Peter: Coward Turned Crusader

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

-Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

I recently started a series of devotions entitled: “A Rainbow of Emotions” with each color of the rainbow representing a different emotion. The last devotion featured the color green and was about jealousy or envy. This devotion will feature the color yellow and will be about fear and being a coward.

Peter, before he became one of Jesus’ disciples was a fisherman by trade. He was one of the first men that Jesus chose. Peter brought with him a lot of emotional baggage: pride, over zealousness, and fear which Peter himself probably didn’t even realize was in him. That is, until his life was at stake. Peter was over zealous
in the fact that, when the disciples were in a boat without Jesus and suddenly saw Him walking towards them, across the water…on the water, it was Peter who gave The Son of God a challenge: “Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you.” Jesus responded: “Come!” Then Peter got out of the boat, and started walking across the water towards Jesus. But when Peter saw the wind, he was afraid, and began to sink. Peter cried out: ‘Lord, save me!’” -Matthew 14:28-30 (NIV)

Peter’s pride was displayed the night before Jesus was to be crucified when he told Jesus: “Everyone else may fall away and disown you but not me”! His fear became obvious when the opportunity arose to prove his claim he had made earlier, and he didn’t take it. When confronted and asked three times if he was one of Jesus’ disciples, he denied it even going so far as to utter a curse word in the process. Instead of proving he meant what he said, he succeeded in proving himself to be nothing more than a coward (yellow).

Even though Peter acted like a coward in denying Christ, it did workout for good. Think about it: If Peter had admitted that he was one of Jesus’ disciples, he would have been crucified right along with Jesus. But he didn’t and many people have come to Christ and are coming to Christ because of that one cowardly act. Romans 8:28 says: “All things work for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” Peter did love God and he was called. In fact, he actually became one of the greatest Apostles the world has ever had.

The same can prove true for you. If you love God and have asked His Son Jesus into your heart to be the Lord of your life and to be your very best friend, then you have been called as well. That doesn’t mean that you’ll never be afraid. But it does mean that when you are afraid, you won’t be a coward and run away from doing what’s right.

David and the Green-Eyed Monster

I love colors. I love them in sunrises and sunsets. I love them in foods. I love them in clothes as well as cars. I also love the way they’re used in everyday conversation. Colors are often used to describe a person’s personality or present state of mind or mood. That being said, I’m going to start a series of devotions I’ve titled: “A Rainbow of Emotions”. Each one will feature a different color. For instance, if a person is described as “yellow”, then that would mean that they are a coward. If they are described as being “blue”, they are depressed. If they are described as being “green with envy”, then they are envious or jealous of someone else’s possessions or good fortune. And it is that color that I want to start with this week.

Envy or jealousy has often been described as “the green-eyed monster” and for good reason. That is exactly what envy or jealousy is…a monster. Jealousy can destroy your life. It has been known to break up friendships, break up marriages. It has motivated people to steal, to hurt other people or destroy their property. It has even been known to cause people to want to commit murder. Prisons across America are full of people who didn’t keep their emotions in check and are now paying the price because of it. That’s why Proverbs 14:30 says: “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” (NIV)

One man who let his jealousy get the best of him and paid a huge price was King David. David was a man who had a lot of wives and yet, when faced with a temptation in the form of the one woman he could not have, gave in to it. He eventually did come back to God, but not before experiencing indescribable pain and shame; pain from the loss of his young son and the shame of having sinned before God by committing adultery with Bathsheba. (2nd Samuel 12:13-19)

What we can’t have, we always want. That is human nature. That is why we need to constantly be on our knees and asking God to help us. We need to be asking Him to give us a supernatural spirit; one that can be happy with what it has, rather than be longing for what it wants.

G.P.S. To Heaven

“This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go"
- Isaiah 48:17 (NIV)

I received a G.P.S. (Global Positioning Satellite) for Christmas this last year. It really helped me get to where I needed to go. Before that, I was always getting lost and was constantly relying on family, friends, strangers, you name it to help me find my way. I use the word “helped” because unfortunately, it was stolen out of our van a few weeks ago. Someone “helped” themselves to it. I guess maybe the person felt he needed it more than I did. Now I’m back to doing what I did before just to get around town. My wife was talking recently to her friend, who is also her mentor about the theft and the problems it caused since I have a really bad sense of direction. The friend jokingly said something to the effect of: “I sure hope he can find his way to Heaven”. My wife said that after she heard that, that it got her to thinking and she thought to herself: “I’m so glad that we don’t need a G.P.S. to get there or we would really be in trouble.”

When we come to know the love of God in a very real way, then He directs us to the ultimate G.P.S.: His Son. You see Jesus (who is God in the flesh), points sinners to Heaven. For me, that’s what G.P.S. stands for: God Points Sinners to Heaven. He does it by pointing to the cross. He does it by pointing to His blood that was shed on it. He does it by pointing to the empty tomb. He also points out our sins and the need to be redeemed from them. God knew our weaknesses and the danger of getting lost from Him because of them. So He sent His son, a Gentle but Powerful Savior (G.P.S.) to help us find our way Home.


Praise goes to my wife Valerie who came up with the idea for this devotion in the first place. It could not have been written without you. You are my inspiration!