Tuesday, August 28, 2012

August 29, 2012

"Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ......" II Peter 1: 1a


If you were to begin listing the names of the great godly men of the Bible, Peter would be somewhere on that list. He one was of the first to drop his nets and follow Jesus as a disciple and became one of the "inner circle" with James and John. Along with those two, Peter got to be on the Mount of Transfiguration to experience that amazing event!
 
He was the one who God used to launch the Church on the Day of Pentecost. After he preached his simple sermon in the power of the Holy Spirit 3,000 were saved and added to the Church.
 
Peter became an important leader in the early Church, helping it to be established on a solid foundation.
 
There were several ways Peter could have introduced himself in this letter, but he chose to refer to himself as a "servant"of Jesus Christ.
 
The word for "servant" is the same word used for "slave". But while the word is the same the idea is significantly different.
 
A slave was bought against his will by his master and became the property of that master. That master had the power of life or death over his slave. Slaves were often worked hard and poorly treated. A slave had no rights. Being a slave brought shame upon a person.
 
Unlike a slave, Peter was not a servant against his will. He surrendered to His Lord, giving up his rights and his ambitions to humbly do whatever his Lord desired. Peter did not do this with shame but great joy! He served because he loved it! He served because he loved others! But mostly He served because He loved God! That is what you do for Someone Whom you love! You serve!
 
So, here is a great man of God who had walked along side the Master and was transformed, just as Christ had promised, from a fisherman to a fisher of men. And how does he identify himself?
 
"Peter, a servant of Christ."
 
How do you identify yourself?
 
Who do you love?
 
Who are you serving?