Clean Before The Lord

My Utmost For His Highest

He said to him the third time, ’. . . do you love Me?’ —John 21:17   “Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ’Do you love Me?’ ” Yet he was awakened to the fact that at the center of his personal life he was devoted to Jesus. And then he began to see what Jesus’ patient questioning meant.” CHAMBERS

Jesus confronted Peter and with His question reminded Peter of the life that Jesus had called Peter to.  Very often these verses are explained in the context of restoration after Peter denied Jesus three times .. Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him three times.  I don’t know about that, but I do know that we stray from the truth.  We find ourselves having forsaken the Lord and wondering if He could ever forgive us for it.  The world is a very unforgiving place.  People demand judgment for others even when they, themselves, are steeped in sin.  But we can find forgiveness and restoration in Jesus.  We can draw close to Him through His Word.  And just like with Peter, the Word will confront us .. challenge us to remember who we are … where we have been … Do you remember what Jesus said to Peter when He was washing Peter’s feet?  Jesus said to him (Peter), "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you (Peter) are clean…..." (John 13:10)

If you have received Jesus as Lord, you are clean … but you will have need of having your feet washed … The Word will remind you of that … The evil one will say to you, you are a failure .. you can’t ever live up to the Christian life … If God only knew what you were really like, He would never accept you … think about it … doesn’t that fly in the face of everything we know about God, who loved us while we were not yet His children? Isn’t He the God who sent His Son to the cross so we could be restored to Him?  You are clean … you are His … spend time in the Bible … let it do its work in your life … stop trying to do good as if you could somehow work your way into righteousness… let the Word transform you by the renewing of your mind … Romans 12:2.

For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:14-17)

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)