BIBLE PASSAGE:
“…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:20)
MEDITATION:
Remember when you were younger and there was one person
you considered as your very best friend? In today’s world, he
or she would be called your best friend forever (aka BFF).
It was the person you not only looked forward to seeing, but
you enjoyed spending as much time with as possible. You may
have had many other friends you enjoyed, but there was just
something special about your best friend.
When you were young, you couldn’t imagine ever having a time
when the two of you would not enjoy spending time together. But
over time, perhaps your friend’s parents had to relocate to another
state due to a job change and your friendship was broken.
Or maybe you and your friend became separated because each of
you went to a different college. Marriage could have impacted the
closeness of your friendships. One of you may have gone into the
military or taken a job in another state that kept the two of you apart.
No matter what may have caused a breakup in the time you spent
together, you still kept in touch for years, but you just didn’t have
the same closeness that you did when you were younger.
As time passed, your contact with each other became less and less.
Over the years, your friendship may have eventually disappeared
altogether. Although you may still think about each other from
time to time, you have both moved on and made new friends.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were no breaks in your friendship
and it just continued on forever? It is rare whenever two good
friends can retain a closeness over the years when they are not
in close proximity with each other. However, I can attest that it
is possible to have a close friendship, even though you are far
apart, and seldom see or talk to each other.
Personally, I have a friend whose job took him to another state
and yet we have remained very good friends over the years. We
keep in touch from time to time and even though we don’t have
a chance to get together very often, we still have a strong friendship.
It is special whenever a friendship can transcend time and distance!
How would you feel if you had a close friend who you enjoyed spending
time with, and nothing would ever cause a break in that friendship?
Rather than experiencing a decline in the closeness with your friend,
you could enjoy the growth of your friendship each and every day.
Jesus is that kind of friend! He assures us that He will always be with
us! He promised that He would be with us at all times, which includes
the good times and the bad. Notice He didn’t say He ‘might’ be with
us, He said “I am” with you. When He makes a promise, we know we
can depend on a fulfillment of that promise!
Jesus will be with us when the sun is shining and when the storm
clouds surround us. Our Lord is present with us no matter what
each day brings our way. It may be a day of joy or sadness, a day
of sickness or good health, a day of success or failure, etc. We can
find security and joy in knowing that He is with us!
Regardless of what is going on, Jesus is walking beside us, loving
us, strengthening us, blessing us, encouraging us, teaching us,
and filling us with faith, hope, and love. As He envelops us with
a quiet serenity and security, our foes, fears, afflictions, and doubts
will begin to lessen. We can bear up in any setting and under any
circumstance because we know the Lord is near!
Need an example? When Paul was in Macedonia preaching
that Jesus was the Messiah and the Jews opposed him, look
at what the Lord said to Paul.
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision:
“Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be
silent. For I am with you, and no one is going
to attack and harm you, because I have many
people in this city.”
(Acts 18:9-10)
Did God’s assurance calm Paul’s fears and give him confidence?
You bet it did! Look at how he responded:
So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year
and a half, teaching them the word of God.
(Acts 18:11)
ACTION:
Have you chosen Jesus as your friend? Do you look forward
to spending time with Him, and do you enjoy your time of
fellowship with Him? Are you excited about meeting with
Him at His house, or is attending worship services just an
item on your check list? Is your friendship with Him growing
daily?
In the busy, face-paced world we live in, we are pulled in many directions
and we can find it difficult to carve out some quality time to spend with
the Lord (or other friends). If you have a Type-A personality like I do, then
your mind is often darting from one thing to another at the speed of light,
and it can be difficult to focus on the Lord for any continuous length of
time.
However, we can force ourselves to allocate a portion of each day just
to spend time with our Lord. He spent three hours on the cross dying
for our sins, so we should spend some amount of time with Him, right?
It might feel awkward initially, but we overcome that obstacle by using
our allocated time to read His Word (bible). And while we are reading,
we need to try and shut down all other thoughts that are vying for our
time and attention.
When we can accomplish that, we will find that we are able to read for
‘quality’ and not ‘quantity’. We will be able to read just a few verses at
a time, and pause to think about what His words are saying specifically
to us. And, of course we can spend time praying (again for quality and
not quantity).
When we ‘quality pray’, we will openly and honestly speak to the Lord
about things that we might never discuss with others. In addition, we
can petition Him to help us in all the areas of our lives that are in
opposition to righteousness (sinful actions that are rebellious to the
Lord; even though we may not like how that sounds, that’s what sin is).
After we establish this time with the Lord (it may only be 15-30 minutes),
we will grow closer to Him and learn to appreciate all the good things He
has provided. We need to also occasionally use our allocated time for just
thinking about how He has blessed us.
When we do, we will find ourselves appreciating Him more and more. We will
also be amazed at how we can actually just chill out, relax, and enjoy some
non-stressful time, without any sense of urgency to attend to other matters.
It will be a time of peace and tranquility that we are always searching for,
and desperately need.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the promise that Your Son will
always be with us. Help me to understand the importance of my
friendship with Him. Even though He is holy and worthy of all
my worship and praise, thankfully He is still with me at all times.
Although I have not seen Him physically, I have seen the evidence
of His (and Your) existence. One day I will be able to see you both
face to face, and for that I am very, very thankful.”
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