Confidence in Unavoidable Failure

S - "Children, I will be with you for only a little while longer. Then you will look for me, but you won't find me. I tell you just as I told the Jews, “You cannot go where I am going.” But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my followers. Simon Peter asked, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “You can't go with me now, but later on you will.” Peter asked, “Lord, why can't I go with you now? I would die for you!” “Would you really die for me?” Jesus asked. “I tell you for certain that before a rooster crows, you will say three times that you don't even know me. Don't let your hearts be troubled! Have confidence in God and have confidence in me." John 13 & 14 TS

O - Jesus understands that his closest friends cannot and will not go with him to the greatest sacrifice the world will ever know. Neither can they follow him to his Father at this time. In spite of well-intended and deeply felt commitments none of them will be able to fulfill what their hearts wanted to. They will all abandon him but he will never abandon them - never. At the point of this unwanted and yet unavoidable failure in their relationship with Jesus, he tells them and he tells us “Don't let your hearts be troubled! Have confidence in God and have confidence in me."

A - I have lived this exchange, this cannot, did not failure in my relationship with Jesus. My intentions were more than clear and heart felt. Other times, they've been anything but well intended. Nevertheless, he never abandons me. In fact, he doesn't even love us so that we'll love him back. He wants us to love him back but that's not why he loves and wants us. He loves and wants us because he does - full stop! He wants us all to have confidence in him and in his Father - not in ourselves; even our best intended selves. He will go on to tell his followers that apart from him we can do nothing (John 15). At our worst, at our best and everywhere in between he says “Don't let your hearts be troubled! Have confidence in God and have confidence in me." I'll believe Jesus today while it is called today and be confident all day long.

P - Lord Jesus,

Thank you for being amazing all the time - not just when I'm at my best. Thank you for loving and wanting me all the time - even at my worst. I admit that without you I can do nothing. I commit to loving all the followers so that the world will know that all are wanted by you, that you came from God and that I'm really following you.

I love you back,

Steve