FIRST STEP AFTER A SETBACK (continued)

"Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."  Joshua 1:9

            Last week I wrote about the difficulty of taking the first step after a set-back and how much more difficult it can be compared to a first step.  This week I will continue on with this thought.  Ok, so life events show that even taking a first step after a first step applies to blogs as well.

            When Jesus arrives on the scene and begins his ministry He quickly began assembling His disciples.  We read in Matthew 4:18 (also Mark, Luke, and John) that Jesus began to call His disciples and they quickly dropped what they were doing and followed (this faithful obedience will be discussed in more detail later).  They traveled and listen to Jesus throughout His ministry.  They took that emotional first step and things were going great.  But you will see how quickly even the faithfully obedient disciples were quick to scatter and have a major setback.  Upon Jesus’ arrest in Gethsemane in Matthew 26: 47-56 you will see at the end of verse 56 “Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.” (Matt 26:56 NIV).  The setback continues further with Peter’s denial of Jesus shortly after the arrest. 

            It is after the Resurrection of Christ that the disciples face the challenge of the first step after a setback.  In fact, it was not until Pentecost Sunday in Acts Chapter 2 that the disciples take that first step and what a mighty step that it was.  If not for the initial first step followed by the brave first step after a setback, where would the world be today?  The first step on the day of Pentecost added thousands of believers to the church. 

            Moral of the story, do not let a setback stop you.  Be faithful and be bold and take the second first step and see what happens.

     

God bless