Making Too Many Mistakes and The Mercy of God’s Grace and Favor – Purity 1811
Purity 1811 11/11/2025 Purity 1811 Audio Podcast
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Good morning,
Today’s photo of a lamppost, a park bench and a river sidewalk pathway in the foreground of a beautiful nighttime view of the Oswego River comes to us from yours truly as I captured this scene during my one night stand stay in the town of my alma mater back on November 9th, 2022.
Well, its Tuesday and I am leaning on the grace and mercy of the Lord this morning as I am fighting off condemning thoughts and the fear that I may have finally made a few more mistakes than my employer will allow. Yesterday, I had to testify about the accident I had while on the job back in August. I had to change the preceding sentence to say I “made a few more mistakes” because I after contemplating my actions on that fateful day, I realize that I didn’t just make one mistake that resulted in my fall and injury I made a few. I can’t go into details because the matter is still under investigation but with a one-person accident, its not too hard to access whose fault it was. It was my fault, and I testified honestly about what I did, didn’t do, and what I was thinking.
In hindsight, I should have followed proper procedures before and after I fell. I might have to pay dearly for the mistakes I have made and this morning I am hard pressed to focus on the good in life because I have suffered another failure in life and I have no one to blame but myself. I have struggled with low self-esteem, depression, and suicidal thoughts in the past because of my insufficiency and because of the frustrations of the challenges of life and my seeming inability to do things right or well. I have said that I often learn from trial and error but after all the mistakes, sins, and poor decisions that I have made in the past, I truly wonder if I will ever truly learn anything and when I think of it all and how I continually fail despite my best efforts, I am driven to despair and am wish for quick death to deliver me from all the pain I cause to myself and others.
If we are judging me by my performance, the truth is I’m not good enough, I make mistakes, I mess up a lot, and I can’t even say that I have a pure mind and heart all the time. As much as I long for forgiveness, mercy, and yet another chance to do things right or well, I realize that I don’t deserve it at all. Even if I don’t have any malice behind the mistakes I make, how long should I expect people to put up with me. How many chances should I get? How many mistakes are too many?
Honestly, I am not sure. I may have gone past that limit. I honestly realize that. Worst case scenario, this latest incident could be last one. I could lose my job. Will I? I hope not. I am extremely grateful for the job I have but I’m not sure if I will be given the grace to continue in it.
However, as much as I don’t want to be fired, I have to be prepared for that contingency and even though it would difficult to deal with, I would deal with it because I know that the Lord loves me and He will help to provide for me just like He has all of my life. As fearful as the prospect of losing my job is, the Lord has taught me to keep things in perspective. Jesus tells us in
Matthew 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
In my context, I shouldn’t fear those who can kill my career. I should only fear the Lord and because I have put my faith in Jesus, I know that while I have a reverent fear of God’s holiness, I don’t have to fear His wrath because that fell on Jesus on the cross. Because of God’s grace, I don’t ever have to fear that I have made too many mistakes. Because of Christ, I am accepted, secure, and significant. Because of God’s grace, I can trust that He will provide for me, one way or another. And if I have to go through the shame and humiliation of being fired, I will do so by putting my trust in His plan for my life. God’s grace has carried me this far and I will trust Him to help me where ever the circumstances of this life should take me.
Speaking of God’s grace, The Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah devotion for today is all about God’s grace and favor, so I am sharing it on the blog today to remind us all about how His free gift has nothing to do with us and everything to do with His mercy and love. Davd Jeremiah writes:
“GRACE AND FAVOR
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. – Genesis 6:8
In British English the phrase “grace and favour” refers to a property provided by the government rent free in recognition of one’s service to the country. Graceand favor are synonyms in English and carry a similar core idea: free. We could say that grace and favour properties are earned by their recipients, but they are free in the sense that their provision is not an obligation.
English translations of Scripture use grace and favorto translate the same Hebrew and Greek terms. Both words carry the same idea of free. For instance, Noah found grace [favor] in the eyes of God in a wicked period of history. Yes, Noah was a righteous and blameless man who walked with God (Genesis 6:9). But he did not earn the favor God bestowed upon him. Rather, God looked with favor upon Noah as a man He could trust. The same was said of Mary the earthly mother of Jesus who was a “highly favored one” (Luke 1:28)—someone God could trust with a weighty commission.
