Tuesday, August 29th, 2017
JESUS AND PETER DOWN BY THE LAKE
Pastor Bill started his sermon last Sunday by saying, “We are challenged by God to be something beyond ourselves.”
The last chapter of the Gospel of John has Jesus talking to Peter down by the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Given that Pastor Bill is a good preacher, and given that good preachers deliver three-point sermons, he presented the congregation with the three challenges Jesus gives to Peter.
- Have a greater love for Me than you have ever had before. Love Me unconditionally as I love you, no matter what’s happening to you on the outside.
- Be a shepherd to my flocks here on earth. Minister to them with love and compassion. Help them with their physical and spiritual needs.
- Keep your eyes on Me unfailingly until the day of your death. Let nothing deter you or dismay you.
Those challenges are for us today as much as they were for Peter 2,000 years ago. Do I love and trust Jesus amidst the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, the problems in the Middle East, or even my own illness? Do I extend the love of Jesus to others through what I do on a daily basis, even if it inconveniences me? Do I keep my eyes on Jesus though everything is falling apart around me? Do I see him as my only hope in a frustrating and evil world? Yes, I can trust Him through it all. Oh, yes, I can trust Him!