It was a sunny Saturday, the wind was blowing, and the ball fields were packed. The baseball tournament was well underway, and the crack of the bats and the cheers from the stands made it challenging to hear the person next to you. We were lugging our coolers, tents, chairs, and toys, and I was looking for the field number or the Nationals jerseys —something to give me direction and guide me where we needed to be. Behind me were five little boys tripping over their equipment, throwing their balls in the air, and knocking over one another. We had just made it through the parking lot and were heading up a steep hill when I said, "Follow Me."
Reading through the passages this week, I pictured young men, disciples, trying to lug their prior understanding, their nets, their occupations, and families with them as they set off to follow Jesus. I find great encouragement in the disciples who left it all behind and immediately did an about-face turn to follow Him wherever He was going when they didn't understand where that was. We may even be convicted and motivated to consider what we need to about-face turn from to follow Jesus in this way
On that Saturday, when I said, "Follow me," my boys obeyed, but they didn't consider how close. As each boy walked along the path, they grew tired and weary. One paused to pick up his fallen ball, another picked up their fallen self off the muddy ground, and another fell behind by the weight of the burden they carried. One by one, they were slipping further and further away from me. Even little Ben, who was holding my hand, was hanging back behind and not next to my side. They were still following me, but they were following at a very far distance. Due to distance and the chaos of the ball fields, when I spoke, they could barely hear my voice, let alone understand what I had said.
How close does Jesus want you to follow Him, and what does it look for you to be His disciple? How close do you have to be to drink from the well and quench the thirst for Him that is in each of us? In Matthew 5:1, Jesus opens his mouth and teaches. Using His voice, He speaks with earnestness to the crowd around Him. Certainly, the closer you were to Him, the better you could hear His voice. Jesus is calling us to a more intimate and deeper walk with Him. Follow me, He said. He wants us to follow closely. He wants to walk along this path of life, teaching and instructing you as you go.
Salvation by grace alone is unconditional, a gift that God has bestowed immeasurably upon the believer. I'm not talking about whether or not you are following Jesus, this is salvation, my boys were following me. We are in a relationship with our Father; nothing can change that. God's grace provides us with the relationship, but intimacy allows us to experience it fully. James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you". I'm talking about how closely we are walking with Him; how near can we get? How intimate do you want to be to Him? Are you relentless, pressing in toward Him in every way —constant in your pursuit to get closer and closer to Him? Are you close enough to hear the still whisper of His voice, or are you slowly falling behind and lagging back? Jesus is calling us out of the perimeter. He is calling us toward Him to be closer to our Messiah, Christ our King. As we look ahead in our study this week, when Jesus opens His mouth to teach His ways and blessings, are we close enough to hear? Do we have the faith to believe Him?
❤️ Meghan
