And there came a voice to
him: “Rise, Peter; kill and
eat.” But Peter said, “By no
means, Lord; for I
have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”
Acts 10:13-14
Peter was never shy in expressing his
opinion. When Jesus asked His disciples who people were saying He was, Peter
boldly declared “You are the Christ, Son of the Living God.” Jesus affirmed his
answer and that Peter had received this insight from God. On the other hand,
when Jesus declared He was going to Jerusalem to die, Peter adamantly declared
he would never let anyone kill Him. This time Jesus reprimanded Peter by saying
“Get behind me Satan.”
As Jesus predicted, during the arrest
and trial of Jesus, Peter denied Christ three times. Yet, after the
resurrection of Jesus, Peter boldly preached the Gospel and say the Holy Spirit
descended upon the Jews, resulting in the salvation of 3000 souls.
In another episode of Peter’s up and
down spiritual journey, he received a vision from God. When he was told to
“Rise, Peter, kill and eat,” the crusty fisherman said, “By no means, Lord.”
The term “Lord” is used to declare God’s dominion over the world. So, Peter
contradicted himself by saying “no” to God and at the same time expressing
God’s sovereignty over all. He would later change his mind and follow the
directions of God. Then, he was used to declare the Gospel to gentiles and the
Holy Spirit descended upon them just like he had been given to the Jews.
What about you? Are you saying “no” to
God and at the same time calling him LORD? If so, how do you need to change in
order to erase this contradiction.
(The above was included in a collection of devotions published for Servants Alive Ministries.)
