After this a lot of His disciples left. They no longer wanted to be associated with Him. Then Jesus gave the Twelve their chance: “Do you also want to leave?” Peter replied, “Master to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We’ve already committed ourselves, confident that You are the Holy One of God.” John 6: 66-69, MSG.
Dear God, today we enter Your presence determined to hear Your Words and obey them; for they are Words of eternal life. In the name of Jesus we humbly pray.
This incident in our Scripture took place after the feeding of the five thousand men, plus women and children. Some months ago we meditated on another portion of this passage of Scripture. At that time our focus was, What is our reason for following Jesus. Today, we will meditate on the question: “Lord, if we should leave You, to whom would we go?” I believe if we ask the Lord this question, and wait for an answer, the Holy Spirit will provide us with an answer. Peter was swift in responding; but I do believe it was the Holy Spirit who gave him the answer, “Lord, no one but You can grant us eternal life; all that we really need, is to be found in You!”
While the ultimate answer to all of us, is the same, “eternal life is found in Jesus and Jesus alone;” perhaps some of us would hear something more, because beside our spiritual needs, we are facing other challenges.
If you are facing financial needs, you may need to hear that, “You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need …” (Philippians 4: 19, MSG). He would assure you that, “the cattle upon a thousand hills” belong to Him (Psalm 50: 10).
If you are experiencing difficulties with relationships, Jesus would want you to know that, “Except the LORD build the house,” those who are working on those relationships are working “in vain” (Psalm 127: 1). Perhaps He would invite you to let Him handle it for You.
You may be having a hard time at the workplace. He would encourage you, by saying, “When a man’s [woman’s] ways please the LORD, He makes even his [her] enemies to be at peace with him [her]” (Proverbs 16: 7).
You may be at a crossroad in your life. Listen to Him as He encourages you, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3: 5, 6).
Perhaps you don’t understand why you are going through what you are going through; just remember, that “All things work together for the good of them that love the LORD, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8: 28). “Someday He’ll make it plain to [us]!”
If you should ever doubt that God loves you, and wonder if you will ever be good enough to deserve His love, don’t forget that, “While we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5: 8). So, be “persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (8: 38, 39).
Lord, who can be to us, what you have been? So, to whom would we go? “[You] who did not spare [Your] own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall [You] not with Him also freely give us all things” (Romans 8: 32)? Besides, Lord, we do not want to leave You, “We love [You] because [You] first loved us” (1 John 4: 19); and “we have already committed ourselves to serving You … the Holy One of God,” all the days of our lives!