Jesus never defines you by a single moment or season, no matter how bad; instead, He sees your entire story, understanding your past, present, and future, and offers grace that takes everything into account. This means you are not limited or labeled by your worst decisions, and you are invited to see yourself through the eyes of the One who knows you completely and loves you fully. [03:40]
Luke 22:31-34 (ESV)
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”
Reflection: Is there a moment or season in your life that you have let define your identity? What would it look like to invite Jesus to see your whole story and let His perspective shape how you see yourself today?
God does not overlook your sin, but He does not define you by it; instead, you are defined by His love, and His grace is the unearned, undeserved, unexpected goodness that pursues you not to pay you back, but to win you back. When you accept this, it changes how you see yourself, how you relate to God, and how you treat others, freeing you from shame and inviting you to live in the reality of His forgiveness. [05:26]
Ephesians 2:4-5 (ESV)
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.
Reflection: What is one regret or failure you have been carrying as your identity? How can you take a step today to let God’s love and grace, not your past, define who you are?
You cannot show “full story grace” to others until you have received it for yourself; when grace moves from a concept to a personal reality, you are able to accept God’s view of you and extend the same unexplainable grace to those around you, even when it’s hard or undeserved. This transformation empowers you to forgive yourself and others, breaking the cycle of shame and judgment, and allowing God’s love to flow through you. [07:19]
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (ESV)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Reflection: Who is one person in your life that you have struggled to show grace to? What would it look like to offer them “full story grace” today, just as God has offered it to you?
Even after Peter’s denial, Jesus sought him out, restored him, and gave him a new purpose, showing that our failures do not disqualify us from God’s calling; instead, Jesus invites us to follow Him again, knowing our whole story and still entrusting us with His mission. No matter what is in your past, Jesus is not done with you—He still has a place for you in His family and a role for you in His story. [25:29]
John 21:15-17 (ESV)
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”
Reflection: Where have you felt disqualified or sidelined by your past mistakes? How might Jesus be inviting you to step back into His purpose for you today?
God’s grace means you don’t have to keep running, hiding, or letting your worst moments define you; Jesus has reserved a seat for you at His table, inviting you to come home, be part of His family, and live in the freedom of His love and acceptance. You are not enough on your own, but Jesus was enough for you—so you can stop resisting His grace and start celebrating the new identity He offers. [27:21]
Romans 8:1 (ESV)
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Reflection: What is one practical way you can stop letting your past hold you back and instead accept Jesus’ invitation to come home and celebrate His grace today?
One of the most remarkable things about Jesus is the way he sees people—not just in a single moment or season, but in the context of their entire story. Unlike us, who are quick to judge and define others (and ourselves) by our worst moments, Jesus never draws a circle around a failure and declares it the end of the story. He knows our past, understands our present, and sees our future. This is true not only for how he views others, but also for how he views each of us. Many of us have allowed our worst decisions, our most regrettable chapters, to become our identity. We believe the lie that what we’ve done is who we are, and that God must see us the same way. But the life of Jesus shows us something radically different.
When we look at Jesus, we see that God does not define us by our sin. He doesn’t ignore our sin—he deals with it because he loves us and wants to spare us from its consequences—but he never lets it be the final word about who we are. Instead, we are defined by his love and grace. Grace is the unearned, undeserved, unexpected goodness of God. It’s what reassures us that, even in our mess, God is leaning in, not away. He’s not pursuing us to pay us back, but to win us back.
This becomes deeply personal when we look at Peter’s story. Peter, who denied Jesus three times in his darkest hour, was not written off. Instead, Jesus sought him out, restored him, and invited him to lead and serve again. Peter’s failure was not the end; it was the context for a new beginning. Jesus took Peter’s full story into account and offered him grace that was bigger than his worst moment.
The same is true for us. No matter what we’ve done or what others have said about us, God’s grace is available. We don’t have to keep running, hiding, or trying to be “enough.” Jesus was enough for us. When we accept this grace, it changes how we see ourselves and how we treat others. We are free to forgive ourselves and to extend “full story grace” to those around us. God is not done with us. He still invites us to follow him, to come home, and to take our place at his table.
John 21:15-19 (ESV) — 15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”
19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
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