We read in Luke 22:54”…Peter followed at a distance.” The pressure had been put on Peter. Jesus was arrested and taken to the Supreme Court of the land. I’m sure he wondered if he would be next. It was at that point he began to “follow at a distance.” His plans were failing. He had already sacrificed much to follow this man for Galilee. Perhaps he had decided he would not sacrifice more. So he “followed from a distance.”
What causes us to follow Jesus from a distance? Why are we so quick to let Jesus go on ahead and we will wait with all the others here? I cannot find victory over life when I follow at a distance.
How often have we wanted to live successfully rather than victoriously? We want others to think of us as being successful. We believe if we are a success then others will like us and we are now somebody. When we live this way we follow Jesus at a distance.
God calls us to be victorious rather than successful. We will face many opportunities to follow Jesus from a distance. We will struggle with people, events and ourselves. Victorious people seek God in the midst of all of life. Their heartaches, pains and problems become places to draw nearer to God and discover His strength, grace and love. Victorious people do not seek deliverance from their problems as much as they seek discovery. They want to discover more of God. Then they discover the power of his presence. They discover that God was hiding in the midst of the situation. So they discover grace of his presence.
Distance or discovery, which will it be? When have I felt distance between God and myself? What was the reason for it? If there is distance between God and myself, guess who moved?
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