PART TWO....The Pothole of Failure

So our question at the end of part one was....How did Peter do?

HE FAILED MISERABLY....in fact, if Jesus had not prayed to the Father on behalf of Peter, his failure might have been insurmountable. In Luke 22, verse 31 and 32 from The Living Bible we read, "Simon, Simon; Satan has asked to have you, to sift you like wheat, but I have pleaded in prayer for you that your faith should not completely fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen and build up the faith of your brothers.”

Yes, Christ knew that Peter would fail...that he would deny three times that he even knew this man called Jesus and that if left to his own device, the failure foretold by the Savior would become a pothole for Peter from which he might never recover. But praise be to God that He is able to take our failures and make them turn out for our GOOD and His GLORY...and it is only God that can accomplish that in us.

We can take our failures and let them define who we are and what we can or cannot do; but God, in His infinite wisdom, sees beyond the failures, the pain, the emotional scars and He breathes new life into our being so that we can move up, move forward and move beyond the failures that may hold us captive. GOD ALWAYS HAS A BETTER WAY...He is just waiting for us to put aside ourselves and our disappointments and look to Him for new challenges and new opportunities to serve Him so that He receives the glory due Him.

Just look at Peter and the man he became when the risen Christ asked him, "Peter, do you love me?" His emphatic answer was, "Yes, Lord, you know that I do!" To which Jesus replied, "Feed my lambs." And after asking the same questions two more times, Peter, now grieved in his spirit said, "Lord, you know all things; You know that I love you." And in a loving manner that only Jesus could express to one that had so miserably failed Him, He told Peter to feed his sheep and to follow him, even if it led to death...which is just what the great apostle Peter did.

So, have you been struck by the pothole of failure...are you sitting on the apron of life's highway as the hustle and bustle of life races by? Have you given up and accepted your fate that your are just a miserable failure? Then, maybe it's time to ask yourself....do you love Jesus...because if you do, you know this....GOD DON'T MAKE NO JUNK...AND HE IS NOT IN THE FAILURE BUSINESS!!

It's time to trust in God, love Him as He intended, and move out in faith that He has something for you to do that only YOU can accomplish....and since He is still working in and on you, He won't quit until you are just like Jesus!

Living to be like Jesus...Loving the Life set before me,

WPQ

Poem for the Day:

We can face life's darkest hour

Confident in our strength and power;

But knowing that we gave our best

May not pass the failure test.

For doing what we deem is right

By turning darkness into light;

With Christ beside me I cannot fail

No matter what….I shall prevail!