MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 6/15/2026
9:36 AM
My
Worship Time Focus: “Common
Men, Uncommon Calling—Part 2: Peter”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: Luke
6:14a
Message of the verse: “Simon, whom He also named Peter,”
In this morning’s SD we begin
looking at the first apostle, and in the different lists of the apostles we
always see the name of Peter first. Now
as we begin to look at what John MacArthur has to say about Peter, I can say
that it will take a lot longer to look at him than the other apostles as he is
the one that Christ chose as the leader of the apostles, and the one that
perhaps He had to do much work on him too.
I will begin quoting from John MacArthur’s commentary to see the things
that he writes about Peter.
“Our society and its laws set
standards and requirements for almost every enterprise. People have to demonstrate their
qualifications for everything from jobs to driver’s licenses to credit cards to
loans. Doctors must be licensed,
teachers credentialed, and lawyers admitted to the bar. Students must meet certain standards to be
admitted to a college or university, and meet still other standards to receive
their degrees. Many positions also
require intangible qualifications, such as character, experience, self-motivation,
and social skills.
“As the Bible makes clear, God’s
standards for those who lead His people are extremely high. An elder must be
Above reproach,
the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to
teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the
love of money. He must be one who manages
his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity
(but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take
care of the church of God?), and not a new convert, so that he will not become
conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those
outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the
devil. (1 Timothy 3:2-7)
Leaders
must be exemplary, since the standards their lives are measured against are the
same ones all believers are to meet; God doesn’t lower the standards for
everyone else. Thus the writer of
Hebrews exhorts believers to ‘remember those who led you, who spoke the word of
God to you; and considering the results of their conduct, imitate their faith’
(Heb. 13:7). Th3 ultimate standard
Christians are called to meet is ‘to be perfect, as [their] heavenly Father is
perfect’ (Matt. 5:48).
“Such a lofty standard is, humanly
speaking, impossible to meet. No one
qualifies on his or her own merit to enter God’s kingdom or to serve Him. Since there are no qualified people, God, in
His grace, had to choose unworthy and unqualified people to minister for
Him. Saving and sanctifying grace
transforms them into useful servants.
The Twelve, like all believers, were unqualified sinners saved by God’s
redeeming grace and sovereignly chosen by Him for service (John 15:16) They were not stain-glass saints, to be put
on a pedestal, or worse, worshiped; they were like Elijah, who ‘was a man with
a nature like ours’ (James 5:17). In
spite of all their human limitations, God used the apostles to turn the world
upside down (cf. Acts 17:6) because the surrendered completely to Him whose
power is perfected in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9).
The gospel, not those who proclaim it, ‘is the power of God for salvation
to everyone who believer’ (Rom. 1:16; cf. 1 Cor. 1:18; 2:4-5; 2 Cor. 4:7).” Now I will take time now to quote these
different verses that are listed above beginning with Acts 17:6.
(cf. Acts 17:6)
6 And when they could not find them, they
dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting,
"These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,”
(2 Cor. 12:9)
“9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient
for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all
the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
(Rom. 1:16; cf. 1 Cor. 1:18; 2:4-5; 2
Cor. 4:7)
“16 ¶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is
the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and
also to the Greek.”
“18 For the word of the cross is folly to those
who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
“4 and my speech and my message were not in
plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 so that your faith might not rest in
the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
“7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to
show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
“Spiritual leadership differs
markedly from natural leadership.
Natural leaders trust their judgment and make their own decisions;
spiritual leaders humbly seek God’s will.
Natural leaders are ambitious and driven; spiritual leaders seek God’s
will and glory. Natural leaders enjoy
exercising authority over others; spiritual leaders seek to serve others (Matt.
23:11). Natural leaders are motivated by
success; spiritual leaders by love for God.
Natural leaders are independent; spiritual leaders are totally dependent
on God.”
(Matt. 23:11)
“11 The greatest among you shall be your servant.”
“There is no clearer example in
Scripture of how God builds a spiritual leader than Peter. He was chosen and equipped by the Lord to be
the spokesman for the Twelve, and as such is the most prominent of the apostles. Peter is mentioned more often in the gospels
than anyone else except Jesus. None of
the Twelve spoke as often as Peter did, nor did the Lord address anyone else as
often as Peter. None of the disciples
was so often rebuked by Jesus as Peter was, and no disciple had the temerity to
rebuke the Lord except Peter. No one
confessed Christ’s true identity more boldly and explicitly than Peter, yet
paradoxically, no one denied Him as vehemently and publicly as Peter. No one received higher praise from Jesus than
Peter, but neither did He address anyone else as Satan. Yet God took this common man with an
ambivalent, vacillating, impulsive, unsubmissive personality and molded him
into the unquestioned leader of the Twelve and the boldest, most powerful
preacher in the early years of the church.”
I will stop here and Lord willing
pick up from here in this evening’s SD.
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: Perhaps we all have some of the qualities and
also the issues that Peter had in his life, and so I believe that I can learn
from what Peter did that was good, and also learn from some of the things that
he did that were not good.
My
Steps of Faith for Today: I am asking and trusting the Lord to see my
wife through having one of her teeth pulled this afternoon, realizing that
there are special circumstances because of her cancer.
6/15/2026
10:18 AM
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