Denial
I must confess that I’ve denied the Lord many times in my life. I didn’t deny Him with my words, but I did deny Him with my actions. The old axiom: “What you do speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you’re saying” comes into play. Denial is a statement that something is not true. The issue comes when the denial is a lie.
Peter had been with Jesus for three years and was one of the first disciples that Jesus called. He is aggressive. He is spirited. His disciples fled the scene when Jesus was arrested. Jesus had predicted Peter’s denial. This was a very difficult situation as Peter likely feared for his life. Check this out…
69 Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.”
70 But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
71 Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72 Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said.
73 A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.”
74 Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed.
75 Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly. (Matthew 26:69-75 NLT)
The older I get, the bolder about my faith I get. I want to live my life in such a way that my faith is undeniable. I know the Lord knows my heart, but I want my heart to show in how I live and how I love. I love because of my deep faith and because God loved me first. I want others to see Jesus in how I live as much as what I say.
Pressing On!
Dwayne