Day 4

Peter is a character in the Bible that can sometimes get a bad rap. He denied he knew or had anything to do with Jesus when He was on His way to the cross. We can only imagine how those interactions haunted him later in life. But before Peter denied Jesus, he and Jesus had a special relationship.

Peter was one of the twelve apostles, meaning he was a devout follower of Jesus, and he saw Him perform many miracles and was with Him throughout His ministry. In Matthew 16, Jesus asked His disciples what people said about Him, as He wanted to know who people believed Him to be. So they told Him, “…some say John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets.” But Jesus wanted to know who they believed Him to be, and Peter’s faith really shined at this moment. He said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

“Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus meant what He said here. He did exactly this, and Peter went on to build the Church. He performed miracles, he was instrumental at Pentecost, and Peter’s life has impacted Christianity as we know it today. But this didn’t mean Peter’s life was easy after Jesus ascended into Heaven. Peter later would be crucified upside down at the hands of Nero because he didn’t feel worthy to die in the same way Christ did. He truly lived and then died for Christ.

While there definitely were times Peter’s character was flawed, his faith was bold and strengthened over time. He didn’t allow his past failures to create fear over his future. He looked forward with zeal, knowing that what Jesus had called him to do was far greater than his insecurities, weaknesses, and any fears of man. His faith remained even to death-and what an impact he has made for the Kingdom!

Action Step: What past failures have you allowed to cause a sense of defeat over your future? We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we do know that Jesus said we would never walk alone in this life. Pray over your future today, and trust in the truth that nothing will ever separate us from the love of Christ.