“And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. ………. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.” Luke 22: 61,62
I really thank God for His disciple Peter; I think this may be the man in the bible who gives us greater comfort. When we look at Peter utterly changed from the self pleasing, the self trusting, the self seeking Peter, full of sin, continually getting into trouble, foolish and impetuous, now filled with the HOLY SPIRIT. Before that to happen, Peter had to go out and weep bitterly; he had to be humbled. To understand this we must look at Peter in different angles.
First, look at Peter as the devoted disciple of Jesus. Peter was a man of absolute surrender; he gave up all to follow Jesus. He was also a man of ready obedience. He was a man of great faith. He was a man of spiritual insight, when Christ asked the disciples; “whom say ye that I am?” Peter was able to answer; “ thou art the Christ, the son of the living God.” Out of other disciples, young Peter was the only one to go down out of the ship and walk on the water. The only reason Peter didn’t drown right there was he had his eyes on Jesus and cried out, “Lord, Save me.” So Peter was a splendid man, a devoted disciple of Jesus.
Secondly, Peter with full of Self or with self Life: The occasion was when Christ was telling his forthcoming sufferings and death, Peter dared to say, “Be it far from thee Lord, this shall not be unto thee.” And Christ responded. “Get behind me Satan”. There was Peter in his self will, trusting his own wisdom and actually forbidding Christ to go and die. Peter trusted in himself and his own thoughts about divine things. When the disciples questioned, who should be the greatest among them, Peter was also one of them. He thought he had every right to the very first place. The life of self was strong in Peter. He had left his boats and his nets, but NOT HIS OLD SELF. In Mathew 16:24, we see that, “if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Instead of denying his own self, Peter denied Christ 3 times; I know Him not. Dear friend, there is no choice for us; we must either deny self or deny Christ. There are 2 great powers fighting each other the self nature in the power of sin and Christ in the power of God. Either of these must rule within us.
Thirdly, Peter’s repentance: Peter denied his Lord 3 times, and then the Lord looked upon him. That look of Jesus broke Peter’s heart. The terrible sin that he has committed, the terrible failure that has come and the depth into which he had fallen suddenly opened up before Peter. One look from Christ melted him into tears of Godly sorrow for sin. Then, Peter went out and wept bitterly. We cannot imagine the depth of humiliation Peter sank into then. But that was the turning point and change in Peter’s life. We also may be a very earnest, godly devoted believer, in whom the power of the flesh is still very strong. Do we all realize that the great God is longing to double His blessings, to give ten fold blessings through us? But there is something hindering Him and that some thing is nothing but the self life. Before Christ could fill Peter with the Holy Spirit and make a new man of him, Peter had to go out and weep bitterly; he has to be humbled.
Finally Peter got transformed: Peter was prepared for deliverance from self. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon him and Peter was a changed man. His whole nature was changed. The work the Christ began in Peter when He looked upon him was perfected when he was filled with Holy Spirit. It is the work of our blessed Lord Jesus to disclose the power of self. Peter’s deliverance was attested
1. by the bitterness of his tears
2. by his humble submission to his Lord’s subsequent rebuke
3. by his subsequent courage in confessing Christ in the face of threatening danger. It was because Christ placed him in-charge and Christ watched over him and Christ taught him and blessed him.
Are you confused about power of self in your life? No one else but Christ Jesus can give deliverance from the Power of Self. Are you still lingering in the failures, sickness, hatred, confusions, financial crisis, lack of peace etc in your life? This is the time for you to go out and weep bitterly, this is the time, you need to be humbled and disciplined once again. This is the time for every one of us to take courage and get comfort from Peter to confess Christ in our life. This is possible only by our Lord JESUS who alone could give deliverance from the power of self. Amen and Amen,
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
God of Fathfulness
Unfaithfulness is one of the most outstanding sins of these evil days. In how many ways, have we been unfaithful to Christ and to the light and the privileges which God has entrusted to us? Lift our eyes above this scene of ruin and behold one who is faithful, faithful in all things and faithful at all times.
1 Cor 1:9, “God who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord is faithful”. In Deu 7:9, “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generation of those who love him and keep his commands.” In Deu 32:4, “He is the rock, his works are perfect and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he”. Lamentation 3:22-23, “Because of the Lords great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
How does God’s faithfulness help a believer?
God’s faithfulness is manifested in His standing by HIS people and saving them even when we are unfaithful to Him.
Gods faithfulness is manifested in His chastening His children when they go astray.
