A Disciple's Defeat and Victory

The road of discipleship is a rocky road.

And it’s an all but straight and upward leading walk. If you expected it to just take you from success to success and “from glory to glory”, you’ve probably never really tried it out.

In reality, walking that road doesn’t look that fantastic. Rather, it’s a slow and drawn-out process, much slower and way longer than we would imagine. And a lot messier than we would expect, filled with challenges, setbacks, failures, disappointments and unexpected turns.

Typically, it seems to lead more downward than upward. And whenever you may think you have a grip on it and finally managed to secure some kind of progress, you’ll soon find out that it really wasn’t that much of a success and that you’ll have to start all over again.

The Lord just doesn’t follow any human standards and he has his own ways to evaluate his work and to reach his goals. He always gets there eventually, never too late, yet never too early, and never without first leading you through the deep valleys of setbacks, disappointments and hardship.

It’s his way of refining you. It’s his curriculum for building your faith and training you for a higher cause.

This is why you need to focus on him and trust him alone and not in your abilities or securities, neither let any opinion or circumstance distract or disappoint you.

On the outside, this road may indeed look like leading into failure. However, whatever you see and experience is never the complete truth.

In the middle of a setback, there is still grace for every single step and every minute of your walk. And whatever may happen to you along the way, defeat is never the last word spoken.

In fact, that last word over your life has already been set by Jesus, long before you ever started your journey.

And that word doesn’t spell “Victory at all times”.

But “Fruit that lasts”!

Comments

Geoffrey

Thanks, Egmont. You really pointed out many important things. The Lord just doesn’t follow any human standards. We should realise that he has his own ways, and follow them. Thanks again.