But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” Acts 10:14
Have you ever been frustrated with yourself when you find yourself falling back into an old habit or mindset? You think you have grown spiritually and have broken off those old hindrances. But then something happens, and your find yourself saying or doing something like you used to respond to a situation. That’s where Peter found himself in Acts 10. He has a vision from God of a sheet filled with all types of animals clean and unclean. Now Peter being a devout and good Jewish boy, he never ate anything unclean, even after he was saved.
Then a voice spoke a second and a third time telling him, when God says something can be eaten don’t say it isn’t fit to eat. So here is Peter once again reacting to something the same way he did before he was filled with the Spirit on Pentecost. Then on top of it, he had to hear it three times before he understood, just like three times he denied knowing Jesus, and the three times Jesus asked if he loved Him. This is the same Peter who could heal people with his shadow, walk on water, make the lame walk and resurrect the dead.
Yet he didn’t let this lapse hinder him. He put it behind him and allowed Holy Spirit to speak to him and learn from this encounter. Which it made him even stronger in his walk and relationship with the Lord. And after 2000 years we are still speaking about not only his impact on the world, but his relationship with Jesus which he was secure in, even when he made mistakes. I’m sure we can all identify with Peter’s ups and downs, and so we should know that Jesus never left Peter, just like He never leaves us no matter how much we fail. What a blessing and powerful reminder of who we are in Christ.
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