Luke 22:32 “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

The story of Peter is of immense importance to every believer, even today. There is no question that he was a deeply flawed individual. Aren’t we all? And he certainly failed horribly – a very common story. However, Jesus, knowing full well that Peter would fail, told him, “When you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” In all his weakness, he was to be an instrument of strengthening! That to me is amazing, and at the same time incredibly encouraging. It states definitively that God is greater than our weaknesses, however huge those weaknesses might seem to us. When we think about the power of God, we seldom think in terms of our weakness, but that is a mistake. When Peter denied three times that he even knew Jesus, and then turned around and was the spokesman at Pentecost, going on to become what the Catholics consider the first Pope, our failures are pretty insignificant! This is not at all to say that we are to discount, much less excuse, our own failures. Honest repentance is essential. However, as John famously wrote, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) Peter totally acknowledged and confessed his sin, and God not only forgave him, He restored him to a condition even better than he had been before. That runs us into the issue that Paul brought up: “What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2) I’ll say it again: God’s grace is the remedy for, not an excuse for, sin. Restoration is always possible, but only if genuine repentance is there.

I find this enormously comforting, and at the same time a huge caution. I must never discount my own sins or try to excuse them. That’s the human tendency the devil tries his best to encourage. I must be brutally honest about my own sins, and at the same time, rejoice that God’s grace is indeed so absolutely amazing. I also have to apply this to the people around me. They too will fail, and naivete is dangerous indeed. I am not to automatically restore those who have not demonstrated genuine repentance. I am to forgive them, certainly, and seek to be God’s instrument in drawing them into restoration, but my trust is to be in God, not individuals. One particular example from recent years comes to mind. I have forgiven him, but I can’t trust him with responsibility in the church until he demonstrates repentance clearly. God indeed wants to restore him, but that is between him and God, and I’m not to jump the gun.

Father, thank You for this clear Word. This trip I am, and will be, encountering all sorts of people, both from my past and new acquaintances. Help me relate to each one as You would have me to, drawing them to a right relationship with You, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!