Re:Verse reading–John 6:52-69 (day two)
Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. Vs. 68
Simon Peter would spend much of his time with Jesus asking questions, not understanding, or misinterpreting – but he knew who had the words of life. Whether or not he understood them at that time, his faith was absolute. Not every message is easy. Sometimes the truth is shrouded in a mystery of faith, and we are called to walk in humble obedience without having it all figured out for ourselves. Did Jesus know this would happen? Absolutely. Did that change is manner of speech or action? It did not.
Jesus is not calling us to a faith of convenience. One where we only read the stories we can easily explain, and avoid altogether any challenging doctrine. He calls us to confront those tough truths, and believe in the one who uttered them. There will be those who walk away. They will be unwilling to walk with Jesus into the places that call us to think, to act, to trust completely.
This is a new year. It’s not like there is a cosmic goal post the we have crossed, or a galactic turnstile that has clicked off another pass round the sun, but we have declared that this will be the start of a new year. Where will your faith take you? Will you be like Peter and say to the Lord – where else would I go but to you? Will you be like the others who can’t be bothered with the tough stuff? This is not a passive faith. None of us is on the sidelines. Let us all commit to following our savior with complete abandon. Happy New Year!
Obedience will almost never be convenient in any settings, whether spiritual, personal or organizational. But I can say that it will be the most rewarding set of experiences we have ever experienced. That is our peace of mind and of approval from those who have the authority over us.
Today’s society is all about convenience. We do everything based on convenience, from online communication, from online grocery shopping, from online education, financial management, carry-out food, and so on, whatever it takes to make our life simple and convenient.
Obedience requires sacrifices and of course, it is not easy and sometimes can be very challenging. However, if we just believe that obedience will be rewarded in some shapes or forms by those who are caring, have concerns for our total well-being, have the authority over us, and have the control over our lives, it will be worth it to obey without trying to figuring all out.
God created us and is in total control of our lives. So the question for us is whether we respond to God based on our absolute obedience or convenience! I hope we all do not respond to God’s commands by convenience!