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John 21:18&19
"18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
19 This spake He, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He saith unto him, Follow Me."
Jesus had corrected the guilt and shame that Peter felt from betraying His Savior. Jesus recreated the sights, sounds, aromas and feelings of the event, just so Peter could respond in a better way. Peter declared his brotherly love for Jesus three times. Three times, Jesus instructed him to "feed my sheep." This event restored their relationship and solidified Peter's role as a leader.

In today's verses, Jesus prophesied that Peter's future would involve the loss of his freedom and take him on a path that he would not choose. Jesus uses the phrase "stretch out your hands" as a symbolic gesture associated with crucifixion. Hinting at the kind of death Peter would face.

The cost of discipleship will be great. Following Jesus may involve going where one does not want to go and requires surrendering one's will to God's purpose. In hardship and sacrifice, there is always an opportunity to glorify God! Jesus invites us to FOLLOW HIM. Like Peter, we need to follow our Lord and Savior no matter what.

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