Our responsibility in success or failure

July 28 - August 3, 2024 | Always Peachy Devotionals | Ownership Week 5

What do you do when you fail?  

It’s a hard question to ask and, perhaps, an even harder question to hear the answer to. We all fail at some point in our lives, but some failures stick with us. They kind of follow us around and color our perspective on things. When you fail, what is your responsibility? What are you supposed to do in response to failure?  

And, strange as it may seem, the question is the same for success. Did you realize that? When we experience success in life, we have responsibilities connected to it. Success changes us in ways we don’t expect, and if we refuse to take action as a result of our success, we could face trouble down the road.  

So if there is something we need to take ownership of in our successes and our failures, do you know what that is? That’s what we’re going to talk about this week. Each and every one of us are going to encounter seasons of winning and seasons of loss, and it’s vital we know how to respond.  

Our response in either scenario is what will mark us as followers of Jesus. 

Are you responsible to fix the problem that caused the issue? Are you responsible to point out the flaws in other people who are equally responsible? Are you responsible to make sure people know how much effort you put into a project that made it a success?  

How much of your success should you take ownership of? How much of your failures should you own?  

To be honest, I’m not sure there is a standard answer. As with so many situations and circumstances in life, the response very much depends on an individual scenario’s details. But there is one end goal in every situation, whether in success or failure: God is glorified.  

If there is one unchanging responsibility for every Christ-follower in every situation in life, that’s it. God, be praised. Jesus, be magnified. Spirit, be acknowledged.  

But what does that look like? That’s what we’re tackling this last week of July. 

• Monday – When you’re winning (1 Corinthians 15:57) 

• Tuesday – When you’re losing (Psalm 73:26) 

• Wednesday – When you’re waiting (Psalm 130:5) 

• Thursday – When you don't get your way (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) 

• Friday – When you have to let go (Isaiah 43:18-19) 

Not easy topics but so important to how we live our everyday lives—and liberating when we understand where our responsibility stops and God’s begins.  

But there is one truth I want to make sure we all remember no matter what situation we’re in today, and that is God’s Bigness. He’s so huge, so able, so incomprehensibly powerful that there is nothing outside the realm of what He can do. He can do all things, which means that He can take the bad stuff in our lives and transform it into something beautiful. 

And that’s our memory verse for this week, Romans 8:28. 

It doesn’t matter how much we’ve lost. It doesn’t matter how much we’ve won. God can take all of it and turn it into something that brings Him glory. And if you love God and follow Him, what brings Him glory will bring you good. 

Many of us are facing hard trials and impossible challenges in our day-to-day lives. Many people are struggling right now. Facing loss and grief and change and fear. A verse like this isn’t supposed to be used to tell us that we shouldn’t feel those things. All of those emotions are valid and important to acknowledge.  

But never forget that on the other side of those painful emotions is God’s grace and mercy and blessing. Things may be rough right now, but He is still on His throne. He is still in control. And He always keeps His promises.  

Love you guys. 

Amy 

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