Read John 13:36-38. Circle the words that stand out to you. What is the Lord saying to you?
36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”
Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”
37 Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
38 Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
Reflections on the Word.
As a young Christian, one of my favorite hymns was “I Surrender All.” The chorus goes like this, “I surrender all, I surrender all, All to Thee, my blessed Savior I surrender all.” While it’s no easy feat, you and I have that desire in our hearts and we mean it sincerely.
In the Passover Meal, Peter said this from his heart, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus asked a pointed and penetrating question to Peter, “Will you really lay down your life for me?” That will be a haunting question for him.
When we say or hear the words, “I will lay down my life for you,” are we saying that we are willing to surrender some of our possessions for Jesus? Are we saying that we are willing to lay down some of our dreams for Jesus? What do we mean when we say to Jesus, “I will lay down my life for you.”?
When “push comes to shove”, who wins out in our lives? Me, My, and I or Jesus, Others, and You (JOY). We want to have our cake and eat it too. We want it all. But if we can’t, we like to compromise. Perhaps for many of us, we are ok with giving some, perhaps more than others, but to give everything to Jesus is asking too much.
Peter didn’t fully understand the depth of his words when he said that he would lay down his life for Jesus. He didn’t count the cost. We may not have counted the cost. But Jesus did count the cost. He literally laid down His life for you and me.
If every believer truly were to lay down his or her life for Jesus, Jesus would turn the world right side up. Is there anyone who would dare to lay down his or her life for Jesus, willing to sacrifice all, even one’s own life? Let’s ask ourselves, “Is the hymn, I Surrender All, nice words to sing or is it a song of true commitment and recommitment?”
-Kingston
Editor’s note: For those of us who struggle to give everything to Jesus, don’t lose heart. Be willing to be made willing and entrust something to Jesus that He may show himself faithful to you.