LUKE 22:54-62 – Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance. And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.”
THEME OF THE DAY: STAY VERY CLOSE. For the most part, ask Christians when did Peter’s failing of the Lord in his public denial of Him occur, and the answer will be, “The moment the servant girl saw him and made the statement, ‘This man also was with Him’”. Yes, that was the actual time, but Peter had already put himself in the position to fail, and what he allowed literally, applies to us spiritually. His example physically serves as a warning for us spiritually.
As this account by Luke opens, slowly go over the details. The scene intensifies with the soldiers seizing Jesus and bringing Him to the house of the high priest. No doubt, the disciples of the Lord feel fear swelling up inside them. It had to cross their minds that if this was what was to become of the One they followed closely, what about them? Enter the third part of the scene – Peter was following at a distance. Was Peter a disciple of Jesus? Absolutely. Was he a follower of Jesus? No question. Did he walk close to Jesus during the past three years? Very. But what about now? Oh, he was still a follower of the Lord, but the once close walk is now observation at a distance.
For us? We get in all kinds of spiritual danger leading to spiritual consequences if we follow Jesus at a distance, spiritually. Start letting life get in the way of a close walk with Him who proclaimed, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6), and our spiritual defenses are down, opening us to all kinds of attacks from the world, devil, and our flesh. Let our relationship with Lord Jesus drift apart from Him by neglect of His Word, prayer, and fellowship with other believers and we will be so weak, so disconnected from Him, that sure spiritual defeat will occur.
To keep a closeness to Jesus, maintaining short distance in our relationship with Him, three things are essential. First, we must daily, yes daily, be in His Word to have our minds renewed and our hearts strengthened. We are only as strong as the Word of Christ dwells richly within us (Colossians 3:16). Without the empowerment by His Word, we will drift from Him.
Next, prayer is a must; prayer that seeks to fellowship with God, prayer that cries out like David, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1). An ongoing thirst for God keeps one seeking Him, which leads to being close to Him.
The final essential to stay close to the Lord is to keep close company with other believers who are close to the Lord. Follow these words of the Psalmist – I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts (Psalm 119:63). Be with vibrant Christians as much as possible. It is infectious and will go a long way to ensure we don’t allow a state of spiritual distancing come upon us with the Lord.
PRAYER: “Father, help me to stay close to You and be ever watchful for signs of drifting away.”
QUOTE: “A slow distancing from Jesus by spiritual neglect always leads to severe spiritual consequences.”
Because of Him,
Pastor Jim