Tag: apostle peter

Luke 22:31-33, 54-62

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Peter denied Jesus three times.  It is an infamous story.  Jesus even predicted it would happen.  We might either relate with Peter, or think him a putz.  Whichever way we view him, there was a reason Peter ended up denying the Lord, even though he sincerely believed he would never do such a thing.  And therein belies the problem:  Whenever we are cocky and believe we are above falling into sin, we neither listen well nor trust well.  Pride goes before the fall.
 
            Our sins and failures stem ultimately from a lack of real faith and commitment in Jesus.  We think we can do it ourselves.  We got this.  Well, not so much.  We blew it again.  We keep trying to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps because we are just too anxious to follow Jesus.  To live life on Christ’s terms will mean a loss of autonomy and control.
 
            When Jesus was arrested the text says that Peter “followed at a distance.”  If we are honest, that too often describes our own mode of following.  We want to see how everything will shake-out before we commit.  But only until we let go of our own ideas and stubborn thinking will we discover what true discipleship is all about.  Only the grace of letting Jesus lead will bring us to the point of standing strong and not living in denial.
 

 

            Gracious Lord Jesus, I admit my pride and cockiness to think that I could follow you on my terms instead of yours.  In humility I come to you and confess my great need to follow you unconditionally.  Thank you for your forgiveness and your provision for my life.  Amen.

Galatians 2:11-14

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            “When Peter came to Antioch, I told him face to face that he was wrong… I corrected Peter in front of everyone.”  The Apostle Paul confronted the Apostle Peter on a matter of hypocrisy.  This was not just any run-of-the-mill hypocrisy.  What Peter was doing was totally out of sync with the gospel that they both proclaimed:  that forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ is for all people, Jew and Gentile, whom both together make up Christ’s Church.  Out of fear of his fellow Jews, Peter began withdrawing from his Gentile brothers in Christ.  That stinking fear will get us every time.  At the heart of every hypocrite is a spirit of fear that keeps him/her in bondage to the wishes of others.
 
            Whereas Peter was deepening into the world of learned helplessness and terminal niceness, Paul chose to operate in the world of seeing all things through the lenses of the gospel and confronting that which had nothing to do with it.  Please note that Paul rebuked Peter, and not every single person who came along who didn’t agree with him.  They were both part of the apostles’ fraternity, and each had both a right and responsibility to confront and rebuke when needed within that fellowship.
 
            I live in Mid-West America.  We, like Peter, suffer from the malady of sometimes being too nice for our own good.  If we aren’t careful, we can be pleasant and affable to people to their face, but then turn around and speak ugly words and do our own thing behind someone’s back.  Our hypocrisy is born of the fear that we might hurt someone’s feelings.  But we need to grab ahold of the fact that our hypocrisy hurts God’s feelings, and he will call us to account for our fearful ways.  God does not want us hiding our true feelings, but bringing them into the light of the gospel so that the church can be built up and thrive in grace.
 

 

            Holy God, you desire grace and truth in all relationships.  Help me to speak with boldness, in a spirit of mercy and integrity, so that there will be growth and spiritual fruit in all of my relationships through Jesus Christ my Lord.  Amen.

Luke 5:1-11

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            One of the most fundamental characteristics of God is that he is generous.  God’s benevolent generosity defines his basic stance toward humanity.  This may not seem overly remarkable with only a cursory thought about God.  Yet, when the infinite holiness of God intersects with the prideful arrogance of sinful people, gracious generosity is the quite unpredictable result.
 
            On one occasion, Peter was going about his business fishing in the Sea of Galilee.  Having not yet encountered Jesus, Peter met him and came under his teaching.  After Jesus was finished speaking, he told Peter to put the boat out and cast his nets.  Peter, an experienced fisherman and knowledgeable about the water, knew that he would not catch anything.  But, out of deference to Christ, he did so, anyway.  The result was such a large catch of fish that the nets nearly broke from the weight.
 
            Peter’s response is instructive.  He fell at the feet of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”  Peter understood that he had no faith in Jesus.  He rightly discerned that he did not deserve such generosity from Jesus, an overflowing abundance that was given to him despite his lack of belief.  In the face of such grace, in the vortex of an incredible mercy, having seen the generosity of God directed squarely at him, Peter left it all behind in order to follow Jesus.
 
            Jesus does not strong-arm us into faith.  His tactics do not involve manipulation through guilt, or mind-twisting others through shaming them.  Instead, God is beautifully and simply himself:  showing grace and generosity in places where one would least expect to find it.  When confronted with such love, what would you do?
 

 

            Gracious God, you sent your Son to me even though I was neither looking for him nor expecting anything from him.  Thank you for breaking-in to my life so that I could break-out for you with glory, honor, and praise.  Amen.

Acts 2:14-24

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            In the Gospels, the Apostle Peter was a flake.  He sometimes got it, and sometimes didn’t.  Peter could discern Jesus was Messiah, but then turn around and refuse that Christ had to die on a cross.  He would get bold and walk on water, but end up falling short and needing help from drowning.  Peter stood tall for Jesus, and then denied him three times.
 
            In the book of Acts, however, Peter is a completely changed man.  He gets it.  He is brave.  He confesses Christ.  And all the while he does not falter, flinch, or back down.  What is the difference between the Gospels and Acts?  The Holy Spirit comes upon him and he is never the same again.  Everything falls into place for Peter, who preaches in such a way that thousands repent of their sin and believe Jesus is the hope of the world.
 
            “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death,” Peter proclaimed about Jesus, “because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”  Let that one seep into your soul.  If it was impossible for death to keep its grip on Jesus, then there is absolutely nothing that can deter Jesus or hold him back from accomplishing what he wants to accomplish.  Flaky believers are not going to frustrate Jesus or upset his plans; he’ll just send the Holy Spirit. 
 
            We too often imprison ourselves in self-made spiritual jail cells, flaking-out in the Christian life, sometimes getting it right and once-in-a-while hitting upon some right combination we can’t explain, like a golfer who hits an amazing shot but can’t reproduce it no matter how hard he tries.  The truth is:  Jesus has conquered sin, death, and hell.  By faith, we have forgiveness of sins in him and have the way opened to a new life in the Spirit.  It isn’t a secret; it is a new reality.
 
            The season of Lent is a time of remembering those things that hinder us in our walk with Jesus, and repenting of our sins so that we can live anew.  As we quickly approach Holy Week, the golf clubs of vulnerability, confession and prayer will keep us in God’s fairway and allow us to shoot par.
            Gracious God, who raised Jesus from the dead, may the same power reside in me so that I can do your will in every situation through the power and presence of your Holy Spirit.  Amen.