No one likes to be labeled as a "failure." Living in this country, with all that is available to chase one's dream, and then winding up as a "failure" is a tag that would haunt one for a lifetime, even beyond. Many have "failed" economically, politically, scholastically. One "failure" outdoes them all...it goes into eternity. It is to "fail" God.

Let's not go another minute without stating what is painfully obvious: all of us have failed God (Rom. 3:10-12, 23). No one can stand up and claim, "Well, everybody else might have messed up, but not me. I got it right." No, all can be classified at one point or another as a failure. What we need to know is how to deal with our failure. From the Scripture, we find two glaring examples, both from among the Lord's hand-chosen disciples. Seeing how they failed Christ and what they did about it will teach us re: our failures.

Here was a greedy man who became a thief (Jn. 12:2-6). His greed would also lead to his "failure"...his betrayal of Christ. It is apparent that Judas did not anticipate the Jews to go as far as they did with Jesus (Mt. 27:3). Trying to return the money, he thought the Jews would act "honorably" and take it back. When this failed, Judas saw only one option: suicide. To him, his "failure" was unrecoverable.

Peter's flaw was not greed, but pride (Mt. 26:31-35; cp. 1 Cor. 10:12). He was so sure he would remain faithful, the Lord's words to him in Mt. 26:34 must have been hard to hear. Yet, he acted precisely as Jesus said he would do. Lk. 22:61 records the Lord looking at Peter upon his third denial. Imagine the chilling feeling Peter must have had when their eyes met. Filled with remorse, he wept bitterly.

Was Judas' failure worse than Peter's? No. It's not the failure we want to emphasize, but what each disciple did about it. Judas quit; how could he ever recover from suicide? Peter did not quit, but recovered gloriously. Read his preaching in Acts and see if you see the same man who denied Jesus.

We will fail (1 Jn. 1:8,10), but we must not quit. Recover and press on to greater service. Don't let the words "Eternal Failure" be inscribed on your tombstone.