Psalms 7-9
Acts 18
“When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’” —Luke 5:8
“Go away from me, Lord!” Have we ever tried to push Jesus away before? After obeying Jesus’s request to lower the nets for a catch, Simon Peter landed the biggest catch he ever caught in his entire life, but then he began to see himself for who he really was and pushed Jesus away as he declared, “I am a sinful man!” Has there ever been a moment where we felt like Jesus was there and we are not worthy to be in His presence?
Simon Peter’s response to recognizing who Jesus was is not an isolated incident. The nearer we come to God, the more we will feel our own sinfulness and our own unworthiness. When we are confronted with Jesus, we are going to be challenged to confess our inadequacies and our sinfulness, but our response to Him is going to be equally important. Will we choose to run away from Jesus or turn to Jesus? The truth is, no matter what we do, we will never be good enough, always lacking in one way or another. Romans 3:23 tells us, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Thankfully, this was not a surprise to Jesus nor was it a requirement to be His follower. Even years into teaching and training Simon Peter and the other disciples, Jesus told them this hard truth: “...apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Yet, that is the good news of the gospel—we could do nothing to earn or deserve God’s forgiveness, but by His grace, He offered us eternal life. This is why the Apostle Paul said, “For it is by grace you have
been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
When Paul had an inadequacy, he pleaded for God to take it away. God, however, told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). In response, Paul exclaimed, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). It is in our weakness that God’s power is made perfect. In other words, when we acknowledge our weakness, our inadequacies, our sinfulness, that is when we become strong because we take on His strength.
Lord Jesus Christ, in You alone do I find my strength, for apart from You, I can do nothing. Thank You, Lord, for all that You are in my life. Amen!
Acts 18
“When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’” —Luke 5:8
“Go away from me, Lord!” Have we ever tried to push Jesus away before? After obeying Jesus’s request to lower the nets for a catch, Simon Peter landed the biggest catch he ever caught in his entire life, but then he began to see himself for who he really was and pushed Jesus away as he declared, “I am a sinful man!” Has there ever been a moment where we felt like Jesus was there and we are not worthy to be in His presence?
Simon Peter’s response to recognizing who Jesus was is not an isolated incident. The nearer we come to God, the more we will feel our own sinfulness and our own unworthiness. When we are confronted with Jesus, we are going to be challenged to confess our inadequacies and our sinfulness, but our response to Him is going to be equally important. Will we choose to run away from Jesus or turn to Jesus? The truth is, no matter what we do, we will never be good enough, always lacking in one way or another. Romans 3:23 tells us, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Thankfully, this was not a surprise to Jesus nor was it a requirement to be His follower. Even years into teaching and training Simon Peter and the other disciples, Jesus told them this hard truth: “...apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Yet, that is the good news of the gospel—we could do nothing to earn or deserve God’s forgiveness, but by His grace, He offered us eternal life. This is why the Apostle Paul said, “For it is by grace you have
been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
When Paul had an inadequacy, he pleaded for God to take it away. God, however, told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). In response, Paul exclaimed, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). It is in our weakness that God’s power is made perfect. In other words, when we acknowledge our weakness, our inadequacies, our sinfulness, that is when we become strong because we take on His strength.
Lord Jesus Christ, in You alone do I find my strength, for apart from You, I can do nothing. Thank You, Lord, for all that You are in my life. Amen!
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