"So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?" John 21:16a
You know, its easy to criticize those around you who fail or have dropped the ball in the game of life. As kids, we all knew which kids could play ball and which couldn't, and we all wanted to be chosen to be in the winning team. We placed those we deemed as winners in high regard and showed little respect for those we saw as "losers," ~ to steal a term from today's vernacular. Unfortunately, we tend to take those practices into our adult years. We tend to want to associate ourselves with people we deem successful and steer away from those who have not reached that pinnacle and/or made mistakes in life. I find that even Christians are not exempt from this behavior.
I'm glad God loves us despite our social status or mistakes. In the passage above we see Jesus asking Peter ".....lovest thou me?" Mind you, this was after the resurrection and after Peter had denied him. Jesus didn't brow beat him or tell him, "I told you so." No, He reassured him of His love and lifted him back-up. Now that I think of it, all the disciples had gone back to their old livelihoods and even Thomas doubted him, yet Jesus continued loving them back. He didn't leave them out there to hang; He encouraged them. The word Christian means "Christ-like." Will you act like a Christian today or like the lost world?
I will act like a Christian today.
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