By reading the entire story all at once from the Matthew passage above and then thinking about the passages above from Psalm 37, it becomes vividly clear that the practice of turning to Jesus immediately with whatever it is we face and then waiting on him as our fortress and shelter and letting him take care of things however and whenever he sees fits, makes absolute sense...
Read MoreDownload PDFWhen Peter went back into the house where Jesus was, he did not do so just to be where Jesus was and hang out with him. He went back wanting Jesus to provide a solution to his problem. Before providing a solution, Jesus helped Peter to see that they were free not to be subject to the Temple tax because they were a part of a higher order, the kingdom of God...
Read MoreDownload PDFWe begin today's devotion by recalling that being a new person with a new life is what this series is all about and that exchanging insecurity for security has a lot to do with how fully we become the new person with a new life that Christ has in store for us. We have been looking this week at a story where Peter faced a difficult situation that revealed his insecurity...
Read MoreDownload PDFThe story we were introduced to yesterday continues in the Matthew passage above. After Peter has handled by himself the encounter with Temple tax collectors, he returns to Jesus. Most likely, Peter intends to tell Jesus about the encounter and how he assured them that Jesus is one who submits to paying the Temple tax. His goal was likely for them to come up with a plan for paying the tax...
Read MoreDownload PDFThe Matthew passage above is the beginning of a story where collectors of the Temple tax come to Peter and asked him a question. Is this just a typical moment in the lives of those who collect the Temple tax or is there something bigger going on here? If they were just going about doing their job, it seems they would have come up to Peter and asked if he had paid the Temple tax he owed, but instead they asked about Jesus...
Read MoreDownload PDFThis is week three of a four-week devotional series entitled, “New Person.” The Christian life is all about becoming a "new person" with a "new life." Our "New Person" Devotional Series examines what it means to be a new person with a new life through our relationship with Christ. Transitioning from the old person and old life to the new person and new life is a major challenge...
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