Monday, July 23, 2012

Jesus Walks with Us Today

Jesus is not stuck in the past: living long ago and far away. Nor is he stuck in Heaven: maybe looking down on us but unable to connect with us. Instead, Jesus is alive and well and walks happily with us even now.

Jesus communicates with each of us and with every human being on Earth whether Christian or not. He does this in two ways: through words and through signs and wonders.

Jesus speaks with each of us and with every human being. To speak with us, he uses words. Often he speaks to us through the words of our thoughts. Sometimes he speaks to us through words which others speak to us. Occasionally he uses words we read. On rare occasions he even speaks aloud to us.

Most of the words we think, hear, and read are not from Jesus. One helpful way of knowing which words are from Jesus and which aren’t is by comparing them with the words of the Bible. We learn from the Bible that Jesus speaks to us words of truth that free us to love other people and so to nurture and protect life. So, when Jesus speaks to us, and when we hear and act on those words, we act in loving ways which increase the vitality of others.

Jesus also reveals his otherwise invisible presence with us through visible signs and wonders. A sign or wonder is a meaningful coincidence. When we speak with Jesus about something, and then something else happens which seems to be a meaningful response to what we said, that’s a sign of his presence in our lives.

In the New Testament we read about some very strong signs of his presence. These are called miracles. In truth, however, even the smallest signs of his presence are miraculous.

Jesus does not shout and is not a bully. It is easy to ignore his words to us and his presence in our lives. We usually do.

Sometimes signs of the presence of Jesus in our lives hardly ever seem to happen. Sometimes our lives seem to be crowded with them. But whether he speaks to us or acts in our lives in significant ways, he always inspires us to live as greater witnesses to the truth, freedom, love, and vitality that are ours—and everyone’s—through him.

Copyright © 2012 by Steven Farsaci. All rights reserved. Fair use encouraged.