The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed. ‘
John 18:17,25-27 ESV Read More
For those of us that come from a cynical background, hope can be difficult. It’s the same for folks that are in recovery programs or struggling with addictions. You want to be a certain way. On Sunday, you sing the songs and want to genuinely follow Jesus with your whole heart, mind, and strength. But then there is that lurking feeling that you’re going to fail. Temptation is coming, it might already be here, and you know you’re going to fall prey to it.
It happens to addicts, jerks, proud achievers, and gossipy moms.
It happened to the man that Jesus nicknamed “Rock” and then said “on this rock, I’m going to build my church.”
At the last supper, Jesus said some crazy talk to Peter:
‘”Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” ‘ Luke 22:31-32
Yep, Jesus knew that Peter was going to fall away. He didn’t even offer to protect Peter from Satan, but instead told him what to do when he had lost and failed.
“You are going to lose and fail and be miserable, Peter. But don’t forget to lead the disciples when you’re done.”
When Jesus died on the cross, He died for all of our sins. He didn’t just die for the sins we hadn’t committed yet, because none of us had committed any sins yet! Jesus knows you’re going to fail at righteousness by your own works. He knows you aren’t going to be able to keep it together or resist that thing. He’ll help you do it; He doesn’t want you to do it, but He’ll be there for you after you do it.
Don’t let the cynical realist get you down when it tells you that you’ll never overcome this or that sin. Jesus still tells you to follow Him, and to continue following after you mess up. Whether it’s Satan or your job or some ex or whatever, after it sifts you like wheat, strengthen your brothers and sisters. They are probably all struggling too.