Tag Archives: Christian

The Other Side of the Rooster

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Photo Credit: 4BlueEyes Pete Williamson via Compfight cc

Scripture:  Matthew 26:31-35

Verse:  “Love never fails.” – 1 Corinthians 13:8 (NIV)

You were so sure of yourself, weren’t you?   Sold out.   Solid.   Nobody was as committed as you.  Nobody had your passion.

Sure, the others might flinch, but not you.  Just look at them.  John?  A sissy.  James?  A coward.  Thomas?   A skeptic.

Where had they been when you stepped out of the boat?  Cowering in fear, that’s where.  But not you.  Never you.

When push came to shove, they’d fall like a house of cards, but there you’d be right by his side.  Faithful to the end.

“I’m ready to die for you!”

“Die for me?  You’re going to sell me out.  Throw me under the bus.”

“Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.”

“You won’t even admit you know me.”

“I will NEVER deny you.”

“Three times, Peter.  Three.  Times.”

His words stung.  How could he say that?  How could he think that?

“I will NEVER deny you.”

“Three times, Peter.  Three.  Times.”

* * *

On this side of the rooster, we’re so sure of ourselves.

  • I’d never do that.
  • I’d never say that.
  • I’d never think that.

But on the other side of the rooster, we know the truth.

Of course Jesus always knew, and it didn’t change a thing.  He knew about Peter.  He knew about Judas.  He knew about us.

Yet, he still took the nails.  He still bled.  He still loved.  He still died.

“Never will I leave you.  Never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV).

Those nevers you can count on.  Those nevers never fail.

Prayer: God, thank you that I can trust your love to never fail.  Thank you that my nevers never really mattered and that your grace never ends.  Amen.  

Question:  Where do you need that never-ending fountain of grace today?
Note: This post is excerpted from Everyday Easter Devotions.  

Red Light, Green Light

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My five-year-old doesn’t like the idea of stoplights.  Every time we pull up to a red light, she says, “Go.”

“Honey, I can’t go,” I explain.  “If I go, I’ll hit the car in front of me.”

“Just go,” she says.

“Where do you think I should go?  There are three cars in my lane.”

“C’mon, just go!”

At this point my wife looks at me as if to say, “Why are you having this conversation?”  See, it’s not that my daughter doesn’t understand the concept of stoplights.  She just doesn’t like them.   She doesn’t like someone else telling her when to stop.
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Silent Night, Opening Night

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For several years our church put on a big Christmas show for kids and families.   Between the drama, choreography, costumes and sets these musicals were always a big deal and always a blast.  But one thing I learned quickly about productions, the bigger the show, the earlier you have to get the ball rolling.

This meant that back in June I’d start listening to Christmas music.   By July I’d have to start the script.  In September we would cast the show.  In October we’d start rehearsals.  In the midst of all of this we’d have to get people working on costumes, sets and props.

When opening night arrived, though, it was all worth it.   All of the months of hard work finally paid off the minute the lights came up on the stage and the show began.   Live theater at Christmas was absolute magic.

Of course when it comes to the Christmas story, the principles of preparation and payoff are nothing new.  The story of Jesus’ birth began a whole lot earlier than Bethlehem.  “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ” (Ephesians 1:4 NLT).

Like I said, the bigger the production, the earlier you have to get the ball rolling.  What God was going to do through Jesus was beyond the scope of anything we could imagine.   All the power and awesomeness of deity would one day be wrapped in an infant’s fragile flesh.  Kind of a big deal.

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