John 21 is in the Bible so that all of us Peter-types would know that though we fall again and again, by God’s grace we can keep
on getting back up. If he did it for Peter, he can do it for me and for you.
When Jesus is betrayed and arrested, Peter impulsively strikes with his sword to try to protect Him. Jesus rebukes Peter, heals Malchus’ ear and quietly submits, knowing that in the end, God’s will must be done. What should Peter have done? How does a follower of Christ react when all is lost?
Text: Luke 22:49-51No believer is safe who faces Satan in his own strength. No believer is more secure than he who goes into battle wearing the whole armor of God.
Text: Ephesians 6:14-17Christianity is not a religion for sissies or for those who want an easy road. If you are looking for an escape from your problems, Jesus is not for you. Christianity is for strong men and women who will not flee from the struggle.
Text: Ephesians 6:12Peter still speaks to us today. “If you think you’ve fallen short, if you feel like you’ve denied him, look at what happened to me.”
Text: Luke 22:31-33Hebrews 11 is God’s “Perpetual Plaque” of those who lived by faith. And if you look closely, you can see there is plenty of room for more names. There’s room for you and there’s room for me.
Text: Hebrews 11:39-40God’s will is always good, but it’s not always comfortable. And it’s certainly not predictable. What if God blew your categories and gave you success beyond your wildest dreams? What if he let you fail miserably so he could give you overwhelming success later?
Text: Luke 5:1-11I cannot promise you an easy road if you decide to follow Jesus Christ. But I can promise you this. You will be blessed and you
won’t be sorry. And in the end, you will discover that the life of faith is full of adventure, and you will be glad you weren’t a couch
potato but dared to make a difference in the world.
God honors faith, and he seeks it so much that he will honor people who otherwise do some very stupid things. He uses flawed people to accomplish his will so that when the victory comes, he alone gets the glory.
Text: Hebrews 11:32The life of faith is inherently a life of risk. It is not for those timid souls who want to play it safe all the time. As long as we limit God to what we think he can do, we will never see anything great because our faith remains so small. But once we are willing to suspend our disbelief and renounce our skepticism, then and only then do we become candidates for a miracle.
Text: Luke 7:1-10