With or Without Him
Lately, I have come to an awakening that at some point you lose connections with people. This is a result of your relationship with Jesus. I've recently begun the grieving process of knowing that I don't have a lot of areas in which I can connect with some people because of my lifestyle, which is to remain in oneness with Jesus. When I mean oneness, I mean that I make it my joy to remain in such a place where I am pleasing God over people. If this is an area where you feel like you have fallen short, I encourage you to continue reading. . .
Have you ever tried to imagine what your life would be like without Jesus? If you have, then you have tried to imagine what your life would be like with him as well. It's completely okay if you have because I have. I have recently written a small poem in light of the feelings that I have been feeling:
Without Jesus, i'm a wandering sheepA wanderer set out on a self-inflicted Journey looking for a way, a truth, and a life.
With Jesus, i'm a resident of heaven, I'm a son, and i'm an inherent. In him, i've found the way, the truth, and the life.
Anytime I get around certain people, I can feel the coarseness in the room. I use to think it was me, as if I was not enough for people or the conversations they are having. Anytime I feel a lie coming, I normally try to catch it before it starts to fester within in me, so I took my feelings and thoughts to the Father. Quickly, he reminded me, " You are enough, Jason. The truth is, I am not enough for some people."As believers, we cannot afford to let outside things determine our inner-life. It is so important that we make sure that the only thing we are moved by is the Holy Spirit, not outside opposition. We need to lock eyes with Jesus.
I promise I am getting to my point. I just want to make sure that as you read this you are understanding my reasoning behind why I wrote this today. Jesus said in John 14:6, " I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." This hits home because people continue to search for a place to fit in, a source to get full understanding, and a better life. A status quo if you will. But what is life without Jesus?
"A life without Jesus is merely surviving, but with Jesus we are thriving."
We can study all the science in the world, read all of the theology books at our finger tips. Don't get me wrong, I love theology, but we live in a world that takes Jesus and waters him down to a bound volume. Jesus is alive and he wants a full commitment from us. Science cannot capture the true beauty of knowing Jesus and knowing him. Only relationship can do that. The apostle Paul talks about the priceless value of knowing Jesus in Philippians 3,
"I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him."
Simply put, my life is garbage without Jesus! I must take the trash out daily meaning, I need to make sure I do not let any possession, or feeling of popularity get in the way of me having Jesus to the full measure. Are you willing to not fit in with the world in order to have more of Jesus? Because you cannot have both. Jesus said that if the world hated you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you (John 15:18-19).
You will lose to gain, but your gain is much better than what you will be losing.