God’s faithfulness is manifested in HIS forgiving His children when they confess their sins.
God’s faithfulness is manifested in His answering the prayers of His children.
Scripture abounds in illustrations of Gods faithfulness. More than 4000 years ago He said, while earth remains, seed time and harvest and cold and heat and summer and winter, the day and night shall not cease. Every year that comes furnishes a fresh witness of God’s fulfillment of His promise. In truth all of God’s creation depends on His faithfulness. Animals begin their annual migrations and periodic breeding cycles at certain times because nature’s laws are firm. Plants send forth seed and sapling according to HIS faithfulness. Only human kind has a hard time knowing whether or not to exercise faith in GOD. Faithfulness is not an option we choose. We show God faithfulness by obeying Him, His heart becomes our heart; His mind our mind and His will our will. God actively looks for faithfulness in HIS children
Think of Joseph, son of Jacob. He obeyed God even when faithfulness brought him difficulties. He was sold as a slave while carrying out his fathers orders. He was thrown into prison because he was faithful to his master, Potiphar. Joseph was always faithful to God and in due time he was set down at the right hands of Pharaoh, ruler of Egypt. Here we see Gods faithfulness in glorifying and honoring His children. Are you faithful like Joseph in all situations?
Secondly, Moses was faithful in all (Gods) house, Num 12:7. What does ‘all God’s house’ means? It means that Moses obediently did all God asked of him. Moses was characteristically enthusiastic for God… thus quite different from the Israelites with him. They were enthusiastic one day, grumbling the next just like you and me. But Moses did not allow the people’s attitude to deter his own obedience. He was also an imperfect man like us and he too made notable mistakes. Yet he consistently did God’s will the best he could. This shows Gods faithfulness in discipling His children. Because of Moses faithfulness, God spoke clearly to him not in dreams and visions. If we obey, if we are faithful, that behavior enables us to hear God’s voice more clearly in our life.
Thirdly, Daniel was faithful to God but he had reasons to disobey or deny God. He had been snatched from home, moved as a prisoner to Babylon and enrolled in school in the king’s court but Daniel was unmoved. God honored and exalted Daniel for that faithfulness. He was faithful in his assignments that when enemies sought to overthrow him. From Daniel, we learnt that God honors faithfulness even in the most ungodly surroundings. Yes God is faithful in preserving His children.
I noticed the following phrase in the doctor’s office. It goes like this, “you need a vision to see; a faith to believe and courage to do”. Yes we need to have faith to believe that our Lord Jesus is faithful God and he expects and searches faithful servant in this universe. Some time our faith wavers with situations, our ears are distracted with the noises of the world, harassed by the atheistic whisperings of Satan. Let’s stay upon His word. Let’s rely on our faithful God. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. God has given us many exceeding great and precious promises, but are we really counting on His fulfillment of them? Are we actually expecting Him to do for us all that He has said? Are we resting with assurance on these words?.
May the God of faithfulness remain faithful even we are faithless? Amen.
1 Cor 1:9, “God who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord is faithful”. In Deu 7:9, “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generation of those who love him and keep his commands.” In Deu 32:4, “He is the rock, his works are perfect and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he”. Lamentation 3:22-23, “Because of the Lords great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
How does God’s faithfulness help a believer?
God’s faithfulness is manifested in His standing by HIS people and saving them even when we are unfaithful to Him.
Gods faithfulness is manifested in His chastening His children when they go astray.
God’s faithfulness is manifested in HIS forgiving His children when they confess their sins.
God’s faithfulness is manifested in His answering the prayers of His children.
Scripture abounds in illustrations of Gods faithfulness. More than 4000 years ago He said, while earth remains, seed time and harvest and cold and heat and summer and winter, the day and night shall not cease. Every year that comes furnishes a fresh witness of God’s fulfillment of His promise. In truth all of God’s creation depends on His faithfulness. Animals begin their annual migrations and periodic breeding cycles at certain times because nature’s laws are firm. Plants send forth seed and sapling according to HIS faithfulness. Only human kind has a hard time knowing whether or not to exercise faith in GOD. Faithfulness is not an option we choose. We show God faithfulness by obeying Him, His heart becomes our heart; His mind our mind and His will our will. God actively looks for faithfulness in HIS children
Think of Joseph, son of Jacob. He obeyed God even when faithfulness brought him difficulties. He was sold as a slave while carrying out his fathers orders. He was thrown into prison because he was faithful to his master, Potiphar. Joseph was always faithful to God and in due time he was set down at the right hands of Pharaoh, ruler of Egypt. Here we see Gods faithfulness in glorifying and honoring His children. Are you faithful like Joseph in all situations?
