In His Steps

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your soul.”

I Peter 3:21-25.

If anybody needed good news it was Peter, the guy who penned these words. If anybody needed good news, it was Peter, who was straying like a sheep in need of healing after denying one of his closest friends at the cross. If anybody needed good news, it was Peter, who was given a second chance by Jesus, the Shepherd and Overseer of his soul.

If anybody needs good news, it’s you and me. Our denial may not be as dramatic as Peter’s, our wounds not always obvious to the casual eye, but just as lost, just as hurting, and just as in need of a Savior.

If anybody needed an example, it was Peter, who was facing pressure, persecution, and suffering. If anybody needed an example, it was Peter who would soon be crucified upside down for the sake of Jesus Christ and the good news of the gospel. If anybody needed an example, it was Peter, who was perhaps tired, and hurting, and frustrated.

And if anybody needs a reminder, it’s you and me. Our persecution may not always be this obvious, our attacks often subtle. Our suffering sometimes is done quietly in the loneliness of a house, or the drama of a cubicle. Our need to defend ourselves though is just as loud, our need to retaliate just as desperate. Our need to be understood by those around is just as real.

To every one of us stands the perfect example of Jesus Christ forever. When reviled, did not revile in return, when suffering, he did not threaten. He maintained silence in the face of his attackers, quiet to the ears of his haters. And always carrying one purpose in mind: to bear our sins on the cross, to cleanse us from every sin, to heal us for eternity.

If Christ my Savior suffered for my sake, am I then not willing to follow in His steps too? Am I to follow in the power of His resurrection and not the fellowship of His suffering? Am I not to follow in willing silence to my attackers? Peter makes no qualms about it. It is my calling to suffer as Jesus did.

In His steps. That’s where I long to remain. Not perfectly today, but increasingly with each passing day.

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