Unlimited LordSample

I’m sure that Peter thought he was doing the right thing. He was a practical man, and these were dangerous times! So, Peter had brought a sword to the Garden of Gethsemane.

When Peter swung his sword, he cut off the ear of the mob's leader—the chief servant of the High Priest himself. He had been aiming for the neck, but in the heat of the moment, his aim had been poor. Instead of killing the man, he only cut off his ear. There was a lot of blood.

But as he made to strike again Jesus restrained him and rebuked him. The rebuke of the Lord is for all those who think that they need to help Jesus a little.

Too often, my sword is my tongue. What’s yours?

Like Peter, it is time for you to put down your sword. To lash out with it is to take up the weapons of the enemy, and with those, we will also perish.

You see, when he was betrayed, Jesus knew what he had to do. And he didn’t need any help from Peter. Jesus knows what he has to do in your life as well. What you need to do is surrender to Christ and admit that you are helpless in the fight. I’m sure Peter looked back on that episode as a particularly cringe-worthy moment in his life.

Think back on such a moment in your life. How were you trying to help Jesus save you? What did you learn?