Repentance - Part III - Final

Folks, we've been on a wonderful journey of discovery these last six months. Through several blog series, you and I have walked through the importance of who we are in the eyes of God, and, how He seeks to set us free from acts of self-deception. No longer need we live in denial, or avoid dealing with life through repression, now we can stand firm on truth and not submit to the enemy's yoke by rationalizing lies. I'm looking forward to new directions the Good Lord is already planning for us. But today, I pray the intentional acts of Christ (Jesus is always intentional) where Peter is concerned resonate with you, and that you are filled with His love, grace, and mercy!

Recall from Parts I & II, Jesus had appeared a third time to His disciples following His resurrection. Peter, overcome with the guilt of his denials of Christ, could no longer stand to wait. Jesus had just given him what was likely the largest single haul of fish he'd ever seen in his entire career as a fisherman. It was so big that his compadres had to row the boat to shore dragging the net filled with fish in the water. Collectively, they could not pull the net onto the boat. Yet, in the middle of all this, Peter jumped ship and swam the length of a football field to reach his Savior! On shore, Jesus graciously had a fire started with some bread cakes and fish cooking for His tired and hungry friends.

There, in the midst of all of this, Jesus is found to be extending His grace and mercy toward Peter, asking him about matters of love. Three times he had denied his Lord, but now he was given three additional opportunities to profess his love for Christ. How Peter must have marveled at the patience of his Savior! What kindness. What gentleness. After all Peter had done, and as broken as he was, Jesus still saw fit to utilize him in the same manner He said He would. This was possible because Peter had been brought to a place in life where his dependency was strictly upon the Lord. In this place, he truly experienced the love, joy, and peace of being in Christ.

If Jesus was willing to meet Peter in his broken place after denying Him three times, then He will meet you in your brokenness as well. Indeed, I believe the Lord would have met Judas right where he was, but Judas decided his situation was hopeless. In the ultimate act of willfulness, he lashed out in anger at the world by killing himself. What Judas failed to see was that he, too, was a pearl of great value in the eyes of the Father. Christ did not want him to throw his life away; He wanted Judas to repent of his sins and take action so that he could get right with the Father.

May you never reach such a false conclusion in your own life; rather, you should always see yourself as the pearl Christ sold everything for. God has loved you both inside and outside of time. His greatest desire is to have a deep, intimate relationship with you. It is for this reason He has set you free. Perhaps Christ is standing on the shore of your life. Will you jump ship and swim to Him as Peter did? No matter the consequences, are you prepared to face your Savior and repent of your ways? Love, joy, and peace await you. 

Delve deeper and overcome the crippling effects of sin and guilt in your own life by reading The Conditioned Mind!