10 Lessons from the Life of Peter

Peter is a popular character in the Bible and was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. His original name was Simon, which was changed to Peter, which is derived from the Latin word “petra” which means little stone.

He was a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee and his father’s name was Jona. His younger brother Andrew brought him to Jesus. The massive change that happened to Peter after Christ’s resurrection is the most dramatic and powerful.

Peter gave a stirring message on the Day of Pentecost that caused hundreds to receive Jesus, and the church to grow exponentially.

There are many things we can learn from this powerful apostle’s life. Here are 5 lessons from the life of Peter:

1. When Jesus calls, we have to answer

In Matthew 4:18-22, Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee. He saw two brothers. They were Simon (his other name was Peter) and Andrew, his brother. They were putting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Follow Me. I will make you fishers of men!” At once they left their nets and followed Him. This is a wonderful lesson we can learn from the life of Peter. When he was called, he immediately left what he was doing and followed the master.

Romans 13:11-12 “And do this, knowing the time, that NOW it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.”

We should be ready to immediately respond by living whatever we are doing, when the calls comes for us to follow Jesus and to serve him with all of our hearts. 

2. Have a close connection with God

Jesus called Peter not to make him a slave but to help him fulfill his purpose in life. When Jesus said, “Follow Me,” He invited Peter to live closer to Him.

Jesus wanted to foster an intimate relationship with Peter which was possible if Peter spent more time with Him. To get closer to God we need to build the relationship and take the necessary steps to move closer to Him.

We should learn to cultivate the habits of getting connected (closer) to God at the beginning of the day and also at the close of the day, in doing that, we tend to live one day at a time on the basics of our closeness with God.

3. God can use Anyone

When Jesus called Peter, he was in a place that we least expected. We read: “And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen” (Matthew 4:18). Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee to find His disciples. He wasn’t looking among the highly qualified people like chief priests, elders, leaders, kings, and others.

1 Corinthians 1:26-28 says, Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are.

But was walking by the Sea of Galilee where He chose fishermen to be part of His inner circle. From this, we can learn that we don’t need to have special qualifications to be chosen for the kingdom.

4. We have to do our work diligently

Peter was a fisherman and used to catch and sell fish as a business. He wasn’t someone who was irresponsible and unreliable. He was diligent and hardworking, otherwise, Christ would not have chosen him. When Jesus called Peter, he was at work.

The Apostle Paul wrote about the importance of work, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (I Timothy 5:8).

Let’s say Peter wasn’t at his place of work (mending nets) how will Jesus have seen him? There is a reason why the Bible says He (God) will bless the work of our hands. The Bible also says he that is diligent in his business he shall stand before kings and not ordinary men.

5. Jesus Christ is the Son of God

When Jesus Christ was in a discussion with His disciples, He asked a question in Matthew 16:13: “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” The Apostles answered that some people say Jesus is John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or any of the other prophets. But it was Peter who gave a powerful answer, He said: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter confessed that Jesus is the Son of the Living God and not just any prophet. Jesus is the greatest person who has ever lived and died on the face of the planet. When Jesus heard these words from Peter, He made a pronouncement: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17).

When we truly accept Christ as our Savior, we are blessed and seek a personal relationship with our Savior

 

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