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So I mentioned in a previous post that I would get back to my take on Peter. I have no intention of turning my journal into a biblical reflections page or something that that effect... but sometimes i'm kinda excited to write about what I might be focusing on attm, and this is what's up now. This is about the gifts we're given, for our purpose... if you will. We are all "anointed" with our own unique gifts, talents, etc.

We often say we want to do this, or become that, in our lives. At least for me, it's been one of the hardest lessons to learn that we don't choose our calling in life... we don't choose what we've been anointed to become. It's given to us, and at a time we don't choose either.

Read on, and be patient with my thought process ;-)

The disciple given the name of Peter, by Jesus, (also known as Simon Peter, as he was originally Simon) was a brash, hotheaded, impulsive man. A man based on action, and not over-thinking. Peter was the first to be called to Jesus' side, and the first to confess Jesus was the Messiah. But Peter denies being his disciple vehemently, 3 times, as Jesus said would happen.

I'd heard the verses of Matthew 16:22-23 many times before, but never understood them well til recently. Jesus had just explained to the disciples how he would die, before this passage:

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."

Why did Jesus call him Satan? I never looked closer at why. Peter was a prideful man... to the point of having the nerve to basically claim he knew more than God. A claim that Satan would make. Peter had self-reliance, to a fault. He didn't stay loyal to Jesus' teachings at first, he didn't stay loyal to the truth he previously proclaimed. At the last supper, Jesus said:

"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."
~Luke 22:31-32

An indication that God knew Simon Peter would betray Jesus, and that when he had turned back to the truth, he would be called to strengthen others. Peter had the benefit of hearing his calling in life directly from the mouth of Jesus. In John 21:15-17, Peter was told to feed Jesus' lambs, take care of His sheep, and feed His sheep. I won't go into all of what that entails here.

But what's this sifting? I'm no farmer, but I know that chaff and anything foreign is separated from the wheat here. Satan would test Peter, trying to draw him out, sift him, and separate him from the faith, the flock, and his purpose.

What kind of weight do you think was on Peter, after realizing what he had done? What do you do after you've.... betrayed God?

Often, we isolate ourselves, and withdraw when we've failed. It's easy to throw in the towel, and just give up when it seems all is lost. This makes it so easy for Satan, for sin, to win out... divide and conquer. How the heck did Peter make it back to the disciples after this... after such a betrayal.

But Peter let God be God to him. He took what was coming to him, after the betrayal... but received grace instead. It's the same for us... when we fall, God's already planned our restoration, no matter how hard we fall. So long as we open our hearts to Him, and let Him be our Lord. Pride has no place, we can't do it all on our own.

In our weakest times, we often learn the most, and somehow we grow. Somehow, we must rejoice over the biggest trials in our lives, knowing we'll come out stronger in the end, knowing that God is allowing our suffering that it might draw us closer to Him.

Rejoice... your failures, in God's hands, are designed to be life for others. (Thanks, Pastor Mark.)

Peter found a deep repentance after his failure, and fulfilled the purpose Jesus gave to him, after proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah:

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, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
~Matthew 16:13-19

Peter was originally an ordinary fisherman... who can say he knew what his true purpose in life would be, who can say he knew what he would be anointed with before it was spoken. We're all made to fulfill some purpose in life, whatever that may be. We're all given talents to serve others in this world, and even our times of greatest failure can become the foundation for the greatest lessons learned, so in turn we add to God's glory in many ways through those lessons, those trials. Peter directly betrayed the son of God, and was still given the responsibility of building the foundations of the faith community we know today.