"But what about you? Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus replied, "Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church."
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"
Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
(Matthew 16:13-18, 21-23)
How do I move from rock to stumbling block? By making it about me. By operating out of my strength and expertise rather than my weakness and dependence. By having in mind the things of men rather than the things of God. By losing touch with the big picture and getting all wrapped up in my own little story. By being full of myself rather than denying myself. By avoiding my cross rather than taking up my cross. By trying to save my life rather than being willing to lose my life.
O Lord, help me to be a rock, not a stumbling block.
No comments:
Post a Comment