Good Morning Friends,
In the Roman Catholic tradition, today is the day for honoring the martyred lives of the Apostles Peter and Paul. They are important characters in the Christian faith for Protestants and Jews too because they show us how very different people might work in the tension of relationships for a common objective. They had some miraculous experiences that mirrored each other, that may be of interest to you, and both their deaths though shrouded in some mystery, are traditionally thought to have been in Roman. Paul beheaded and Peter crucified upside-down. But instead, I thought I would summarize a few thoughts about their lives that prepared them to be reconciled with each other and in the end finish well. Their relationship teaches us something important. Friends, we all must choose how we live with our desires to assert ourselves, belong, reflect, and actively engage in the world but if we are ashamed of the Gospel, we will be short of the goal. Many in the pews are Biblically illiterate. With that in mind I ask you, Will Our Places Of Collective Worship Finish Well?
Scripture (Summarized)
Acts 12:1–11 — Herod arrests Peter after killing James. While the church prays, an angel frees Peter from prison, leading him past guards and out through an iron gate that opens on its own. Peter realizes God has rescued him.
2 Timothy 4:6–8, 17–18 — Paul, near death, says he has fought the good fight and finished the race. God strengthened him so the gospel could be proclaimed, and Paul trusts God will rescue him into His kingdom.
Matthew 16:13–19 — Peter confesses Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus blesses him, names him the “rock,” and promises the church will stand.
Ephesians 5:25 — Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church, giving Himself for her.
Message: Life can fall apart, but God never removes the Gospel or the promise that Christ will never leave us. Finishing well is not passive endurance, it is persevering faith. Peter and Paul show us what it looks like to move forward in grace.Peter’s life swings between bold confession and painful failure. He walks on water, then sinks. He refuses Jesus’ foot‑washing, then asks for a full bath. He vows loyalty, then denies Christ. Yet Jesus forgives, restores, and sends him to become a fisher of people. Peter shows us that forgiven sinners can still finish well.Paul’s encounter with the risen Christ reshaped everything. Once a strict Pharisee, he became a tireless ambassador of grace, suffering daily yet proclaiming Christ boldly. His conviction was simple: only God saves, and both Jews and Gentiles must open themselves to Christ’s transforming power.Peter and Paul disagreed at times, but they agreed on the lordship of Jesus, and they finished well. Their lives remind us that our churches, too, must choose whether we will finish well. Not by our strength, but by God’s grace.
And So, finishing well requires daily communion with God. We commit ourselves as living sacrifices, trusting God’s sovereign love to help us persevere—not just stand firm, but move forward. We have a purpose in the world, and we cannot fulfill it alone.Peter and Paul were very different, yet united in Christ. They repented, grew in grace, and were transformed. We carry something of both in us. We may struggle, but we are on the same team, held by a love from which nothing can separate us. So keep moving forward in faith. God is always good.
Pray for reconciliation with those unlike us. Pray for forgiveness, change, and courage. Pray never to be ashamed of the Gospel. Pray to finish well—and for our places of worship to finish well. Pray for unity in our shared need for grace. Pray to love Christ’s church as He does, seeing ourselves being transformed into a divine partnership.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 