What Would Peter Do?

Peter is such an overlooked character in the bible.

We tend to focus on Paul more often then not as he wrote many of the books in the New Testament. Not only that, his miraculous conversion resonates freshly in our minds.

However, by taking a look at a few biblical events involving Peter, we can learn not only a lot about him, but also a lot about ourselves.

EVENT #1: Jesus confronts the original twelve disciples shortly after many of the other disciples had decided to stop following Jesus because of a "hard" teaching that they couldn't understand.

John 6:67-69 "You do not want to leave me too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy one of God." (NIV)

We can see clearly here that faithful Peter not only confesses his belief in Jesus, but he is also the first one to answer Jesus.

EVENT #2: Jesus walking on the water. After seeing Jesus coming towards the boat, the disciples were terrified until Jesus reassured them that it was He.

Matthew 14:29 "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. (NIV)

Again, we see that it is Peter who acts first. As we know he eventaully cries out to Jesus when he starts sinking but that doesnt take away from his original act of faith.

EVENT #3: Jesus and the miraculous catch of fish. After the resurrection, the disciples were fishing but didnt catch any fish. Jesus appeared to them and told them to throw the net to the right side of the boat and they caught a huge number of fish.

John 21:7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. (NIV)

Once again, we see that it is Peter who is the first to act. The KJV translation says that he "cast" himself into the sea. It almost sounds like he got so excited when he saw Jesus that he just flung himself into the water.

EVENT #4: Jesus arrested and being led to appear before the Sanhedrin.

Matthew 26:58 But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome. (NIV)

Now, when the situation gets a little messy, a little uncertain, a little scary, we see that faithful Peter is now following Jesus "at a distance."

THE QUESTION: When the trials and tribulations begin, do we follow Jesus at a distance?

Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (NIV)

God didnt call us to love and follow him only on Sunday, or only when our wallets are full, or only when our kids are behaving, or only when we need something.

My prayer for all Christians who struggle in their daily walk with Christ, is that we would seek and accept His will for our lives; that we would fully consecrate every fiber of our being to Him who has called us to bear witness to His name; that when the trials begin, we would fling ourselves overboard in faith and follow Jesus in the midst of the raging storm. All the praise and glory be to Jesus for He will never let us sink. Amen.

Lost at Sea

Our faith in many ways is like being on a tiny row boat stranded with no oars in a sea of enormous waves. We are constantly being tossed about like a rag doll. The imminent threat of sinking is lurking in the back of our minds. Our little boat springs leaks on a regular basis continually threatening our existence. We are thirsty yet we cannot drink of the salty water. Our fate is dependent on the wind. Where will it take us? After being battered and bruised for days on end, when all hope seems lost, we see in the distance, land!! As the wind blows us towards the shore we are filled with the hope of being saved but suddenly we are terror-stricken as we see the huge waves crashing onto the shoreline. There are jagged rocks everywhere. All we can do is cling to our little row boat for dear life and hope that we will be saved. After being thrashed about relentlessly, seemingly for hours , we realize that we are alive. It's a miracle!!
Everything seems still as we lay motionless on the beach in quiet contemplation of what has just happened. There is a peace about this place. A feeling of gratitude and relief is in our hearts. The ocean waves which once threatened our very existence are now harmlessly dissipating around us.
Aren't the waves of the sea just the trials of our lives?
And don't the leaks in our row boats just symbolize our human flaws?
And isn't the salty water just the contaminating sin of our lives?
And doesn't the wind just represent the guiding spirit of God and the His plan for our lives?
In this story we can see that the row boat without oars represents our Jesus. If we separate ourselves from the row boat, we would surely be lost at sea and die. Our faith is in our row boat . We cling to our row boat. We our completely dependent on our row boat.
And as the trials of our lives come crashing down upon us like waves in the sea, our human weaknesses get exposed and as a result our faith sometimes develops little cracks. We start doubting our little rowboat. Let us not forget that when our rowboat springs a leak, surely God is the glue that seals up those leaks and keeps our row boat afloat.
And let us always be grateful for the purifying blood sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Let us always repent from our wicked ways and ask Jesus to remove the salty sin from our lives so that we can be spiritually hydrated with His purifying living water.
And let us also accept and recognize that we are not in control. The row boat has no oars. The oars represent our will. If we had oars on our row boat, we would certainly be rowing in the wrong direction. Let the spiritual wind of God take us where He intends us to be. Let His will be done.
Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God". (KJV)
And let us never abandon our faith in Jesus Christ. Cling onto your row boat and know that you will be divinely delivered onto that spiritual beach; that you shall never thirst and shall live eternally in heaven. Rejoice in your salvation and know that His mercy and grace are sufficient and that His plan for your life is perfect because He is perfect.

