"who do i say that i am?"
"Who do you say that I am?" —Matthew 16:15
Jesus asked His apostles: " 'Who do you say that I am?' 'You are the Messiah,' Simon Peter answered, 'the Son of the living God!' " (Mt 16:15-16) Peter's response was right, sincere, and a grace from God (Mt 16:17). However, Peter did not correctly understand what he had professed. Jesus even "turned on Peter and said, 'Get out of my sight, you satan! You are trying to make Me trip and fall. You are not judging by God's standards but by man's' "(Mt 16:23).
Maybe you have given your life to Jesus. You may have truly meant it when you accepted Jesus as your Savior and Lord. Nevertheless, you may have not been "judging by God's standards but by man's" (Mt 16:23). You need to say with Paul: "We no longer know Him by this standard" (2 Cor 5:16).
Right now, give your life to Jesus again — by His standards, not yours. Love the Lord with all your heart, and let Jesus, not you, determine what "all" means. Don't try to make Jesus in your image and likeness and then confess this Jesus as a projection of yourself. Rather, be "formed into the pattern of His death" (Phil 3:10). Let Jesus be Lord of your accepting Him as Lord.
Prayer: Jesus, may You not fit into my life, but may I fit into Yours.
Promise: "The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah." —Jer 31:31
Praise: Dominic led nine heretical young women to conversion. These women gave their lives to Jesus and served Him as nuns.
Reference: (For related teaching, order our leaflet, Accepting Jesus As Lord, Savior, and God.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert J. Buschmiller, January 29, 1996
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 5, 1996