Are you closely following Jesus?

Are you still following Jesus?  Are you following close behind him?  I hope that you are, and I have to confess that I would like to be closer than I am.  I think that many of us have fallen behind in our pursuit of Jesus.  Perhaps we got distracted by being too busy.  Perhaps we were hurt by a member of the Church.  Perhaps we were even busy doing “good things” but neglected to maintain our walk with Him.  I also fear that many American “Christians” have even asked Jesus to follow them, taking advantage of their relationship with Jesus for their own benefit, not selling out to Jesus.

 

Tonight, we walked up from our hotel to a restaurant, that we enjoy, called 2 Friends.  It is about 3 blocks from our hotel, so we did not take the Ministry Machine.  On our way back, it was pitch black (there are no street lights in most of Uganda).  I think that 4 of us had flashlights.  Ten of our group were walking, so if you did not stay close to one of the people with flashlights, you were at risk of stepping in a pothole or stepping on/in something else that you would regret.  If you were a little distance back, it was even harder to see than if no one had a flashlight at all. This simple scenario reminds me of how our path is much better illuminated if we are staying close to Jesus.  He can point out the obstacles and potholes in our path and lead us in the right direction.  Also, I think it might be better to have no Jesus than to be lukewarm, trailing too far back.

Revelation 3:15-17  “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.   You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

 

I guess we should discuss what to do if you find that you have quit following Jesus.  Perhaps you have fallen so far behind that you are embarrassed to try to catch up.  Could He forgive you for the things that you have done that have derailed you in your walk?

Luke 2:41-52 tells the story of Jesus staying behind when his parents left Jerusalem to head home.  Mary and Joseph noticed that Jesus was not with them, but they assumed that He was walking with other family members.  They traveled for a full day before they searched around to find Jesus but he was not with the traveling party.

What did Mary and Joseph do when they realized that they were not walking with Jesus?  They headed immediately back to Jerusalem to find Him!  What a great example.  Don’t delay in returning to find Jesus.  I am convinced that when you take that first step back towards Jesus, He has already forgiven you!

We have enjoyed a great week of clinics, based from here.  We had two days of clinic in Pallisa on Thursday and Friday.  Then yesterday, we set up camp in a new location.  We headed 25 km out of Jinja.  We then left the paved road and did a bit of snaking through a sugar cane plantation up into Nat Geo land.  I love it when we are able to find our way out into the rural, Nat Geo areas.  The people are so delightful and grateful to see us.  Konko was no different. 

 

We saw 220 patients and many of them were older people that needed medications and reading glasses. 

 

 

We are looking forward to heading back to Konko on Monday.  Today, Sunday, we had a day off from our clinic routine.  We slept a little later and then attended the worship service at Pastor Henry’s church.  It started at 10:00 and ended at 2:30. 

 

I put the above picture in for 3 reasons:  1.) The girl in the picture is Joyce.  I have known Joyce since I first visited Uganda in 2011.  Her hand is with mine on the dueunto.com website.  2.) The boy (her brother Fred) is wearing an FBC Duncan t-shirt that they donated last year.  3.) The picture is blurry, because as I started to snap the picture, Fred started walking.  You can see his left leg is taking the first step to the altar, giving his life to Christ in the worship service this am!

We had planned to travel out to Wild Waters Lodge for a bit of tourism, a nice meal and some relaxation.  But not being able to leave until 2:30 derailed those plans.  Instead, we stayed around our hotel and had a chance to visit and get to know some of our new team members better.  It turned out to be a better day than I had imagined.

 

I encourage you to make right your walk with Jesus!

 

Still preparing for Due Season!  Galatians 6:9

 

Jay