23 Jan Greatest Gift

Have you ever thought “When is the storm going to end?” Or “God, it’s storming…are you there?” We often look into the window of life and all we see is rain, rain, and more rain. In the Word, Jesus purposely walked into the rain to find his disciples. They were in the middle of the raging sea but He still went out to them. The disciples were so focused on the winds and the rains that they did not even recognized Him when they saw Him. They were in the middle of a storm and Jesus was right there with them; but yet it says that they were frightened.
Sometimes we let ourselves get so distracted by the storms around us that we can’t hear Jesus saying, “Take courage. I am with you. Do not be afraid.” He is always with us; in the trials and the good times. The Lord doesn’t want to just be our credit card and only be noticed while we’re in hardship and need His strength. He desires us to put Him number one in our lives in the bad and good times because He is with us through all of it!
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” John 15:4
He went all the way to the sea to save the disciples, and He went all the way to the cross to save me and you. I don’t come close to deserve His love, but He’s always been there for me.
You see, Jesus is the greatest example of generosity this world of greed has ever seen!! And when Jesus hit the scene, He changed the scenery and met diversity with serenity. If you’re looking for peace, He offers plenty.

Matthew 16:25 says, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”
Some of us are so engaged in such a determined pursuit of a fulfilling life that we are passing by the only one who can give us life. The issue isn’t that life is a bad thing. God desires us to have life; and life to the fullest. However, the issue is that some of us have made life a bigger thing than Christ. We have chosen the pursuit of life over the pursuit of Jesus.

The question Jesus is asking us in Matthew 16:25 is simply, “What am I worth to you?” What is Jesus worth to you and me? He made it very clear what we were worth to Him. So a life for pursuit after Jesus, is a life of friendship with Him. When we choose to seek Him first, He fills us with His Holy Spirit and He lives in us. When that happens we’re no longer looking to receive life from the things we see or the things we can get. Once that happens we’re walking in the life that He provides. And that my friends, is a life worth living.

Jonah Bailey