Using us yet

One of the most wearisome elements of congregational ministry is the pressure to always be strong. It's reasonable for church members to expect their leaders to be strong in the faith, but as any Christian leader who is honest with himself knows, we aren't always so strong. That's why I was so encouraged by Kim Shay's recent article on the Apostle Peter and his three-fold denial of Jesus:

I can relate to this. I do something stupid. I deny Christ by my actions, and then later on, I weep bitterly because I am very sorry. I feel bad for Peter because I have done the very same thing. Certainly, I have never been in Peter's exact shoes, but I am sure that I have denied Jesus by my behavior if not verbally.

What does it mean to deny Jesus with my behavior? It means to live like he doesn't make a difference in my life. . . . It means not drawing upon the riches we have in Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to change us.

. . . . The wonderful thing about Peter is that God used him mightily. That encourages me when I do something dumb. It reminds me that God is not finished with me yet.

Amen. That's a lesson most Christians have heard before, but sometimes it's encouraging to hear it again. It's not often that a blog post simply warms my heart with encouragement and hope, but Kim's has.