"Stay in Your Lane"

"Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?" (John 21:21 KJV)

  "Soon the news reached the apostles and other believers in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God. But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him. "You entered the home of Gentiles and even ate with them!" they said."" (Acts 11:1-3 NLT)

 Help one another and judge not! Isn't that the take-away from what the Word says we must do to one another? If you read Matthew Henry's commentary on this verse, he has about five different scenario's which could be the intention of Peter's question, "Lord, what shall this man do?"

 It might not help, but there is a difference in the "seeth" of the last verse, and "seeing" that is spoken of today. The one from yesterday's was more about beholding, as if to examine, understand, or even, beware of; much as someone might do if you came across a stranger while walking down the street at night. Not that Peter didn't know who he was, but that he didn't quite know how to deal with his presence. 

 Today's word, "seeing," speaks of something on a whole different level; one that causes a person to consider the meaning of and relationship to; to ascertain what must be done about it. They say the brain reacts differently to sight than hearing: auditory reaction time is faster than visual reaction time. The only reason I point this out, is that sight is the biggest issue that causes us to sin! 

 Call it want ever you want, but that tree in the midst of the garden probably did say much at all, but it sure looked tempting! Our brain also processes the things we see and hear differently; what you see is right there in front of you; things you hear are imagined in your mind. Why does any of mumbo-jumbo matter to anything? 

 Putting the two things together, as we hear things spoken to us concerning life, we imagine and process how these things pertain to our lives, if they even matter, or if they have the ability to change the way we live. And then we see someone else, wondering, Do they have the same issues? Are they going to deal with the same things which I must engage? Why do they get all the breaks? 

 The more I think of it, the more convicted I feel! No wonder we sometimes feel as though we are being neglected or let down; no wonder there are so many of us with a frown on our faces! We need to count our blessings and be thankful for what God called us for, whatever that is, it is the path God has put us on! Cherish the ride...

"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again - rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." (Philippians 4:4-8 NLT)