Can you imagine the nerve of Peter? Telling Jesus where he’s wrong in his thinking? Who does he think he is? I wonder, though. Are we all that different? How often do we hear Jesus saying, “Love your enemy,” but we think, “Well, surely Jesus doesn’t mean them”? We hear Jesus saying to turn the other cheek and we argue, “But they really hurt me!” We hear Jesus saying, “Follow me,” and we’re willing to do so as long as it means we get to stay in the places where we feel comfortable and with the people who see things the same way we do.
Sometimes we are our own worst stumbling blocks. Sometimes we think we know better than Jesus. Listen to the call of Jesus. “Deny yourself (and your preconceived notions and your prejudices and your pride) and follow me.”
In prayer, ask for the Spirit’s help in living out the ideals of the kingdom of God in your daily life.