Who me?

Today,  I read John 1:15-19 which is about Jesus asking Peter three times if he loved Jesus.

In my mind, this reflects back to Jesus' arrest and Peter's denial of Him three times. I can't imagine the heartbreak Peter must have felt when the rooster crowed and he realized he had denied the Lord three times.

Before I can finish studying and thinking through the passage above,  I have to think through Peter's denials.  As I ponder how that felt,  it strikes me that Jesus went to the cross to make my sins white as snow. I am glad for that, because I know everyday, I sin at least three times...deny Jesus at least three times. Every time I sin I put a nail in Jesus' hands and feet.

I don't want to sin,  but I continue to do it.  I am not just talking about the obvious and blatant parts of the Ten Commandment sins.  I am taking about the subtle sins of not loving God with all my heart, soul, and mind and loving my neighbor as I do myself...like when it is more important for me to hurry to the next thing on my To Do list than to take the time to have an honest conversation with someone who is right in front of me. Things like that. Very subtle omissions-of not doing something I should; or very subtle commissions of sin-of doing something I shouldn't!

So,  I am just like Peter and very humbled by my fleshly weakness of always sinning rather than doing what is God's will even though I know I want to. Thankfully, I can pray for forgiveness and can start over again with a clean slate! Praise God for that!

Back to Peter. In this passage today,  I can see that Jesus is gently rebuking and teaching Peter. He is mending his heart and preparing him to be a leader in Christ's' church. Jesus did not give up on Peter because he made a colossal mistake.  He used it to eventually show Peter what plans He had for Peter, and He showed Peter compassion and love...and yes, He first rebuked Peter.

So, I will sin, the Holy Spirit will rebuke me, I will ask and be forgiven and I will start the work of His will all over again...or continue where I left off.

I am so grateful for a compassionate and loving and forgiving Saviour. I pray today that if I feel the Spirit leading me to rebuke someone else (which I would prefer not to do), I will rebuke and not shy away from it. However, my rebuke will follow Jesus' example. It will be with compassion (as rebuke is necessary to get back on the straight and narrow path of God's will) and with love for the betterment of that person. It cannot be out of anger or vengeance; it must be out of love for that person.