09.03.2019 In the presence of Jesus

Just be in the presence of Jesus
Psalm 86:11

Teach me your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.

https://youtu.be/oQLoY49ajF0

This is a simple prayer, but it has great significance for us Christians. This puts the author in an apprentice position and that’s exactly what we should be for Jesus: his apprentices.
It is easy to feel discouraged on the way to God. Often we see different sermons and lost lyrics telling us to pray more, to sin less, to devote ourselves more to God, not to do certain things, etc. That is why many of us believe that we can not please God.
I’m not saying these councils are wrong, but I want to emphasize something more important than any other advice: To please God, just be in the presence of Jesus and acknowledge that He is the Son of God!
Together we will  see some of the situations that Jesus experienced, giving us the basis for this truth.
1st case – The woman with blood flow:
Luke 8: 43-48

43 In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had spent everything she had on doctors, but none of them could make her well.

44 As soon as she came up behind Jesus and barely touched his clothes, her bleeding stopped.

45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

While everyone was denying it, Peter said, “Master, people are crowding all around and pushing you from every side.”

46 But Jesus answered, “Someone touched me, because I felt power going out from me.” 47 The woman knew that she could not hide, so she came trembling and knelt down in front of Jesus. She told everyone why she had touched him and that she had been healed right away.

48 Jesus said to the woman, “You are now well because of your faith. May God give you peace!”

We see that the woman did not properly understand how Jesus works wonders. She imagined that she should touch her clothes, because that’s how most idols work: The person touches a picture or puts a shamrock in his wallet or uses this “lucky dress” among other things to achieve her miracle.
But Jesus is not something without life that does not care what happens. We also see that Jesus did not use his omniscience in this case. He kept asking and asking the woman to come and explain to him. Jesus wants us to have contact with him. God created man to interact with God, Jesus, who is God, always wants to interact with us.
We should never miss the opportunity to talk to Jesus!
Case 2 – Zachäus, the tax collector:
Luke 19: 1-10

19 Jesus was going through Jericho, 2 where a man named Zacchaeus lived. He was in charge of collecting taxes[a] and was very rich. 3-4 Jesus was heading his way, and Zacchaeus wanted to see what he was like. But Zacchaeus was a short man and could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree.

5 When Jesus got there, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down! I want to stay with you today.” 6 Zacchaeus hurried down and gladly welcomed Jesus.

7 Everyone who saw this started grumbling, “This man Zacchaeus is a sinner! And Jesus is going home to eat with him.”

8 Later that day Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “I will give half of my property to the poor. And I will now pay back four times as much[b] to everyone I have ever cheated.”

9 Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Today you and your family have been saved,[c] because you are a true son of Abraham.[d] 10 The Son of Man came to look for and to save people who are lost.”

Zaccheus did not seek miracles from Jesus, he was curious to see the man he had overheard. In a way, the mind of Zacchaeus was focused on being close to Jesus, and that was enough to see him and bring salvation to Zacchaeus in his omniscience.
When we hear about Jesus, our mind is more and more connected to God, and this connection affects our soul. The desire to be close to Jesus is growing, and this is one of the ways in which God calls His children closer to Him. It is not necessary to explain the desire to know Jesus. You do not have to look for a logical motive for the feeling that comes into your heart.
If we approach Jesus, he will be able to take care of us!

Case 3 – The thief crucified with Christ
Luke 23: 39-43

39 One of the criminals hanging there also insulted Jesus by saying, “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and save us!”

40 But the other criminal told the first one off, “Don’t you fear God? Aren’t you getting the same punishment as this man? 41 We got what was coming to us, but he didn’t do anything wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Remember me when you come into power!”

43 Jesus replied, “I promise that today you will be with me in paradise.”

Often we do not understand what God is doing and we try to understand his plans. The child of God must learn to trust his Creator. In this case we see the act of God directly in the life of this thief. He did not live to obey the commandments of God because he was a convict, we know that he did not follow the laws of God. How could he be saved?
He had not expected it, but God had already chosen him and his plans were so perfect that the end was his salvation. He, the thief, died near the Redeemer and did not miss the opportunity to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God! We must always trust in God and realize that Jesus is our only true King!
1John 1: 9

 But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.

Here we can see confirmation of the promise of divine forgiveness in the New Testament. In this passage from John’s letter, he teaches the brethren about the light that is God. Nothing can hide from this light. When we confess our sins to God, we are close to Him and acknowledge His omniscience.
To please God, just stand in the presence of Jesus and acknowledge that he is the Son of God!
Glory to God for this Word that confirms the promises of God to save everyone who is called and to accept being near Jesus! Amen!