Today’s Podcast
Today’s Bible reading plan:
Read it in a year – Jeremiah 17-21
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Matthew 16:23-28
Jesus (turning to Peter): Get away from Me, Satan!
You are a stumbling block before Me! You are not thinking about God’s story; you are thinking about some distorted story of fallen, broken people. (to His disciples) If you want to follow Me, you must deny yourself the things you think you want. You must pick up your cross and follow Me. The person who wants to save his life must lose it, and she who loses her life for Me will find it. Look, does it make sense to truly become successful, but then to hand over your very soul? What is your soul really worth? The Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory, with His heavenly messengers, and then He will reward each person for what has been done. I tell you this: some of you standing here, you will see the Son of Man come into His kingdom before you taste death.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
Sometimes I like reading about Peter. I want to be so much like him when he does things like step out of the boat or be part of the group that serves the 5,000 those baskets of bread and fish or declares that Jesus is the Son of the living God. At other times, like today, I really don’t want to be much like Peter, but I’m afraid I’m more like him than I want to admit. Peter declares his loyalty to Jesus and says I won’t let anyone or anything harm you. I’ll die before I let them take you!
Boy, I’d like to say those words, just like Peter. And I think I would die for my faith. I would die for Jesus. I haven’t been put in that place yet. I haven’t faced the knives in the hands of ISIS terrorists or the torture of government sponsored atheists in China or the killing squads hunting down Christians in the Sudan. I can’t guarantee that I would die for my faith, but I think I would. I’m pretty sure I would lose my life for Him.
But then, look what happens. Jesus turns to Peter and says, “Get away from Me, Satan!” Ouch! Peter, unbeknownst to him was being used by the prince of darkness. I do not want to be like Peter in that circumstance, but if I were a betting man, I would bet my words have been a stumbling block to someone at one time or another. Something I have said led someone down a path I did not want them to go or God did not want them to go.
It’s so easy isn’t it? Peter thought he was doing the right thing. He was standing up for his Lord. He was doing what any good soldier in this world would do for his leader. But Jesus isn’t from this world. He has a different set of rules. He comes from a different realm and wants to raise us to that same plane on which He lives and loves. He wants to teach us what life is really about. The life the Father intended for us. Jesus saw this physical world’s goals creeping into Peter’s mindset. Jesus wanted to get it out. Jesus saw Satan’s clutches grabbing hold and replacing the Father’s goal with worldly goals, replacing temporary biological life with real, true eternal life.
So Jesus lashes out. He uses the same words He used in the wilderness temptation. Get away from Me, Satan! You’re a stumbling block. You’re not focused on the right story. You’re focused on temporary things. You’re focused on the world’s idea of success, not mine or the Father’s. I know where I’m headed and I can’t take any shortcuts. Don’t try to entice Me with your false trophies. The things you are thinking about come from the distorted view of fallen, broken man. Centuries of disobedience to the Father and the lies of Satan have shaped your story! Get away from Me.
No, as often as I would like to be like Peter, I wouldn’t want to be Peter at that moment.
Then, Jesus takes Peter and the others under His wing and explains what His path is like. Follow the Father’s will. It’s not always an easy path. In fact, in the world’s view it looks a lot like a cross and suffering and pain. In the world’s view, it looks like defeat and agony and death. But when you take up your cross and follow Jesus, it means life, joy, peace, sharing in His glory, joining the family of the Father. It means an eternity with Him, never bothered again by the evil in this world because Satan has already been defeated.
When we lose our life in Him, we find our life in Him. When we try to keep our life, we lose it. He goes on to ask an important question if we try to weigh the difference between our physical life with our spiritual one. The answer is an incomprehensible amount. What can you give in exchange for your soul? What temporary thing is your eternal soul worth? There is no worldly thing that compares, yet we trade it for such fleeting pleasure. Jesus tells us in His words, focus on the important. Get your eyes off the world. Set your sights on God and His kingdom. Think on eternal values. Those will get you through.
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