Tuesday, April 12

Tuesday

Let’s be brutally honest, Simon Peter wasn’t exactly a great prospect for Jesus to choose as one the leaders of His church…

He was an uneducated fisherman (Acts 4:13, Matthew 4:18).

He was quick-tempered and impulsive (John 18:10, Matthew 26:50-51).

He was prone to break his word.  He made promises that he didn’t keep (Mark 14:29, Matthew 26:74).

He started things that he didn’t finish (Matthew 14:28-30).

He was prone to fear and doubt (Matthew 14:30-31).

He couldn’t always be counted on in a pinch (Mark 14:53-54).

He could be cowardly (Luke 22:54-60) and undependable (Matthew 26:40-41).

He couldn’t always control his tongue (Mark 14:71). 

He couldn’t always see the “big picture” (Matthew 16:23, John 18:11).

He was a narrow-minded racist (Acts 10:13-14, Galatians 2:11-14).

But then again on the other hand…

Jesus called him Cephas or “Rock” (John 1:42)

He walked on water! (Matthew 14:28-29)

He was the only one to give the answer to the question of who Jesus truly was (Luke 9:20-21)

He said that Jesus alone had the words of eternal life (John 6:68)

He was one of three disciples present at the transfiguration (Mark 9:2)

He wrote two letters of the New Testament (1 & 2 Peter)

He was filled with the Holy Spirit (acts 4:8)

He preached the first sermon in Church history (Acts 2:14-36)

He healed a beggar (Acts 3:6-8)

He stood up to the Sanhedrin, the very same group that put Jesus to death (Acts 4:18-21)

He was the key leader in the early church (Acts 3-6)

He performed many miraculous healings (Acts 5:12-15)

Peter’s problem wasn’t his lack of desire and zeal; it was how he employed these qualities that often got him into trouble. One of the reasons Jesus chose Peter was because he was a man of devotion, determination and passion. Granted, his passion was misdirected at times, but once Peter came to realize the power of his risen Lord, that same passion was channeled in a very constructive and powerful way.  Just as Peter himself would write in his second letter; His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. - 1 Peter 1:3

No matter what your previous background, the Lord can use you as a vessel in His service. Our faults can be molded and fashioned into virtue. Failure yesterday is not necessarily fatal tomorrow. Weakness can become strength.

The good news is—the Lord sees beyond what we are to what we can become. We see spiritual resumes that are tarnished by transgression, failure and neglect (Romans 3:23). We see sinners; Jesus sees saints. We see humiliation; Jesus sees exaltation. We see despair; Jesus sees a living hope. We see Simon the crumbling disciple; Jesus saw Peter the rock-solid leader who would help establish His church.


As C.S. Lewis wisely observed, "The truth about any of us is not what we think about God, but what He thinks about us."


Jeff Frazier