One of my favorite proverbs is Proverbs 24:16:
“Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.”
Notice from this text that both the righteous and evil man falls, the difference between the righteous and evil is whether they get up from their fall. The righteous man, the good man falls down but gets up. The wicked man falls down and just wallows in his failure.
Consider the stories of Peter and Judas.
Peter failed. He bragged that he would never deny Jesus, but before the next morning he had denied Jesus three times. He even took an oath before the enemies of Jesus that he did not know Jesus. Feeling his failure, he wept bitterly. Jesus forgave him and a few days later Peter preached the first gospel sermon.
Judas failed. He betrayed Jesus for money – thirty pieces of silver. He regretted his act of betrayal and tried to return the money. When he could not, he hanged himself. Now let’s read that verse again:
“Though a righteous man (Peter) falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked (Judas) are brought down by calamity.”
If you are righteous, you will fall, get up, and try again.
Or maybe try another way.
You will not quit!
But if you are wicked, you will fail and quit.
Lonnie Davis.