The evolution of the Apostle Peter is nothing short of miraculous. Today, a wise filmmaker might even consider making a movie about his life.
I'm no bible scholar and would never claim to be, but here is a little of what I personally know about him before he left behind his business and followed Jesus:
*He was a fisherman, seemingly a successful one.
*He had a brother and they both worked together.
*He also worked with some other friends.
*Acts 4:13 describes them as unschooled, ordinary men.
A pretty average story for that time, I'd say. But, then, Jesus walks by and his life starts down a path that even Hollywood couldn't make up.
One day when he and his partners are out working, Jesus sees them and asks to use his boat (Luke 5) so he could teach the people. The crowd had gathered and He needed to get off the land in order for everyone to hear Him. Peter obliges. When Jesus is all done, He notices that Peter isn't having any luck catching anything so He tells him to cast his net on the other side. Verse 5 gives us a glimpse into who Peter was when he tells Jesus that they haven't gotten anything all night, but I guess since YOU suggest it, I'll try it. You guessed it...they brought in so many fish after that their nets began to break. :)
This incident opened Peter's eyes to the fact that Jesus was more than just a teacher, but that this Man is the Messiah. He, his brother and his two friends left the fishing business to become fishers of men, as Jesus so cleverly puts it.
From there his life gets interesting...
He leads a nomadic life with Jesus and 11 other guys. As much as people loved Jesus and they drew crowds wherever they went, there were also people waiting for any chance to kill them. They were not well received by all. And, even though they were followers of Jesus, His "main guys", His "posse", Jesus used many opportunities to call out the disciples and their behavior That must have been frustrating. Dude, we gave up our livelihood to come with You and this is how you treat us?! Probably was tough on the ego, I'm guessing.
What drew me in this week was the events that Peter had take place all within a relatively short time frame that would impact his life forever. In this short span, he reclined with Jesus at the Last Supper. He got angry in the garden when Judas betrayed Jesus and cut off a soldier's ear. Later that night he denied he knew Jesus three times. During the days to come, his world would be shattered by the death of his dear friend, pieced back together by the resurrection, then...THEN, shortly after that, he truly steps into WHO he was meant to be.
He was a son, a brother, a friend, a fisherman - yes. But, his calling was more than the sum of his background and upbringing. And he was more that circumstances he had lived through. He was a follower of the Messiah, the One who came to save the world. Once THAT fact gripped his soul, Peter became who he was meant to be. The fire burned in his heart and he shared it with everyone he came in contact with. It really wasn't until after Jesus died and rose again that Peter stepped out from the shadows and emerged as a preacher of the gospel.
This snippet from Acts 2:38-41 shows just a glimpse into Peter's transformation from the man who just recently had denied knowing Jesus to proclaiming Jesus to all:
WOW! Not bad for an unschooled fisherman, huh?
My point that I've taken a long time to arrive at? It's easy to get discouraged in our daily lives. Sheesh, I feel it all the time. I wonder if I'm making any impact on the world around me. I wonder if I have followed the steps the Lord laid out for me. I wonder if I'm ever going to see some of the dreams in my heart realized. And while I'm wondering, I see the hours tick by on the clocks and the days fall off the calendar.
But, like Peter, living to glorify Christ, to spread His message of hope, forgiveness and restoration, and to love Him until the very end of your life is exactly what we're called to do. All of the pressure put on myself to "be something", "do something" is only weighing me down and holding me back. All I truly need to be is just what Peter was: a follower of the Messiah, the One who came to save the world. As proved by the accounts in the Bible, Peter didn't live a perfect life. But, he did live a forgiven, wholly sold out for Jesus life. THAT is the life I want. What about you?
I'm no bible scholar and would never claim to be, but here is a little of what I personally know about him before he left behind his business and followed Jesus:
*He was a fisherman, seemingly a successful one.
*He had a brother and they both worked together.
*He also worked with some other friends.
*Acts 4:13 describes them as unschooled, ordinary men.
A pretty average story for that time, I'd say. But, then, Jesus walks by and his life starts down a path that even Hollywood couldn't make up.
One day when he and his partners are out working, Jesus sees them and asks to use his boat (Luke 5) so he could teach the people. The crowd had gathered and He needed to get off the land in order for everyone to hear Him. Peter obliges. When Jesus is all done, He notices that Peter isn't having any luck catching anything so He tells him to cast his net on the other side. Verse 5 gives us a glimpse into who Peter was when he tells Jesus that they haven't gotten anything all night, but I guess since YOU suggest it, I'll try it. You guessed it...they brought in so many fish after that their nets began to break. :)
This incident opened Peter's eyes to the fact that Jesus was more than just a teacher, but that this Man is the Messiah. He, his brother and his two friends left the fishing business to become fishers of men, as Jesus so cleverly puts it.
From there his life gets interesting...
He leads a nomadic life with Jesus and 11 other guys. As much as people loved Jesus and they drew crowds wherever they went, there were also people waiting for any chance to kill them. They were not well received by all. And, even though they were followers of Jesus, His "main guys", His "posse", Jesus used many opportunities to call out the disciples and their behavior That must have been frustrating. Dude, we gave up our livelihood to come with You and this is how you treat us?! Probably was tough on the ego, I'm guessing.
What drew me in this week was the events that Peter had take place all within a relatively short time frame that would impact his life forever. In this short span, he reclined with Jesus at the Last Supper. He got angry in the garden when Judas betrayed Jesus and cut off a soldier's ear. Later that night he denied he knew Jesus three times. During the days to come, his world would be shattered by the death of his dear friend, pieced back together by the resurrection, then...THEN, shortly after that, he truly steps into WHO he was meant to be.
He was a son, a brother, a friend, a fisherman - yes. But, his calling was more than the sum of his background and upbringing. And he was more that circumstances he had lived through. He was a follower of the Messiah, the One who came to save the world. Once THAT fact gripped his soul, Peter became who he was meant to be. The fire burned in his heart and he shared it with everyone he came in contact with. It really wasn't until after Jesus died and rose again that Peter stepped out from the shadows and emerged as a preacher of the gospel.
This snippet from Acts 2:38-41 shows just a glimpse into Peter's transformation from the man who just recently had denied knowing Jesus to proclaiming Jesus to all:
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off --- for all whom the Lord our God will call. With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
WOW! Not bad for an unschooled fisherman, huh?
My point that I've taken a long time to arrive at? It's easy to get discouraged in our daily lives. Sheesh, I feel it all the time. I wonder if I'm making any impact on the world around me. I wonder if I have followed the steps the Lord laid out for me. I wonder if I'm ever going to see some of the dreams in my heart realized. And while I'm wondering, I see the hours tick by on the clocks and the days fall off the calendar.
But, like Peter, living to glorify Christ, to spread His message of hope, forgiveness and restoration, and to love Him until the very end of your life is exactly what we're called to do. All of the pressure put on myself to "be something", "do something" is only weighing me down and holding me back. All I truly need to be is just what Peter was: a follower of the Messiah, the One who came to save the world. As proved by the accounts in the Bible, Peter didn't live a perfect life. But, he did live a forgiven, wholly sold out for Jesus life. THAT is the life I want. What about you?
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