Anyone and Everyone Fails

Scripture: In addition, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, have also foretold these days. You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, saying to Abraham, "And all the families of the earth will be blessed through your offspring". God raised up his servant and sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your evil ways. Acts 3:24-26

Observation: Peter makes his next great speech to the Jews in Jerusalem, this time after he and John heal a cripple at the temple gate. He again tells them who Jesus really is - the promised Messiah - and reiterates that the Messiah was promised by prophets for centuries to fulfill the Abrahamic covenant ... the Jews are first, Yahweh's own nation of priests, 'blessed to be a blessing'.

Application: Today, my mind is occupied with yet another sinful fall of a major and very prominent Christian leader. Clearly all men sin, but to see another succumb to such a terrible act and now be engaged in a public fall from grace is difficult. My heart breaks.

And here is Peter, 2,000 years ago, reminding the Jews that they have always been chosen and blessed, given the greatest mission in all world history along with the most wonderful promise to go along with it, and they too miss the mark. Jesus was sent to bless them and turn them from evil, but they actually tortured and killed God's son. Peter tells them the truth, then offers them repentance and redemption in the name of Jesus.

Christians are adopted heirs of the covenant. We are now blessed to be a blessing, and satan knows it. Those that are greatly blessed are greatly attacked, and we are weak humans. My wife and I say over and over that we just hope there won't be another major public fall of a prominent Christian leader ... but there will always be another major fall, because human's fail. The Lord never fails us, but we fail, sometimes for a moment, sometimes for a season, sometimes in a specific area of our lives.

The Jews knew they were Abraham's descendants and thus heirs to the covenant - they declared that over and over - yet they would commit all the sins. All of us Christians profess our belief in Jesus Christ and declare him as our Lord and savior, and we commit all the sins.

Prayer: Lord, I have no hope of being good and blameless before you. Amazingly, you know this, and love me anyway. Please forgive me for my daily sins, and give me strength to walk on your path, holding your hand, more and more every day. In the same way, please be with other Christians, helping us all to find the better way to live every moment of every day. I especially pray over Church leaders, whose stumbles are not just harmful to them but impediments to your mission on earth. Where there are victims, may your peace and love cover them. Where there is shame, may your peace and love recover them. Amen.