Christian Living on Falling Short

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Your mercies are new every morning, oh

Author

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Scripture

Lamentations 3:22-23, Psalm 51:10-12, 1 John 1:9, Romans 12:2, Isaiah 40:31

Your mercies are new every morning, oh Lord. You renew us on a regular basis. Every day we fall short. You have made us righteous through the power of Jesus, but take Jesus’ sacrifice for granted. Ple...

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Author

Studdert Kennedy

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Scripture

James 1:2-4, 1 Corinthians 15:57, Psalm 46:1, Isaiah 40:29-31, Romans 8:37, Psalm 73:26

It is not finished, Lord, There is not one thing done, There is no battle of my life That I have really won. And now I come to tell thee How I fought to fail, My human, all too human, tale Of weakness...

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Author

Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Scripture

Romans 5:3-5, Hebrews 11:1, Psalm 42:11, Jeremiah 29:11, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Romans 8:24-25, Isaiah 40:31

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

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A Sturdy Hope

Author

Paul David Tripp

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Scripture

Titus 2:13, Romans 15:13, Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 33:18, Hebrews 6:19, Jeremiah 29:11

Everyone wants it. It’s the thing that fuels what we do. It’s the thing that stimulates courage and perseverance. It’s what gets you through the tough times and keeps you from quitting. It’s hard to b...

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Brother Lawrence and Trusting God in Failure

Author

Ryan Bundrick

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Scripture

2 Corinthians 12:9, Isaiah 40:29, 2 Corinthians 3:5, Hebrews 4:16, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:6-7

Brother Lawrence, a 16th-century Carmelite monk, spent his days scrubbing pots and mending shoes. Largely uneducated, he filled his free time writing letters and notes that, after his death, friends g...

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Triumph and Failure in the World of Faith

Author

Ben Patterson

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Scripture

Isaiah 40:31, Romans 8:28, Psalm 27:14, James 1:2-4, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Psalm 130:5-6

Triumph and failure always go together in the wait of faith. They are the head and tail of the same coin. Show me a person who has had no struggle with waiting, whose faith has known no swings between...

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Author

Robert Louis Stevenson

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Scripture

Genesis 12:1-9, Job 1:20-22, Isaiah 40:29-31 , 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Psalm 37:23-24

Our business in the world is not to succeed to but to continue to fail in good spirits.

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Heavenly Father, we confess that we take stock

Author

Allen Thompson

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Scripture

Philippians 4:6-7, James 1:5-6, Hebrews 12:2, Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 27:14

Heavenly Father, we confess that we often take stock of your work and your goodness based on what we have and see in a particular moment. We follow the desires and encouragements of crowds rather than...

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Author

F.B. Meyer

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Scripture

Ephesians 6:18, Romans 12:12, Luke 22:41-42, Psalm 37:7, Philippians 4:6-7, Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 46:10

Fall on your knees and grow there. There is no burden of the spirit but is lighter by kneeling under it. Prayer means not always talking to Him, but waiting before Him till the dust settles and the st...

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Author

Langston Hughes

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Scripture

Ephesians 3:20, Psalm 126:5, Isaiah 40:31, Hebrews 11:1, Philippians 4:13, Psalm 37:4

Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.

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Doing the Work Before the Work

Author

Stephen W. Smith

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 24:27, James 1:5, Matthew 7:24-25, Proverbs 21:5, Colossians 3:16-17, Isaiah 40:3-4

In his highly insightful work, Inside Job , Stephen W. Smith provides an important analogy about the importance of spiritually preparing ourselves for the adversity and challenges that come with su...

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The Little Things

Author

Scott Dudley

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Scripture

Matthew 6:25-34, Galatians 5:1, 1 Peter 5:7, Colossians 3:12-13, Isaiah 40:29, Hebrews 12:1, Philippians 2:4

One time, back when I was doing college ministry, I took a group of students camping. My wife came along with us. I had selected this really, really difficult hike. It was about ten miles long and alm...

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Prayer of Confession for All Saints Day

Author

Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

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Scripture

Hebrews 12:1-3, Philippians 3:13-14, Isaiah 40:31, 2 Timothy 4:7-8, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Run beloved, run Lay aside every weight Every worry Every excuse Every inner critic shouting against inspiration Lay aside the sin that clings so closely Every self-serving motivation Every self-medi...

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Author

Wendell Berry

Keywords

Hope

Scripture

Psalm 71:5-6, Isaiah 40:29-31, Romans 15:13, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Lamentations 3:22-23

Having hope is hard; harder when you get older.

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Faith Like a Journey

Author

Samuel Rodriguez

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 40:31, Acts 20:24, Hebrews 12:1-2, James 1:2-4, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 37:23-24, Philippians 3:13-14

While global flights and online booking have made travel easier in many ways, other aspects, often related to safety and security, still create challenges. As often as I fly, I could tell you plenty o...

