John 21:20-22 "You Follow Me." by Pastor Joe Marquez. Word of Grace Devotional 03/30/15

3/30/2015

The Word of Grace Devotion for the Week of March 30, 2015

You Follow Me!

John 21: 20-22, “Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 21Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”22Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”

Beloved, picture the scene: the disciples had left Jerusalem defeated and desponded. They had placed their trust in Jesus but He was now dead. All that they had hoped for had vanished. So what did they do? They went back to fishing.

There had been reports that Jesus was alive but was He really alive? Peter and John had gone to the empty tomb and Mary had proclaimed that she had seen the risen Lord, but was He really alive? Yet, as they were fishing, Jesus showed up at the scene.

He told them to cast their net on the other side and they caught 153 fish. Peter jumped into the water to swim to shore to His Savior. Yes, Jesus was alive! As Jesus fed the disciples fish and bread, He also restored Peter. Peter had denied Jesus and Jesus now wanted Peter to return. Beloved, Jesus will come back for us! After Jesus restored Peter he told him how he would die. Peter looked around, saw the Apostle John and said, “But Lord, what about this man?”

Beloved, this is one of my favorite portions of scriptures because it has taught me some very important truths. It has taught me that my walk with the Lord is a personal walk. It is Jesus and I. It has taught me that when I begin to complain and compare my relationship to others that I can become desponded or defeated. As a Pastor I have heard so many times, “But what about them?”

Beloved, Jesus answered that question saying to Peter, “If I will that he remain till I come, WHAT IS THAT TO YOU? You follow Me.” I love how Jesus was direct and to the point! In other words, Peter, stop looking around crying and complaining about what I am doing or not doing in other people’s lives. This is about you and ME, you follow ME!

When life gets hard and things don’t go my way, I remember our Savior’s words to Peter, “WHAT IS THAT TO YOU? YOU FOLLOW ME!” Beloved, Jesus loves us and His plan for us is always best.

Beloved, I pray that you will have a blessed week! I love you and I will be praying for you!

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Joe

PS. Friday evening at 7PM we will have a Good Friday service for those willing to attend. All are welcomed! Be blessed!

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Senior Pastor
Joe Marquez

Beloved, we are soon to once again celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the human Son of man and the divine Son of God. He is one hundred percent human and one hundred percent God.

While there were many people instrumental in the birth of Christ, this morning we will look at His birth through the eyes of Joseph, His legal father. There is not too much known about the man who would care for Christ as He grew up. We know that Joseph was possibly a carpenter but most importantly we know that he was a righteous man who did the right thing.

When others would have ran away from a responsibility that was not even their own, Joseph stood steadfast and remained faithful to the end. We can learn much from his character and apply his attributes of faithfulness, purity, and perseverance to our own lives.

May you have a Blessed Christmas week and may Christ always be at the center of your lives!

P.S. Come back this evening as we look at the birth of Christ through the Gospel of Luke!