In May I set a new course in my morning quiet hour to be planned but not to be scheduled. In other words, I charted out the next 9 books of the Bible I planned to read but set no date for when they would need to be started and finished. I started in Hosea then 1 Peter, Joel and now 2 Peter. I've found that this approach has suited my personality well and has allowed me to move on from one book to the next when I feel the Spirit of God is saying "move on" and not having to move on artificially because of a random schedule. At the same time, knowing where I'll be going next keeps me from drifting and lapsing.
So this morning I began reading 2 Peter and I was struck in the first chapter by Peter's radical humility. I'm a big Peter fan. And Peter has a good deal to boast about. He could have positioned himself to be highly thought of based on his extraordinary life. Peter was:
- one of the first disciples
- a member of Jesus inner circle
- only man to ever walk on water
- saw Jesus revealed in all His heavenly glory as a preview of heaven
- first to preach a Holy Spirit inspired sermon after Jesus' resurrection
- head of the early church
- first to confess Jesus' divinity
- first to see thousands of people come to Jesus because of His obedience to the Spirit
- wrote 2 books of the Bible and probably dictated the book of Mark as well
- has the first 8 chapters of the book of Acts largely devoted to his leadership and ministry
- performed several bona fide miracles
- and much more.
I mean the list just goes on and on. Sometimes, God allows people who follow Him to be recognized on earth for the quality of their ministry. And to me, this can be the most dangerous aspect of serving Jesus. Many, many people mishandle the accolades of public ministry and end up in serious trouble. One of my greatest fears is to lose track of humility just because a few people happen to listen to me preach on any given Sunday. To somehow believe that I am someone and begin stealing God's glory to take something for myself is to give in to the worst of who I am. And then I read Peter.
Hear what Peter says in 2 Peter 1:
- To those who have obtained faith of equal standing with ours...
Peter, the spiritual superstar, calls his faith equal to the average person reading the letter he has written under Divine inspiration. He takes no extra credit as having "special class" faith for having done all these things. He claims that faith is faith and every person who comes to the Cross stands on equal footing before a Holy God.
Later in the chapter he says:
- We were eyewitnesses of His majesty [the transfiguration]... we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with Him on the Holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you do well to pay attention...
That's radical. Peter who saw Jesus transfigured into the glory He had with the Father before taking on flesh, Peter who was one of few throughout history to hear and understand the audible voice of God says essentially, "that's nothing before God. If you want to really know the power of God, listen to His prophetic Word. Listen to what the Scripture says. Listen to and obey the Bible."
Peter did not graduate, through his experiences, from the simple devotion to hearing and obeying the whole Word of God. He stayed under its control, influence and direction, not trusting his past spiritual successes to be "enough" for him today. He never coasted.
Dear God, as one who couldn't even hold Peter's sandals, let me imitate his radical humility. Keep your holiness in the center of my vision and let me forget everything I do for you, always looking toward the next thing your Spirit calls me to do. Don't let me ever, by being a teacher of your word, ever believe that I can escape the simple call to hear and obey. Remind me that I simply receive a stricter judgment. Amen.
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