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Adapted from Isaiah 40:28-31 (Hill)

Author

Austin D. Hill

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 40:28-31

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives powe...

liturgy

You know all about us–our weakness, our

Author

Richard Herman

Scripture

Philippians 4:6-7, Romans 8:28, 2 Corinthians 12:9, 1 Peter 5:7, Isaiah 40:29, Matthew 11:28-30, Psalm 34:18

You know all about us–our weakness, our failing, our sin; and you still love us enough to give your Son to redeem us. Hear the cries of our hearts today. There’s someone for whom it was hard to get ou...

liturgy

Adapted from Isaiah 40:28-31 (Bullock)

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 40:28-31

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the...

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Burnout and A Loss of Meaning

Author

Will Willimon

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 40:31

Burnout is the disease of our age. Time magazine had an editorial way back in the 1980s about “the burnout of just about everybody.” I concluded that the metaphor of burnout was not quite right, parti...

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Accelerated Growth: Stretching Your Crops

Author

Michael Steinberg

Keywords

Scripture

Hebrews 10:36, Romans 5:3-4, Mark 4:28, Galatians 6:9, Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 27:14

The inordinate desire in the west to increase productivity, to go faster and faster, especially in business, can actually become counterproductive. In this short story from the Chinese philosopher Men...

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Lord – You are good …and Your goodness

Author

Richard Herman

Scripture

Isaiah 40:31, Philippians 4:4-7, Ruth 1:16, Luke 10:25-37, Mark 4:35-41, Philippians 4:6-7, Isaiah 41:10

Lord – You are good …and Your goodness knows no bounds. When we were lost, You sought us out, found us and brought us home. When we were alone, You came near to us, and You gave us a new circle of fri...

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Waiting: Leaning into the Pain

Author

Ashley Hales

Keywords

Scripture

Exodus 16:2–4, Isaiah 40:31, Lamentations 3:25–26, Matthew 4:2–4, Romans 8:24–25, Psalm 130:5–6

With the global coronavirus pandemic in spring 2020, life stopped. Overwhelmed by the threat of a disease we couldn’t stop and for which we didn’t have the hospital capacity, everyone moved work and s...

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One-in-a-Million Talk

Author

Jim Carrey

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 5:5, Hebrews 11:1, 1 Peter 1:3, Proverbs 13:12, Isaiah 40:31

One of the most quotable movies of all time was released in 1994. It featured a rising comedic genius from Canada, paired with another highly successful actor, as well as a considerable ensemble cast ...

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New Mercies Each Day

Author

Paul David Tripp

Keywords

Mercy

Scripture

Lamentations 3:22-23, Psalm 103:17-18, 2 Corinthians 4:16, Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 23:3, Romans 8:38-39

One of the stunning realities of the Christian life is that in a world where everything is in some state of decay, God’s mercies never grow old. They never run out. They never are ill timed. They neve...

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The Value of Not Watering Your Plants

Author

William Rowley

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 37:7, Hosea 12:6, Psalm 27:14, Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 130:5-6, James 5:7-8

An experienced gardener knows the value of not watering their tomatoes. Well, there's a little more to it, but that's the headline. Suppose you go to the nursery in the spring and get a tom...

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Author

George Müller

Keywords

Scripture

1 Corinthians 10:13, Hebrews 12:11, Isaiah 40:31, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Romans 5:3-5, James 1:2-4

If we desire our faith to be strengthened, we should not shrink from opportunities where our faith may be tried, and therefore, through trial, be strengthened.

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God’s Inexhaustible Mercies

Author

Paul David Tripp

Keywords

Mercy

Scripture

Lamentations 3:22-23, Psalm 103:17-18, 2 Corinthians 4:16, Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 23:3, Romans 8:38-39, Hebrews 4:16

One of the stunning realities of the Christian life is that in a world where everything is in some state of decay, God’s mercies never grow old. They never run out. They never are ill timed. They neve...

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Surviving Navy Seals Training

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Joshua 1:9, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Isaiah 40:31, Philippians 4:13, 2 Timothy 1:7, James 1:2-4

Becoming a Navy Seal is considered the most challenging training of any military unit in the U.S. military. And as difficult as most of their training is, nothing can compare to BUDS, which stands for...

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Let us Trust Our Own Moments of Vision

Author

Prince

Keywords

Scripture

1 Peter 1:8-9, Romans 8:24-25, John 20:29, Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 40:31, Hebrews 11:1, 2 Corinthians 5:7

I remember once near Interlaken waiting for days to see the Jungfrau which was hidden in mists. People told me it was there, and I should have been a fool to doubt their word, for those who told me li...

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Author

Clement of Alexandria

Keywords

Scripture

Hebrews 11:8-10, Luke 1:38, Matthew 21:22 , Isaiah 40:31, Philippians 1:6, James 1:2-4

Faith is a voluntary anticipation.

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