How many times do you praise Jesus in one moment and then rebuke him in the next?
Answering this short, but hard question will require you to take an honest look at yourself.
I know it did for me when Pastor Shawn brought this question to light yesterday. For me, this question comes up when things start to go wrong in my life. Things will be going along smooth for a number of days and then, out of the blue, something goes wrong. It could be a bad meeting at work, it could be a disagreement with your spouse or it could be financial troubles. Whatever it is, it makes you express some sort of disapproval or criticism towards Christ.
A similar situation occurred when Jesus was foretelling of his death to his disciples. Jesus was asking the disciples who they thought he was and Peter stood up to confirm. Jesus was grateful for their understanding but then ordered them to tell no one.
From there, Jesus started telling them about his death. Quickly, Peter stood back up and rebuked Jesus for saying such things. Jesus immediately broke up this conversation.
You can see from this quick example of Mathew 16:12-28, that you are no better then Peter. He accepted what Jesus said when it was good, but he rebuked what Jesus said when it was bad. We are all Peter.
So how can you move forward? You need to stop worrying about all of the small things and start focusing on the bigger picture. You need to stop worrying about the things of men and focus on the big picture of Christ. You do this by losing your life to Christ.
What does a bigger life in Christ have in store for you? Leading an honest life for Christ will supply you with all you need. When you already have what you need, you will be able to SERVE more. When you’re able to serve more, you will be able to LEAD more. When you are able to lead more and you have Christ at your center, you will start to bring more HOPE to those around you. This hope will start to change the lives of many and it will continue to change your life.
So how do you know if you have the Hope of Christ in your life? Well, consider this, when was the last time someone asked you about your hope? If you are living with this hope, it will be noticeable and present. It will be obvious. People will gravitate towards it.
If you haven’t been asked the question above lately, maybe you haven’t truly lost your life for Christ. Maybe you’re not living like there is hope in your life. If you have been asked the question, then continue to praise God for the hope he continues to supply you with.
So where do you stand? Live Big.
Bryan Van Slyke
For more writings from Bryan visit Manturity.com