Hey all.
Jesus told Peter on the night before he was crucified......."Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times".
Peter was shocked! There was no way that he would disown Jesus. Absolutely.........no possible way. Peter felt like he had already laid down his life for Jesus. He had given up everything and had been following him for months already. How could Jesus say that he would disown him? I would guess that Peter could not even get his mind around it. There is no way that he would deny him. No way!
But he did. It happened. Before the rooster crowed, Peter disowned him not once, not twice, but three times......just as Jesus had predicted.
How could someone as dedicated to Jesus as Peter ever disown him? How could he not be fully dedicated? How could he not pass that "test"? And if Peter could not pass the test.........then how can we? I mean really.....how can we?
Check this out.
Peter was set up. Jesus knew that he would deny knowing him. But he also knew that Peter really had given his life to him. He had given up everything to follow him. He knew that Peter loved him deeply, but he also knew that Peter was just a man and that meant he was not perfect. He would mess up. He knew that he would feel pressure and he would respond to it. Jesus knew that Peter would deny that he knew the one he loved. But that did not mean that Peter didn't love him. He did. Deeply. But Peter was a man...and he was broken. He could not help it.
Peter was just like us.
We have to remember that although we love Him and would say that we would lay down our life for him..............we are still not perfect. We will end up denying him too. But probably not in the way Peter did. Our way is more subtle. Our way is less noticeable. We may not deny him with a mob that is surrounding us........but it is still the same. It is denying Him. We deny Him with our actions.
We might fail to act on a voice we hear telling us to do something. We might refuse to give away our talents. We may not follow our heart when we know it is clearly telling us to act on a certain something. We may withhold forgiveness. In doing so......we deny what the Lord is telling us to do. And in those times.....................we are "denying him". It is the same thing as Peter.
We just don't hear the rooster.
Strength and Honor,
-S
Jesus told Peter on the night before he was crucified......."Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times".
Peter was shocked! There was no way that he would disown Jesus. Absolutely.........no possible way. Peter felt like he had already laid down his life for Jesus. He had given up everything and had been following him for months already. How could Jesus say that he would disown him? I would guess that Peter could not even get his mind around it. There is no way that he would deny him. No way! But he did. It happened. Before the rooster crowed, Peter disowned him not once, not twice, but three times......just as Jesus had predicted.
How could someone as dedicated to Jesus as Peter ever disown him? How could he not be fully dedicated? How could he not pass that "test"? And if Peter could not pass the test.........then how can we? I mean really.....how can we?
Check this out.
Peter was set up. Jesus knew that he would deny knowing him. But he also knew that Peter really had given his life to him. He had given up everything to follow him. He knew that Peter loved him deeply, but he also knew that Peter was just a man and that meant he was not perfect. He would mess up. He knew that he would feel pressure and he would respond to it. Jesus knew that Peter would deny that he knew the one he loved. But that did not mean that Peter didn't love him. He did. Deeply. But Peter was a man...and he was broken. He could not help it.
Peter was just like us.
We have to remember that although we love Him and would say that we would lay down our life for him..............we are still not perfect. We will end up denying him too. But probably not in the way Peter did. Our way is more subtle. Our way is less noticeable. We may not deny him with a mob that is surrounding us........but it is still the same. It is denying Him. We deny Him with our actions.
We might fail to act on a voice we hear telling us to do something. We might refuse to give away our talents. We may not follow our heart when we know it is clearly telling us to act on a certain something. We may withhold forgiveness. In doing so......we deny what the Lord is telling us to do. And in those times.....................we are "denying him". It is the same thing as Peter.
We just don't hear the rooster.
Strength and Honor,
-S
