Keep in Step with Jesus not your Neighbor
No sooner did Jesus finish confronting Peter with those 3 words, "Do you love me." that Peter began to feel that pressure we ALL feel from time to time----to COMPARE our callings, our walk, our struggles, our personalities, gifts and talents, our weaknesses....with those around us.
Jesus said to PETER...."follow me"
Peter looks over his shoulder at John (you know...the ONE whom Jesus LOVED :)) and said, "Well what about HIM Lord?!?!
Jesus was quick to rebuke when he said, "What's that to you?----as for YOU....follow me."
We are SO easily distracted by the temptation to COMPARE. We derive a sense of SECURITY from SAMENESS. Whether it's in our callings, strengths, weaknesses, or in our sin. We look to those around us and make judgment calls to either excuse what we are doing looking to someone who's doing it worse, or to elevate ourselves pointing out others weaknesses, or to put ourselves in positions we were never MEANT to be in because we envy the callings on someone else's life.
Jesus has us where He wants us.
Walking with Him, in obedience is where we are supposed to be.
It is not for us to keep in step with our neighbor...we are to keep in step with Jesus.
Jesus was speaking to PETER.
Jesus told PETER to follow him.
Peter would have done well to just keep his eyes on Jesus.
There were things for Peter to do that no one else was called to do...and he would do them in a way that only PETER could do them.
And for YOU too.....
there are things for YOU to do.
And there is nobody else that is called to run your race, the way you are to run it....
You cannot run anyone else's race.
He is asking things of YOU---regardless of what everyone around is doing.
He is speaking to YOU.
To compare yourself to others is to ROB your life and those around you of the things GOD wants to do THROUGH YOU. And He has a reason for asking those things of YOU. He has purpose for the things He's calling you to do and the WAY He's asking you to do it. If you are It's for your GOOD to keep your eyes on your own course and let God take you where He wants to take you.
Jesus said to PETER...."follow me"
Peter looks over his shoulder at John (you know...the ONE whom Jesus LOVED :)) and said, "Well what about HIM Lord?!?!
Jesus was quick to rebuke when he said, "What's that to you?----as for YOU....follow me."
We are SO easily distracted by the temptation to COMPARE. We derive a sense of SECURITY from SAMENESS. Whether it's in our callings, strengths, weaknesses, or in our sin. We look to those around us and make judgment calls to either excuse what we are doing looking to someone who's doing it worse, or to elevate ourselves pointing out others weaknesses, or to put ourselves in positions we were never MEANT to be in because we envy the callings on someone else's life.
Jesus has us where He wants us.
Walking with Him, in obedience is where we are supposed to be.
It is not for us to keep in step with our neighbor...we are to keep in step with Jesus.
Jesus was speaking to PETER.
Jesus told PETER to follow him.
Peter would have done well to just keep his eyes on Jesus.
There were things for Peter to do that no one else was called to do...and he would do them in a way that only PETER could do them.
And for YOU too.....
there are things for YOU to do.
And there is nobody else that is called to run your race, the way you are to run it....
You cannot run anyone else's race.
He is asking things of YOU---regardless of what everyone around is doing.
He is speaking to YOU.
To compare yourself to others is to ROB your life and those around you of the things GOD wants to do THROUGH YOU. And He has a reason for asking those things of YOU. He has purpose for the things He's calling you to do and the WAY He's asking you to do it. If you are It's for your GOOD to keep your eyes on your own course and let God take you where He wants to take you.
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