Right Place, Right Way

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Matthew 5:5

When we choose to follow Jesus, we are saying two things. First, we are saying Jesus will get us to the right place. The right place is in heaven with God. By grace through faith, Jesus will get us to the right place because he himself is the Way. As we follow Jesus, we are also saying he will get us to the right place in the right way. Jesus knows all the temptations this life has to offer, yet he is the only person who ever overcame them all. When we follow him — by reading the Bible, praying, fasting, fellowshipping with other Christians, and serving others — we are able to be convicted when we sin, corrected when we are going toward sin, and coached in the ways to keep from sinning.

Think about the night Jesus was betrayed. As his prayer time came to an end, he told his disciples that his betrayer — Judas Iscariot — was at hand. Judas was accompanied by an overwhelmingly large crowd made up of soldiers, police, priests, elders, and scribes. As Judas saw Jesus, the disciples saw the crowd. They asked Jesus, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” They wanted permission to show their strength, to fight their enemies. But Peter didn’t wait for permission, cutting off the right ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest. Peter’s actions were not the right way to follow Jesus. Peter’s strength was not the problem. It was his failure to use that strength in a God-honoring way that was sinful. Jesus did not need their swords. He could have saved himself. But the Father’s will that he should die for sinners was more important. 

Father, help me to know what is more important according to Your will. Give me the grace to keep my strength on a leash so that it is only used to build up what is holy and tear down what is not.