RSS
Home
Learning to let it go and start to grow
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
into the light - Mackinaw City, MI - photography by Jennifer Laura
"Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly Matthew 26:75
"The third time He (Jesus) said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" 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
Good Monday to you all. Did you find your way to Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland this weekend? http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-20894-Detroit-Methodist-Examiner~y2009m10d23-Visit-Bronners-in-Frankenmuth-MI If you did not make it to the world's largest Christmas store, there are still plenty of opportunities ahead of you. You have 361 days each year to get through the doors!
Today's article is going to focus on a certain truth that every person will face. Friend, at some point or another, you are going to fail. Now, before you cancel your subscription and leave a comment, take a minute at the beginning of your week to pray carefully about this. Failure is one of the most powerful tools we are given to learn by. Unlike success, failure is not always a group effort. Each time you see someone accept an award or a trophy (the greatest trophy on earth being the Stanley Cup), the speech given by the recipient typically includes a long list of the people who were instrumental in reaching this milestone achievement. Failure, however, can be claimed by the individual. At the end of a difficult loss, you will hear an honest player accept the blame for the single point that made the difference between winning and losing. The poor decisions we make as individuals typically affect everyone around us, and thus they feel magnified. It seems, then, that the crowd either carries you on their shoulders or they surround you as an angry mob. In the verses above, Peter was found at the end of a series of decisions that led to his greatest failure. Three times he denied any knowledge of Jesus when questioned about his allegiance. This was within 24 hours of swearing that he would lay down his life for Christ before ever denying Him. As the rooster crowed, Peter was in the heart of the moment of his ultimate defeat. This is the time in which a person realizes that they have hit rock bottom. However, as Peter would discover, the end of the line can become the beginning of the blessing.
The gap between wisdom and knowledge is spanned only by application. In other words, the things we learn do not bring any blessing to us or to others until and unless they are put into action. Peter came face to face with his Risen Savior. This is after days of realizing that the last thing Peter was able to do for Jesus while he was alive was to betray Him. The guilt that weighed Peter down must have been overwhelming. The old saying, "you can't un-ring a bell" would be the new reality for Simon Peter. It is no wonder that in Luke 24:12 we see Peter running to the garden tomb when he hears that Jesus is risen. It is no stretch to imagine that the very first words Peter wanted to say to Jesus were, "I'm sorry." He wanted to be rid of the horrible feeling of guilt that seemed to have taken over his life. Jesus had much better plans for Peter, though. There are two sides to everything in this world. One side is dark and hopeless, and one is filled with the Light of God. Here are a couple of easy examples: The opposite of Heaven is hell. The opposite of love is hate. The opposite of kindness is cruelty. And, friends, the opposite of guilt is conviction. Guilt is pain without remedy, whereas conviction is the opportunity to turn pain into prosperity. As the picture at the top suggests, it is time to turn into the light and not away from it. Jesus gave this very opportunity to Peter. The verse at the top from the Gospel of John shows that Jesus gave Peter three opportunities to confirm his loyalty. One chance for every denial that Peter made. Attached to these opportunities was a challenge. That is the core difference between conviction and guilt. Peter had a chance to not only make atonement, but to use this failure as a starting point for success. Peter became a passionate and powerful witness of the Gospel and was instrumental in the building of the Christian church. This great opportunity may not have been seized so tightly by Simon Peter if he had not failed so miserably. The beauty of the second chance is that it is much more appreciated by the person who receives it. Peter would never again deny Jesus Christ, even at the risk of his own life. Without this conviction the early church would have fizzled and died out. Before Peter started in his great ministry, Jesus said this in John 21:18, "'I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.' Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then He said to him, 'Follow me.'" How many people would say, "sign me up" to this opportunity? Peter was willing to do this because of the personal investment he had in Jesus. It was here that Peter was not only redeemed from his mistake, but was placed on the road to his true calling and purpose. The blessing would not have been nearly as meaningful without the fall that came before.
So, what about you? Do you stagger beneath the weight of guilt? Well, friend, give that guilt to God and He will turn it into something great. Your greatest success begins where your failure ends. It is not time to forget and move on, but to repent and learn. Once the lesson has been learned, pray for the strength to apply its truth. Once you have done that, you will truly learn to thank God for those same failures that seemed to define who you were. Peter the Apostle is not defined by his failure, but by God's purpose and plan. The Apostle Paul is not defined by his persecution of the church, but by the part he played in its growth. Most of the greatest success stories we find are of people who come out of great failure and adversity. And so, it is time to start thanking God for the opportunities that your failures are going to present. Rock bottom is a great place to start building, as long as the rock you are standing on is Jesus Christ. There is no better place to start than that. And so, as you start another week it is a great chance to truly start living. Christ set the example for us on how to do this. It was only after Jesus died that He was glorified as the Son of God in eternity. However, it is interesting that He allows Himself to bear the scars of His death. They stand as a symbol of what He overcame for us. We cannot be greater than Christ. Our greatest victory will come after we die. We can die to sin, failure, and pain and be resurrected by the Glorified Savior of the world. We will also bear the scars of our pain, but they will serve as a testimony to the people whose lives we are able to touch with our witness. The rise cannot come before the fall. We, as people, cannot learn to live until we have learned what it is to die. And, success does not mean a thing unless you fully comprehend failure. So, where are you now?
If you have experience with this reality, please take a moment to leave a comment. No matter where you are in the cycle of failure and success, your testimony can be a great encouragement to others. We truly need each other to get through this journey, and no passenger is insignificant. That which makes a hero is the willingness to participate. So, find time to thank God for the good and the bad today. There is no other time you can have any influence other than this very moment. Every moment before is gone, and the next moment may never come. It is the hope of Christ that you will choose this very moment to turn to Him. He sits, as always, on the throne, and is no more than a prayer away from where you are.
God bless you, today. It is my sincere hope that this column has been a blessing for you. Please tune in again tomorrow as we continue in this great gift called life. Until then, God bless and keep reading!
Related Articles:
Comments
