September 1 All of Jesus

Luke 4:42 At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him, and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them.

WOULD it be good that all Christians are as the people of Capernaum were that day? They had heard Jesus’ preaching, had witnessed demons cast out and had seen remarkable healings. Jesus, fully God and fully man, was intentionally intense with his people to demonstrate and “proclaim the year (time) of the Lord’s favor: (Luke 4:19). You could say in our language, “He gave his all. He held nothing back. Jesus gave 110%.” Yes, our Lord gave all of himself short of the cross. And then the Jews wanted more.
    And why wouldn’t they? Wouldn’t you want more of such a God as this? Certainly! Or do we? Could it be we don’t want all of Jesus? Maybe we only want a part of him that makes us feel good. Perhaps we want all of his love, but we set aside sine of his commands, especially the ones that remind us of our personal sins. Possibly we love his sacrifice, but we stop short of our own sacrificial living.
    That’s how it is for me much too often. I know in my head that wanting more of Jesus is to be my greatest desire. But sometimes I feel in my heart that being with Jesus can challenge me too much. Present with my Savior, I often feel unqualified and ashamed. He’s so perfect! I’m such a sinner. Striving to live into his ways, I abruptly step off the path. Immediately regret enters my heart. Ashamed, I wonder, “Will I ever get it right?”
    The answer, of course, is that I will not live perfectly. But then comes the realization that I truly do want Jesus to stay with me. I want him to walk with me through the shame and guilt. He loves me enough to die for me. He frees me from sin forever. I do want him to stay – always on my mind, always in my heart, always in my soul.
    I truly do want to experience the Lord’s favor. I pray you do, too.
 
Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for being intentionally intense to live, die and rise again, so I may stay with you forever. Amen.