Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” — John 13:8

I can still remember the words of a wise man, “Don’t walk too far behind or walk ahead of Jesus, make sure you are walking with Him.” I must admit, the words, when spoken, didn’t sink in.

The word “with” can be defined as accompanied by, escorted by, or in the company of, and it denotes the act of fellowship. Our walk with the Lord can become complicated for me, especially when it comes to all the books that are supposed to make things easy. The conversation between Peter and Jesus is a very telling situation as to where we need to be. The moment Peter is told he will have no part with Jesus, he seems to go into panic mode and goes to the extreme, Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!” It would seem that Jesus was trying to get His point across of servanthood and forgiveness. The confusion comes when we walk ahead or behind.

The question was asked at a Men’s study I attend at Church, “what does spiritual growth look like?” There were lots of definitions but the one I liked the best was “seeing the unseen” (which was mine of course). It seems that when we are in proper step with the Lord there is an unseen meaning to the situations and circumstances in life. If I walk ahead of the Lord I miss it, if I’m too far behind it’s gone. I get this picture of having spiritual eyes to decipher the thing that God is trying to show me. Peter, not getting the meaning of the act of servanthood and forgiveness is an example of what can happen if we’re not in tune. Over and over we see examples in scripture of the Disciples trek with Jesus being confusing. It’s not until they have the Holy Spirit and are walking with Him that all they saw and heard from Him makes sense.  “His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him” John 12:16.

We begin to understand the way people react, that an insult can actually be a cry for help and needs to be ministered to. We can identify when we are being tested and it’s helpful to see when temptation comes our way or if the Lord is trying to discipline us. The importance of keeping in stride with the Lord is as simple as remaining teachable, humble, staying in fellowship, and most important, being in His word. Understanding the true meaning of our experiences and circumstances can help us navigate through life. This should ultimately lead us into a more personal relationship with our Savior, Amen.

So don’t get ahead and don’t fall too far behind, walk with our Lord.

Written by Rob Russomano: Rob Russomano is married to Terri, and serves with her as full time staff members. He is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and is also available as a speaker of the grace of God with a message of Hope for church events. You can contact him at rrussomano@americaskeswick.org.

The Daily Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 28-29| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him, and expect help from Him, He will never fail you.”

– George Mueller

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

Do not trust in oppression, Nor vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, Do not set your heart on them. Psalm 62:10