OnFire #126 Big Talk Bigger Action

Hi folks:

Lots to report this week. I have a new section on the website to help with Bible reading. It has articles on Bible reading, Galatians, Psalms and Proverbs. Follow the links from the main page.  www.onfireletter.com

Ian and I are back from our overnight trip to a youth event. He had a great time and I got to catch up with a number of old friends.

Mark is getting ready for his stacking competition in New Brunswick on the weekend. He and Jan will leave with a friend on Friday morning and get back late Saturday night. Mark is excited. Even his teacher can tell us how many days until the event. We’ll pass along news and pictures next week.

Our Elected Officials Appreciation Service went well. We had all three levels of government represented. Check the website for the picture.

This weekend will be full also. I am planning a youth rally for our Baptist Association this Saturday night. Arrangements seem to be falling into place. We have a worship band coming from Atlantic Baptist University, and they will stay over to be in our worship service also. Lots of fun.

Related to last week’s letter, I seem to have left some with the impression that I am opposed to wealth. Not so. My point last week was that whatever we sacrifice for the sake of following Jesus will be rewarded many times over. Related to that was the challenge to tithe. I certainly did not intend to imply that I was opposed to wealth. In upcoming weeks I hope to put together some comments on some of the relevant passages about money and make them available.

Blessings for your week.

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I responded to a car accident with the fire department today. A lady and her son drove off the road in a pick-up truck. I don’t know how they ended up there, whether through mechanical failure, distraction, or inattention, but the truck rolled and landed on its roof. Thankfully no one was injured. We cut the battery connections to make sure the electrical system would not ignite  spilled fuel.

Reminds me of my two car accidents. In both cases no one was hurt and there was not damage. In the first I missed a driveway and backed my mother’s Chevette into a ditch. In the second, I rear-ended a car at an on-ramp after I thought I saw it move into traffic. But when I gunned the engine to go, it was still there. Crunch.

Its easy enough to say, “That won’t happen to me!” I said it, or at least thought it. But in moments of misjudgement or inattention, I did.

Peter said he wouldn’t deny Christ. All four gospel records say so. Its one of the few times they all record the same event. “Even if all fall away, I will not” (Mk 14:29*).  “I will lay down my life for you” (Jn 13:37). Sadly, when the time of testing came along, he did not pass. All four gospels record that, too.

This is not to judge Peter. I can’t say that I would have done any better. We all see a little of ourselves in Peter. After all, Jesus said to Peter, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mk 14:38).

The whole episode brings up the true nature of character. Someone has said that character is who we are when we are alone. True enough. It is also what comes out when we are tired, tested, tempted, or under pressure. It is one thing to talk big, but what happens when the moment of testing comes? That is when we, and others, find out the true nature of our character. Peter discovered that he wasn’t nearly as brave or bold as he thought he was.

There is a good news part of this story. Peter’s character changed through the resurrection and reinstatement. When Peter saw Jesus after the resurrection, he was transformed. Again, when Jesus reinstated him, he was strengthened to “feed my sheep” (John 21:17). That passage is interesting in how it continues. Jesus told Peter how he would, in fact, die for the sake of Jesus. (Jn 21:18-19). When the Holy Spirit descended in Acts 2, who was the first to speak? Peter. Peter was a changed man. Instead of running for cover, he was leading, out front, with boldness. No more big talk, just big living.

Character is not just about what we say, but about what we do, each day, under pressure or not. May each one of us grow to be more like Jesus - tried, tested and true.

Hope this helps. Be OnFire,

Troy

ON FIRE is a weekly letter of encouragement by Troy Dennis. To be added to or removed from the ON FIRE list contact him at onfire@eastlink.ca . Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com This letter published Oct 31, 2007. *All scripture references from the New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978 by the International Bible Society