Chosen & AppointedSample

No Take-Backs

When I was 15, I preached my first sermon. It was amazing!

Well, the experience was amazing for me, the sermon was BAD!

I spoke on a Friday night at my youth group, and I remember having this euphoric feeling for a couple of days. It was clear: this is what God appointed me to do. There are few things as motivating as finding something you are passionate about, and getting to do it.

Then, it happened.

One night I was preaching at my youth group, and the next week I failed at the very things I had spoken about.

And not even just a little.

It was like the version of me that spoke on Friday was a totally different person than who I was the next week. I was miserable! I had failed so badly, and even though I felt like I had just discovered what God was calling me to do, I was convinced that He was never going to use me to preach again.

At this point, I have been preaching for 21 years. I haven’t been preaching for so long because I deserve the opportunity. I have been preaching all this time because God is faithful, even when I fail.

If God has called you to do something, if He has given you a gift, you can’t lose it. Sure, you could try and avoid using your gifts and talents. You could pretend that God hasn’t made you who you are, but that would be living a lie, it would be denying the gifts that God gave you.

Just think: God called you, even though He knew there would be times you would fail! So get up, and keep moving forward, because the gifts and call of God are not just a gift to the people you will serve, they’re God’s gift to you! And God doesn’t take His gifts back.

THINK ABOUT IT: Have you ever failed at something? What was it?

REFLECT: Failing doesn’t make you a failure. What can you do TODAY to move forward in the gifts God has given you?

PRAY: Father, thank You for being generous and loving toward me. Forgive me for the times I have failed, and help me to live for You today!