Follow me

Follow me                      John 21:22 “…You must follow me”    

 Extra Reading: John 21: 18-23 

“Follow me!” Jesus says these words to Peter. I have learned that all who have met as the living Lord are commanded to follow Him. In following Jesus, ended up in Rome, where he died for his faith. Tradition has it that Peter was crucified like Jesus, except that Peter requested to be crucified upside down, to show that he was not worthy to die as Jesus had died. Let me ask you this question: “Are you ready, willing and prepared to die for the sake of your Master, Jesus Christ?”

Following Jesus brought Peter to a cross. We often forget that following Jesus brings sacrifice. Jesus says to His disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up the cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Some Christians seem to think that when you are a Christian you are on easy street. But I want to say that living the Christian life is not always easy. If you stand up for Jesus, you will be in conflict with the powers of this world. In many places around the world, Christians suffer and sometimes even die for their faith.

In today’s message, Peter wonders what will happen to the apostle John (see John 13:25), but Jesus tells Peter that he must focus instead on following Jesus. We must always remember that we cannot follow both Jesus and the world at the same time. And we must not get side-tracked in wondering about the Lord’s plans for other believers. We each need to be faithful in the calling He gives us.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to know that following Jesus may even cost our lives. Give us the courage to stand up for Jesus. In His name we pray, Amen.

Devotion 07                Rev. Samuel N. Modise                   2013