Pastor John Collins: Future hope
“From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He
must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests
and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying,
‘Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!’ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You
are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things
of men.’” Matthew 16:21-23 (NKJV).
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| Pastor John Collins: you cannot allow your mistakes to drive you away from God, choose to seek His forgiveness |
It is not easy for mere humans to recognize the ways of God
and to know the miracles and hope that suffering produces. In Jesus’ name, with
faith, there is now the hope of forgiveness and of acceptance into heaven. With
your own suffering comes humility and growth in your faith. Faith is something
that you have to fight for and want. Faith is not a given and it
is not just a belief. It is a trusting and a knowledge that Jesus did die for
your sins and with this knowledge comes a willingness to live in hope and
obedience to the word of God.
It is not possible to go through this life without sinning
and it is impossible to not have disappointed God at some point in your life,
but what is most important is what you do about it. Peter was given the keys to
the kingdom and a few minutes later was called Satan and told he was an offense
to Jesus. It is easy to allow your humanly interpretations of situations and your
own personal desires to get in the way of the will of God. Every so often you
need to do a self-check and examine your motives and desires in this life and
to see if they line up with the word of God. Do your best to not interfere with
the will of God and do your best to not confuse the will of God with your will. You
can tell the difference between the two by examining which one will produce
righteousness in your life. Which choices in your life will bring about
godliness?
When you feel that you have disappointed God then it is time
for you to repent. Peter made mistakes and he learned from them. When Peter
knew that he had disappointed Jesus, he repented and asked for forgiveness. You
can’t live in perpetual guilt and you cannot allow your mistakes to drive you
away from God but must become humble so that you choose to come before
Him and seek His forgiveness and His guidance so that you can move forward in
your life with confidence and trust, knowing that you are seeking the kingdom
of heaven above all.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the
Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV).
