Something random I was thinking about this morning…
Jesus and His disciples spent three years together. You can learn a lot about a person when you’re with them for three years. You can live basically every kind of life in that timeframe, and the disciples did: They enjoyed weddings, endured funerals, celebrated holidays, battled through storms, had good days, had bad days, had every other kind of day in between. Basically, they lived a sample of an entire life with Jesus over the course of His ministry. They were closer to Him than anyone for over a thousand days straight.
And when their time together (such as it was) ended, and Jesus ascended into Heaven, those same Disciples (sans Judas)—who knew Jesus better than anyone—spent the rest of their lives wanting to get back to His side, to spend their lives with Him forever and ever. I think that says something about how highly they regarded the company of the Lord, and how much they loved being with Him.
What is Christianity? In so many ways, it is a life of service, sacrifice, and discipleship. On a more personal level, however, Christianity is about being a friend to Jesus, about inviting Him into your life, and walking with Him everywhere you go. To some, that’s too big of a commitment. Some would rather have a casual or a part-time relationship with Him. Some would rather see Him once or twice a week, and then put Him out of sight and out of mind the rest of the time.
Others, like the disciples, want to be where He is 24/7, and are prepared to live their entire lives for Him, living with the promise that, one day, they will live throughout forever with Him in their midst.
Count me in with the latter group. I don’t always rise to that level of commitment, but that’s my goal. How about you?
~Matthew