Scripture: "Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Matthew 16:22-23 (NIV) Application: There's hardly a more blunt conversation between Jesus and one of His disciples than the confrontation with Peter in Matthew 16:23-24. Imagine, Peter taking our Lord Jesus Christ off to the side and outright telling Him, in open rebuke, that what Jesus just said wasn't acceptable and wouldn't happen. Before Peter could finish, Jesus fires off on him, calling him stumbling block from Satan! That's some furniture-moving blunt talk. But through that blunt dialogue, Peter finally gets the message. He realizes the necessity of God's plan of salvation. Sometimes blunt conversations, done with respect, are necessary. If we can't directly address something troublesome with those closest to us, we may allow misconceptions to continue and eventually decay good relationships. But blunt confrontations shouldn't be a sport. We shouldn't pride ourselves in put-downs. No high-fives. We should empathize with both the confronter and the confronted. The objective: a mutually better relationship that pleases Jesus. Prayer: Lord Jesus, teach us how to deal with difficult issues strongly, but with compassion. In Your Holy Name, Amen. Comments are closed.
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