Dearly Beloved,
Do you know what today is? January 6, 2021, of course, but according to the Christian calendar it is “Epiphany.” You can read the historic account of the Maji traveling to worship God incarnate in Bethlehem in Matthew 2:1-12. They brought their gifts, but more than that, they opened their hearts to the miraculous virgin birth that took place in the town called in English, “The House of Bread.” The origin of the One born that day was from “the days of eternity.” Christ has been and always will be the Alpha and Omega!
We started a new series last Sunday in the book of 1 Peter. Kurt introduced us to “our instructor” for the next several months – Peter!
Peter was:
- Found by Jesus, not the other way around
- Shaken by the power of Christ with a miraculous catch of fish
- Aware of his own frailty, “depart from me for I am a sinful man”
- Invited by Jesus to a life that matters – “from now on you will be catching men alive”
- Rebuked by the Lord for setting his mind on his own interests
- Given the keys to the kingdom of God by the King
- Filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost to proclaim the gospel
- In love with the Savior of the world
- Commissioned to shepherd God’s people
- Destined to die for Jesus’ sake
What was beyond failure for Peter? An abundant life filled with adventure, joy, disappointment, struggle, victory, suffering, peace, heartache, and hope mingled with tears.
One of the ways we can all free ourselves from past sins and failures is to “grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Those words, by the way, are the last words of Peter in 2 Peter 3:18. This Sunday we will examine 1 Peter 1:2-9. I guarantee you something – if you would memorize those verses, meditate on them every day for 30 days, and pray them into your life, you will be transformed from the inside out!
Because failure doesn’t define one’s life,
Glen