Following Christ No Matter What Others Do
"And what shall this man do?
"Jesus saith unto him, * * What is that to thee? follow thou Me" (Joh_21:21-22).
When Peter was told by the Lord by what death he should glorify Christ, he did not hesitate to follow on; but Peter did ask concerning one of the other disciples, "And, what shall this man do"? The Lord said unto Peter: "What is that to thee? follow thou Me".
There are many among us, who are too much concerned with what others may do, or say, or think.
Illustration: A lady once stopped us, on the street, and said, "I’m thinking of uniting with your church, but, first, I want to have a talk with you." We replied: "What do you want to talk about?" She said, "I want to talk to you about what everybody will say if I take my stand."
This young woman was a school-teacher in our city, and she valued very highly the estimation in which she was held among the people. She had a strong conviction that the Lord was calling her to have fellowship with us, in our church, but she was afraid of what others might think.
Do you imagine that she stands alone? Are there not others who love the praise of men more than the praise of God? Are there not others who are more influenced by what the people will say than by what the Lord will say?
Suppose an offering is to be taken for the work of the Lord. How many there are who ask, "And what will this man do?" But, "What is that to thee"?
Suppose there is a call for full consecration. You are deeply impressed that you should go to the altar and yield yourself wholly to God; but, one of your friends is sitting near, and you wait to see what she will do. For very shame, "What is that to thee"? Let us follow Christ no matter what others may say or think or do.
Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR