My Devotional Moving Forward www.sportsspectrum.com |By Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Georgia. | Image courtesy : www.theinclusion.me
“Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept to him: ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will disown bitterly” (Luke 22:60-62). me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.” — Luke 22:61-62 Even though Peter flopped in that moment, God forgave. Failure was not final because the Father is faithful when Andrew and Simon were brothers but different in sev- we falter. When failure is not final, we can keep moving eral ways. Andrew and Simon worked with their father forward. The angel sent word three days later about Peas professional fishermen. Andrew was gentle and quiet, ter’s restoration because Christ redeems us for further while Simon was rough and hot-tempered. Since Jesus service. The angel gave the women at the tomb a message knows all about us, He saw the strengths and weakness- to deliver to the apostles. “‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. es of both men and knew He’d develop them into great ‘You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was cruspiritual leaders in a few years, allowing them to keep cified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where moving forward. they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, Though Simon didn’t take a straight path to maturity, the just as he told you’” (Mark 16:6-7). Lord gradually changed Simon from an unstable person to a man who lived up to his new name of Peter, which In a short period of time, Peter learned to promote Christ meant he was rock solid. In a surprising way, Jesus al- rather than himself. Suddenly, people saw Christ in Pelowed Peter to express his overconfidence and fall flat on ter and thousands of new believers were born into God’s his face in order to teach Simon Peter to place his confi- spiritual family. Because failure is not final, Peter was dence in God’s wisdom and power, rather than his own able to keep moving forward and promote Christ rather faulty judgment and inconsistent abilities. than himself. “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: ‘Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being As Jesus predicted, Peter denied Christ three times be- called to account today for an act of kindness shown to fore the rooster crowed. Surely, Jesus knew Peter better a man who was lame and are being asked how he was than he knew himself. “Peter replied, ‘Man I don’t know healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: what you’re talking about!’ Just as he was speaking, the It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had man stands before you healed’” (Acts 4:8-10). spoken to him: ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will TT 151 | May 10th - May 16th| 2022
