Stay Close To Jesus

by Mike Read, Director of Student Ministries @ MBC Loudoun

I’m studying the Gospel of Luke this week in my class and came across this verse that was compelling to me, in Luke 2:41-45 it says, “Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.”

The verse that grabbed me was in 43 “while his parents returned home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.”

As Mary and Joseph travel to this feast in Jerusalem with their son Jesus they were clearly distracted by the excitement and busyness of the Feast. In fact, Mary and Joseph were so distracted that when they headed home to Nazareth, they were well into the trip before they realized that Jesus was not with them! It took them 3 days before they were reunited with their 12 year old son Jesus. It brought fear and anxiety into Mary and Joseph as expected when you lose your only child.

I find this truly amazing. How can the parents of the Son of God not know their son was not in their presence? Yet these verses show me how each of us can become so busy that we continue to operate not realizing we are not walking closely with Jesus.

This challenged me to ask myself more often, “am I experiencing daily, even moment-by-moment, fellowship with Jesus?” If not, I may end up like Mary and Joseph with fear and anxiety in my day, to find that I am not as close as I should be to him. Do you have an intimacy with the Lord that is so close you would recognize when you’ve forgotten him? I’m consistently shown that doing “business” and “ministry” without Jesus’ presence daily in my life leaves me powerless and prone to live in fear. Jesus said He would never leave or forsake His children. However, we can walk away from His fellowship by refusing to be with Him. Do not let this happen to you. He longs to have daily fellowship with you because He loves you.

Make sure you are making your fellowship with Jesus a number one priority in your day!