Scripture
Our verse for today comes from Matthew 26:35, ” Peter said to Him, ‘Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.’ And so said all the disciples. “
Background
Where do these common fears fall on your list of most dreaded items? Fear of flying, fear of public speaking, fear of the dark, fear of death, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of spiders or snakes, fear of heights. Or how about these slightly out of the ordinary fears – fear of clowns, fear of germs, fear of crowds, fear of dentists? Each of us has our own list, and each of us has our own difficulties grasping how someone else could be afraid of something that seems so innocuous to us. But regardless of the items on our list, the fact is that each of us has a list. Yours may be shorter than most, and only include items of the gravest danger or uncertainty, but there is no one who could convince me that they are not afraid of something. The fact is, there is a healthy fear that serves us well by helping to keep us alive. But we have a hard time convincing our minds to adhere to only the healthy fears, don’t we? Our house with the lights off is the same house it was five minutes before you flipped the switch. Speaking in public is just that. It’s not like standing in front of a firing squad that many make it out to be.
Application
But what about denying your Savior? Where is that on your list? Does that even scare you at all? The most frightful thought may be that too many don’t even consider it a failure at all. They don’t fear it because they are so far removed from considering it. The routine of their life has now allowed for it, excused it or dismissed it. They couldn’t die with Jesus because they aren’t really living with Him.
Peter and the disciples thought they were more afraid of denying Jesus than they were of death. They were brazen and noble, but woefully wrong. Our fears are our fears, but Jesus died for them, too. He crucified them like He did that proud heart and judging spirit. But denying the denier in us isn’t the way to live. It’s a way to die. So don’t be afraid to fess up to your fears. One thing is for sure, Jesus will not deny you when you bring them to Him. That’s exactly why He died for you.
Charge
As we seek Him today, don’t deny that you deny. Lay out before Jesus what you are afraid of, what you have been afraid to lay out before Him until now. Die to your fear, and live.
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