Life's "Do-Overs"

Yo Journal,

Good Morning.  The assigned reading for this devotional was Joel 2:12-27.  The devotional says:

To kids on a playground, the concept of a "do-over" is well known. When they're playing kickball and the ball gets stuck in a tree, or when they're playing basketball and the ball sticks between the backboard and the rim, a chorus of "do over" spontaneously erupts. It's an unspoken rule that every kid knows. Sometimes as adults we wish we could resurrect the rule in our own lives. When we miss a bill payment, we long to be able to appeal to the utility company for a "do-over." When we speak a thoughtless word that hurts another person, we wish for the same. Through the prophet Joel God tells the Israelites they can have a "do-over." If they'll repent God will return what he has taken away in punishment. Apparently a plague of locusts has destroyed the nation's crops, and God promises to give the people abundant harvests once again. So how can we make the reality of the "do-over" active in our life once again? Truth be told, this concept usually doesn't work in our adult lives and relationships without a good deal of work and humility on our part. We bear the consequences of our mistakes until regret grows and we ask for forgiveness. That's when grace can intervene, and the person we've harmed can forgive. The same is true in our relationship with God. If we understand that sin has kept us from realizing our potential, we need to do the same as the Israelites: repent. In this case, we don't really achieve the "do-over" ourselves; instead, we receive it from God. We simply turn to God with our confession. Many men find confession especially difficult because it cuts at our dignity and self-worth. When we confess we admit our mistakes and failures. We assume that these admissions don't make us look very good. However, God loves to see us confess and repent of our sin, because in doing so we show that we desire to turn to him. When we're "man enough" to confess our wrongs, God can choose to pour out his blessings for the next phase of our lives. To Take Away What areas of your life feel so damaged by sin that they require a fresh start? What do you hope your life will amount to? How does that mesh with God's plan for your life? Do you trust God enough to confess your mistakes and failures to him? Why or why not? How can you gain this kind of trust in God?

I want to answer these questions with you. 1) What areas of my life feel so damaged by sin that they require a fresh start?  My finances.  I am in such an unhealthy financial state right now.  Sin got me where I am now.  I didn't use my money to gamble, or to buy drugs, etc.  I just didn't honor God with my money.  I wasn't a good stewart.  I carelessly gave my money to others in an attempt to solve everyone else's problems, thereby creating a huge one for myself. 2) What do I hope my life will amount to?  How does that mesh with God's plan for my life?  To be honest, I am not really sure what I hope my life will amount to.  I want to be a great, godly husband and father.  I want to be a blessing to the preteens that God puts in my charge. I want to be and do whatever it is that God has called me to do.  So that meshes well, I would think, with God's plan for my life.  My struggle is that I'm not 100% sure what God's ultimate plan for my life is. 3) Do I trust God enough to confess my mistakes and failures to Him?  Why or Why not?  How can I gain this kind of trust in God?  Yes. I do trust God enough to confess my mistakes and failures to Him.  Admittedly, sometimes I am so disappointed in myself, I feel like I don't even deserve to go to God for forgiveness.  I feel like He just bailed me out of something and I'm back in it within a couple of months.  (I know that that is how Satan works, and that it's nothing new.)  But overall, my answer is yes, I do trust God enough to confess my mistakes to God.

Man's Failure, God's Mercy

Yo Journal,

So, one of the things I'm attempting to do is to read through the bible in 90 days.  I purchased a 90 day bible several years ago. You read 12 pages a day for 90 (really 88 and two free "off" days) and you'll be finished with the bible. 

As I was reading through Genesis, I want to share something that I noticed.  Genesis 20 talks about Abraham and Abimelech.  In this passage Abraham asks Sarah to say that she is his sister so that his life would be spared.  He was willing to let other men have her in order to preserve his own life.  Now I'm not every guy, but I think that I can pretty much speak for most men when I say, "WHAT!?!"  There is NO part of me, whatsoever, that can support asking my wife to pretend to be my sister so that other guys can have her, so that I'll be safe.   What kind of a husband would do such a thing!!

The worst part is, this isn't the first time he did it.  Eight chapters earlier, we see that when Abraham (then called Abram) and Sarah (then called Sarai) went to Egypt, due to a famine in their own land, Abraham said to Sarah, "I know what a beautiful woman you are.  When the Egyptians see you, they will kill me but let you live.  Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you."

