Matthew 16: 18

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

 

Peter was an uneducated fisherman.
Peter’s faith failed him even as he walked on water.
Peter was violent when he cut off the ear of a soldier.
Peter betrayed Jesus by denying him three times.

Peter failed Jesus time after time and, yet, Jesus said that Peter would be the foundation of his church. Peter could have chosen to wallow in his failures and in so doing, he would never have reached his destiny. The destiny Jesus promised him. The destiny he was born to fulfill. It would have been so easy to go back to being a fisherman after Jesus’ death. He had more than enough excuses to justify taking the easy way out. He had more than enough excuses not to believe in himself or what Jesus said about him.

But then Peter experienced God’s forgiveness.
But then Peter experienced God’s love.
But then Peter experienced the resurrected Jesus.

Experiencing God’s love and forgiveness changed Peter. When that happened Peter put away his excuses. Instead, he put his faith in Jesus and moved forward toward his destiny. In so doing he became the person Jesus said he was. He became the rock that Jesus used to build his church.

We all fail God at one time or another—small failures as well as big ones. We can use those failures to make excuses why we can’t be forgiven; why God doesn’t love us;or why we can’t serve God. But we can make the choice to be like Peter. We can experience God’s forgiveness and love and move forward into our destiny.

What’s your excuse?