We've come too far

A few weeks ago (before being knocked out by an ugly series of allergies and a cold), the sermon in church was around one of those verses that’s a classic in Hobby Lobby wall art everywhere. At one point in college, we had it me and some girls had it hung on our living room wall.

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” - Joshua 24:15 NIV

What caught my attention, and what I’m still pondering weeks later, is how the pastor closed out his message. We’ve come too far to leave God behind now. Wow. I know we have lots going on, lots of things to read to do to check in on to take care of. But if you could just join me in pondering that for a little bit. We’ve come too far to leave God behind now. Isn’t that so true? Even if it’s hard to see the evidence in our own lives, if you’re new to faith maybe or haven’t been through what you’d classify as a hardship yet, you can likely see it in those around you who believe and in the people in the Bible. The evidence is there, if we’re willing to look for it and receive it.

Over these last two weeks of sinus problems, I’ve had to miss the women’s small group I’m a part of. I’ve also hardly felt well enough to read God’s word. And I’d be doing you a disservice to pretend I’ve done the daily readings on time, perfectly in synch with the Holy Spirit, and felt totally refreshed as I ended with prayer. In fact, I think I’ve gone through almost every emotion over this study. Interested, “sit down and get it done,” resistive to what the guided study was telling me. I’ve also uncovered some neat things that have changed my attitude, or encouraged me when my heart was in a good place.

What I also realized, as I was catching up on John this weekend, not only are we nearing the end of our study, we’re also approaching the crucifixion story. And I can’t fully explain why, but that brought me pause. Almost like I wanted to avoid it. Close the book when Jesus was still with his disciples, learning from his teachings, but skip over the pain and burden of sin Jesus bore for each and every one of us. It spooked me a little, and I did set my study down that day. But I picked it up again a couple days later.

Friends, if I had let that fear and probably guilt keep me from continuing that study, then I wouldn’t have been met by Jesus’ prayer. His prayer for not only his disciples as he was going to leave them, but for all those who would come to believe in God.

If it’s been awhile since you’ve read John 17, I encourage (implore?) you to sit down with it and read it. No matter where your at, even if your heart is fearful or resistive as I’ve known mine to be sometimes. Because in those pages, our God who is the creator met me where I was.

I wasn’t sure why it struck me so deeply, but after hearing Christ’s prayer for me, my pastor was absolutely right. I have come too far to leave God behind now.

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