The Message
Have you ever failed, despite believing with all your heart that you'd succeed? How did you feel beforehand? How did you feel afterwards? What did you do next?
I have failed many times. I'm usually not afraid to try something new, and sometimes it works out great, while other times... not so much.
Here, Peter tells Jesus that of all the people in the world, he would never abandon or deny Jesus. He has the strength, the character, the fortitude to stand up against any threat, even if it costs him his life. He says this to Jesus' face, and I'm sure he meant it. He thought he'd be able to...
But you may know the rest of the story. Peter ends up denying Jesus, despite his best intentions. (Stories like this help us reach the conclusion that the Gospels are true. If you were going to make this up, would you include this? Would the disciples write stories that make the disciples look bad? Of course not. No one would do that.) The disciples all claimed they would never abandon Jesus, but when the Roman soldiers came, they all did.
The best part?
Jesus knew they would do it ahead of time, and Jesus choose them anyway. Then, after they had abandoned him, Jesus still loved them. He still went to them. He still called them and sent them.
And Jesus does the same to you. No matter your failures, no matter your weakness. Jesus chooses you. He calls you. He sends you. He uses you. He loves you.
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