Think about it. Jesus says to us, "Follow Me." That means He intends for us to do exactly what He did. Then Peter asserts that God has already given us everything we need to live and be "godly," or, literally, like God.
Do the math: Jesus calls us to be like Him, and God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, deposits everything we need into our spirits the moment we step into faith in Jesus. The truth is, when Jesus spoke those supernaturally pregnant words, "follow me," He knew God was backing Him up. He wouldn't have said them otherwise.
In the Jewish culture of Bible times, when a Rabbi said those words, "Follow me" to a pupil, it was the most powerful thing any of them could hope to hear. The clear implication of these words is this: "You recognize that I am a great teacher. Now I am affirming that I see in you the potential to be at least as great as I have been. I fully expect you to do everything I do and more. I will invest everything I am in your training, and I expect nothing less than for you to outdo me before you are finished."
When Jesus called the disciples, that's what they heard--an expression of unlimited confidence in their value, character, and talent. That's an amazing thing for the twelve, and for the seventy, but even more amazing for us. The confidence He has placed in us as New Covenant believers is even greater.
Jesus' call to us says this: "Follow me, and you'll do greater things than I have done. How will you accomplish this? Well, it won't be without me. I have given you my Spirit, and because I am constantly before the Father in heaven praying for you, pulling for you, your potential is unlimited--unthinkable--unimaginable. My confidence in you is not only based on the talent and character I have placed in you as my creation, but even more so on my own limitless life inside you. So come, follow me."
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1 comment:
Glad to see you posting again. I usually read the shorter posts and peruse the longer ones. Trust you guys are doing well.
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