The next day John (John the Baptist) was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” | John 1:35-37
“What do you want?”
Can you imagine Jesus saying that to you? After seconds of following Him, he turns and asks you, “What do you want?” Or in my own words: Why are you following me?
Think about it this way: Think of following Jesus for years and He turns around to you and says, “What do you want?” or “What do you want with me? Why are you following me?”
While listening to my church’s online sermon (click here to listen), I was hit hard with this question. Eddie, West Side’s pastor described now-a-day followers ofJesus in terms that any Facebook user could understand: We like Him, we comment about Him, or we share Him.
What do you want with Jesus? Do you ‘like’ Him because that’s the image you want to uphold? Do you ‘comment’ to save your spot in heaven? Or do you ‘share’ Him, for all to see, because He is the one who saved you and turned your filthy rags white as snow?
“What do you want?”
I hadn’t realized, but I had been working my way around this question for awhile now but in unexpected ways.
I have been questioning and doubting probably everything The Lord has planned for me because of things that I have lost. I don’t feel secure, yet I run back to Him. I am scared out of my mind that He will pick a path that I do not want to step foot on, but still I lean into Him. I don’t have control, and it is in that fear that I fall into His unfading love.
That is why I follow Him. I have been struggling with how to explain why I go to church, why my faith is so important to me, why Jesus and any of it matters, and that is why.
What I want with Jesus is this: I want Jesus because of the hope He gives me. I want Jesus because He is the only one who knows my heart. I want Jesus because when everything else is falling around me, He truly is my anchor. I want Jesus because I cannot imagine my life without a purpose- a purpose driven by love, hope, and sacrifice. A purpose given by a Father who created each of His children magnificent and flawless.
So Jesus, what I want is all that you have to offer.
They said, “Rabbi” (which means ‘Teacher’), “where are you staying?”
“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” | John 1:38-39
Come and you will see.
Come and see.
Sometimes I hide behind my blog posts when I am faced with the question of if I share the Gospel. It is easy to write and share my story, even if I offend others, because the only way I am persecuted is by getting not enough ‘likes’.
But I want to change that.
I want to click ‘share’ on the Gospel, as cheesy as that sounds, because Jesus matters that much to me, and every person I come in contact with matters that much to Him.
So the next time I invite someone to church or am asked why I follow Christ, I’ll say what Jesus said to His disciples: Come and you will see.
Sometimes sharing Christ simply means asking people to come and see the One who wants their hearts.
Sometimes sharing Christ simply means telling others to come and see and letting Him do the rest.
So, what do you want with Jesus?
See you soon,
Stephanie Lynn
gwenn | lynn 