To Whom Shall We Go?

Some of you can remember when you were a new disciple. You can still remember what you felt as you came out of the waters of baptism. You once accepted Jesus’ offer, but then something interfered. He spoke of thorns that would grow up and choke out the faith of those who had made a good beginning. He mentioned specifically the worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth. These, for sure, can be major culprits, but he was not giving a complete list. Some have allowed painful relationships and mistakes by others to harden or embitter them.

Perhaps you still duck into a church occasionally or open your Bible on tough days, but because of some temporary, worldly matter or because of some human being or group of human beings, you no longer passionately seek the kingdom of God. You no longer joyfully submit to the Lord of Life. Do you see the tragedy in this? Do you realize that the God Jesus described stands on the porch, waiting to run to you and put a ring and robe of honor on you and throw a party for you? Such “insane love” is more than a little embarrassing, especially when we all know that we deserve quite the opposite. But the Jesus who once announced the good news of the kingdom to us, is back to show us just how wide and long and high and deep the love of God is. He is so ready to forgive and so ready to have you again at the banquet table. It will take humility to come back, but that has always been at the heart of following Jesus

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And what about those who made a decision to accept Jesus and his kingdom and have never left? You are not going anywhere. You believe Jesus has the answers. Like the disciples, you say to Jesus, “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). But something is missing. You no longer look like you are connected to resurrection power. Somewhere in the daily grind of life, you have lost touch with the abundance of God. More importantly, maybe you have lost faith that you can ever experience it again. It is not, however, a tired and disappointed Jesus who comes to you, weary with your sluggish heart. It is not a Jesus who just has enough to give one more weak word of encouragement. It is the One who gladly died for us and still has one goal for us: to infuse us with his life.