day. I sadly discovered they were all a half inch too long. Apparently, I had measured that very first piece incorrectly. And since all others were created in its likeness, all of the pieces were identically wrong.
You can probably guess where I’m going with this. Like the very first people, Adam and Eve—who sinned and fell away from God’s own glory—all other “men” were born out of their likeness. Because the first was flawed, all became flawed.
My project pieces appeared to be perfect and good. They just didn’t fit into my planned project. Thankfully, they can still be salvaged. But they will all need to be reworked to be acceptable.
And so are all the “pieces” of humankind, in great need of a “reworking.” Otherwise, none of us can ever “measure up” to that holy measuring stick of God’s glory. And none of us can ever fit into His perfect plan for humanity.
Maybe you are thinking that you’re not really so bad. Certainly, not a “failure.” Sure, you’ve made some mistakes at times, but you’ve done pretty well for yourself. You’ve had some good successes in life.
And you’ve had no trouble believing in God. Hey, if Jesus went and died on a cross for you, then that’s great. You’re happy if he’s happy. It’s a win/win situation.
Right?
But what does it mean to “come short” of God’s magnificent “glory?”
First of all, the phrase “come short” simply states that “all” have missed something really big and important. Something personal. Something essential for our very lives, our liberty, and our eternal future.
That word, “glory” is best described as: the revelation or the realization of God’s own wondrous majesty.
And finally, that word “short” implies: to be inferior to, to suffer lack, or be in need of, to fall behind, or be destitute, or in poverty.
To “come short” of God’s “glory,” in a word, means FAILURE. Complete, utter and catastrophic failure. It speaks of a great loss, devoid of life. It is death.
Maybe you’ve been truly bothered by your own flawed human condition. Or the vast, insurmountable problems in your world. And you’ve been thinking you might step up, get it right, and turn over a “brand new leaf” for God. “Yes, He’d be so pleased if I stopped doing…” (fill in the blank with your own particular habit.)
You might even imagine that God is out there scouting for some big winners—some really nice, successful-type folks, to champion His cause. Believe it or not, God has little interest in winners. He is all about sinners.
God is literally looking for—and hoping to find—some losers. Are you one of them?
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
(Matthew 16:24-26)
These words from Christ Jesus are some of the most important words we will ever hear. This is much too big to breeze through. This is life or death information, for any and all who will have the ears to hear it.
Do you really want to hear it?
Then please take the time to really listen.
Verse 24a “If any man come after me…”
There is a huge difference between just being attracted to someone, and actually giving your whole life to them. Boyfriends or girlfriends have their place in everyone’s life, but it’s most likely that most of these relationships were not marriage material.
You know it’s marriage material when you fall in love with that special someone, and you can’t imagine living without them. You long to have and to hold them forever. Not only are you madly in love, but you are willing to commit your life to being with them. And that makes all of the difference.
Real, lasting love is so much more than just an emotion. It takes a serious decision and a trusting heart, to “come after” (commit to being with) someone with all of your being. And Jesus understands this completely. Because He knows the kind of commitment He is asking you to make.
Verse 24b “let him deny himself…”
Something truly wonderful happens when a person surrenders his or her life to Jesus Christ. It isn’t casual. And it can’t be on a whim.
Jesus isn’t your buddy or your boyfriend. He isn’t just somebody really great, to be admired or gazed upon. Nor is He just some great intellect, or some wonderful teacher of religious ideas, or even some super courageous person who gave his life away for you.
This relationship—this commitment—can’t be one of simply admiration, or friendship. This must be your full surrender—faith-filled, honest, and open. A willingness to give away your own personal desires.
Because Christ Jesus is God.
There’s no second guessing such a decision. Because, as soon as you decide—to be His—the weight of your Sin is placed lovingly upon His shoulders. Finally, it has found its proper place. You “deny” yourself, and your own “goodness,” as you experience His perfect goodness.
And if you have truly committed in that moment, you know there is no going back.
Verse 24c “and take up his cross, and follow me.”
You thought that Christ Jesus did all of the cross carrying for you. All of the heavy lifting. All of the suffering and dying. Yes, He surely did.
But remember—if you’ve decided to “come after” him—you have, in fact, surrendered your life to Him. You have given away your own personal desires, and denied yourself your own imagined future, to be His.
Every moment of your life is an opportunity to share in the strength of His cross. Allowing Him to place His burdens upon your surrendered life. Allowing Christ not only to love you, but lead you—to go where He instructs you to go. To refrain from going where you went before. To turn away from the person you were before. His life has now become your life—inseparably entwined.
Obviously, this is not the unbelieving world’s point of view. Undoubtedly, everyone has heard the name of Jesus Christ. But the failed mentality of an unbelieving world has no intention of changing paths.
The unbelieving world is bent on continually propping up and defending a failed world system, and a self-centered way of thinking. They do not surrender to God—He is just another “god” in their eyes. Because they have already established themselves as their own god.
Deep down, they know that God is in direct opposition to their own self-determined reasoning. It can be tricky at times, being your own god. Even painful. But just like someone else you and I may know, (hello, mirror!) they have learned to hide it well.
This way of Christ is also not the way of the man-anointed religions of the earth. Many people the world over feel a certain need for “God” in their lives. So they create a “space” for Him. Maybe it’s something tall and towered, with magnificent stained glass windows. Or maybe it’s a daily time of rituals, reading and meditation.
But there are no intentions of surrender. They will piously give God a shout-out, but keep their lives for themselves. They may try to “co-exist” with God. They may share the “glory” with Him, so to speak. They might imagine God ruling over the heavens. And that’s just fine with them. But they intend to rule over their world.
