Monday, October 27, 2014

October 25 – Being where He is


If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me. Where I am, there My servant also will be. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.  (John 12:26 HCSB)

We assume that because God is everywhere, we can go wherever we want, and He’ll be right there with us.  But Jesus is teaching His followers that we can choose to go places in our lives and in our minds, where He isn’t.  There are many times that God urges us to get out of our comfort zone and do what we don’t feel like doing, but we choose to hold back and ignore that urging.  We may feel like we’re doing important things, but we are in fact, doing the worst thing of all – choosing to be where Jesus is not.  It could be vice versa as well – God calls you to stay with your family and care for them, yet you’d rather be trying to impress others with busy work.  Whoever serves God, sticks close to His side, wherever He leads.

His promise is to honor us.  There are times when God asks you to go places where you would least like to be.  You find yourself in awkward situations, with people you don’t necessarily enjoy, when it’s too late, or too early, or too uncomfortable, but God asks you to be there, so you do it.  In the spiritual world, many doors of blessing are being opened to you, just because you are choosing to be where your Master is, and do His bidding.  We like to imagine that we are heroic Christians who would fight to the death for our faith, but are we willing to sit in a dingy waiting room in a hospital to pray for someone who doesn’t even appreciate us?   

Once we overcome the initial hurdle to die to our old lives and live for Jesus as our Lord, being with Him is so pleasant and enjoyable, for the most part.  Choosing a wholesome movie at home with our family over a bar is a no-brainer.  Choosing church on a Sunday morning over sleeping in may be a bit of an effort when you’re tired from the night before, but we remember the joy of being in God’s house still outweighs our morning grogginess.  But there are always times that God asks us to go further, give more (sometimes a lot more), and just trust that where He is, we need to be.  If we claim to follow Jesus, that needs to be a non-negotiable commitment.

When you opt for being where your Master leads, you are opting for a life of honor.  You may not feel very honored or recognized in the middle of the process, but this promise of Jesus does not fail.  None of His promises do.  Make Moses’ prayer as he was about to lead the people of God to the promised land, your prayer as well, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.” (Exodus 33:15)  Determine not to take a step away from where His presence leads you.  If you are unsure, pray, reread these promises of God, and He will show you clearly.  Be where Jesus is, and He’ll gladly honor you as His child. 

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