TODAY'S READING: 1 Peter 2:4-12
I have alway's been fascinated by cornerstones in old buildings. Maybe you have seen them before too. They often display the year or exact date they were placed there. It is the first stone put down. The one around which everything else is built.
That is how Peter describes Jesus. The one whose name means "rock" once again declares that Jesus is the Rock upon which our faith depends. In a sense Peter is restating what he said back in Matthew 16 when he said of Jesus, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
And now, here is Peter after the cross. After the resurrection. After Pentecost. A man who has put all of his trust, all of his future, his entire life, in the hands of the Christ.
Despite the doubt. Despite the disputes. Despite the denial. Peter continued to place his trust in Jesus. He never gave up hope completely, even when all seemed hopeless. How would you have felt in this siutation described by Luke?
So they arrested him and led him to the high priest's residence, and Peter was following far behind. The guards lit a fire in the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there. A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally she said, "This man was one of Jesus' followers!"
Peter denied it. "Woman," he said, "I don't even know the man!"
After a while someone else looked at him and said, "You must be one of them!"
"No, man, I'm not!" Peter replied.
About an hour later someone else insisted, "This must be one of Jesus' disciples because he is a Galilean, too."
But Peter said, "Man, I don't know what you are talking about." And as soon as he said these words, the rooster crowed. At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered that the Lord had said, "Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny me three times." And Peter left the courtyard, crying bitterly. (Luke 22:54-62)
Have you ever let Jesus down? If Jesus had been there in that moment, how would the scene have looked? What would it be like to look into the eyes of Jesus the moment you denied Him?
Peter knows exactly what it feels like, but yet He renewed His commitment and continued to make Jesus his cornerstone. Peter's words are written from the heart of a man who rejected Jesus but then made a decision to return to the only true Foundation.
Peter's challenge for us is to remain faithful and avoid things that will lead us to reject Jesus. The Peter after the resurrection looks much different than the one before the resurrection.
Holiness is the willingness to join Jesus on His journey to the cross. It requires self-sacrifice. It calls us to listen to God's word and obey.
We are chosen by God.
We are His holy nation.
We are God's possession.
We have been saved from darkness.
Let's take a lesson from Peter. After Peter met the risen Christ he was a changed man. No turning back. No fear. No indecision. Once Peter saw the Jesus who kept His promise and came back from the dead, his mind was made up and his course was set.
Nothing was going to come between him and Jesus. Not suffering. Not prison. Not even death. But we often give in to so much less. Let's make a commitment to the risen Christ that we will not allow our evil desires to destroy our relationship with Him. What do you need to keep away from that is fighting against your soul?
shine!
Jason
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