No Longer Following at a Distance

Then they seized Him and led Him away, bringing Him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance. Luke 22:54 ESV1

Read Matthew 26:31-35, 69-75; Mark 14:27-31, 66-72; Luke 22:31-34, 54-62; John 13:36-38, 18:15-18, 25-27, 21:15-19; Acts 2:14, 22-24, 36-41

Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus because he was only in a relationship with Jesus for what he could gain.2 Peter denied Jesus, but his fault was for a totally different reason. Peter dearly loved Jesus and wasn’t shy about proclaiming his devotion to Him. But Peter didn’t have what it took to keep his promises to Jesus.

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What Will You Give Me?

Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver Him over to you?”  Matthew 26:14-15 ESV1

Read Matthew 26:14-16, 20-25, 47-50 & 27:3-9; Mark 14:10-11, 17-21, 43-46; Luke 22:3-6, 47-48; John 13:18-30 & 18:1-6

I fear many of us who consider ourselves Christians have chosen Jesus but with false information and inaccurate expectations. We haven’t been given the full Gospel nor considered the whole cost. We may have said a special prayer, tried to sneak into the Kingdom as we raised our hands when every head was bowed and eye closed, or even boldly responded to an altar call. But that doesn’t mean much if we did it to please others or solely for personal gain. Some well-meaning people might have assured us we have free tickets to Heaven or eternal safety with our spiritual fire insurance. But if we chose Jesus for the wrong reasons, our commitment to Him is fraudulent. If our Christianity is self-focused, our following of Jesus is much like Judas Iscariot’s.

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