Matthew 26:74-75, "Then he began to curse and swear, saying, ‘I do not know the Man!' Immediately a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.' So he went out and wept bitterly."

Acts 2:38,41, "Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized ... in the name of Jesus Christ' ... Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day."

Think

Throughout the gospels, no other disciple was called out like Peter. Before Jesus' death and resurrection, Peter was hot-headed, impulsive, and mistaken as often as he was correct. Perhaps it was because he was the only one bold enough to say what everyone else was thinking - he actually tried to correct Jesus (more than once)! But, could it be that Jesus was seemingly tougher on Peter because of his potential?

Aside from his typical gaffes, Peter's biggest blunder was denying that he knew Jesus three times in rapid succession after His arrest. Think of how low Peter must have felt as Jesus lay lifeless in a tomb. Yet, after Jesus burst forth from the grave, He went and found Peter, cooked him breakfast, and reinstated him as a person of great value to the Kingdom of God. Looking back, Peter surely shook his head and thought, "What was I thinking?" However, Peter's missteps led him to his next steps of becoming one of the most influential Christian leaders of all time.

Like Peter, God sees your potential. He wants to work through your missteps to strengthen your resolve and heighten your awareness. God's grace is new every morning. Today, let go of regret over past mistakes and take the next step in becoming the influencer you were created to be!

Act

As a telltale sign of your growth in Christ, write a brief "Dear Former Self" letter to the person you were five years ago. What advice and encouragement would you give your former self?

Pray

Dear Lord, Thank You for loving me despite my flaws and seeing the potential in me that I didn't know I had. Use me, God. Allow the lessons I've learned from past mistakes to become my words of encouragement and hope for others. In Jesus' name, Amen.