Fall Creek Christian Church

"Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don't concern myself with matters too great for me to grasp. Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother's milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord -- now and always." Psalm 131:1-3 "Grow up!" I remember hearing this from my sister when I was a kid. A really annoying kid. I don't know what the motivation for me was to be annoying. I just was ... a loudmouth know-it-all, selfish person with plenty of mean words. My family really couldn't wait for me to grow up. The annoying stage had worn out its welcome. David painted a powerful picture of spiritual maturity is his short Psalm. The mature are not proud. They avoid the "I'm better than you" attitude. They've set aside their futile attempts to create little boxes for God. They don't fear his immensity, they embrace ...

"Simon Peter asked, 'Lord, where are you going?' And Jesus replied, 'You can't go with me now, but you will follow me later.' 'But why can't I come now, Lord?' he asked. 'I'm ready to die for you.' Jesus answered, 'Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter -- before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me." John 13:36-38 So, when was the last time your mouth ran ahead of your reality? I won't go into specific details here, but my last one is a very fresh memory. My over confidence set me up for a humbling conversation with Jesus that I would very much prefer to not have to experience again. The minefields in this world set to derail us from being a faithful follower of Jesus are plentiful and painfully effective. The devil is very good at what he does ... deceive and devour. Mr. Simon Peter really took one on the chin here in our verses for today. "I'll die for you ...