“One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him? Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew.” (John 18:26-27 KJV).
As the Lord Jesus Christ predicted earlier when Apostle Peter boasted he’s ready to follow Him to prison and even to death (Luke 22:33), here we are watching him deny of knowing the Lord for the third time, when asked by a relative of the soldier whose ear he injured in the garden. We should note that Apostle John witnessed this firsthand. It is amazing! Three times he lied in the presence of his fellow Apostle John, as affirmed by the rooster’s crow. If it was in baseball, it’s a strike out! Thankfully, for Apostle Peter, it’s not a strike out!
It is true with God's grace and mercy. Regardless of what you've done or how many times you've missed it, you are not too broken to be restored. The Lord Jesus will confront Peter about these failures. However, each time the Lord will affirm his value and call him back to fruitful service. He restored Apostle Peter when he privately saw the Lord Jesus after the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:4-5). Failure in our most crucial commitment of self-effort before God is horrible. While in this world, we'll experience missteps. It brings all sorts of issues into our lives, if we keep on trying hard to do with our self-effort. But, sin does not have the final word. God's grace does. The Lord Jesus Christ died for sinners like you and I! Our sin does not disqualify us from being used by God if we will just come to Him believing and totally dependent on His grace. Not by self-effort observance of the law. That’s what Apostle Peter did. He run to the risen Lord Jesus, who is the person of grace (John 1:17b). So, don't give up if you have struck out repeatedly in your walk of faith. Our Lord Jesus Christ reclaimed Peter, and he can reclaim you and I, as we come before Him in our private appointment with Him.
Truth is, we are reclaimed and restored by our faith in Christ Jesus, as Apostle Paul reminded us in his letter to the Colossians. He said to them and to us: “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.” (Colossians 1:21-23 ESV).
And I say, AMEN!
Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
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