Summer Vibes OnlySample

THE AFTERMATH

Have you ever gotten amped to do something but as soon as the moment passes, you wonder how you got so excited in the first place? 

The hardest part of following Jesus is living out your faith when the emotion of the moment wears off.

When you ask Jesus into your life, you feel the excitement and potential of being made new. But then you wake up the next day. School is still a struggle. Your relationship with your parents is still strained. 

Some days, you wake up, and you don’t feel new. But feelings are not facts. You don’t have to feel something for it to be true. Similarly, just because you feel something doesn’t mean it’s real. 

In John 13:36-38, Peter’s faith was challenged big time. Peter had walked on water and seen Jesus perform signs and wonders. Then Jesus tells Peter that Peter would deny him not once, not twice, but three times!

Peter gets defensive and swears he would never do that. But when Jesus is in chains, and the circumstances look grim, Peter does exactly what Jesus said. When the confidence of the moment wore off, Peter gave in to what his heart felt — fear and despair. 

After the resurrection, Jesus forgives and restores Peter. Their exchange over a campfire breakfast reminds us that God meets us in our mess. When we feel like we can’t go back to the way things were, He is ready and willing to forgive and restore. 

Respond

• Is there anything you think you can’t mess up or God won’t love you anymore? 


• Are you as close to God as you once were? What, if anything, has changed?


• Read Jeremiah 17:9. Why is it dangerous to trust our heart? Who does the Bible tell us to trust instead?