Pastor Bell's Words To Live By

Peter has reached a maturity in his life that leads him to reflect on his own past and conclude that love is

he has the keys

indeed the key that anyone who is called a Christian must employ on a daily basis. When he states that love covers sin, he is not condoning sin or trying to get people to cover it up. What he is doing is telling us that love acts like a shock absorber which cushions and smoothes out the bumps and irritations caused by other believers. Here I think he is reflecting on his own actions when he denied Christ when he was arrested for sedition. However, having committed the sin and being cognisant of his act he went back to what he knew best, fishing. In his flesh Christ must have been very disappointed with Peter, however as the lord of all spirits and the perfect example of love, the risen Christ calls Peter from his ‘feeling sorry for myself’ state and restores him (St John 21:15-17).

‘Peter feed my lambs’! ‘Peter feed my sheep’ and again ‘Peter feed my sheep’. Jesus asked Peter the question do you love me, three times.  And Peter felt really bad because he knew what he had done.

However, the love that Jesus wants us to develop is one that stretches and covers the wrong we have done. It does not condone it, but it covers it once we are able to confess it and get it out into the open. Peter had to do the following: confess with his mouth, yes I love you lord. Then he had to allow the pain of the past to rise to the surface so that Jesus could heal him; and finally he had to receive restoration so that he could get back on track following Jesus.

So for us as Christians, that is, followers of Christ, let us be reminded to pray fervently; but let us remember that contrary to what some folks say, prayer is not the key! For me, prayer is the doorway that leads to where God wants to take us, but LOVE is the key that opens up that door! There are many religions that pray so much more than Christians but do not have the love of Jesus in their hearts!!!

Today allow the love of God through Christ to cover the messed up areas of your life and receive the restoration that the Holy Spirit brings. So ask the Jesus to baptise you in and with the Holy Spirit.. Ask and you will receive!

Read St John 21 as say like Peter I will go wherever you lead me, Jesus.