Everything in Faith

You know my folly, O God;
my guilt is not hidden from you.
[Ps 69:10]

And we know that in all things
God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose.
[Rom 8:28]

We stumble along in life, in error and in sin, and none of these are unknown to God. He sees them all, even foreknowingly. And so we can be confident that despite all our foolishness and disobedience, it will still end up good and it will still count for God.

For we are weak in the mind and in the flesh. We do not have all knowledge to foresee all outcomes of our decisions and actions. And this weakness is further sullied by the corruption and needs of the flesh, and the deceitfulness of the heart. And so, all men, stumble.

But that which separates the people of the earth, is whether they believe God or not; and not by those who are wise or sinless, those seen as respected and successful, or those wealthy and healthy, for whoever you are, is there anyone who have not make an error or not sin in life?

And those that believed God, whose hope is in Him, and not in themselves, nor in their efforts nor in their plans, but trust God to make their lives count, commit all that we do in His name, that it will be acceptable to Him and for Him.

And such a faith is a gift of God.

The outcomes of our acts, especially the immediate ones, as discerned as it is only possible by humans to be outcomes, are not really the issue, nor the last word in the matter.

For whatever we do, in every little act, no matter how small, will certainly generate ripples of effects, unseen, unknown, even unconsciously, for all times, even to eternity. No one, but God, alone can truly knows the outcome of our acts.

And so we should not despair or be discouraged should the outcome of what we do, even if it is, apparently, in folly or sin, do not turn out for an immediate good or as we had intended. What matters is whether God will count them for His purpose or not, and for that we have to trust Him.

... and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
[Roms 14:23]