On My Heart Today - Is Jesus with Us?

I am doing a study with Caleb right now on Obedience - ways to be obedient, the true definition of it, the rewards for it and the consequences for not.  While we were doing our study today, we were instructed to read from Luke chapter 2, which we obeyed =)

At the end of that chapter, we find Mary, Joseph and Jesus in Jerusalem for the Passover.  The group heads home after their feast, but that night, Mary and Joseph are unable to locate Jesus with family or friends.  Quickly, they turn around and head back to Jerusalem, worried about their son.  It takes 3 days before they actually locate him - in the temple with the teachers.

I went through and had my discussion with Caleb for his lesson - Jesus' attitude toward his parents, his not arguing back, his willingness to return home with his parents and the blessings that came with that obedience.  (Read this section of scripture to see the benefits of obeying, even if you think you are doing a good thing.)  It was a great lesson and we had an amazing talk.

However, as we moved on to his next subject, I couldn't stop thinking about those verses.  How could Jesus' parents leave their young son behind and not even notice for a whole day?  Why did they not make sure he was with them before they left the city?  Then I wondered, were they so busy - in their lives, their trip home, their 'to-do' list - that their son's absence easily went unnoticed?  How did they not know that Jesus was not with them - why were they not communicating with him along the way?

Then, I wondered... How often am I so busy that I forget to pay attention to whether or not Jesus is with me?  Have I ever gotten caught up in my life - the to-do lists, the schedules, the daily routines - that I haven't noticed that He is not with me?  How often have I not made the time to be in His presence, ensuring that He is with me wherever I go?  I don't want to be so busy that I am able to continue to operate even if He is not with me.  I need daily, moment by moment fellowship with my Lord that ensures that close walk with my Saviour!

My daily time with Jesus is the most important part of my day - it is the part that ensures He walks with me as I go!  I never want to forget that priority or think that I can get through a day without Him.

Psalm 63:1:  O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

Psalm 34:10:  The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

Psalm 22:26:  The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

Psalm 27:8:  When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

1 Chronicles 16:1:  Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.

May you be encouraged today on your walk to make sure that Jesus is with you as you go.  It will make all the difference if He is!