There’s one piece of advice that is always valid: visit with Jesus. As often as you do it, you are blessed. The life of a disciple is about visiting with Jesus. What does it mean? It means we are sitting at Jesus’ feet talking, laughing, crying, listening, being with Jesus. This is not just a once a week occurrence. And it should not even be just a once a day happening. We should go back and forth all day long. Once we are recharged and filled with the Holy Spirit, we are ready to go out to the world and serve others.

Every time we get puzzled, we should go back to Jesus.
Any time doubts try to sneak on us, we should visit with Jesus.
Whenever we feel lonely, we should spend time with Jesus.
Whatever is our problem, we should bring it to Jesus.

Visiting with Jesus is our lifeline. Without spending time with Jesus, we are not fully alive. Without Jesus we are barely existing. But when we regularly visit with Jesus, we are thriving. We are doing what we were called to do. We are making ourselves at home with Jesus.

“Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me. “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples. (John 15:4-8, MSG, emphasis added,*)

Visiting with Jesus is the only way to mature as Christians. And that just happens when we regularly visit with Jesus. We have been invited to have an intimate and organic relationship with Jesus. How we respond to it is up to us.

But who wouldn’t want abundant life with Jesus?
Who wouldn’t want to be best friends with Jesus?
Who wouldn’t want to be vibrantly alive?

 

Gracious God,
Thanks for inviting us to visit with you.
Thanks for inviting us to make ourselves at home with you,
to have an intimate and organic relationship with you.
Teach us how to have meaningful visits with you.
Show us how to interact with you throughout the day.
Fill us with your spirit, bless us indeed!
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: How often do you visit with Jesus? How do you spend time with Jesus?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you mature as a follower of Christ!

* [As you might have noticed, I enjoy reading the Bible in different translations and love comparing them. I have started linking the Bible verses to Biblegateway.com so you can easily read (and compare) them in the different versions I’ve used while preparing each post.]

Image courtesy of Mari-Anna Stålnacke. Linking up today with Faith-filled Fridays, Five Minute Friday, and Faith Barista.