My situation looked bleak from every direction. It has been used and interpreted in many ways. Much of our desire to control our world, however, can be tracesd back to our own deeper fear: that we can’t trust in God. When God told him to speak to the rock in order to bring water, he instead hit it hard, and twice. These people changed their attitudes by learning to trust their God and you can too. What makes babies so kissable? Day 1 turned int... “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! This list features ten people and deities from the Bible who have excelled in their ability to stand up against difficult odds. Where they were successful in following God, we are to emulate them. He tore a lion in half and killed 1,000 Philistines using the jawbone of a donkey. At the same time we can be distracted by paying too much attention to ourselves and our abilities and not recognizing our need for the Lord. The Lord wants to give us important work to do and wants us to feel capable and significant. Aaron. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. Only two names out of 81 may hint at a belief in the true God: Reuel (36:10), Esau’s son by Basemath, means “friend of God”; Jeush (36:14), Oholibamah’s son, means “The Lord helps.”. Adam. This is because even the failure may have been part of God's perfect plan to teach him a few unforgettable lessons. 32:4); Uzzah failed to reverence God (2 Sam. It was there that God sent a violent storm to capsize the ship, but just before, the sailors tossed Jonah overboard and the seas went calm. Make sure that what you convey to others, whether in word or action, is truthful. Set aside your bitterness or skepticism, if only for a moment, and allow yourself to be moved by the wonder and beauty of creation. Instead of drowning, Jonah was swallowed by a whale that God provided. This was the ultimate test for Peter, but even with his loyalty firmly rooted in Christ, he still failed Him. In fact, he broke HALF of the 10 commandments. In what ways would more gentleness impact your relationship with others? He was so zealous in his Jewish faith, that he wanted to eradicate Christians completely. One of the most important keys to spiritual growth is humility. When irritated, respond in a gentler way. Balaam, riding his donkey, is confronted by an angel of the Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. If Joseph lived in our time, everyone would probably consider him a loser, but God knew his heart, just as He knows yours. The difference is the OT folks looked forward to the cross and we look back. We too can learn, and apply the stories of these Biblical characters to our own lives. We feel pretty good about our relationships. Below is a list of 4 people who had baggage but God still used. When do you find yourself being proud? Another area of the Old Testament that frequently comes under attack by the new atheists is the moral failure of biblical characters. Instead of dealing with the consequence of being found-out, he fled Egypt and began a new life. This list, however, isn’t complete and if thoroughly expanded, we would agree that the list would, in fact, be lengthy. Learn more about Connection Magazine, and explore other issues. God forms Adam from the dust of the ground. Examples of Imperfect People God used in the Bible (List of People who sinned in the Bible just like you and me, but were forgiven, redeemed, and used by God). The Bible lists countless stories that the protagonist was once filled with sin, but by the grace of God, he or she was transformed and then used by God. The temptations in which a person is victorious entail the belief that all others are more worthy than he, and that he is more like those in hell than those in heaven, for ideas such as these present themselves to him in temptations. God even used him to lead His people during a very difficult time. --Elizabeth Buechele. But there comes a time when we realize our nakedness; we may even feel ashamed for having been so gullible or naïve. G reat men in the Bible abound throughout its pages. Peter was feeling very confident that he would be better than everyone else at standing by the Lord, even in the face of death, but he would soon go through a test that would teach him some humility. In late fall of 2011, after a simple car ride with the windows rolled down, and the music turned up, 17-year-old Elizabeth Buechele posted this update on her social media feed, "Day 1: Happiness is... those perfect car rides where the radio just plays all the right songs." Those soft cheeks certainly help, but there’s also this irresistible sweetness, this sense of purity. With that in mind, this week’s focus and task, and the general task moving forward is to take Jesus’ words to heart, both in our responses to our own failures as well as the failures of others. “ (Secrets of Heaven 2273). What message will you take away from it in regards to self-discipline? But this can be scary, and we’re often tempted to veer off into an easier, safer path of not confronting our issues. It’s easy to be inspired by his youthful willingness to fight Goliath, his tender friendship with Jonathan, his worshipful Psalms, and his enduring patience under wicked King Saul. "The Lord's church is spread throughout the whole world. But since Jonah is afraid, he takes a different path, and ends up in a rough and unpleasant situation. Before his father David died, he had an idea for what would eventually become Solomon’s greatest project, the temple in Jerusalem. 5 prominent bible characters had their own epic fails. . What times might you feel compelled to lie? Not at all. As a consequence our words become words of truth, and our works become works of justice.” (Apocalypse Explained 1020:2). Being a skilled Bible student can help us lead a better life! This is just one of the ways ( there are many others ) by which we can know that the Bible had to have originated from the mind of God, and not from the mind of man (2 Timothy 3:16-17). For that reason, trust in the Lord exists only in those who love the Lord and the neighbor. David coveted Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba (2 Sam. Even though he turned his back on Jesus, God forgave Peter and reaffirmed his faith—he repented and continued to share the Good News, even until his death. 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