I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

Matthew 26. I am going to encourage you to read this Chapter on your own. After you do if you are a Christian sit down and reassess your relationship with Christ. Are you a fair weather Christian, or are you committed? Verses 1-23, Jesus predicts His death (which is just two days away) and He is anointed with perfume in preparation for His burial. Verses 14-30, Jesus has Passover with His disciples, and he addresses His betrayer (Verse 25). Here is what I have always wondered, why did no-one react when Jesus told Judas, “Yes it is you”? Was it something that only transpired between the two of them? Did He lean in to answer Him? Because surely the others would have pounded him into the ground had they heard, right? Sorry sidetracked. Verses 31-35, Jesus tells Peter that he will deny Him, not one but three times. Verses 36-46, the garden of Gethsemane. Verses 47-56, the betrayal and the arrest. Why Judas, why? I can’t understand why he did this, especially knowing that Jesus knew it was him. Verses 57-68, Jesus speaks to the Sanhedrin, He doesn’t defined Himself (He has done nothing wrong), instead He simply tells them exactly who He is. I love that I don’t have to defend God. Here is where I want to make my point, in Verses 69-74 Peter denies Christ. But I want to draw your attention to this one fact, I am going to backtrack a bit to make my point, Verse 56,58, “…Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled…But Peter FOLLOWED Him from a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest.” Here’s my point, Peter is human he succombed to human fears, BUT he followed all the way to the end. I point this out because we all make mistakes, we all fall short, even as we follow. Peter is an example that we can love God with all our hearts and still miss the mark. We can walk to the end and still not follow through. Yet, God sees our hearts and He will forgive (“He will not crush the weakest reed…” Matthew 12:20, NLT).