Living Your Failures

Ah, Peter. Dear wonderful special Peter, full of the Holy Spirit and following Christ, opens 1 Peter with these words.

I, Peter, am an apostle on assignment by Jesus, the Messiah, writing to exiles scattered to the four winds.

Can we take it that he is fully sold out to the Christ, no longer wavering, struggling, and succumbing to his old nature? How great is that…until we see the opening to 2 Peter.

I, Simon Peter, am a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. I write this to you whose experience with God is as life-changing as ours, all due to our God’s straight dealing and the intervention of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to you many times over; as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master.

But Simon Peter finishes the letter this way.

But you, friends, are well-warned. Be on guard lest you lose your footing and get swept off your feet by these lawless and loose-talking teachers. Grow in grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ. (2 Peter:17-18, MSG)

Is that why he writes his name as Simon Peter? Did Peter have occasion to fall into his Simon character again? He does give us instructions and warnings how not to do the same and hope too, just in case we do.

Prayer- Father God thank you for faithful ones like Peter, who lived their own failures, yet left us instructions on how not to do the same. Amen.

 

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