This last piece of Luke 22:54 seized my mind this morning:

“And Peter followed afar off.”

To me, that illustrates an important spiritual lesson — To follow Jesus, I must be close to Him.

Following Him from a long distance is no way to follow Him at all.

So how did I do yesterday?

Sometimes, though I eventually do things His way, I purposefully delay my obedience. “Afar off.”

Sometimes, though I desire to live His way, I want to “just check out” another way before I obey Him. “Afar off.”

Sometimes, though I sincerely strive to follow Him, I want to do it on my own terms. “Afar off.”

Sometimes, though I know His way, I choose to do something contrary (for whatever reason). “Afar off.”

Following Jesus afar off will lead to denying Jesus. (How deeply do I believe that?)

Let me have Peter’s repentant heart!

And let me follow Jesus closely. This closely: “I walk with the King.”

from Luke 22:61

A little bit more from Luke 22: Words of Doom