I just love Peter and what his life teaches me about what it means to be a follower of Christ. He was so strong in His faith and had such a love for Jesus and yet, he failed Him in such significant ways. In a weird way, it encourages me in my own failings or falling short in my own faith walk. Paul, in Romans 7:18,19 writes, “I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” Peter went through the same dilemmas throughout his life.
Even though he saw Jesus perform miracles, He doubted when Christ told him there were fish to be caught. Luke 5:5 “Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” Kind of like a sassy “OK, if you tell me to”
He was bold enough to get out of the boat and walk on water toward Jesus but when he remembered the wind and waves, He splashed down like an anchor. Mark 14:22-33. He realized that his lack of faith was because he took his eyes off Jesus and instead focused on the storm. Jesus was teaching him that He will help navigate whatever comes our way if we stay focused on Him.
Peter loved the Lord and said he would never deny Him and even fight for him but not too long afterward it says in Mark 14: 75 “And immediately the cock crew and Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said to him, Before the cock crow, you shall deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.”
and finally, when the same thing occurs after Christ’s resurrection in John 21, Peter doesn’t have to be taught twice. “Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”“No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.
The final lesson Peter teaches us if that when we have failed God wants us to humble ourselves so that we can admit our wrong doings. Oswald Chambers writes, This is the entrance, and it does take us a long while to believe we are poor. The knowledge of our own poverty brings us to the moral frontier where Jesus works best” John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from unrighteousness”
Jesus does the same with Peter after he swims to shore and serves him and the others breakfast. Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times so makes him answer the question “Do you Love me three times”. Peter is hurt but responds, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times so makes him answer the question “Do you Love Me” three times as well. The Lord then challenges Peter to “Feed my sheep” which meant be the leader of the church. No matter how many times we fall short, Jesus is there to forgive and challenge us forward. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2021&version=NIV
The moral of this blog is like Peter, Love the Lord with all your heart! Be passionate in your desire to honor Him and bring Glory to His name. And when you fail at it, know that Jesus through the Holy Spirit will be there to hear your simple prayer, Help Me! As He did with the one He called the Rock, He will lift and carry you back to the boat so that you can rest up and be ready “Feed His sheep or go through whatever storms (adversities) He has for you next.
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog. My hope is it will encourage you and others who read it to remain Thankful in all Things. If you haven’t already, please subscribe so you can receive email notifications when new content is written. I can be reached by email at [email protected]
