WATCHWORD:
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”[c]
14 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”
15 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. Matthew 16:13-18
Meditation:
I Am the Greatest!
Alright, who first said that and when?
If you said Muhammad Ali you would be almost correct! Cassius Clay made that statement in a comedy album that was released in August 1963, six months before he announced his conversion to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
I am the greatest! I deserve this! I am entitled to more! Only I can do this! No one is better! In our political world, we will probably hear more of this child-fantasy talk and braggadocio (is that a real word?), to the point where we want to scream.
Years ago, I wrote an essay entitled “Disappointment” and a portion fits with this meditation.
In Matthew 7:7, we are told to: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.8“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.…”
Yeah, what about that? You say you have been knocking until your knuckles are raw and nothing has happened! You ask and ask and…nothing. Our expectations (and our sense of entitlement) too often blind us to the loving way God works. His time is not our time and that bothers us. Why not now? I am hurting now!
We are told to come like little children, but that doesn’t mean we must act that way. Throw your little tantrum, stomp your foot, hold your breath, talk endlessly about how good you are, do anything except trust that your prayer will be answered in God’s good time. You won’t make it happen.
We have all heard that bit of wisdom, don’t pray for patience because the Good Lord will give you cause for patience. Too often our lack of patience bumps up against our wanting it now, our poisonous spirit of entitlement.
Randy Alcorn in his book The Grace and Truth Paradox, makes this summary statement: “We always think we deserve more. We’re disappointed with our family, neighbors, church, the waitress, the sales clerk, and the department of motor vehicles. Ultimately, we’re disappointed with God. He hasn’t given us everything we want.”
Think about this. We think our churches are failing. It’s not just the pandemic, even before that if you count the number of bodies in the pews you might come to the conclusion that our church is failing. This past Sunday I listen to a streaming service where the pastor spoke about the failure of Peter, against Christ’s trust in him calling Peter, “on this rock I will build my church.”
Did you get that? My church. When our measure of church success is about the numbers in the pews, then we are missing the point. That is not a measure of Christian success or faith. Where is our hope? Is our hope built on nothing less than Jesus love? Notice it’s not dependent on you or me, but on our faithfulness and trust in Him.
So, who is the greatest? Can we say with conviction’s that we do not deserve all the gifts and graces that our Lord has showered on us? The greatest is not me, or you. Can we with certainty say that humility maybe one of the most important gifts that we have to equip us in the living out of our lives? Humility that lives according to trust in Christ.
Who is the greatest? That, of course, would be God.
My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand. Amen.
Morning Prayers:
Father, I praise You today for all that You have done in my life. You are faithful even when I am faithless. Your love pursues me even when I am unlovable. Your forgiveness covers my sin and frees me from its penalty. I praise You for your love and faithfulness to me. Your presence in my life changes everything, empowering me to live each moment of every day, content in knowing You are in control. As I face today, Lord, remind me that no matter what happens, I can praise You! Amen.
