From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:66-69

It happened to the multitudes that followed Jesus. It happened to the Twelve disciples. And it has, or will, happen to us as well. When we first become followers of Christ, we excitedly follow him, grateful for our salvation, and hoping to get more and more blessings by reading our bible, going to church, and praying regularly. As we grow deeper in our walk with him, however, we learn that being a Christ-follower is actually quite difficult. Trials come our way which tempt us to abandon our faith and return to familiar ground. Obedience and sacrifice come with a price. Many in Jesus’ day, as in our day, did not want to pay it. They gave up and returned to an “easier life”. Stay the course and do not give up!

Toward the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, he gets more and more serious with his followers. His teachings no longer have that nice and comforting feeling that they first did. Many people who were following Jesus “turned back and no longer followed him”. Perhaps Jesus did this on purpose to see who was really committed to him; I am not sure. But when Jesus asked the disciples if they too wanted to turn back, Peter emphatically said no. “Lord, to whom shall we go?” May this be our response as well.

If Jesus is truly The Way, any other path is futile. Despite how difficult it may be to follow Christ today, for the true believer, there really is no other option. Although the path of following Christ may be full of trials and struggles, all other paths are even more difficult and, in the end, lead you nowhere.

May this encourage you in your walk this week. Many of you may be struggling in your faith, especially if you recently came to Jesus. Do not give up; He is with you, walking with you through your trials, no matter how difficult they may seem.

Trust in Him!