Come to Me

John 12:26

“If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”

The past week, God has been impressing on my heart, the idea of following, or coming to God. Before the disciples could be of any effective use to the Lord, they had to come as Jesus called. Mark 3:13 says, “And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him.” I think it is interesting that Jesus went up on a mountain to call his disciples. If we are not spiritually healthy, and seeking the higher calling of the Lord, we will not be able to accomplish that perfect will Jesus has for us. That does not mean that God can’t use us if we fall or experience valley lows, because we are all broken, sinful people, but he desires to use people who desire to know him, and love him more passionately than the day before. After all, we cannot grow or be molded into the image of God, unless we submit to the shaping of his hands. And when we are willing to submit, is when God takes the useless, broken, vessel, and transforms them into something of surpassing beauty. Matthew 16:24, a verse that we know so well here at IGNITE, says, “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” The first step is to come. Jesus is always, always talking to his children. He constantly is calling us, in his sweet, tender whisper, to come. Throughout Jesus’ ministry on earth, he often said the word, “come,” before he healed and saved anybody. To the man with the withered hand, in Mark chapter three, Jesus simply called, “Come here.” In Matthew 9:14, Jesus says, “Let the little children come to me…” And in Matthew 14:29, when Peter walks on water, Jesus again asks him to come. Nothing more, and nothing less, all our Savior desires is for us to come as he has called. Coming is the first step, and so often it is the hardest. I have never been one to come to people with my problems, or desires. I usually just let everything sit inside of me, until someone comes to me and breaks down my walls. But our relationship with God is the complete opposite. If we truly desire a relationship with God, we must come and allow him to invade the depths of our hearts, and fill us to overflow with his spirit. Then we can pursue, strive, and run towards great heights with the Lord. Isaiah 6:8 says, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” He is calling all of us. There is no one perfect, anointed, human being on this earth. Jesus simply wants the willing. Those who are willing to give up their rights for the sake of Christ, and become a servant to all people, just as Jesus was to us. And when we come, and let God in, people start to recognize Him in and through us, and God moves and works in people’s hearts, in ways we cannot imagine or explain. That is the kind of life, I long to live. Lord, when people see me, may they see you; when they get to know me, may they get to know you. Teach me how to love, teach me how to submit, and teach me how to serve.

Application: Because I have such a hard time coming to the Lord, and I get caught up in my mind and thoughts, Nicole is holding me accountable, and will check up on me when I am looking lonely, and point me to Jesus.