Matthew 26: 40 - 42 NKJV
To His disciples, Jesus must have been asking too much of them. Here He was asking them to stay awake into the night as He went off to pray. I'm sure a few of them, knowing Jesus was afar off, took the opportunity to catch a nap. We already know this. Do you think that Jesus, upon discovering His sleeping disciples, wondered if they could make time for Him? Maybe, I know I've often counted the minutes during the day to see what I could ration off for my time with the Father. As we all know, life can be hectic and time consuming. If I forget sometimes to find time for Jesus He'll understand, right? Of course He will. I don't recall Him becoming angry at His followers when He discovered them sleeping. I mean, He did question their attention span, but angry? No. Like I said, I've often struggled at times with finding time with God in my busy day. More often than not, I have plenty of time for other things I enjoy, but time for Jesus? I mean, we're talking about my day, my free time here. Forget the fact that all I have is from Jesus, I get that. What about me? I'm the one being asked to make a sacrafice for his time. I'm the one losing out on the opportunity to do something I love. This is my life, or is it? What we have here, friends, is the classinc struggle of believing that we are independent from God who created us. Far too often we view ourselves as here on earth, while Jesus and our heavenly Father (who are one in the same) reside in heaven. We know they're there, but it's more of a 911 relationship where we only call upon HIm when we really need Him. I'm not saying that it's wrong to call upon Jesus in our times of need, He encourages us to do just that. No, what I'm calling attention to is our perception of who Christ really is. We see Jesus as looking down upon us from heaven instead of seeing Him for who He truly is. The apostle Paul tells us that Jesus is closer to us today than we ever thought possible. See, everythig that Jesus is, we are. For it is He who lives through us {Galations 2:20}. Now, I've run across more than a few christians who shudder at the idea that sinful man could be anywhere close to the presence of Christ, but I believe what Paul has told us to be true. The very idea that Jesus cannot be in the presence of sin is, in my opinion, outdated theology. After all, wasn't it Jesus whom the Pharisees accused of spending time with sinners? {Mark 2:16} As He said, it is not those who are well that need a doctor, but those who are sick {Mark 2:17}.
16And when the scribes cand Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?” 17When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Mark 2: 16 - 17 NKJV
My mother always had a saying she would tell me whenever I was troubled. It was in these times that she would often tell me that Jesus was "as close to me as my next breath." How right she was. We get stuck on the idea that there must be seperation between ourselves and God because we are still sinners in Gods eyes. Well, when Jesus took time out of His day to dine with the sinners of His day He blew that argument out of the water. Wasn't it Jesus who became sin on our behalf at the cross so that the penalty would not be ours? {2 Corinthians 5:21} Still think that it's our own sin that seperates us from the Christs' presence? Well, Paul also tells us in Romans that sin no longer defines us {Romans 6:11}. Sometimes what we've been taught for so long is the hardest habit to break, I get it. However, our own relationship with Jesus should never be based simply on a as needed basis. Now, Jesus will never forsake those who seek Him, but from a relationship standpoint He is far better seen as being with us than apart from us. How do you see those friends of yours who only call when they need something? Exactly. As I said, Jesus will never turn us away simply because we seek Him now and then. However, wouldn't you want more of Him than that? I know I did. One thing I almost never heard from a pastors pulpit was how to have a personal relationship with Jesus. Sure, we're told that we can be "like" Him when the time comes, but be as Jesus? I've had a friend tell me that it is herecy to believe such things. Well, I guess Paul was a heretic then. What is the event at which point God decided that He was finished with being in the presence of His creation? The fall? Well, even after the accuser instigated the lie that Adam and Eve could "be like God," the Father never left us {Genesis 3:5}. See, Adam and Eve were already like God, that's the lie we've fallen for. We do well to remember that Jesus is with us through it all, not just when we need Him the most. He has a great interest in all we are. After all, that is all He is.
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or eprincipalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
Colossions 1: 15 - 17 NKJV
~Scott~
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