Author: Scott Heitshusen (Page 5 of 90)

Peter is a fun and interesting character. His mouth always seems to be getting him into trouble. But you have to look up to the guy for his boldness and his courage.

In our lessons for today, we hear about the confession of Peter. In one of the readings, he’s dragged before rulers and elders because He dared to heal someone in the name of Jesus. And he didn’t back down when they asked him “what happened.” He boldly pointed to the name of Jesus as the reason that a man was healed.

In the other lesson Jesus asked the disciples who the people say that He is and Peter is the one who steps up with an answer. The right answer. “

You are the Christ!”

In a parallel passage, we’re told that Peter wasn’t able to answer this because he was just that much smarter than everyone else,.but he was given that answer by God.

That’s pretty impressive!

We have all of Scripture and the Holy Spirit to be able to point us to Jesus as the Christ. And yet sometimes we fail to make that confession. If not in Word, then often in action. We fail to act like Jesus is the Christ, the Chosen, the Anointed one of God. We act in ways that put other people or other things or other ideologies in front of Jesus. We act in ways that don’t set him as Lord and Savior in our life; for all of the world. We have in mind our things instead of God’s things. We need to deny that and everything that puts us at odds with God and His ways; His plan; even if that means suffering.

We need to see – and share – Jesus as the Christ. We need to see in Jesus as the answer to everything that is needed – in our life and that of the world.

“God, thank you for showing us through the Holy Spirit that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and the answer to all of our needs through the cross and empty tomb. Help us now to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him no matter what. Give us the boldness of Peter to step up and step out in faith. Because Jesus is everything. In His name, Amen.”

Scriptures

• Acts 4:8-13
• Mark 8:27-35

We jump from Jesus as a baby to Jesus when He was almost a teenager.

At 12 we see Him prioritizing being in the temple – “His Father’s house” – learning from the teachers and also amazing them with His answers. He was growing “in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”

We see Wisdom making a grand appearance in the Old Testament passage today as well. In in we see a young Solomon ask for this beautiful, godly, essential gift from God – and receive it, and a whole lot more, in spades!

Yet, there is something different in Solomon’s wisdom and that of Jesus. There is something different in what Solomon had and his father David did. The quintessential gift and characteristic that must lay at the foundation of wisdom and every other gift: Faith. A heart not only of understanding, but one that is always toward God in what it wants and with righteousness in how it acts.

A heart that hears and understands others, the world and its ways, is a wonderful, necessary, godly gift and one to be greatly desired (especially by a young king), but to have a humbly faithfulness, righteousness, and heart toward God gives everything meaning and full understanding.

“Lord, grant us godly wisdom, we pray. But grant our heart even more, faithfulness, righteousness, and a heart toward You in everything. Grant us Faith and trust in Jesus, the newborn King for us in all things always. In His Name do we pray. Amen.”

Scriptures

• I Kings 3:4-15
• Luke 2:40-52
• Psalm 119:97-104

Waiting can be difficult, especially when we do we don’t know when we will get what we are waiting for.

Simeon was one who patiently waited for the Lord’s Christ and was promised by God that he would see Him before he died.

Likewise, we wait for the second coming of the Lord’s Christ and are also promised by God that we will see Him when He returns – whether that be while awaiting our own resurrection or waiting while we are still alive.
And when He returns, we will see Him just as He promised and we will be with Him forever.

But, right now, we are still waiting. So, what do we do in the meantime, while we wait?

We COME to receive, and we GO to give.

Yes, waiting is hard; but when we know how that wait will be fulfilled beyond imagination, makes it easier and well worth it! Any while we wait, let us be about His business; let us receive, love and share, and let us share!

“Come, Lord Jesus! We joyfully await You!”

Scriptures

• Luke 2:22-35