It is quite possible to read the Bible, go to church, memorize chunks of the Bible by heart…do all these churchy things and completely miss out on God. The Pharisees were experts of all these churchy things and Jesus made it crystal clear that they completely missed the Kingdom of God.
None of these are bad things, of course. They are good things, but none of these are the goal of the Christian life. It’s quite possible to do all of these things and miss Jesus completely. The goal is Jesus. All these things point to Jesus.
One of the most amazing things about this Jesus thing is that when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, this Jesus, this Savior, Lord, King of kings, Lord of lords, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, this Jesus promises to be a real presence in our lives.
What this means is that every time we open up the Bible to read, every time we open our hearts to pray, every time we worship, Jesus is fully present. It’s as if, when I was reading the Bible and journaling earlier today at Starbucks, Jesus was sitting in the chair in front of me!
Imagine that! The living Christ present with me, hanging out with me.
That’s exactly what Jesus promises. Jesus is present to Christ-followers through his Holy Spirit!
So, go ahead! Talk to him! Let him know how much you love him and are thankful to him. Really, do it. The next time you read the Bible, pray, or worship, do it as if Jesus is right there with you….because he is!
Praxis: Faith in Action 