Thursday, March 1
Thursday, March 1
Luke 9:18–26 – Peter’s Confession of Christ
In this passage, we find four lessons that should be found in every committed Christian’s life. Verse 9:18a shows the prayer life of Christ. He had spent most of a day teaching, and when the crowds left, Christ retreated to pray alone. Christ shows us that “Alone time” with God is a physical and spiritual restorative and is absolutely necessary to the life of a committed Christian. We should never attempt to do the Lord’s work without first spending time in prayer.
The second lesson, in 18b-21, is when Jesus asked the disciples who they thought he was, and Peter answered “The Christ of God”. Christ commanded the disciples to tell no man that thing. Christ was not ready for the people to know that he was the Messiah. He knew the disciples proclaiming him as the Messiah would create turmoil. This shows us that sometimes it is not the Lord’s will for us to speak. May God give us wisdom and grace to know when to speak and when to be silent. In verse 22, Christ told the disciples of His impending humiliation, rejection and horrible death. God so loved us that he sent his Son to endure the worst man has to offer in order for us to receive the best gift we could ever receive… eternal life with Him.
Lastly, verse 23 reminds us that as Christians we are to live our lives in submission to the Lord’s will for us. It is not about us, our egos, plans or ideas. Have you ever noticed what a mess we create when we try to “help” the Lord and not submit ourselves to God’s perfect plan for us?
Living Out Lent: God will never give us too much to handle, never forsake us and never stop loving us…”a sinner condemned, unclean. How marvelous and how wonderful is my Savior’s love for me.”
Karen Odom is a native of Tallahassee and is very happy to have finally returned after being away for 26 years! Her husband, John, recently retired after working for the federal government for 32 years. They are active participants in various ministries of St. Peter’s.