Following Jesus requires surrender and steadfast devotion, even when His teachings are difficult, trusting that true life is found only in Him.
If you’ve ever sat at the kitchen table late at night with a lukewarm cup of coffee and a heavy heart, wondering why following Jesus can feel so wonderfully right and yet wonderfully hard, you’re in good company. The Gospels show real people with real questions, listening to a real Savior who speaks with love and with authority. Sometimes His words feel like soft blankets; sometimes they feel like sturdy boots that call us to stand up, step forward, and trust. When the teachings of Jesus stretch us, it’s not because He’s trying to break us, but because He’s forming us—forming a steady faith, a loyal love, and a courage that keeps walking even when the road feels steep.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship) Those words aren’t harsh; they’re honest. They remind us that Jesus calls us to lay down what cannot give life so that we can receive what cannot be taken away. He calls us to a devoted heart that won’t drift with every wind, a steady will that won’t wilt under pressure, and a simple trust that says, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
Think about the times Jesus has said something that didn’t fit neatly into our comfort zones. Ever read a verse that seemed to scrape against your plans? Ever felt the Spirit nudge your conscience when excuses came easy? That’s where discipleship matures—in the moments when our preferences get quiet and His presence gets loud. And in those moments, He doesn’t shame us; He shepherds us. He knows our fears. He knows our frailty. He also knows what He’s forming—a people who will stay when it’s simpler to slip away, a people who won’t trade the pearl of great price for a handful of trinkets.
Paul had a pastor’s heart when he warned the church at Corinth. He wasn’t out to win arguments; he was out to win hearts to a pure and sincere devotion to Christ. He saw how easily our loves can be lured. Flashy, fascinating, and false can feel very close to faithful when we’re tired or tender. So he spoke plainly, like a father guarding his children from a glittering trap. He was jealous for the church, not with insecurity, but with holy affection, eager to present God’s people to Jesus with a clear conscience and a clean heart.
So today, let’s bring our questions, our weariness, and our waiting to the feet of Jesus. Let’s ask Him to strengthen our grip when the truth is hard to hold. Let’s ask Him to keep our devotion sincere when competing voices get loud. And let’s ask Him to help us be faithful in the little lanes of life—in the quiet prayers, the quiet yeses, the quiet kindnesses—so that, in due time, He may entrust us with even more. The Lord loves to take what feels small and show us that in His hands, nothing given in love is ever lost.
Before we read, hear this comfort: Jesus never walks away from the honest heart that stays with Him. If you feel weak, He is gentle. If you feel worn, He is near. If you feel wary, He is wise. He gives you His Word, and His Word gives you life.
Scripture Reading
John 6:60-70 (KJV) 60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? 61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? 62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. 65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. 66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. 67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. 70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
2 Corinthians 11:1-4 (KJV) 1 Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. 2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
Opening Prayer
Father, we come to You with open Bibles and open hearts. Speak, Lord, for Your servants are listening. Where Your Word feels hard, give us humble hearts. Where our devotion feels thin, give us a fresh affection for Your Son. Where we feel small and unseen, remind us that faithfulness in the little things brings great delight to You. Guard us from every imitation that would steal our simple trust in Christ. Give us ears to hear, eyes to see, and wills ready to obey. Jesus, You have the words of eternal life—feed us with living bread. Holy Spirit, steady our steps, strengthen our souls, and make us steadfast. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Some words from Jesus feel heavy. They press on our plans and our habits. They ask for trust when we want control. They bring us to a fork in the road. We can pull back. Or we can stay near and listen longer.
Staying near does not mean we feel no tension. It means we bring the tension to Him. We let Him speak again. We keep our seat at His feet. We let His voice set the pace when our thoughts run fast.
Hard truth exposes where we lean on our own sense of things. It shows where we want ease more than life. It shows where fear shapes our choices. In that place, His words train our hearts. Step by step. Day by day.
In John 6, many listeners heard Jesus and felt pressed. They said the teaching was hard. They grumbled among themselves. Jesus did not ignore them. He asked if His words stumbled them. He asked them to look higher. He pointed to His ascension. He pointed to where He came from and where He was going. He drew their eyes to the whole picture of who He is.
That moment shows us a way to respond when His words press on us. Bring the sting into the light of who He is. He is the Son who came from the Father. He is the one who returns to glory. He is worthy of trust. When we set His identity before our eyes, the weight of His words starts to make sense. The call is big because the Caller is Lord.
Jesus also told them why His words matter. “The Spirit gives life,” He said, “the flesh is no help.” Flesh here means our fallen strength and our natural way of measuring things. We cannot make His words alive by our own effort. The Spirit does that work in us. That is why staying close matters. His voice is life, and the Spirit carries that life into our hearts.
So we ask for help when truth feels tall. We ask the Spirit to make the words bright. We slow down. We read a line. We pray it back. We hold the sentence through the day. We take one clear step of obedience. Often the light comes as we walk. The words begin to warm us from the inside. They do not change in content. We change in appetite.
