May 23: Are you going to leave too?

From that moment many of His disciples turned back and no longer accompanied Him. Therefore Jesus said to the Twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?” Simon Peter answered, “Lord, who will we go to? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that You are the Holy One of God!”  (John 6:66-69 — Holman Christian Standard Bible)

It is not enough just to simply accept Jesus Christ, we have to stay close to and follow Him. Though he heard all of Jesus' words and saw His miracles, Judas betrayed Jesus to His enemies. Jesus said, “If you continue in My word, you really are My disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” So many forces will try to separate us from Jesus our Savior. It may be friends or family, the evil desires of our own hearts, the attractions and lusts of the world; whatever it is, it all comes from Satan, our enemy and God's enemy. In this passage, many turn away from Jesus. When Jesus asks the Twelve if they want to leave too, Peter answers with wisdom and conviction —  “Lord, who will we go to? You have the words of eternal life…”

The Bible teaches that only those who endure to the end will be saved. Jesus is worthy of total allegiance and dedication. There’s too much at stake to give up — our lives, our family’s salvation, the life God has prepared for us in eternity! And even more, if we leave Jesus, what’s left for us? Who can challenge us like He does? Who can match His promises? Who else is going to give their life for us? Who else has made such changes in our lives and hearts?

It’s a fact that Almighty God sent one, and only one Savior into the world. Jesus told the people of His time and He tells us plainly, “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”  (John 15:5,6)

Why did many leave Jesus? He had just said something hard for them to understand. When we read it today it’s easy to understand, but 2000 years ago, before Jesus’ death and resurrection and the last supper, people were at a loss. Still, He expected them to hold on to their faith in Him and know that they would understand in time — all except the Twelve disappointed Him. But we must understand that this is something that God continues to do today. He places us in situations, gives us jobs to do, and allows us to go through experiences that stretch our faith and trust to the breaking point because He wants to know if we genuinely believe. God isn’t necessarily looking for crowds of people, He’s looking for those special few who are ready to go the distance with Him. — Make sure you’re one of them.