4/12/10

Will You Leave Me Also

A few weeks back, I had went to the wal-mart with my family. After walking around for a short time, I realized there was nothing I needed, so I decided to go grab a bible and set in the lawn and gardening until my family finished. I sat there reading the bible, as the Spring shoppers rushed by, and the following verses is where I found myself reading.


John 6:66-67, “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?”

As I read the previous verses that led to this passage portrait of a multitude of Christ’ followers leaving Him, and Him asking His twelve disciples this heart wrenching question, I found that the reason all these followers had turned their backs and walked away, was simply because He set the standard too high. Why did He do such a thing I wondered, but then later I realized, He was testing them. He wanted to know who was just religious, and who was truly spiritual. Those that was merely religious would not dare even entertain a thought of trying to jump a hurtle that would put their cozy life in jeopardy of collapse. But the spiritual would realize this Christ is the only answer to life, and outside of Him there is no life. The spiritual would say, “it is too high for me, but with God all things are possible. I cant …but He can.”

I had heard this passage paraphrased many times before, but I had never read it before. I felt a sweet presence come over me as I read. And at the time of beginning this writing, as I looked over some notes I had jotted down that day there in wal-mart, I felt the same sweet presence of Christ come over me again. It seemed as if I could almost hear Christ speaking these very words once more, but not to the twelve disciples, but directly to me. It is almost as if I could feel His rays of love, as beams of sunlight penetrating my humble soul, as He said, “Buddy, my beloved, I have set the standard too high for you to reach. You see all your friends around you turning their back on me? They haven’t learned to love me yet. They have decided this way is too hard, and that they cant risk their life plans to reach the place I have them be. So many around you are walking away, simply satisfied with being religious, and yes it breaks my heart, but I have only one question… will you leave me also?”

Beloved, can you hear Christ asking you this question? Asking you if you will turn away with the religious crowd also, or if you will trust Him and keep on walking with Him? Can you hear Him so tenderly ask your soul, “Will you leave me also?”

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