Who is Making a Positive Influence in Your Life?

   Can you remember when you met someone important for the first time?  How were you dressed, what you said, did you trip over your feet?  Now, you may never have met someone important, so can you recall when you wanted to make a GOOD impression on someone of the opposite sex?  You may have brushed your teeth a little bit extra hard that morning, rehearsed what you were going to say when you had the opportunity.  For guys, it was a little extra deodorant and for the girls, you put on a little extra lip gloss and made sure your hair was all in place.

   What were Jesus’ first impressions of Simon (Peter)?  Here was a guy who was ordinary looking, nothing fancy about his clothing, messy hair and probably smelled like fish, being that he was a fisherman.  To his defense, he did not have advance warning that he was going to meet Jesus.  Andrew, Simon’s brother came running to him, exclaiming that Andrew had found the Messiah and he had to come immediately to meet Jesus (John 1:40-42).  This is like when a musician from your favorite band is going to be signing autographs and you grab your best friend to join you.  Simon never had time to put on his best clothes. 

   Yet the first thing Jesus says to Simon was not, “Boy, you smell like fish!”  Rather it was that he was getting a name change.  “Cephas” or “Peter” was ...