As for You, Follow Me
In the natural, physical world we live in, there are many voices competing for a following. Some voices are good. Some voices are bad. They have one thing in common, the desire to gain your attention - even your loyalty. If you are in a jail or prison, you have been placed in an environment where you are exposed to numerous voices daily. People from all walks of life are constantly in your face. In this unsettled environment, resistance is not easy. Whether you are innocent or guilty of the crimes brought against you, you are in the system now. You are left to fend for yourself among the ranks of the incarcerated. Day in and day out, you have to deal with the oppressions, manipulations and demands of those seeking your allegiance.
Surrounded by the voices and the darkness of prison
life, sometimes your emotions get the best of you, and you feel like you cannot
handle one more day of this chaos. Oh - but wait, there is another side to the
story. All is not lost. Your life isn’t over just because you are in prison.
Sooner or later, you discover that the voices echoing through the corridors of
prison are not all bad. In the stillness of the night, when the lights are out,
another voice suddenly breaks through. Though not a loud voice, it nevertheless
shakes your whole being. The voice appears to be singling you out, bringing a
personal message that you cannot deny. The voice is saying, follow me!
John 8:12 (NIV) - “...I [Jesus] am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never
walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Hearing those words impressed upon your mind, you
get goose bumps. You begin to feel a huge burden being lifted off your
shoulders. You do not have to be alone. You do not have to fend for yourself. A
choice has been presented to you, the choice to follow the light of life. The
voices of confusion, which have been competing for your attention, no longer
need to be a threat. You don’t need to argue with those who aren’t hearing the
same message you are hearing. It’s enough that you have heard the voice of
Jesus calling, “As for you, follow me.”
Following Jesus is a magnificent lifetime journey.
The details don’t have to be laid out all at once. To do so would only spoil
the value and the great joy to be discovered from walking in faith. Unfortunately,
in my observation, there is a lot of emphasis by religious leaders on coming to Christ, but not enough emphasis on
staying with Christ for the
fulfilling journey ahead. Following Jesus is about getting to know him
intimately as Lord and Savior; it’s about becoming a disciple.
We have been sadly misled if we think that coming
to Christ is all about us tapping
into the power of Almighty God, so that we can have whatever we want, while we
sit on the sidelines commanding God to bring it to us! God is disappointed
when he sees people worshiping him as if he were a magician. Those who test
God’s love by demanding favors and gifts from him, only show their spiritual
immaturity. The real sign of a spiritually mature person is one who maintains
faith in God even when adversity strikes. We can learn from those, such as
Peter, who have gone before us.
While standing on the shore of the Sea of Galilee
(after His resurrection), Jesus spotted Simon Peter and the other disciples
out in a boat, fishing. Make no mistake; Jesus was there on a mission! Not
only did he want to fellowship and share breakfast with his disciples, but also
there was something important he wanted to tell Peter. He wanted Peter to know
that he still loved him and that he had not cast him out. More than anything,
Peter needed to hear those words from the Master. His heart ached because he
knew he had messed up badly before Jesus went to the cross. Peter was guilty of
pride. He had actually boasted that whatever the other disciples decided to do,
he would never fail Jesus. He did fail Jesus, and his prideful words came back
to haunt him. With the cross impending, Peter was asked three times if he was a
disciple of Jesus, and three times he denied that he knew him. To have denied
the Master was unthinkable! How could he have been so foolish? It brought great
remorse to Peter’s soul. Now, standing before Peter in his resurrected body,
Jesus made it clear how much he loved Peter. Nevertheless, Jesus wanted to know
if Peter was ready to love him at all costs.
John 21:14-17 (NIV) - This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he
was raised from the dead. When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon
Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,”
he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
Again, Jesus
said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you
know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep”
The third time
he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because
Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all
things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”
Perhaps to help him make amends for the times he had
denied Christ, three times Jesus asked Peter the question, “Do you love me”? Each time he asked the question and received
Peter’s positive answer, he gave him a task to do. What does this say to us?
With love comes responsibility. This is the key to discipleship. The one requirement
of discipleship is that we love Jesus so deeply that we are willing to
do whatever he asks us to do. No matter where we are or what we are doing at
this very moment, Jesus is asking each of us the same question, Will you accept the responsibility
that love demands?
If our love for God is shallow, he can’t trust us
with much. I find it interesting that the people who seem the most baffled
about their purpose in life are the ones who choose to walk a safe distance
behind Jesus (not wanting to get too close). They seem to have no clue what
Jesus wants them to do with their life. Yet, the answer is quite simple. We
cannot casually follow Jesus (lag behind) and be in a position to know his
will for our life. If we want to know what our purpose in life is, we need to
seek his face, not his backside!
Jeremiah 29:12-14 (NIV) - “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen
to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I
will be found by you," declares the LORD...”
The bottom
line: When
our relationship with God is motivated by our deep and abiding love for him,
rather than by the things we hope to get from him - like Peter we will be able
to say with conviction, “Yes, Lord, you
know that I love you!” And, Jesus will say, “Then do this...for me!”
Questions For
Personal or Group Study:
1. Why do people test God’s love for them? What does this testing of God’s love reveal about their relationship with God?
2. According to the lesson, what is the real sign of
a spiritually mature person?
3. Even though Peter messed up before Jesus went to
the cross (denying him three times), Jesus still had confidence in Peter. He
knew Peter could learn to love Him with all his heart. When you think of your
own life, how would you rate your love for Jesus?
4. If our love for Jesus is shallow, He can’t trust
us with much responsibility. Do you find yourself avoiding a close
relationship with Jesus, for fear he might ask you to do something you would
rather not do?