Sometimes I wish I had the common sense and simplicity of Peter. In John 6, Jesus brings up the topic of His flesh and blood for the first time and speaks about it so boldly that many disciples take offense, leave, and "...were not walking with Him anymore." After this, He turns to the twelve disciples that He chose and asks, "Do you also want to go away?" At this moment, it seems like things are starting to fall apart. Did Jesus misspeak? How are these disciples leaving Jesus if He's supposed to be the Savior? Is this the beginning of the end? These are all reasonable questions for any of the disciples to ponder in that moment, but Peter's answer is just gold! "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."
This phrase is so simple, yet so powerful! To Peter, following Jesus was not just an option, it was the only option. Peter was completely unfazed by the outrageous things (in that context) that Jesus said. Today, I don't know if the majority of Christians have this kind of conviction in their faith. This kind of belief doesn't calculate when it's convenient to be a Christian and when it's not; it doesn't change with tough circumstances, it doesn't care what anyone else says or does, it doesn't even think completely rationally and reasonably. It's a conviction so strong, it meant more to Peter than his very life.
Sometimes I look around at our lives and our youth and can't help but feel some despair. To many of us, church is boring, sin comes easy, prayer is a chore, the Bible is rarely read, and Christ... is an option? In today's society, it is completely okay to be a Christian, but only as long as you keep it to yourself and adapt to the social norms (whatever they might be evolving to). This pressure to tolerate and even accept the sinful state of our surroundings can weigh on you, but you must not give in. This mellow-type belief is the culprit of young people who are constantly struggling with one sin or another, from one addiction to the next; it's a depressing Christian life.
We need to wake up and take an example from Peter. Earlier, when he confessed that Jesus is "Messiah, the Son of the living God," Jesus told him that he didn't come to that conclusion on his own, but the heavenly Father revealed it to him. If you have truly believed that Jesus Christ is The Son of the living God, there shouldn't be any middle ground. The Father didn't partially reveal Jesus Christ to you, so stop partially believing, and partially being grounded, and partially living a godly life. Stay strong in your convictions, and don't allow this world to muddy the waters and blur the lines. God bless!
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