Devotion, Feb. 11, 2021

Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12).

What a grand promise! Note first the condition. “Whoever follows Me.” This is not a salvation verse. It is a discipleship verse, a topic we have been studying in our Wednesday Bible study. To possess salvation, all you need is faith in Jesus. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Faith brings us the gift of salvation leading to eternal life.

However, some who believe in Jesus do not always follow Him faithfully. I have a suspicion that we all fall short in the “following” department! These lapses do not cancel out the gift of eternal life, but they do plunge us into darkness. As we faithfully follow Jesus, we NEVER walk in darkness. The light we receive from Jesus becomes a light unto our path. If your life seems shrouded in darkness, ask yourself, “Am I following Jesus?” Yes, you believe in Him, but are you following Him?

Peter was one of the great Apostles, but when Jesus was crucified, Peter made a choice not to follow Him anymore. He denied even knowing Him, and this lapse plunged Peter into a time of darkness. He repented and was restored, but he paid the price for denying Jesus. He wept bitterly in the darkness. Jesus will light the way for us, but there is a condition. We must follow Him.

Dear God, I thank You for the free gift of eternal life given to me on the condition of faith alone. I do trust Jesus as my Savior and Lord. I sadly confess that all too often, I fall short of following Him, and I pay the price of walking in darkness. Help me, Father, to be a faithful disciple, trusting Jesus and following Him. In His blessed name, I pray, Amen.