Lip Service

In Matthew 26:30-35 you will find the story where Jesus tells Peter he is going to deny knowing Him.  As I read this passage today I was struck with the thought of how adamant Peter was when he said he'd never deny The Lord.  I mean I think Peter really meant what he said, as probably do most of us when we tell The Lord things too.

I know for myself  I've often made a commitment in prayer only to find myself later doing the exact opposite.  Why do we do that I wonder?  Does this mean I'm just a man who gives lip service to The Lord in order to look good?  Was this what Peter was doing?  Just trying to look good in front of the disciples?  It's evident he said it loud enough for all to hear because verse 35 states all the disciples said the same thing after Peter's statement.

All the disciples fled into the night when the soldiers arrested Jesus, and only a few of them went afterwards to see what was to happen to The Lord.  Peter was one of the men to go and warm himself by the fire, but when people began to question him, out of fear he did in fact deny knowing Jesus.  He even began to curse and swear as a way of proving his point.

I think if we will be honest with ourselves, the reason we don't always follow through with what we promise The Lord is because we're afraid of what others will think or say.  I know this is the reason for me.  And I'm not really sure why that is, because I'm pretty adamant about not caring what others think about me.

I guess realistically it comes down to this fact, there must be just a little bit in me that is afraid of what other people think, otherwise I would never just give lip service to what I believe.  What makes this really hard to swallow for me is the fact Jesus didn't shirk His responsibility when faced with being mocked, spit on, beaten and ultimately crucified, yet because I feel a little uncomfortable in certain situations, I will do the same thing as Peter and deny The Lord by just not saying anything.

And isn't it easy to read this account about Peter and say to yourself, "Peter, how could you do it?"  I for one will be apologizing to him when meet him in Heaven.  Wow, what a revelation to learn about yourself early in the morning.  I guess I've got another thing to work on today.  Well, I hope I didn't step on your toes too much this morning, because I've been stomping my own while writing this.

Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!