First Southern Baptist Church, Gore
I messed up last week. No wait, that’s wrong, I messed up last week… again. Yea, that is more cor re c t now. It’s not that I make a habit of messing up, do it on purpose (most of the time) or most of the time. It’s the fact that I just mess up.
Let me give you a few examples. There was the one time I changed oil in my pickup and didn’t notice the rubber Oring didn’t come off and I put the new filter right on top of the old one and lost all my oil on way to store. Long story short, lost all oil and ruined engine.
Then there was the time I changed oil in lawn mower. Drained out 48 ounces of oil and put back in 2 quarts. Yea, that was a big mess. At church camp playing volleyball, I injured my knee. Was on crutches a couple weeks before I could see orthopedic Doctor. Broke knee. I argued with him it was not. He is the doctor holding the pics of the crack. Not my most brilliant moment.
Coming home from mom’s one time, missed a turn, made another wrong turn and missed another turn. Only took another hour to get back on right road to home, 50 miles out of the way. And then there is the adding wrong in checkbook causing a shortage of funds and a lot of embarrassment, not reading all the directions to “some assembly required” along with not following all the recipe, washing clothes on right temperature, leaving inside lights in van on all night or forgetting to turn fire down on gas grill. AND, this is not the whole list!
I found out something though. I come from a long line of people who messed up. I have heard stories from my dad that bring me great comfort. My grandfathers, likewise, have shared some of their adventures that make me feel good. You have probably thought of a couple you have done as you have read mine!
That is alright though. The Bible gives us many examples of people who have messed up. We can’t get past the third chapter of Genesis before we witness God’s first creation, man and woman messing up. Genesis four records the first case of jealousy/ envy and murder. By the time we get to Genesis six, God’s creation was so messed up He was sorry he made man.
Abraham lied (twice), Joseph’s brothers sold him as a slave and fabricated a story about his death. Jacob stole Esau’s blessing. Achan disobeyed God’s command about keeping the loot from the battle and caused his and his families death. Moses struck the rock instead of speaking to it and lost the right to go into Promised Land.
David committed adultery and covered with the murder of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband. Elijah whined, Jonah fled, Peter boasted and then denied, Saul persecuted, Judas betrayed and the 11 Apostles fled. There is still more! The Galatians were hung up on the law and circumcision, the Corinthians were, well just messed up (cliques, incest, immorality), the Colossians worshipped angels, planets and even questioned Christ’s deity and the Thessalonians thought they missed the second coming. Timothy was a young pastor caring for a difficult church, Philemon had slaves and one had run away and Paul wanted him as a helper. John wrote to a church that had false teachers and antichrist in it.
These are only a few of the instances, people and churches recorded. There are so many more. My point is that we come from a long line of people who “messed up.” The Bible even says so. Look up Romans 3:23…“all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
But the great part is that God will forgive us all of our mess-ups. Again, look at Romans 5:8, 10:9-10, and 10:13. Or maybe 1 John 1:9 and John 3:16. All of them!
The thing is, when we mess up, we need to ‘fess up and straighten up!’ Now, I need to proofread this to correct whatever I messed up!
Making Messes, Bro. Tim
