WALKING WITH JESUS

 Matthew 28:20b

    “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

                How would your life be different today if Jesus was physically with you wherever you went? It is a question that needs to be explored. Jesus promised His disciples, and us, that He would be with them always. They lived their lives in that reality. Most often we do not. We tend to live as if Jesus is not with us in any tangible way. Instead, we see Him as being just off stage, waiting for us to invite Him into our lives when we need Him.

                In Acts 1:8 Jesus told His disciples that they would be His witnesses throughout the world. We have deemed this passage the second great commission. It is most often couched in terms of evangelism. But what if there was more to it than that. What if the way that we lived our daily lives was our witness for Christ?

                In reality, our greatest witness for Christ is how we live our daily lives. By our actions and our words, we are either affirming or denying our commitment to Jesus. In fact, the way we live speaks much louder than what we say. Therefore, Paul challenges us to live lives worthy of our calling in Christ.

                One of my many favorite passages of scripture is Colossians 3:17. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. It reminds me that may actions are an act of worship. They are also an act of witness. I demonstrate the reality of my faith by the things I say and do; not just when I am at church, but in my every day encounters.

                This morning, during my devotions, I was reminded that God is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. He is everywhere present, all knowing, and all powerful. There is nowhere that I can go where God is not. There is no thought or word that I can hide from God. There is nothing outside of God’s ability to accomplish. This is a reality that I want to live in, yet I so easily forget it in the routine of my everyday life. Although Jesus is not physically present with me as I go through my day, He is spiritually present with me.

                So how will I live my life differently today because of that reality?

Ephesians 4:1-2

    As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.