"Representation" -Too

"So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands." (Psalms 78:72) I don't pretend to have it all together, because I don't; but what I do know, is that I love the Lord. Does that mean I can't be unloving sometimes? I wish it were so, because there are times I wish I could take back, as there are in relationships with family and friends. I really can't love the way that I should, not unless the Holy Spirit is helping me to love, because without His help I tend to make loving about me. David is a pretty good figure for understanding God's standard for forgiveness; and believe me when I say this, God does have a standard, it's called forgiving others; just as He has a standard for love, based upon loving others. In our own abilities we lack what it takes to do either one; we can't love as we should, nor can we forgive as we have been forgiven. But there is someone who did; who lived here among us, in flesh as we are flesh, yet He overcame the desires of that flesh, and He forgave everyone who nailed Him to that cross! That is a pretty big deal, because the multitude of those that had to be forgiven is enormous; it includes all the human race, all the way from Adam to the final day of judgment, we are all guilty of nailing Him to the cross because of the sin in our lives. There is someone else that comes to mind, someone who represents God's standard of forgiveness well, and it's Simon Peter. You have to see the irony in Peter's denial of Jesus, it plays into every single moment we turn and walk back into the flesh. Do you think Peter would have denied Jesus if he would have fled? Yet he hung out where he was most vulnerable to be tested, where people were bound to ask him if he was with Jesus. Not only did Peter think he was strong enough to not leave Jesus, but he challenged the Lord's prediction of what he would do. Jesus was not upset with the fact that His disciples would flee, He was just informing them that it would happen; and when Peter refused to accept it, Jesus just showed him his true colors. Jesus was not even upset by Peter's denial of Him, He knew it was going to happen, and it did. Talk about love and forgiveness...
"After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes Lord, Peter replied, "you know I love you." "Then feed my lambs," Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: "Simon son of John, do you love me?" "Yes, Lord," Peter said, "you know I love you." "Take care of my sheep," Jesus said. A third time he asked him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you." Jesus said, "Then feed my sheep."" (John 21:15-17) NLT