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Guest Blogger Rhonda C. - April 29, 2011

Scripture:

Matthew 16:23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s."

Observation:

Peter seemed to always either be on one side or the other – black or white; there was no gray area with him. He was obviously a passionate man who spoke up and often acted impulsively on his thoughts and feelings. I doubt that anyone ever had to wonder what Peter was thinking. I can imagine that it must have been a very humbling experience to have Jesus react the way He did. I can empathize with the humiliation, fear, and maybe even anger Peter must have felt when his teacher, best friend, mentor, and the man Peter loved most spoke so harshly to him in front of everyone. But this scripture gives me so much assurance that Jesus never leaves us. The statement to Peter wasn’t a permanent order that Peter leave Jesus’ presence; it was an order to get his mind back on what’s important, and get behind the message Jesus was trying to teach. Get behind Jesus, pay attention and see things from God’s perspective, which is exactly what Peter did.

Application:

I have a tendency to isolate myself whenever I’ve made a mistake and spoken too quickly without thinking, or too harshly. When I realize I’ve messed up, I just want to go hide and stay hidden until it all blows over. But that’s not what Jesus wants me to do – He wants me to get behind Him, listen to Him and get my heart and mind back on Him. Whenever Peter had his heart and mind on Jesus things went well, but when he filtered things through the world’s filter, things didn’t go so well. It’s the same for me and it’s a great reminder that the more I think about Jesus, the better everything will be.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for Peter. He was bold and impetuous and sometimes he made mistakes, but Your example of how we should react whenever You chastise us is more important than the mistake. Thank You for teaching us all the lessons we need to learn in order to keep our hearts and minds on Your interests and not our own. I pray that You strengthen my heart and mind so I can be more focused on Your will, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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1 comment:

  1. sheilawApril 30, 2011 at 3:20 PM

    Rhonda, loved your blog. I'd never looked at that story in that way before; Jesus DIDN'T tell him "Leave me and never come back," but instead, told him to get his mind right. Excellent.

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