For better or for worse. We can choose which direction to go, life or death. Jesus will not force us. God will not force us. Forcing is Satan’s way, not God’s. God invites and honors our wishes, as much as it hurts Him when we choose death, He allows us to make our own choice.

Just as Adam was given a choice, to obey or not. So we have the same choice, to follow or not. Jesus longs for us to choose Him. He suffered indescribable pain so that we might have the ability to choose life. But yet, He only invites.

Do you want to go away? Does your heart tug at you to follow pleasure, riches, power, fame, ease, sin? What will you do? You must choose.

Now, understand… Whichever our choice, God will pursue us. He does not just wash his hands and say goodbye. No. He chases after us, giving us opportunity after opportunity to decide life. Almost infinitely, but not quite. There is a last chance, and none of us knows which is the last.

I myself made the choice to walk away once. I decided it was too hard to follow Jesus. I took my own road. It was pleasant at first, to be accepted by the crowds, to prosper in wealth, to have “friends”, to enjoy earthly pleasure. But, over time the error of my ways became evident. It ended in the most painful and difficult experience I ever crawled through. I brought it on myself by choosing my own path. There was a high price to pay for my selfishness, a very high price indeed. Because I said “yes, I want to walk away too”, my life became unbearable pain.

But, Jesus didn’t turn his back on me. Even when I rejected him, He kept after me, waiting, knocking, inviting. It took years and unspeakable pain for me to repent. But when I, like the prodigal son, did wake up… He was there! Waiting! Open arms! You simply can’t do too much bad for God to forgive and fix!

So please, I plead with you… Don’t walk away! It’s not worth it. Stay with Jesus no matter what. He is the answer. Every other road leads to pain and death. And unlike my own story, Peter answered Jesus here rightly. Peter said “where else shall we go?”. Peter knew there was no other path.

Be Peter!