Lord's Day Devotions
January 13: Avoiding the Unavoidable Genesis 24 ; Matthew 16–17 ; Ecclesiastes 5:8–11 It’s common to put people in our lives on hold, even if we love them, until something forces us to pay attention. Forgetting those who are closest to us is a frightening thought. Peter, Jesus’ disciple , likely realized that people were making a similar mistake in their relationship with Jesus . In the district of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asks His disciples , “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ( Matt 16:13–14 ). At first, they respond with the expected: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, and the prophets—suggesting that Jesus is an esteemed and powerful prophet, but not more. Then Jesus asks the are-you-paying-attention question: “But who do you say that I am?” ( Matt 16:15 ). Simon Peter understood this, blurting out, “You are the Christ , the Son of the living God !” ( Matt 16:16 ). Jesus asked about the Son of Man , emphasizing His humanity ; Peter responds by emphasiz...