Luke 9:62 - 'And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the
plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'
*
Peter denied Jesus 3 times. Although he said he would never do it, he*did it. Peter was warming himself by the fire and people approached*him to ask him about Jesus. He denied ever knowing Jesus right in*front of Jesus. I'm sure Peter said in his heart, "i can deny him*verbally now and not really mean it. I am just human, so I am entitled*to some mistakes." But what about the people that he lied to? What*about their walk and their confidence in Jesus? Sometimes we wanna do*what we wanna do even though it's the wrong thing and we never consider*those around being hurt or devastated by our actions. That's why it's*so dangerous to walk in the mistakes of your past because you pull*yourself backwards and everyone else that is attached to you will go*backwards as well. So, it wasn't something Peter could just do and get*away with, but it was something that would affect all those that*believed in him. I'm sure afterwards, Peter felt sorry for himself.*But that is dangerous as well because feeling sorry for yourself will*only make you replay your past again. You see, in order to feel sorry*for yourself and get people to feel sorry with you, you have to replay*all your hurts and pains from your past again. But this leads to*selfishness and stops forward progress. Selfishness is the enemy of*God because when you please the flesh, you cannot please God. And when*you are in self, you cannot focus on the needs of others! So, because*you are not hearing God, you have to surround yourself with people that*will feel sorry for you and pity you and justify your selfishness. You*have to remove those that push on you to be better, and replace them*with people that will make you feel good even when you are not where*you should be. What's even sadder is, when you remove the challenge*to be better, you replace it with the consequences of bad decisions.*Then you are in a worse state than before. Though it may be*uncomfortable to move forward, it's God's will that you do. Your past*can make you feel content because it's already happened and it's common*to you. Even misery and sorrows of the past can be a comfort zone*because you are so familiar with it. But the future is where you must*go if you are going to fulfill the call on your life.
*
God wanted Peter to get past his denial and move forward. I'm sure*Peter kept thinking about it and was feeling terrible about it the*whole time Jesus was being crucified. But God did something that was*wonderful. After Jesus rose from the dead and was sitting with the*disciples eating, God allowed Peter to be at a fire again. Peter was*sitting there, by a fire, just like before. And Jesus asked him 3*times, "Peter, do you love me?" For every time that Peter denied him,*Jesus asked did he love him. But he didn't mention Peter's past, he*only spoke his future. "Feed my sheep!" In other words, get past it*Peter because i have ministry for you to do! Jesus recreated the whole*scene so that Peter could be tested once again. But Peter passed with*flying colors this time and not many days later started the first*church! You see, the promise is always right behind the test! Don't*fail the test my friends. Though the scene is recreated, don't do what*you did before. This time, do the right thing and get past your past*errors and mistakes. Stay focused and keep following the plan of God*and not the path of your emotions. Don't make decisions based on how*you feel and what you want because that's what you did in times past.*That got you nothing but sorrow and heartaches that you are still*battling to this day. This time, you must follow the voice of God and*endure the pain of growth and progress. After the test, you will*receive the prize.
*
Suggested Reading: John 21:17, Phil. 3:13, Phil 3:19
plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'
*
Peter denied Jesus 3 times. Although he said he would never do it, he*did it. Peter was warming himself by the fire and people approached*him to ask him about Jesus. He denied ever knowing Jesus right in*front of Jesus. I'm sure Peter said in his heart, "i can deny him*verbally now and not really mean it. I am just human, so I am entitled*to some mistakes." But what about the people that he lied to? What*about their walk and their confidence in Jesus? Sometimes we wanna do*what we wanna do even though it's the wrong thing and we never consider*those around being hurt or devastated by our actions. That's why it's*so dangerous to walk in the mistakes of your past because you pull*yourself backwards and everyone else that is attached to you will go*backwards as well. So, it wasn't something Peter could just do and get*away with, but it was something that would affect all those that*believed in him. I'm sure afterwards, Peter felt sorry for himself.*But that is dangerous as well because feeling sorry for yourself will*only make you replay your past again. You see, in order to feel sorry*for yourself and get people to feel sorry with you, you have to replay*all your hurts and pains from your past again. But this leads to*selfishness and stops forward progress. Selfishness is the enemy of*God because when you please the flesh, you cannot please God. And when*you are in self, you cannot focus on the needs of others! So, because*you are not hearing God, you have to surround yourself with people that*will feel sorry for you and pity you and justify your selfishness. You*have to remove those that push on you to be better, and replace them*with people that will make you feel good even when you are not where*you should be. What's even sadder is, when you remove the challenge*to be better, you replace it with the consequences of bad decisions.*Then you are in a worse state than before. Though it may be*uncomfortable to move forward, it's God's will that you do. Your past*can make you feel content because it's already happened and it's common*to you. Even misery and sorrows of the past can be a comfort zone*because you are so familiar with it. But the future is where you must*go if you are going to fulfill the call on your life.
*
God wanted Peter to get past his denial and move forward. I'm sure*Peter kept thinking about it and was feeling terrible about it the*whole time Jesus was being crucified. But God did something that was*wonderful. After Jesus rose from the dead and was sitting with the*disciples eating, God allowed Peter to be at a fire again. Peter was*sitting there, by a fire, just like before. And Jesus asked him 3*times, "Peter, do you love me?" For every time that Peter denied him,*Jesus asked did he love him. But he didn't mention Peter's past, he*only spoke his future. "Feed my sheep!" In other words, get past it*Peter because i have ministry for you to do! Jesus recreated the whole*scene so that Peter could be tested once again. But Peter passed with*flying colors this time and not many days later started the first*church! You see, the promise is always right behind the test! Don't*fail the test my friends. Though the scene is recreated, don't do what*you did before. This time, do the right thing and get past your past*errors and mistakes. Stay focused and keep following the plan of God*and not the path of your emotions. Don't make decisions based on how*you feel and what you want because that's what you did in times past.*That got you nothing but sorrow and heartaches that you are still*battling to this day. This time, you must follow the voice of God and*endure the pain of growth and progress. After the test, you will*receive the prize.
*
Suggested Reading: John 21:17, Phil. 3:13, Phil 3:19