Jesus also spoke about faith and unbelief. He knew from the start who did not believe and who would betray Him. He was not surprised by the struggle in the crowd. He was not shaken by the mixed motives around Him. He said no one can come unless the Father grants it. That sentence humbles us and steadies us at the same time.
It humbles us because we do not save ourselves. We do not hold ourselves up by sheer grit. Every step with Christ is grace. It steadies us because the Father does not fail. If He draws you, He will keep drawing you. So when the teaching feels like a steep hill, ask for the gift to keep climbing. Ask for help to keep saying yes. The Father delights to give good gifts to His children.
This also means we can be patient with one another. Some in the crowd were wrestling. Some were on the edge. Some were ready to walk away. Jesus still spoke to all of them. He gave them clear words. He told the truth. He called them to real faith. In our homes and groups, we can do the same. We speak with care. We pray for the Spirit to work. We leave room for God to move hearts.
Many turned back that day. They stopped walking with Him. The moment was public and painful. Jesus then looked at the twelve and asked if they wanted to leave too. He put the question to them on purpose. He was not fishing for praise. He was inviting a clear, personal answer.
Peter answered with a confession. He said that Jesus had the words that give life that does not end. He said they had come to trust who Jesus is. That answer gives us a simple path. When the crowd pulls away, look at Christ again. Ask, “Where else would I go for the words that feed my soul?” Name what you know. Name who He is. Let that confession hold you when feelings shake.
The church at Corinth faced another kind of pressure. Teachers came with a polished message. They promised more. They sounded close to the truth. Paul loved that church like a father. He wanted them to keep a clear, simple faith in Christ. He warned them about a different Jesus, a different spirit, a different good news.
That warning fits with John 6. Some left Jesus because His words cut across their desires. Others in Corinth stayed in the pews, but their minds drifted to a message that kept them comfortable. Both paths lead away from real life. So we keep our eyes on the Jesus of Scripture. We test every voice by His voice. We hold to the gospel the apostles preached. We ask, “Does this message match the words of the Lord? Does it lead me to Him, or to me?”
Guarding our minds matters here. Paul said the serpent used craft to lead Eve astray. He said our thoughts can be moved off the clear devotion we owe to Christ. So we keep watch. We set His words before us often. We sing them. We pray them. We talk about them in ordinary places. We keep the lines simple and true. When a shiny message tugs at us, we slow down and measure it by Scripture.
Staying with Jesus when truth presses on us looks very plain. It looks like staying in the text when we want to skim. It looks like small obedience when the big picture feels foggy. It looks like asking a friend to pray when our heart feels dull. It looks like saying, “Lord, help me,” and then opening the Bible again.
It also looks like honest questions. The crowd in John 6 talked among themselves. They stayed horizontal. They did not bring their questions to Jesus. We can do the other thing. We can say, “I do not get this yet.” We can ask Him to teach us. We can ask wise, godly people to help us see what is there. We keep the questions at His feet.
And when we fall short, we get up and come back. We confess. We receive mercy. We take the next step that is clear. The Spirit keeps working life into our hearts as we keep coming. The words of Christ do their work. They begin to shape what we love. They train what we choose.
Simple patterns help. Keep a steady time in the Gospels. Memorize a few lines from John 6 and 2 Corinthians 11. Write them on a card. Carry them. When you feel pulled toward softer teaching, read the words again. When you feel weary under a hard call, read the words again. Ask Him to make them sweet to you.
Stay within healthy guardrails. Sit under teachers who open the text and point to Christ. Watch for messages that skip the cross, or turn grace into self-help, or treat Jesus like a step toward other goals. Paul said the church could be charmed by a different message. Charm fades. Christ stays.
Notice the questions Jesus asks. “Does this offend you?” “Do you want to go away?” His questions help us locate our hearts. Answer them in prayer. Be straight with Him. Tell Him where the pinch is. Tell Him what part scares you. Ask for courage for the next small step. He hears.
Lean on the means He gives. Scripture. Prayer. The gathered church. The Lord’s Table. Wise counsel. Quiet acts of obedience. These are simple paths. They shape us over time. They keep us close when our feelings run thin.
Think of one hard word from Jesus that you tend to avoid. Write it down. Sit with it this week. Read the passage around it. Ask the Spirit to make it clear and sweet. Take one action that matches it. Tell a friend, so they can ask how it went.
And when you see others struggle with a hard word, be patient. Pray before you speak. Serve them. Open the text with them. Let the words stand. Trust the Spirit to make them alive. Keep pointing to the real Jesus, the one who came from the Father and gives life through His word.
Hard seasons will come again. Voices will press on you. Some will flatter. Some will scold. Measure them all by the Scriptures. Keep your heart with Christ. Keep hearing Him. Keep answering His questions with faith.
As you do, you will find that what felt sharp starts to heal. What felt heavy starts to strengthen. What felt confusing starts to clear. His words are alive. They carry life to those who keep listening and keep walking with Him.
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