Scripture Union Daily Guide 2nd July 2021 Friday Message
Topic: Carry your cross and follow Jesus!
Opening Prayer: Make my life oh Lord a reflection of you as I study your word.
Scripture: Matthew 16:21-28
Question(s) for Reflection
• Is there any warning for me to heed? • What is God revealing to me in this passage?
Partial knowledge is a killer. The disciples now know that Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One. But what Christ? What Messiah? The Messiahship of Jesus means suffering and death and then, glorification. A suffering Messiah, however, makes no slightest sense to Peter and his colleagues hence his reaction in v.22. He sought desperately to dissuade Jesus from fulfilling his mission much like Satan’s temptation in Matthew 4:8-10.
Both received the same harsh response. Peter, just a moment ago, spoke according to the special revelation from God (vs.16,17). For as long as we are still in this mortal body, we must constantly depend on God for every word that proceeds from our mouth. Someone like Peter could speak the mind of God today and express the agenda of Satan the following day. It is the reason we cannot afford to follow any man lest we are misled.
Notice the three demands of discipleship in vs.24-25. Suffering and hardships are never compatible with our human nature. However, God often employs them for our spiritual training and discipline. Read James 1:2-4&12. We may not need to pray for sufferings and hardships, but we can allow God train or discipline us with them as He sees fit. This is the true mark of discipleship as declared by Jesus in these verses. At the end there are rewards (vs.26-28).
• Any new insight or reinforcement of what you already know?
Closing Prayer
• Help me, dear Lord, to fully understand who you are and what being your disciple entails. • Pray that God will sustain all Christian literature and Bible printers and publishers.
Offer a prayer of faith in line with Psalm 24: 4-6; Deut. 16-18; Acts 4:23-37
Scripture Union Daily Guide 2nd July 2021. Scripture Union is an international, inter-denominational, evangelical Christian organization. It was founded in 1867, and works in partnership with individuals and churches across the world. The organization’s stated aim is to use the Bible to inspire children, young people and adults to know God