Taken from the HelpFinder Bible
Although burning the breakfast toast is a mistake, it is trivial and leaves no lasting consequences. On the other hand, a doctor who misreads a chart has made a mistake of considerably greater implications. We all make mistakes. Some of our mistakes are innocent—we forget an appointment, we know the right answer on a math test but accidentally put down a different number.
Other mistakes are caused by bad judgment or a disregard for a rule or principle. For example, your boss asks you to do an important task and gives you detailed instructions on how to accomplish it. But you ignore those instructions because you think you know how the job should be done. You botch the job, and your company loses a lot of money. That is a significant mistake that could have been avoided if you had simply followed instructions.
The Bible is God’s instruction manual for life. If you neglect or ignore it, you will make many avoidable mistakes that will bring adversity and grief into your life. God wrote the Bible so that we could understand the rules, techniques, and principles for living the most effective, productive, and satisfying life possible. Follow its words, and many big mistakes can be avoided.
What does God think of my mistakes? Will he still love me if I’ve made a big mistake?
• PSALM 32:3, 5 | When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. . . . Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
• 1 JOHN 1:9 | But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us.
• PSALM 51:7 | Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
• PROVERBS 1:8-9 | My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck.
If your mistake is sin, confess it as such! God will forgive you completely. When you make a mistake that isn’t a sin, learn from it so that you can grow in character and maturity.
P R O M I S E S F R O M G O D
• JAMES 3:2 | Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we
would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.
• ROMANS 8:28 | And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of
those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
