Follow Closely to Keep Up

Picture from talkandroid.com

I love Twitter.  I've been tweeting for a couple of years now and am closing on on my 3000th tweet.  I get most of my news from Twitter.  I keep up with friends on Twitter.  Friends keep up with me on Twitter. Twitter is good.  For those who are not familiar with Twitter, you follow people (those fellow twits who tweet) and people follow you. I have quite a few followers but near as many as others. Even thought I have a few hundred followers, they are not following me closely.  Many of them I have never met personally.  So, in essence, those who follow me do so at a distance.  They may know about me and what kind of coffee I drank this morning, but they really don't know me.  I think this serves as a picture of the spiritual walk of many people in our nation.

In Luke 22:54-62, we have Luke's account of Peter's denial of Christ.  This is a gut-wrenching passage for me. Why? Because there have been times in my spiritual journey that I have lived it.  I think if most of us were honest with ourselves, we would have to say that we have lived it too.  Outside of the play-by-play that we get here from Luke, there are two sentences that really stick out in this account. 

The first sentence is found in verse 54.  It simply says that Peter followed at a distance. When we are following Jesus, following at a distance is dangerous. In fact, for Peter is was dreadfully painful.  Peter had committed the previous 3 years of his life following Jesus everywhere.  He saw things that very few others, including some of the other disciples, ever got to see.  He would be likened unto Jesus' right hand man.  It is almost as if when you saw Jesus, you saw Peter too.  What would cause Peter from following so closely to following at a distance? Fear for one.  Jesus had just been betrayed by Judas into the hands of the Pharisees.  Peter feared that he, too, might be arrested for his association with Jesus.  When we are afraid because of our association we will follow at a distance.  I think, curiosity as well.  Peter did not want to get too close but he wanted to see what was going to happen with Jesus. When we are just curious about Christ, we are not committed to Him. Commitment is how we set ourselves apart as disciples of Jesus. We cannot be a committed follower of Jesus and follow at a distance.  Disciples follow so closely to their master that they get covered with he dust of their master's feet. There is a closeness of relationship that only comes from following Jesus closely. If you are not experiencing a close relationship with Christ, you are not following Him close enough.

The second sentence that carries great weight with it is found in verse 61.  After Peter's third denial of knowing Jesus, Luke's account says that Jesus turned and looked at Peter. Can you imagine? Just a few hours earlier, Peter said that he would go to prison or even die for Jesus.  It was after this prideful statement that Jesus warned Peter of his denial.  Peter had become so caught up in the events of the night and the perceived need to protect his identity that he had forgotten the warning of his Master.  When we do not follow closely to Jesus we forget the importance and weight of His teaching. In the very moment that Peter uttered his last denial of knowing Jesus, Peter's eyes lock with Jesus'.  The next thing Peter hears is the rooster crow.  There is only one response to this -- brokenness. In that moment, Peter realized all that he had done and what following Jesus from a distance had done for him.  He responded the only way he could.  He runs outside of the city and weeps bitterly.  When we realize what following at a distance costs us and the person that it turns us into, our only response is repentance.  Luckily, the story does not end there. In John 21:15-19, we see that Peter is restored, forgiven and commissioned by Jesus. Even when we fail, there is forgiveness and restoration available from the master.

So, how are you following Jesus today? Is he just someone you follow via Twitter?  Do you know about Him and what He's doing, but do not know Him personally?  Are you following Jesus from a distance, hoping that you will not be spotted?  Are you following Jesus so closely that you are covered with the dust of His sandals?  Jesus desires followers/disciples who follow Him closely.  Follow on!

Facing Fear

I did something today that I have not done for about four months. I went out and rode my motorcycle. This was a pretty big thing for me since the the last time I rode this bike, I wrecked it. The saying goes that there are two kinds of riders out there, those that have been down and those that are going down. I can say that I am the former. Today was the day that I had to face my fears. Even though the bike has been fixed for two months, it's taken me until today to climb on and take it out for a ride. Why? One simple word, fear. There has always been that little voice in the back of my head that wondered, quite often I might add, if I could actually do it. Why today? I'm not sure. I just knew that it was time. If it wasn't today, then it might be never. I will openly admit that I was scared. I rode more timidly today than I have since the first time I rode a motorcycle. I was stiff and uncomfortable at first, but by the end of my short ride I was gaining confidence and comfort. I had to face my fear. I had to prove to myself that I could do it. I refused to continue to be gripped by the fear and wonder if I could or would ride again. As I sit here tonight, I am proud of myself. But I also reflect on something deeper. All of us have fear. We have two choices. We can be gripped and crippled by them or we can overcome and conquer them. For many of us, we have great spiritual fears. We are afraid of what God may call us to. We are afraid that we will miss the opportunity that God has laid before us. We are afraid to speak up and share the message of the gospel with those who are around us. We are afraid of being rejected and ridiculed because of our faith. We cannot allow these fears to grip and cripple us. We must overcome. We must face those fears, stare them in the face and beat them. It is a mental battle. It is battle that is won in the mind. You see, a life that is lived in fear is a life that is deprived of faith. We have been created as people of faith. It is our faith that keeps us alive. Jesus says that He gives life abundantly. Our faith in Him brings us life abundantly. It is the kind of life that is like that of Christ, fearless. For you, it's time to climb on your motorcycle, to face your fear and ride into the sunset. Fearless.