"Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living 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. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it’” Matthew 16:13-18.

The way others perceive Jesus may be interesting, but what truly matters is the conclusion you personally reach about Him. Just as Jesus posed searching questions to those around Him, He also confronts each of us with the vital question: "Who do you say that I am?"

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"But Jesus called them to Himself and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.  It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,  and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave;  just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” Matthew 20:25-28.

The way of Jesus and the kingdom of God is the way of the upside down pyramid. In the system of the world, the power is at the top, for which many people devote their best time and energy to try and climb to. But notice that Jesus sternly warned His disciples, “It must not be like that among you.”

"Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless’" Genesis 17:1.

The capitalization is easily ignored, but quite important. Bible translators, out of respect for His personal name, substitute “LORD” for the name, “Yahweh.” That name is closely associated with “I Am,” the self-existing One who has no beginning or end. Notice too that He calls Himself, “God Almighty” - El Shaddai in the Hebrew language. By this title He indicates that He, Yahweh, is the God above all gods; the mightiest of all so-called gods.

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Majestic mountains, vast oceans, large sea creatures, the sun, moon, and stars were all created through a word of command, but humans alone were created through the personal touch of our Father. He literally took the elements of the earth into hand, and formed us. He then pressed His mouth to His creation, and breathed His life-giving breath into lungs to give and sustain life. 

We uniquely have the fingerprints of God upon us. We are His prized creation and possession, designed uniquely to declare His praise and reflect His glory. 

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"Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him" Matthew 20:34.

Perhaps you know the difference between passion and compassion. Having a passion for something involves how we will benefit from it. Compassion, on the other hand, involves caring about something or someone regardless of any personal benefit. For that reason, compassion is the appropriate word to describe Jesus’ motivation. Deep compassion moved Him to help those suffering from diseases, injuries, and defects.

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"if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst" Matthew 18:19-20.

Several men in a church were born again through a women’s prayer group. These women determined to collectively pray for these unsaved men, and these prayers were wonderfully answered.

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It has been said that you can choose your friends, but your family is chosen for you. This is not entirely true in that we do have a choice of family, according to Jesus’ words.

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With a great trumpet blast and an angelic shout, the hope of the ages will be realized. While there are those who mock and scoff at the notion of the literal return of Christ, it is an event as real as tomorrow's headlines.

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"And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth’” Revelation 5:9-10.

Many church attenders can attest to the awkwardness of new music. While new expressions of worship through song are beneficial, learning a new song can be frustrating.

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The incomparable Christ is the ultimate truth teller. Standing before Pontius Pilate He declared, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18:37). None has more faithfully served as witness to the truth than Jesus.

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"Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it " 2 John 5-6.

The biggest challenge is not in understanding, but in doing. The “lady” that John addressed likely was a local church; a body of believers. Apparently, in light of his appeal, they needed a reminder as to an important priority to focus on and practice.

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"And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life" 1 John 5:11-13.

The human author of 1 John, John the apostle, was the sole survivor of the original band of twelve. From his vantage point as an elderly man, he was pointed and clear in what he wrote. The simple fact, as he stated, was that God has given eternal life through His Son. We either possess His Son through faith, or we do not. Eternal life is like a light switch: it’s either on or off; we have it or we do not.

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Few things are as easy to do as focus on our deficiencies. If given a sheet of paper and pen, most of us could likely comprehensively list, in a matter of a few minutes, our weaknesses and flaws. Such an exercise is anything but helpful. A better alternative is to carefully consider this great truth: “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness."

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"You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered" 1 Peter 3:7.

These thoughts today are specifically directed to husbands, but wives will be keenly interested in that they directly affect them.

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Prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" 1 Peter 1:13.

Much is to be said about being pro-active and intentional. Drifting through life without purpose and direction is to be subject to the whims and agendas of others.

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"In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar; and the message was true and one of great conflict, but he understood the message and had an understanding of the vision" Daniel 10:1.

There is far more going on than meets the eye.

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“faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself ... "You see that faith was working with his (Abraham's) works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected … For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." James 2:17,22,26.

It literally is easier said than done. Anyone can talk a good talk, but the real proof is walking the walk. Our words are either validated or discredited by how we live.

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"it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods" Hebrews 13:9.

God's grace is heart-healthy. In case we are inclined to think that eating certain foods help our cholesterol levels and our heart (which they can), this verse reminds us that what we ultimately need is God's grace. It is a possibility that many of today's modern ailments have a spiritual basis at least as much as a physical one. 

"In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation" Hebrews 5:7-9.

We are drawn to people who understand us. Those people who seem to "get inside our skin," see things from our perspective, and understand our thoughts, earn an audience with us.

"I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ" Philemon 6 NIV.

It's been said that love isn't love until you give it away, and the same goes for faith. The biblical faith will create a burning desire within to express itself to others so that they in turn can experience its transforming effect.