Thursday, September 26,, 2024

          Peter suffered a rather shameful experience on the night before Jesus’ crucifixion.  That moment in time was not one of Peter’s better memories.  In Mark 14, Peter swore and declared that he would not fall away or turn away from Jesus.  “’Even if all fall away, I will not,’ declared Peter” (Mark 14:29).  Almost immediately, he doubled down on this promise. He said, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you” (Mark 14:31a).  And not to be outdone, the other disciples said the same thing.
            Most of us realize that it is easy to write checks we cannot cash or make promises that we cannot keep.  Anyone can purchase a luxury car—but paying for it is another completely different matter.  Our words are often bigger than our actions.  Just a few verses later in Mark, Peter would be tested—and tested to make good on his promises.  But he failed.  Shame would cascade over him like a waterfall.  Not once.  Not even twice.  But three times, Peter denied and disowned Jesus.  What a 180 turn to take!  He did not try to nuance his relationship with Jesus.  He just denied it. 
            We have all had similar moments—times where we lived shamefully or regrettably.  Times where our talk about the Lord was greater than our walk with the Lord.  Shame, sin, failure, defiance and disobedience are characteristic of us all.  The Bible teaches that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  No one is perfectly righteous—no not one.  But Christ died for all the garbage that we would just as soon forget.  He died for every sin, every shameful moment, every defiant decision and every time we walked away from what God’s Word commanded.  What we might like to forget can be fully forgiven by Christ through the power of the cross.  
            Our shame has been transferred to Christ and assigned to the cross where He bled and died.  Every sin, every act of shame, has been nailed to the cross where Jesus gave His life and blood as full payment for those sins and shame.  We can wake up each day with gratitude for that full payment that provides us with a full pardon from God.  To know Christ in a saving way sets us free from sin, shame and all those times we have strayed from the Lord.  Colossians 2:13-14 gives us this good news, “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.”
            Billy Graham had a customary way of beginning each day.  This habit or pattern likely emerged from a sense of gratitude for what Christ had for him.  The late evangelist encouraged all believers to thank God for the day and ask Him to use us for His glory and to cleanse us from every sin that might hinder this.  Perhaps we could incorporate this way of living into our lives so we become increasingly conscious of what Christ has done for us and unburdened by the guilt or shame of sin and those moments in life we wish never happened.  Enjoy the freedom that Christ offers you through your faith in Him and His cross!