Walking With Jesus

When I think of the early disciples who lived and walked with Jesus, I tend to think how fortunate they were to live in his physical presence. I envision them being personally taught and encouraged by the Lord himself. 

To have Jesus teach and explain the very words of God, to have him personally demonstrate his power and to equip you with power from above. How much easier it must have been to be faithful and to face the strongholds of Satan. Not!

The fact is that the early disciple were slow to understand and slow to believe, causing Jesus to question in frustration "how long shall I stay with you and put up with you?" (Lk 9:41).  They remained fearful in his presence: “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm" (Mt 8:26).

While Jesus was with them, the disciples quarreled over who was greatest, they misunderstood the nature of Messiah, they didn't get the concept of resurrection, they even scattered like sheep when Jesus was arrested. Peter denounced Jesus and Judas betrayed him. 

But after his resurrection, after he sent the Holy Spirit, we see men of strength and wisdom. The disciples were now ready to take the message to the furthest places on the map, facing down kings and courts, risking and giving up their lives for Jesus's sake. 

Their strength came when they, like us, experienced the risen Christ and were filled with his Spirit. It is then that "God can do more than we can ask or imagine according to his power at work within us" (Eph 3:20).

If you are filled with the Spirit of Christ, you are walking with Jesus. In fact you are walking much closer that ever possible when he was alive. Jus' Sayn.