Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.  Galatians 6:7-9 HCSB

Did you know that a number of famous people failed, often many times before they succeeded. According to an article on Wanderlust Worker, many famous people failed before becoming the success that we know them as today. I listed the following three people from that article.

Did you know that Albert Einstein, the 1921 Nobel prize winning physicist, did not speak until he was four? At the age of 16, he failed an exam to get into the Swiss Federal Polytechnic school. He did so poorly in college that he nearly dropped out. After graduating, he sold insurance door to door and then worked in a patent office. But, he kept trying and brought us the theory of relativity. His groundbreaking work in physics and math helped us to have a deeper understanding of how the universe works. He developed several fundamental core laws governing physics and began the study of the quantum theory.

Did you know that at the age of 18, Elvis Presley recorded a demo at Sun Records and nothing came of it. He did the same a year later and failed again. He auditioned for a part in a quartet called, Songfellows, and flunked the audition. When his father asked him what happened, he replied, “They told me I couldn’t sing.” Frustrated he took a job as a truck driver and met a man named Eddie Bond, who managed a band. He got a recording done by Elvis which got the attention of a local DJ and the rest is history.

Did you know at the age of 15, Michael Jordan was passed up by his varsity basketball team. Instead he saw his name listed on the Junior Varsity team. He wanted to give up but his mother encouraged him to keep trying and push on. Jordan was credited with once saying, “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that’s why I succeed.”

As Christians, most of us are failures. Romans 3:23 says that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. But praise God, we can be forgiven. 1 John 1:9 tells us that if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I’ve had a few stops and starts in my Christian life. I have lived a life that has resembled a roller coaster at times. Sky high one day and low to the ground the next. I would have bouts of striving to do my best and be the best I could be for Christ and then I would fail and let Him down. But there came a time when I grew tired of the roller coaster ride. I decided that I no longer wanted to live my life up and down. I wanted steadiness. I turned it all over to God and asked Him to handle it. I asked Him to take control of the mess I had made. I asked Him to clean it up and He did.

I’m not perfect, I’m far from it. But, I begin each day in prayer. I strive to do the very best I can so that I can be the best I can be for my Lord and Savior. I pray throughout the day for Him to give me the strength to not mess up. I pray for Him to help me to do what is right. I pray for Him to lead me not into temptation and to deliver me from evil just as it says in the Lord’s prayer in Matthew chapter 6. I end my day with prayer.

We have all had many failures in our lives, but that is no reason to give up. If you are doing wrong, you may want to give that up, God will never honor our bad behavior and no good can come from it. But, if you are doing your best to please God, remember our scripture passage today. “We must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.  We may fail time and time again, but God will never fail us. Trust in Him today.

Have a great weekend!