Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on John 6:59-71.
From that time many of his disciples
went back, and walked with him no more (John 6:66).
Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord,
to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life (John 6:68).
Reading
this, you are left to ask: Which kind of “disciple” are you going to be?
Are you
going to be the type who follows for a season, looking to get your stomach
filled, but who then turns back when you don’t get everything you thought you
were going to get from Jesus?
Or, are
you going to be the type who says, Lord, if we did not have you, to whom else
would we go? You have the words of eternal life.
The false
disciples say, Jesus we can’t follow you!
The true
disciples, however, say, Jesus we can’t NOT follow you. We have no other
choice. We have no other option. We have no one else to whom we can turn. You
are not one option among many for us. You are the only option for us.
The
skeptic asks: How can you possibly follow Jesus? We say: How can we NOT follow
him?
There is
a saying among those called to ministry: If you can do anything else, do it.
This statement
can be modified and applied to all believers: If you can follow anyone other
than Jesus, follow him. But if you see in the Lord Jesus Christ the only one
you could possibly follow, if you can’t NOT follow him, then follow him.
Profess
your faith in him among men as Peter did: “And we believe and are sure that
thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (John 6:69). Profess your faith
in obedience in baptism as the Ethiopian Eunuch did: “And he answered and said,
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:37). Finally, live for
him who died for you.
Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle
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