Pieces to Masterpiece

Shame can be an easy way the devil creates a chasm between us and God. If he can convince us that we are a lost cause, with no hope, and too far gone, that is a major gap he creates between us and the One who will restore us.

Peter, as we all know, denied Jesus. Not only did he deny Him once, but three times! It could have been easy for Peter to sit in the shame he felt after denying Jesus.

Peter is faced with the same thing that he failed at before in Acts. But in this encounter, we see a whole NEW side of Peter. One that defends Christ and truly knows that to live is Christ and to die is gain.

"Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” "

-Acts 4:8-12-

Peter defends Jesus and shares that the same One that they killed is the One responsible for healing people. Peter defends Jesus and believes in the power of His name. Again, Peter continues to defend Jesus and continue to speak His Name.

"Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” "

-Acts 4:18-20-

They don't care what the Sanhedrin tells them, they know Jesus deserves to be shared. Fear has left Peter and he is full of faith.

Just as God didn't leave Peter broken, but restored him, God does the same for us. This is what shame steals. Shame denies the individual wallowing in it the opportunity to be restored and sanctified to Him. Being stagnant in shame leads to missing out on God's full story. If Peter were to wallow in his shame, we wouldn't be able to see his full story. God used Peter in so many ways. While many remember Peter as "the one who denied Jesus," God restored that. God doesn't see that, because Christ restored that. We all wrestle with the flesh and the Spirit. We can all relate to Peter. To see Peter's full story shows how human the disciples were and how much glory God deserves. Without God, we all would be lost causes. We all would start and end with shame. But, because of Christ, shame might be our beginning, but it will certainly not be our ending. Peter's life is a perfect picture of how God restores broken things. Peter, in his failings, turned to God, instead of away. In doing this, God didn't say "Peter, stay broken." Rather, God restored Peter through Christ, sanctified him, and used him for His glory, story, and Peter's good. Without the Spirit in Peter, he would have wallowed in shame. But we can see the work of the Spirit in Peter and how he turned out. God transformed Peter from a fearful denier to a faithful advocate. Don't let shame stop your brokenness from being used to sanctify you and teach others. God can use broken things. In fact, broken, weak things, is where God's power is made perfect. He works best with broken things. He restores. The pieces we were, God makes new in a full masterpiece.

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9