WALKING THE WALK
LUKE 2:43-44
After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends.
When my eldest brother Peter was caught in a riot at the university, he realized that at his age, he couldn’t confront the riot police as they engaged the students in the melee. He therefore thought very fast in order to save his skin. He took an African basket and bought some groceries - cabbages, carrots, onions etc and he walked majestically past the riot policemen. They did not recognize him as a student and so they never bothered to ask him anything.
The above incidence reminds me of the mission of Jesus on earth. There are many Christians today who think that they understand their walk with Christ today yet miss the point. I wish to illustrate three of this category of believers who actually need to reason out their Christianity.
In the above devotion, the parents thought that Jesus was walking with them by virtue of being parents. This assumption cost them much for they had to stop and walk back to Jerusalem in search for Jesus. There are those believers who think that Christ is right behind them, following, simply because they are priests, lay leaders, pastors, youth leaders in the church etc. This is a lie! We all need to ‘hold’ Jesus’ hands if we need our assurance to be positive, or else you may find yourself on the next donkey back to Jerusalem. Stop now, turn and see whether Jesus is with you before you go looking for him in the wrong places and asking the wrong people and getting the wrong answers.
Mark 4:35-38, speaks of another group of Christians who walk with Jesus daily. These witness the Lord performing miracles but they fail to recognize his authority. These disciples tried to save the boat from the storm through their own skills they had acquired in their fishing business before they joined the ministry. Jesus was there with them. He was sound sleep amidst the stormy seas! He was actually waiting for the disciples to ask him for help. This can be identified with many Christians today. They struggle to calm down their own storms when Jesus is right there and very much willing to be recognized. Let us stop struggling as believers and ask Him to intervene in our situation.
Luke 24:13-32, talks about the two men on the road to Emmaus. These men talked and chatted with Jesus Christ and told him about his own death and resurrection without their realization that they were talking with Jesus Christ. They even invited Him into their house but all through they couldn’t recognize him. What a pity. This is vivid to us even today. People rarely recognize the presence of this King in our services, fellowships, visitors etc while on the other hand you find believers in their prayers with the wish to see and talk to Jesus face to face! He comes to us in an ordinary and natural form and we send Him away plus His blessings. He comes along with a basket full of cabbages and we blush him away because the basket isn’t glittering with diamonds. Pause and think. You may be walking with him right away….He may be right there next to you, but do you really realize it?
Take time and see whether you belong in any of those three categories listed above, and if not, you are either hand in hand with Him or He has no part in your life. If He doesn’t have any part in your life, you can welcome Him into your life now by saying this prayer: Lord Jesus, forgive me my sins and write my name in the book of life. I now invite you into my life as my Lord and Savior. Amen.
