Weekly Devotional

The Mercy and Compassion of Christ

“And the Lord turned and looked at Peter.   Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how He had said to him; “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.”  Luke 22:61-62
Knowing where and what to do with your brokenness in Christian life is important. The verse above comes after the Lord informed Peter of his human frailty. And whether you realize it or not, we, too, are frail.  Even if we have made strong assertions about our unwavering faith in Christ. We are also frail.
But also notice how these verses contain the mercy and compassion of Christ. “the Lord turned and looked at Peter.” What Christ saw was a poor human, a frail and fickle man. What Peter saw was love, forgiveness, mercy, and grace.  I highly doubt he sensed a haughty “I told you so!” as many of us have from others. Whatever he saw was enough to incite a brokenness in Peter. The Lord knows me, faithful and frail at the same time. It’s only at the end of the gospels that we witness what each of us stands to gain by mere admission of our own shortcomings. Restoration. Jesus assures us today about the way He restored Peter. We all must first be broken before being built by the Master. During this season, look to the Lord Jesus for answers after we have failed or have forsaken him. You will be surprised at what you do. It is never what we imagined. We, too, experience love, forgiveness, mercy and grace.  Look to Him.