Steadfast: When You Fail

Steadfast: When You Fail

Each fall, Jewish communities around the world observe the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

The Holy Days are rooted in the biblical festivals of Leviticus 23: the Day of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:23–32).

Ten days set apart for reflection, repentance, and reconciliation with God.

A central theme is teshuvah, the Hebrew concept of repentance and returning to God.

For Christians, the Day of Atonement points to the cross. Jesus is our great high priest (Hebrews 4:14). He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood (Hebrews 9:12).

So the season of teshuvah can be our season too.

Throughout this Steadfast devotional series, we've considered persevering through difficulties and living faithfully for God.

But what happens when we're not steadfast?

What happens when we fail the Lord?

A High Bar

The Christian life is a lifetime struggle of spiritual successes and spiritual failures.

God's standard is holiness.

Peter makes this clear when he reminds believers of God's command: “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16 NIV; citing Leviticus 11:44–45; 19:2).

We are to “make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him” (2 Peter 3:14).

That's a high bar!

Paul understood the struggle. I can relate:

“For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:15).

And again:

“For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19).

We may have good intentions. We may want to live in a manner holy and pleasing to God.

But sometimes we don't.

When We Fail God

Peter's story encourages me.

He was bold. He promised never to abandon Jesus (Matthew 26:33–35). But he blew it big time. Three times he denied Him.

Peter failed miserably. He went away and wept bitterly (Luke 22:62). Grief crushed his spirit.

But his story doesn't end in failure.

At the Sea of Galilee, Resurrection Jesus restored him. Three times He asked Peter, “Do you love me?” Three times Peter answered "yes." Then Jesus recommissioned him: “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17).

Jesus called him back into service: “Follow me” (John 21:19).

The Way Back

Peter's failure was sin. So is ours. 

Sin means missing the mark. Sometimes by what we do. Sometimes by what we leave undone (James 4:17).

When we choose to sin, in a sense we are denying Christ by how we live (see Titus 1:16).

Yet our failure need not be final.

The God who removes our transgressions “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12) has made forgiveness and restoration possible through the saving work of Jesus Christ.

God gives us a wonderful promise:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Our forgiveness rests on God's faithful character, not our ability to keep a clean record.

This is the way back: When you fail, confess your sins, receive His forgiveness, and return to Him. That's what it means to “put your hope in the LORD” and trust in His unfailing love (Psalm 130:7).

A Steadfast Spirit

David knew the way back. When he sinned, he repented and prayed:

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

The man after God's own heart was not perfect (Acts 13:22; see 2 Samuel 11–12; 24). But when confronted with his sin, he humbled himself.

Psalm 51, beginning with the words “Have mercy on me, O God,” is our prayer for those times when we fail the Lord.

Costly Grace

God's willingness to forgive does not diminish His standard of holiness.

Paul asks:

“Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?”

His answer:

“By no means!” (Romans 6:1–2).

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945), the German pastor and martyr, warned Christians against cheap grace—forgiveness without repentance, grace without discipleship (The Cost of Discipleship).

Jesus calls us to the narrow way, living in obedience to His Word:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13–14).

When we drift, we must course correct.

And by God's grace, we can!

Finish Well

Consider Solomon's ending. He did not finish well.

As a young man, he was gifted with extraordinary wisdom and divine blessing. Yet “as Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been” (1 Kings 11:4).

David failed, but he returned to God.

Solomon's life is a warning. Peter's story, like David's, shows that failure does not disqualify us from finishing well.

Likewise, Paul was determined to finish well:

“One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13–14).

Forgetting what is behind. Including our failures.

We press on toward the heavenly prize, striving to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).

That's the goal.

No matter how many times we stumble, by God's grace we can get back up, return to Jesus, and finish well.

That is teshuvah. Returning to God.

Stay steadfast. Keep the faith.

~ Rob

Let Us Pray

Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.

From the Book of Common Prayer (1979)

Listen to "Whosoever" 

Near the end of his life, Paul wrote, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7).

This song sets his final charge to Timothy to music. The chorus reminds us that the crown isn't only for those with a perfect record. It's for whosoever will choose to believe. From the EP Keep The Faith.

ABOUT THE STEADFAST DEVOTIONAL SERIES: 

Since the beginning of this year, we have been exploring what it means to live with steadfast faith. Steadfastness is a character trait essential to growing in spiritual maturity. These companion essays include:

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