“If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to
you?
As for you, follow me” (John 21:22, NLT).
Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord, Jesus
Christ!
We are entering a little deeper into the season of
summer. Are you enjoying this season of green around you mowing the lawn so
far? I bet we are getting used to it now. Maybe some of you have planted flower
seeds or vegetable seeds already. I even see how they grow every day in the
fields around us hoping for the good harvest in fall.
For me, it has not been going very well in the month of
May as I dealt with several medical issues that I had never encountered before.
One of them was the side effect from my 2nd COVID shot. My family got the shot
but only I had to deal with the side effects for several days. And briefly, I
even thought about my last day-What if I am not able to make it? A few words
came to my mind for my kids who are still in school, especially, for the oldest
one who is graduating this year.
“Always turn your eyes on Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life,
so that you can
focus on your purpose that God has given you no matter what. Then,
you will have a
blessed life to bless others with joy and thanksgiving. That will
be the joy of the Lord.”
Thankfully, I got over it and was able to give those
words as a graduation gift.
Interestingly, Peter and other disciples were preparing
their graduation from Jesus High School two thousand years ago before Jesus’
ascension or before they went out by themselves. According to the gospel of
John, he ended his gospel with the conversation between Peter and Jesus, a kind
of his graduation moment. Jesus’ words for Peter were, “Feed my sheep” (John
21:17b, NLT) and Jesus invited him to follow him continually - “Follow Me”
(John 21:19b, NLT).
However, before his invitation, Jesus talked about what
kind of death Peter would glorify God. Then suddenly, Peter thought about
someone behind him, Jesus’ favorite disciple. “Hmm, the way of my death will
glorify God? It means, I am going to die like you, Jesus? Now how about John,
your favorite one? Is he going to die too, like me?” Jesus replied,
“If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to
you?” (John 21:22a).
In other words, your enemy is in you not outside, so
focus on your own purpose from God, silencing all the noise that block your
ears or cover your eyes to experience the joy of heaven right now!
Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are now graduating
with those disciples with Jesus’ question, “What is that to you?” Are we still
dealing with some unseen enemies now? Amazingly, after they received the Holy
Spirit through the Pentecost, they were able to hold the unshakable purpose
from God no matter what and they have blessed the world with the blessings that
they had received for last two thousand years. Are we ready to run now with
them filled with the Holy Spirit to bless others in this season continually? It
will the joy of the Lord!
Through this season, we will continue to cultivate our
hearts so that the seeds of God’s love and His grace can continue to grow in us
for the joy of harvest someday.
Join us!
Pastor Kyochul