Secondly, Moses was faithful in all (Gods) house, Num 12:7. What does ‘all God’s house’ means? It means that Moses obediently did all God asked of him. Moses was characteristically enthusiastic for God… thus quite different from the Israelites with him. They were enthusiastic one day, grumbling the next just like you and me. But Moses did not allow the people’s attitude to deter his own obedience. He was also an imperfect man like us and he too made notable mistakes. Yet he consistently did God’s will the best he could. This shows Gods faithfulness in discipling His children. Because of Moses faithfulness, God spoke clearly to him not in dreams and visions. If we obey, if we are faithful, that behavior enables us to hear God’s voice more clearly in our life.
Thirdly, Daniel was faithful to God but he had reasons to disobey or deny God. He had been snatched from home, moved as a prisoner to Babylon and enrolled in school in the king’s court but Daniel was unmoved. God honored and exalted Daniel for that faithfulness. He was faithful in his assignments that when enemies sought to overthrow him. From Daniel, we learnt that God honors faithfulness even in the most ungodly surroundings. Yes God is faithful in preserving His children.
I noticed the following phrase in the doctor’s office. It goes like this, “you need a vision to see; a faith to believe and courage to do”. Yes we need to have faith to believe that our Lord Jesus is faithful God and he expects and searches faithful servant in this universe. Some time our faith wavers with situations, our ears are distracted with the noises of the world, harassed by the atheistic whisperings of Satan. Let’s stay upon His word. Let’s rely on our faithful God. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. God has given us many exceeding great and precious promises, but are we really counting on His fulfillment of them? Are we actually expecting Him to do for us all that He has said? Are we resting with assurance on these words?.
May the God of faithfulness remain faithful even we are faithless? Amen.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Blessed New Year 2008
“But you, beloved building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. Jude 20,21.”
Dear Friends,
Let’s meditate briefly on the above verse . First we need to build up ourselves in the most Holy faith. Yes, how will you build yourselves in the holy faith? By focusing on the word of God and on the cross, we could build ourselves in the holy faith. We need to read the word of God to hear the voice of God in our life. We have seen Bartemius, the blind man who had dynamic faith in Christ, and hence his faith healed him well. Lets take time read the word of God in our daily busy life.
Secondly, we need to pray in the Holy Spirit. Why should we pray in the Holy Spirit? Romans: 8:26 we see that, “ And in the same way the spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the spirit Himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words”.
Thirdly, we need to keep ourselves in God’s love. Many times we try to do things with our love of God. Our love of God fades gradually, but God’s love doesn’t fail or fade at any situations. God’s love is always stronger than our love of God, because God’s love flows between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit as a circle which is stronger. So let’s start this New Year with God’s love and not with our love of God.
Finally, wait anxiously for the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we wait for the mercy of our Lord, He gives assurance towards our salvation. Let’s ask for grace of God and not justice of God.
May the living Lord Jesus help to keep us from stumbling and to make us stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy? Amen and Amen.
Wish you all very blessed and Christ Centered New Year 2008.
Dear Friends,
Let’s meditate briefly on the above verse . First we need to build up ourselves in the most Holy faith. Yes, how will you build yourselves in the holy faith? By focusing on the word of God and on the cross, we could build ourselves in the holy faith. We need to read the word of God to hear the voice of God in our life. We have seen Bartemius, the blind man who had dynamic faith in Christ, and hence his faith healed him well. Lets take time read the word of God in our daily busy life.
Secondly, we need to pray in the Holy Spirit. Why should we pray in the Holy Spirit? Romans: 8:26 we see that, “ And in the same way the spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the spirit Himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words”.
Thirdly, we need to keep ourselves in God’s love. Many times we try to do things with our love of God. Our love of God fades gradually, but God’s love doesn’t fail or fade at any situations. God’s love is always stronger than our love of God, because God’s love flows between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit as a circle which is stronger. So let’s start this New Year with God’s love and not with our love of God.
Finally, wait anxiously for the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we wait for the mercy of our Lord, He gives assurance towards our salvation. Let’s ask for grace of God and not justice of God.
May the living Lord Jesus help to keep us from stumbling and to make us stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy? Amen and Amen.
Wish you all very blessed and Christ Centered New Year 2008.
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