Reading today’s devotion was like looking in a mirror. The reflection was ugly. I never saw it coming. I saw my approach to ministry as being bold. I was opinionated. Legalistic for sure…but believing I stood on the Bible. I believed peoples’ press about me. I moved from a country church when I’d had ups and downs for 5 years (to be expected but this was largely a result of my “problem”) to a city church where the pastor and I clashed over ministry ideas. He was of the social kind (psychology and Time magazine) and me of the Biblical (or so I assumed). Asked to leave there I moved to a very legalistic church where I saw what I didn’t like, a real ugly version of me. But it was in the mid ’80s when I had another pastor tell me I was arrogant and judgmental that I rationalized it all. “I’m not arrogant. I’m good at and sure of what I do.” WOW! Did I hear myself just say that? But it all came crashing down by 1987 when I was asked to leave another church. Twice now. When will I learn? There is more to my story but I’ll stop there because it illustrates what Tripp is writing about.

God is faithful and will do what is necessary to craft real faith in me.

I look back now and see all those missteps and misfires, mistakes, sin (especially arrogance), being fired, as God doing what is necessary as the Master Craftsman to grow a mature faith. News flash!! HE’S STILL WORKING!!

“Father, all the past has been a lesson. The ‘now’ is a lesson. The future is a lesson. It’s an effort to mold me into what you want me to be. Please continue to whittle me into the man you want-not a biblical scholar or know-it-all but a man of mature faith.”