Jesus' Appearances After The Resurrection (Day 8)

At Grace, we often talk about each of us taking the next step in our walk with Christ, whatever that may be. Recently, at the Tuesday morning Bible study I attend, we discussed how easy it is to compare ourselves to others in life and career, and how we often carry that same mindset into our relationship with Christ. Today’s passage speaks directly to that. In John 21:18, Jesus tells Peter that he will ultimately be killed because of his faith and the work he will do for Him. Peter then asks what will happen to John, and Jesus responds, “That’s none of your business.” in John 21:22, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” In other words, Jesus redirects Peter’s focus away from comparison and back to obedience. Peter had just been told something incredibly heavy about his own future, and his instinct was to compare himself with someone else.

That hits close to home. It’s so easy for us to measure our faith, our growth, or even our calling against someone else’s. We look at how others are doing spiritually, what they’re accomplishing, or how God seems to be working in their lives, and we start to question where we stand. But Jesus makes it clear that our walk with Him is personal. The call is simple, but not always easy: “You follow me.”

Our “next step” won’t look the same as another’s, and it’s not supposed to. What matters isn’t how we compare, but whether we’re being faithful with what God has put in front of us right now.