"Where is Our Focus?"
Where is Our Focus?
Have you ever been in a situation where you felt the Lord helping you? The door is finally open to talk to your lost co-worker about Jesus; your family member begins to ask the questions you’ve prayed for; or maybe you’re serving and you feel the Lord is using you as His vessel. But then . . . suddenly you open your mouth and say something really dumb. It’s almost like it came out of nowhere. You’re walking with Jesus every day, praying, studying. But as the words leave your lips you visualize yourself trying to stuff them back inside your mouth.
I know I’ve been there.
The focus has slowly shifted to what you are doing instead of who you are serving, and your tongue lets it slip.
Peter was there too.
Peter was walking so closely to the Lord that Jesus thought it fitting to take him to the top of a mountain where Peter would get to witness Jesus being transfigured. He wasn’t a lukewarm Christian who followed Christ only on the weekends. Yet his foot still managed to find its way into his mouth.
After seeing Jesus with Moses and Elijah, Peter anxiously speaks up and declares that it was good for them to be there and suggests a building project. But as soon as he gets it out of his mouth, the next verse quickly concludes his reasoning: “For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid” (Mark 9:6).
How often do we, like Peter, find ourselves in a moment of fear or overconfidence and say something out of place? I don’t believe Peter meant to offend Jesus. But it’s a good reminder that silence is okay especially when our spirit isn’t settled on what to say.
The key to Peter’s mistake is that he chose to speak when Jesus was the focal point. In the very next verse, God the Father thunders from heaven, “This is my beloved Son: hear him” (Mark 9:7).
We can give Peter a hard time as the disciple who seems to regularly act or speak before he thinks. But do we not do the same thing when we make gospel conversations or our serving about ourselves? It’s an easy and very human thing to do. However, we should be reminded that the focus should always be on Jesus. Not on men. Not on us. But Jesus. Always Jesus.