Twice this man asked his wife to pretend to be his sister, putting her safety and her integrity in jeopardy, for his own safety.  I really have a difficult time respecting that.  But you know what really shows how bad this situation is?  His son did the same thing!!  Isaac - again, due to a famine - went to Gerar.  (The same place that Abraham, his father ended up in Chapter 20.)  He, too, told the men their that Rebekah, his wife, was his sister.  The bible says that he was afraid to say that Rebekah was his wife.  He thought he would be killed because she was beautiful.  What must have gone through Abimelech's mind?  This happens to him twice.  A father/son double team!

I just can't wrap my head around this.  First of all, I am eternally proud that Jean took pity on me and said, "Yes." Agreeing to be my wife.  I would NEVER tell anyone that she is my sister.  Secondly, I'm not the 'jealous brute' type, but I like most have a protective eye over my wife.  I want other guys to keep their distance.  So Abraham, the father, passed on this cowardly trait to his son?  The poor women in their lives!  

But before I get too judgmental, and God has to remind me of all the ways I've failed as a husband, I want to point out God's mercy regarding man's failures.  Do you know that in all three instances, God found fault with the potential violators!?!  Abraham and Isaac, two of the chose three that God chose to be the founding fathers of God's holy nation, miserably failed God - and their wives - showing cowardice, a lack of faith, a lack of compassion, empathy, and everything that it takes to be a man.  Yet instead of God going after them, (especially Abraham, I mean he did it twice), God made sure that the perpetrators didn't succeed in this sin that they had no idea they were even committing.   Chapter 20 emphasizes this point the most.  Abraham admitted to Abimelech that he thought to himself, "There is absolutely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife."  If someone said that they were thinking that about me, I'm not sure how I would react to that.  But Abimelech replied by bringing "sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him.  Abimelech said, 'My land is before you; live wherever you like.'  To Sarah he said, 'I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver.  This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated."  After all of that, Abraham had to actually pray for God to heal Abimelech, his wife, and his slave girls so that they could have children again, because God closed up their wombs.

So, what's the point I'm making?  "Fail God!  It doesn't matter what you do.  He'll cover you!!"  No, not at all.  You can't mock God.  He won't be made a fool of.  I will say this,  I was encouraged to see that no matter how silly, horrible, degrading, unfaithful the sin, God's mercy still covered Abraham and Isaac.    The fact that Abraham had to pray for Abimelech is astonishing to me.  It goes to show, however, how faithfully loyal God is to His children.  When people say that God is nothing but a Violent Judge, who shows no mercy, I can point to these two, or so many other examples in the bible and say, "No. All around us is man's failure, but even more so is God's mercy".

James C. Powell

Man Up!

Yo Journal,

Today is January 1, 2012.  Happy New Year!!  I am expecting God to do great things in 2012.  I just finished a book called, "The Resolution for Men" by Kendrick and Alcorn.  I was really challenged to be a better man of God.  I would like to chronicle that journey with you. That's the reason why I entitled this, "Man Up!"  I want God to help me to be the Man of God he called me to be. Not for any other reason than to see how God is moving in my life.

My goal is to really grow in God this year.  I want God to bring me to the next level in Him.  In this blog, I want to share with you things that God has taught me through reading my bible, reading different books, talking to people, etc.  I need more go God than I can express right now.  I pray that God will reveal Himself to me.

I want God to do amazing things in REMIX.  I pray that my teaching style improves and I pray that God will use me to bless the preteens and encourage them to be "Fit for the Kingdom".  I want to learn how to minister to them, to their needs, to their parents, etc.  I want to learn how to show them the love of God.  As God teaches me things, I pray that He will help me to share it with them, in a way that they can understand and appreciate.

My finances are in such a horrible state right now.  I'll have to do a whole blog on my financial situation alone. But God is bigger than my finances, and I need God to provide a miracle right now.  I know that He will.  He has in the past, He will now.

I want to be as consistent and faithful as possible.  I'm starting school again, at Nyack College, (more about that later) so I don't want to tell you how often I'll be writing.  

I'll talk to you later.

Good Night.
JCP