Sunday, August 26, 2012

When Others Walk Away

 
­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Other would be disciples were walking away because of a hard teaching about commitment Jesus had just given them.  Jesus then asked His twelve men if they wanted to go away also.  Peter spoke for them when he said to Jesus, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God" (John 6:68).
           
Peter and the others had a lot of things still to learn, but Peter got it right on this one.  We Christians believe that Jesus is "the Holy One of God."  We believe that He has "words of eternal life."  We don't follow Him because He is nice and charismatic and has a wonderful leadership demeanor about Him.  We follow Him because we truly believe He has words of eternal life and that He is the Holy One of God.  
           
In His redemptive love we have come to have abundant life.  We have come to know the reality of sins forgiven and guilt removed.  We have come to know what it means to be embraced by God's grace and to live with an inner peace that stays with us through the good and bad times, and through the highs and lows.
           
Words of eternal life guide us and lead us and direct us.  The Holy One of God lives in us and makes us adequate to face reality, whatever reality may be in a given moment or situation.  Jesus is with us for the long haul, and He is with us as Savior and Lord. 
           
That leaves us, doesn't it?  Will we be with Him for the long haul?  On the highest mountaintop or the lowest valley will we stay with Him? When everything that can go wrong is going wrong, will we stay with Him?  When to follow Him is difficult, will we stay with Him?  Do we really believe He is the Holy One of God? 

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