Quote from Forum Archives on September 7, 2001, 12:11 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

I have often desired to model my behavior after the apostle Paul,
yet I frequently find my actual behavior resembling Peter more
than Paul. Of course, both men committed their entire lives to
searving the Lord Jesus Christ. But they had completely
different temperaments.

I am grateful that God loves both the temperament of Peter and
Paul. Both were very zealous men, and both started out wrong.
Paul was so gung-ho about following the letter of the Law that he
used to persecute Christians, until Jesus Christ personally
confronted Paul as he was travelling on the road to Damascus.
Peter, on the other hand, was one of Jesus' earliest followers,
and made many bold statements, yet it was He who denied Christ at
a critical moment (as Jesus predicted Peter would do).

God has used both of these men in a powerful way, demonstrating
clearly that God's power can be clearly seen -- even when things
start out wrong. God transformed Peter and Paul, He parted the
waters of a raging sea, He has redeemed people from all places,
and He is still working. I know that because He is still working
on me!

Have a great weekend! I pray that God will work on each of you
in a special, life changing way.

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

Reply-to: Neil Anderson <neilanderson@lists.crosswalk.com>
Subject: Neil Anderson Devotional for Friday, September 7, 2001

N E I L A N D E R S O N D A I L Y D E V O T I O N A L
from Freedom in Christ Ministries

September 7

INDISCRIMINATE EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONS

Let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;
for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God
(James 1:19, 20).

Another unhealthy way to respond to emotions is to thoughtlessly
let it all hang out, to tell anybody and everybody exactly how
you feel. The apostle Peter is a great example of indiscriminate
expression. Peter was the John Wayne of the New Testament--a
real door slammer. He had no problem telling anyone what was on
his mind or how he felt. I like to refer to him as the
one-legged apostle because he always had one foot in his mouth.

Peter's impulsive nature got him into trouble more than once. In
one setting, he was the spokesperson for God, and Jesus said to
him, "Blessed are you Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did
not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew
16:17). Then moments later he spoke for Satan, and Jesus had to
rebuke him: "Get behind me, Satan!" (verses 22, 23).

It was Peter who missed the point on the Mount of Transfiguration
by suggesting that they build three tabernacles to honor Moses,
Elijah and the Master. It was Peter who impulsively whacked off
the ear of Caiaphas' servant during Jesus' arrest in Gethsemane.
And it was Peter who promised to follow Jesus anywhere, even to
the death, then swearing only hours later that he never knew Him.
The fact that Peter became a leader in the New Testament church
is evidence of the powerful transformation effected by the Holy
Spirit.

Indiscriminate expression of emotions may be somewhat healthy for
you, but it may be unhealthy for others. "There, I'm glad I got
that off my chest," you may say after an outburst. But in the
process you just destroyed your wife, husband, or children. Paul
admonished: "Be angry, and yet do not sin" (Ephesians 4:26). If
you wish to be angry and not sin, then be angry the way Christ
was: Be angry at sin. He turned over the tables, not the money
changers.

Heavenly Father, teach me to express myself in a gracious way so
I don't hurt others as I seek emotional release.

-----------
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=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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