Wednesday January 18th, 2017 Confession of St. Peter Matthew 16:13-19
"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (verse 19 )
Peter had been chosen, like any one of us, to walk with God. When we are chosen, we know to whom we have been speaking, and we bear witness to that exchange. Peter had just been through a time of great testing. The call to renewal involved trust in Jesus as Christ, as the ultimate authority to forgive sin. Had Peter walked away to wallow in his own shame, he would have abandoned his forgiveness, his knowledge of who he had been talking to. And Jesus responds: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” (verse 17) Peter’s faith was rewarded by the Lord’s holy commission and power from on high.
Disobedience is failure to acknowledge the authority of Jesus as Christ, the Son of the living God, in the decisions we make for service and daily living. When we abandon the disobedience of self-ascribed service, we can embrace the absolute forgiveness and the absolute power of the living Lord. Our direction is blessed with the keys of the Kingdom.
Lord Jesus, help us to hear your words of power before we rehearse our own privilege and purpose. Amen. — VH
Contributed by Obedient Faith
Peter had been chosen, like any one of us, to walk with God. When we are chosen, we know to whom we have been speaking, and we bear witness to that exchange. Peter had just been through a time of great testing. The call to renewal involved trust in Jesus as Christ, as the ultimate authority to forgive sin. Had Peter walked away to wallow in his own shame, he would have abandoned his forgiveness, his knowledge of who he had been talking to. And Jesus responds: "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven." (verse 17) Peter's faith was rewarded by the Lord's holy commission and power from on high.
Disobedience is failure to acknowledge the authority of Jesus as Christ, the Son of the living God, in the decisions we make for service and daily living. When we abandon the disobedience of self-ascribed service, we can embrace the absolute forgiveness and the absolute power of the living Lord. Our direction is blessed with the keys of the Kingdom.
