Follow Him Closely

Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house. But Peter followed at a distance. (Luke 22:54)

A few hours earlier, Peter vowed to go with Jesus, even to death (and so did all the disciples). He meant every word he said, but he did not know he was lying to himself, and he had no power to do what he vowed -- Then they all forsook Him and fled. (Mark 14:50) Peter was now a spectator, looking on Jesus from afar, and that distance would soon provide the space where he would deny he even knew Jesus! Even today, many of us remain unaware of our weaknesses, and pride blinds us to the fact that we possess no power to stand for God on our own. Let us heed the lesson the scriptures teach us through Peter's failure.

When we follow Jesus at a distance, we remain stuck somewhere between blindness and sight, inconsistent, lukewarm, disingenuous, and spiritually immature. Claiming to be Christians while refusing to walk closely with our Lord will lead us to the same tragic ground where Peter found himself. So, let us not grieve the Holy Spirit by the lack of purpose in our walk. We need to draw near to the Savior again and allow Him to get on with the work He began in us some time ago. Follow Him closely. That is the only safe place for a believer.

Let’s Pray – Precious King, I am turning back to You and pursuing Your will for my life with renewed energy and purpose. I will not turn away from Your commands but run to them. Thank You for Your sweet Spirit. Amen.