Pondering with the Peters

In the Gospel of John, we have seen how Jesus is the Word, the life, the light, the Lamb, the Christ, the King, the Son of God, the Son of Man. In this passage, we come to a familiar story - Jesus turning water into wine. But there is nothing ordinary about Jesus here. Jesus is the true and better Master of the Feast who supplies the abundant wine of the gospel, and He is the true and better Bride...

In this passage, we see the glory of Jesus Christ in being the goal of our witness, the initiator of our salvation, the One with absolute authority to change our identity and command our allegiance, and the One who knows all things about us yet continues to love us. Ultimately, we see the "glory as of the only Son from the Father" in Jesus Christ's death on the cross. May we come and...

After concluding his theologically rich prologue, the apostle John turns his attention to the witness of John the Baptist. Rather than focusing on who he is and what he has done, John the Baptist focuses on who Christ is (the Lamb of God) and what Christ came to do (take away the sin of the world). The question is whether or not we are going to listen to the message of the messenger.

In this passage, we read about one of the most important events in history - the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Word became human without ceasing to be God, and we behold His glory through the eyes of faith.

In this passage, John introduces us to Christ as the Lord of Life and Light of the World. There are many who reject Christ as Life and Light. But to all who receive Him, He gives the right to become children of God.

In this passage, John is stating very carefully and very deliberately that the Word, Jesus Christ, is eternally pre-existent, that He is in eternal relationship with the Father, that He is eternally God, and that He is the eternal Creator of all things. May we marvel at the majesty and splendor and wonder of Jesus Christ.

In Psalm 146, the psalmist invites us to praise the Lord with our whole being and for our whole life. We may be consumed by worries of various kinds, but if we have put our trust in Jesus Christ, we can have assurance that God will take care of us. Such wonderful news should certainly make us sing for joy.

In Psalm 72, David prays for his son Solomon, king of Israel - that God will give him perfect justice and righteousness, that God will give him a long life and flourishing kingdom, that his dominion will extend to the ends of the earth, that he will be known for his care of the poor and needy, and that he will be a blessing to the nations. While Solomon partially fulfilled Psalm 72, God's answ...

In Psalm 122, the psalmist urges Old Testament pilgrims to pray for the peace of Jerusalem because "the house of the Lord" (Psalm 122:9) was in the city. Since the church is "a dwelling place for God" (Ephesians 2:22), we should pray also for the peace of the church. And as we pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the peace of the church, may we long for the day when the new Jeru...

Advent is a season that helps us wait for Christ's second coming while we wonder at His first coming. But for some, this is not the most wonderful time of the year. In Psalm 80, the people of Israel are crying out for God to restore them. This He would do by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to save His people from their sins. We all experience the brokenness of living in a fallen world, but the...

In this passage, the psalmist introduces us to the Messiah King - the Son of David and Son of God - who will rule to the ends of the earth. We may become discouraged and disheartened by persecution and suffering at the hands of the evil powers in this world, but Jesus Christ has gained worldwide victory, and in Him we can take refuge.

In this passage, the psalmist presents us with two ways in life - the way of the righteous that leads to everlasting life and blessedness, and the way of the wicked that leads to death and everlasting contempt. Which way will we choose? Will we walk with the wicked, or will we stand with those who are right with God?

As today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, we are reminded in Scripture that we can find hope in a secular culture that is antagonistic towards Christianity and followers of Jesus because God is our refuge, because God is present with us, and because God will one day establish peace on earth.

Genesis teaches us that God is all-powerful, all-present, all-knowing, and sovereign. If we have believed this about God, then we have embraced the God of Genesis, and we are ready to live for Him.

Genesis teaches us that our only hope of deliverance from sin and death and hell is in Jesus Christ - the Messiah prophesied after the fall of the first man and the first woman, whose coming had been so marvelously preserved, and whose return we eagerly anticipate when the people of God will be ushered into the joy of His presence.

Genesis teaches us that all of life is grace. Not only are we saved by the grace of God, but God also sustains us by His grace and will keep us to the end by His grace, in order that we might praise God for His amazing grace, forever and ever.

Genesis teaches us that every fabric of our being is tainted by sin, and that the remedy to humanity's predicament is a righteousness that belongs to Christ and that can only be received by faith alone.

In this passage, we see that humanity is simultaneously wonderful and awful. Though we are helplessly sinful and hopelessly lost by nature, we are also truly wonderful, not simply because we were created in God’s image, but because Jesus Christ came to redeem the image of God in fallen humanity.

In this passage, we see Jacob bless his sons which points to the reality that God "has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 1:3), and we also see both Jacob and Joseph die in hope that one day God will fulfill His promise of the land of Canaan which points to the hope we have that one day God will fulfill His promise of a "new heavens...

In this passage, God promises to be with Israel as they go down to Egypt. But God's presence with His people doesn't mean that they will always prosper. Israel would later be enslaved under a Pharaoh that did not know Joseph. But God would be with them even in their suffering. We may often doubt God's presence with us. But we can be assured that God will go with us wherever we go.

In this passage, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers after seeing their transformation. In His providence, God used the evil deeds of Joseph's brothers to send Joseph ahead of his family to Egypt to preserve Israel from famine. Ultimately, Joseph points us to Jesus Christ who was sent by God to earth to save His people. But Jesus saves not just from famine but from sin, and not just for a f...

In this passage, Joseph tests his brothers to see if they are the same men who sold him into slavery twenty years earlier, or if they have changed. We naturally don't want our sin exposed. But God loves us so much that He invites us into the light of His presence, so that we might be forgiven of all our sins and walk in newness of life.

In this passage, we see God's good providence in exalting His suffering servant to kingship - first with Joseph, but even more so with Jesus - in order to save the world. We too can entrust ourselves to God's good providence, knowing that He is able to accomplish His purposes for our good.

In this passage, we see Joseph's response to being thrown into prison on account of his faithfulness to his God is to continue to trust in the sovereignty of God. By faith, we too can trust that God is for us working all things according to His purposes.

In this passage, Joseph goes from the penthouse to the prison. But in all of this, the Lord was with him. We are reminded that God is with His people in times of prosperity and in times of adversity.