You .... Follow Me

You … Follow Me

Jesus gives Peter a command (21:19) … Follow Me! Peter turns back and sees the beloved disciple following and asks Jesus “What about this man, Lord? (21:21)” Jesus replies, “If I want him to remain till I come, what concern is that of yours? You … Follow me!” (21:22)

Peter is told that his business is to follow the Lord and be faithful to his own commission; the Lord has His own plans for His beloved disciple but it is not necessary that Peter should know them. So often we want to question the plan that God has for us in comparison to the plan He has for others in Christ. When we start comparing our walk with Christ, our ministry, our calling, our talents, etc., with others, we are using worldly standards. The only standard Jesus left for us was to follow Him.

Being obedient does not mean that we are called to be better or perform better than someone else. Often times we will be judged by the standards of others, but we need not allow this to set us back in our walk with Christ. God has a different assignment for me and it will require different methods, different paths, different contacts, etc. than those of my fellow brother or sister in Christ. Our lives were not designed for each of us to endure the same hardships, failures, successes, etc. Some are given mega churches, while others are given small churches, some are missionaries, some are evangelists, some endure sickness, some financial struggles, some He will put on television, some He will put on the street corner. We are simply commanded to follow the plan He has designed for us.

It is comforting to know that Jesus will not judge according to my superiority or inferiority over anybody. He has a different work for me to do and a different one for you to do as well.

"You … Follow me!” (John 21:22)

PEACE

When I went to bed last night I had one word running through my mind .... PEACE... I immediately began to thank God for it! I recalled the many things that God has brought me through in my life and I said "God, only You can give real peace". Through heartaches, resentment, abuse, neglect, confusion, loss, mistreatment, sickness, and the list could go on and on, God has always brought me back to that place of ....PEACE.... I remember a saying that I once read

Know JESUS, Know PEACE... NO Jesus, NO Peace

From my experience I can honestly say that is true. I talk to people all the time who are not at peace with themselves. These individuals know where to find peace, but for some reason they "choose" to go in the wrong direction. They are willing to try so many other methods except the one that works. Only Jesus can give you real peace, no need to search any other place! I want to leave you with a passage of Scripture:

Isaiah 59:8 They don’t know where to find peace
or what it means to be just and good.
They have mapped out crooked roads,
and no one who follows them knows a moment’s peace

Goodbye Friskie!

Today I went outside to feed my kitty and she didn't come up on the porch like she always does. Usually she is standing at the door when I open it. But, today she wasn't. I put the food out and came back in for a while. Then I went back out and I saw this huge bird flying away, not sure why the bird was in the yard, it was strange because I had never seen one that big in my yard. A few minutes later I went back outside to put the battery in my son's toy corvette and I turned to look beside me and I saw her laying next to the sandbox and my heart burst, it was so overwhelming! I have had her for approximately 9 years and I will miss her so much.

The Perfect Picture

Have you ever put a puzzle together? I have put the 100 piece puzzles together before but I have never mastered anything above that. I wouldn't try it now anyway because I have 2 small boys who would strow the pieces everywhere. I have seen the finished product of several masterpieces and it is amazing to me the picture that is formed when all of the pieces are in place. As I ponder upon my own life I realize that there have been times when I tried to make a piece fit that wasn't supposed to fit. I have tried to make people a part of my life that were never meant to be in my picture at all. I have tried to add many things to my puzzle that were never part of God's perfect picture of my life. I am so glad that God has it all figured out. God knows exactly what my puzzle will look like when all the pieces are together. If there is something in my life that isn't supposed to be there, He removes it. He also adds the things to the puzzle that He intends to be there. There have been times when God held back some pieces just to test my faith. In putting together my 100 piece puzzles, I couldn't have done it without looking at the finished product on the box, the picture that I was working towards. The plan for my life has already been designed by God and He is the only one who knows what it will look like. Yes, it will hurt when He removes the pieces I thought were meant to be there, but I rest assured knowing that He is in control and He has the perfect picture in the preview of His mind and when my life is complete it will be a masterpiece of God's Design and not mine.

Even In The Valley

Have you ever heard the song by the Whisnants "Even In The Valley"? The chorus goes like this:

Even in the valley God is good
Even in the valley he is faithful and true
He carries his children through
Like he said he would
Even in the valley God is good

Sometimes we are placed in situations that are uncomfortable, we have to endure sickness, failures, losses, and many other tests and trials, but even in the middle of these situations, God is good. Since God has called me into the ministry to proclaim the Gospel I have preached a total of 4 sermons. One of these sermons was based upon Psalms 22. I have always went directly to Psalms 23 because it is one of my favorites. David had come to the realization that the Lord was his Shepherd and even though he had to walk through the valley, he could rest assured that the rod and the staff of his Shepherd would comfort him. Psalm 22 is a psalm of suffering, a psalm that happens "in the valley" but one particular verse stuck out at me and it can be found in Psalms 22 v3 "But You are holy". Holy means "perfect in goodness and righteousness", meaning right smack dab in the middle of our pain and sufferings God is still good! and He is still faithful and true and rest assured that He will carry His children through just like He said He would cause even in the valley God is Good!