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Sample PackFollow Me In Uncertainty
Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”
This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.
Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. — John 21:18-25
This final statement of John is a great closer. It brings attention to the fact that there are so many things we want to know about Jesus. But the volume of written material about Jesus is not what matters. What's important is that we all (Peter, John, you, and me) have enough information about Jesus to make an intelligible decision about Jesus. Knowing every minute detail, like how our life will end, doesn't help. The only thing that quenches our thirst for understanding is faith-filled obedience anchored in the Word we have been given. Through faithful obedience, we discover the mystery of God's grace through Jesus.
Thus, Jesus instructs us to stop fixating so much on the future. That's for God to figure out. What we need to do is follow him.
This is an excellent message for right now because it is turbulent in our time. It's not just one thing. It's many things. There are significant national issues, but we also grapple with personal challenges like marital difficulties, job loss, financial strain, loneliness, and other concerns. The compounding effect of all this is wearing us all down. And we are all desperate for a way forward and a way out. Sometimes, we may even long for the ability to foresee the future (like Peter), thinking that knowing the future will provide the answers we seek. However, the real answer lies in the wisdom shared by Jesus when he said, "What is that to you? You follow me."
Church, we must become more competent and more intentional about following Jesus in our time. We cannot be carried away emotionally, philosophically, and intellectually by the teachings and beliefs of our time. We have to work a little harder to identify and ward off unbiblical beliefs and broken ideologies. And the only way forward is to follow Jesus more carefully, closely, and consciously, regardless of the chaos in our time.
Are you with me? Are you ready to "Follow Him" with everything you've got?
ASK THIS:
Reflecting on the passage from John 21:18-25, how do you interpret Jesus' message to Peter about the future and his call to follow Him? How can this message apply to your own life and circumstances, especially in times of uncertainty or challenges?
Vince emphasizes that knowing every minute detail about the future isn't as important as having faith-filled obedience in following Jesus. Share a personal experience of struggling with uncertainty or wanting to know the future. How did relying on faith and obedience help you navigate that situation, and what did you learn from it?
DO THIS: Just focus on following Jesus.
PRAY THIS: Lord, as I reflect on this devotional, help me to release my anxieties about the future and trust in Your guidance. May I have the faith and obedience to follow You faithfully, even in uncertain times. Amen.
PLAY THIS: I Thank God.
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Thanks for commenting men…I always enjoy and relate to your thoughts and appreciate your willingness to share. I’m sure I’m not alone in benefitting from your comments!
Have a great week men
Boom
“Lord, please let us not look beyond today, You are the one that knows the future. Let us focus on preparing ourselves and others for whatever the tomorrows may bring.
In Christ’s name.”
Amen
Great prayer Bob. I love it when men like you say things like this here!
Brother Vince, first I want to thank you for these wonderful daily devotionals, I had 2 mini strokes 6 years ago followed by a massive strove that left my left side immobile,and since that i have trouble concentrating on reading and my son-in-law was at one of your retreats some time ago and introduced me to your devotionals and ever since I look forward to your teachings each day. With many supportive prayers from family and friends God has been amazing though this journey,it’s not always easy but I try not to worry about the future because I know that the God we follow has us in his hands and will never put us down. Your prayers for continued strength and faith are greatly appreciated. Your brother in Christ. Ezra.
Ezra, you are loved by me and even more by God! Thanks for listening!
“What is that to you. You follow me”. Man I like that. I am no decision maker. Give me instruction and I can be quite content doing my best to do the job to suite my instructor. Be it Dad, brother, boss…. So much easier to follow 1 direction than carry the load of directing or instructing many other workers. Now that is in a job situation. WHY OH WHY have I had so much trouble relating that to life. Just follow Jesus and let Him figure it out. Well thanks Vince or who ever wrote this devo this morning. I have a peace until the next wind blows me off corse.
When my family moved from Virginia to Minnesota, we tried for 2-3 years to sell our house in Virginia, even rented it out to BAD tenants at first, then we just let it sit empty after that bad taste in our mouth. We, my wife and I, prayed daily for the ability to sell our house and then God answered our prayers in a way we didn’t expect. My sister-in-law needed a place to stay, permanently. She LIKES living in Virginia, and we were MORE than done living on the east coast, so we offered her our house in Virginia to live in, so long as she was willing to do all the work to maintain the home, as some of the previous tenants did NOT. She HAPPILY agreed and took over the mortgage payments as well as any and all maintenance that the house has needed/she desired for the last few years. We all need to remember that waiting for an answer is NOT a bad thing, but is the pattern for MOST of the people in The Bible are REQUIRED to do as part of their faith walk, including Jesus. He didn’t start preaching PUBLICLY until He was 30 years old, but there is a mention that He did preach in the synagogue at age 12, but it still proves the point that He didn’t START His life as the Savior of the world, but he grew up and learned from flawed people and His Heavenly Father before He gave up His life as a ransom for EVERYONE’s sins, throughout all time.
So true that tommorrow has its own situations . Lead today and walk with our savior and see what’s here for today . Well said brother
Years ago I owned a bicycle shop. Open 7 days a week. As a new Christian my pastor encouraged me to seek the Lord on the meaning of Sabbath. I was doing a study in Nehemiah through “the Chapel of the Air” called 50 days for Christ to transform your workplace. It was 50 days before Easter.
In Nehemiah 13, he confronts the merchants for bringing their wares to the city gates on the Sabbath. It was clear to me I was to close on Sundays. It was close to the end of the school year so I decided to give the Lord any revenue from Sunday sales over the next 5 Sundays and then change our hours after that. The next 5 Saturdays were the largest in the stores history! Just as the Lord had provided double manna on the day before the Sabbath.
God’s economy does not make sense to the way of man. That is amazing Marty. I am glad to hear how your act of obedience was rewarded by God. Keep being light and salt brother.