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Daily Devotions

Our Piece of Flesh

By November 5, 2014No Comments

Read John 17 – 18

 Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? John 18: 11 KJV

Judas had betrayed Christ by leading a group of soldiers to Him. By pulling out his sword and striking Malchus, Peter acted boldly but also improperly in his own power. It is easy for us to look back on this scene and point our finger at Peter for his foolish action but the truth is we too are often just as foolish. We also strike out hastily against others and get our piece of flesh without regard to the consequences. That Peter was wrong is obvious from the Lord’s response. He was taking matters into his own hand and out of the hand of God. The time for Peter to have acted was earlier when Jesus asked him to pray. Because Peter failed to pray he was not prepared spiritually for the turn of events and therefore acted in his own power thinking it was the right thing to do. We are often surprised by circumstances and strike against others when prayer would have made all the difference.

Lord, I am more like Peter than I like to admit. Too often I act first and think afterward. I am glad You are in control to put things back together just as You did in this situation. Help me pray first so I won’t have to pray later in repentance.

A question to ponder: How could prayer have properly prepared Peter and the other disciples for the change of circumstances in the Garden?