WATCHWORD:
54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance. 55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly. Luke 22:54-62
15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. John 21:15-17
Meditation:
Hitting the Wrong Button!
Whoops! Not that long ago, I included in a Watchword a “whoops” and a “I’m sorry”. For some reason, neither I nor my tech advisor could figure this out: Why did an incomplete Watchword, scheduled for a Saturday, go out, prematurely, on Tuesday in an unfinished state? Even when we tried to make the correction, something else happened, and another Watchword was sent on a Wednesday. Well, the two errors are related, but we still don’t know why. So, we move on!
I suppose we could’ve hit the wrong button. That happens in all of our lives at one time or another. Not long ago I had a big package I was placing in my car. Without thinking, I dropped my keys onto the seat and put the package down, not realizing that I had hit the lock button on the remote. I got in the car, closed the door, and my alarm went off! I, of course, could not find my keys! A major “whoops”, lots of attention from merchants and those walking by. I got it solved with the help of a friend. Embarrassment! End of story.
Chances are that the “whoops” that happen in our lives are of our own making. Maybe we let our tongue proceed ahead of our brain and we say the wrong thing? Maybe the “whoops” cause us to pause and think, maybe to ask for forgiveness.
But, wait a minute. We believe that God is in charge. Could it be that some “whoops” occur by plan? The pause that refreshes our thinking? A celestial time out? Maybe hitting the wrong button is part of our learning? Is it possible that when we hit a snag, it has a purpose?
That reminds me of a story I read recently: Tom Watson, Sr., is the founder of IBM. You can imagine the money, the investments, the experiments, this man, and his multi-billion-dollar company have made through the years. Once, years ago, when a million dollars was a lot of money, Watson had a top junior executive who spent $12 million of the company’s money on a venture that failed. The young executive put his resignation on Watson’s desk saying, “I’m sure that you want my resignation.” Watson roared back: “No I don’t want your resignation. I’ve just spent $12 million educating you. It’s about time you get to work.”
I can’t cast Tom Watson in the role of God, but the analogy still works. When we have goofed, when we make a mistake, when we hit the wrong button and things go sour, it may be time to look around and see what we have learned, and thank the Lord for the lesson. I learned from my “whoops”, this time. But, tomorrow is another day, another opportunity to hit the wrong button!
Judas betrayed Him. Peter denied Him. Millions ignore Him. Millions more embrace Him. He is our Creator. He will not accept our resignation, regardless of the number of “Whoops” on our scorecard. We are blessed by being forgiven. We learn from our “Whoops”. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Our friend Odie reports that he has written a golf book and is quite proud of the results. This book gives the reader valuable playing tips and insider information that he had gained through his 60 + years of golfing experience. To give you a sense of the scope of the book, here are some chapter headings: “How to Properly Line Up Your Fourth Putt”. “How to Hit a Maxfli ball out of the rough, when you hit a Titleist ball from the tee.” “How to find that ball that everyone else saw go in the water.”
Thanks Gary. We look forward to the publication of this important and instructional book.
Closing Prayer:
A modified Prayer of Jabez for this morning: Dear Heavenly Father, oh that you would bless me, and equip me for all that you have planned for this day. That your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm and the pain of adversities. That you would forgive my miss-steps. To You, Lord, I give all honor and glory. Amen.
