Many Disciples Leave Jesus

To which group do you belong? To which group do you claim to belong? What type of follower are you? William Barclay writes,

It is possible to be a follower of Jesus without being a disciple; to be a camp follower without being a soldier of the king; to be a hanger-on in some great work without pulling one’s weight. Once someone was talking to a great scholar about a younger man. He said, “So and so tells me that he was one of your students.” The teacher answered devastatingly, “He may have attended my lectures, but he was not one of my students.” You see, there is a world of difference between attending lectures and being a student.[1]

If you do not belong to Jesus yet, you can if you want to. He is the One who came into this world and died a human death in order to forgive your sins. Stop and pray to God. Tell God that you want His forgiveness, that you believe He died for your sins and returned to life and that you want Him to change your life. If you are sincere, He will give you eternal life, and you will have a place in heaven some day.

Maybe you belong to Jesus. If so, Peter and the other disciples are examples of what God wants from you. He wants you to follow Him. They were ready to live for Him in this life, and ready to die for Him. If you have believed in Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, I hope the following song is your song.

Living for Jesus, a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.

O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to You,
For You, in Your atonement, didst give Yourself for me.
I own no other Master, my heart shall be Your throne.
My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for You alone.

For a discussion about man’s choice and God’s choice in salvation, please read “Predestination and Free Will.”