January 28 Being With Jesus

 Read today’s texts first: Exodus 21 & 22; Psalms 12; Acts 4

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

So often we ask Jesus to be with us
but it is better to pray that we will be with Him!

So often we reflect on how Jesus is with us.  It is comforting to know that He will never leave us or forsake us.  But how often do we consider the importance of being with Jesus?  Now I understand logic: if Jesus is with us, then by extension, we are with Jesus.  However, as in every relationship, being with someone physically does not guarantee you are “with” them on every other level.  To illustrate, I have on rare occasions gone shopping with my wife – I was there, but my heart and mind were focused on other less mind-numbing interests, like the hockey game playing in the window of the TV store.

What we read of Peter and John in Acts 4 is that even their enemies realized “these men had been with Jesus” (13).  They had not only walked and talked with Jesus, they had absorbed His heart of compassion and His faith to do something about it.  The religious rulers who were trying unsuccessfully to restrain them from preaching, knew this was not just a religion they were dealing with here.  These were men in relationship with the living God, and there was no stopping them.  When faced with opposition they didn’t shrink back – they just prayed for more boldness to keep on keeping up with Jesus.  If they thought they were shaken up by their imprisonment, they had a whole lot more shakin’ going on when God answered their prayer!

We need that level of intensity in our walk with Jesus in our day.  It’s not enough to invite God’s presence into our daily activities.  We need to find out what Jesus wants to do today and where He’s going to be at work, and then determine to join Him in those exploits.  It’s going to require a whole new level of boldness to go where Jesus goes.  “Lord, I ask for that same boldness - shake up my world so this walk of faith is no longer just about You being with me, but about me keeping up with You.”