John 6:66-69 -- After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
Christian, what will you do when everyone else turns away because the Word of God becomes hard… When following Jesus isn't popular… When His direction and precepts don’t line up with your desires… When His Word tells you something different than your feelings and emotions are saying…?
Beloved, maybe a better question is, what ARE you doing because the Word of God is already at odds with your fleshly desires, emotions, feelings, and the world?
You need to be aware God has already told us what a lot of "Christians" answer to this dilemma will be. Here it is in 2 Timothy.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 -- For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold, 4 and will turn their ears away from the truth and will wander off into myths and man-made fictions [and will accept the unacceptable].
There is only one correct answer to the question and by the grace of God, Peter had it…
"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that You are the Holy One of God."
This is the only answer that will stand when the storms come and beat upon your life, because this is the only answer that is fully built upon the rock of Jesus Christ and the Word of God. Clinging to Jesus Christ and God's Word is it.
There is something important to make certain you don't miss in Peter's response though….
"WE HAVE BELIEVED AND HAVE COME TO KNOW"
You won't genuinely believe or know someone if you don't have a relationship with them. You aren't going to believe someone you don't trust, and you aren't going to trust someone you don't know.
Christian, I hope this is something you don't just skim past and ignore. These verses deal with Jesus' DISCIPLES walking away. They weren't part of the selfish crowd following Him, they were those who walked with Him, sat with Him, listened to Him, they'd wanted to know more. They had been getting to know Him, but when it got tough, the crowd and religious folks started arguing then walking away, these disciples chose to leave as well. What choice will you make, or have you made already?
Tough questions for a Sunday morning but that's where things went with today's quiet time. Please don't take my word on it, get into your Bible, and see what God says to you about all of it.
You are loved. You are prayed over. You are not alone.
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