Following Him

"Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest's house. And Peter followed afar off.And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them. But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him. And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not.  And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean. And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly." (Luke 22:54-52).

     Have you ever needed to follow someone from one destination to the other, because you did not know the way and they did? If you followed them down the highway, you paid close attention to every turn they made; you made sure you stayed close behind them so you could see every move they made. If you lagged  behind and followed too far behind, then other vehicles could get between you and the one you are following, and you could end up lost.

      This story in the Bible is a very sad one indeed. Peter had been with Jesus throughout His ministry. Peter had walked on the water with Jesus. Besides Jesus, no one else in history has ever walked on water. (Matthew 14:28-29). Peter had confessed that Jesus was the only One to go to and that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the living God (John 6:66-69) (Matthew 16:16). Peter had promised Jesus that he would never deny Him and would even die with Him (Luke 22:33). Peter had even cut off the ear of the high priest who came to arrest Jesus. This was his way of showing that he would protect Jesus and take care of Him. (John 18:10).  Peter had a relationship with Jesus that few had. He didn't take this relationship lightly.

      Then we see Peter in the above Scripture deny that he even knew who Jesus was:  not once, not twice, but three times. How could Peter come from the place in John 6:66-69, where he proclaimed that there was no one to go to but the Lord to saying he didn't know who He was? How could he proclaim that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the living God in Matthew 16:16, then say he didn't know Him in Luke 22? How could he go from being so bold in his faith in Chris that he cut off the high priest's ear, to lying and cursing denying his association with Christ?  

       Peter began his downfall when he began to follow afar off. He was following closely enough to see and hear what was going on, but far enough he felt safe from any attacks against him. Fear caused him to back away and not follow the Lord as closely as he had been following Him. He felt that if they associated him with Jesus, then he would be persecuted also, and he just wasn't ready for that. He wanted to stay in his comfort zone and watch from afar. He was still following; after all.

       This is where many Christians are today. They pray once in awhile, they read the Bible occasionally, they attend church now and again, and live a clean lifestyle. These things are all well and good, but how closely are they following the Lord? Jesus wants us to follow Him so closely that if He whispers our name, we hear it. He wants us so close to Him that we walk in His path. If we follow from a distance, we might step in a pitfall that could have been avoided by staying close to him.

      When I was a child, I had to walk to the end of my road if it had snow on it, to meet the school bus.This road was about a mile long. Daddy would park at the end of the road, because our road couldn't be driven on if there was much snow. So, he and I would walk to the end of the road together. He walked in front and I would walk behind him, stepping in his tracks. I made sure I stepped exactly where he had already cleared the path. I knew then that it was safe. I tried so hard to stay right with him and not follow too far behind. This way, he was there to help me if I slipped and fell, which I often did. 

     God is the same, caring, loving Father. He walks the path with us and wants us walking as closely to Him as we can. He wants us to follow up close and personally, not from a far as Peter did. When we follow from afar, we don't have the relationship with Him that we could have if we followed up close. When we follow from afar, it isn't as easy to talk with Him and hear His voice. When we follow afar off, we are more easily distracted and lured by the enemy. This passage tells us that Peter warmed himself by the enemy's fire. He would never have done that had he not been following from afar. This type of relationship causes us to do things we would not have ordinarily done. It causes us to fail in our witness to others. We might not come right out and say "I don't know Him", like Peter did, but when we fail to let people know that we do know Him, then that is the same as admitting that we don't.

     How closely are you following the Lord? You can walk just as closely as you desire to. Don't follow so far behind that other people and things get between you and Him. Stay close enough that you can reach out and touch Him at any time. He wants you near Him, but will not force you to follow Him. He will not kidnap you and make you follow Him against your will. It's your choice. Look at what the Psalmist David had to say about it:

"My soul followeth hard after thee:" (Psalm 63:8).

     In Jesus' ministry, there were throngs of people who followed Him everywhere He went. In every town He entered, there were multitudes of people following Him. However, when He began to teach the truth, and the reality of the cost of following Him, most of them walked away. Following Jesus is not just attending church. It is a daily sacrifice and daily lifestyle. It is being that light and witness to this lost world. It is putting your own needs and desires aside for those of others. It is praying, seeking His face, studying His Word, wanting His presence, wanting His will, wanting His heart, wanting His mind, and following His will. It is doing the will of the Father, not what satisfies your flesh. 

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." (Luke 9:23).

    Are you willing to lay it all down and follow Jesus all the way? Are you willing to follow Him closely enough that others will recognize Him in you? Are you willing to follow hard after Him no matter the cost? That is what He is looking for.

     Peter's story doesn't end with his denial of who Jesus was. He repented and made things right. We read of the accounts of Peter in the book of Acts, and he made sure from that day forward to not follow from afar again. It's not too late for you to follow Jesus up close. Determine that nothing or no one will get between you and Him anymore. Chase Him today, then follow Him closely from this point on!