I have an obsession, a crush if you will. So, if you’re spiritual, don’t criticize or talk about me behind my back, for you’ve got your own things; instead, pray for me. Whenever I see this person, he takes my heart away. I don’t understand it, nor can I explain it. But someone reading this can relate. You’ve had something in your life that was “forbidden”, yet you desired it (him/her). It doesn’t make you a bad person to be attracted to or crave something or someone. If I could only follow him home, I’d go to visit him every day and spend all my waking time with him. Don’t ask me who this person is, for I’ll never tell.
In the question we’re looking at today, Jesus is asking His disciples and us a pertinent question we should ponder in our hearts. It’s about motive. In the Disney movie “Cruella,” the one common phrase that continued to come up was “What’s the angle?” We must ask ourselves this question when choosing to follow Jesus. We must follow Him, fully aware that we won’t change Him to align with us, but we must realign our lives to meet His requirements. David said it best in Psalm 27:4 to answer Jesus’ question to His disciples: “What are you looking for?” Or better said: “What’s your angle?” “One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.”
The question in John 1:38 is to Jesus’ first disciples, who have, on good authority, by referral, that He is the man that will fill that craving they’ve had all their lives, the reason they were following John. You know that craving, you and I have had it too. It’s the longing for the place we belong, for identity and purpose. They realized from John the Baptist’s words that they’d only find that in Jesus Christ, so they followed by faith. But they followed quietly, until He stopped what He was doing to acknowledge them and ask this question. What was the answer? I’m glad you asked. The answer is; “Where are you staying?”
Where are you living? Can I know where you stay? I’m not just a fan or a stalker; I want to live life with you! I want to know Your dwelling place, Oh Lord, so I can live with You. It was never my desire to leave You when I found you, so please, show me where You’re staying. You’re not just a good teacher; I want you to be Lord of my life, and I’m willing to submit to all that I am under Your Lordship. That’s what these disciples who chose to willingly follow Him without being called out or chosen out by Him, like many of the others. They followed because they knew in Him they’d have life, and life more abundantly. This was their angle, this was their goal. Jesus, for them, was a place to stay, to rest in, to settle down.
Have you found your resting place in Him, or are you still seeking fame, popularity, and power?
Have you come to Jesus to bring Him all that you are just yet, recognizing He’s not just a “Good Teacher” but He gave that you might have life more abundantly in Him?
GOoD Life Precepts
KeviJ
