We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.
— I Thessalonians 2:8 CSB
Can you imagine walking this earth with God?
Tromping on the dirt He used to form you,
sleeping by the light of the moon He positioned in the nighttime sky, and
warming yourself in His radiant sunshine?
Did the trees, with lifted arms, bend towards their Creator
when He walked through the forest? Did the stars shine brighter
knowing their Creator was in the room? "Here He comes! Shine your best!"
I imagine a mother star saying, "You're in the presence of the Son!"
Can you imagine walking this earth with Jesus?
It was nothing for Jesus to take two fish and feed a multitude,
to restore sight to the blind, open the ears of the deaf,
and to heal a woman long ill — as His disciples watched.
..........
What a gift, for believers to house the indwelling Holy Spirit. We have His continual presence with us. But can you imagine living in His daily physical presence here on earth? To know God as Adam and Eve knew Him, and as the disciples knew Jesus?
In all the living and breathing, eating and drinking, coming and going. In all the preparations and living out that comes with life, we long to share it with those we love and hold dear. With family, with friends, and with those to whom we minister, we share more than the gospel — we share our lives. We share the ongoing struggles, surprising miracles and routine mundaneness of everyday life.
Jesus and His disciples experienced lots of down time together. He taught as they went "along the road." Deuteronomy 6:7 tells us, "Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up" (CSB).
Real life is packed full of in-the-moment object lessons. Even as He taught large crowds, those he held dear were with Him. Watching. Learning.
They saw and lived it all with Him, day by day.
Lord, thank you that you want daily interaction with me. You want to share it all with me. Help me to be more of a life-sharer with those I love. To not only speak the Word but to live it out and let others in close enough to see it, like You did with Your disciples. They saw everything. Thank you that I don't have to be perfect to share my life with others, just willing.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Beside Quiet Waters 