Here is the revelation shaping my life today- love makes me bold beyond my capacity, but never deserts me when my capacity fails me.
Mark 14:27-31 TPT
[27] Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away and desert me. This will fulfil the prophecy of the Scripture that says: I will strike down the shepherd and all the sheep will scatter far and wide. [28] “But after I am risen, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” [29] Then Peter spoke up and said, “Even if all the rest lose their faith and fall away, I will still be beside you, Jesus!” [30] Jesus said, “Mark my words, Peter. This very night, before the rooster crows twice a few hours from now, you will utterly deny that you know me three times.” [31] But Peter was insistent and replied emphatically, “I will absolutely not! Under no circumstances will I ever deny you-even if I have to die with you!” And all the others repeated the same thing.
Observation
I have higher aspirations for myself than I ever meet. I know my true self is a man made in the image of God, and that my human-divine me, the Godlike me, is really me. But I am so like Peter and the boys, big declarations with sometimes little follow through. I’m a hypocrite of extreme proportions, for my true self is amazing, and I am learning to be me, but there are times when I am just not me. And the good news is Jesus is completely okay with that. He loves my bold declarations and walks intimately with me as I journey into their actuality, regardless of how far short I fall at times.
Love releases love’s boldness. Peter was insistent and replied emphatically, “I will absolutely not! Under no circumstances will I ever deny you-even if I have to die with you!” This is what love does, it makes me want to be a lover too. And I emphatically believe I will. But love also walks intimately when denial comes before the morning. I love this about love, God never deserts me when my love attempts fail at their lofty aspirations.
Life with God is not just a rescue story into right relationship with him, it is a revelation story of who I am in him, I am like him. The image of God is restored in me as I enter into righteousness with him. And this revelation gains its bold feet from my personal intimate encounters of him. My godlikeness is not an imitation endeavour, I don’t see what love is like and then try and love like this. No, I will be loved and then I will be love. It’s a reflection, not an imitation. Its power flows from my experience of him, not my self-will, or self-determined project of becoming. So my experience of love will always have me make bold Peter-like declarations, for this is the power of love. But the beauty of love is its unending embrace as my reflection is marred by my brokenness at times. My hypocrisy will never stop me from being bold by loves encounter, and it will never keep me from boldly coming to love when my denial echoes for all to see.
Application
I will never do that.” I will have bold aspirations for my life, that the godlike me will rise in beauty and reflect love to the world around me. My failure will not silence love’s boldness and will not keep me from loving beauty and embracing it.
Response
Thank you for loving me so beautifully. Thank you that love is the transforming power that enables me to be me. Thank you that you call me to the intimacy of love not the imitation of love. Thank you that your embrace tightens when my denials sound out. I love this life of love.
Meditation
Meditate -“Under no circumstances will I ever deny you-even if I have to die with you!”
Consider:
Do you know loves embrace in the face of your denials?
Do you know the true you is made in the image of God?
JOURNEY DEEPER