"Later" - To

 "A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;" (Ecclesiastes 3:5 KJV)

  ""Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers," Peter said, "Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you." But Jesus said, "Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me."" (Luke 22:31-34 NLT)

 Maybe yesterday's post was a little hard to comprehend? It was for me, because I was dealing with at least three different thoughts, all at the same time! First of all, let me explain the "later," which is really not that hard to understand, because most of us live in later, we just don't realize how much time passes, before later has already passed. 

 To the point of Peter's denial being told to him, this interpretation has something added, something we might not pick up on, without pausing to consider the point. In the KJV writing, it appears that Jesus is only talking about Peter being sifted like wheat, but after Jesus says "You," He calls out Peter, saying, "But I have prayed for thee," so the "each of you" from the NLT makes more sense. 

 In essence, Jesus was placing Peter as the one to be watching over the others, even though he would also be the one that would actually deny Him. Aren't you so glad to know that God knows you more than you know yourself? He has called you and chosen you; there is no turning back! 

 If I had to determine what it was that caused Peter to deny the Lord, I don't think fear would be at the top of my list. Maybe that might be something you deal with, being afraid to share your faith, or confess to others that you follow Jesus; but Peter's plight was human weakness, which basically means that he was stuck in a state of unbelief. 

 Yes, even though he had that revelation about Jesus being the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, he still lived in a state of humanness, not yet embracing the power and majesty of God! We have the ability to believe, yet we might not have the willingness to believe when we should. 

 It might be hard to understand, but it is something we live in, day in and day out, really not even being aware that it is something we do, because we can't see ourselves doing it. But it is very natural, being that we actually do live in this fleshly body, stuck in a world of death and decay. 

 There are really two ways to look at this, one requires the embrace of what we know, the other requires the embrace of what we believe! I know that I am frail and weak and that my life is short; but I believe I have God's Spirit in me, to make me strong, and that I have eternal life! 

 We just need to know what we believe is the truth, and believe more in the Truth, than what we can actually see...

 "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen." (Hebrews 11:1-3 NLT)