Scripture to Read: John 13:36–38
We know Jesus had told the disciples they could not go where He was going, but He then followed that statement with how they were to love each other. However, Peter passed right over how they were to love and instead circled back to what Jesus said before that. We read in John 13:36–38, "Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.” 37 Peter *said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.” 38 Jesus *answered, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times." Peter wanted to be with Jesus, so he wanted to know why he could not go with Him. Jesus knew that Peter could not follow Him unto death, but He did tell Peter that he would follow Him later. Every one of us will face death, and though we may not know what that will look like for us, we can look forward to being with our Lord when it happens, unless He comes back before it happens. When he spoke to Jesus, Peter was ready to die for Him. Peter got caught up in the emotion of the moment, and he probably would have died with Jesus at that moment, but Jesus knew that Peter’s emotions would only be for a moment and that once the emotion calmed, Peter would allow the feeling of fear to take over.
Challenge & Application
• How have you allowed your emotions to control you in a way that you said something and then later regretted it?
• How do we guard our hearts from allowing our emotions, when they are not godly, to get in the way of what our Lord would have us do?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!