Tuesday: The Mastery of Mistakes and Blunders
WEEK 21
TUESDAY
THE MASTERY OF MISTAKES AND BLUNDERS
Galatians 6:1-2
I don’t mean to imply that the fellowships at Antioch or Jerusalem were perfect societies. They were not. In Jerusalem, against the background of complete sharing of soul and substance, Ananias and Sapphira kept back part of the price and the subsequent lying and tragedy that followed. In Antioch “Their argument became so intense that they went their separate ways. Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus. Paul chose Silas and left” (Acts 15:39-40). Insincerity and contention put up their serpent heads in these Edens of amazing sincerity and love.
However, two things are important: First, that in writing about both societies the writer did not hesitate to bring these blotches out into the open for the world to see. This shows how realistic was the approach and gives confidence that the description of the good was simple fact. And second, it shows the amazing vitality of the society, a vitality that could absorb its own mistakes and sins and go on its triumphant way. That is one of the tests of a person or a movement; can it go on with power to close in upon its own mistakes and sins and absorb them and even profit by them?
In both cases these groups rescued something constructive out of what would otherwise be pure calamities. In the case of Ananias and Sapphira it showed the moral climate of that fellowship. The moral tensions were so acute that if a man lied in that situation, he died of shock due to heart failure. God didn’t strike him dead—he died of inner shock caused by moral tension. That fact shows the contrast with the moral climate of our church life today. One could lie and be dishonest in it, and nothing would happen. Not a ripple would be caused on the surface of events, and it would take a lie detector to register any increase in heartbeat. There are exceptions, of course, but this is the climate.
In the second case the contention between Paul and Barnabas resulted not in a paralysis of evangelism but in simply increasing it; there were two teams going out now instead of one. The contention became extension.
O Holy Spirit, give me power to profit even by mistakes and sins. Help me to have such inward vitality that I can absorb and profit by my blunders. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: I don’t have to be perfect. I have to be sincere. If so, I can use even my blunders and mistakes.