1 Peter 2:21

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

I’ve known many wonderful people, and I am sure you have as well. I have only to think of words such as kindness, graciousness, love, thoughtfulness, joy, integrity, hospitality and hope, to be reminded of people who have reflected those qualities to me in a very special way. They weren’t perfect, but I saw something that was beautiful in their lives and my life has been enormously enriched through knowing them. It’s good to follow the example of other Christians and, on a number of occasions, the apostle Paul encouraged his readers to follow his example. But we need to remember that the supreme example that we need to follow is of Jesus himself.

Jesus was unlike anyone else who has ever lived, because he was perfect. We are called to be disciples and that means deliberately looking at Jesus’ teaching and his way of life and allowing them to shape the way in which we live. There is an ancient Jewish blessing which says: “May you be covered by the dust of your rabbi.” That is to say, may you walk so closely behind your rabbi that the dust from his feet will fall upon you. Jesus is our rabbi and if we walk at a great distance from him, the dust from his feet will never fall on us. We need to organise our lives so that, day by day, his wisdom, love and joy influence everything that we do.

Peter knew that his readers were going to face great difficulties in the future and that they needed to look at Jesus’ example because he stayed true to his Father, even when he faced the most terrible suffering. Whatever we face in the coming days we cannot do better than deliberately follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

Question

What will it mean for you to follow in the footsteps of Jesus today?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, help me to love you more dearly and follow you more nearly today. Amen