Do you love me more than these?

Peter had sworn that if everyone else fled, he would not, he was willing to die for Jesus (Matthew 26:23). He really meant it, and when they came to arrest Jesus, he had pulled the sword and cut off the servant of the high Priest’s ear. Yes he really meant it, he would gladly have died, yet within the next few hours he would deny three times that he even knew Him! I so identify with Peter, willing to give my all for Jesus, just as long as he does things my way. But most of the time He does not call us to an instantaneous physical death, rather He calls us to a different kind of death, He calls us to take up our cross every day, and follow Him (Luke 9:23). In many ways this is much much harder!

And the death he calls us to die, is the death of our pride, of our self-righteousness and a thousand other deaths of the character defects that hinder His light shining out through us to this wicked and hurting world. Yes, Peter had been willing to die a physical death, but the death of the daily dying to self and to the “I’ll do it my way,” way of operating, is painful and costly in comparison to the swift death by the sword. But in a real sense, this is the place of the reality of the Christian life, the place where the rubber meets the road!

In saying “If everyone else flees I will not,” Peter was in effect saying "Jesus I love you more than these other guys." But then within a few hours, he had denied him three times. And he had gone out and wept bitterly. Jesus knew that there were things in Peter that had to die before he could be the instrument in His hands that the Lord needed him to be. And it’s the same with us. If it is not the same with you, it was certainly the same with me!

Lord, this question You asked Peter three times, which of course corresponded to the three times he had denied you, must have cut Peter to the quick. In fact You were showing him that he was forgiven, as You went on to re-commission him. I don’t know if we always have to utterly fail before we are willing to allow You to put to death the things in us that hinder, but I know that You had to do that with me. And when You do this, You are so gentle, so merciful, so kind and so encouraging in your discipline. I love You this morning Lord, and I pray these things in Your Precious, Holy and Lovely Name Amen