Today’s Reading: John 1:35-42 / Matthew 16:13-21
Today’s Verse: And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18 KJV
In Scripture, names described the person, his position, and of some circumstance that affected him.
It came to stand for the person.
In our reading we see where Jesus renamed Simon as Peter/Cephas (John 1:42 KJV).
Peter means “the rock.”
It took a while for him to live up to his new name.
When we look at his life, we see him as a fisherman known for his thoughtless behavior.
He would change so often that he became difficult to deal with.
Peter disagreed with Jesus (Matthew 16:22-23 KJV). He struck a man with a sword (John 18:10-11 KJV). He even denied knowing Jesus (John 18:15-27 KJV).
Despite Peter’s actions, God continued to work on him.
In Acts we read how God was successful in getting Peter to make a change in his life.
To the point He worked in and through Peter to establish His church.
Peter truly became a rock.
It is amazing how things can change in someone’s life.
Like Peter, when we are followers of Christ, we have a new identity.
We are also His disciples.
“And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26 KJV).
The name “Christians” means “Christ-ones.”
We are one of the Christ-ones.
Our lives are centered around the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
We seek to live according to His will.
There is still some work being done in each of us.
“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” (Philippians 1:6 KJV).
God is faithful.
A WORD OF PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we know You are the Rock. The One that has made salvation available in all our lives. The One we can depend on. We count it an honor to be one of Your children. To live a Christian life. Always learning more each day about Your ways. Testifying of Your goodness. May we continue to understand more fully what it means to be identified with the Savior. Knowledge and wisdom is ours when we do. Thank You for working in us and through us.
In Jesus Name We Pray, Amen