The Biggest Mistake Of All- Have You Responded To God’s Call?
What’s your biggest mistake? Brad talks about the biggest mistake of all- neglecting to respond to the call from God our creator, and our eternal Father.
Many Mistakes
We make a lot of mistakes in our lifetime. In fact, we have the potential to make mistakes every single day. Some mistakes are very minor, and have little impact or render little consequence. For instance, if we leave the toast in the toaster for too long, we’ve mistakenly burnt our toast. It affects no one, and apart from ruining a slice or two of bread, there will be no lasting effects.
Mistakes have more serious consequences when they have an impact on other people. I was abruptly reminded of this earlier. While driving, I mistakenly cut someone off today. I didn’t mean to.
As I pulled out from a two-way stop, I probably didn’t gauge the speed and distance of the oncoming car as effectively as I should have. It wasn’t a really bad mishap, there were no squealing brakes or loud honks from vehicle horns….but I could sort of feel the ladies eyes burning a hole in the back of my head as I glanced apologetically in the rearview mirror.
Big mistakes can cost us our livelihood, our reputation, or even our lives.
A Big Mistake
In 1611, the printing license for the King James Bible was granted to Robert Barker. His father had previously been the official printer to Queen Elizabeth, and the Barkers collectively had years of experience in printing.
In 1931 however, Barker printed and published a Bible that contained the greatest possible error. In the Ten Commandments, the word “not” was mistakenly removed from “Thou shalt not commit adultery”. It was printed and distributed as “Thou shalt commit adultery”. Needless to say, the Royal House was in an uproar. Not only was Barker fined a substantial amount of money, but his reputation was ruined. He died several years later, penniless…and not able to recover from such a mistake.
Learning From Our Mistakes
Mistakes we make here on this earth can be devastating. They can; like in the example of Robert Barker, cause us great pain and hardship. The expression that we should “learn from our mistakes”, is difficult at times to fathom. I believe God uses our mistakes and the subsequent fallout from them, to demonstrate to us our dependence on him, and to draw the broken and weary to himself.
We do need to own our mistakes and recognize our human errors. It is we who are guilty of making a misstep when we overlook something, are not paying attention, are overconfident, or not placing enough importance on the task at hand.
The Biggest Mistake Of All
These fundamental missteps apply to the greatest mistake one can ever make in this life; having a detrimental effect on the next life. It is… to overlook or ignore the reality that we have been created with an eternal soul. Whether from an overconfidence in self or a lack of importance placed on the call from God; either will yield the same tragic result.
When God created mankind, he designed each of us with a “free will”, an ability to make decisions based on our own judgments. But he created us as well, with an innate sense that we are the handiwork of a divine creator.
In Genesis we read; “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him.”
When we choose to ignore this life-changing truth, we are as Paul says, “of all men most miserable.”
The book of Romans gives a wonderful insight into how the relationship with God should be revered, and how, sadly… it is most often neglected.
Rom 1:19 says: “ Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.”
This verse reminds us that we have something within us, that bears out a witness to God our creator. Sin can be a subtle enemy, and it’s when we make the mistakes of complacency or confidence in self, that we choose to “tune out” reception to the “still small voice”. It is our free will, our own thought processes, that aid us in choosing a path for God, for life, for eternity, OR; mistakenly choose a life that severs a real connection with God our Father.
Romans goes onto say “ when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools”.
What a tragic thing, that a life intended for a beautiful and eternal rest in the presence of the Father and the Son, is cut-off…because of the mistake that so many make: “When they knew God, they glorified him not as God”.
God Doesn’t Make Mistakes
God certainly made no mistakes when he created us. He placed the first man, and the first woman in a perfect setting. It was there, that original sin was conceived in their hearts, and the first mistake of discrediting that which God had forbidden, rendered righteous judgment and the curse of sin upon the earth. We have all been born into that, but we are able to rise above, through the power and deliverance that God sent, in his Son.
2 Cor 5:21 says, “He became sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in him”.
We pray today that any who are walking as if there is nothing beyond this life would be “stilled” in themselves, and reflect upon the truth that is innately within.
Make no mistake, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”
There is an eternity of blessing; a heavenly abode that awaits all who have been reconciled back to God the father, through the recognition of sins forgiven, in Jesus Christ our Lord. Do not make the “biggest mistake” of all, in neglecting to respond to the call of Love, from God our creator, and our eternal Father.
Have you responded to God’s call? We would love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.
Brad Hewey
Brad offers up practical, scriptural advice from a perspective borne out of everyday life encounters. As we live and move and have our being…it’s the individual life lessons that most often present the greatest challenges, but can yield the richest blessings. We’ve all, as Christians had those faith-affirming moments, where we’ve had an overwhelming sense of God’s spirit, or his very presence “at a particular but, maybe random time”.
Brad was born and still resides in a small community in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, where he and his wife Karen raised their 3 children. Brad & Karen fellowship at the Greenland Bible Chapel, where Brad serves as an elder.
Brad loves meeting and engaging with people. His background in sales has provided opportunities to travel throughout the US and Canada, networking with people from all walks of life. Brad is a singer/songwriter and has recorded 3 Christian albums. Songs from his “Brighter Day” release, have aired on Christian Radio stations across Canada and two of Brad’s albums are on HopeStreamRadio’s playlist.
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