He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee. John 21:16

I pray that you were wonderfully blessed as you gathered with your local church in worship on the Lord’s Day. Be strengthen and encouraged in your walk of faith throughout the week ahead. There are many who become frustrated and discouraged by life’s setbacks and failures in the journey of life. I believe most people have good intentions and ambition to do well, even in Christian life. There are many believers who want to live a more devoted life but struggle to get back up and continue after moments of falling, failing, and fumbling with temptations and pleasures in life. When temptations come, and they come to all, not all resist and overcome. These tempting moments can leave us in despair and doubt about our devotion to Christ. The scripture passage reminds us of the persistent love that God has for each of His children. Following Peter’s denial of Jesus on the night before His crucifixion, Peter ran and hid himself. Peter struggled with his failure, and his faith and confidence were under attack. Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him three times, but He also told him that He had prayed for him that his faith would not fail. My friend, in those moments when we have fallen to temptation, it is then that we can hear the words of Jesus say “lovest thou Me?” Know that Jesus has prayed for you that you will continue in faith to believe and follow Him. Jesus is most concerned about your faith, not your failure. He wants to grow and mature your faith in Him that you can face and escape life’s temptations (1 Cor 10:13) to live life “more abundantly” (Jn 10:10), filled with joy, and walk faithfully with Him (Acts 13:52). Dear friend, Jesus will never leave you to squander in your self-pity, remain broken from your fall, or desperate in your despair. He will come to you to pickup the broken pieces and restore you to Himself. He will continue the good work that He began in you until He returns to bring you home to be with Him (Phil 1:6). Father, thank You for your persistent love and for Your word that reminds me that I am not forsaken, but always forgiven. Thank You for Your faithfulness. You are my Rock and Redeemer, and “Thou knowest that I love Thee.” My friend, continue in His love. In the blessed Name of Jesus. Amen.