Peter Put In His Place

PETER PUT IN HIS PLACE

“Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
(Mark 8:33b)

Peter was my favorite of the disciples because I think God made me a lot like him. You know, the sanguine personality who can’t stand quiet so we do the thing at which we are the best, we talk. It has been said of this personality that we talk 15 minutes trying to think of something to say. We are fun to be around, sometimes, for a while, occasionally.

That was Peter; leading with his ready-aim-talk approach to life. It can get you to the head of the class and it can just as easily create embarrassing and awkward moments. This is turn can produce a life of emotional ups and downs.

In the story from Mark 8 we see evidence of those ups and downs. First Peter gallantly answered Jesus’ question about who He is, which resulted in a high five from the Savior. Immediately after that Jesus predicted His looming death only to be rebuked by the same man who just confessed that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Do you see this personality I have described?

Jesus’ response was interesting and thought provoking. He said Peter was thinking like man thinks, not like God thinks. He was accusing Peter of seeing things from a human point of view, not from God’s point of view.

I’m sure it’s not true of you but I have to confess that I make a regular habit of doing the same thing. My first reaction to situations is usually and unfortunately from a human perspective.

The big picture of what Jesus was saying was exactly God’s plan for the ages but Peter saw it from a human point of view. That will always get us in trouble.

We need to work at divorcing ourselves what our culture says, what our society thinks, what they are saying on television and writing in the newspapers and concentrate on seeing things as God sees them.

What is going on right now in your life that you are trying to get a grip on? Are you working at seeing it through the eyes of the one who loved you enough to die for you, cares for you and wants the best for you? -- Walt Wiley is President of Winning with Encouragement and a favorite speaker at America's KESWICK

God's WORD for YOU: Proverbs 30; Psalm 51-53; Romans 2

Great Quote: The Word of God I think of as a straight edge, which shows up our own crookedness. We can't really tell how crooked our thinking is until we line it up with the straight edge of Scripture. Elisabeth Elliot