A passerby spotted a very old woman happily sitting on her porch and asked her what the secret was to her advanced age and good humor. The old woman said she smoked four packs of cigarettes, drank a bottle of whiskey and ate only fast food every day.
“Amazing”, the passerby said. “How old are you?”
“24”, said the woman.

So often appearances are deceiving.

King Saul and King David, for instance.

Saul did some bad stuff, but compared to what David did with Uriah and Bathsheba, it would appear that Saul comes out on top. Yet, he is soundly condemned as a corrupt man, the kingdom is ripped from him and he dies an outcast. David,on the other hand is touted as a man after God’s own heart, doesn’t lose the kingdom and is held up as the perfect king for generations forward.

What gives with that?

What about Peter and Judas? Judas only denied Jesus once; Peter did it three times.

Why did David and Peter get a better deal than others who actually did less grievous things than they did? It must be rather important.

Hint: it wasn’t in their sins; it was in what they did after failing.