REINSTATEMENT – THE GLORIOUS COME BACK

Many years ago, in my primary school days I had an unusual enthusiasm for all manner of sport. I wanted to do a bit of everything and be the best at them all. One day our class played a soccer match against another class of which I contributed an own goal. We had a draw with my only goal against my own team and each side looked forward to scoring the winning goal. Suddenly an anger aroused in me which caused me to score the winning goal from a long distance five minutes before the match closed.

The “anger” (i.e. passion) which rose up in me was because my coach called my outside the game and spoke these words to me “son, there is one thing you don’t know which I know. You are better than all those guys on the field and if you’d overlook your mistake you can score the winning goal” (I felt flattered because I was a defender and had no business with scoring goals). My “come back” was outstanding and I celebrated the whole week and I still do (okay, that’s funny).

 “And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, THOU SHALT DENY ME THRICE.” (Mark 14:30, KJV)

This happened not long before Jesus was crucified. That Peter would deny Jesus isn’t anything too light for any mind to imagine of the faithful apostle, yet his master told him so as He looked him beneath his eyeballs. Not even once but THRICE. This prediction came to pass to the extent that he (Peter) began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak. (14:71)

Just like the apostle Peter we have in many several ways denied our Lord even more than three times. We deny Him even beyond cursing. There have been times when we kept going back to the same sin we always confessed and doing the same things which we promised the Holy Spirit not to do. Yes! We have all like Peter at some point in our lives let Jesus down. I almost let my childhood soccer team down so I know how it feels to let everyone (pupils, family, coaches, teachers and teammates) down with an own goal. The whole heaven which rejoices at our salvation also grieves when we stay down after a fall.

But there is good news. Jesus reinstated Peter from his pusillanimity to a brave new apostle who would feed the Lord’s sheep. In the gospel according to St. John chapter 21:15-19 Jesus asked the apostle whether he loved Him THREE TIMES. And three times the apostle Peter declared his love for the Christ. The “anger” that stirred me was to me a tingling of bravest boy within. I remembered that those behind me believe in me no matter much I fail and that dared me to make the shot. As believers we should always remember our love for the Lord and dare to rise and stand, even to stand therefore.

Enough of the shifting of blames and even blaming your own self because you think you should have known better. The declaration of your love for Christ is the dependable anchor to trust when your world seem to crumble upon you. Peter’s “come back” is the fruit we are seeing now, that Christianity is everywhere and that many would dare to die for the Gospel’s sake.

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 By S. E. Entsua-Mensah. ©2014 Christ for Humanity Outreach 

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