When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" — Luke 5:8
Simon Peter reflects what I suspect is in all of us — the kind of shame that says, "Lord, go away, and please don’t come back until I figure out some way to clean myself up."
Running to God, rather than hiding from God, is counter-intuitive and has been ever since Adam and Eve took the forbidden fruit.
Yet this counter-intuitive choice is what God longs for and what the church and all humanity desperately need. Running to God with all our inadequacies, sins and imperfections frees us from trying to do what we cannot do, and it frees God to do what only He can do.
Only God can clean us up. Only God can give us a pure heart and a willing spirit. Only God can untangle the mess we find ourselves in.
Do you want to know the difference between success and failure in the Christian life? It boils down to one thing: which direction we run.
Be encouraged!
Dwight
Dwight Clough is the author of four Christian books and is an active member of Lake City Church in Madison. This devotional is also available via email and you may review the archives back to 2002. To contact Dwight or Kim, use their contact form. You may also support their ministry.