Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – July 11, 2016
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” Luke 22:31-33
Sometimes my faith fails me, and I let down the Lord and those who love Him. What I say I will do—I don’t, and what I say I won’t do—I do. My unfaithfulness is a place of shame and embarrassment—I fear facing my heavenly Father’s disappointment and my friends who look to me as a good example. But it is precisely at this point of my unfaithfulness that my faithful Savior Jesus wants to forgive me, empower me and give me another chance to love and serve Him well. My emotions may betray my faith into unfaithfulness, but Christ is faithful to reinstate me.
Peter remained bold when Jesus was close by and the presence of fellow disciples enflamed his faith, but by himself—in the dark, with only a flicker of flame revealing who he was—he denied Jesus. His Lord was arrested, his friends in the faith were scattered—gone, and so was his faith. Satan had sifted Peter to a vulnerable place of fear—and his faith failed to remain intact. Jesus even addressed him by his old name, Simon, as a reminder of his previous life of not living for the Lord. Fortunately, the one who declared Jesus—the Christ—would have another chance to feed His sheep. God does not unlove those who—in a moment—may have failed to love well.
“Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17).
Have you been unfaithful? Have you crossed a line, a place you thought you would never go? Financially, your impulsive decisions may have brought you to the brink of bankruptcy. You may have lost all your stuff, but your salvation in Jesus is still real—He is trustworthy—the Faithful Redeemer. Replace greed with generosity—give your way out of your funk. Emotionally, your distorted affections may have devastated your lifelong love—lean into the Lord’s love and ask Him to restore what seems a lost cause. Humble repentance is God’s remedy to repair trust.
Broken trust can be mended by trust in the Lord. Like restoring a fragile piece of furniture, what Christ repairs can be stronger than its original condition. Our heavenly Father uses our faith failures to prepare us for bold action on His behalf—-our humiliating denials transform us into humble advocates of truth. The sick feeling of not being vocal for our faith is replaced with a quiet confidence to stand up for what’s right. We have another chance to change the world, and not be changed by the world—the Faithful One strengthens unfaithfulness to be faithful again. So we can express our love for Jesus, by feeding His sheep and by faithfully following Him.
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13, NKJV).
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for another chance to be a faithful follower of Jesus.Application
Who needs me to remind them of God’s truth as defined in His Word?Related Reading
Matthew 1:19; John 21:17-19; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Revelation 2:10Post/Tweet today
God does not unlove those who—in a moment—may have failed to love well. #WisdomHunters #anotherchanceWorship Resource
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