Followers are encouraged to follow the path of religion first, and then God. The religious hierarchies of our world love it that way. It keeps the power (and the purse) close to home. All appears good and proper. So wonderfully religious. It isn’t exactly righteousness. But it puts on an excellent show.
And tragically, it makes a lot of fearful people feel that they are safe.
But Christ Jesus is not—nor has He ever been—a religion. He is the Savior of His world, and the soon coming King, who will soon rule over the whole earth, from His mighty throne. He is God. And His saving grace will forever be worth the price of your present surrender.
“For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.”
(1 Corinthians 7:22-23)
We were all purchased with a very high price. So we owe our very lives to the One who paid for our redemption—the Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. No man—and certainly no religion—is worthy of our surrender. Jesus paid and paved the way for us. And it was a price that we could never afford to pay.
Look again at Romans 3:23. Remember what the definition of “come short” means? It’s like being flat broke and having to tell a creditor, “I’ll have to pay you later. I’m a little short this month.” The Sin nature in each one of us always leaves us “short.” The full payment can’t be made, and in God’s eyes, we might as well be flat broke.
But thankfully God, in His mercy, made a way for you and me. There just wasn’t any way—until Christ Jesus made the payment.
Verse 16:25a “For whosoever will save his life will lose it:”
You will probably agree, that saving one’s own life is a natural human defense. It’s like some sort of software, that’s preinstalled within the fleshly machine. So why would Christ require something so unnatural of His creation—to not to save our own lives, but to lose them?
Life is like a pathway. It is linear, with a literal end—death. Each of us are steadily walking along day by day, and we all have our end approaching, just as sure as we had our beginning. It is the journey of life.
But you must not forget that this journey is not your own. Or at least it shouldn’t be.
You must not forget—not for a moment—that you have failed, and fallen short of God’s awesome glory. That may not sound life-threatening, but it is.
Because not surrendering your life to Christ Jesus, means that you have kept it for yourself. And that means you’ve also kept the Sin that goes along with it.
Sin is the death sentence that hangs over every soul. And there is yet another death at the end of every life’s journey, that was not surrendered to the Savior.
Verse 25b “and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”
Consider what your life really boils down to: a certain number of days. A certain number of circumstances and opportunities, while you live and breathe.
But now look at your life from God’s high point of view. Those days of opportunity were given so you might rediscover what has been lost: the vision, the revelation, and the awareness of who Almighty God really is. That awesome chance to behold His glory.
To see Him and to know His true character—the lover of your eternal soul. The protector and defender of all those who put their complete trust in Him. And best of all, your closest and dearest family member. God wants you to be family! His family!
Heaven is God’s glorious habitation. His home. He doesn’t let anyone but family live there with Him. Think about it. You don’t just let anyone in your house do you? No. You let people come in that you know and trust. You see, God has to know you to be able to live with you. And if you’ve surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, Father God certainly knows He can trust you. You are part of His forever family. How utterly awesome is that!
So what exactly is the God of the universe asking of you? To come and give back to Him what you were never really able to keep in the first place: your short and troubled life. How quickly it seems to slip right through your fingers. So why not give it to Him?
It’s as if Jesus is saying, “Give your life to me. I will hold it for you. I made you, and I am able to make you live anew. Live beyond yourself, and live out realms of life you cannot yet imagine. Lose your short and troubled life for my sake, and allow me to give you a life you could never even realize. It’s real. I promise.”
Verse 16:26a “For what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
The unbelieving world has a real struggle putting any real worth on an unseen soul. It takes faith to believe you have an eternal soul, that “real you,” within, who lives on for ages of time to come—somewhere.
Try to imagine your life as being lived inside a train station. People come, and people go. It’s a constant hub of activity. But one day, you must get onboard a train, and leave the train station. Because train stations aren’t designed for you to stay there indefinitely.
Pretty soon you must move on. Everybody does. So you must make plans for your eternal destination.
Make sure you’ve got friends (family) in high places—your “eternal connections”—so there’s an important “loved one” waiting to receive you when you arrive.
Make sure to love and respect and know the One who so greatly and graciously loves you. Christ Jesus already paid your fare. He’s already purchased your ticket to heavenly places. And He’s holding a seat for you, while He can.
But you can’t just dream of heavenly places, or even hope for them. You’ve got to take Him at his word, while you still have your God given opportunity to choose surrender.
Life isn’t actually yours at all. It is only borrowed for these few short days of life. So do yourself a huge favor. Give your life away, to the One who has lovingly loaned it to you. And gain what you could never ever afford to buy.
Your ticket to eternal life.
Verse 26b “or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Personally, I can’t think of a single thing that I could possess, or achieve, or even want, that would be a good enough exchange for my eternal soul.
This world is quickly passing away. Can’t you already feel it?
The good times are so short lived. The party is always soon over. The laughter is soon replaced with sorrow. The fun is soon overshadowed with worry. And in those quiet times of introspection, away from life’s noise and distractions, that feeling of failure creeps up on you. Again.
Every one of us, by God’s Holy standard, is a failure. I’m a failure, and you are a failure.
My friend, just make sure that you are a loser.
Lose yourself for the sake of Christ.
Find yourself in the safe and secure embrace of the Lover of your soul.
Partner with Him, in His eternal plans and purposes.
Gain true goodness—His righteousness—that no one can ever take away from you.
You could hang on to your little life, for just a while longer. But you know, deep down, that it will end.
How will it end?
It’s just one decision away. And it is your decision to make, alone.
But hurry now. Train’s coming.