Tuesday 24 May, 2016

54 Then the men arrested Jesus and led him away. They took him into the high priest’s house. Peter followed from far away. 55 Some people there started a fire in the middle of the courtyard. Then they sat down together. Peter sat down with them. 56 A female servant saw him sitting there in the firelight. She looked closely at him. Then she said, “This man was with Jesus.” 57 But Peter said he had not been with him. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said. 58 A little later someone else saw Peter. “You also are one of them,” he said. “No,” Peter replied. “I’m not!” 59 About an hour later, another person spoke up. “This fellow must have been with Jesus,” he said. “He is from Galilee.” 60 Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked right at Peter. Then Peter remembered what the Lord had spoken to him. “The rooster will crow today,” Jesus had said. “Before it does, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” 62 Peter went outside. He broke down and cried.

Fire-light is not great for seeing things clearly.  It’s shadowy, transient and unpredictable.  It may be bright on one side and pitch black on the other.

Peter was sitting in fire-light the night he denied Jesus.  He sat himself there.  And in the shadowy light, he was able to lie about who he really was – a follower of Jesus.  Or so he thought…

It makes me wonder… what ‘shadowy places’ do I frequent?

What’s my attitude like?  What kind of language comes out of my mouth?  How do I react to people?  What kind of movies do I watch?  How do I treat my kids?  How do I speak to my wife?  What kind of person am I when I think no-one is watching?

The thing is, there is always someone watching us and just like in Peter’s situation they are wondering “Isn’t he with Jesus?”

I want to be the man that, in every area of my life, steps out the shadows into the broad day-light and says “I am a follower of Jesus.  Let there be no doubt!”

Lord, by your Spirit, please help me not deny You by the way I live.  Help me live right, make right choices, and in everything I do glorify You.

Written by Boudy Van Noppen