Getting Up

Monday, ‎October ‎3, ‎2022

Verse of the Day: Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

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

Today's reading: ISAIAH 17-19 EPHESIANS 5:17-33

Getting Up

Confucius is credited with the saying, "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we do."

I don't know how long ago he was supposed to have said it but I know the Bible says in

Psalm 145:14: "The LORD supports all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down."

The world watches and records how we respond to struggles and failures. It starts very early in our school records.

It's called experience. How do we go to the next thing after we have had a tough time?

Well, we either grow or we don't. We either learn how to get up or we wallow in our own failure, blame it on someone else or bad luck, and set ourselves up for failure in the future.

Now, even if the reason for your bloody knees is the act of someone else, they are not responsible for your response. We all have to learn to put things behind us and move on.

The Bible tells us that God not only gets us up but supports us as we fall. What could that mean? If God is supporting us, how can we fall? This is a misunderstanding of the carnal mind. God's support is not physical support. It is spiritual support and is available to those who are in Christ.

All who are born-again have been marked by the Holy Spirit(Ephesians 1:13) and the Holy Spirit lives in us.

Let's talk about two kinds of 'falls'.

The first is a failure in the world where we live our physical lives. With the best planning and business models-with the best training and circumstances, we see failures all the time. But, our lives do not stop, do they? We must keep moving or wind up living in a box. We must get ourselves up and try another way. We dig a little deeper until we find something that works. Thomas Edison said he found 1000 ways not to make a lightbulb before he succeeded.

The second failure is due to our own sin in our spiritual lives. We see, we want, and we do-even when we know it is wrong. A parent sees a child stumble and, knowing they cannot prevent the impact, hurts on the inside as they watch. God supports us as we fall-knowing He will not stop us; He has given us free will. But, it still breaks His heart because He knows what will happen and because we have chosen against His will. But God does not blame anyone else for the failure of His creation. He reaches for us after we are bent in our spirits. He reaches and waits-He waits for us to reach for Him as we repent.

That's the big question. How long will God have to wait?

The fall does matter because we have sinned and have hurt the heart of the lover of our soul. The getting up, the repenting, should be immediate but sometimes it takes us a while to get our egos out of the way, but when we do, God forgives and I think He has good pleasure in this restoration. (Remember the prodigal?)

God wants our trust. He wants us to be conscious of Him all the time. Then, when we fall because of circumstances beyond us, we know he supports us and will lift us up in due time(1 Peter 5:6&7).

Getting up with God is the only real way to rise from failure. He loves us by having all our needs in His heart all the time. He knows all and is ready for all of it. He will lift us up.

...because He loves us...

Father in Heaven,

Forgive me for not concentrating on You. Arrange my focus. Fill me with desire to obey.

Great Father and lover of our souls,

In Jesus' name,

Amen