Hosanna Restoration Church

The best way to stay close is to follow. I know that statement seems pretty obvious right away, but it is not until we actually follow that we realize the magnitude of it! Jesus calls each and every one of us to follow Him. Stay close and you will see the Kingdom of God. Stay close and you will recognize when I am present. Stay close.

We hold on to the things that are important to us. We stay in contact with people we care about. Jesus desires to be at the top of all of our lists. When Jesus called the disciples, He did not suggest that they be on call occasionally, He told them to follow Him. The only way that they would be able to accomplish His plans for them was to stay close to Him.

The same is true for us. Now He dwells in us. Now we have the comforter, The Holy Spirit, to guide us. He reminds us to stay close and to keep following. We grow by staying close.

It is not hard! Just follow. Of course, there are struggles and things we do not totally understand. Life is full of struggles and confusion. We all had those obstacles before we ever considered following Jesus. Remember, Jesus said we would still have those things as we follow Him, but He also said that He would be with us and that He had already handled all of those things.

As hard as that is to comprehend, He assures us that we can go ahead and rejoice and be of good cheer. We have the victory that He already won. Stay close and you will see.

It is pretty easy to lose sight of the prize if we follow at a distance. When we follow at a distance we go slower and slower. We lose our focus and ultimately find a comfortable place to sit, until it is not comfortable any longer. Then what?

I have always thought that one of the greatest advantages of our cell phones was that I can find my wife in a store when I lose her! I get a lot of calls and texts that simply say, “Where are you?”

It is interesting when people begin to wonder where God is. We know where God is! He is always with us. We know this when we are following. We know this when we are close. How did we fall behind? How did we lose sight of Him? What happened? Can I suggest that we not waste time trying to figure that out, and just call? Call quickly! Leave the figuring it all out to another time and just call. We may lag behind. We may fail to follow closely. The good news is that He never takes His eyes off of us.

I am reminded that Jesus saw Nathaniel under the fig tree. He saw Him ahead of time. Jesus saw you and called you and has never taken His eyes off of you. We do not need to wonder where He is or if He sees us. We do not need to get caught up in why this or why that. Just keep following and trusting. Press toward the prize. Our life in Christ is full of prizes. Every victory, large or small, is a prize.  Lord Help us to remember to follow and not just check in occasionally!