Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples. Matthew 26: 33-35
Are you ever as astonished as Peter was? Does it shock you how quickly you can deny Jesus?
Never! That’s what Peter was saying. Can you see the shock on his face? “I don’t believe it. Lord, you are wrong! I would never do that!”
Peter trusted in himself. He thought he knew himself better than Jesus knew him.
Does your sin catch you by surprise? Have you been in Peter’s place? Maybe you didn’t deny that you knew Jesus, but you were certainly not proclaiming Him from the rooftops either. Or perhaps, you did something that you never thought you would do.
When do I deny Jesus? When I argue with His will. When I complain about my circumstances. When I crumble like dried out dirt beneath the wheel of peer pressure. Oh yes, peer pressure isn’t just a teen thing!
But I would never… You fill in the blank, and then take a moment on this holy day—the day Jesus instituted a new covenant with his disciples–to examine yourself honestly. Nothing makes the day go better, nothing helps your walk with Jesus, nothing feels so good as a heart scrubbed clean by the Word of God!. Speak the truth in your heart, and when you do fall, know that Jesus already knew that you would and is the first to offer a hand to help you up again!
Oh, to walk worthy of our Lord!
Only to be what He wants me to be,
Every moment of every day,
Yielded completely to Jesus alone
Every step of this pilgrim way.
Just to be clay in the Potter’s hands,
Ready to do what His will demands
Only to be what He wants me to be,
Every moment of every day,
Norman J. Clayton
Perhaps you would enjoy reading Peter’s story: I Know Not the Man
Beyond Common Sense 