v 7. Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”
I love this including Peter! Here was the man who had vowed never to let Jesus down, and yet three times denied even knowing Him. Jesus’ grace in forgiveness reaches out to include this same Peter in His purposes for the future. Do you sometimes feel you have let Jesus down? Do you wonder, deep down, if He has good plans for your future? The answer is emphatically yes! If sin ever permanently excluded a person from going on with God in the future, none of us would have any hope.
Reflect for a moment today on those we find in the Bible who have made a hash of things at some point.
You can start with Abraham – he tried to palm off his wife as his sister in an attempt to protect his own life. ‘As he was approaching the border of Egypt, Abram said to his wife, Sarai, “Look, you are a very beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife. Let’s kill him; then we can have her!’ So please tell them you are my sister. ‘ (You can find the rest of the story in Genesis 12.) Did lying and subterfuge disqualify Abram from serving the purposes of God? No, God stayed faithful to him.
Then we only have to mention King David! Adultery, complicit in murder and so on. Did all that disqualify David? No, God stayed faithful to him too. David’s heartfelt acknowledgement of his sin in Psalm 51 is evidence of that. ‘For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. ‘ (Psalm 51:3)
The reality is that we all let God down at some point – but God’s faithfulness to those who love Him and repent of wrongdoing gets them back on track.
So if that is how you are feeling about your life, you are miserable because of your failures, then get hold of the fact that you inherit the ‘Even Peter’ acceptance condition. God holds on to you, as He did to Peter, because He is faithful. When your faithfulness might be called into question, as Peter’s was, it is trumped by God’s mercy and faithfulness to you.
Peter was asked however to go back to where he started, Galilee. It would be there that his walk with Jesus could begin all over again. Whatever sin or failure is troubling your conscience right now, you can go back to the starting point of repentance and faith in the Jesus and start anew. Jesus has a purpose in life for you too, for Jesus is a Man like no other, including even sinners of the deepest dye in His plans.