Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 1249 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

God’s Amazing Grace (Part 1) – Meditation Monday

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1249 of our trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday. Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy.

For you, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. You may utilize structured meditation practices. In my life, meditation includes reading and reflecting on God’s Word and praying. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and make sure that I am nurturing my soul, mind, and body. As you come along with me on our trek each Meditation Monday, it is my hope and prayer that you, too, will experience a time for reflection and renewing of your mind.

Have you ever thought what it would be like to be the Apostle Peter? Rashly promising undying devotion one moment and then running for the hills the next. Maybe you can relate to Peter and his actions. Either way, Peter is a perfect example of our floundering devotion to God that all of us experience. We will look at part one of our story today, and then finish it next Monday. In our meditation today, let us consider…

God’s Amazing Grace (Part 1)

The Sun was just starting to shimmer in the water before Peter noticed it—a wavy circle of gold on the surface of the sea. A fisherman is usually the first to spot the sun rising over the crest of the hills. It means his night of labor is finally over.

But not today for this fisherman. Though the light reflected on the lake, the darkness lingered in Peter’s heart. The wind chilled, but he didn’t feel it. His friends slept soundly, but he didn’t care. The nets at his feet were empty, the sea had been a miser, but Peter wasn’t thinking about that.

His thoughts were far from the Sea of Galilee. His mind was in Jerusalem, reliving an anguished night. As the boat rocked, his memories raced:

the clanking of the Roman guard,
the flash of a sword and the duck of a head,
a touch for Malchus, a rebuke for Peter,
soldiers leading Jesus away.

“What was I thinking?” Peter mumbled to himself as he stared at the bottom of the boat. “Why did I run?”

Peter had run; he had turned his back on his dearest friend and run. We don’t know where. Peter may not have known where. He found a hole, a hut, an abandoned shed—he found a place to hide, and he hid.

Earlier that day, “Peter declared, ‘Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you,’” Matthew. [26:33]. Yet he did. Peter did what he swore he wouldn’t do. He had tumbled face-first into the pit of his own fears. And there he sat in the boat with tears streaming down his face. All he could hear was his hollow promise. “Everyone else may stumble…but I will not. Everyone else…I will not. I will not. I will not.” A war raged within the fisherman.

At that moment, the instinct to survive collided with his allegiance to Christ, and for just a moment, allegiance won. Peter stood and stepped out of hiding and followed the noise until he saw the torch-lit jury in the courtyard of Caiaphas.

He stopped near a fire and warmed his hands. The fire sparked with irony. The night had been cold. The fire was hot. But Peter was neither. He was lukewarm.

Luke 22:54 tells, “So they arrested him and led him to the high priest’s home. And Peter followed at a distance.” Peter

was loyal…from a distance. That night Peter went close enough to see, but he thought he was not close enough to be seen. The problem was, Peter was seen. Other people near the fire recognized him. “You were with him,” they had challenged. “You were with the Nazarene.” Three times people said it, and each time Peter denied it…Each time Jesus heard it.

Please understand that the main character in this drama of denial is not Peter, but Jesus. Jesus, who knows the hearts of all people, knew the denial of his friend. Three times the salt of Peter’s betrayal stung the open wounds of the Messiah.

How do I know Jesus knew? Because of what we can read in Luke 22:61, “At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: ‘Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.’”  When the rooster crowed, Jesus turned. His eyes searched for Peter, and they found him. At that moment there were no soldiers, no accusers, no priests. At that predawn moment in Jerusalem there were only two people—Jesus and Peter.

Peter would never forget that look. Though Jesus’ face was already bloody and bruised, his eyes were firm and focused. Jesus’s stare drilled a hole into Peter’s soul.  His eyes were a scalpel, laying bare Peter’s heart. Though the look had lasted only a moment, it was seared into Peter’s mind forever.

And now, days later on the Sea of Galilee, the look still seared. It wasn’t the resurrection that occupied Peter’s thoughts. It wasn’t the empty tomb. It wasn’t the defeat of death. It was the eyes of Jesus, seeing his failure. Peter knew them well. He’d seen them before. In fact, he’d seen them on this very lake.

Next Monday, we will understand how God’s amazing grace restored Peter’s seared mind as Peter later wrote in 1 Peter 2:24, “He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds, you are healed.”

That is a wrap for today’s meditation. Next week, we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday as we take time to reflect on what is most important in creating our living legacy. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 1248 daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player, so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all, your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!