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- Oct 26, 2007
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Suddenly, Jesus' words flashed through Peter's mind: "Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me." And he went away, weeping bitterly. Matthew 26:75
From the time you were a kid, you’ve been told: “Three strikes and you’re out.” Thankfully, God’s kingdom operates on an entirely different basis. You can never let God down one too many times. If you love Him and own up to your sins, confessing them and asking for His forgiveness, God keeps right on forgiving you and putting you back in the game.
If anyone has ever understood the marvel of God’s goodness to keep giving second chances, it was the apostle Peter. In the course of a single evening, Peter denied Jesus Christ three times: first to a maid, then in front of a couple of her friends, then before an entire group of bystanders. Yet after His resurrection, Jesus made a point of repeatedly reassuring Peter that He still had great things in store for this very human, less than perfect disciple.
Later in life, Peter was quick to remind his fellow believers that Jesus Christ “personally carried our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right” (1 Peter 2:24 NLT).
Prayer: Lord, transform me. Like Peter, I know that no matter how often I let You down, You won’t give up on me.
From the time you were a kid, you’ve been told: “Three strikes and you’re out.” Thankfully, God’s kingdom operates on an entirely different basis. You can never let God down one too many times. If you love Him and own up to your sins, confessing them and asking for His forgiveness, God keeps right on forgiving you and putting you back in the game.
If anyone has ever understood the marvel of God’s goodness to keep giving second chances, it was the apostle Peter. In the course of a single evening, Peter denied Jesus Christ three times: first to a maid, then in front of a couple of her friends, then before an entire group of bystanders. Yet after His resurrection, Jesus made a point of repeatedly reassuring Peter that He still had great things in store for this very human, less than perfect disciple.
Later in life, Peter was quick to remind his fellow believers that Jesus Christ “personally carried our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right” (1 Peter 2:24 NLT).
Prayer: Lord, transform me. Like Peter, I know that no matter how often I let You down, You won’t give up on me.
