As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, ‘Take this and eat it, for this is my body.’ And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, ‘Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.’ Matthew 26:26-28

 

Demetri started following Jesus several years ago, and in that time, he’d stopped doing drugs. But then…he relapsed.

 

On a trip back to Demetri’s hometown, old places called out old habits and one thing led to another. Torn up with shame and feeling like a failure, Demetri didn’t want to attend church that week.

 

We all sometimes compromise our values because of temptation, distraction, or fear. But in reality, nothing is more relatable to humanity than weakness! The devil wants your stumbles to overwhelm you with shame and despair that result in you giving up entirely. But stumbling in sin isn’t the same as failing in our whole faith journey.

 

Jesus ate a significant meal with his disciples, one where He made them a powerful promise. Scripture recounts, “As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, ‘Take this and eat it, for this is my body.’ And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, ‘Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many'” (Matthew 26:26-28).

 

Jesus was prepared to lay down His life for His followers, dying to secure their forgiveness! He did this knowing that His best friends would all betray Him just a few hours later (Matthew 26:31). So, Jesus knows that at some point, we’ll stumble, struggle, and make mistakes. When we do, we can get right back up, acknowledge the sin, turn from it, and run toward God with whole hearts for forgiveness.