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Keeping Your Distance
Luke 22:54
"Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest's house. And Peter followed afar off."
Have you ever been around someone with whom you wanted to keep your distance? The reason you wanted to keep your distance from them was because you were either not sure about them or you just didn't quite want to be identified with them. When you kept your distance from them, it wasn't that you didn't want to be around them, for you were still close enough to be in their presence, but you kept your distance because you didn't want to deal with the fallout of being hurt from whatever you were afraid of about them.
In the verse above, "Peter followed afar off." The whole reason why he followed Jesus at a distance was because he didn't want to leave Jesus, yet he didn't want to face the persecution and potential hurt that could come from being close to Him. How sad that Peter closely followed Jesus for three years, and now that Jesus faced crucifixion he backed off because he didn't want to carry the shame of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. However, though Peter followed afar off physically in the verse above, he had already followed Jesus afar off in his heart. Luke 22:34 says, "And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me." Jesus knew when He made this statement that Peter's heart was afar off. The action from the verse above was simply a follow through of what was already going on in his heart.
Christian, are you keeping your distance from Jesus in your heart? Maybe you have already started to physically keep your distance from Jesus. Why would you keep your distance from Jesus? Are you afraid that Jesus is going to hurt you? Are you afraid to identify with Jesus? Let me briefly deal with both of these areas.
First, why would you be afraid that Jesus is going to hurt you? Jesus has never let any person down. Anyone who has ever put their faith and trust in Jesus and what He commands us to do has never been hurt. People may hurt you when you get close to them, but Jesus will never hurt you. Proverbs 18:24 says about God, "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." You can count on Jesus always being there for you in your time of need. Not only will He be there for you when you need Him most, but He also will never hurt you when you open your heart to Him. Though you may have been hurt by people to whom you have been close, you can count on the fact that Jesus will never hurt you when you open up to Him.
Second, don't keep your distance from Jesus because you are afraid to identify with Him. Let me remind you that it was Jesus who died and paid for your sin. He was willing to go to the cross to pay for your sins, the least you could do is identify with Him. Let me ask you, what has the world ever done for you that you would be more willing to identify with it rather than with Jesus? The only thing the world has ever done for you is hurt you. Though identifying with Jesus may bring shame and criticism from the world and backslidden Christians, it will also bring a closeness and security that He will never leave you and will be there to help you through every facet of your life.
If you are one who has kept your distance from Jesus, let me implore you to stop it. Whether your distance is in your heart, or maybe you have physically kept your distance from Jesus, you are making the greatest mistake of your life by doing so. Decide to close the distance by opening your heart to Jesus and pouring your heartaches and worries upon Him. Physically close that distance and decide that no matter what criticisms may come that you will identify with Jesus every place you go.