What a great way to spend an hour! :)

So today I decided to just randomly open a passage and write about it. So I closed my eyes opened the Bible and I landed on Mark 14. I chose (out of Mark 14- quite the larger chapter)- a section where Jesus prophesies about Peter's denial.
So, paraphrasing: Jesus tells them that they will "all fall away" and quoting Zech 13:7- where the shepherd will be struck, and the sheep will be scattered. He then brings comfort, saying that after He is risen, He will go ahead of them to Galilee. Peter denies it- and quite boastfully announces that even if everyone else falls, he won't. Jesus plans on humbling him- and He tells Peter that before the rooster crows, he will deny Jesus three times. So Peter gets real serious- "even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you".
O boy. Reading this I was thinking what am I going to talk about? First things first, Jesus Himself references people "falling away". I want to make something LOUD and CLEAR. there is a heresy in some theology that a person who is saved can "fall away" or lose their salvation. References to Heb 11 will be made- but when someone "loses their salvation"- this identifies certain persons who have been in the Christian community and understand the way to salvation (however have NOT been saved- not yet repenting, not yet acknowledging Christ as their Saviour)- and they decide to walk away. In a sense, they are losing their salvation, because they walked away from the only way to be saved.
How do I know someone can't lose their salvation? Read Eph 1:13, 14; Gal 3:29; The whole book of Romans! The Spirit is ours for eternity, a deposit GARUNTEEING our inheritance. A garuntee is stronger than a promise- and we know that God keeps His promises. How much more can we understand the truth of a garuntee from Him then! Praise God! We are His forever.

Okay so lets get back to Mark 14. So here's what I think. Time and time again we are reminded in Scripture that God requires complete humbleness in ourselves and disgust in our sins. A beautiful thing that God desires is a broken heart. I think, because God will make whats evil good- He used Peter's sin of denial 2 ways:
1) For Peter- to break Peter. To make him humble, before He lifted Peter up- to be a rock to the new church after Christ returned to heaven.
2) For us- to show us what He sees. Peter denied Christ 3 times over a period of time, an hour or so- not just a matter of 2 minutes as is often suggested. We could say "how could Peter be so dumb, even after Jesus told him that actual day he was going to deny Jesus?" Well... I take a look at my life. I have been taught the Word since I can remember- and guess what? Day after day after day I deny my Saviour- even though He told me how to live a life for Him! If you read Luke- it gives the most detailed description of Peter's denial and even amongst the gaurds beating and mocking- just as the rooster crowed, Jesus looked straight at Peter. Every time we deny Christ- Christ looks at us, it is another added weight of sin that was upon Him as He hung there. As sin weighs heavy on our hearts, we can now take another view to this passage to realize something. That even in Peter's sin- Christ looked at him, to not just show Peter that he sinned, but that in his sin, Jesus would still behold him. Jesus still sees us, even in our sin.
Peter went outside and wept bitterly. My guess it was 3 steps passed the "ugly"cry- one that no other expression of emotion can match. This is the brokenness I was talking of earlier.

So give yourself to God. "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentence" (Luke 6:31) Weep- but don't lose heart! If you read further on in the passage the most beautiful, selfless, most wonderfully indescribable gift is given. Someone who didn't deserve to give Himself, willingly dies, because He loves us.

And after repentance, we are justified before God. Having the Spirit, you can't and never will lose your salvation! So we live our lives of service for Christ- and give ourselves to serving each other as well, just as Christ gave Himself for us. :)

whew. that was a biggie! I have so much more I could have said... but that's for another day. Time "serve" by doing housework for my mom.... arggg. hahaha!