Welcome to Friday. Here is your Friday fry up
Luke 2: 43 – 49 (NIV)
After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
Here are a couple of more things that can be the cause of us “losing Jesus” (that intimacy we were born again to have with Him).
3. Pre-occupation – when your mind is too much on other things.
- Agenda’s or ambitions can posses your attention and cause you to lose your focus. Be careful of distractions and things that take your mind off of where Jesus is in your life. They can come in all shapes and sizes and most often they look good not bad. For Joseph, I think it was about getting home quickly because he knew he had a busy day in the carpenters shop the next day (like you do when you have been away). His mind was so set on what had to happen next that he left the most important thing behind.
- Joseph had thought to Himself “Right, the festival is over now let’s get home, busy day tomorrow”. He set His face homeward and was moving at a great rate of knots. We all have the potential to get caught up in our busy lives.
4. Abdication – When you presume it is someone else’s job to watch Jesus.
- Joseph and Mary probably were each guilty of thinking that the other one was watching Jesus so it turned out neither of them were!
- The lesson for us here is clear - It is not another person’s job to watch your relationship with Jesus for you. That, my friend, is our individual personal responsibility.
- We don’t believe any longer in a traditional priest mentality as they did in the Old Testament when they only related to God through Moses. Those days are over and we all now have a personal responsibility to watch where Jesus is in our lives ourselves with ministers positioned by God in our lives to assist us but not do it for us.
Let’s make great choices again today.
1. I will not allow my life to become so pre-occupied with stuff (even good stuff) that I lose Jesus in any way.
2. I am taking responsibility for my walk with Jesus and I am going to maintain our journeying together.
Have a great weekend, speak to you again next week.
Happy Easter. He is risen!
Andy
A devotional by Pastor Andy Elmes to inspire you with a godly thought to start your day well. God’s word is indeed the breakfast of champions.
Great Big Life
Empowering People
Andy Elmes
Pastor & Leadership Coach
UK Office:
PO BOX 240
Southsea
PO2 7YE.
+ 44 (0) 2392 342592
