19/01/2023
CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH
THE LIVING WATER (January-December, 2023)
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
DAY: 19/365
THURSDAY, JANUARY 19. 2023.
TOPIC:
BEWARE OF MERE HUMAN CONCERNS (II)
READ:
MATTHEW 16:21-27
21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
22. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
23. But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
MEMORIZE
Then Peter took Him aside and begun to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" (Matthew 16:22)
EXPOSITION
Thank God for the point at which we drew the curtain yesterday, on the discussion of this matter of overcoming setting one's mind on mere human concerns. Jesus focus, concern, pursuit, desire should be ours too. Today, let us turn to Peter's focus to help us eschew the negative side of our discussion.
Peter is a perfect example of one encumbered by human concerns, or one centred on things that are important to man but aren't at all essential to God. He couldn't just come to terms with the idea of his Lord dying in the hands of mere mortals, and worse still, gentiles. It won't happen, he thought (v. 2
