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In Luke 22:54-65, we read the account of Peter’s denial of Jesus. Remember, Jesus had just had the last supper and told Peter he would deny Him, but Peter denied it.
How many of us can see ourselves in Peter? We say that we are going to follow Jesus, and not give in to peer pressure, cultural pressure to deny Jesus, but we find ourselves becoming ashamed of Jesus.
Beginning in verse 54: “So they arrested Jesus and led Him to the high priest’s home. And Peter followed at a distance.” Think about that when we follow Jesus from a distance, we are saying that. We want to be hidden; we do not want to stick out. We are trying to be undercover so that no one will notice us. Lord, help me to follow You from a distance. Empower Me to follow You up close and personal.
“The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there. A servant girl noticed him and began staring at him. Finally, she said, “This man was one of Jesus’ followers.”
Verse 57 is exactly what Jesus told Peter that he would do. “But Peter denied, “Woman,” he said, “I don’t even know Him.”
How many times have we done the very same thing as Peter? We deny Jesus to our family, friends, and anyone else who wants to know us. It is amazing how we will not be ashamed of our sports teams, our politics, or our family background. But why are we ashamed to be followers of Jesus?
That is why we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit daily! Remember, Jesus said, “If you are ashamed of Me, I will be ashamed of you before My father.”
Lord, give us the empowerment of Your Spirit to be proud followers of Jesus!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Pastor Ronald Squibb has been the International Christian Center (ICC) Lead Senior Pastor at Staten Island, New York, since 2011. He draws on many experiences from his over 40 years as a pastor and from significant emotional experiences.
His new book, Following the Journey with Jesus, which he co-authored with Daniel McNaughton, was recently published and is receiving rave reviews. The daily devotion appears in this publication.
