The Rock; The Passion

When we take a look at the life of Peter (one of the disciples of Jesus Christ), one may marvel at how could someone who publicly denounced God could later be able to gain entrance into the kingdom of God?.Let's look at the the definition of the name given to him (his name is Simon Peter, but Christ addressed him as Peter). Peter is defined as the following: "It comes from the Greek word πετρος (petros) meaning "stone" (petra in Latin), which is used in the form petro- to mean rock" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_%28name%29). Even though Peter had a temper and was very passionate about Christ, He still had some major internal issues that he had to resolve.

As we define "stone" we find that Merriam Webster defines it as such: "a concretion of earthy or mineral matter: a (1): such a concretion of indeterminate size or shape (2): rock b: a piece of rock for a specified function: as (1): a building block (2): a paving block (3): a precious stone" (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary). Can you visualize what Peter was thinking while he walked with Jesus and began to see his purpose in the kingdom? I think about how God knew about Peter before he was even born (how Peter's mother had no idea that naming her child such an awesome name would actually come to reveal itself through a human). Peter's name was by no means an accident. Jesus said the following to Peter...
Matthew 16:
17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=47&chapter=16&version=9).
Jesus told Peter, "Upon this rock I will build my church," so that Peter would know that no matter what, He would use Peter in His ministry to spread the gospel to others.

The one episode of Peter's life that I'll never forget is when he cut off the ear of the high priest's servant when Jesus was being taken into custody.
John 18;
10Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus.
11Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?
12Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him,
13And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=50&chapter=18&version=9).
The above story was just one of many times that Peter's excitement and passion got the best of him. Peter loved Christ so much that he was ready to cut off a man's ear in order to stop the arrest of Jesus Christ.

Peter is like many of us today. Some of us are 'on fire" for God... we get angry when outsiders don't see what we see in the scripture and we may act out physically (like Peter), non verbally and destroy in seconds what took someone else to build in years. We may disobey God's laws, treat one another unkindly, and even judge outsiders with the wrong perspective. Thank God, that God will use us despite our faults and our sins. Even when our passions sometimes get in the way, Jesus is there to pick up the pieces and mend those who have been wounded in our "battles."

Father God, forgive me when I get angry while presenting your truth to others. Thank you for Peter's example of how even a spiritual leader can get weary, depressed, disoriented, and overwhelmed. God, help me to learn from mine and others' mistakes. Father, help me to understand that I must remain humble in order to win others for Your Kingdom.