His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us. (2 Pet. 1:3)
OPEN MOUTH; INSERT FOOT! Peter wasn’t known for thinking before he spoke. He even had the audacity on several occasions to try to “correct” Jesus. He was impetuous. Seeing Jesus walking on the water, Peter climbed out of the boat only to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus.
To some he no doubt sounded boastful, especially on the night before Jesus went to the cross. “No matter what the others do, I will never desert you,” he vowed. But when Jesus asked him to stay awake and pray, he fell asleep. And when Jesus was arrested, Peter ran away. To his credit, Peter later made his way to the courtyard of the high priest’s house, where Jesus was being interrogated. But when someone recognized him as a follower of the prisoner, Peter denied not once but three times that he knew Jesus.
Peter’s track record was anything but outstanding, but one thing was never in question. “You know all things, Lord,” Peter said that day on the beach after Jesus’ resurrection. “You know that I love You.”
Years later Peter was able to write from personal experience about the enabling power of the Holy Spirit that transformed him on the day of Pentecost. That power was everything he needed to faithfully follow Jesus despite persecution and his own death on a cross.
If you’re struggling to live the Christian life, ask the Lord for His power.
Marlene Bagnull will celebrate fifty-two years of marriage in November with her husband, Paul. They have three grown children and three grandchildren.