We are saved freely by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). Let us also live as those God can call when He needs a faithful servant.” – David Jeremiah
God is better than gold, His favor is better than fortune. – Charles Spurgeon
Amen. Grace and favor = Free, as in God’s free gift, given to us because of His mercy and love and NOT because of anything we have done.
I hope that’s clear because Jeremiah’s second point about the likes of Noah and Mary (that God could trust them with mighty commissions) could make you think that the fact that God could trust them made them worthy of God’s grace and favor. But that’s not how it works. That’s backwards thinking.
God first blessed them with His grace and favor and THEN they were entrusted to do good works for God. They didn’t earn God’s grace because they were so trustworthy, they became trustworthy to do good works AFTER God had given His free gift of grace.
God’s grace and favor empowers us to do the good works that God prepares for us to do.
If anything, scripture teaches us how, both before and after, God gives people His grace and favor, even when they don’t deserve it.
Noah proves himself unworthy by getting drunk AFTER he was given grace.
Moses proved he was unworthy BEFORE grace was given (he was a murderer) and AFTER he was trusted with leading the Israelites out of Egypt (he was barred from entering the promised land).
After we come to faith in Jesus, we can forget that we always need God’s grace. When we start living for God, we can almost think that God saved us because He knew we were worthy because of the good works He would have us do. But the truth is that we will not be perfect even after we are saved and repent.
God’s grace covers our past, but we still need it every day.
So don’t forget that God’s grace and favor are FREE and have everything to do with God’s love and mercy, and absolutely nothing to do with us earning it, before or after, we receive it.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/.
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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
(While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling By John G. Kruis on Amazon )
This morning’s meditation verse comes from the section on Persecution.
2 Timothy 2:3 (ESV) Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
Today’s verse is the first of two passages of scripture that fall under the tenth point of our counseling reference guide resource section on Persecution.
10. Do not be ashamed of the gospel. Testify boldly and be ready to suffer persecution.
Today’s Bible verse tells us that one of the expectations we should have as “Christian soldiers” is that we will suffer.
Yikes! Nobody wants that. I don’t want to suffer, like ever. I like to be blessed.
But the truth is that because of the fall of man, we are guaranteed to suffer in this world that is broken by sin and death. There is no avoiding suffering. Every life is touched by pain and death, but Jesus is the healer and redeemer and is the only One who can deliver us from suffering and death.
So, we may have to suffer for the things we believe and do as followers of Jesus, but in Him we receive the hope of one day being completely free from sin and death, and because of that eternal promise, we can persevere through any trial that this world throws our way.
Because Jesus endured through suffering, died, rose from the grave, and lives. We can trust that we too can suffer, die, rise from the grave, and live. So buck up Christian soldier, the mission Lord gives us may not always be easy, but we know that He is our strong ally and deliverer, and we are given the victory over sin, suffering, death and the grave in Christ alone.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “Day by Day Along the Way” By Jay E. Adams.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Adams’ books for your own private study and to support the late author’s work. This resource is available online for less than $20 at many sites.
Day 310
Paul stood up … and said, “Men of Israel and you God-fearing Gentiles, listen.” – Acts 13:16
Paul was preaching at Pisidian Antioch. Note, he deliberately addressed not only the Jews, but also, specifically mentioned, the Gentiles present. There were many “God-fearers,” people who attended synagog services, who believed in Yahweh, but had not adopted circumcision and other Jewish customs. It was wise that he addressed the Gentiles also since the next week the Jews rejected him out of jealousy. The Gentiles, in contrast, heard him gladly. Boldly, Paul and Barnabas made the decision to turn to the Gentiles (v. 46). When Jews stirred up persecution against them, they left, shaking the dust off their feet (a sign that they wanted nothing more to do with them). But the Gentile converts continued to worship in joy. Here was a historic turning point. If you are a Gentile, as is likely, then be thankful for this development. The Gospel came to the Jew first; but now it was going to the Gentile.[1]
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[1] Jay E. Adams, Day by Day along the Way (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 318.
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