April 30
Bible Reading: John 18:7-11
John 18:10-11, “Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) So Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
You’ve heard the expression, “he brought a knife to a gunfight.” In Peter’s case, it was far worse than that, for he brought a knife to an epic spiritual battle of unrivaled proportion. And his knife was no help in that battle.
Despite Jesus’ forewarning regarding the events that were then coming to pass, Peter was without understanding. His response to Jesus’ arrest? “He drew (his sword) and struck the priest’s servant and cut off his right ear” (John 18:10). What was his plan? Defeat the enemies of Christ “one ear at a time?” Matthew’s gospel includes the rest of Jesus’ response to Peter’s ill-advised effort: “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so” (Matthew 26:52-54)? While we might admire Peter for his courage, he was fighting in the wrong way with the wrong weapons.
As followers of Jesus, our King and His kingdom are “not of this world” (John 18:36). We are called to “fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12), but earthly weapons will not prove helpful. Instead, God has provisioned us with an arsenal that has “divine power to destroy strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4). Included in that weaponry are the same things Jesus utilized, the Word of God and prayer (1 John 2:14; Ephesians 6:18). We can only properly employ either to the extent that we are led and empowered by the Spirit. Otherwise, we might find ourselves, like Peter, fighting the wrong battle with the wrong weapons in pursuit of the wrong objective.
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” – Ephesians 6:11
STANDING ON THE PROMISES
Standing on the promises of Christ, my King,
Through eternal ages let his praises ring;
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.
Refrain:
Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God, my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises that cannot fail.
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God. [Refrain]
Standing on the promises of Christ, the Lord,
Bound to him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God. [Refrain]
Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
List’ning ev’ry moment to the Spirit’s call,
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God. [Refrain]
LookingtoJesus 