What The Servant Girl Saw

Matthew 26:69 - 70 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. "You also were with Jesus of Galilee," she said.  But he denied it before them all. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

         The scene in the courtyard during the trial of Jesus must have been interesting.  Peter was waiting, watching, wondering what the outcome would be.  He did so amidst a diverse group of people.  All were trying to keep themselves warm by a fire.  What is of interest in this case is what the servant girl saw before the time in the courtyard. She recognized Peter as one of the disciples. She must have seen Peter with Jesus at least on one other occasion.  And what she saw must have left an impression upon her because she remembered Peter.  What could she have seen that would leave that impression?  Perhaps she was witness to the triumphal entry into Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday.  Perhaps she had been witness to Jesus teaching in the temple courts and his confrontation with the chief priests.  Maybe she had been witness to the lessons where the parables flowed like honey.  We will never really know what she was witness to that left the impression and the memory recalled in the temple courtyard that night.

         We are often in a position where what we do or say can leave an impression on others.  We may not know what we do that leaves an impression.  We may not know when we said something that made an impression on someone.  But our words and actions can speak volumes about who we are and what we are. And in the final analysis, in what we do and say can people see Jesus?   Can they see the blessings poured out upon us so abundantly?  Can they see the freedom from living a life lost in sin paid for on the cross?  Can they hear the words of hope, love, encouragement that are found so plentifully in the Gospel? Or do they see and hear something else?  Friends we each have only one opportunity to make a first impression.  What we do and say as Christians speaks not just for us but speaks also for whom we represent as Christians.  We have that choice, just as Peter did.  Will we make a strong statement for Jesus Christ?  Or will our words & action leave others with the impression that “I don’t know the man”?

Prayer:  Lord we are often blind to the opportunities that pass by us each day of our lives to make an impression. We often are too busy, or too self-absorbed.  Forgive us Lord, and help us to be more aware of the world around us and less into ourselves. Help us to see with Your eyes and to reach out with Your hands. We ask all this in the name of Jesus, Amen.

All The Others Said The Same

Matthew 26: 35 But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the other disciples said the same.

         I cannot remember how many times I have looked at this passage in Matthew 26 and missed the last sentence.  Maybe I saw it and it did not stand out. For whatever reason, in preparing for the 2013 Lenten Devotionals it jumped off the page at me. Obviously this time around there was something I was supposed to glean from Matthew 26:35. “And all the other disciples said the same.”  This verse seems to be lost to most people.  We stumble along blithely thinking Peter was the only one brash enough to speak up and tell Jesus “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” Peter has taken the rap for all the disciples, in my mind, for all these many years.  I owe Peter an apology for my many years of wrong thinking. 

         But what of the others?  Are we like the other disciples? They all claimed they would never disown Jesus and to die with Jesus. Yet not one would die with Jesus on that day.  They all turned and ran. How would you or I react in this situation? Or let us consider one with less dire consequences. How would we act when in a group that is not comprised of Christians? Do we deny Jesus? Do we chose to not pray at lunch, dinner when in a group setting? Do we join in with the crowd telling off-color jokes? Do we love our neighbor as we love ourselves?  The list can go on and on. The point is do we, each in our own way, still deny Christ today? Peer pressure and ‘group think mentality’ are powerful influences in our lives. Our salvation does not rest in that group thinking, rather it rests in Christ. Our reminder of this comes from Romans 6: 3-7 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.  Christ died once for all.  We must remember we died with Christ. Our death in sin died with Christ. And our resurrection is also promised in Christ.

Prayer: Almighty God our salvation rests with You. In our time of testing, send down Your Holy Spirit to strengthen us. Keep us on Your path and following Your will today and every day. This we ask in the strong name of Jesus, Amen. 

Will You Really Lay Down Your Life?

John 13: 36-38 Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.

         How deep is your faith? How strong is your resolve? These are questions that have no definitive answer. The answer is subjective in nature versus objective. If we could measure our faith in quantifiable terms it would help us to grasp our relative strength and our weakness.  Objectively if could determine I had five pounds of faith when I needed two I would feel more comfortable than just being able to say my faith is strong. Lacking that ability to measure in quantifiable terms how much faith you or I have we need to have a good faith strength and conditioning program. To those of you that think that means you lift your bible over your head fifty times in quick succession, you guessed wrong.

         Not many of us literally are called upon to give our life for Jesus.  But all of us are given the opportunity to die in Christ. Our faith, our very essence of belief can be challenged at any moment by the twists and turns of life. Sudden illness, injury, can quickly rob us of the gifts of life and health we enjoy today. A family tragedy can suddenly snatch a loved one from our arms. Unspeakable acts of violence or natural disaster may render the lives we once knew as mere memories. And through all these events we need to keep our eyes on Jesus. If we are weak in our prayer life we are vulnerable. If we are without support from fellow believers we are vulnerable. If we are seldom in worship or seldom in the study of God's Word we are vulnerable. The onslaught of Satan is relentless and the roaring lion is looking constantly for another victim to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Brothers and Sisters in Christ we must not fall victim. So we need to stay constant in prayer and conversation with God our Father seeking His will in our lives. Seeking His support and faith to endure is a persistent need in our lives. As Jesus said, whatever we ask in His name we will be given. We need to stay connected in fellowship with other believers. There is safety in numbers and accountability given in love. And keeping connected to the Words of the Father in study and worship are crucial elements of our spiritual fitness program. Jesus reminds us that whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life. Keep the faith strong today and everyday.

Prayer: Lord our lives are filled with the chances to slip away from You. The Tempter will constantly seek to separate us from Your love. Help us to stay strong when we are weak. Let Your Holy Spirit fill us to overflowing with Your love, faith, and peace. You are our strong tower that nothing can overcome, Amen.