Weekend, April 25, 2020
Hope for Flawed People
“And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times” (Luke 22:61 nkjv).
Simon Peter, definitely one of most colorful individuals in the entire Bible, is perhaps my favorite. It’s probably because I relate to him somewhat, as many of us do. He seemed to have a terminal case of foot-in-mouth disease.
When Jesus was at a place called Caesarea Philippi, He began to speak in great detail about the fact that He was going to be betrayed, beaten, and crucified, and that He would rise on the third day.
So, Simon Peter took it upon himself to rebuke Jesus, essentially saying, “What are you talking about? What are you saying? This is crazy talk, Jesus. There’s no way that you can be betrayed and die and all that.”
In response, Jesus actually had to tell him, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Matthew 16:23 nkjv).
The Gospels give a lot of ink to Peter’s statements, which indicate that he kept coming back for more. Whatever Peter committed to, he threw himself into it wholeheartedly. Either he was knocking it out of the park or striking out. It rarely was anything in between.
Unfortunately, that included Peter’s fall, when he denied the Lord. But Jesus forgave Peter. And not only did Jesus forgive him, but He recommissioned him for service.
Simon Peter is the patron saint of ordinary, flawed people like you and me. So, if you feel as though you’ve let God down or have fallen away from the Lord in some way, then I have good news for you: Jesus will forgive you as well.
God can change anyone, even if they’ve messed up many, many times. God can pull you up. He can help you get back on your feet again.
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Grief is one of life’s most difficult challenges. Pastor Greg Laurie experienced this truth when his son Christopher passed away suddenly. Discover comfort and healing in times of pain as you read his book Hope for Hurting Hearts. Receive your copy as our gift for your donation of any amount to Harvest Ministries this month.
