Mark 8: 32-35 - And he spake
that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke
him. But when he had turned about and looked
on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan:
for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of
men. And when he had called the people unto
him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after
me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it;
but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall
save it.
Jesus had been teaching….healing… and turning the questions
of the religious leaders into proof of their hypocrisy. He stopped one evening to spend time with his
disciples and decided to ask them who they thought He was….even though He could
already feel the answer in His heart. Most of the disciples told Him who other people
thought He was…a prophet…Elias…even John The Baptist…but Peter boldly
proclaimed Him to be the Christ…the long awaited Messiah.
As boldly and as confidently as Peter was in Jesus’ identity…he
missed the mark greatly in the purpose for Him being on Earth. Peter let his
human flesh decide wrongly that Jesus was going to be an Earthly king…death and
sacrifice on the cross was not an option for his Lord…and he boldly declared to
Jesus that He should not talk of death when they were so close to Him ushering
in an earthly kingdom that would in his mind put an end to all suffering and
oppression by any opponent. But Jesus
quickly rebuked Peter for his earthly plan…and repeated His plan of losing His
life to save all mankind.
It is a great reminder to me that my way is usually clouded
with earthly opinions….limited to what my human brain can conceive. It is also a
great reminder of the selfishness I fight daily to put out of my life…so that
God can turn me into as effective a servant as Jesus was while he walked the
earth. Why should I expect that my cross will be enjoyable when Jesus’ cross
was so painful and agonizing?
When I admit that my vision of what God can do with my life
is limited to my human thoughts….God will open up a vision of the amazing
things He can do with me when I place ALL my being into His hands. Yes…I know
that is very hard to do. Some days I
might accomplish it for a millisecond…then quickly realize how very weak I am
and fall once again to rely on just me. Perhaps it is that realization that I
am weaker than I think that will eventually give me the power to overcome my
human thoughts…and believe in a wider vision of the plan God has for my
life.
Father…thank you for the reminder that your ways are not my
ways. Forgive me for the times I hold so dearly to my own selfish desires and
misinterpret the plans you have for me. Give me the confidence in you to see beyond
my human limitations….to see the full plan you have for me to help you spread
the truth of your love for others. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment