“BE WITH JESUS”

Golf is a simple game: The goal is to get the ball from the tee to the hole in as few shots as possible. The scenery is often beautiful and most people enjoy spending time on a golf course (at least driving the cart).

But despite its simplicity, golf is remarkably hard to learn. Professional golfers still hit horrible shots. The game requires constant tweaking of your swing and body control.

Golf is a simple game.

Golf is a paradox: Simple to understand, nearly impossible to master. 

10 MINUTES TO LEARN, A LIFETIME TO BECOME

Following Jesus is something like this. Yesterday, we learned that Jesus’ followers are on a journey to:

1. Be With Jesus
2. Become Like Jesus
3. Do What Jesus Did

These concepts are simple to understand. By now, most of us have at least some idea what they mean. And yet, none of us have arrived.

This is the beauty of Jesus’s invitation. When he says, “Follow Me”, the call is so uncomplicated that any of us can obey, yet so all-encompassing that none can boast we have arrived.

When Jesus says, “Follow Me”, the call is so uncomplicated that any of us can obey, yet so all-encompassing that none can boast we have arrived.

“Follow Me” welcomes the overwhelmed new believer in the first week of their journey with Jesus.

“Follow Me” spurs on the complacent and proud church-goer who believes they have checked all the boxes.

“Follow Me” inspires the faithful, old saint to finish their journey well.

We can understand Jesus’s summons in ten minutes. But the journey will take a lifetime.

BE WITH JESUS

The first disciples of Jesus accomplished great things: They saw three thousand people get saved, performed countless miracles, led the church through its first major crisis, established doctrine, and wrote books of the Bible.

But long before they accomplished anything, they spent three years with Jesus. They watched his miracles and heard his teachings. They ate hummus with him and took walks together. 

Long before they accomplished anything, the first disciples of Jesus spent three years with him.

Discipleship for Jesus’s first followers was more than learning a doctrinal code or a list of concepts. It meant living life in his presence. When he went to Jerusalem or got into a boat, so did they. They were, quite literally, covered in the dust of their rabbi.

BACK TO THE BASICS

We must recapture this picture for our discipleship journey.

Following Jesus is not a discipleship class with a certificate signed by an associate pastor and key volunteer. It isn’t showing up to a community group or serving in the kid’s ministry. 

These may be elements of following Jesus. But if we limit the journey to these terms, it would be like describing marriage as a series of car rides and conversations about the family budget. These elements will happen in a strong marriage. But a healthy relationship is far more than those two events. 

Following Jesus is not a discipleship class with a certificate signed by an associate pastor and key volunteer.

Like the first disciples, our primary goal as Jesus-followers is to walk through life with him. 

THE FIRST AND MOST BASIC THING

Here is how Dallas Willard puts it (it’s a long quote, but a good one): 

“The first and most basic thing we can and must do is to keep God before our minds. David knew this secret and wrote, “I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will dwell securely” (Ps. 16:8-9, NASB).

This is the fundamental secret of caring for our souls. Our part in thus practicing the presence of God is to direct and redirect our minds constantly to Him. In the early time of our “practicing” we may well be challenged by our burdensome habits of dwelling on things less than God. 

If God is the great longing of our souls, He will become the pole star of our inward beings.

But these are habits—not the law of gravity—and can be broken. A new, grace-filled habit will replace the former ones as we take intentional steps toward keeping God before us. Soon our minds will return to God as the needle of a compass constantly returns to the north. 

If God is the great longing of our souls, He will become the pole star of our inward beings.” (from the article: Personal Soul Care)

(Shout out to Dr. Willard for staying on brand with our North Star theme)

OH YEAH, YOU’RE HERE

Willard is claiming that the most important thing we can do on our faith journey is to become increasingly more aware of God’s presence in our lives. This is what we mean when we say be with Jesus. Some Christian leaders have called this “practicing the presence of God.”

God never leaves us, yet we often forget about him. He will always be with us. Yet we get distracted by a million and one diversions. Practicing God’s presence is a daily, hourly, and moment-by-moment remembering that God is here, right now, working. 

Practicing God’s presence is saying, “Oh yeah, you’re here” to God dozens of times a day.

John Piper once said, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” (From DesiringGod.org) As we grow, we become aware of 12, 13, or even 47 of God’s daily activities. 

Put simply, practicing God’s presence is saying, “Oh yeah, you’re here” to God dozens of times a day.

HOW TO PRACTICE

There are two keys to Being With Jesus or practicing the presence of God. 

The first key is our daily practices. During our journey, we’ve discovered several practices of Jesus that help increase our awareness of God. They allow us to “Be With Jesus.” 

As we continue to practice, we will grow in our awareness of God’s presence in our lives.

God never leaves us, yet we often forget about him. He will always be with us. Yet we get distracted by a million and one diversions.

The second (and by far more important key) is God’s power. God has promised that nothing can separate us from his love (see Romans 8:38). His power is guarding and keeping us (see 1 Peter 1:5). We are sealed by the Holy Spirit (see Ephesians 1:13).

As we practice God’s presence, remember that he is far more committed to us than we are to him. Let us surrender our lives to the Holy Spirit each day and allow him to transform us. 

The first and most basic way that we bear fruit is by being with Jesus.

NEXT STEPS

1: Read Mark 15.
2: Spend 10 minutes in Solitude, reflecting on what you learned. Pray using the P-R-A-Y method.
3: Remember to choose one day to fast lunch this week. Spend that time seeking God.
4: Continue to pray and plan to share your testimony with the 1-2 people in your life who don’t know Jesus over the next week.  
5: Text one friend one thing that you learned

Tomorrow: Week 6 – Day 3 – “Become Like Jesus”