Peter is one of my favorite people in all of Scripture. I can relate to his impetuousness, his eagerness to please, his curious spirit, and his ignorance. But while we may question Peter’s motives and laugh at his words sometimes, we can never discount his love for Jesus. He had a close bond with his Teacher and Lord. How do we know this? Because on the final night together, as Jesus knelt to wash the disciples’ feet, Peter initially pulled away. NEVER will my Lord wash my dirty feet. That is until Jesus tells him that if he doesn’t allow this, then the fellowship he enjoyed with Jesus would be broken. Well, that was enough for him… Then LORD, wash not just my feet but my whole body as well.
When I was in Israel, I didn’t want to miss anything. So at every site we visited, I stood right beside our guide, Peach. I hung onto to every word. This is what I picture with Peter. On those long walks, Peter always walked right beside Jesus, peppering Him with questions about the Kingdom of God and anything else that came to his mind. Lord, what did You mean when You said this? He loved talking to Him about his family, his fishing business, and his mother-in-law. The fellowship with Jesus grew in the short time they had together. And how he cherished it.
I pray that each of us have this kind of fellowship with Jesus as well… How we love meeting with Him in the morning, walking with Him throughout the day, and resting in Him at night. How we always cling to His Word, listening for Him to speak. I pray that the fellowship with Jesus we share is so precious to us that we would do whatever it took to keep it. Like Peter, we could never imagine this sweet fellowship broken.
Here’s the thing… while this may be our desire, it can be broken. So the question becomes… How can I keep that from happening? What can I do to make sure I’m never far from Jesus? Our key verse in 1 John tells us. We are to remain faithful to what we have been taught from the beginning. Hence, be faithful to God’s Word, never venturing outside. Earlier in this passage John talks about the false teachers who had invaded the church. He says that our fellowship with Jesus will be broken if we chase after false things and drift from the truth of the gospel… the whole gospel. It is always my mission to speak about this, especially in a day of many false teachers.
And here’s the best news… our passage tells us that if we continue in fellowship with Jesus and His Father, then we enjoy all the promises He has given to us. That includes security, joy, peace, abundance, life, and sweet fellowship with other believers. But enjoying these benefits is only possible within the confines of fellowship with Jesus. Let’s seek a deeper, more intimate, fellowship with Jesus today.