[After Jesus identified himself to the soldiers and guards who came to arrest him,] Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of ###, the high priest's slave. But Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?"
—John 18:10-11 NLT
Peter thought that the biggest battle would be a physical battle between the forces of Jesus and the forces of religious and political authority. He was wrong. The biggest battle was one of the will. Jesus had the authority to call down angels to slay his enemies. [1] He did not ask for the angels' help but instead offered himself up as a sacrifice to be our help. The battle was between Peter's earthbound vision of a worldly kingdom and Jesus' passion to glorify the Father by obeying his will. So often, we try to battle Satan with worldly wisdom and worldly weapons. However, our battle is with Satan's deceptive and seductive influence over our will. We need the power of the Spirit to win this battle. Do we choose to obey? Do we obey when we don't understand or if it doesn't make sense? Is our apparent victory less important to us than our obedience to God? Jesus chose the will of the Father. Will we?
[1] Matthew 26:52-53.
Holy and gracious God, my Abba Father, I surrender my will to you to obey and honor you as you command. I offer my body as a living sacrifice to you. Use me as you so choose and mold my heart to be like that of Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.
Ⓒ 1996-2022 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. What Jesus Did! is written by ### and is available in book form. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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—John 18:10-11 NLT
Key Thought
Peter thought that the biggest battle would be a physical battle between the forces of Jesus and the forces of religious and political authority. He was wrong. The biggest battle was one of the will. Jesus had the authority to call down angels to slay his enemies. [1] He did not ask for the angels' help but instead offered himself up as a sacrifice to be our help. The battle was between Peter's earthbound vision of a worldly kingdom and Jesus' passion to glorify the Father by obeying his will. So often, we try to battle Satan with worldly wisdom and worldly weapons. However, our battle is with Satan's deceptive and seductive influence over our will. We need the power of the Spirit to win this battle. Do we choose to obey? Do we obey when we don't understand or if it doesn't make sense? Is our apparent victory less important to us than our obedience to God? Jesus chose the will of the Father. Will we?
[1] Matthew 26:52-53.
Today's Prayer
Holy and gracious God, my Abba Father, I surrender my will to you to obey and honor you as you command. I offer my body as a living sacrifice to you. Use me as you so choose and mold my heart to be like that of Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.
Related Scripture Readings
Ⓒ 1996-2022 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. What Jesus Did! is written by ### and is available in book form. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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