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Failure – not diminishing faith in God, Part II

16/10/2018

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An author said no one excelled Benjamin Franklin as an innovator of change.  The Genuine Article, 184.  In reality, Adam—the first innovator of change—made the most of catastrophe once removed from Paradise.  He and Eve continued having faith in God after being expelled from Eden.  First, giving God credit for the birth of Cain.  Second, giving him thanks for the birth of Seth.  Third, their recovery from failure.
 
While being distinct, while in the Garden both Adam and Eve were known as Adam—mankind.  To distinguish her as a female from his maleness, Adam gave her the name Eve—the mother of all mortals.  Observe that difference as the sole relationship that constitutes marriage, whatever culture says.
 
They had lost Paradise and been evicted from the Garden.  They had also been forgiven and could therefore continue living for God, though they couldn’t return to Eden.  They taught their descendants one of the great lessons of life:  failure won’t defeat us if we get on with life despite it.  If we learn from the mistakes that caused it and avoid them in the future.  Failure can be a new beginning, not the end.  And if sin has brought an end to what we cherished, we need to get started on a new life under God’s supervision and in God’s will.
 
True, failure can be so great no further success compensates:  like the German defeat at Stalingrad; like Sir John Franklin’s disaster exploring the Arctic; like the Japanese defeat at Midway.
 
Nevertheless, failure is never final for us unless we quit.  Both Robert E. Lee and William T. Sherman were failures as Generals seven months after the Civil War started:  Lee the King of Spades by having his troops digging defensive works, Sherman considered insane.  Nevertheless they persevered through their failures and 41 months later emerged as heroes of their side.
 
Each of us is a “work in progress,” whatever our age.  God isn’t finished with us yet, and won’t be so long as we live this side of the grave.  If we’re willing to let God work his will to change us into what he envisions, even failures can be advances. For nothing is impossible with God, not even recovery from the worst failure to greater success.   –Fini-

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Failure – not diminishing faith in God, Part I

15/10/2018

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We might think that losing Paradise, and finding work outside Eden a “jungle”, would be enough to destroy Adam and Eve’s faith in God.  In reality they instead gained new faith.
 
Note that Eve rejoiced that “with the help of the Lord” she “brought forth a man.”  This first-ever human birth in history had Jesus Christ as the obstetrician.  He explained to Eve step-by-step what pregnancy entailed.  Why her body began changing.  What was growing inside her.  And, as delivery time neared, how that great bulge in her tummy would ever get outside her without tearing her body apart.  The result increased the faith in God that she had compromised when eating the fruit.
 
Note also how the birth of Seth renewed her faith that God renewed the messianic line.  She likely had little concept of its true meaning, but she knew that Satan had in Cain’s murder of Abel merely disrupted the line of Abel, not destroyed it.  An English actuary told a writer for the National Geographic that humanity’s purpose was no more apparent now—1994—than previously.  Indeed, he declared humanity is no closer to understanding WHY we all exist than our earliest ancestors.
 
The man had faith in his own actuarial tables—how much insurance premiums would be, based on the age expectation of the applicant; and what could companies expect from the population in 10-20 years—but not in Almighty God.  A brilliant but heathen mind. 
 
A novice in divine planning, Eve nevertheless understood that in Seth’s birth God’s ordained purpose in creation would continue.  Indeed, as we know, whatever it takes in history to achieve God’s purpose, is achieved.  Doesn’t matter how strong the foe against it or how weak the believer serving it.  God works by his own will, power and wisdom to achieve his chosen ends.  –End Part I-

New Apologetics book at:  Amazon

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​Check out Virg Hurley Digital books at:  Smashwords
​
 
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