Fickle friends really tick me off. Over the years I've had a friend or two who would not acknowledge me if they met me at a gathering of people. I was a good "private" friend but apparently a bit of a liability as a "public" friend.
"But Peter said to Him, "Even though all may fall away, yet I will not." And Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, that this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times." But Peter kept saying insistently, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And they all were saying the same thing also." (Mark 14:29-31)
Perhaps I would be more understanding of fickle friends if I truly understood how fickle I have been in my relationship with Jesus. Silence has most often been my form of denial. I chose to be a "silent witness" during much of high school, but chose to be more public with my faith when our popular class president professed and expressed his faith and it was in vogue to be a Christian.
It's easy to place a priority on biblical understanding and a sound theology of the nature of Christ, but bottom line is relationship with Him. His words in Matthew 7:22-23 are sobering:
"Many will say to Me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'
No matter how dynamic my Christian works and service might be, if Jesus and I are not on a first-name basis then I'm in danger of judgment fire.
Peter's denial was the result of smug self-determination. He had no idea how weak he was in his own strength. His personal determination quickly dissolved around a camp fire in Jerusalem amidst an unsympathetic crowd. The prophesied rooster crow awakened him to the true reality as he melted into deep remorse and tears,
Do you and I stand in our commitment to Christ by our own power and determination? Is our confidence in ourselves? If so we are destined to repeat Peter's denials.
We are reminded in 2 Timothy 2:11-13:
"It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself."
When we stand before Jesus in weakness rather than fickle self-determination, we stand in His strength and stand with the confidence that "He cannot deny Himself".
"Father, remind us how weak our self-determination is and move us in faith to confess our weakness so that we can stand in Your strength which enables us to not deny Your Son."
Steve
"But Peter said to Him, "Even though all may fall away, yet I will not." And Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, that this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times." But Peter kept saying insistently, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And they all were saying the same thing also." (Mark 14:29-31)
Perhaps I would be more understanding of fickle friends if I truly understood how fickle I have been in my relationship with Jesus. Silence has most often been my form of denial. I chose to be a "silent witness" during much of high school, but chose to be more public with my faith when our popular class president professed and expressed his faith and it was in vogue to be a Christian.
It's easy to place a priority on biblical understanding and a sound theology of the nature of Christ, but bottom line is relationship with Him. His words in Matthew 7:22-23 are sobering:
"Many will say to Me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'
No matter how dynamic my Christian works and service might be, if Jesus and I are not on a first-name basis then I'm in danger of judgment fire.
Peter's denial was the result of smug self-determination. He had no idea how weak he was in his own strength. His personal determination quickly dissolved around a camp fire in Jerusalem amidst an unsympathetic crowd. The prophesied rooster crow awakened him to the true reality as he melted into deep remorse and tears,
Do you and I stand in our commitment to Christ by our own power and determination? Is our confidence in ourselves? If so we are destined to repeat Peter's denials.
We are reminded in 2 Timothy 2:11-13:
"It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself."
When we stand before Jesus in weakness rather than fickle self-determination, we stand in His strength and stand with the confidence that "He cannot deny Himself".
"Father, remind us how weak our self-determination is and move us in faith to confess our weakness so that we can stand in Your strength which enables us to not deny Your Son."
Steve
posted by steve @ 9:53 AM
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