{"id":21944,"date":"2017-12-09T00:05:38","date_gmt":"2017-12-09T08:05:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=21944"},"modified":"2017-12-07T10:17:03","modified_gmt":"2017-12-07T18:17:03","slug":"december-9-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2017\/12\/09\/december-9-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"December 9, 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cPeter said to Him, \u2018Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.\u2019 Jesus answered him, \u2018Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.\u2019\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0John 13:37-38<\/p>\n

Confronting the Truth<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Haven\u2019t we all wished at times that we could take back the dumb things we\u2019ve said and done? This is particularly true after we are proven to be a fraud or a fake\u2014when the words we spoke so rashly proved to be wrong, or our predictions did not come true.<\/p>\n

In today\u2019s Scripture, Peter speaks hastily to show Jesus that he loves Him. \u201cI\u2019ll DIE for You, Jesus!\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesus confronts Peter. \u201cReally, Peter? You think you\u2019d DIE for Me? Let Me just tell you what will REALLY happen\u2014you\u2019ll deny Me three times early tomorrow morning!\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesus sees all of tomorrow\u2019s failures and denials. Nothing is hidden from Him that won\u2019t be revealed at some point (Matthew 10:26). But though our sin isn\u2019t hidden from Him, it is often hidden from us. In Peter\u2019s case, it would only be a few terrible hours between his impulsive declaration of allegiance and the most distraught moments of his life.<\/p>\n

In the tight spots of life, we find out what we\u2019re made of. We plainly see the truth that we\u2019ve maybe missed seeing our whole lives. In the clutches of a difficult moment, what comes out of our mouth? When it really counts, what action do we take? You can check yourself ahead of time, you know. Read Galatians 5, and ask, \u201cDo I live in the flesh?\u201d If that is your practice, you will respond in the flesh when times get tough. \u201cAm I led by the Spirit?\u201d If that is your practice, you will respond to the hard times with the Spirit\u2019s attributes. \u201cFor if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Let each one examine his own work\u2026\u201d<\/em> (Galatians 6:3-4).<\/p>\n

There is no question that Jesus knows us through and through. \u201cBut Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man\u201d <\/em>(John 2:24-25). Both our public and private lives will reveal to us the irrefutable evidence of who we are. Are we paying attention?<\/p>\n

Whatever the evidence shows, Jesus goes to some length to give us a chance to make things right. Peter verbally denied Jesus three times; then after His resurrection, as we read in John 21, Jesus gives Peter three chances to declare His love verbally.<\/p>\n

Peter\u2019s words may have been spoken in haste, but they proved prophetic. He would, indeed, be ready to die for Jesus several years down the road, when he was crucified upside down on a cross!<\/p>\n

\u201cFather, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer (Psalm 19:14).\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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