Being faithful

Key verse
Hebrews 7:25 - "Therefore he [Jesus] is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."

Luke
I'd like to think that if someone accused me of being a follower of Jesus, I would say yes.  And I truly think I would, at least in today's society.  However, if I put myself in Peter's shoes, what would I do?  He clearly thought he would stay with Jesus to the end, and in once sense he did, after he got over this initial bout of fear.  But at this critical period of Jesus' life, Peter abandons him.  Perhaps Peter feared being caught and killed, or was it simply that he simply didn't want to be associated with someone who was no longer popular with the people.  Regardless, I think there are a few lessons here.  One is, while it is great to have second chances, as Peter did (we'll read about this later), it's so much more fulfilling to get things right the first time.  The second lesson is to not make rash promises.  We discussed this in Hebrews a couple days ago.  If we decide we'll do something, let's just do it, in spite of the costs.

Proverbs
A house is built through wisdom, and made full with knowledge (24:3-4).  This verse struck me, but now that I try to think about it more deeply, I'm at a loss for what to say.  I'm trying to picture this in my mind... To me, a house is built through love and made full with that same love.  Rooms are filled with memories of the relationships that took place in those rooms.  Wisdom helps in keeping those relationships strong, and so through that, wisdom builds the home.

Isaiah
Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress (33:2).  It's one thing to say that this verse is comforting, but it is another to actually accept the truth of it.  Do I think of God every morning and knowingly, willingly, place my trust in him, that he will be my strength for the day?  More often, I get up and decide how I will go about my day.  I need to take more time to place it in God's hands, because the only way I'll make it through the day with anything to show for it is through God.  Moreover, when I am worried, distressed, or anxious, I need to give this to God and allow him to be my salvation.  I need to let him come and wash over me with his peace.  I need to take hold of his gift of love and realize that he is indeed all I need.   When I ask for his strength and salvation, I need to truly accept it and live in that new reality.