Do you start off your day with a list of what you need to do? I do!
But I wonder… in all of my busy, everything must be perfect, planning… have I left room for God?
Is “cultivate my faith” on my to-do list?
Am I denying God entry into my life?
Peter pretended like he didn’t know who Jesus was. Now, that is denial. But do my choices make me just as guilty?
Paraphrased from John 18:16-18, 25-27, Peter said…
Are you talking to me? I don’t know who that man is!
What does denying Christ look like for us today?
Here’s a discussion for your family, at the family dinner table (or wherever your family is gathered together).
- What does it mean to deny that something happened? (It means saying that something is not true, when in fact, it is true!)
- Tell about a time when someone pretended like they didn’t know you—they denied that you were their friend.
- What do you suppose it would feel like to have someone say, “No, I don’t know that person?”
- Have you ever denied knowing someone?
- Adults: share a story from your growing-up years. And then share Peter’s story.
- It is easy to see that saying you don’t know someone is denial. Do you suppose that we ever deny Jesus? How about when we…
- speak harshly?
- are quick to follow the crowd – trying to make them like us?
- forget to pray?
- turn the other way when someone needs our help?
- are mostly concerned about our needs?
All of us, through our lifestyles, actions and attitudes, have denied Jesus. But, be reassured, there is hope!
So turn to God! Give up your sins, and you will be forgiven. Acts 3:19
I am thankful for God’s grace!
Stay tuned for the rest of the story: Forgiveness!
Photo credits…
To-do lists by John Athayde, originally licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 2.0).
The Denial of Saint Peter by Caravaggio, circa 1610; in the Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Family Faith Companion 