As examples

1 Cor 10:6-11 As examples
In Korea-Japan World Cup, Lee Eul Yong and Ahn Jung Whan failed the penalty kick even though they are excellent players. But it was very nice that they played harder after they had failed the penalty kick. As you know, even an excellent soccer player makes pass miss, bad kick, even suicide kick. But the excellent player does not give up the game, he thinks his mistakes as examples.
Think. Is there any player who has never made mistakes ? Or any pianist who never tapped the wrong keyboard ? All of them make mistakes. But they do their best in spite of mistakes. That's why we give them a big hand. Likewise God gives you a big hand not because you has never made mistakes but because you are doing your best in spite of many mistakes.
We know the most famous inventor who failed a lot. His name is Thomas Alva Edison. He experienced 10,000 failures in inventing an electric bulb. But he said, "I have learned 10,000 ways that I could not invent an electric bulb." He thought his failures as the examples.
I like Proverbs 24:16 "For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity." That is, an indomitable spirit that Koreans like. In this foreign country, we make many mistakes in speaking English, in driving car, in business, in family and in Christians' life. But do not give up but think them as examples.
Don't forget. You make mistakes, I make mistakes, every man makes mistakes. If you think yourselves perfect, you may say, "I do not need God.", and you may put yourselves in the dungeon of loneliness, and you may become like the Pharisees and experts in the laws who criticized the others with their perfect laws.
Church is not the place where perfect men and perfect women get together, but the place where sinners and failures get together. That's why they need God's healing, God's blessing, God's recovering, God's comfort. Therefore the apostle Paul said, "When I am weak, then I am strong."(2 Cor 12:10) It means when he felt weak, he prayed to God, and God made him strong.
Today's scripture says, "These things occurred as examples."(Verse 6) "These things happened to them as examples."(Verse 11) As you know, the Israelites made many mistakes until they reached the promised land Canaan. Many of them died in the wilderness because of their mistakes. But later they thought them as examples, so that they could reach the promised land flowing with milk and honey.
King David also made big mistakes. But he thought them as examples, so that he could be the greatest king of Israel. But king Saul did not think his mistakes as examples, but made excuses, so that he became the king of
tragedy who committed suicide.
The more horrible thing than the mistakes is the bad attitude for the mistakes. Dejection, giving up, making excuse, hypocrisy, committing suicide are bad attitudes. When you make mistakes, just confess your fault before God and pray, "Lord, I have made mistakes. I have failed. Let me rise again. Recover me."
Jesus recovered Peter even if he had disowned and cursed Jesus. Today Jesus wants to recover us. Failure is not a stepping stone to destruction but to success. Without failure, we cannot be humble Christians. Without failure, we cannot resemble our God. Therefore don't be panic for failures and mistakes. Just think them as examples. Amen !