Who Do We Follow

Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay all according to his conduct.” (Matthew 16:21-27)

Who do we follow?  Do we choose our friends and leaders carefully with choices being made with Jesus in mind?  When we recognize evil in our midst do we say, “Get behind me, Satan!”  Or, do we let Satan stay in front of us, and we follow?

The first letter of Peter (5:8) reads, “Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour.”  How true that is!  We are prey.  We must be vigilant; otherwise, we are obstacles to Jesus when we decide not to follow him.  When we do not follow him, we lose our lives and cannot find them.  Satan has them hidden in his hands.  Evil is seductive,

Deacon David Pierce