Day 6 | An Unguarded Step

In Matthew 26, verse 58, Jesus has been captured. Judas has just betrayed him. The officials are walking Jesus back to the house of the high priest and the Bible says, “But Peter was following him at a distance.” We are all prone to follow Jesus at a distance. 

I’m not convinced that Peter did this intentionally. Indeed, there are some that choose to follow Jesus at a distance because of what getting close may cost them, but most of us fall away from Christ one gradual step at a time. We think things like, “I don’t need to go to church every Sunday. It’s more of a tradition than a necessity.” “I don’t need to get too caught up in worship. Singing and lifting my hands doesn’t really jive with my personality.” “I know I haven’t read my Bible in a while but isn’t having to read it just going through the motions anyway?” There are thousands of reasons we could give to explain away the gap between our hearts and God’s presence. We fall away casually and gradually, never instantly. Scripture says, “Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” We must watch our steps. We have to make an intentional decision to pursue Jesus more and more every day. Christianity is lived on an incline, and if you're not moving forward, you’re slipping backwards. What’s creating space between you and Jesus? Is it a friend group? Is it a relationship? Is it the strain and stress of your job? Is it your goals in education? I’ve realized that the more noble the cause, the more we justify the distance from the cross. 

We, on our own, are no match for the devil. We need Jesus. We do have power, but we access his power through proximity. We access his power by intentionally moving our hearts closer to him.