I sat at a bus station on Sunday afternoon preparing for our bus ride to take us 5 hours further South in Chile. I realized how traveling had suddenly become second nature and the thought of such a long trip no longer phased me. Our bus trips are commonly crowded and spent listening to music or talking to one another. The empty seat next to me was soon filled with a man twice my age. I attempted my feeble “Habla Ingles?” phrase, because I figure, it can’t hurt to check if this Chilean man can speak English. He turns to me, with a slightly unimpressed expression, and replies, “un poco.”
Again, this doesn’t phase me now either. I get this a lot. Most people I meet believe they can not speak English, and I try to assure them that they’re English is always better than my Spanglish. We were soon chatting back and forth both in English, so he could practice, and in Spanish, so I could practice. He showed me pictures of his all day adventure of climbing the Volcano and filled me in on the traveling he’s done. He asks what I am doing traveling and I inform him, in the best way I can translate, that I am on a missions trip with a Christian organization. His face lights up hearing it’s for Christianity. I explain that I used to work but quit to do this for a year. He explains to me that he was raised in a Christian home, but now has no time to practice it. He imagines himself one day when he has a wife and kids attending church again.
Oddly enough this conversation took place after I had just listened to a podcast sermon by Judah Smith. He talks about how as Christians we get comfortable in our faith. That we confess that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and we have faith that we will be with Jesus in eternity when we die. But that’s it, we stay comfortable just there.
“Jesus says, “The same faith you exercise to believe you will be with me in eternity is the same faith that I need you to exercise to believe that I can move right now.” ~ Judah Smith
What happens when we follow Jesus in real life. When he comes to life in our life as we remove him from the pen and paper of the bible and put his direction into application.
What’s Jesus got to do with me? Everything! He wants everything.
He wants your life before you get married, just because you get married doesn’t mean Jesus is going to magically start working any differently than he could BEFORE you get married and have kids.
Luke 9:23 “And he said to all, “If any one would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
He wants to provide for all your needs. Even if that need is to find a phone you lost in your own house to finding housing in a new city.
Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
He wants you just as you are. You don’t have to clean up your act before coming to know Christ, but he WILL work in your life when you let him and you won’t be the same person as before. He wants you to stop running.
Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
What’s Jesus got to do with me?
That’s something I keep facing every day on the race. EVERY DAY.
What am I even supposed to do today.
Should I go talk to that person.
Should I not go talk to that person.
How did I even start talking to this person.
Was that the Lord talking to me or was that my own thought.
Am I doing this missionary thing right.
Did Jesus really mean he would meet all of my needs.
Do I daily have to lay my burdens, stress, control at his feet.
Jesus is the example that we can’t do life on our owns. We are, everyday, dependent upon him. We have to consciously, everyday, make the choice to include him and invite him into our lives.
I’m still figuring out what Jesus’ has got to do with me. I’m okay with that. It helps me refocus everyday on this fact. That I don’t have it all figured out. It helps me to seek him in all I do and get excited when he pulls back the curtain and reveals himself.
What’s Jesus got to do with you?
