"But he turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.'" Matthew 16:23
Whew! How would you like to have been Peter at this point, rebuked by "the Christ, the Son of the living God" whom you just confessed moments earlier (Mt. 16:16), the one Christ just finished encouraging because God revealed Christ's identity to him (Mt. 16:17)?
Can you see it? One minute Peter was feeling pretty good because he got it right and Jesus Himself pointed it out to everyone. Peter's chest probably got just a little puffed up. The next minute - Peter probably deflated like a runaway balloon propelled by expelled air. This time he got it wrong because he was focused on the things of man, not of God.
Oh, how easy and natural it is for us to be focused on the things of (wo)man, losing sight of the things of God. Invariably, when we focus on God and seek His perspective in every situation we have more faith and peace. When we focus on the world, on things of (wo)man we will get bogged down with worry, anxiety, fear, confusion and, let's face it...self.
Take a deep breath and ask God to give you the grace to see His perspective and rest there.
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" (NIV) Hebrews 12:2.
"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." Colossians 3:1-2
Diane
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