Inspired by the Godman

I am continually inspired by the life that Jesus Christ led. He is so many things to so many people. He is God manifested in the flesh of man. He is....the "Godman".
In today's carnal world where it seems so easy to serve our selfish desires, we need only look to God's word for inspiration. God's word is something far beyond just mere ink on a page, it is the spiritual gateway in getting to know Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart".
For several weeks now my spirit has been continually touched by one verse which speaks to the power of God's word and how it supernaturally ministers to your heart.
Philippians 2:6 "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God".
Jesus Christ is God. Through the Holy Spirit, Paul is teaching us that even though Jesus Christ was divinity and man at the same time, he did not take advantage of the privileges that are associated with being God. Instead, he relinquished his privilege and humbled himself as a man.
Philippians 2:8 "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross".
Jesus Christ was the greatest servant of all time. He chose to die on the cross as a man, and through his resurrection and ascension, he provided us with a life of freedom. He allowed himself nothing and in doing so gave us everything. He is my inspiration. He is my salvation. He is....the "Godman".

I HAVE A DREAM

Everytime I see the old video footage of Martin Luther King giving his, "I have a dream speech", it gives me goosebumps. It is inspiring to see a man with such great conviction.
I also have a dream. My dream is that everyone on this beautiful planet will one day know the true love of Jesus Christ; that they may feel his presence in every facet of their lives.
My dream came true when God called my name and pulled me out of the mud and cleansed me of the filth of my wretched existence.
It is now my priviliege and honor to write the words of my heart given to me through the Holy Spirit to encourage and inspire those who are in need of grace.
It is my intention to serve any and all who come upon this site and to freely give love as has been given to me from my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ "broke the yokes" of my life and freed me from the bondage of addiction and slavery of the flesh. It is only by God's grace that I am alive today and now in humble gratitude my intention is to serve all of you.
Please feel free to comment and leave any questions you have about the teachings of Jesus Christ or any other biblical questions you might have.
Furthermore, I would love to pray for you, so dont hesistate to leave your prayer requests as well. As I said, I am here to serve you!!
God's Word has the answer to all of our questions. His promises are true. His grace is sufficient. His love is beyond our understanding.
In closing, I give thanksgiving and all of the glory to God as I call upon his Spirit to lead us in humble obedience to His Word. Amen.

Matthew 15:11 "The Power of Silence"

Are you appalled at what is coming out of our childrens mouths? Powerful lobbyists for the television industry have succeeded in their promotion of vulgar language being acceptable at certain hours of the night. It is simply horrifying to hear the vile garbage that is being spewed forth on basic cable channels fairly early in the evening.
In Matthew 15:11, Jesus states, "What goes into a mans mouth does not make him unclean, but what comes out of his mouth makes him unclean".
Although this scripture is taken in a different context, it still speaks to my heart. It is very clear that the blatant vulgarity of our society is becoming acceptable, almost commonplace.
I challenge all who have stumbled across this blog to remain silent more often than not; to think before you speak.
We have all heard the saying "what would Jesus do?" I ask you another question, "what would Jesus say?"
A dirty mouth is like a cancer growing in your soul. Rid yourself of this uncleanliness and allow your spirit to be free from this type of contamination. Let the Spirit of Jesus Christ and his Truth be the Words on your lips.
Peace and blessings to all of my brothers and sisters who are facing the struggles of modern society with vigilance and faith in Christ Jesus.

Got milk? Got faith?

Why do you suppose that America has decided to reject God. We are in the midst of global instability both politically and economically and yet we continue to put our faith in people, places, and things. Sadly, it is not enough that we reject God, but now we have taken it one step further and are removing Him from our society in as many ways as possible. The American family is crumbling. Our children our being poisoned by drugs; their minds contaminated by video games and television. Our collective health is continuing in a downward spiral as obesity and depression are on the rise. Ironically, we claim to be a free nation, when in reality we live our lives as slaves and our yoked by our need for wordly possesions. We claim to be righteous and humane, but in all honesty we live as an empty people who are blinded by vanity. We have rejected the one reality of all; the reality and Truth of the teachings of Jesus Christ. My hope and prayer for all who read this is that they will open their hearts and repent from their sins and receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour and experience the freedom and joy of being in communion with Our Father in heaven. Amen.